bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Economic Analysis of The Impact of Some Agricultural Economic Variables on Iraq’s Agricultural Gross Domestics Production Using ccr Model (2008-2019)
Authors: Mohamed Rafed Fattah
Published: November 2021

The research aimed to determine the impact of some agricultural economic variables on agricultural domestic products. This relationship was estimated between agricultural loans and agricultural investment and the rate of agricultural capital accumulation as independent variables, and agricultural GDP as a dependent variable during the period 2008 - 2019 with quarterly data, so that the number of surveyed observations became 48 observations and using the legal canonical Cointegrating Regression (CCR), the results showed that there is a positive and very high impact for each of the variables of agricultural loans and capital accumulation while the agricultural investment variable was not significant despite its positive sign. The research recommended that agricultural lending should in-kind take the largest share of the loan while being the dominant one and that has tightened control over the destination of the agricultural loan and the guarantees of its repayment on time.
Analysis and improvement in the Electrical Discharge Machining process used on the manufacturing of moulds for plastics injection moulding
Authors: Costa A , Ferreira L P , Silva F J G , Sá J C , Pereira M T , Ávila P
Published: November 2021

Due to increasing competitiveness in the industry, companies will invariably adopt strategies to ensure that their employees continuously eliminate waste and create more value. This concept was applied at a company that designs, develops, and manufactures steel moulds for the injection of thermoplastics, with the purpose of implementing Lean thinking in the production sector, thus achieving the following objectives: organization of production; preparation of documents to support production, and standardization of graphite stock. Regarding the application of the 5S tool, an improvement in worker safety, and in cleaning was observed, which also led to a reduction in the time wasted when locating tools. Through the implementation of 5S auditing, enabling to verify an overall improvement, from a rating of 35% in the first audit to 85% in the subsequent audit. The tools implemented allowed for improvements in communication between sectors, leading to increased productivity and productive autonomy. Finally, graphite stock was standardized by means of Kanban.
CT image quality influence on different material Edge Response Functions for accurate metrological applications
Authors: Holgado I , Iglesias J , Ortega N , Plaza S , Pascual A
Published: November 2021

The main objective of the proposed work was to analyse the influence of magnification and focal spot size scan settings on X-ray computed tomography (CT) measurements results under commercial threshold-based algorithms. The relationship between spatial resolution and contrast sensitivity in CT scans of different materials and the accuracy of the resulting CT measurement results is discussed. For that purpose, Aluminium, Copper, Inconel 718 and Titanium disk phantoms were scanned. Preliminary measurements showed that deviations can increase up to 0.48% when the scanning magnification was increased while, for a given magnification, the decrease of a focus size from 1mm to 0.4mm slightly improves the differences up to 0.15%, being negligible at low magnifications. Unsharpness (U

T
) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated for each scanning conditions according to standard ASTM E1695 – 20. A new image quality indicator that includes the combined effect of the U

T
and CNR was proposed in order to relate measurement error with the image quality. The indicator proves that the influence of CNR is much higher than influence of U

T
on the CT measurements.
Layer contour characterization in additive manufacturing through image binarization
Authors: Blanco D , Fernández A , Fernández P , Álvarez B J , Peña F
Published: November 2021

On-Machine Measurement adoption will be key to dimensional and geometrical improvement of additively manufactured parts. One possible approach based on OMM aims at using digital images of manufactured layers to characterize actual contour deviations with respect to their theoretical profile. This strategy would also allow for in-process corrective actions. This work describes a layer-contour characterization procedure based on binarization of digital images acquired with a flat-bed scanner. This procedure has been tested off-line to evaluate the influence of two of the parameters for image treatment, the median filter size (S

f
) and the threshold value (T), on the dimensional/geometrical reliability of the contour characterization. Results showed that an appropriate selection of configuration parameters allowed to characterize the proposed test-target with excellent coverage and reasonable accuracy.
Three-dimensional numerical analysis of tubular adhesive joints under torsional loads
Authors: Oliveira T J S , Campilho R D S G , Cardoso M G
Published: November 2021

Bonding method using adhesives has gained a lot of presence in the design of mechanical structures in several industries, especially in the aeronautics and automobile industry. Bonded joints are widely used to join tubular components, in vehicle frames like aeroplanes and automobiles. For the design process of these joints, analytical or numerical predictive techniques can be used. This work performs a numerical study in order to evaluate the torsional performance of aluminium tubular adhesive joints (AW6082-T651), considering the variation of the main geometric parameters, such as overlap length (L
O) and tubes’ thickness. In order to predict the strength, the Finite Element Method (FEM) was used with Cohesive Zone Models (CZM), whose analysis based itself on the internal stresses of the adhesive, namely the analysis of shear stress (τxy) and joint strength, measured by the maximum torsional moment (M
m). Previously, validation with experimental data was carried out. The technique was positively validated, and a significant geometry on M
m was found, except for L
O.
Isolation systems based on energy efficient basalt fiber wares
Authors: Zhukov Aleksey , Ushakov Andrey
Published: November 2021

The article analyzes the properties of wares based on continuous and staple basalt fiber which offers high fire-resistance, thermal insulation capacity, vibrancy resistance, noiseproofing, as well as chemical durability including durability to arctic atmosphere and marine climate effects. That sort of fiber is a core for construction fabric, canvas and special-purpose products.

