bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Liability of Artificial Intelligence's Moral Dilemma
Authors: Rosemadi Julia Farhana , Jamaludin Saidatul Nasuha
Published: September 2022

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents the fundamentals of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Its advancement in technology has brought benefit to mankind over the years, which helps to amplify our daily lives in numerous ways. Among the technologies that have been innovated utilizing AI are Artificial Intelligence Lawyers (AI Lawyers), autonomous vehicles, AI judges, augmented drafting services and delivery drones. Although AI has brought many advancements in our lives, concerns are raised with regards to the moral implication of AI. This study aims to examine the situation wherein tools which incorporate AI would have to face a moral dilemma situation, or situations where AI had acted beyond what was instructed or programmed by the manufacturers. Thus, this work discusses whether the torts theory of liability on negligence is applicable in such a context. Methods: The methodology involved a doctrinal research in analysing the legal rules and existing studies in relation to AI and the negligence principle to develop a critical analysis of the literature. Besides, this research finds the application of principle negligence adopted in other countries, particularly in the United States, since it has employed AI much earlier compared to other countries. Results: The findings suggest that the question of the liability of AI is still at its infancy, as policy makers or regulators have yet to decide the liability of AI. However, the findings also suggest that theories of liabilities such as product liability and strict liability are possible to adduce liability on AI, so long as AI could be defined as a product. The research limitation is the scarcity amount of related studies available in the literature. The motivation of this work is in the importance to determine whether advanced AI may be liable for ‘moral decisions’ that cause damage to the victim under the principle of negligence.
Health effects of UV nail lamps - is there a risk of cancer?
Authors: Basta-Arciszewska Katarzyna , Arciszewski Kamil , Borowik Joanna , Brodowski Wojciech , Swora Aleksandra , Sygacz Oliwer , Pawłowski Piotr , Żelazny Przemysław , Filipczak Joanna , Dankiewicz Sara , Bróż Sebastian
Published: September 2022

Introduction: 

Every year, more and more people are using manicure and pedicure services performed with UV lamps. As public awareness of the harmfulness of prolonged exposure to UV light increases, there are doubts about the safety of frequent treatments using it.

Aim of the study: 

The aim of the study was to find out whether regular use of UV nail lamps is safe and to educate patients about the prevention of potential cancer. 

Methods and materials: 

A literature review was performed in the PubMed database using the keywords: UV; nail lamp; skin cancer; risk.

Resulsts: 

Certain clinical cases indicate that long-term, regular exposure to UVA radiation from nail lamps can increase the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and actinic keratosis, but other risk factors may overlap. According to a statement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the use of these devices is safe. Thus, the results of the studies appear to be inconclusive. Both the researchers who prove the safety of lamp use and those who question it unanimously recommend the use of prophylaxis and educating patients about it.

Conclusions: 

The use of UV nail lamps is not associated with significant risks. Single clinical cases describing the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and actinic keratosis appear to be anecdotal. As the low probability of cancer formation is still taken into account, it is worth taking the recommended precautions: using creams with a broad-spectrum UV filter 20 minutes before exposure or manicure gloves. Using LED nail lamps instead of classic UV lamps will also be beneficial. The topic is a developing one and will require more research attention.
Endoprosthetic replacement of the proximal tibia for oncological conditions
Authors: Sacchetti Federico , Aston Will , Pollock Rob , Gikas Panos , Cuomo Pierluigi , Gerrand Craig
Published: September 2022

Aims

The proximal tibia (PT) is the anatomical site most frequently affected by primary bone tumours after the distal femur. Reconstruction of the PT remains challenging because of the poor soft-tissue cover and the need to reconstruct the extensor mechanism. Reconstructive techniques include implantation of massive endoprosthesis (megaprosthesis), osteoarticular allografts (OAs), or allograft-prosthesis composites (APCs).

Methods

This was a retrospective analysis of clinical data relating to patients who underwent proximal tibial arthroplasty in our regional bone tumour centre from 2010 to 2018.

Results

A total of 76 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Mean age at surgery was 43.2 years (12 to 86 (SD 21)). The mean follow-up period was 60.1 months (5.4 to 353). In total 21 failures were identified, giving an overall failure rate of 27.6%. Prosthesis survival at five years was 75.5%, and at ten years was 59%. At last follow-up, mean knee flexion was 89.8° (SD 36°) with a mean extensor lag of 18.1° (SD 24°). In univariate analysis, factors associated with better survival of the prosthesis were a malignant or metastatic cancer diagnosis (versus benign), with a five- and ten-year survival of 78.9% and 65.7% versus 37.5% (p = 0.045), while in-hospital length of stay longer than nine days was also associated with better prognosis with five- and ten-year survival rates at 84% and 84% versus 60% and 16% (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, only in-hospital length of stay was associated with longer survival (hazard ratio (HR) 0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08 to 0.66).

