bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Special Review: The future of Immunotherapy
Authors: Melief Cornelis J M
Published: November 2020

During the last two decades, two main schools of modern immunotherapy have come to the forefront. The chimeric anti-CD20 antibody rituximab that was introduced for the treatment of refractory follicular lymphoma in 1998 was one of the first examples of the school of passive immunotherapy. Subsequently major and ever more costly efforts were spent on the development of blockbuster monotherapies including other monoclonal but also bispecific antibodies of highly defined specificity and subclass, antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), as well as ex vivo expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transduced T cells, and TCR-transduced T cells. On the other hand, there is the school that works toward active induction of patient B- or T-cell immunity against antigens of choice, or active tolerance against pathogenic allergens, auto-antigens or allo-antigens. Stradled in between these two approaches is treatment with blockers of T cell checkpoint control, which releases the brakes of T cells that have already responded to antigen. Extensive and detailed insight into the cellular and molecular interactions that regulate specific immune responses is indispensable in order to be able to optimize efficacy and rule out treatment related toxicity. This applies to all types of immunotherapy. Our knowledge of the checks and balances in the immune system is still increasing at an unprecedented pace, fostering ever more effective and specific (combination) immunotherapies and offering a rich harvest of innovative immunotherapies in the years ahead.
Helicobacter pylori-Induced TLR9 Activation and Injury Are Associated With the Virulence-Associated Adhesin HopQ
Authors: Dooyema Samuel D R , Krishna Uma S , Loh John T , Suarez Giovanni , Cover Timothy L , Peek Richard M
Published: November 2020

Helicobacter pylori is the strongest risk factor for gastric adenocarcinoma. The H. pylori cancer-associated cag pathogenicity island (cag-PAI) encodes a type IV secretion system (T4SS), which translocates microbial DNA and activates TLR9; however, most cag-PAI+–infected persons do not develop cancer and cag-PAI–independent regulators of pathogenesis, including strain-specific adhesins, remain understudied. We defined the relationships between H. pylori HopQ adhesin allelic type, gastric injury, and TLR9 activation. Type I hopQ alleles were significantly associated with magnitude of injury, cag-T4SS function, and TLR9 activation. Genetic deletion of hopQ significantly decreased H. pylori-induced TLR9 activation, implicating this adhesin in H. pylori-mediated disease.
Gloomy Scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) Ecology and Management on Landscape Trees
Authors: Just Michael G , Dale Adam G , Frank Steven D
Published: November 2020

Gloomy scale, Melanaspis tenebricosa (Comstock), is native to the eastern United States and feeds on deciduous trees. In natural areas, it is a background herbivore that typically remains at low densities. Gloomy scale generally responds positively to warming with greater egg production, size, survival, and abundance. In urban areas, which are warmer than surrounding natural areas, gloomy scale is pestiferous on planted trees, particularly red maple (Acer rubrum L.; Sapindales: Sapindaceae) but other native maples as well. They live on the bark and damage host trees by feeding from plant cells and tissues, which deprives the trees of energy and nutrients, reducing the trees’ growth and overall health. Gloomy scales are likely to expand their range beyond the Southeast and become pestilent in new areas with continued climatic warming and urbanization. Here we present a review of the biology, ecology, response to environmental conditions, host range and damage, and management of gloomy scale.
ZZ Piscis Austrinus (ZZ PsA): a bright red nova progenitor and the instability mass ratio of contact binary stars
Authors: Wadhwa Surjit S , De Horta Ain , Filipović Miroslav D , Tothill N F H , Arbutina Bojan , Petrović Jelena , Djurašević Gojko
Published: November 2020

ZZ Piscis Austrinus (ZZ PsA) is a neglected bright southern contact binary system with maximum V magnitude of 9.26. We present the first multiband photometric analysis and find the system to be in deep contact (>95 per cent) with an extremely low mass ratio of 0.078. The primary has a mass of 1.213 M⊙ in keeping with its reported spectral class of F6. In order to determine if ZZ PsA is a merger candidate, we outline the current status regarding the instability mass ratio and develop new relationship linking the mass of the primary to the instability mass ratio of the system and the degree of contact. We find that ZZ PsA along with two other examples from the literature to be merger candidates while an additional three require further observations to be confirmed as potential merger candidates.
The bispectrum and 21-cm foregrounds during the Epoch of Reionization
Authors: Watkinson Catherine A , Trott Cathryn M , Hothi Ian
Published: November 2020