The research findings of usage of modifying mineral additions as part of basalt working mass are reported. Modifiers’ introduction allows to decrease temperature interval of working mass’ melting by 80-100 ‘C. Herewith optimal melt’s amorphy degree is reached within the temperature range of working mass melting of 1400-1520 ‘C. It causes energy intensity’s reduction while manufacturing fabrics and the ability of using more technological smelting units and ways to rework the melt into a fiber.

Fabrication of special buildings’ engineering structures isolation systems using basalt fiber fabrics, canvas and fire-resistant rolled materials which guarantees standard value of thermal resistance is proposed.
Tunable anisotropic plasmon-induced transparency in black phosphorus-based metamaterials
Authors: Huang Li , Jia Zhongpeng , Tang Bin
Published: November 2021

Black phosphorus (BP), as a new type of two-dimensional material, has drawn considerable interest because of its distinct physics and electronic characteristics. In this work, we theoretically present a BP-based metamaterial, unit cell of which is composed of a rectangular BP nano-patch and two parallel BP strips. The research results indicate that tunable anisotropic plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) effect can be achieved in the presented metamaterials when the polarization of incident light is along armchair and zigzag directions of BP crystal, respectively. Moreover, the spectra responses and group delay accompanied by the PIT effect can be actively controlled by adjusting the carrier density and geometric parameters. The electromagnetic simulation results calculated by finite-difference time-domain method show good agreement with the coupled Lorentz oscillator model. Our proposed nanostructure provides a new path for designing photonic devices such as slow light and photodetector in the mid-infrared region.
Comparative studies of variation in cutting conditions and cutter nomenclature on the surface morphology and the integrity of slot milled nimonic 263 alloy
Authors: Gowthaman S
Published: November 2021

Cutter nomenclature and machining conditions has invoke critical impact on the machining behavior and surface integrity of machined samples. In this investigation, the slot milling operation has been performed under various cutter terminology or nomenclature (cutter with the RRA of −7°, 0° and 7°) and cutting conditions (spindle speed, table feed and MQL flow rate) to analyze its resulting outcome on the surface morphological features such as surface roughness (Sa), skewness (S

sk
) and kurtosis (S

ku
), etc Because the examination of these characteristics are important and significant to analyze the behavioral changes of asperities such as decohesion, wear resistance and adhesion, etc during in its relative motion. Additionally, the plasticity index and surface morphology of machined samples are helps to predict the variation in surface morphology under various machining behavior and through this study, it is found that the interactive effect of MQL flow rate and table feed offer higher and significant impact over the surface characteristics followed by the MQL flow rate during slot milling process.
Mechanism of defects and electrode structure on the performance of AlN-based metal semiconductor metal detectors
Authors: Li Guanghui , Wang Pengbo , He Xinran , Meng Yulong , Liang Feng , Zhou Mei , Zhao Degang
Published: November 2021

We used the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD) method to grow AlN material on a c-plane sapphire substrate and fabricate an AlN-based metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) detector. Analyzing the influence mechanism of different dislocation densities in AlN materials and detector electrode structure on the detector performance, it was found that the lower the dislocations can effectively reduce the dark current of the detector under zero bias voltage, and help improve the performance of the detector. The study also found that when the finger spacing of the detector remained the same and the finger width increased, the efficiency of the detector decreased, while the response time of the detector increased, when the finger width of the detector electrodes remained unchanged and the finger spacing increased, the response time of the detector increased. Therefore, the electrode finger width and finger spacing must be compromised in the design of the electrode structure to improve the performance of the AlN-based MSM detector.
Nanocellulose based carbon ink and its application in electrochromic displays and supercapacitors
Authors: Brooke Robert , Fall Andreas , Borràs Mateu , Yilma Dagmawi Belaineh , Edberg Jesper , Martinez-Crespiera Sandra , Aulin Christian , Beni Valerio
Published: November 2021

