bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Σπάνιες σκελετικές δυσπλασίες
Authors: Χριστοδούλου Μιχαήλ
Published: June 2022

Στη παρούσα διατριβή συλλέχθηκαν δεδομένα περίπου της τελευταίας 15ετίας από το αρχείο του Ιατρείου Ιατρικής Γενετικής, του Εργαστηρίου Ιατρικής Γενετικής, στο Χωρέμειο Ερευνητικό Εργαστήριο , στο Νοσοκομείο Παίδων "Αγία Σοφία". Εκτός από το Ιατρικό Αρχείο συλλέχθηκαν δεδομένα και από μία βάση δεδομένων υπό την μορφή Microsoft Access και έγινε συσχέτιση φαινοτύπου-γονοτύπου.Στη διάρκεια της μελέτης στο προοπτικό σκέλος έγιναν επανεξετάσεις ασθενών όπου εκτιμήθηκε η εξέλιξή τους κλινικά και παρακλινικά όπως και οι συνέπειες των δυσπλασιών στην καθημερινότητά τους και η περάτωση των μοριακών ελέγχων όπου εκκρεμούσαν. Ακολούθησε κατηγοριοποίηση των σκελετικών δυσπλασιών βάση του Nosology and classification of genetic skeletal disorders revision 2015 αρχικά που έπειτα προσαρμόστηκε στο Nosology and classification of genetic skeletal disorders revision 2019 ακολουθώντας τις εξελίξεις. Τα αποτελέσματα της συσχέτισης και καταγραφής των σπάνιων σκελετικών δυσπλασιών στον Ελληνικό πληθυσμό στην συνέχεια εντάσσονται στο ESDN (European Skeletal Dysplasia Network) δηλαδή στο ευρωπαϊκό δίκτυο καταγραφής σκελετικών δυσπλασιών.Αυτή η συγκέντρωση καταγραφών στην Ελλάδα και την Ευρώπη διευκολύνουν την διάγνωση των σκελετικών δυσπλασιών των οποίων η διάγνωση πολλές φορές είναι εξαιρετικά δύσκολη και δαπανηρή.Η καταγραφή αυτή είναι η πρώτη του είδους για τον Ελληνικό πληθυσμό και προδιαθέτει σε μελλοντική συνέχιση της καταγραφής, μελέτης και δημιουργίας δικτύου διαχείρισης των σκελετικών δυσπλασιών στη Ελλάδα.
Thermophysical modelling of cryogenic 4Ηe, 3He and mixtures
Authors: Δομένικος Γεώργιος-Ραφαήλ
Published: June 2022

Στόχος της Διδακτορικής Διατριβής ήταν να ερευνηθούν και στη συνέχεια να δημιουργηθούν και να περιγραφούν οι θερμοδυναμικές ιδιότητες και συμπεριφορές του ρευστού και υπερρευστού Ηλίου κοντά στο απόλυτο μηδέν, όσον αφορά και τα δύο φυσικά του ισότοπα καθώς και το μίγμα τους. Η υπάρχουσα γνώση των θερμοδυναμικών τους ιδιοτήτων έχει καταγραφεί και ενοποιηθεί κατάλληλα καθώς επίσης έχει αναλυθεί η σύγχρονη θεώρηση της υπερρευστότητας πάνω στα δεδομένα αυτά. Νέες καταστατικές εξισώσεις έχουν δημιουργηθεί και περιγραφεί με βάση τις οποίες έχουν σχεδιαστεί και παρουσιαστεί και πρωτότυποι θερμοδυναμικοί χάρτες του κρυογονικού Ηλίου. Παράλληλα, μία διαφορετική θεώρηση της υπερρευστότητας έχει δημιουργηθεί και παρουσιαστεί μέσα στη διατριβή αυτή, κατά την οποία θεώρηση, χρησιμοποιώντας την συνάρτηση επιμερισμού παράγεται ένας τρόπος περιγραφής του υπερρευστού με βάση τον οποίο παρατηρείται μία σύνδεση της μακροσκοπικής με τη μικροσκοπικής θεώρηση. Η μέθοδος αυτή μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί ως ενωτικός κρίκος μεταξύ των δύο κύριων θεωρήσεων της υπερρευστότητας, δηλαδή της θεώρησης των ημισωματιδίων (quasiparticles) και της θεώρησης των δύο ρευστών. Με βάση τη μέθοδο αυτή μπορούν θεωρητικά να υπολογιστούν για πρώτη φορά και οι τιμές των θερμοδυναμικών ιδιοτήτων του υπερρευστού σε θερμοκρασίες χαμηλότερες και των 0.1Κ των υπαρχόντων πειραματικών δεδομένων.Με βάση το παραπάνω μέρος της διατριβής δίνεται η δυνατότητα πλέον να έχουμε μια συνολική περιγραφή των θερμοδυναμικών ιδιοτήτων και συμπεριφορών του κρυογονικού Ηλίου. Η γνώση που προέκυψε από τη βασική αυτή έρευνα, χρησιμοποιείται για τον σχεδιασμό και την προσομοίωση κρυοψυκτών ικανών να ψύξουν σε θερμοκρασίες κοντά στο απόλυτο μηδέν. Συγκεκριμένα έμφαση στη διατριβή αυτή έχει δοθεί στην μελέτη και προσομοίωση των κρυοψυκτών Stirling υπερρευστού. Η μοντελοποίηση των μηχανών αυτών έχει πραγματοποιηθεί σε 4 στάδια, εκκινώντας από την απλούστερη περίπτωση της μονοδιάστατης μηχανής με θεώρηση του Ηλίου-4 ως αδρανούς και του Ηλίου-3 ως ιδανικού αερίου, και καταλήγοντας στην τρισδιάστατη προσομοίωση της μηχανής, μέσω ANSYS Fluent, με χρήση των πλήρων καταστατικών εξισώσεων του κρυογονικού Ηλίου.
Cloud computing architectures for biomedical data management
Authors: Ανδρίκος Χρήστος
Published: June 2022