Conclusion

We have shown that proximal tibial arthroplasty with endoprosthesis is a safe and reliable method for reconstruction in patients treated for orthopaedic oncological conditions. Either modular or custom implants in this series performed well. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2022;3(9):733–740.
Saturation attack on discretely modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution over an atmospheric turbulence channel
Authors: Jiang Wenqi , Zhang Hang , Jin Di , Guo Ying
Published: September 2022

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) over an atmosphere channel provides the possibility of global coverage, which is threatened by the imperfection of actual devices. Exploiting imperfections of practical devices, an eavesdropper steals the information between legal participants by performing the potential saturation-induced attacks on the homodyne detector. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of the potential saturation attack in discretely modulated (DM) CVQKD over atmospheric turbulence. Subsequently, a countermeasure is suggested by using an adjustable optical filter (AOF) to attenuate the estimated parameter with the measured value in the finite linearity domain, where the attenuated data can be compensated. Numerical simulations illustrate the effects of the saturation attack on the performance of the AOF-based CVQKD system. We find that legal participants evaluate the information that has been eavesdropped because the secret key rate is made negative.
Quantum and quasi-classical effects in the strong field ionization and subsequent excitation of nitrogen molecules
Authors: Xu Liang , Lu Qi , Tikhonchuk Vladimir T. , Zhou Bin , Yang Runzhe , Liang Qingqing , He Feng , Danylo Rostyslav , Houard Aurélien , Mysyrowicz André , Liu Yi
Published: September 2022

The processes leading to the N2+ lasing are rather complex and even the population distribution after the pump laser excitation is unknown. In this paper, we study the population distribution at electronic and vibrational levels in N2+ driven by ultra-short laser pulse at the wavelengths of 800 nm and 400 nm by using the quantum-mechanical time-domain incoherent superposition model based on the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and the quasi-classical model assuming instantaneous ionization injection described by density matrix. It is shown that while both models provide qualitatively similar results, the quasi-classical instantaneous ionization injection model underestimates the population inversions corresponding to the optical transitions at 391 nm, 423 nm and 428 nm due to the assumption of quantum mixed states at the ionization time. A fast and accurate correction to this error is proposed. This work solidifies the theoretical models for population at vibrational states in N2+ and paves the way to uncover the mechanism of the N2+ lasing.
Observing a topological phase transition with deep neural networks from experimental images of ultracold atoms
Authors: Zhao Entong , Mak Ting Hin , He Chengdong , Ren Zejian , Pak Ka Kwan , Liu Yu-Jun , Jo Gyu-Boong
Published: September 2022

Although classifying topological quantum phases have attracted great interests, the absence of local order parameter generically makes it challenging to detect a topological phase transition from experimental data. Recent advances in machine learning algorithms enable physicists to analyze experimental data with unprecedented high sensitivities, and identify quantum phases even in the presence of unavoidable noises. Here, we report a successful identification of topological phase transitions using a deep convolutional neural network trained with low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) experimental data obtained in a symmetry-protected topological system of spin-orbit-coupled fermions. We apply the trained network to unseen data to map out a whole phase diagram, which predicts the positions of the two topological phase transitions that are consistent with the results obtained by using the conventional method on higher SNR data. By visualizing the filters and post-convolutional results of the convolutional layer, we further find that the CNN uses the same information to make the classification in the system as the conventional analysis, namely spin imbalance, but with an advantage concerning SNR. Our work highlights the potential of machine learning techniques to be used in various quantum systems.
GenOtoScope: Towards automating ACMG classification of variants associated with congenital hearing loss
Authors: Melidis Damianos P. , Landgraf Christian , Schmidt Gunnar , Schöner-Heinisch Anja , von Hardenberg Sandra , Lesinski-Schiedat Anke , Nejdl Wolfgang , Auber Bernd
Published: September 2022

Since next-generation sequencing (NGS) has become widely available, large gene panels containing up to several hundred genes can be sequenced cost-efficiently. However, the interpretation of the often large numbers of sequence variants detected when using NGS is laborious, prone to errors and is often difficult to compare across laboratories. To overcome this challenge, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP) have introduced standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequencing variants. Additionally, disease-specific refinements have been developed that include accurate thresholds for many criteria, enabling highly automated processing. This is of particular interest for common but heterogeneous disorders such as hearing impairment. With more than 200 genes associated with hearing disorders, the manual inspection of possible causative variants is particularly difficult and time-consuming.

To this end, we developed the open-source bioinformatics tool GenOtoScope, which automates the analysis of all ACMG/AMP criteria that can be assessed without further individual patient information or human curator investigation, including the refined loss of function criterion (“PVS1”). Two types of interfaces are provided: (i) a command line application to classify sequence variants in batches for a set of patients and (ii) a user-friendly website to classify single variants.

We compared the performance of our tool with two other variant classification tools using two hearing loss data sets, which were manually annotated either by the ClinGen Hearing Loss Gene Curation Expert Panel or the diagnostics unit of our human genetics department. GenOtoScope achieved the best average accuracy and precision for both data sets. Compared to the second-best tool, GenOtoScope improved the accuracy metric by 25.75% and 4.57% and precision metric by 52.11% and 12.13% on the two data sets, respectively. The web interface is accessible via: http://genotoscope.mh-hannover.de:5000 and the command line interface via: https://github.com/damianosmel/GenOtoScope.
The germ cell-specific RNA binding protein RBM46 is essential for spermatogonial differentiation in mice
Authors: Peart Natoya J. , Johnson Taylor A. , Lee Sungkyoung , Sears Matthew J. , Yang Fang , Quesnel-Vallières Mathieu , Feng Huijuan , Recinos Yocelyn , Barash Yoseph , Zhang Chaolin , Hermann Brian P. , Wang P. Jeremy , Geyer Christopher B. , Carstens Russ P.
Published: September 2022