Conventional electronics have been highlighted as a very unsustainable technology; hazardous wastes are produced both during their manufacturing but also, due to their limited recyclability, during their end of life cycle (e.g. disposal in landfill). In recent years additive manufacturing processes (i.e. screen printing) have attracted significant interest as a more sustainable approach to electronic manufacturing (printed electronics). Despite the field of printed electronics addressing some of the issues related to the manufacturing of electronics, many components and inks are still considered hazardous to the environment and are difficult to recycle. Here we present the development of a low environmental impact carbon ink based on a non-hazardous solvent and a cellulosic matrix (nanocellulose) and its implementation in electrochromic displays (ECDs) and supercapacitors. As part of the reported work, a different protocol for mixing carbon and cellulose nanofibrils (rotation mixing and high shear force mixing), nanocellulose of different grades and different carbon: nanocellulose ratios were investigated and optimized. The rheology profiles of the different inks showed good shear thinning properties, demonstrating their suitability for screen-printing technology. The printability of the developed inks was excellent and in line with those of reference commercial carbon inks. Despite the lower electrical conductivity (400 S m−1 for the developed carbon ink compared to 1000 S m−1 for the commercial inks), which may be explained by their difference in composition (carbon content, density and carbon derived nature) compared to the commercial carbon, the developed ink functioned adequately as the counter electrode in all screen-printed ECDs and even allowed for improved supercapacitors compared to those utilizing commercial carbon inks. In this sense, the supercapacitors incorporating the developed carbon ink in the current collector layer had an average capacitance = 97.4 mF cm−2 compared to the commercial carbon ink average capacitance = 61.6 mF cm−2. The ink development reported herein provides a step towards more sustainable printed green electronics.
Interfacial engineering for design of novel 2D cobalt sulfide-Mxene heterostructured catalyst toward alkaline water splitting
Authors: Tran Phan Khanh Linh , Kim Min Sung , Nguyen Thanh Hai , Tran Duy Thanh , Kim Nam Hoon , Lee Joong Hee
Published: November 2021

In this work, we used an interfacial engineering method to investigate a novel hybrid of two-dimensional cobalt sulfide-Mxene (2D CoS-Mo2TiC2) heterostructure supported by a three-dimensional foam substrate. The modification electronic properties caused by unique interfacial interactions resulted in a significant increase in the number of electroactive sites and charge transfer ability, thereby accelerating kinetics of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium. The catalyst required overpotential of 248.2 and 310 mV at a current response of 50 mA cm−2 for HER and OER, respectively, along with a remarkable stability. In addition, a two-electrode electrolyzer derived from the developed 2D CoS-Mo2TiC2 catalyst showed a cell voltage of 1.74 V at 10 mA cm−2 and a good stability during 25 h continuous operation. The achieved results were associated to the formation of a unique interfacial heterostructure with the strong interaction between two material phases, which effectively modified electronic structure and surface chemistry, thereby leading to the enhancement of catalytic performance. The study offered a potential route to synthesize new catalyst for green hydrogen production via water splitting.
Adversarial domain adaptation to reduce sample bias of a high energy physics event classifier
*
Authors: Clavijo J M , Glaysher P , Jitsev J , Katzy J M
Published: November 2021

We apply adversarial domain adaptation in unsupervised setting to reduce sample bias in a supervised high energy physics events classifier training. We make use of a neural network containing event and domain classifier with a gradient reversal layer to simultaneously enable signal versus background events classification on the one hand, while on the other hand minimizing the difference in response of the network to background samples originating from different Monte Carlo models via adversarial domain classification loss. We show the successful bias removal on the example of simulated events at the Large Hadron Collider with

t

t
ˉ

H

signal versus

t

t
ˉ

b

b
ˉ

background classification and discuss implications and limitations of the method.
Restricted Boltzmann machine representation for the groundstate and excited states of Kitaev Honeycomb model
Authors: Noormandipour Mohammadreza , Youran Sun , Haghighat Babak
Published: November 2021

In this work, the capability of restricted Boltzmann machines (RBMs) to find solutions for the Kitaev honeycomb model with periodic boundary conditions is investigated. The measured groundstate energy of the system is compared and, for small lattice sizes (e.g.

3
×
3

with 18 spinors), shown to agree with the analytically derived value of the energy up to a deviation of

0.09
%

. Moreover, the wave-functions we find have

99.89
%

overlap with the exact ground state wave-functions. Furthermore, the possibility of realizing anyons in the RBM is discussed and an algorithm is given to build these anyonic excitations and braid them for possible future applications in quantum computation. Using the correspondence between topological field theories in (2 + 1)d and 2d conformal field theories, we propose an identification between our RBM states with the Moore-Read state and conformal blocks of the 2d Ising model.
Phoresy Involving Insects as Riders or Rides: Life History, Embarkation, and Disembarkation
Authors: Borges Renee M
Published: November 2021

The ability to disperse is vital for all organisms, but especially for those whose habitats deteriorate, necessitating relocation to better feeding or breeding sites. Phoresy is assisted dispersal in which one organism uses another as its vehicle. In this review, phoresy will be largely restricted to cases wherein the rider is not parasitic on the vehicular stage used for dispersal, and in which insects are riders or rides. Phoresy occurs in organisms with limited mobility, and in secondarily brachypterous or completely wingless insects. Intraspecific phoresy also occurs. Generally, immature stages resistant to environmental assaults, such as dauers in nematodes, triungulins in beetles, or deutonymphs in mites, undertake phoresy. A size differential between rider and rider enables several conspecifics to board the same vehicle, likely ensuring mating opportunities at the destination. Riders may have special attachment devices or adhesive secretions to ensure safety during travel. Life cycles of riders and vehicles are often synchronized, and when phoresy is mutualistic, vehicles may also employ chemical tactics to achieve this synchrony. Chemical cues help to identify the appropriate vehicle, for disembarkation, or to lure the vehicle towards riders. Most riders prefer female vehicles, possibly to ensure access to rich nesting sites. Density-dependent selection may operate to limit the number of riders on a vehicle and phoresy may also facilitate sexual selection among riders. Whether vehicles can avoid phoresy is barely understood. This review attempts to place phoresy within a broad evolutionary context and points out the paucity of knowledge in certain research areas.
Potential impacts of Washington State’s wildfire worker protection rule on construction workers
Authors: Zuidema Christopher , Austin Elena , Cohen Martin A , Kasner Edward , Liu Lilian , Busch Isaksen Tania , Lin Ken-Yu , Spector June , Seto Edmund
Published: November 2021