Η παρούσα διατριβή υπερασπίζεται μια νέα διαδικτυακή πλατφόρμα που προωθεί προηγμένες υπηρεσίες τηλε-διαβουλεύσεων σε πραγματικό χρόνο για την απεικόνιση ιτρικών δεδομένων. Οι αρχές των ετερογενών Συστημάτων Διαχείρισης Ροής Εργασίας (WFMSs) και οι τεχνολογίες αιχμής, όπως το αρχιτεκτονικό σχέδιο μικροϋπηρεσιών, η δικτύωση peer-to-peer και η ιδέα της Ενιαίας Εφαρμογής Σελίδας (Single Page Applicaton - SPA) συνδυάζονται για τη δημιουργία μιας επεκτάσιμης πλατφόρμας για να καταστήσει τη συνεργασία μεταξύ γεωγραφικά κατανεμημένων επαγγελματιών υγείας εφικτή αλλά και αποδοτική. Οι δυνατότητες επικοινωνίας σε πραγματικό χρόνο βασίζονται στo πρωτόκολλο webRTC που επιτρέπει την άμεση επικοινωνία μεταξύ των πελατών. Η εργασία συζητά τις εννοιολογικές και τεχνικές λεπτομέρειες του συστήματος, δίνοντας έμφαση στα καινοτόμα στοιχεία του. Εμβαθύνει σε έννοιες αρχιτεκτονικής και ορθών πρακτικών σχεδιασμού πλήρως κατανεμημένων υπηρεσιών. Αξιοποιώντας τις αρχές των εφαρμογών δώδεκα-συντελεστών καταφέρνει να προσφέρει μιά λύση η οποία: Αξιοποιεί το δηλωτικό μοντέλο περιγραφής πόρων για να επιτύχει αυτοματοποίηση Διατηρεί μια ξεκάθαρη σχέση με το υποκείμενο λειτουργικό σύστημα προκειμένου να φέρει υψηλή μεταφερσιμότητα Παρέχει δυνατότητες συνεχούς ανάπτυξης Φέρει χαρακτηριστικά υψηλής κλιμακωσιμότητας  Επιπρόσθετα. ενσωματώνει προηγμένους αλγορίθμους νευρωνικής μάθησης για την επεξεργασία και τρισδιάστατη αναπράσταση δεδομένων ιατρικής εικόνας και RNA ακολουθιών προτείνοντας παράλληλα μεθοδολογίες που ανοίγουν το δρόμο στην καθιέρωση νέων πρακτικών στον ευρύτερο κλάδο της βιο-ιατρικής επιστήμης.
Hydrothermal carbonization as an alternative sanitation technology: process optimization and development of low-cost reactor
Authors: Chung Jae Wook , Gerner Gabriel , Ovsyannikova Ekaterina , Treichler Alexander , Baier Urs , Libra Judy , Krebs Rolf
Published: June 2022

Background: The provision of safe sanitation services is essential for human well-being and environmental integrity, but it is often lacking in less developed communities with insufficient financial and technical resources. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has been suggested as an alternative sanitation technology, producing value-added products from faecal waste. We evaluated the HTC technology for raw human waste treatment in terms of resource recovery. In addition, we constructed and tested a low-cost HTC reactor for its technical feasibility.

Methods: Raw human faeces were hydrothermally treated in a mild severity range (≤ 200 °C and ≤ 1 hr). The total energy recovery was analysed from the energy input, higher heating value (HHV) of hydrochar and biomethane potential of process water. The nutrient contents were recovered through struvite precipitation employing process water and acid leachate from hydrochar ash. A bench-scale low-cost reactor (BLR) was developed using widely available materials and tested for human faeces treatment.

Results: The hydrochar had HHVs (23.2 - 25.2 MJ/kg) comparable to bituminous coal. The calorific value of hydrochar accounted for more than 90% of the total energy recovery. Around 78% of phosphorus in feedstock was retained in hydrochar ash, while 15% was in process water. 72% of the initial phosphorus can be recovered as struvite when deficient Mg and NH4 are supplemented. The experiments with BLR showed stable operation for faecal waste treatment with an energy efficiency comparable to a commercial reactor system.

Conclusions: This research presents a proof of concept for the hydrothermal treatment of faecal waste as an alternative sanitation technology, by providing a quantitative evaluation of the resource recovery of energy and nutrients. The experiments with the BLR demonstrate the technical feasibility of the low-cost reactor and support its further development on a larger scale to reach practical implementation.
Chromatin structure can introduce systematic biases in genome-wide analyses of Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Baumgarten Sebastian , Bryant Jessica
Published: June 2022

Background: The maintenance, regulation, and dynamics of heterochromatin in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has drawn increasing attention due to its regulatory role in mutually exclusive virulence gene expression and the silencing of key developmental regulators. The advent of genome-wide analyses such as chromatin-immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) has been instrumental in understanding chromatin composition; however, even in model organisms, ChIP-seq experiments are susceptible to intrinsic experimental biases arising from underlying chromatin structure.