Numerous studies have established the theoretical potential of the 21-cm bispectrum to boost our understanding of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). We take a first look at the impact of foregrounds (FGs) and instrumental effects on the 21-cm bispectrum and our ability to measure it. Unlike the power spectrum for which (in the absence of instrumental effects) there is a window clear of smooth-spectrum FGs in which it may be detectable, there is no such ‘EoR window’ for the bispectrum. For the triangle configurations and scales we consider, the EoR structures are completely swamped by those of the FGs, and the EoR + FG bispectrum is entirely dominated by that of the FGs. By applying a rectangular window function on the sky combined with a Blackman–Nuttall filter along the frequency axis, we find that spectral, or in our case scale, leakage (caused by FFTing non-periodic data) suppresses the FG contribution so that cross-terms of the EoR and FGs dominate. While difficult to interpret, these findings motivate future studies to investigate whether filtering can be used to extract information about the EoR from the 21-cm bispectrum. We also find that there is potential for instrumental effects to seriously corrupt the bispectrum. FG removal using GMCA (generalized morphological component analysis) is found to recover the EoR bispectrum to a reasonable level of accuracy for many configurations. Further studies are necessary to understand the error and/or bias associated with FG removal before the 21-cm bispectrum can be practically applied in analysis of future data.
Dark Energy Survey year 3 results: point spread function modelling
Authors: Jarvis M , Bernstein G M , Amon A , Davis C , Léget P F , Bechtol K , Harrison I , Gatti M , Roodman A , Chang C , Chen R , Choi A , Desai S , Drlica-Wagner A , Gruen D , Gruendl R A , Hernandez A , MacCrann N , Meyers J , Navarro-Alsina A , Pandey S , Plazas A A , Secco L F , Sheldon E , Troxel M A , Vorperian S , Wei K , Zuntz J , Abbott T M C , Aguena M , Allam S , Avila S , Bhargava S , Bridle S L , Brooks D , Carnero Rosell A , Carrasco Kind M , Carretero J , Costanzi M , da Costa L N , De Vicente J , Diehl H T , Doel P , Everett S , Flaugher B , Fosalba P , Frieman J , García-Bellido J , Gaztanaga E , Gerdes D W , Gutierrez G , Hinton S R , Hollowood D L , Honscheid K , James D J , Kent S , Kuehn K , Kuropatkin N , Lahav O , Maia M A G , March M , Marshall J L , Melchior P , Menanteau F , Miquel R , Ogando R L C , Paz-Chinchón F , Rykoff E S , Sanchez E , Scarpine V , Schubnell M , Serrano S , Sevilla-Noarbe I , Smith M , Suchyta E , Swanson M E C , Tarle G , Varga T N , Walker A R , Wester W , Wilkinson R D ,   DES Collaboration
Published: November 2020

We introduce a new software package for modelling the point spread function (PSF) of astronomical images, called piff (PSFs In the Full FOV), which we apply to the first three years (known as Y3) of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) data. We describe the relevant details about the algorithms used by piff to model the PSF, including how the PSF model varies across the field of view (FOV). Diagnostic results show that the systematic errors from the PSF modelling are very small over the range of scales that are important for the DES Y3 weak lensing analysis. In particular, the systematic errors from the PSF modelling are significantly smaller than the corresponding results from the DES year one (Y1) analysis. We also briefly describe some planned improvements to piff that we expect to further reduce the modelling errors in future analyses.
Numerical study of coorbital thermal torques on cold or hot satellites
Authors: Chametla Raúl O , Masset Frédéric S
Published: November 2020

We evaluate the thermal torques exerted on low-mass planets embedded in gaseous protoplanetary discs with thermal diffusion, by means of high-resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations. We confirm that thermal torques essentially depend on the offset between the planet and its corotation, and find a good agreement with analytic estimates when this offset is small compared to the size of the thermal disturbance. For larger offsets that may be attained in discs with a large pressure gradient or a small thermal diffusivity, thermal torques tend towards an asymptotic value broadly compatible with results from a dynamical friction calculation in an unsheared medium. We perform a convergence study and find that the thermal disturbance must be resolved over typically 10 zones for a decent agreement with analytic predictions. We find that the luminosity at which the net thermal torque changes sign matches that predicted by linear theory within a few percents. Our study confirms that thermal torques usually supersede Lindblad and corotation torques by almost an order of magnitude for low-mass planets. As we increase the planetary mass, we find that the ratio of thermal torques to Lindblad and corotation torques is progressively reduced, and that the thermal disturbance is increasingly distorted by the horseshoe flow. Overall, we find that thermal torques are dominant for masses up to an order of magnitude larger than implemented in recent models of planetary population synthesis. We finally briefly discuss the case of stellar or intermediate-mass objects embedded in discs around active galactic nuclei.
Metabolic RNA labeling for probing RNA dynamics in bacteria
Authors: Meng Liying , Guo Yilan , Tang Qi , Huang Rongbing , Xie Yuchen , Chen Xing
Published: November 2020