Driven by climate change, wildfires are increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity across the Western United States. Outdoor workers are being exposed to increasing wildfire-related particulate matter and smoke. Recognizing this emerging risk, Washington adopted an emergency rule and is presently engaged in creating a permanent rule to protect outdoor workers from wildfire smoke exposure. While there are growing bodies of literature on the exposure to and health effects of wildfire smoke in the general public and wildland firefighters, there is a gap in knowledge about wildfire smoke exposure among outdoor workers generally and construction workers specifically—a large category of outdoor workers in Washington totaling 200,000 people. Several data sources were linked in this study—including state-collected employment data and national ambient air quality data—to gain insight into the risk of PM2.5 exposure among construction workers and evaluate the impacts of different air quality thresholds that would have triggered a new Washington emergency wildfire smoke rule aimed at protecting workers from high PM2.5 exposure. Results indicate the number of poor air quality days has increased in August and September in recent years. Over the last decade, these months with the greatest potential for particulate matter exposure coincided with an annual peak in construction employment that was typically 9.4–42.7% larger across Washington counties (one county was 75.8%). Lastly, the ‘encouraged’ threshold of the Washington emergency rule (20.5 μg m−3) would have resulted in 5.5 times more days subject to the wildfire rule on average across all Washington counties compared to its ‘required’ threshold (55.5 μg m−3), and in 2020, the rule could have created demand for 1.35 million N-95 filtering facepiece respirators among construction workers. These results have important implications for both employers and policy makers as rules are developed. The potential policy implications of wildfire smoke exposure, exposure control strategies, and data gaps that would improve understanding of construction worker exposure to wildfire smoke are also discussed.
ProteoDisco: a flexible R approach to generate customized protein databases for extended search space of novel and variant proteins in proteogenomic studies
Authors: van de Geer Wesley S , van Riet Job , van de Werken Harmen J G
Published: November 2021

We present an R-based open-source software termed ProteoDisco that allows for flexible incorporation of genomic variants, fusion genes and (aberrant) transcriptomic variants from standardized formats into protein variant sequences. ProteoDisco allows for a flexible step-by-step workflow allowing for in-depth customization to suit a myriad of research approaches in the field of proteogenomics, on all organisms for which a reference genome and transcript annotations are available.

Availability and implementation

ProteoDisco (R package version ≥ 1.0.0) is available on Bioconductor at https://doi.org/doi:10.18129/B9.bioc.ProteoDisco and from https://github.com/ErasmusMC-CCBC/ProteoDisco/.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
DeepIDP-2L: protein intrinsically disordered region prediction by combining convolutional attention network and hierarchical attention network
Authors: Tang Yi-Jun , Pang Yi-He , Liu Bin
Published: November 2021

Motivation

Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are widely distributed in proteins. Accurate prediction of IDRs is critical for the protein structure and function analysis. The IDRs are divided into long disordered regions (LDRs) and short disordered regions (SDRs) according to their lengths. Previous studies have shown that LDRs and SDRs have different proprieties. However, the existing computational methods fail to extract different features for LDRs and SDRs separately. As a result, they achieve unstable performance on datasets with different ratios of LDRs and SDRs.

Results

In this study, a two-layer predictor was proposed called DeepIDP-2L. In the first layer, two kinds of attention-based models are used to extract different features for LDRs and SDRs, respectively. The hierarchical attention network is used to capture the distribution pattern features of LDRs, and convolutional attention network is used to capture the local correlation features of SDRs. The second layer of DeepIDP-2L maps the feature extracted in the first layer into a new feature space. Convolutional network and bidirectional long short term memory are used to capture the local and long-range information for predicting both SDRs and LDRs. Experimental results show that DeepIDP-2L can achieve more stable performance than other exiting predictors on independent test sets with different ratios of SDRs and LDRs.

