bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-Efficiency Spectral-Beam-Combined 930nm Diode Laser Source*
Authors: Xu Yi-Chen , Wang Zhi-Min , Zhang Feng-Feng , Yang Rui-Nan , Liu Xu-Chao , Song Yue , Bo Yong , Peng Qin-Jun , Xu Zu-Yan
Published: May 2020

Spectral beam combining is an effective way to achieve high-brightness direct diode laser output. We present an experimental study on spectral beam combining with external cavity based on transmission grating. Using a series of cylindrical transform lenses with different focal lengths, spectral beaming combining efficiency is greatly improved, and the results of wavelength intervals are consistent with the theoretical calculations. With the injection current of 90 A, a 75.1 W cw 930 nm output power with wavelength span of 18.6 nm and spectral beam combining efficiency of 92.7% is achieved, the beam parameter product is 5.77 mm⋅mrad.
Bubble Formation in Apatite Structures by He-Ion Irradiation at High Temperature*
Authors: Wu Cai-Yu , Gao Ting-Ting , Lin Zhi-Wei , Zhang Yue , He Huan-Huan , Zhang Jian
Published: May 2020

Apatite ceramics Ca10(PO4)6
X
2 (X = F, OH) were prepared by the standard solid state sintering method and irradiated with He ions under a fluence of 5 × 1016 ions/cm2 at 450 °C. Irradiation induced formation and growth of the He bubbles were observed by a transmission electron microscope. Hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 and fluoroapatite Ca10(PO4)6F2 with different He bubble morphologies indicate the influence of OH
–/F
– substitution on the He-ion annealing efficiency, as well as the structure itself, which affects the process of He bubble evolution and formation. The grain boundaries also act as sinks to accumulate He bubbles. No obvious irradiation damage but slight intensity reduction and left shift of diffraction peaks were observed according to the grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and Raman spectra characterizations, indicating that defects of interstitials and vacancies were generated.
GaP-Based High-Efficiency Elliptical Cylinder Metasurface in Visible Light*
Authors: Wang Shuai-Meng , Sun Xiao-Hong , Chen De-Li , Wu Fan
Published: May 2020

Compared with the metal antenna metasurface, the dielectric metasurface has better optical characteristics and smaller ohmic loss in the optical band, which makes it superior. An elliptical cylindrical nanostructured antenna is designed using GaP with excellent transmission characteristics in the visible band. This structure has a transmission efficiency of up to 0.96 in the visible light band. Based on the Pancharatnam–Berry (PB) phase control principle, the metasurface structure composed of the antennas is studied, and its abnormal refraction metasurface and focusing meta-lens are analyzed. It is a highly efficient sub-wavelength structure, and promises great potential for the applications of circular polarization optics, nanolithography, dense storage and biophotonics.
Ultrafast Magnetization Precession in Perpendicularly Magnetized L10-MnAl Thin Films with Co2MnSi Buffer Layers*
Authors: Mao Si-Wei , Lu Jun , Yang Long , Ruan Xue-Zhong , Wang Hai-Long , Wei Da-Hai , Xu Yong-Bing , Zhao Jian-Hua
Published: May 2020

Perpendicularly magnetized L10
-MnAl thin films with Co
2
MnSi buffer layers were prepared on GaAs (001) substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). The samples with high crystalline quality show a maximum uniaxial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constant of 1.4 × 107
erg/cm
3. Ultrafast spin dynamics with a magnetization precession frequency up to 200 GHz was investigated by using time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (TRMOKE) measurements, from which the Gilbert damping constant α of epitaxial L10
-MnAl thin films is evaluated to be less than 0.0175. This work provides an important reference for analyzing the current-induced magnetization switching process in MnAl-based spintronic devices.
Mean field approach of dynamical pattern formation in underdamped active matter with short-ranged alignment and distant anti-alignment interactions
Authors: Arold Dominic , Schmiedeberg Michael
Published: May 2020