Metabolic labeling of RNAs with noncanonical nucleosides that are chemically active, followed by chemoselective conjugation with imaging probes or enrichment tags, has emerged as a powerful method for studying RNA transcription and degradation in eukaryotes. However, metabolic RNA labeling is not applicable for prokaryotes, in which the complexity and distinctness of gene regulation largely remain to be explored. Here, we report 2′-deoxy-2′-azidoguanosine (AzG) as a noncanonical nucleoside compatible with metabolic labeling of bacterial RNAs. With AzG, we develop AIR-seq (azidonucleoside-incorporated RNA sequencing), which enables genome-wide analysis of transcription upon heat stress in Escherichia coli. Furthermore, AIR-seq coupled with pulse-chase labeling allows for global analysis of bacterial RNA degradation. Finally, we demonstrate that RNAs of mouse gut microbiotas can be metabolically labeled with AzG in living animals. The AzG-enabled metabolic RNA labeling should find broad applications in studying RNA biology in various bacterial species.
Structural basis of sequestration of the anti-Shine-Dalgarno sequence in the Bacteroidetes ribosome
Authors: Jha Vikash , Roy Bappaditya , Jahagirdar Dushyant , McNutt Zakkary A , Shatoff Elan A , Boleratz Bethany L , Watkins Dean E , Bundschuh Ralf , Basu Kaustuv , Ortega Joaquin , Fredrick Kurt
Published: November 2020

Genomic studies have indicated that certain bacterial lineages such as the Bacteroidetes lack Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequences, and yet with few exceptions ribosomes of these organisms carry the canonical anti-SD (ASD) sequence. Here, we show that ribosomes purified from Flavobacterium johnsoniae, a representative of the Bacteroidetes, fail to recognize the SD sequence of mRNA in vitro. A cryo-electron microscopy structure of the complete 70S ribosome from F. johnsoniae at 2.8 Å resolution reveals that the ASD is sequestered by ribosomal proteins bS21, bS18 and bS6, explaining the basis of ASD inhibition. The structure also uncovers a novel ribosomal protein—bL38. Remarkably, in F. johnsoniae and many other Flavobacteriia, the gene encoding bS21 contains a strong SD, unlike virtually all other genes. A subset of Flavobacteriia have an alternative ASD, and in these organisms the fully complementary sequence lies upstream of the bS21 gene, indicative of natural covariation. In other Bacteroidetes classes, strong SDs are frequently found upstream of the genes for bS21 and/or bS18. We propose that these SDs are used as regulatory elements, enabling bS21 and bS18 to translationally control their own production.
Improved computational analysis of ribosome dynamics from 5′P degradome data using fivepseq
Authors: Nersisyan Lilit , Ropat Maria , Pelechano Vicent
Published: November 2020

In eukaryotes, 5′–3′ co-translation degradation machinery follows the last translating ribosome providing an in vivo footprint of its position. Thus, 5′ monophosphorylated (5′P) degradome sequencing, in addition to informing about RNA decay, also provides information regarding ribosome dynamics. Multiple experimental methods have been developed to investigate the mRNA degradome; however, computational tools for their reproducible analysis are lacking. Here, we present fivepseq: an easy-to-use application for analysis and interactive visualization of 5′P degradome data. This tool performs both metagene- and gene-specific analysis, and enables easy investigation of codon-specific ribosome pauses. To demonstrate its ability to provide new biological information, we investigate gene-specific ribosome pauses in Saccharomyces cerevisiae after eIF5A depletion. In addition to identifying pauses at expected codon motifs, we identify multiple genes with strain-specific degradation frameshifts. To show its wide applicability, we investigate 5′P degradome from Arabidopsis thaliana and discover both motif-specific ribosome protection associated with particular developmental stages and generally increased ribosome protection at termination level associated with age. Our work shows how the use of improved analysis tools for the study of 5′P degradome can significantly increase the biological information that can be derived from such datasets and facilitate its reproducible analysis.
Behavioral Economic Demand for Alcohol and Cigarettes in Heavy Drinking Smokers: Evidence of Asymmetric Cross-commodity Reinforcing Value
Authors: Green ReJoyce , MacKillop James , Hartwell Emily E , Lim Aaron C , Baskerville Wave-Ananda , Karno Mitchell , Ray Lara A
Published: November 2020

Introduction

Previous studies have highlighted a strong bidirectional relationship between cigarette and alcohol consumption. To advance our understanding of this relationship the present study uses a behavioral economic approach in a community sample (N = 383) of nontreatment seeking heavy drinking smokers.

Aims and Methods

The aims were to examine same-substance and cross-substance relationships between alcohol and cigarette use, and latent factors of demand. A community sample of nontreatment seeking heavy drinking smokers completed an in-person assessment battery including measures of alcohol and tobacco use as well as the Cigarette Purchase Task and the Alcohol Purchase Task. Latent factors of demand were derived from these hypothetical purchase tasks.

Results

Results revealed a positive correlation between paired alcohol and cigarette demand indices (eg, correlation between alcohol intensity and cigarette intensity) (rs = 0.18–0.46, p ≤ .003). Over and above alcohol factors, cigarette use variables (eg, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and cigarettes per smoking day) significantly predicted an additional 4.5% (p < .01) of the variance in Persistence values but not Amplitude values for alcohol. Over and above cigarette factors, alcohol use variables predicted cigarette Persistence values (ΔR2 = .013, p = .05), however, did not predict Amplitude values.

Conclusions

These results advance our understanding of the overlap between cigarette and alcohol by demonstrating that involvement with one substance was associated with demand for the other substance. This asymmetric profile—from smoking to alcohol demand, but not vice versa—suggests that it is not simply tapping into a generally higher reward sensitivity and warrants further investigation.