Control over gene expression is exerted, in multiple stages of spermatogenesis, at the post-transcriptional level by RNA binding proteins (RBPs). We identify here an essential role in mammalian spermatogenesis and male fertility for ‘RNA binding protein 46’ (RBM46). A highly evolutionarily conserved gene,Rbm46is also essential for fertility in both flies and fish. We foundRbm46expression was restricted to the mouse germline, detectable in males in the cytoplasm of premeiotic spermatogonia and meiotic spermatocytes. To define its requirement for spermatogenesis, we generatedRbm46knockout (KO,Rbm46-/-) mice; although maleRbm46-/-mice were viable and appeared grossly normal, they were infertile. Testes from adultRbm46-/-mice were small, with seminiferous tubules containing only Sertoli cells and few undifferentiated spermatogonia. Using genome-wide unbiased high throughput assays RNA-seq and ‘enhanced crosslinking immunoprecipitation’ coupled with RNA-seq (eCLIP-seq), we discovered RBM46 could bind, via a U-rich conserved consensus sequence, to a cohort of mRNAs encoding proteins required for completion of differentiation and subsequent meiotic initiation. In summary, our studies support an essential role for RBM46 in regulating target mRNAs during spermatogonia differentiation prior to the commitment to meiosis in mice.
Vivaxin genes encode highly immunogenic, non-variant antigens on the Trypanosoma vivax cell-surface
Authors: Romero-Ramirez Alessandra , Casas-Sánchez Aitor , Autheman Delphine , Duffy Craig W. , Brandt Cordelia , Clare Simon , Harcourt Katherine , André Marcos Rogério , de Almeida Castilho Neto Kayo José Garcia , Teixeira Marta M. G. , Machado Rosangela Zacharias , Coombes Janine , Flynn Robin J. , Wright Gavin J. , Jackson Andrew P.
Published: September 2022

Trypanosoma vivaxis a unicellular hemoparasite, and a principal cause of animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT), a vector-borne and potentially fatal livestock disease across sub-Saharan Africa. Previously, we identified diverseT.vivax-specific genes that were predicted to encode cell surface proteins. Here, we examine the immune responses of naturally and experimentally infected hosts to these unique parasite antigens, to identify immunogens that could become vaccine candidates. Immunoprofiling of host serum shows that one particular family (Fam34) elicits a consistent IgG antibody response. This gene family, which we now callVivaxin, encodes at least 124 transmembrane glycoproteins that display quite distinct expression profiles and patterns of genetic variation. We focused on one gene (viv-β8) that encodes one particularly immunogenic vivaxin protein and which is highly expressed during infections but displays minimal polymorphism across the parasite population. Vaccination of mice with VIVβ8 adjuvanted with Quil-A elicits a strong, balanced immune response and delays parasite proliferation in some animals but, ultimately, it does not prevent disease. Although VIVβ8 is localized across the cell body and flagellar membrane, live immunostaining indicates that VIVβ8 is largely inaccessible to antibody in vivo. However, our phylogenetic analysis shows that vivaxin includes other antigens shown recently to induce immunity againstT.vivax. Thus, the introduction of vivaxin represents an important advance in our understanding of theT.vivaxcell surface. Besides being a source of proven and promising vaccine antigens, the gene family is clearly an important component of the parasite glycocalyx, with potential to influence host-parasite interactions.
Intimate-partner violence and its association with symptoms of depression, perceived health, and quality of life in the Himalayan Mountain Villages of Gilgit Baltistan
Authors: Nowshad Gul , Jahan Neelum , Shah Nasim Zahid , Ali Nasloon , Ali Tazeen , Alam Sartaj , Khan Ambreen , Mahmood Mohammad Afzal , Saba Malika , Arnone Danilo , Shah Syed M.
Published: September 2022

Study objectives

We aimed to estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and associated risk factors in married women in rural villages of Gilgit Baltistan in Pakistan.

Methods

A cross-sectional design to assess the magnitude and factors associated with IPV in a random sample of 789 married women aged 18–49 years. A World Health Organization screening instrument was used to assess the presence of IPV in the previous 12 months. A locally validated instrument was adopted to identify self-reported symptoms of major depression according to the DSM IV. Trained nurses obtained socio-demographic and reproductive history through structured interviews. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to estimate prevalence and identify significant predictors of IPV.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 38.3 years (SD: ±12.8). The prevalence of IPV in women was 22.8% (95% Confidence Interval: 20.0–25.9), 18.5% in pregnant women (95% CI: 11.7–27.9) and significantly associated with depression in 55.1% of IPV cases. Husband education level (college/higher) (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 0.40; 95%CI: 0.22–0.70) and high household income (AOR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.29–0.68) were protective against IPV. Increase in age (AOR;1.02; 95% CI: 1.01–1.02) and poor relationship with mother-in-law increased the risk of IPV (AOR = 2.85; 95% CI: 1.90–4.28). IPV was positively associated with symptoms of depression (AOR = 1.97; 95% CI:1.39–2.77), poor perceived quality of life (AOR = 3.54; 95% CI: 1.90–6.58) and poor health (AOR = 2.74; 95% CI: 1.92–3.92).