Many active matter systems, especially on the microscopic scale, are well approximated as overdamped, meaning that any inertial momentum is immediately dissipated by the environment. On the other hand, especially for macroscopic active systems but also for many mesoscopic systems the time scale of translational inertial motion can become large enough to be relevant for the dynamics. This raises the question how collective dynamics and the resulting states in active matter are influenced by inertia. Therefore, we propose a coarse-grained continuum model for underdamped active matter based on a mean field description for passive systems. Furthermore, as an example, we apply the model to a system with interactions that support an alignment on short distances and an anti-alignment on longer length scales as known in the context of pattern formation due to orientational interactions. Our numerical calculations of the under- and overdamped dynamics both predict a structured laning state. However, activity induced convective flows that are only present in the underdamped model destabilize this state when the anti-alignment is weakened, leading to a collective motion state which does not occur in the overdamped limit. A turbulent transition regime between the two states can be characterized by strong density fluctuations and the absence of global ordering.
3D constitutive modeling of electro-magneto-visco-hyperelastic elastomers: a semi-analytical solution for cylinders under large torsion–extension deformation
Authors: Yarali E , Baniasadi M , Bodaghi M , Baghani M
Published: May 2020

The rise of a new class of smart materials known as electro-magnetorheological elastomers (EMREs) requires comprehensive understanding of their electro-magneto-visco-hyperelastic behaviors. The aim of this paper is to develop a generalized three-dimensional (3D) continuum-based framework of the electro-magneto-visco-hyperelastic behaviors of EMREs. The finite strain model is established based on the linear viscoelasticity theory and non-linear electro-magneto-elastic framework. As EMRE devices can be used in a cylindrical shape undergoing shear and normal stresses in many engineering applications like artificial muscles, a boundary-value problem simulating torsion–extension deformations of EMRE cylinders is developed in the finite strain regime and solved semi-analytically. The behaviors of EMRE cylinders under different loading conditions such as purely mechanical loading, purely electric loading as well as full coupling between mechanical, electric and magnetic loading are studied in detail. Influence of different parameters such as electric field, magnetic field, applied strain (-rate) and their coupling on the induced moment and axial force of the EMRE cylinder as well as its relaxation and creep under torsion–extension loading is also examined. It is shown that EMREs have adaptive capability and great potential in applications where the stiffness needs to be controllable. Due to simplicity and accuracy, the model is expected to be used in the future studies dealing with the analysis of EMREs in particular cylinders under torsion–extension developments like 4D printing of artificial EMRE-based cylindrical muscles.
Commentary: COVID in care homes—challenges and dilemmas in healthcare delivery
Authors: Gordon Adam L , Goodman Claire , Achterberg Wilco , Barker Robert O , Burns Eileen , Hanratty Barbara , Martin Finbarr C , Meyer Julienne , O’Neill Desmond , Schols Jos , Spilsbury Karen
Published: May 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected care home residents internationally, with 19–72% of COVID-19 deaths occurring in care homes. COVID-19 presents atypically in care home residents and up to 56% of residents may test positive whilst pre-symptomatic. In this article, we provide a commentary on challenges and dilemmas identified in the response to COVID-19 for care homes and their residents. We highlight the low sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction testing and the difficulties this poses for blanket screening and isolation of residents. We discuss quarantine of residents and the potential harms associated with this. Personal protective equipment supply for care homes during the pandemic has been suboptimal and we suggest that better integration of procurement and supply is required. Advance care planning has been challenged by the pandemic and there is a need to for healthcare staff to provide support to care homes with this. Finally, we discuss measures to implement augmented care in care homes, including treatment with oxygen and subcutaneous fluids, and the frameworks which will be required if these are to be sustainable. All of these challenges must be met by healthcare, social care and government agencies if care home residents and staff are to be physically and psychologically supported during this time of crisis for care homes.
Prognostic Value of Masked Uncontrolled Hypertension Defined by Different Ambulatory Blood Pressure Criteria
Authors: Coccina Francesca , Pierdomenico Anna M , Cuccurullo Chiara , Pizzicannella Jacopo , Madonna Rosalinda , Trubiani Oriana , Cipollone Francesco , Pierdomenico Sante D
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH), that is, nonhypertensive clinic but high out-of-office blood pressure (BP) in treated patients is at increased cardiovascular risk than controlled hypertension (CH), that is, nonhypertensive clinic and out-of-office BP. Using ambulatory BP, MUCH can be defined as daytime and/or nighttime and/or 24-hour BP above thresholds. It is unclear whether different definitions of MUCH have similar prognostic information. This study assessed the prognostic value of MUCH defined by different ambulatory BP criteria.

METHODS

Cardiovascular events were evaluated in 738 treated hypertensive patients with nonhypertensive clinic BP. Among them, participants were classified as having CH or daytime MUCH (BP ≥135/85 mm Hg) regardless of nighttime BP (group 1), nighttime MUCH (BP ≥120/70 mm Hg) regardless of daytime BP (group 2), 24-hour MUCH (BP ≥130/80 mm Hg) regardless of daytime or nighttime BP (group 3), daytime MUCH only (group 4), nighttime MUCH only (group 5), and daytime + nighttime MUCH (group 6).