Implications

To our knowledge, no study to date has examined alcohol and cigarette demand, via hypothetical purchase tasks, in a clinical sample of heavy drinking smokers. This study demonstrates that behavioral economic indices may be sensitive to cross-substance relationships and specifically that such relationships are asymmetrically stronger for smoking variables affecting alcohol demand, not the other way around.
DREAMERSCLUB LTD’S TRADE MARK APPLICATION
Authors:   Appointed Person (Trade Marks)
Published: November 2020

H1 Trade marks – Opposition proceedings – Earlier marks – Proof of use – Word marks – Stylised script – Whether used in a form altering distinctive character – Appeal to Appointed Person
Role of the Medial Orbitofrontal Cortex and Ventral Tegmental Area in Effort-Related Responding
Authors: Münster Alexandra , Votteler Angeline , Sommer Susanne , Hauber Wolfgang
Published: November 2020

The posterior subdivision of the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC-p) mediates the willingness to expend effort to reach a selected goal. However, the neural circuitry through which the mOFC-p modulates effort-related function is as yet unknown. The mOFC-p projects prominently to the posterior ventral tegmental area (pVTA). Therefore, we analyzed the role of the mOFC-p and interactions with the pVTA in effort-related responding using a combination of behavioral, pharmacological, and neural circuit analysis methods in rats. Pharmacological inhibition of the mOFC-p was found to increase lever pressing for food under a progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement. These findings provide further support for a modulation of effort-related function by the mOFC-p. Then, we investigated effects of disconnecting the mOFC-p and pVTA on PR responding using unilateral pharmacological inhibition of both areas. This asymmetric intervention was also found to increase PR responding suggesting that the mOFC-p controls effort-related function through interactions with the pVTA. Possibly, a reduced excitatory mOFC-p drive on pVTA gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic relays disinhibits VTA dopamine neurons which are known to support PR responding. Collectively, our findings suggest that the mOFC-p and pVTA are key components of a neural circuit mediating the willingness to expend effort to reach a goal.
Tranexamic acid and traumatic brain injuries
Authors: Sanford Katarina , Garcia Sarah
Published: November 2020

The CRASH-3 trial examined the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) in patients with intracranial bleeding secondary to traumatic brain injury. The trial demonstrated that TXA, an antifibrinolytic medication, reduces mortality in patients with mild to moderate head injuries. However, because of the trial's multiple limitations, TXA cannot yet be called the gold standard.
Medical Students’ Perspectives on Entrustment Decision Making in an Entrustable Professional Activity Assessment Framework: A Secondary Data Analysis
Authors: Caro Monroig Angeliz M. , Chen H. Carrie , Carraccio Carol , Richards Boyd F. , ten Cate Olle , Balmer Dorene F.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Research on how entrustment decisions are made identifies 5 influential factors (supervisor, trainee, supervisor–trainee relationship, context, task). However, this literature primarily represents the perspective of supervisors in graduate medical education and is conducted outside of an assessment framework where entrustment decisions have consequences for trainees and for patients. To complement the literature, the authors explored how medical students in a pilot program that used an entrustable professional activity (EPA) assessment framework perceived factors influencing entrustment decisions.

Method

The authors conducted a secondary analysis of qualitative data from program evaluation of a pilot project using an EPA assessment framework to advance students through their curriculum and into residency. Data were derived from 8 focus groups conducted over 4 years (2015–2018) with 27 students who shared their experience of learning and supervision in the project. Sensitized by the entrustment literature, the authors coded and analyzed focus group transcripts according to principles of thematic analysis.

Results

Components of the trainee and supervisor–trainee relationship factors predominated students’ perceptions of entrustment decisions. Students directed their own learning by asking for feedback, seeking opportunities to engage in learning, sharing limitations of their knowledge with supervisors, and pushing supervisors to recalibrate assessments when appropriate. Students’ agentic actions were facilitated by longitudinal supervisor–trainee relationships wherein they felt comfortable asking for help and built confidence in patient care. Students mentioned components of other factors that influenced entrustment decisions (supervisor, clinical task, clinical context), but did so less frequently and from a nonagentic vantage point.

Conclusions

Students’ perspectives on entrustment decisions can be derived from their views on learning and supervision in an EPA assessment framework. Their perspectives complement the literature by highlighting students’ agentic actions to influence entrustment decisions and promotion of agentic action through practices incorporating longitudinal supervisor–trainee relationships.
Does Community College Attendance Affect Matriculation to a Physician Assistant Program? A Pathway to Increase Diversity in the Health Professions
Authors: Luo Qian , Erikson Clese E. , Chitwood Ryan , Yuen Cynthia X.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

To explore whether community college (CC) applicants were a significant contributor to the diversity of matriculants to physician assistant (PA) programs and whether CC applicants were less likely to matriculate to PA programs than non-CC applicants.