Availability and implementation

For the convenience of most experimental scientists, a user-friendly and publicly accessible web-server for the new predictor has been established at http://bliulab.net/DeepIDP-2L/. It is anticipated that DeepIDP-2L will become a very useful tool for identification of intrinsically disordered regions.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Questioning the definition of Tourette syndrome—evidence from machine learning
Authors: Paulus Theresa , Schappert Ronja , Bluschke Annet , Alvarez-Fischer Daniel , Naumann Kim Ezra Robin , Roessner Veit , Bäumer Tobias , Beste Christian , Münchau Alexander
Published: November 2021

Tics in Tourette syndrome are often difficult to discern from single spontaneous movements or vocalizations in healthy people. In this study, videos of patients with Tourette syndrome and healthy controls were taken and independently scored according to the Modified Rush Videotape Rating Scale. We included n = 101 patients with Tourette syndrome (71 males, 30 females, mean age 17.36 years ± 10.46 standard deviation) and n = 109 healthy controls (57 males, 52 females, mean age 17.62 years ± 8.78 standard deviation) in a machine learning-based analysis. The results showed that the severity of motor tics, but not vocal phenomena, is the best predictor to separate and classify patients with Tourette syndrome and healthy controls. This finding questions the validity of current diagnostic criteria for Tourette syndrome requiring the presence of both motor and vocal tics. In addition, the negligible importance of vocalizations has implications for medical practice, because current recommendations for Tourette syndrome probably also apply to the large group with chronic motor tic disorders.
Gastric tumorigenesis induced by combining Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic alcohol through IL-10 inhibition
Authors: Aziz Faisal , Chakraborty Abhijit , Liu Kangdong , Zhang Tianshun , Li Xiang , Du Ruijuan , Monts Josh , Xu Gang , Li Yonghan , Bai Ruihua , Dong Zigang
Published: November 2021

Helicobacter pylori infection and alcohol intake are independent risk factors in gastric carcinogenesis; however, until now, the combined effect of H. pylori infection and alcohol consumption and the specific mechanism is still problematic. Here, we developed a series of mouse models that progress from chronic gastritis to gastric cancer, induced by infecting H. pylori combined with chronic alcohol consumption and then determining the molecular mechanism of the progression by flow cytometry, western blotting, qPCR, Mito Traker assay in the gastric cancer and T-cell lines. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) knockout mice was used to determine whether IL-10 deficiency directly contributes to H. pylori and alcohol induced gastric tumorigenesis. Alcohol consumption, together with H. pylori infection, causes gastric cancer; IL-10 downregulation and mitochondrial metabolic dysfunction in CD8+ cells are also involved. IL-10 knockout accelerates tumor development in mice with either H. pylori infection or alcohol induced gastric cancer or both. IL-10 inhibits glucose uptake and glycolysis and promotes oxidative phosphorylation with lactate inhibition. Consequently, in the absence of IL-10 signaling, CD8+ cells accumulate damaged mitochondria in a mouse model of gastric cancer induced with the combination of alcohol plus H. pylori infection, and this results in mitochondrial dysfunction and production of IL-1β. IL-1β promotes H. pylori infection and reduces NKX6.3 gene expression, resulting in increased cancer cell survival and proliferation. Gastric cancer can be induced by the combination of H. pylori infection and chronic alcohol consumption through IL-10 inhibition induced CD8+ cells dysfunction and NKX6.3 suppression.
Fast unconscious processing of emotional stimuli in early stages of the visual cortex
Authors: Carretié Luis , Fernández-Folgueiras Uxía , Álvarez Fátima , Cipriani Germán A , Tapia Manuel , Kessel Dominique
Published: November 2021

Several cortical and subcortical brain areas have been reported to be sensitive to the emotional content of subliminal stimuli. However, the timing of these activations remains unclear. Our scope was to detect the earliest cortical traces of emotional unconscious processing of visual stimuli by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) from 43 participants. Subliminal spiders (emotional) and wheels (neutral), sharing similar low-level visual parameters, were presented at two different locations (fixation and periphery). The differential (peak-to-peak) amplitude from CP1 (77 ms from stimulus onset) to C2 (100 ms), two early visual ERP components originated in V1/V2 according to source localization analyses, was analyzed via Bayesian and traditional frequentist analyses. Spiders elicited greater CP1–C2 amplitudes than wheels when presented at fixation. This fast effect of subliminal stimulation—not reported previously to the best of our knowledge—has implications in several debates: 1) The amygdala cannot be mediating these effects, 2) latency of other evaluative structures recently proposed, such as the visual thalamus, is compatible with these results, 3) the absence of peripheral stimuli effects points to a relevant role of the parvocellular visual system in unconscious processing.
Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An ECCO CONFER Multicentre Case Series
Authors: Festa Stefano , Zerboni Giulia , Derikx Lauranne A A P , Ribaldone Davide Giuseppe , Dragoni Gabriele , Buskens Christianne , van Dijkum Els Nieveen , Pugliese Daniela , Panzuto Francesco , Krela-Kaźmierczak Iwona , Mintz Hilla Reiss , Shitrit Ariella Bar-Gil , Chaparro Marìa , Gisbert Javier P , Kopylov Uri , Teich Niels , Vainer Elez , Nagtegaal Iris , Hoentjen Frank , Garcia Maria Jose , Filip Rafal , Foteinogiannopoulou Kalliopi , Koutroubakis Ioannis E , Argollo Marjorie , van Wanrooij Roy L J , Laja Hendrik , Lobaton Triana , Truyens Marie , Molnar Tamas , Savarino Edoardo , Aratari Annalisa , Papi Claudio , Goren Idan
Published: November 2021

Background

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms [GEP-NENs] have rarely been reported in association with inflammatory bowel diseases [IBDs].