Conclusion

IPV is substantial public health burden significantly associated with depressive symptoms, poor perceived health and the quality of life.
A DSM-5 AMPD and ICD-11 compatible measure for an early identification of personality disorders in adolescence–LoPF-Q 12–18 latent structure and short form
Authors: Zimmermann Ronan , Steppan Martin , Zimmermann Johannes , Oeltjen Lara , Birkhölzer Marc , Schmeck Klaus , Goth Kirstin
Published: September 2022

The LoPF-Q 12–18 (Levels of Personality Functioning Questionnaire) was designed for clinical use and to promote early detection of personality disorder (PD). It is a self-report measure with 97 items to assess personality functioning in adolescents from 12 years up. It operationalizes the dimensional concept of personality disorder (PD) severity used in the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders and the ICD-11. In this study, we investigated the factorial structure of the LoPF-Q 12–18. Additionally, a short version was developed to meet the need of efficient screening for PD in clinical and research applications. To investigate the factorial structure, several confirmatory factor analysis models were compared. A bifactor model with a strong general factor and four specific factors showed the best nominal fit (CFI = .91, RMSEA = .04, SRMR = .07). The short version was derived using the ant colony optimization algorithm. This procedure resulted in a 20-item version with excellent fit for a hierarchical model with four first order factors to represent the domains and a secondary higher order factor to represent personality functioning (CFI = .98, RMSEA = .05, SRMR = .04). Clinical validity (effect size d = 3.1 between PD patients and controls) and clinical utility (cutoff ≥ 36 providing 87.5% specificity and 80.2% sensitivity) for detecting patients with PD were high for the short version. Both, the long and short LoPF-Q 12–18 version are ready to be used for research and diagnostic purposes.
Donor-derived urologic cancers after renal transplantation: A retrospective non-randomized scientific analysis
Authors: Hellström Vivan , Tufveson Gunnar , Loskog Angelica , Bengtsson Mats , Enblad Gunilla , Lorant Tomas
Published: September 2022

Background

Malignancies in the urinary tract and the kidney graft are quite common after kidney transplantation. In some selected cases tumours develop from donor-derived tissue.

Objectives

We hypothesised that there is a clinical value to investigate donor/recipient origin in urologic malignancies in renal transplant recipients.

Methods

In this retrospective study, including patients transplanted between the years 1969 and 2014 at Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden, 11 patients with malignancies in urinary tract and 4 patients with malignancies in kidney transplants were investigated. Donor/recipient origin of tumour tissue was analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genotypes or by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH analysis) of sex chromosomes. HLA genotype and sex chromosomes of the tumour were compared to the known HLA genotype and sex chromosomes of recipient and donor.

Results

Three of ten cancers in the urinary tract and three of four cancers in the kidney transplants were donor-derived.

Conclusions

We suggest that urologic malignancies in renal transplant recipients can be investigated for transplant origin. In addition to conventional therapy the allograft immune response against these tumours can be valuable to treat donor-derived cancers.
Reverse mutants of the catalytic 19 kDa mutant protein (nanoKAZ/nanoLuc) from Oplophorus luciferase with coelenterazine as preferred substrate
Authors: Inouye Satoshi , Sato Jun-ichi , Sahara-Miura Yuiko , Tomabechi Yuri , Sumida Yuto , Sekine Shun-ichi , Shirouzu Mikako , Hosoya Takamitsu
Published: September 2022

Native Oplophorus luciferase (OpLase) and its catalytic 19 kDa protein (wild KAZ) show highest luminescence activity with coelenterazine (CTZ) among CTZ analogs. Mutated wild KAZ with 16 amino acid substitutions (nanoKAZ/nanoLuc) utilizes bis-coelenterazine (bis-CTZ) as the preferred substrate and exhibits over 10-fold higher maximum intensity than CTZ. To understand the substrate selectivity of nanoKAZ between CTZ and bis-CTZ, we prepared the reverse mutants of nanoKAZ by amino acid replacements with the original amino acid residue of wild KAZ. The reverse mutant with L18Q and V27L substitutions (QL-nanoKAZ) exhibited 2.6-fold higher maximum intensity with CTZ than that of nanoKAZ with bis-CTZ. The catalytic properties of QL-nanoKAZ including substrate specificity, luminescence spectrum, luminescence kinetics, luminescence products of CTZ, and luminescence inhibition by deaza-CTZ analogs were characterized and were compared with other CTZ-utilizing luciferases such as Gaussia and Renilla luciferases. Thus, QL-nanoKAZ with CTZ could be used as a potential reporter protein for various luminescence assay systems. Furthermore, the crystal structure of QL-nanoKAZ was determined at 1.70 Å resolution. The reverse mutation at the L18Q and V27L positions of α2-helix in nanoKAZ led to changes in the local structures of the α4-helix and the β6- and β7-sheets, and might enhance its binding affinity and oxidation efficiency with CTZ to emit light.
Knowledge graph of alpine skiing events: A focus on meteorological conditions
Authors: Tang Wei , Zhang Xueying , Feng Deen , Wang Yipeng , Ye Peng , Qu Hanhua
Published: September 2022