Methods: We performed a control ChIP-seq experiment, re-analyzed previously published ChIP-seq datasets and compared different analysis approaches to characterize biases of genome-wide analyses in P. falciparum.

Results: We found that heterochromatic regions in input control samples used for ChIP-seq normalization are systematically underrepresented in regard to sequencing coverage across the P. falciparum genome. This underrepresentation, in combination with a non-specific or inefficient immunoprecipitation, can lead to the identification of false enrichment and peaks across these regions. We observed that such biases can also be seen at background levels in specific and efficient ChIP-seq experiments. We further report on how different read mapping approaches can also skew sequencing coverage within highly similar subtelomeric regions and virulence gene families. To ameliorate these issues, we discuss orthogonal methods that can be used to characterize bona fide chromatin-associated proteins.

Conclusions: Our results highlight the impact of chromatin structure on genome-wide analyses in the parasite and the need for caution when characterizing chromatin-associated proteins and features.
Anti-type I interferon antibodies as a cause of severe COVID-19
Authors: Fajgenbaum David C. , Hayday Adrian C. , Rogers Angela J. , Towers Gregory J. , Wack Andreas , Zanoni Ivan
Published: June 2022

COVID-19 ranges from asymptomatic through to respiratory failure and death. Although specific pre-existing conditions such as age and male sex have been associated with poor outcomes, we remain largely ignorant of the mechanisms predisposing to severe disease. In this study, the authors discovered that approximately 10% of 987 patients with life-threatening COVID-19 harbored neutralizing antibodies to Type I interferons (IFNs) [1]. They demonstrated that these antibodies could neutralize high concentrations of the corresponding IFN and could rescue SARS-CoV-2 infection from inhibition by IFN in vitro. Importantly, anti-IFN antibodies were associated with low levels of serum IFN. These observations suggest that disease severity in these individuals results from a failure to control SARS-CoV-2 replication because of antibody-mediated IFN inhibition. The study suggests specific treatments and diagnostics for this class of severe COVID-19.
Scientists and journals must work together to protect the integrity of the scientific literature
Authors: Alberts Bruce , Robertson Miranda
Published: June 2022

The scientific literature has for some years reflected serious concerns over the irreproducibility of many published scientific results; yet the problem persists. We review here how the prevailing culture contributes to this problem and suggest what needs to change to address it. We build on the evaluation of Buonarati et al. (1) in (2) to illustrate some of the general concerns over current publishing practices – focusing on questionable incentives for authors, editors and publishers of research journals. We then suggest some ways that the integrity of the scientific literature might be strengthened.
Re-examining the Date of William Rowley's All's Lost by Lust
Authors: Nicol David
Published: June 2022

Following G.E. Bentley’s The Jacobean and Caroline Stage, scholars normally date William Rowley’s tragedy All’s Lost by Lust to 1619-20. Re-examining the evidence shows Bentley’s interpretation was faulty: the play could date to any point between 1611 and 1621, although similarities with other plays suggest that it was most likely written toward the latter end of that spectrum. Broader possibilities for the play’s date help us to recognize overlooked connections among Rowley’s plays, illuminate Christopher Beeston’s relationship with the playing companies at the Phoenix playhouse, and facilitate the dating of some fragmentary playlists from the revels office.
David McInnis. Shakespeare and Lost Plays: Reimagining Drama in Early Modern England. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2021.
Authors: Price Eoin
Published: June 2022

This review considers Shakespeare and Lost Plays: Reimagining Drama in Early Modern England.
Lukas Erne and Kareen Seidler, eds. Early Modern German Shakespeare: Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet: Der Bestrafte Brudermord and Romio und Julieta in Translation. The Arden Shakespeare. London and New York: Bloomsbury, 2020. Pp. 366.
Authors: Drábek Pavel
Published: June 2022

This review considers Lukas Erne and Kareen Seidler, eds. Early Modern German Shakespeare: Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet: Der Bestrafte Brudermord and Romio und Julieta in Translation.
James M. Bromley. Clothing and Queer Style in Early Modern English Drama. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021. Pp 220.
Authors: Heyam Kit
Published: June 2022

This review considers Clothing and Queer Style in Early Modern English Drama.
Amanda Eubanks Winkler. Music, Dance, and Drama in Early Modern English Schools. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. Pp 258.
Authors: Smith Simon
Published: June 2022

This review considers Music, Dance, and Drama in Early Modern English Schools.
Rare health conditions 59: arthritis, palindromic rheumatism, Felty's syndrome, adult-onset Still's disease
Authors: Barber Chris
Published: June 2022

The purpose of this series is to highlight a range of rare health conditions. Rare health conditions are those that affect no more and usually fewer than one person in every 2000. Many healthcare assistants (HCAs) and nurses will encounter some of these conditions, given the high number of them. This 59th article will explore three rare forms of arthritis: palindromic rheumatism, Felty's syndrome and adult-onset Still's disease.
Can healthcare assistant training improve the relational care of older people? (CHAT) A development and feasibility study of a complex intervention
Authors: Arthur Antony , Aldus Clare , Sarre Sophie , Maben Jill , Wharrad Heather , Schneider Justine , Barton Garry , Argyle Elaine , Clark Allan , Nouri Fiona , Nicholson Caroline
Published: June 2022