RESULTS

We detected 215 (29%), 357 (48.5%), 275 (37%), 42 (5.5%),184 (25%) and 173 (23.5%) patients with MUCH from group 1 to 6, respectively. During the follow-up (10 ± 5 years), 148 events occurred in patients with CH and MUCH. After adjustment for covariates, compared with patients with CH, the adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for cardiovascular events was 2.01 (1.45–2.79), 1.53 (1.09–2.15), 1.69 (1.22–2.34), 1.52 (0.80–2.91), 1.15 (0.74–1.80), and 2.29 (1.53–3.42) from group 1 to 6, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognostic impact of MUCH defined according to various ambulatory BP definitions may be different.
Aortic Hemodynamics and Cognitive Performance in Postmenopausal Women: Impact of Pregnancy History
Authors: Miller Kathleen B , Fields Julie A , Harvey Ronée E , Lahr Brian D , Bailey Kent R , Joyner Michael J , Miller Virginia M , Barnes Jill N
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Studies demonstrate an association between aortic hemodynamics and cognitive function. The impact of pregnancy history on this association is unknown.

METHODS

Postmenopausal women (age 59 ± 5 years; years since last pregnancy 35 ± 3) with either a history of preeclampsia (PE; n = 34) or a history of a normotensive pregnancy (NP; n = 30) underwent cognitive testing: Letter-Number Sequencing, Digit Span, Trail Making Test, and letter and category fluency. Applanation tonometry was used to derive aortic systolic and diastolic blood pressure and augmentation index.

RESULTS

Distribution of cognitive scores and aortic hemodynamic measures was similar between the PE and NP groups. Principal component (PC) analysis was used to reduce the 3 aortic hemodynamic measures and the 5 cognitive variables to single summary indices, each representing a weighted average of their respective constituent variables. Using a multivariable linear model based on these PCs that adjusted for pregnancy history and body mass index, the composite index of aortic hemodynamics was associated with the summary cognitive index, whether taking into account a potential interaction with pregnancy history (P = 0.035) or not (P = 0.026) (interaction P = 0.178). Multivariable modeling of individual cognitive tests revealed a differential association for letter fluency by pregnancy history (test for interaction P = 0.023); this score correlated with the aortic hemodynamic index in the PE (partial R2 = 0.20), but not the NP (partial R2 = 0.00) group.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated aortic hemodynamics may negatively impact cognitive function in postmenopausal women with specific executive functions, such as letter fluency, being impacted more by a pregnancy history of PE.
Effect of heterospecific pollen deposition on pollen tube growth depends on the phylogenetic relatedness between donor and recipient
Authors: Streher Nathália Susin , Bergamo Pedro Joaquim , Ashman Tia-Lynn , Wolowski Marina , Sazima Marlies
Published: May 2020

Co-flowering plant species may interact via pollinators leading to heterospecific pollen transfer with consequences for plant reproduction. What determines the severity of heterospecific pollen effect on conspecific pollen performance is unclear, but it may depend on the phylogenetic relatedness of the interactors (pollen donors and recipient). The heterospecific pollen effect might also depend on the extent to which plants are exposed to heterospecific pollen over ecological or evolutionary timescales. For instance, generalist-pollinated plant species might tolerate heterospecific pollen more than specialists. Here, we tested whether heterospecific pollen effects are stronger between closely related species than phylogenetically distant ones in a tropical highland community. Then, based on these results, we determined whether responses to heterospecific pollen were stronger in generalized vs. specialized plant species. We applied heterospecific pollen from close (congeneric) or distant (different families) donors alone or with conspecific pollen on stigmas of three recipient species (one generalist, Sisyrinchium wettsteinii; and two specialists, Fuchsia campos-portoi and Fuchsia regia) and scored pollen tube performance in styles. In all species, pollen from closely related donors grew pollen tubes to the base of the style indicating a high potential to interfere with seed set. Conversely, distantly related heterospecific pollen had no effect on either specialist Fuchsia species, whereas enhanced performance of conspecific pollen was observed in generalist S. wettsteinii. The strong effect of phylogenetic relatedness of donor and recipient might have obscured the role of pollination specialization, at least for the three species examined here. Therefore, phylogenetic relatedness mediated the effect of heterospecific pollen on post-pollination success, with possible consequences for reproductive trait evolution and community assembly for further studies to explore.
PLIDflow: an open-source workflow for the online analysis of protein–ligand docking using galaxy
Authors: Ulzurrun Eugenia , Duarte Yorley , Perez-Wohlfeil Esteban , Gonzalez-Nilo Fernando , Trelles Oswaldo
Published: May 2020