Alpine skiing, as an outdoor winter sport, is particularly vulnerable to the variation of meteorological conditions. Scattered and multi-source big data cannot be fully utilized to conduct effective decision analyses by conventional data analysis methods. Presently, knowledge graphs are the most advanced organization form of knowledge base, which can make explicit the complex relationships among different objects. Thus, introducing knowledge graph to the event management of alpine skiing is significant to improve the ability of risk prediction and decision-making. In this research, we analyze the components and dynamic characteristics of alpine skiing, and construct an “Object-Characteristic-Relation” representation model to express multi-level knowledge. Moreover, we propose a “Characteristic-value- Relationship” representation method based on the multi-source data, to construct the knowledge graph of alpine skiing. With the proposed method, comprehensive relationships between meteorological conditions and alpine skiing can be represented clearly, and support further knowledge reasoning for the event management under meteorological conditions. We have tested the utility of the proposed method in a case study of 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. The case study realizes an semi-automatic construction of knowledge graph for alpine skiing, provides decision supports for event risk managements, according to different meteorological conditions, and grounds a foundation for future knowledge graph construction of other large-scale sport events.
Predictive factors for alpha blocker use after transurethral prostatectomy: Can preoperative urodynamic outcome predict alpha blocker medication after surgery?
Authors: Kim Sung Jin , Park Sung Gon , Pak Sahyun , Lee Young Goo , Cho Sung Tae , Kwon Ohseong
Published: September 2022

Objective

To analyze the diagnostic value of conducting urodynamic study (UDS) and show predictors for alpha blocker use 12 months after transurethral prostatectomy.

Materials and methods

Our study includes 406 participants that had a transurethral prostatectomy at our hospital between 2010 and 2019. All participants took alpha blockers for more than a month. We collected the participants’ preoperative international prostatic symptom score (IPSS), uroflowmetry, transrectal ultrasound, and serum prostatic antigen (PSA) level. A total of 254 patients conducted UDS. After surgery, participants visited our hospital at 1,3,6, and 12 months.

Results

133 patients (32.6%) took alpha blockers continuously for 12 months after surgery. They reported poor preoperative IPSS scores and uroflowmetry outcomes. They also had high postoperative PVR (40.68±24.56 vs 29.34±25.11, p<0.001) and total IPSS score (10.35±7.96 vs 8.43±6.74, p = 0.018) compared to the group which discontinued alpha blockers. A multivariate analysis (Table 2) found that conducting preoperative UDS (Odds ratio (OR) 6.067, p<0.001) Age>75 (OR 2.463, p<0.001), a history of taking 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARI) before surgery (OR 2.186 [95% CI 1.334–3.583], p = 0.002), IPSS item straining (OR 1.224, p = 0.003), duration of taking alpha blockers [OR 1.009, p = 0.020), and Qmax (OR 0.926, p = 0.018), PVR (OR 1.002, p = 0.022) were confirmed as a strong predictors of persistent alpha blocker use.

Conclusion

Conducting preoperative UDS, Age>75, history of taking 5-ARI before surgery, IPSS item straining, duration of alpha blocker medication, Qmax, and PVR are possible determinant factors of alpha blocker use after surgery. By comparing UDS outcomes, detrusor underactivity can be a strong predictor of persisting alpha blocker therapy 12 months after surgery.
Characterization of Bacillus anthracis replication and persistence on environmental substrates associated with wildlife anthrax outbreaks
Authors: Jiranantasak Treenate , Benn Jamie S. , Metrailer Morgan C. , Sawyer Samantha J. , Burns Madison Q. , Bluhm Andrew P. , Blackburn Jason K. , Norris Michael H.
Published: September 2022

Anthrax is a zoonosis caused by the environmentally maintained, spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis, affecting humans, livestock, and wildlife nearly worldwide. Bacterial spores are ingested, inhaled, and may be mechanically transmitted by biting insects or injection as occurs during heroin-associated human cases. Herbivorous hoofstock are very susceptible to anthrax. When these hosts die of anthrax, a localized infectious zone (LIZ) forms in the area surrounding the carcass as it is scavenged and decomposes, where viable populations of vegetative B. anthracis and spores contaminate the environment. In many settings, necrophagous flies contaminate the outer carcass, surrounding soils, and vegetation with viable pathogen while scavenging. Field observations in Texas have confirmed this process and identified primary browse species (e.g., persimmon) are contaminated. However, there are limited data available on B. anthracis survival on environmental substrates immediately following host death at a LIZ. Toward this, we simulated fly contamination by inoculating live-attenuated, fully virulent laboratory-adapted, and fully virulent wild B. anthracis strains on untreated leaves and rocks for 2, 5, and 7 days. At each time point after inoculation, the number of vegetative cells and spores were determined. Sporulation rates were extracted from these different time points to enable comparison of sporulation speeds between B. anthracis strains with different natural histories. We found all B. anthracis strains used in this study could multiply for 2 or more days post inoculation and persist on leaves and rocks for at least seven days with variation by strain. We found differences in sporulation rates between laboratory-adapted strains and wild isolates, with the live-attenuated strain sporulating fastest, followed by the wild isolates, then laboratory-adapted virulent strains. Extrapolating our wild strain lab results to potential contamination, a single blow fly may contaminate leaves with up to 8.62 x 105 spores per day and a single carcass may host thousands of flies. Replication outside of the carcass and rapid sporulation confirms the LIZ extends beyond the carcass for several days after formation and supports the necrophagous fly transmission pathway for amplifying cases during an outbreak. We note caution must be taken when extrapolating replication and sporulation rates from live-attenuated and laboratory-adapted strains of B. anthracis.
Numerical study of magnetic hyperthermia ablation of breast tumor on an anatomically realistic breast phantom
Authors: Rahpeima Reza , Lin Chao-An
Published: September 2022

Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) is a novel reliable technique with excellent potential for thermal therapies and treating breast tumours. This method involves injecting a magnetic nanofluid into the tumour and applying an external AC magnetic field to induce heat in the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and raise the tumour temperature to ablation temperature ranges. Because of the complexity of considering and coupling all different physics involves in this phenomenon and also due to the intricacy of a thorough FEM numerical study, few FEM-based studies address the entire MFH process as similar to reality as possible. The current study investigates a FEM-based three-dimensional numerical simulation of MFH of breast tumours as a multi-physics problem. An anatomically realistic breast phantom (ARBP) is considered, some magnetic nanofluid is injected inside the tumour, and the diffusion phenomenon is simulated. Then, the amount of heat generated in the MNP-saturated tumour area due to an external AC magnetic field is simulated. In the end, the fraction of tumour tissue necrotized by this temperature rise is evaluated. The study’s results demonstrate that by injecting nanofluid and utilizing seven circular copper windings with each coil carrying 400 A current with a frequency of 400 kHz for generating the external AC magnetic field, the temperature in tumour tissue can be raised to a maximum of about 51.4°C, which leads to necrosis of entire tumour tissue after 30 minutes of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure. This numerical platform can depict all four various physics involved in the MFH of breast tumours by numerically solving all different equation sets coupled together with high precision. Thus, the proposed model can be utilized by clinicians as a reliable tool for predicting and identifying the approximate amount of temperature rise and the necrotic fraction of breast tumour, which can be very useful to opt for the best MFH therapeutic procedure and conditions based on various patients. In future works, this numerical platform’s results should be compared with experimentalin-vivoresults to improve and modify this platform in order to be ready for clinical applications.
Effects of neuromuscular gait modification strategies on indicators of knee joint load in people with medial knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Silva M. Denika C. , Perriman Diana M. , Fearon Angela M. , Tait Daniel , Spencer Trevor J. , Walton-Sonda Dianne , Simic Milena , Hinman Rana S. , Bennell Kim L. , Scarvell Jennie M.
Published: September 2022

Objectives

This systematic review aimed to determine the effects of neuromuscular gait modification strategies on indicators of medial knee joint load in people with medial knee osteoarthritis.

Methods

Databases (Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, CINAHL and PubMed) were searched for studies of gait interventions aimed at reducing medial knee joint load indicators for adults with medial knee osteoarthritis. Studies evaluating gait aids or orthoses were excluded. Hedges’ g effect sizes (ES) before and after gait retraining were estimated for inclusion in quality-adjusted meta-analysis models. Certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Results

Seventeen studies (k = 17; n = 362) included two randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCT), four randomised cross-over trials, two case studies and nine cohort studies. The studies consisted of gait strategies of ipsilateral trunk lean (k = 4, n = 73), toe-out (k = 6, n = 104), toe-in (k = 5, n = 89), medial knee thrust (k = 3, n = 61), medial weight transfer at the foot (k = 1, n = 10), wider steps (k = 1, n = 15) and external knee adduction moment (KAM) biofeedback (k = 3, n = 84). Meta-analyses found that ipsilateral trunk lean reduced early stance peak KAM (KAM1, ES and 95%CI: -0.67, -1.01 to -0.33) with a dose-response effect and reduced KAM impulse (-0.37, -0.70 to -0.04) immediately after single-session training. Toe-out had no effect on KAM1 but reduced late stance peak KAM (KAM2; -0.42, -0.73 to -0.11) immediately post-training for single-session, 10 or 16-week interventions. Toe-in reduced KAM1 (-0.51, -0.81 to -0.20) and increased KAM2 (0.44, 0.04 to 0.85) immediately post-training for single-session to 6-week interventions. Visual, verbal and haptic feedback was used to train gait strategies. Certainty of evidence was very-low to low according to the GRADE approach.

Conclusion

Very-low to low certainty of evidence suggests that there is a potential that ipsilateral trunk lean, toe-out, and toe-in to be clinically helpful to reduce indicators of medial knee joint load. There is yet little evidence for interventions over several weeks.
Genome analysis of secondary metabolite‑biosynthetic gene clusters of Photorhabdus akhurstii subsp. akhurstii and its antibacterial activity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Authors: Muangpat Paramaporn , Meesil Wipanee , Ngoenkam Jatuporn , Teethaisong Yothin , Thummeepak Rapee , Sitthisak Sutthirat , Tandhavanant Sarunporn , Chantratita Narisara , Bode Helge B. , Vitta Apichat , Thanwisai Aunchalee
Published: September 2022