Older people account for an increasing proportion of those receiving NHS acute care. The quality of health care delivered to older people has come under increased scrutiny. Healthcare assistants (HCAs) provide much of the direct care of older people in hospital. Patients' experience of care tends to be based on the relational aspects of that care including dignity, empathy and emotional support.
Using Seddon's vanguard method for service improvement in health and social care: a scoping literature review
Authors: Ahmed-Landeryou Musharrat J
Published: June 2022

There is pressure on UK health and social care services to continue to demonstrate improvements, despite resources constraints. Seddon's vanguard method is a three-phase cyclical service improvement process, designed specifically for health and social care. A scoping literature review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute protocol, with EBSCO Host databases and other identified sources. Six relevant papers were identified, with two main themes of applying Seddon's vanguard method: people-centred service delivery and increased efficiency. However, no research was found regarding the implementation of this method in UK health or social care services. Seddon's vanguard method could help with the design of resilient services that are able to respond to the variability of service users' needs, to the benefit both service users and staff, but empirical research is needed to explore the concept and its applicability to health and social care further.
Darkness and Madness: Psychoanalytic Approach to the Video Game “Alice: Madness Returns” in The Context of Digital Culture
Authors: YILDIZ İlkyaz
Published: June 2022

One of the most important cultural products in the digital age is video games. These plays, which are fed by various literary products such as novels, stories, epics, myths, and fairy tales, show the quality of literary products in terms of their fiction. For this reason, plays, like literary texts, are products suitable for analysis with various theories and methods. Today, the necessity of examining video games has been realized, various scientific studies have been carried out in this direction, and video games have turned into an interdisciplinary subject. The video game “Alice: Madness Returns” discussed in this study is also fed by Lewis Carroll's stories “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass”. This study, it is aimed to analyze the video game named “Alice: Madness Returns” published in 2011 by the game maker named American McGee with a psychoanalytic approach. In the study, information was given about the subjects such as the fiction, heroes, gameplay, positive and negative sides of the game that was mentioned in the first place. Then, the conflicts of the heroes within themselves and with other heroes are discussed from a psychoanalytic point of view. Afterward, various narratives, symbols, symbols and spaces in the play were evaluated in a psychoanalytic context.
Design and Simulation of an Artificial intelligence (AI) Brain for a 2D Vehicle Navigation System
Authors: MUNUSAMY Raja , MUKHERJEE Akash , VASUDEVAN Kokila , VENKATESWARAN Balaji
Published: June 2022

The aim of this research paper is to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) brain for a 2D vehicle to help it navigate in a certain environment. The goal of the 2D car is to do round trips between two defined checkpoints while avoiding obstacles that are created by the user. The two defined checkpoints are the top left corner of the screen and the bottom right corner of the screen. This project makes use of PyTorch API to design the brain of the car and of Kivy API to design the environment of the car. Spyder, a cross-platform integrated development environment is used to visualize the project.
Neural Reflex Networks for Automating Quadcopter Drone Obstacle Avoidance
Authors: PANAIT Marius Alexandru
Published: June 2022

The physically modelled neural and nervous networks pioneered more than two decades ago by Mark Tilden, E. A. Rietman and collaborators, M. Ashkenazi et al. have proven to be a robust and interesting way to obtain powerful emergent behavior by utilizing neuromimetic circuitry. Using a physical representation of biologic neurons, both motor (NU) and cortical (NV) these structures mimic simple reflex arcs present in a large number of evolved organisms. The simple circuits using logic gate oscillators wired as integrators or pulse delay loops with sensors coupled as current injectors or variable resistors of different types demonstrated unexpected emergent „survival” behaviors when connected in chains or loops of several neurons. Mark Tilden calls the simplest functional unit of such looped structures „bicores”-as two neurons linked together in a loop already generate meaningful behavior when their inputs are linked to appropriate sensors. These powerful neuromimetic machines allow for a robust implementation of automated responses in autonomous or semi-autonomous robots. Quadcopters are a very good target for neural network control/stabilization because of their unique flight dynamics and normal control procedures. Obstacle avoidance and stabilization are simple tasks for a well-tuned physical neural network.
Identification and Validation of the Cessna Citation X Longitudinal Aerodynamic Coefficients in Stall Conditions using Multi-Layer Perceptrons and Recurrent Neural Networks
Authors: TONDJI Yvan , WADE Mouhamadou , GHAZI Georges , BOTEZ Ruxandra Mihaela
Published: June 2022

The increased number of accidents in general aviation due to loss of aircraft control has necessitated the development of accurate aerodynamic airplane models. These models should indicate the linear variations of aerodynamic coefficients in steady flight and the highly nonlinear variations of the aerodynamic coefficients due to stall and post-stall conditions. This paper presents a detailed methodology to model the lift, drag, and pitching moment aerodynamic coefficients in the stall regime, using Neural Networks (NN). A system identification technique was used to develop aerodynamic coefficients models from flight data. These data were gathered from a level-D Research Aircraft Flight Simulator (RAFS) that was used to execute the stall maneuvers. Multilayer Perceptrons and Recurrent Neural Networks were used to learn from flight data and find correlations between aerodynamic coefficients and flight parameters. This methodology is employed in here to optimize neural network structures and find ideal hyperparameters: training algorithms and activation functions used to learn the data. The developed stall aerodynamic models were successfully validated by comparing the lift, drag, and pitching moment aerodynamic coefficients predicted for given pilot inputs with experimental data obtained from the Cessna Citation X RAFS for the same pilot inputs.
Motor response vigour and visual fixation patterns reflect subjective valuation during intertemporal choice
Authors: Smith Elke , Peters Jan
Published: June 2022