Motivation

Molecular docking is aimed at predicting the conformation of small-molecule (ligands) within an identified binding site (BS) in a target protein (receptor). Protein–ligand docking plays an important role in modern drug discovery and biochemistry for protein engineering. However, efficient docking analysis of proteins requires prior knowledge of the BS, which is not always known. The process which covers BS identification and protein–ligand docking usually requires the combination of different programs, which require several input parameters. This is furtherly aggravated when factoring in computational demands, such as CPU-time. Therefore, these types of simulation experiments can become a complex process for researchers without a background in computer sciences.

Results

To overcome these problems, we have designed an automatic computational workflow (WF) to process protein–ligand complexes, which runs from the identification of the possible BSs positions to the prediction of the experimental binding modes and affinities of the ligand. This open-access WF runs under the Galaxy platform that integrates public domain software. The results of the proposed method are in close agreement with state-of-the-art docking software.

Availability and implementation

Software is available at: https://pistacho.ac.uma.es/galaxy-bitlab.

Contact

euv@uma.es

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Dataset-aware multi-task learning approaches for biomedical named entity recognition
Authors: Zuo Mei , Zhang Yang
Published: May 2020

Motivation

Named entity recognition is a critical and fundamental task for biomedical text mining. Recently, researchers have focused on exploiting deep neural networks for biomedical named entity recognition (Bio-NER). The performance of deep neural networks on a single dataset mostly depends on data quality and quantity while high-quality data tends to be limited in size. To alleviate task-specific data limitation, some studies explored the multi-task learning (MTL) for Bio-NER and achieved state-of-the-art performance. However, these MTL methods did not make full use of information from various datasets of Bio-NER. The performance of state-of-the-art MTL method was significantly limited by the number of training datasets.

Results

We propose two dataset-aware MTL approaches for Bio-NER which jointly train all models for numerous Bio-NER datasets, thus each of these models could discriminatively exploit information from all of related training datasets. Both of our two approaches achieve substantially better performance compared with the state-of-the-art MTL method on 14 out of 15 Bio-NER datasets. Furthermore, we implemented our approaches by incorporating Bio-NER and biomedical part-of-speech (POS) tagging datasets. The results verify Bio-NER and POS can significantly enhance one another.

Availability and implementation

Our source code is available at https://github.com/zmmzGitHub/MTL-BC-LBC-BioNER and all datasets are publicly available at https://github.com/cambridgeltl/MTL-Bioinformatics-2016.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Feature selection and classification of noisy proteomics mass spectrometry data based on one-bit perturbed compressed sensing
Authors: Xu Wenbo , Tian Yan , Wang Siye , Cui Yupeng
Published: May 2020

Motivation

The classification of high-throughput protein data based on mass spectrometry (MS) is of great practical significance in medical diagnosis. Generally, MS data are characterized by high dimension, which inevitably leads to prohibitive cost of computation. To solve this problem, one-bit compressed sensing (CS), which is an extreme case of quantized CS, has been employed on MS data to select important features with low dimension. Though enjoying remarkably reduction of computation complexity, the current one-bit CS method does not consider the unavoidable noise contained in MS dataset, and does not exploit the inherent structure of the underlying MS data.

Results

We propose two feature selection (FS) methods based on one-bit CS to deal with the noise and the underlying block-sparsity features, respectively. In the first method, the FS problem is modeled as a perturbed one-bit CS problem, where the perturbation represents the noise in MS data. By iterating between perturbation refinement and FS, this method selects the significant features from noisy data. The second method formulates the problem as a perturbed one-bit block CS problem and selects the features block by block. Such block extraction is due to the fact that the significant features in the first method usually cluster in groups. Experiments show that, the two proposed methods have better classification performance for real MS data when compared with the existing method, and the second one outperforms the first one.