XenorhabdusandPhotorhabduscan produce a variety of secondary metabolites with broad spectrum bioactivity against microorganisms. We investigated the antibacterial activity ofXenorhabdusandPhotorhabdusagainst 15 antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains.Photorhabdusextracts had strong inhibitory the growth of Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) by disk diffusion. TheP.akhurstii ssubsp.akhurstii(bNN168.5_TH) extract showed lower minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBC). The interaction between eitherP.akhurstiisubsp.akhurstii(bNN141.3_TH) orP.akhurstiisubsp.akhurstii(bNN168.5_TH) orP.hainanensis(bNN163.3_TH) extract in combination with oxacillin determined by checkerboard assay exhibited partially synergistic interaction with fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) of 0.53. Time-killing assay forP.akhurstiisubsp.akhurstii(bNN168.5_TH) extract againstS.aureusstrain PB36 significantly decreased cell viability from 105CFU/ml to 103CFU/ml within 30 min (P < 0.001, t-test). Transmission electron microscopic investigation elucidated that the bNN168.5_TH extract caused treatedS.aureusstrain PB36 (MRSA) cell membrane damage. The biosynthetic gene clusters of the bNN168.5_TH contained non-ribosomal peptide synthetase cluster (NRPS), hybrid NRPS-type l polyketide synthase (PKS) and siderophore, which identified potentially interesting bioactive products: xenematide, luminmide, xenortide A-D, luminmycin A, putrebactin/avaroferrin and rhizomide A-C. This study demonstrates that bNN168.5_TH showed antibacterial activity by disrupting bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and the draft genome provided insights into the classes of bioactive products. This also provides a potential approach in developing a novel antibacterial agent.
Infection increases activity via Toll dependent and independent mechanisms in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Vincent Crystal M. , Beckwith Esteban J. , Simoes da Silva Carolina J. , Pearson William H. , Kierdorf Katrin , Gilestro Giorgio F. , Dionne Marc S.
Published: September 2022

Host behavioural changes are among the most apparent effects of infection. ‘Sickness behaviour’ can involve a variety of symptoms, including anorexia, depression, and changed activity levels. Here, using a real-time tracking and behavioural profiling platform, we show that in Drosophila melanogaster, several systemic bacterial infections cause significant increases in physical activity, and that the extent of this activity increase is a predictor of survival time in some lethal infections. Using multiple bacteria and D. melanogaster immune and activity mutants, we show that increased activity is driven by at least two different mechanisms. Increased activity after infection with Micrococcus luteus, a Gram-positive bacterium rapidly cleared by the immune response, strictly requires the Toll ligand spätzle. In contrast, increased activity after infection with Francisella novicida, a Gram-negative bacterium that cannot be cleared by the immune response, is entirely independent of both Toll and the parallel IMD pathway. The existence of multiple signalling mechanisms by which bacterial infections drive increases in physical activity implies that this effect may be an important aspect of the host response.
MLN-Tupamaros y su relación con el entorno latinoamericano (1962-1973)
Authors: Ríos Jerónimo
Published: September 2022

Este trabajo aborda un fenómeno apenas estudiado: las relaciones internacionales de los grupos guerrilleros latinoamericanos surgidos durante la Guerra Fría. Así, se analiza la circularidad de recursos y relaciones que experimentó la guerrilla uruguaya del Movimiento de Liberación Nacional-Tupamaros (MLN-T), desde su etapa embrionaria y hasta su derrota final. Se observan las influencias de otras experiencias guerrilleras del momento y que condujeron a la apuesta, novedosa hasta el momento, de proponer la lucha armada en clave urbana. Al respecto, se presenta cómo, a inicios de los sesenta, Montevideo es un punto de encuentro de ideas y actores revolucionarios, dada su incomparable calidad democrática en la región. También se presentan las difíciles relaciones con Cuba y la fuerte impronta nacional que determinó el alcance de las relaciones exteriores del MLN-T. Esto guardará relación con los escasos escenarios de colaboración material con otros grupos armados, especialmente, mientras que la guerrilla uruguaya vivió un ciclo de activismo creciente. Aunque subyace un plano de colaboración y camaradería, siempre primó una lógica de disputa en clave estatal. Algo que solo cambia cuando surge el intento de crear la Junta de Coordinación Revolucionaria, que abanderaba un proyecto de internacionalismo guerrillero en el Cono Sur, pero cuyo impulso llega cuando las dictaduras en la región son una realidad inevitable. Este ejercicio se desarrolla desde una aproximación a la historia oral, gracias varias entrevistas en profundidad realizadas a reconocidos integrantes del MLN-T. Esto se completa con varios documentos provenientes del Archivo de Lucha Armada «David Cámpora».
Universidad y discapacidad intelectual: aportes a la calidad de vida según las percepciones de estudiantes y padres de un contexto chileno
Authors: Contesse Carvacho Paula , Pineda Herrero Pilar , Sanahuja Gavaldà Josep María
Published: September 2022