Method

The authors used national data from the 2016–2017 application cycle. They categorized applicants to PA programs into 5 pathways: HS-CC (applicant attended CC while in high school), first-CC (applicant attended CC before a 4-year university), 4Y-CC (applicant attended CC while at a 4-year university), post-CC (applicant attended CC after graduating from a 4-year university), and no-CC (applicant never attended CC). The authors used Pearson chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis H tests and the appropriate post hoc tests to assess whether applicants in the 4 CC pathways were more diverse in terms of their race, ethnicity, gender, rurality, and socioeconomic status than those in the no-CC pathway. They used logistic regressions to assess associations between the CC pathways and matriculation to a PA program.

Results

Among the 8,577 matriculants in the 2016–2017 application cycle, more than 75% attended a CC at some point. First-CC and post-CC matriculants were more likely to be Black (P < .001) or Hispanic (P < .001) and come from a disadvantaged background (P < .001) than no-CC matriculants. After adjusting for applicant demographics, academic performance, rurality and socioeconomic status, and application strategy, first-CC applicants had 17% lower odds of matriculating to a PA program than no-CC applicants (P < .001).

Conclusions

CCs are an important pathway to the PA profession, with 3 of 4 matriculants having a CC background. However, lower matriculation rates among similarly qualified applicants who transferred from a CC to a 4-year university than among applicants with no-CC background suggest that PA programs are missing important opportunities for increasing student diversity and thereby the profession.
Anatomic Reconstruction of the Anterior Oblique and the Dorsoradial Ligaments for Painful Subluxating Carpometacarpal Joint of the Thumb
Authors: Bryant Benjamin S.H. , Butler Katherine A. , Marsh Kathleen A. , Wiesler Ethan R. , Li Zhongyu John , Warburton Mark J.
Published: November 2020

Thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA) is a common pathology of the hand that is characterized by pain, loss of grip and pinch strength, and deformity. Although conservative management is often preferred in earlier stage of CMC OA, surgical techniques can be used when symptoms are not fully relieved, especially with subluxation. We report a case series of 26 patients (32 operations) with Eaton stage I and II CMC OA who underwent a novel surgical technique that anatomically restores the CMC joint with autologous double ligament reconstruction. All cases were retrospectively reviewed as a prospective study and performed at a single regional health system from 2012 to 2016. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs, grip and pinch strength measurements, and DASH scores were collected to evaluate the outcomes. The mean CMC subluxation ratio decreased from 0.59±0.14 to 0.35±0.21 (P<0.0001). The mean grip strength increased from 44.34±17.36 pounds to 52.97±18.92 pounds (P=0.017), and the mean pinch strength increased from 10.16±4.59 pounds to 12.75±4.52 pounds (P=0.00027). The mean DASH scores decreased from 42.32±14.99 to 19.94±14.47 (P<0.0001). The average follow-up period was 39.44±14.94 months. Three patients had postoperative thumb stiffness that resolved with physical therapy. One patient had postoperative pain, attributed to carpal tunnel syndrome. One surgery required revision. All other patients (84.38%) reported significant improvement in pain and the ability to return to previous levels of work. This surgical technique is therefore a feasible option for patients with Eaton stage I or II CMC OA, and should be recommended for wider surgical use.
Differentiating gastric cancer and gastric lymphoma using texture analysis (TA) of positron emission tomography (PET)
Authors: Sun Yi-Wen , Ji Chang-Feng , Wang Han , He Jian , Liu Song , Ge Yun , Zhou Zheng-Yang
Published: November 2020

Background:

Texture analysis (TA) can quantify intra-tumor heterogeneity using standard medical images. The present study aimed to assess the application of positron emission tomography (PET) TA in the differential diagnosis of gastric cancer and gastric lymphoma.

Methods:

The pre-treatment PET images of 79 patients (45 gastric cancer, 34 gastric lymphoma) between January 2013 and February 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Standard uptake values (SUVs), first-order texture features, and second-order texture features of the grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) were analyzed. The differences in features among different groups were analyzed by the two-way Mann-Whitney test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to estimate the diagnostic efficacy.

Results:

InertiaGLCM was significantly lower in gastric cancer than that in gastric lymphoma (4975.61 vs. 11,425.30, z = −3.238, P = 0.001), and it was found to be the most discriminating texture feature in differentiating gastric lymphoma and gastric cancer. The area under the curve (AUC) of inertiaGLCM was higher than the AUCs of SUVmax and SUVmean (0.714 vs. 0.649 and 0.666, respectively). SUVmax and SUVmean were significantly lower in low-grade gastric lymphoma than those in high grade gastric lymphoma (3.30 vs. 11.80, 2.40 vs. 7.50, z = −2.792 and −3.007, P = 0.005 and 0.003, respectively). SUVs and first-order grey-level intensity features were not significantly different between low-grade gastric lymphoma and gastric cancer. EntropyGLCM12 was significantly lower in low-grade gastric lymphoma than that in gastric cancer (6.95 vs. 9.14, z = −2.542, P = 0.011) and had an AUC of 0.770 in the ROC analysis of differentiating low-grade gastric lymphoma and gastric cancer.