Availability and implementation

The source code of our methods is available at: https://github.com/tianyan8023/OBCS.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Testing repeatability, measurement error and species differentiation when using geometric morphometrics on complex shapes: a case study of Patagonian lizards of the genus Liolaemus (Squamata: Liolaemini)
Authors: Vrdoljak Juan , Sanchez Kevin Imanol , Arreola-Ramos Roberto , Diaz Huesa Emilce Guadalupe , Villagra Alejandro , Avila Luciano Javier , Morando Mariana
Published: May 2020

The repeatability of findings is the key factor behind scientific reliability, and the failure to reproduce scientific findings has been termed the ‘replication crisis’. Geometric morphometrics is an established tool in evolutionary biology. However, different operators (and/or different methods) could act as large sources of variation in the data obtained. Here, we investigated inter-operator error in geometric morphometric protocols on complex shapes of Liolaemus lizards, as well as measurement error in three taxa varying in their difficulty of digitalization. We also examined the potential for these protocols to discriminate among complex shapes in closely related species. We found a wide range of inter-operator error, contributing between 19.5% and 60% to the total variation. Moreover, measurement error increased with the complexity of the quantified shape. All protocols were able to discriminate between species, but the use of more landmarks did not imply better performance. We present evidence that complex shapes reduce repeatability, highlighting the need to explore different sources of variation that could lead to such low repeatability. Lastly, we suggest some recommendations to improve the repeatability and reliability of geometric morphometrics results.
Ontogenetic and static allometry in the skull and cranial units of nine-banded armadillos (Cingulata: Dasypodidae:Dasypus novemcinctus)
Authors: Le Verger Kévin , Hautier Lionel , Bardin Jérémie , Gerber Sylvain , Delsuc Frédéric , Billet Guillaume
Published: May 2020

A large part of extant and past mammalian morphological diversity is related to variation in size through allometric effects. Previous studies suggested that craniofacial allometry is the dominant pattern underlying mammalian skull shape variation, but cranial allometries were rarely characterized within cranial units such as individual bones. Here, we used 3D geometric morphometric methods to study allometric patterns of the whole skull (global) and of cranial units (local) in a postnatal developmental series of nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus ssp.). Analyses were conducted at the ontogenetic and static levels, and for successive developmental stages. Our results support craniofacial allometry as the global pattern along with more local allometric trends, such as the relative posterior elongation of the infraorbital canal, the tooth row reduction on the maxillary, and the marked development of nuchal crests on the supraoccipital with increasing skull size. Our study also reports allometric proportions of shape variation varying substantially among cranial units and across ontogenetic stages. The multi-scale approach advocated here allowed unveiling previously unnoticed allometric variations, indicating an untapped complexity of cranial allometric patterns to further explain mammalian morphological evolution.
SLC12A2 variants cause a neurodevelopmental disorder or cochleovestibular defect
Authors: McNeill Alisdair , Iovino Emanuela , Mansard Luke , Vache Christel , Baux David , Bedoukian Emma , Cox Helen , Dean John , Goudie David , Kumar Ajith , Newbury-Ecob Ruth , Fallerini Chiara , Renieri Alessandra , Lopergolo Diego , Mari Francesca , Blanchet Catherine , Willems Marjolaine , Roux Anne-Francoise , Pippucci Tommaso , Delpire Eric
Published: May 2020

The SLC12 gene family consists of SLC12A1–SLC12A9, encoding electroneutral cation-coupled chloride co-transporters. SCL12A2 has been shown to play a role in corticogenesis and therefore represents a strong candidate neurodevelopmental disorder gene. Through trio exome sequencing we identified de novo mutations in SLC12A2 in six children with neurodevelopmental disorders. All had developmental delay or intellectual disability ranging from mild to severe. Two had sensorineural deafness. We also identified SLC12A2 variants in three individuals with non-syndromic bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular areflexia. The SLC12A2 de novo mutation rate was demonstrated to be significantly elevated in the deciphering developmental disorders cohort. All tested variants were shown to reduce co-transporter function in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Analysis of SLC12A2 expression in foetal brain at 16–18 weeks post-conception revealed high expression in radial glial cells, compatible with a role in neurogenesis. Gene co-expression analysis in cells robustly expressing SLC12A2 at 16–18 weeks post-conception identified a transcriptomic programme associated with active neurogenesis. We identify SLC12A2 de novo mutations as the cause of a novel neurodevelopmental disorder and bilateral non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss and provide further data supporting a role for this gene in human neurodevelopment.
Quantifying the Polygenic Architecture of the Human Cerebral Cortex: Extensive Genetic Overlap between Cortical Thickness and Surface Area
Authors: van der Meer Dennis , Frei Oleksandr , Kaufmann Tobias , Chen Chi-Hua , Thompson Wesley K , O’Connell Kevin S , Monereo Sánchez Jennifer , Linden David E J , Westlye Lars T , Dale Anders M , Andreassen Ole A
Published: May 2020