Value-based decision-making is of central interest in cognitive neuroscience and psychology, as well as in the context of neuropsychiatric disorders characterised by decision-making impairments. Studies examining (neuro-)computational mechanisms underlying choice behaviour typically focus on participants’ decisions. However, there is increasing evidence that option valuation might also be reflected in motor response vigour and eye movements, implicit measures of subjective utility. To examine motor response vigour and visual fixation correlates of option valuation in intertemporal choice, we set up a task where the participants selected an option by pressing a grip force transducer, simultaneously tracking fixation shifts between options. As outlined in our preregistration (https://osf.io/k6jct), we used hierarchical Bayesian parameter estimation to model the choices assuming hyperbolic discounting, compared variants of the softmax and drift diffusion model, and assessed the relationship between response vigour and the estimated model parameters. The behavioural data were best explained by a drift diffusion model specifying a non-linear scaling of the drift rate by the subjective value differences. Replicating previous findings, we found a magnitude effect for temporal discounting, such that higher rewards were discounted less. This magnitude effect was further reflected in motor response vigour, such that stronger forces were exerted in the high vs. the low magnitude condition. Bayesian hierarchical linear regression further revealed higher grip forces, faster response times and a lower number of fixation shifts for trials with higher subjective value differences. An exploratory analysis revealed that subjective value sums across options showed an even more pronounced association with trial-wise grip force amplitudes. Our data suggest that subjective utility or implicit valuation is reflected in motor response vigour and visual fixation patterns during intertemporal choice. Taking into account response vigour might thus provide deeper insight into decision-making, reward valuation and maladaptive changes in these processes, e.g. in the context of neuropsychiatric disorders.
High incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in an indigenous Saharia tribe in Madhya Pradesh, central India—A prospective cohort study
Authors: Bhat Jyothi , Yadav Rajiv , Sharma Ravendra K. , Muniyandi Malaisamy , Rao V. G.
Published: June 2022

Background

Lack of TB incidence data is an important evidence gap among Saharia–a high TB burden indigenous community in Madhya Pradesh, central India. The present study was undertaken to calculate the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in this tribe.

Objective

To calculate the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among the Saharia tribal population in Madhya Pradesh, central India.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted among the Saharia tribal population (aged 15 years and above) of Shivpuri district in Madhya Pradesh state in central India. A total of 9,756 individuals were screened for TB in the baseline TB prevalence survey during 2012–13. All available household members were screened for symptoms suggestive of pulmonary TB (presumptive TB). Two sputum specimens were collected from persons having symptoms suggestive of TB and examined by smear and culture tests. A cohort of all non-TB individuals in the baseline survey was followed-up for one year and re-screened for the sysmptoms of PTB in the year 2014–15. Based on the data collected, the incidence of TB over one year period was estimated per 100,000 population.

Results

A total of 9756 and 9044 individuals (≥ 15 years) were screened for symptoms suggestive of PTB during baseline and endline surveys respectively. The sputum specimens of presumptive TB cases were collected and examined by smear and culture tests. The overall incidence of bacteriologically positive (smear and/or culture) PTB over one year period was 1504 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1273–1776) per 100,000 in the study population, the incidence of smear-positive PTB was 1106 (95% CI: 910–1343), and the incidence of culture-positive PTB was 1084 (95% CI: 890–1319) per 100,000 population. The incidence for both smear and culture-positive PTB was 686 (95% CI: 535–878) per 100,000 population in the year 2014–15. The incidence of PTB was 2.8 times higher in males compared to females (2259 vs 807 per 100,000) and was positively correlated with age.

Conclusion

The findings of the study, the first of its kind in the Saharia tribal population, indicate a high incidence of TB in this tribal community thereby highlighting the urgent need for focused and intensified efforts to achieve the goal of TB elimination in the country.
Biomass fuel use and birth weight among term births in Nigeria
Authors: Kana Musa Abubakar , Shi Min , Ahmed Jennifer , Ibrahim Jimoh Muhammad , Ashir Abdullahi Yusuf , Abdullahi Karimatu , Bello-Manga Halima , Taingson Matthew , Mohammed-Durosinlorun Amina , Shuaibu Musa , Tabari Abdulkadir Musa , London Stephanie J.
Published: June 2022