Conclusions:

InertiaGLCM and entropyGLCM were the most discriminating features in differentiating gastric lymphoma from gastric cancer and low-grade gastric lymphoma from gastric cancer, respectively. PET TA can improve the differential diagnosis of gastric neoplasms, especially in tumors with similar degrees of fluorodeoxyglucose uptake.
Clinical presentation of vertebrobasilar stroke
Authors: Carvalho Vanessa , Cruz Vitor Tedim
Published: November 2020

Vertebrobasilar (VB) stroke is responsible for 20% of all strokes and transient ischemic attacks. Due to the vast cerebral territory it supplies, VB ischemia can present with a wide range of symptoms and signs, sometimes even overlapping with carotid circulation stroke. Furthermore, brain computed tomography, usually performed as initial imaging modality, has a suboptimal visualization of the posterior fossa, making VB stroke an even more challenging diagnosis to any physician. Hence, awareness of the vertebrobasilar anatomy and the clinical presentation of VB ischemia is crucial to promote early recognition of this disorder.
Social Media
Authors: Rowe Sylvia , Alexander Nick
Published: November 2020

Much has been written about the benefits—and challenges—of social media platforms in communicating health and nutrition science to the public. It has generally been assumed that cyber platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, and similar businesses function, in effect, like communication tools, albeit with some susceptibility to misinformation and disinformation. Less attention has been paid to the power of the downside of these new communication tools, which may be far more vulnerable to misinformation and disinformation than previously believed. More strenuous communication strategies may need to be deployed in the ongoing effort to deliver credible and reliable health and nutrition information to consumers. The authors here explore the significant challenges posed, going forward, to health and nutrition communications, offering an enhanced response.
Vascular Involvement: An Uncommon Histologic Finding of Rectal Endometriosis
Authors: Mobarki Mousa , Fenouil Tanguy , Lavrut Pierre-Marie , Rabeyrin Maud , Karpathiou Georgia , Hervieu Valerie
Published: November 2020

Deep infiltrating endometriosis frequently affects the rectosigmoid region. It clinically presents as a chronic painful condition affecting women in their reproductive time. Here, we present a case of a 28-yr-old female patient who had a history of dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, and constipation secondary to rectal wall endometriosis. Microscopic examination of the resected rectal segment showed endometriosis with vascular and lymph node involvement. Vascular involvement is an uncommon histologic finding that may raise concern for potential malignancy. The aim of this report is to alert pathologists and physicians about this infrequent pitfall that can be mistaken for a neoplastic process and to discuss the underlying pathophysiology of vascular involvement by endometrial tissue in otherwise benign conditions.
A Chemotactic Functional Scaffold with VEGF-Releasing Peptide Amphiphiles Facilitates Bone Regeneration by BMP-2 in a Large-Scale Rodent Cranial Defect Model
Authors: Bakshi Reena , Hokugo Akishige , Khalil Daniel , Wang Lixin , Shibuya Yoichiro , Zhou Situo , Zhang Zheyu , Rezzadeh Kameron , McClendon Mark , Stupp Samuel I. , Jarrahy Reza
Published: November 2020

Background:

Current common techniques for repairing calvarial defects by autologous bone grafting and alloplastic implants have significant limitations. In this study, the authors investigated a novel alternative approach to bone repair based on peptide amphiphile nanofiber gels that are engineered to control the release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to recruit circulating stem cells to a site of bone regeneration and facilitate bone healing by bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2).

Methods:

VEGF release kinetics from peptide amphiphile gels were evaluated. Chemotactic functional scaffolds were fabricated by combining collagen sponges with peptide amphiphile gels containing VEGF. The in vitro and in vivo chemotactic activities of the scaffolds were evaluated by measuring mesenchymal stem cell migration, and angiogenic capability of the scaffolds was also evaluated. Large-scale rodent cranial bone defects were created to evaluate bone regeneration after implanting the scaffolds and other control materials.

Results:

VEGF was released from peptide amphiphile in a controlled-release manner. In vitro migration of mesenchymal stem cells was significantly greater when exposed to chemotactic functional scaffolds compared to control scaffolds. In vivo chemotaxis was evidenced by migration of tracer-labeled mesenchymal stem cells to the chemotactic functional scaffolds. Chemotactic functional scaffolds showed significantly increased angiogenesis in vivo. Successful bone regeneration was noted in the defects treated with chemotactic functional scaffolds and BMP-2.