The thickness of the cerebral cortical sheet and its surface area are highly heritable traits thought to have largely distinct polygenic architectures. Despite large-scale efforts, the majority of their genetic determinants remain unknown. Our ability to identify causal genetic variants can be improved by employing brain measures that better map onto the biology we seek to understand. Such measures may have fewer variants but with larger effects, that is, lower polygenicity and higher discoverability. Using Gaussian mixture modeling, we estimated the number of causal variants shared between mean cortical thickness and total surface area, as well as the polygenicity and discoverability of regional measures. We made use of UK Biobank data from 30 880 healthy White European individuals (mean age 64.3, standard deviation 7.5, 52.1% female). We found large genetic overlap between total surface area and mean thickness, sharing 4016 out of 7941 causal variants. Regional surface area was more discoverable (P = 2.6 × 10−6) and less polygenic (P = 0.004) than regional thickness measures. These findings may serve as a roadmap for improved future GWAS studies; knowledge of which measures are most discoverable may be used to boost identification of genetic predictors and thereby gain a better understanding of brain morphology.
Progress Towards Elimination of Hepatitis C Infection Among People Who Inject Drugs in Australia: The ETHOS Engage Study
Authors: Valerio Heather , Alavi Maryam , Silk David , Treloar Carla , Martinello Marianne , Milat Andrew , Dunlop Adrian , Holden Jo , Henderson Charles , Amin Janaki , Read Phillip , Marks Philippa , Degenhardt Louisa , Hayllar Jeremy , Reid David , Gorton Carla , Lam Thao , Dore Gregory J , Grebely Jason
Published: May 2020

Background

Evaluating progress towards hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination is critical. This study estimated prevalence of current HCV infection and HCV treatment uptake among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Australia.

Methods

The Enhancing Treatment of Hepatitis C in Opioid Substitution Settings Engage is an observational study of PWID attending drug treatment clinics and needle and syringe programs (NSPs). Participants completed a questionnaire including self-reported treatment history and underwent point-of-care HCV RNA testing (Xpert HCV Viral Load Fingerstick; Cepheid).

Results

Between May 2018 and September 2019, 1443 participants were enrolled (64% injected drugs in the last month, 74% receiving opioid agonist therapy [OAT]). HCV infection status was uninfected (28%), spontaneous clearance (16%), treatment-induced clearance (32%), and current infection (24%). Current HCV was more likely among people who were homeless (adjusted odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–2.16), incarcerated in the previous year (2.04; 1.38–3.02), and those injecting drugs daily or more (2.26; 1.43–2.42). Among those with previous chronic or current HCV, 66% (n = 520/788) reported HCV treatment. In adjusted analysis, HCV treatment was lower among females (.68; .48–.95), participants who were homeless (.59; .38–.96), and those injecting daily or more (.51; .31–.89). People aged ≥45 years (1.46; 1.06–2.01) and people receiving OAT (2.62; 1.52–4.51) were more likely to report HCV treatment.

Conclusions

Unrestricted direct-acting antiviral therapy access in Australia has yielded high treatment uptake among PWID attending drug treatment and NSPs, with a marked decline in HCV prevalence. To achieve elimination, PWID with greater marginalization may require additional support and tailored strategies to enhance treatment.
Partial Protective Effect of Bivalent Human Papillomavirus 16/18 Vaccination Against Anogenital Warts in a Large Cohort of Dutch Primary Care Patients
Authors: Woestenberg Petra J , Guevara Morel Alejandra E , Bogaards Johannes A , Hooiveld Mariëtte , Schurink-van ‘t Klooster Tessa M , Hoebe Christian J P A , van der Sande Marianne A B , van Benthem Birgit H B
Published: May 2020

Background

There is ongoing debate about the possible protective effect of the bivalent human papillomavirus (2vHPV) vaccine, targeting oncogenic types HPV-16/18, against anogenital warts (AGWs), commonly attributed to HPV-6/11. We performed a retrospective registry-based open cohort study to assess the effect of 2vHPV vaccination on AGWs.

Methods

We linked general practice (ie, primary care) data from women born between 1993 and 2002, who had been eligible for HPV vaccination in the Netherlands, to the Dutch national immunization registry on an individual level. Women were followed until their first AGW diagnosis or end of follow-up. Adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) were estimated using Poisson regression with vaccination status as a time-dependent exposure.