Methods

An ECCO COllaborative Network For Exceptionally Rare case reports project [ECCO-CONFER] collects cases of GEP-NENs diagnosed in patients with IBD.

Results

GEP-NEN was diagnosed in 100 IBD patients; 61% female, 55% Crohn’s disease, median age 48 years (interquartile range [IQR] 38-59]). The most common location was the appendix [39%] followed by the colon [22%]. Comprehensive IBD-related data were available for 50 individuals with a median follow-up of 30 months [IQR 11-70] following NEN diagnosis. Median duration of IBD at NEN diagnosis was 84 months [IQR 10-151], and in 18% of cases NEN and IBD were diagnosed concomitantly. At diagnosis, 20/50 were stage-I [T1N0M0], and 28/50 were graded G1 [ki67 ≤2%]. Incidental diagnosis of NEN and concomitantly IBD diagnosis were associated with an earlier NEN stage [p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively]. Exposure to immunomodulatory or biologic therapy was not associated with advanced NEN stage or grade. Primary GEP-NEN were more frequently found in the segment affected by IBD [62% vs 38%]. At the last follow-up data, 47/50 patients were alive, and only two deaths were related to NEN.

Conclusions

In the largest case series to date, prognosis of patients with GEP-NEN and IBD seems favourable. Incidental NEN diagnosis correlates with an earlier NEN stage, and IBD-related therapies are probably independent of NEN stage and grade. The association of GEP-NEN location and the segment affected by IBD may suggest a possible role of inflammation in NEN tumorigenesis
The influence of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic on the implantation rates of cardiac implantable electronic devices in Germany: changes between 2020 Q1–Q3 and 2019 Q1–Q3
Authors: Schwab Jörg Otto , Wiese Jan , Hauser Tino
Published: November 2021

Aims

During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital admissions for several medical and surgical conditions declined. Few data are available with respect to elective cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the monthly CIED implantation rates in Germany (January-September 2020 vs. 2019).

Methods and results

The monthly rates of CIED implantation for the 2019 pre- and 2020 pandemic periods were retrieved from the Institute für das Entgeltsystem im Krankenhaus using German Operation and Procedure Classification codes to identify pacemakers (PMs), implantable cardioverter/defibrillators (ICDs), and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) systems. Compared with 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an overall decline of CIED implantation rates of −2.6%, reaching −22.9% in April 2020. Stratified by device type, the patterns of implantation were similar between PMs and ICDs, with maximal declines of −24.3% and −23.2% in April, respectively. Thereafter, the implantation rates gradually increased before stabilizing to rates similar to those observed in 2019. CRT implantation rates also declined in the early pandemic wave, but the overall 2020 rates increased by +4.3% likely driven by an increase of +16.5% (June–September). All the observed percentage differences of monthly device type related implantation rates demonstrated a statistical significance.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the implantation of CIEDs in Germany. A differential pattern of resource utilization was observed with a catch-up effect for PMs and ICDs. The implantation rates of CRT systems also declined, but they increased rapidly and remained higher than those of 2019.
Risk of cardiovascular events in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Alon Livnat , Corica Bernadette , Raparelli Valeria , Cangemi Roberto , Basili Stefania , Proietti Marco , Romiti Giulio Francesco
Published: November 2021

Aims 

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a highly prevalent disease and has been repeatedly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the extent of such association is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to evaluate the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), ischaemic stroke (IS), atrial fibrillation (AF), and heart failure (HF) in NAFLD patients.

Methods and results 

According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE, from inception to 6 March 2021, and included all studies reporting the incidence of MI, IS, AF, and HF in patients with and without NAFLD. Random-effect fmodels were used to estimate pooled odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and 95% prediction intervals (PI); subgroup analyses, meta-regressions, and sensitivity analyses were additionally performed. Among 3254 records retrieved from literature, 20 studies were included. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was associated with an increased risk of MI (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.39–1.99, 95% PI: 0.84–3.30), IS (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.29–1.55, 95% PI 1.03–1.93), AF (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.18–1.37, 95% PI: 1.07–1.52), and HF (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.43–1.84, 95% CI: 1.04–2.51). We identified significant subgroup differences according to geographical location, study design, NAFLD definition, and risk of bias; meta-regressions identified mean age, male sex, and study-level characteristics as potential moderators of the risk of MI and IS.