Conclusions:

The authors’ observations suggest that this bioengineered construct successfully acts as a chemoattractant for circulating mesenchymal stem cells because of controlled release of VEGF from the peptide amphiphile gels. The chemotactic functional scaffolds may play a role in the future design of clinically relevant bone graft substitutes for large-scale bone defects.
Strategies for Mesh Fixation in Abdominal Wall Reconstruction: Concepts and Techniques
Authors: Rangwani Shiva M. , Kraft Casey T. , Schneeberger Steven J. , Khansa Ibrahim , Janis Jeffrey E.
Published: November 2020

Ventral hernias have numerous causes, ranging from sequelae of surgical procedures to congenital deformities. Patients suffering from these hernias experience a reduced quality of life through pain, associated complications, and physical disfigurement. Therefore, it is important to provide these patients with a steadfast repair that restores functionality and native anatomy. To do this, techniques and materials for abdominal wall reconstruction have advanced throughout the decades, leading to durable surgical repairs. At the cornerstone of this lies the use of mesh. When providing abdominal wall reconstruction, a surgeon must make many decisions with regard to mesh use. Along with the type of mesh and plane of placement of mesh, a surgeon must decide on the method of mesh fixation. Fixation of mesh provides an equal distribution of tension and a more robust tissue-mesh interface, which promotes integration. There exist numerous modalities for mesh fixation, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. This Special Topic article aims to compare and contrast methods of mesh fixation in terms of strength of fixation, clinical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness. Methods included in this review are suture, tack, fibrin glue, mesh strip, and self-adhering modes of fixation.
Environmental sustainability of biofuels: a review
Authors: Jeswani Harish K. , Chilvers Andrew , Azapagic Adisa
Published: November 2020

Biofuels are being promoted as a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels as they could help to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the related climate change impact from transport. However, there are also concerns that their wider deployment could lead to unintended environmental consequences. Numerous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have considered the climate change and other environmental impacts of biofuels. However, their findings are often conflicting, with a wide variation in the estimates. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review and analyse the latest available evidence to provide a greater clarity and understanding of the environmental impacts of different liquid biofuels. It is evident from the review that the outcomes of LCA studies are highly situational and dependent on many factors, including the type of feedstock, production routes, data variations and methodological choices. Despite this, the existing evidence suggests that, if no land-use change (LUC) is involved, first-generation biofuels can—on average—have lower GHG emissions than fossil fuels, but the reductions for most feedstocks are insufficient to meet the GHG savings required by the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED). However, second-generation biofuels have, in general, a greater potential to reduce the emissions, provided there is no LUC. Third-generation biofuels do not represent a feasible option at present state of development as their GHG emissions are higher than those from fossil fuels. As also discussed in the paper, several studies show that reductions in GHG emissions from biofuels are achieved at the expense of other impacts, such as acidification, eutrophication, water footprint and biodiversity loss. The paper also investigates the key methodological aspects and sources of uncertainty in the LCA of biofuels and provides recommendations to address these issues.
A bibliography of Canadian Inuit periodicals: a case study in Omeka.net migration
Authors: Rankin Sharon
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the migration steps taken by a humanities librarian to create a new searchable website for an indigenous bibliography on the Omeka.net cloud-based service.

Design/methodology/approach

Using CSV files and Excel, the bibliography entries were moved from the old website to the new one, carefully mapping the descriptive information into Qualified Dublin Core metadata elements.

Findings

After resolving diacritic and other data normalization issues, the new site was created in Omeka.net with ease. The plugins available for Omeka.net allowed the editor to geolocate the site of publications. Using TimelineJS, the editor was able to create several timelines and link them to the new CanInuit website as an exhibition.

Originality/value

This is a unique application of the Omeka.net cloud-based service.
Successful ascent of female leaders in the pharmaceutical industry: a qualitative, transcendental, and phenomenological study
Authors: Adams–Harmon Dawn , Greer–Williams Nancy
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This research studied the ascension of 12 female executives in one of the STEM disciplines, the pharmaceutical sector; and sheds a perspective of the setbacks, challenges and progresses these women experienced during their ascent.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilized a qualitative, transcendental, and phenomenological approach.

Findings

The findings of this research identified barriers that encapsulated the study participants and created setbacks to their ascent, such as gendered structures, self, peers, direct managers, family and society. Further, this study's results revealed success strategies that represented progresses, such as having sponsors, mentors, leadership development, being flexible, self-branding, and having networks that created resiliency to the setbacks faced by the female executives within the pharmaceutical sector of STEM.

Research limitations/implications

The resulting demographic sample of this research shown in Table 1 includes one diverse, female executive and presents a limitation of the data. Therefore, the underrepresentation of ethnic diversity may be due to the sampling approach or may be due to the additional barriers ethnically diverse females face in this segment of the STEM environment. Intersectionality was not examined in this research, as the primary focus of this research was female executives in the pharmaceutical sector. Further research examining the 360-Degree Gender Sphere theory and the impact of the six Success Strategies to Create Resilience, can be expanded to focus on ethnically diverse females in the broader STEM disciplines. The study results and implications for female leadership within all of STEM disciplines are timely and relevant.

Practical implications

The practical implications include creating awareness for women and men in STEM, of the barriers encountered by women and the success strategies needed to ascend and self-actualize.

Social implications

The implications of these research findings impact the pharmaceutical industry, all STEM disciplines, policy makers, educational systems and potentially society as a whole.