Results

We linked data of 96 468 women with a total of 328 019 years observation time and 613 AGW diagnoses (incidence: 1.87/1000 person-years). At the end of follow-up, 61% were 2vHPV vaccinated (≥ 1 dose) of whom 91% were fully vaccinated. The AGW incidence was lower among those with ≥ 1 dose vs 0 doses (aIRR, 0.75 [95% confidence interval {CI}, .64–.88]). The effect of vaccination was stronger after full vaccination (aIRR, 0.72 [95% CI, .61–.86]) and for women who were offered vaccination at 12–13 years of age (aIRR, 0.69 [95% CI, .51–.93]) vs those at 13–16 years of age (aIRR, 0.77 [95% CI, .64–.93]).

Conclusions

This is the largest population-based study so far to examine the effect of 2vHPV vaccination on AGWs, with reliable individual information on AGW diagnoses and vaccination status. The results indicate that 2vHPV vaccination partially protects against AGWs, especially when administered in early adolescence.
Analysis of the Infection Status of Healthcare Workers in Wuhan During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Zheng Lichun , Wang Xiang , Zhou Chongchong , Liu Qin , Li Shuang , Sun Qin , Wang Mengjia , Zhou Qian , Wang Wenmei
Published: May 2020

Background

Healthcare workers (HCWs) at the frontline are facing a substantial risk of infection during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

Methods

We acquired information and data on general information on and infection and death status of HCWs in Wuhan during the COVID-19 outbreak and completed statistical analyses.

Results

We obtained the data on 2457 infected cases among HCWs in Wuhan, China. More than half of the infected individuals were nurses (52.06%), whereas 33.62% of infected cases were doctors and 14.33% of cases were medical staff. In particular, the case infection rate of nurses (2.22%) was remarkably higher than that of doctors (1.92%). Most infected cases among HCWs were female (72.28%). A majority of the infected HCWs (89.26%) came from general hospitals, followed by specialized hospitals (5.70%) and community hospitals (5.05%). The case infection rate of HCWs (2.10%) was dramatically higher than that of non-HCWs (0.43%). The case fatality rate of HCWs (0.69%) was significantly lower than that of non-HCWs (5.30%).

Conclusions

The infection risk of HCWs is clearly higher than that of non-HCWs. HCWs play an essential role in fighting the pandemic. The analysis of the infection status of HCWs is essential to attract enough attention from the public, provide effective suggestions for government agencies, and improve protective measures for HCWs.
Local Pollination-Based Moth Search Algorithm for Task-Scheduling Heterogeneous Cloud Environment
Authors: Gokuldhev M , Singaravel G
Published: May 2020

Nowadays, Cloud computing is a new computing model in the field of information technology and research. Generally, the cloud environment aims in providing the resource that depends upon the user’s necessity. The major problem caused by cloud computing is task scheduling. Nevertheless, the previous scheduling methods concentrate only on the resource needs, memory, implementation time and cost. In this paper, we introduced an optimal task-scheduling algorithm of the local pollination-based moth search algorithm (LPMSA), which is the hybridization of moth search algorithm (MSA) and flower pollination algorithm (FPA). The proposed LPMSA chooses an optimal solution for proper task scheduling in the cloud. Moreover, the exploitation capacity of MSA is improved by using the local search of the FPA algorithm. In this work, we use 2-fold simulation processes that are implemented under the platform of JAVA. The proposed LPMSA for task-scheduling performance is evaluated using low and high heterogeneous machines with uniform and non-uniform parameters. The experimental analysis demonstrates that the proposed LPMSA approach is well suitable for cloud task scheduling thereby reducing the makespan and energy consumption during proper task scheduling.
Mismatched light and temperature cues disrupt locomotion and energetics via thyroid-dependent mechanisms
Authors: Le Roy Amélie , Seebacher Frank
Published: May 2020

Animals integrate information from different environmental cues to maintain performance across environmental gradients. Increasing average temperature and variability induced by climate change can lead to mismatches between seasonal cues. We used mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) to test the hypotheses that mismatches between seasonal temperature and light regimes (short days and warm temperature and vice versa) decrease swimming performance, metabolic rates and mitochondrial efficiency and that the responses to light and temperature are mediated by thyroid hormone. We show that day length influenced thermal acclimation of swimming performance through thyroid-dependent mechanisms. Oxygen consumption rates were influenced by acclimation temperature and thyroid hormone. Mitochondrial substrate oxidation rates (state three rates) were modified by the interaction between temperature and day length, and mitochondrial efficiency (P/O ratios) increased with warm acclimation. Using P/O ratios to calibrate metabolic (oxygen consumption) scope showed that oxygen consumption did not predict adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Unlike oxygen consumption, ATP production was influenced by day length in a thyroid-dependent manner. Our data indicate that oxygen consumption alone should not be used as a predictor of ATP production. Overall, the effects of thyroid hormone on locomotion and energetics were reversed by mismatches such as warm temperatures on short days. We predict that mid to high latitudes in North America and Asia will be particularly affected by mismatches as a result of high seasonality and predicted warming over the next 50 years.
Randomized study defining the optimum target interlesion distance in ablation index-guided atrial fibrillation ablation
Authors: Hoffmann Philipp , Diaz Ramirez Ivan , Baldenhofer Gerd , Stangl Karl , Mont Lluís , Althoff Till F
Published: May 2020