Conclusions 

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was associated with increased risk of MI, IS, AF, and HF. Age, sex, and study characteristics may moderate the strength of this association. Further studies are required to evaluate specific cardiovascular prevention strategies in patients with NAFLD.
Patho-epigenetics: histone deacetylases as targets of pathogens and therapeutics
Authors: Schator Daniel , Gomez-Valero Laura , Buchrieser Carmen , Rolando Monica
Published: November 2021

In recent years, the interplay of epigenetics and infection moved into the limelight. Epigenetic regulation describes modifications in gene expression without alterations of the DNA sequence. In eukaryotes, this mechanism is central for fundamental cellular processes such as cell development and differentiation, but it is also involved in more specific tasks such as the response to infection by a pathogen. One of the most common types of epigenetic changes is the modification of histones. Histones, the small protein building blocks that are wrapped with DNA are the fundamental packaging unit of chromatin. Histones can be modified by linking different moieties to them—one of the most abundant ones is acetylation. Histone acetylation is regulated by two main classes of enzymes, histone acetyl transferases (HAT) and their counterparts, histone deacetylases (HDAC). Given the high abundance and importance in regulating gene expression, histone acetylation is an excellent target for pathogens to manipulate the host cell to their advantage. Targeting HDACs gained particular interest in recent years, due to the increased use of HDAC inhibitors in clinical practice. Recently, the possibility to fight an infection with HDAC inhibitors was suggested as an alternative to overcome the ever-growing problem of antibiotic resistance. In this review, we focus on the regulation of HDACs and their involvement in immune cell function. We then highlight different mechanisms employed by pathogens to manipulate histone deacetylases and we discuss the possibility of HDAC inhibitors as therapeutics to fight infections.
Predicting cardiovascular risk from national administrative databases using a combined survival analysis and deep learning approach
Authors: Barbieri Sebastiano , Mehta Suneela , Wu Billy , Bharat Chrianna , Poppe Katrina , Jorm Louisa , Jackson Rod
Published: November 2021

Background

Machine learning-based risk prediction models may outperform traditional statistical models in large datasets with many variables, by identifying both novel predictors and the complex interactions between them. This study compared deep learning extensions of survival analysis models with Cox proportional hazards models for predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in national health administrative datasets.

Methods

Using individual person linkage of administrative datasets, we constructed a cohort of all New Zealanders aged 30–74 who interacted with public health services during 2012. After excluding people with prior CVD, we developed sex-specific deep learning and Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the risk of CVD events within 5 years. Models were compared based on the proportion of explained variance, model calibration and discrimination, and hazard ratios for predictor variables.

Results

First CVD events occurred in 61 927 of 2 164 872 people. Within the reference group, the largest hazard ratios estimated by the deep learning models were for tobacco use in women (2.04, 95% CI: 1.99, 2.10) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute lower respiratory infection in men (1.56, 95% CI: 1.50, 1.62). Other identified predictors (e.g. hypertension, chest pain, diabetes) aligned with current knowledge about CVD risk factors. Deep learning outperformed Cox proportional hazards models on the basis of proportion of explained variance (R2: 0.468 vs 0.425 in women and 0.383 vs 0.348 in men), calibration and discrimination (all P <0.0001).

Conclusions

Deep learning extensions of survival analysis models can be applied to large health administrative datasets to derive interpretable CVD risk prediction equations that are more accurate than traditional Cox proportional hazards models.
Evaluating an active low-energy cooling upgrade to the building envelope in the hot climates of the Middle East
Authors: Kharrufa Sahar Najeeb , Awad Jihad , Jung Chuloh , Sherzad Mohammed
Published: November 2021

Reducing cooling loads in hot countries requires thermal insulation, and cooling methods be improved. Evaporative cooling, although problematic, is one solution that can be explored since it is significantly more efficient than regular compressor air conditioners, and the net result of using one is cooling. Furthermore, while compressor air conditioner efficiency decreases with rising temperatures in summer, evaporative ones, up to a point, are the exact opposite. A novel hybrid cooling system capable of combining both showed an 80% decrease in cooling load. The system’s efficacy was assessed in this paper by thermally simulating designs that are suitable for the hot Middle East region. Two locations with different environments and building guidelines that are representative of the variations in the area were selected. The first was the hot, dry Baghdad environment; the other was Dubai’s coastal, more humid city. Two different houses were designed to suit the municipal rules of each and accommodate the hybrid cooling system. As expected, the simulation results showed that savings in the dry Baghdad climate were high at 78% compared to a non-insulated alternative. In Dubai, unsurprisingly, they were less at 52% on the more humid coast. Further simulations revealed that this latter figure in the humid coast could also be achieved using good thermal insulation.
Antimicrobial resistance in patients with suspected urinary tract infections in primary care in Assam, India
Authors: Paul Deepjyoti , Anto Nimmy , Bhardwaj Mohit , Prendiville Alison , Elangovan Ravikrishnan , Bachmann Till T , Chanda Debadatta Dhar , Bhattacharjee Amitabha
Published: November 2021

Objectives

We investigated the prevalence and diversity of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria isolated from urine samples of community-onset urinary tract infection (UTI) patients in southern Assam, India.