Despite the high burden of household air pollution from biomass fuel in sub-Saharan Africa, the association of prenatal biomass fuel exposure and birth weight as a continuous variable among term births has not been extensively studied. In this study, our primary aim is to estimate the association between biomass cooking fuel and birth weight among term births in Kaduna, northwestern Nigeria. For replication, we also evaluated this association in a larger and nationally representative sample from the 2018 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Our primary analysis included 1,514 mother-child pairs recruited from Kaduna, in northwestern Nigeria, using the Child Electronic Growth Monitoring System (CEGROMS). Replication analysis was conducted using data from 6,975 mother-child pairs enrolled in 2018 Nigerian DHS. The outcome variable was birth weight, and the exposure was cooking fuel type, categorized in CEGROMS as liquefied petroleum gas, kerosene, or biomass fuel, and in the DHS as low pollution fuel, kerosene, or biomass fuel. We estimated covariate adjusted associations between birth weight and biomass fuel exposure in CEGROMS using linear regression and using linear mixed model in the DHS. In CEGROMS, adjusting for maternal age, education, parity, BMI at birth, and child sex, mothers exposed to biomass fuel gave birth to infants who were on average 113g lighter (95% CI −196 to −29), than those using liquified petroleum gas. In the 2018 Nigeria DHS data, compared to low pollution fuel users, mothers using biomass had infants weighing 50g (95% CI -103 to 2) lower at birth. Exposure to biomass cooking fuel was associated with lower birth weight in our study of term newborns in Kaduna, Nigeria. Data from the nationally representative DHS provide some support for these findings.
Whole genome sequences of Treponema pallidum subsp. endemicum isolated from Cuban patients: The non-clonal character of isolates suggests a persistent human infection rather than a single outbreak
Authors: Vrbová Eliška , Noda Angel A. , Grillová Linda , Rodríguez Islay , Forsyth Allyn , Oppelt Jan , Šmajs David
Published: June 2022

Bejel (endemic syphilis) is a neglected non-venereal disease caused byTreponema pallidumsubsp.endemicum(TEN). Although it is mostly present in hot, dry climates, a few cases have been found outside of these areas. The aim of this work was the sequencing and analysis of TEN isolates obtained from “syphilis patients” in Cuba, which is not considered an endemic area for bejel. Genomes were obtained by pool segment genome sequencing or direct sequencing methods, and the bioinformatics analysis was performed according to an established pipeline. We obtained four genomes with 100%, 81.7%, 52.6%, and 21.1% breadth of coverage, respectively. The sequenced genomes revealed a non-clonal character, with nucleotide variability ranging between 0.2–10.3 nucleotide substitutions per 100 kbp among the TEN isolates. Nucleotide changes affected 27 genes, and the analysis of the completely sequenced genome also showed a recombination event betweentprCandtprI, in TP0488 as well as in the intergenic region between TP0127–TP0129. Despite limitations in the quality of samples affecting breadth of sequencing coverage, the determined non-clonal character of the isolates suggests a persistent infection in the Cuban population rather than a single outbreak caused by imported case.
Image classification of forage grasses on Etuoke Banner using edge autoencoder network
Authors: Han Ding , Tian Minghua , Gong Caili , Zhang Shilong , Ji Yushuang , Du Xinyu , Wei Yongfeng , Chen Liang
Published: June 2022

Automatically identifying the forage is the basis of intelligent fine breeding of cattle and sheep. In specific, it is a key step to study the relationship between the type and quantity of forage collected by cattle and sheep and their own growth, cashmere fineness, milk quality, meat quality and flavor, and so on. However, traditional method mainly rely on manual observation, which is time-consuming, laborious and inaccurate, and affects the normal grazing behavior of livestock. In this paper, the optimized Convolution Neural Network(CNN): edge autoencoder network(E-A-Net) algorithm is proposed to accurately identify the forage species, which provides the basis for ecological workers to carry out grassland evaluation, grassland management and precision feeding. We constructed the first forage grass dataset about Etuoke Banner. This dataset contains 3889 images in 22 categories. In the data preprocessing stage, the random cutout data enhancement is adopted to balance the original data, and the background is removed by employing threshold value-based image segmentation operation, in which the accuracy of herbage recognition in complex background is significantly improved. Moreover, in order to avoid the phenomenon of richer edge information disappearing in the process of multiple convolutions, a Sobel operator is utilized in this E-A-Net to extract the edge information of forage grasses. Information is integrated with the features extracted from the backbone network in multi-scale. Additionally, to avoid the localization of the whole information during the convolution process or alleviate the problem of the whole information disappearance, the pre-training autoencoder network is added to form a hard attention mechanism, which fuses the abstracted overall features of forage grasses with the features extracted from the backbone CNN. Compared with the basic CNN, E-A-Net alleviates the problem of edge information disappearing and overall feature disappearing with the deepening of network depth. Numerical simulations show that, compared with the benchmark VGG16, ResNet50 and EfficientNetB0, the f1 − score of the proposed method is improved by 1.6%, 2.8% and 3.7% respectively.
Sex differences in the immediate extinction deficit and renewal of extinguished fear in rats
Authors: Binette Annalise N. , Totty Michael S. , Maren Stephen
Published: June 2022

Extinction learning is central to exposure-based behavioral therapies for reducing fear and anxiety in humans. However, patients with fear and anxiety disorders are often resistant to extinction. Moreover, trauma and stress-related disorders are highly prone to relapse and are twice as likely to occur in females compared to males, suggesting that females may be more susceptible to extinction deficits and fear relapse phenomena. In this report, we tested this hypothesis by examining sex differences in a stress-induced extinction learning impairment, the immediate extinction deficit (IED), and renewal, a common form of fear relapse. In contrast to our hypothesis, there were no sex differences in the magnitude of the immediate extinction deficit in two different rat strains (Long-Evans and Wistar). However, we did observe a sex difference in the renewal of fear when the extinguished conditioned stimulus was presented outside the extinction context. Male Wistar rats exhibited significantly greater renewal than female rats, a sex difference that has previously been reported after appetitive extinction. Collectively, these data reveal that stress-induced extinction impairments are similar in male and female rats, though the context-dependence of extinction is more pronounced in males.
Subtyping of common complex diseases and disorders by integrating heterogeneous data. Identifying clusters among women with lower urinary tract symptoms in the LURN study
Authors: Andreev Victor P. , Helmuth Margaret E. , Liu Gang , Smith Abigail R. , Merion Robert M. , Yang Claire C. , Cameron Anne P. , Jelovsek J. Eric , Amundsen Cindy L. , Helfand Brian T. , Bradley Catherine S. , DeLancey John O. L. , Griffith James W. , Glaser Alexander P. , Gillespie Brenda W. , Clemens J. Quentin , Lai H. Henry ,   The LURN Study Group
Published: June 2022