Originality/value

This study was conducted as original research.
A systematic literature review on research data management practices and services
Authors: Ashiq Murtaza , Usmani Muhammad Haroon , Naeem Muhammad
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Research data management (RDM) has been called a “ground-breaking” area for research libraries and it is among the top future trends for academic libraries. Hence, this study aims to systematically review RDM practices and services primarily focusing on the challenges, services and skills along with motivational factors associated with it.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review method was used focusing on literature produced between 2016–2020 to understand the latest trends. An extensive research strategy was framed and 15,206 results appeared. Finally, 19 studies have fulfilled the criteria to be included in the study following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

Findings

RDM is gradually gaining importance among researchers and academic libraries; however, it is still poorly practiced by researchers and academic libraries. Albeit, it is better observed in developed countries over developing countries, however, there are lots of challenges associated with RDM practices by researchers and services by libraries. These challenges demand certain sets of skills to be developed for better practices and services. An active collaboration is required among stakeholders and university services departments to figure out the challenges and issues.

Research limitations/implications

The implications of policy and practical point-of-view present how research data can be better managed in the future by researchers and library professionals. The expected/desired role of key stockholders in this regard is also highlighted.

Originality/value

RDM is an important and emerging area. Researchers and Library and Information Science professionals are not comprehensively managing research data as it involves complex cooperation among various stakeholders. A combination of measures is required to better manage research data that would ultimately move forward for open access publishing.
Indexes of employability assets: a comprehensive tool for analyzing students' attitudes in Indigenous contexts
Authors: Hossain Amzad , Briggs Harvey , Kong Ying
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the indexes of employability assets that affect students' employability in Indigenous contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The study restructures the indicators developed from the survey the authors did for the Vital Outcome Indicators for Community Engagement (VOICE) research project into six employability indexes. The six indexes are reading and comprehension, numeracy, technological mastery, contribution to organizational performance, job searching skills and cultural awareness. The study has applied mixed research method, which is the combination of survey and secondary data analyses.

Findings

All six indexes have impacts on students' employability in various degrees with a high level of internal consistency among the indicators. The regression analysis reveals that the technological mastery, reading and comprehension and numeracy indexes significantly influence students' contribution to the organizational performance. The results also show that cultural awareness has impacts on employability but students do not connect it to the required employability skills. Such disconnection of cultural awareness with employability skills justifies the necessity to integrate Indigenous cultural contents into programs and curriculums in today's post-secondary education, particularly in the University College of the North (UCN), improving students' cultural knowledge, which, in return, enhances their employability in Indigenous contexts. The result is also applicable globally to countries which have large populations of Indigenous people such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Mexico and other regions where workplaces are set in Indigenous contexts.

Research limitations/implications

The research survey was only conducted within students of UCN Thompson campus.

Practical implications

The results of this paper can be used as a guideline to adjust teaching/learning strategies with a focus on integrating Indigenous cultural components into UCN courses and programs, including other institutions with similar attributes to enhance Indigenous students' employability. UCN tri-council, faculty, community leaders, researchers, government and NGOs can also use the outcome of this paper to articulate polices that enhance students' employability. The outcome and strategic implication of the study can also be applicable to any institutions in a global Indigenous context.

Originality/value

The authors of the paper provide empirical evidence from the indexes of the employability assets including their indicators affecting students' employability. It is attested that cultural awareness index have impacts on students' employability in Indigenous context.
An empirical investigation of precursors influencing social media health information behaviors and personal healthcare habits during coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
Authors: Riaz Muhammad , Wang Xiwei , Sherani Sherani , Guo Yu
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Drawing upon the communicative ecology theory (CET), this study aims to identify the potential precursors of social media health information seeking intentions (ISI) and examine their effects on health information re-sharing behaviors and PHH during coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The data is collected through an online survey conducted in two different universities situated in highly COVID-19-affected cities – Wuhan and Zhengzhou, China. The valid data consists of 230 useful responses from WeChat users and to analyze the final data set structural equation modeling (SEM) is used.

Findings

The results indicate that perceived health information credibility (PIC), trust on the medium (TRM) and peer influence (PI) significantly affect health ISI which further affects health information re-sharing behaviors (IRB) and personal health-care habits (PHH). Besides, the results also identify that PI has a direct, positive and significant effect on health IRB via social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research limitations/implications

This study investigates the health information intentional behavior precursors and their consequences via WeChat (taken as social media platform) during COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies may conduct research by examining online information behaviors on other social media platforms – Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. – in health emergency situations.

Practical implications

The health information producers and providers have to deal with communicative ecology sentiments elegantly in emergency situations such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. They need to do collective efforts by introducing new tools or social apps which deal with valuable, reliable and accurate health content and information generated by the pandemic experts and health professionals. In such a way, the social apps and tools (Information providers) will act as mediators between the health professionals (Information producers) and general social media users (information seekers). Such initiatives will ultimately bring forth positive effect on individuals’ PHH as a whole within a network, community, environment or nations during a health emergency – COVID-19 pandemic.

Originality/value

This research is one of the first studies to examine the potential precursors of social media health ISIs and their resultant effects on individual’s health IRB and PHH during the COVID-19 pandemic. As currently it is noticed, an incredible upsurge of health information via social media has intense impacts on personal health-care research and practice, particularly during health emergency situations such as COVID-19 pandemic conditions.