Methods

Freshly voided midstream urine samples were collected from patients attending primary healthcare centres, with the patients’ epidemiological data also recorded. Species identification was confirmed using a VITEK 2 compact automated system. Phenotypic confirmation of ESBLs was performed using the combined disc diffusion method (CLSI 2017) and carbapenemase production was phenotypically characterized using a modified Hodge test. Common ESBLs and carbapenem-resistance mechanisms were determined in Escherichia coli isolates using PCR assays. Incompatibility typing of the conjugable plasmids was determined by PCR-based replicon typing; the phylotypes and MLSTs were also analysed.

Results

A total of 301 (59.7%) samples showed significant bacteriuria along with symptoms of UTI and among them 103 isolates were identified as E. coli of multiple STs (ST3268, ST3430, ST4671 and others). Among them, 26.2% (27/103) were phenotypically ESBL producers whereas 12.6% (13/103) were carbapenemase producers. This study describes the occurrence of diverse ESBL genes—blaCTX-M-15, blaSHV-148, blaPER-1 and blaTEM—and two E. coli isolates carrying the blaNDM-1 carbapenemase gene. ESBL genes were located within transconjugable plasmids of IncP and IncF type whereas blaNDM-1 was carried in an IncFrepB type plasmid.

Conclusions

This study illustrates the high rate of MDR in E. coli causing UTI in primary care in rural Assam. UTIs caused by ESBL- or MBL-producing bacteria are very difficult to treat and can often lead to treatment failure. Thus, future research should focus on rapid diagnostics to enable targeted treatment options and reduce the treatment failure likely to occur with commonly prescribed antibiotics, which will help to combat antimicrobial resistance and the burden of UTIs.
Embedding electronic health records onto a knowledge network recognizes prodromal features of multiple sclerosis and predicts diagnosis
Authors: Nelson Charlotte A , Bove Riley , Butte Atul J , Baranzini Sergio E
Published: November 2021

Objective

Early identification of chronic diseases is a pillar of precision medicine as it can lead to improved outcomes, reduction of disease burden, and lower healthcare costs. Predictions of a patient’s health trajectory have been improved through the application of machine learning approaches to electronic health records (EHRs). However, these methods have traditionally relied on “black box” algorithms that can process large amounts of data but are unable to incorporate domain knowledge, thus limiting their predictive and explanatory power. Here, we present a method for incorporating domain knowledge into clinical classifications by embedding individual patient data into a biomedical knowledge graph.

Materials and Methods

A modified version of the Page rank algorithm was implemented to embed millions of deidentified EHRs into a biomedical knowledge graph (SPOKE). This resulted in high-dimensional, knowledge-guided patient health signatures (ie, SPOKEsigs) that were subsequently used as features in a random forest environment to classify patients at risk of developing a chronic disease.

Results

Our model predicted disease status of 5752 subjects 3 years before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) (AUC = 0.83). SPOKEsigs outperformed predictions using EHRs alone, and the biological drivers of the classifiers provided insight into the underpinnings of prodromal MS.

Conclusion

Using data from EHR as input, SPOKEsigs describe patients at both the clinical and biological levels. We provide a clinical use case for detecting MS up to 5 years prior to their documented diagnosis in the clinic and illustrate the biological features that distinguish the prodromal MS state.
Selection of the Most EffectiveTrichogrammaStrains (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) From Myanmar to Control Asian Corn Borer,Ostrinia furnacalis(Lepidoptera: Crambidae)
Authors: Myint Yee Yee , Bai Shuxiong , Zhang Tiantao , Babendreier Dirk , He Kanglai , Wang Zhenying
Published: November 2021

Selecting the candidate agents or species is a fundamental step in developing effective biological control programs. However, no attempts have been made to evaluate the efficacy of Trichogramma Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) strains against the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Myanmar. In this study, Trichogramma strains were investigated through a series of glass tube bioassays and under a semifield condition. Ostrinia furnacalis or Corcyra cephalonica egg preferences were compared among six strains of Trichogramma ostriniae, three of Trichogramma chilonis, and four of Trichogramma dendrolimi using a choice-test assay design. Significant differences were observed at the inter- and intraspecific levels. Four strains of T. ostriniae and two of T. dendrolimi showed a strong preference for O. furnacalis eggs, while two strains of T. chilonis and one T. dendrolimi strain preferred Corcyra cephalonica Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs. The remaining strains showed no preference. Eleven strains were examined on O. furnacalis eggs only, wherein parasitism, sex ratio, and total progeny per female were highest for two strains of T. ostriniae (respectively: 67.6 ± 3.0%, 82.7 ± 2.3%, 49.6 ± 2.8, and 67.6 ± 3.6%, 90.0 ± 2.4%, 42.7 ± 2.6), and one strain of T. dendrolimi (65.2 ± 3.2%, 84.7 ± 2.6%, 46.3 ± 2.8). Parasitism and searching capacity were evaluated for the three, best performing strains in cages containing maize plants. One T. ostriniae from Southern Shan State, Myanmar parasitized ~81% of egg masses, and should be considered a candidate biological control agent against O. furnacalis in Myanmar.