We present a methodology for subtyping of persons with a common clinical symptom complex by integrating heterogeneous continuous and categorical data. We illustrate it by clustering women with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), who represent a heterogeneous cohort with overlapping symptoms and multifactorial etiology. Data collected in the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN), a multi-center observational study, included self-reported urinary and non-urinary symptoms, bladder diaries, and physical examination data for 545 women. Heterogeneity in these multidimensional data required thorough and non-trivial preprocessing, including scaling by controls and weighting to mitigate data redundancy, while the various data types (continuous and categorical) required novel methodology using a weighted Tanimoto indices approach. Data domains only available on a subset of the cohort were integrated using a semi-supervised clustering approach. Novel contrast criterion for determination of the optimal number of clusters in consensus clustering was introduced and compared with existing criteria. Distinctiveness of the clusters was confirmed by using multiple criteria for cluster quality, and by testing for significantly different variables in pairwise comparisons of the clusters. Cluster dynamics were explored by analyzing longitudinal data at 3- and 12-month follow-up. Five clusters of women with LUTS were identified using the developed methodology. None of the clusters could be characterized by a single symptom, but rather by a distinct combination of symptoms with various levels of severity. Targeted proteomics of serum samples demonstrated that differentially abundant proteins and affected pathways are different across the clusters. The clinical relevance of the identified clusters is discussed and compared with the current conventional approaches to the evaluation of LUTS patients. The rationale and thought process are described for the selection of procedures for data preprocessing, clustering, and cluster evaluation. Suggestions are provided for minimum reporting requirements in publications utilizing clustering methodology with multiple heterogeneous data domains.
Engaging community pharmacists to eliminate inadvertent doping in sports: A study of their knowledge on doping
Authors: Voravuth Nontharit , Chua Eng Wee , Tuan Mahmood Tuan Mazlelaa , Lim Ming Chiang , Wan Puteh Sharifa Ezat , Safii Nik Shanita , Wong Jyh Eiin , Jamil Ahmad Taufik , Jamal Jamia Azdina , Shamsuddin Ahmad Fuad , Mhd Ali Adliah
Published: June 2022

This study aimed to evaluate the community pharmacists’ knowledge of tackling the issue of inadvertent doping in Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 384 community pharmacists working in Malaysia using a self-administered questionnaire. All the respondents were pharmacists fully registered with the Pharmacy Board of Malaysia and had been working in the community setting for at least one year. Of the 426 community pharmacists approached, 384 community pharmacists participated in this study, giving a response rate of 90.14%. The majority of the respondents were females (63.5%), graduated from local universities (74.9%), with median years of practising as a community pharmacist of six years (interquartile range, IQR = 9 years). The respondents were found to have moderate levels of doping-related knowledge (median score of 52 out of 100). Anabolic steroids (95.8%), stimulants (78.6%) and growth factors (65.6%) were recognised as prohibited substances by most of the respondents. Around 65.9% did not recognise that inadvertent doping is also considered a doping violation. Most of them (90%) also have poor levels of knowledge of doping scenarios in the country. Community pharmacists in Malaysia have limited knowledge in the field of doping. More programmes and activities related to doping and drugs in sports should be held to enhance the community pharmacists’ knowledge on the issue of inadvertent doping.
Use of benzodiazepines is the risk factor for infection in patients aged 80 years or older with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: A single-institution retrospective study
Authors: Ogiso Anna , Mizuno Tomohiro , Ito Kaori , Mizokami Fumihiro , Tomita Akihiro , Yamada Shigeki
Published: June 2022

Background

The number of patients aged 80 years or older with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is increasing, and the incidence rate of the disease in this population group reaches up to 20%. The risk of infection is higher in older patients than in other patients. Although hypnotic drugs are frequently detected as potentially inappropriate medications, it is unclear whether hypnotic drugs affect the occurrence of infection during chemotherapy. Here, we investigated whether the use of hypnotic drugs is associated with infection during first-line chemotherapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) aged 80 years or older.

Methods

Japanese patients aged 80 years or older with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who had received first-line chemotherapy at Fujita Health University Hospital from January 2005 to March 2020 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. The primary study outcome was the identification of the risk factor for infection during first-line chemotherapy.

Results

This study included 65 patients received first-line chemotherapy. The proportion of patients with National Comprehensive Cancer Network-international prognostic index ≥ 6 was higher in the infection group than in the non-infection group. The relative dose intensity of each anticancer drug (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and vincristine) and dose of prednisolone did not significantly differ between the two groups. Multivariate analysis showed that the use of benzodiazepines was a risk factor for infection (odds ratio, 4.131 [95% confidence interval: 1.225–13.94], P = 0.022).