La finalización de la educación postsecundaria se asocia con un mejor acceso al empleo y es una forma importante de incrementar los índices de calidad de vida de las personas con discapacidad intelectual; y aun cuando los programa universitarios inclusivos han aumentado en todo el mundo, se sabe poco acerca de cómo estos impactan directamente en la calidad de vida de los estudiantes con DI. Objetivo: Conocer cómo la participación en un programa universitario para estudiantes con discapacidad intelectual contribuye a su calidad de vida. Método: Se aplicó la Escala Integral de CDV para personas con DI y del Desarrollo y se analizan los resultados considerando variables de curso, rol y género de los participantes. Resultados: Se observa un incremento en todas las dimensiones de la CDV y en el índice total en los cursos superiores. Los padres evalúan con mejores puntajes todas las dimensiones de la CDV que los estudiantes. Ambos grupos (estudiantes y sus padres) creen que el programa ha contribuido a la mejora de la calidad de vida y manifiestan que hacen falta mayores instancias de participación con pares sin discapacidad.
Detección de necesidad en personas con discapacidad intelectual y/o del desarrollo con problemas de conducta: un estudio cualitativo
Authors: Garrido Zurita Adrián , Martín Sanz Noemy , Galindo López Laura
Published: September 2022

A lo largo de estos años, la Planificación Centrada en la Persona (PCP) se ha encontrado con obstáculos que han impedido atender y cubrir algunas de las necesidades de las personas con discapacidad intelectual y del desarrollo con problemas de conducta tanto en el ambiente familiar, profesional y personal (PCDI/PC). Por este motivo surge el presente estudio, detectar las necesidades que tienen PCDI/PC y, a su vez, las necesidades de los profesionales y familiares que afectan en la atención a las PCDI/PC mediante grupos de discusión con profesionales, familias y PCDI/PC que forman parte de Plena Inclusión Madrid. En total han participado 82 personas que se distribuyen en profesionales (sanitarios, educativos, laborales y sociales), familias y PCDI/PC y, en total, se han detectado 81 necesidades que afectan a estos tres grupos. Como conclusión, estas necesidades descubiertas están suponiendo un obstáculo para que la metodología PCP tenga efectividad en las PCDI/PC, por lo que sería interesante que en futuros trabajos se estudien dimensiones que ayuden a cubrirlas.
TOOLS FOR CONTROLLING CONTRACTORS IN THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF AN INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION
Authors: Chernysheva O. G.
Published: September 2022

In the management system of a modern industrial organization, an important place belongs to the controlling of counterparties, which is a system that provides control of customers of industrial products, as well as suppliers, in order to prevent late payments, optimize the credit policy in relation to organizations that delay payment. It is worth noting the rather high importance of this area of controlling, as it allows you to reduce financial losses associated with the diversion of funds. At the same time, a well-built system of controlling counterparties of an industrial organization must certainly be accompanied by tools that make it possible to comprehensively assess their condition, reliability, and identify possible failures. It is also worth noting that the methods for assessing the reliability of counterparties already available in modern literature are not completely informative, since they rely mainly on economic and financial analysis data, including financial stability and liquidity ratios, for which normative values have been formed in science, considered sufficient for all organizations, regardless of industry. In addition, when assessing profitability, experts are guided by industry averages. At the same time, the economic conditions of each organization differ significantly not only depending on the industry, but also on the region, which does not always allow the application of well-known standards. The article proposes an analytical toolkit that allows you to evaluate counterparties in the controlling system based on average indicators in the regional context and in a particular industry, which improves the accuracy of the assessment.
Learning with Differing-Ability Peers: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in South Korea
Authors: Chin Seungwoo , Kwon Eunjee
Published: September 2022

Whether to group students based on their prior academic achievements has been at the center of policy and research debate. This article explores a quasi-experimental setting in South Korea where the “Equalization Policy” replaced ability-tracking in high school students’ allocation. The policy abolished high school entrance exams and began assigning students to high schools without considering students’ prior academic performance, which exposed students to an ability-mixing learning environment. Using a difference-in-difference approach, we show that ability-mixing considerably reduces the number of low-performers in a national college entrance test. At the same time, high-performers are hardly affected by the policy changes. We document that the behavioral changes of low-performing students may drive the main results. In contrast, we find no evidence that grouping mechanisms affect teacher-pupil interaction and teacher quality.
Do Female Politicians Lead to Better Learning Outcomes?
Authors: Priyanka Sadia
Published: September 2022

Despite progress towards universal primary education, children in India lag in age and grade-appropriate learning competencies. This paper studies the effect of women’s political leadership in state legislatures on primary school-aged children’s learning outcomes. I use close elections won by women against men as an instrument for the election of a female politician and find significant gains in math and reading proficiency in children 8–11. Using a rich set of school and household-level data, I evaluate the impact on public and household investments. There is an increased likelihood of public schools receiving grants and inputs beneficial for learning. Further, female politicians lead households to exhibit more confidence in the ability of public schools to provide a better education. Consistent with this perception change, there are reduced time allocation and spending on supplementary household resources. The net positive effect suggests the policy effect outweighs the crowding out of private resources.
Sovereign Debt Crisis, Fiscal Consolidation, and Active Central Bankers in a Monetary Union
Authors: Canofari Paolo , Di Bartolomeo Giovanni , Messori Marcello
Published: September 2022

This paper examines the impact of exogenous shocks on sovereign debts in an incomplete monetary union. We assume that financial stability is a public good that sovereign debt shocks can undermine in fragile (peripheral) members. Our model shows that, unlike the common misconception, active monetary policies do not induce the peripheral government to relax its fiscal constraints; on the contrary, these policies tend to incentivize fiscal discipline by reducing the cost of balance consolidation. Active monetary policies, in fact, partially reallocate the stabilization costs from the periphery to the core of the union, preserving the common good and facilitating fiscal discipline in the periphery.