Conclusion

DLBCL patients using benzodiazepines should be monitored for infection symptoms during chemotherapy.
China’s Outward Direct Investment in the United States: From the perspective of agglomeration economies
Authors: Liang Xinyi , Wang Junsong , Lin Bingquan , Cao Xianzhong , Si Yuefang
Published: June 2022

Over most of the last two decades, China’s Outward Direct Investment (CODI) has reshaped the global economic landscape and attracted considerable attention. Although extensive research shows that CODI features agglomeration, there is limited research from the perspective of different patterns of agglomeration economies at the subnational level. It is unclear which patterns of agglomeration economies play a role in the location choice of CODI, especially with the variations of CODI in terms of entry mode and ownership. Therefore, based on the data of the CODI in the United States in the period 2000–2016, we use a conditional logit model to investigate the influence of specialized and diversified agglomeration of local firms as well as industry-specific and industry-diverse agglomeration of Chinese investors on the location choice of CODI, and further explore the heterogeneous influence concerning the entry mode and ownership. Our results show that among a variety of agglomeration economies, the specialized agglomeration of local firms is the premier factor influencing the location choice of CODI, even exceeding the influence of industry-specific agglomeration of CODI in the same industry. Industry-diverse agglomeration of CODI plays a weak role, while diversified agglomeration of local firms has no effect. Moreover, the location choice of acquisition is more sensitive to the specialized agglomeration of local firms than that of greenfield investment, and the influence of the industry-diverse agglomeration of CODI has no effect on the location choice of acquisition. In terms of the ownership, the location choice of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is more sensitive to the specialized agglomeration of local firms and industry-specific agglomeration of CODI than that of private investment, and the industry-diverse agglomeration of CODI has no significant impact on the location choice of SOEs’ offshoring subsidiaries.
The impact of community-based non-pharmacological interventions on cardiovascular and kidney disease outcomes in remote dwelling Indigenous communities: A scoping review protocol
Authors: Okpechi Ikechi G. , Hariramani Vinash Kumar , Sultana Naima , Ghimire Anukul , Zaidi Deenaz , Muneer Shezel , Tinwala Mohammed M. , Ye Feng , Sebastianski Megan , Abdulrahman Abdullah , Braam Branko , Jindal Kailash , Khan Maryam , Klarenbach Scott , Shojai Soroush , Thompson Stephanie , Bello Aminu K.
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Indigenous people represent approximately 5% of the world’s population. However, they often have a disproportionately higher burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and chronic kidney disease (CKD) than their equivalent general population. Several non-pharmacological interventions (e.g., educational) have been used to reduce CVD and kidney disease risk factors in Indigenous groups. The aim of this paper is to describe the protocol for a scoping review that will assess the impact of non-pharmacological interventions carried out in Indigenous and remote dwelling populations to reduce CVD risk factors and CKD.

Materials and methods

This scoping review will be guided by the methodological framework for conducting scoping studies developed by Arksey and O’Malley. Both empirical (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science and PsycINFO) and grey literature references will be assessed if they focused on interventions targeted at reducing CVD or CKD among Indigenous groups. Two reviewers will independently screen references in consecutive stages of title/abstract screening and then full-text screening. Impact of interventions used will be assessed using the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. A descriptive overview, tabular summaries, and content analysis will be carried out on the extracted data.

Ethics and dissemination

This review will collect and analyse evidence on the impact of interventions of research carried out to reduce CVD and CKD among Indigenous populations. Such evidence will be disseminated using traditional approaches that includes open-access peer-reviewed publication, scientific presentations, and a report. Also, we will disseminate our findings to the government and Indigenous leaders. Ethical approval will not be required for this scoping review as the data used will be extracted from already published studies with publicly accessible data.
Impact of universal varicella vaccination on the use and cost of antibiotics and antivirals for varicella management in the United States
Authors: Pawaskar Manjiri , Fergie Jaime , Harley Carolyn , Samant Salome , Veeranki Phani , Diaz Oliver , Conway James H.
Published: June 2022

Background

Our objective was to estimate the impact of universal varicella vaccination (UVV) on the use and costs of antibiotics and antivirals for the management of varicella among children in the United States (US).

Methods

A decision tree model of varicella vaccination, infections and treatment decisions was developed. Results were extrapolated to the 2017 population of 73.5 million US children. Model parameters were populated from published sources. Treatment decisions were derived from a survey of health care professionals’ recommendations. The base case modelled current vaccination coverage rates in the US with additional scenarios analyses conducted for 0%, 20%, and 80% coverage and did not account for herd immunity benefits.

Results

Our model estimated that 551,434 varicella cases occurred annually among children ≤ 18 years in 2017. Antivirals or antibiotics were prescribed in 23.9% of cases, with unvaccinated children receiving the majority for base case. The annual cost for varicella antiviral and antibiotic treatment was approximately $14 million ($26 per case), with cases with no complications accounting for $12 million. Compared with the no vaccination scenario, the current vaccination rates resulted in savings of $181 million (94.7%) for antivirals and $78 million (95.0%) for antibiotics annually. Scenario analyses showed that higher vaccination coverage (from 0% to 80%) resulted in reduced annual expenditures for antivirals (from $191 million to $41 million), and antibiotics ($82 million to $17 million).

Conclusions

UVV was associated with significant reductions in the use of antibiotics and antivirals and their associated costs in the US. Higher vaccination coverage was associated with lower use and costs of antibiotics and antivirals for varicella management.