Aims

While the CLOSE protocol proposes a maximally tolerable interlesion distance (ILD) of 6 mm for ablation index ablation index-guided atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, a target ILD has never been defined. This randomized study sought to establish a target ILD for ablation index-guided AF ablation.

Methods and results

Consecutive patients scheduled for first-time pulmonary vein (PV) isolation (PVI) were randomly assigned to ablation protocols with a target ILD of 5.0–6.0 mm or 3.0–4.0 mm, with the primary endpoint of first-pass PVI. In compliance with the CLOSE protocol, the maximum tolerated ILD was 6.0 mm in both study protocols. A target ablation index of ≥550 (anterior) or ≥400 (posterior) was defined for the ‘5–6 mm’ protocol and ≥500 (anterior) or ≥350 (posterior) for the ‘3–4 mm’ protocol. The study was terminated early for superiority of the ‘3–4 mm’ protocol. Forty-two consecutive patients were randomized and 84 ipsilateral PV pairs encircled according to the study protocol. First-pass PVI was accomplished in 35.0% of the ‘5–6 mm’ group and 90.9% of the ‘3–4 mm’ group (P < 0.0001). Median ILD was 5.2 mm in the ‘5–6 mm’ group and 3.6 mm in the ‘3–4 mm’ group (P < 0.0001). In line with the distinct ablation index targets, median ablation index was lower in the ‘3–4 mm’ group (416 vs. 452, P < 0.0001). While mean procedure time was shorter in the ‘3–4 mm’ group (149 ± 27 vs. 167 ± 33min, P = 0.004), fluoroscopy times did not differ significantly (4.7 ± 2.2 vs. 5.1 ± 1.8 min, P = 0.565).

Conclusion

In ablation index-guided AF ablation, an ILD of 3.0–4.0 mm should be targeted rather than 5.0–6.0 mm. Moreover, the lower target ILD may allow for less extensive ablation at each given point.
Habitat diversity and type govern potential nitrogen loss by denitrification in coastal sediments and differences in ecosystem-level diversities of disparate N2O reducing communities
Authors: Wittorf Lea , Roger Fabian , Alsterberg Christian , Gamfeldt Lars , Hulth Stefan , Sundbäck Kristina , Jones Christopher M , Hallin Sara
Published: May 2020

In coastal sediments, excess nitrogen is removed primarily by denitrification. However, losses in habitat diversity may reduce the functional diversity of microbial communities that drive this important filter function. We examined how habitat type and habitat diversity affects denitrification and the abundance and diversity of denitrifying and N2O reducing communities in illuminated shallow-water sediments. In a mesocosm experiment, cores from four habitats were incubated in different combinations, representing ecosystems with different habitat diversities. We hypothesized that habitat diversity promotes the diversity of N2O reducing communities and genetic potential for denitrification, thereby influencing denitrification rates. We also hypothesized that this will depend on the identity of the habitats. Habitat diversity positively affected ecosystem-level diversity of clade II N2O reducing communities, however neither clade I nosZ communities nor denitrification activity were affected. The composition of N2O reducing communities was determined by habitat type, and functional gene abundances indicated that silty mud and sandy sediments had higher genetic potentials for denitrification and N2O reduction than cyanobacterial mat and Ruppia maritima meadow sediments. These results indicate that loss of habitat diversity and specific habitats could have negative impacts on denitrification and N2O reduction, which underpin the capacity for nitrogen removal in coastal ecosystems.
Heterogeneity–disease relationship in the human microbiome-associated diseases
Authors: Ma Zhanshan (Sam)
Published: May 2020

Space is a critical and also challenging frontier in human microbiome research. It has been found that lack of consideration of scales beyond individual and ignoring of microbe dispersal are two crucial roadblocks in preventing deep understanding of the spatial heterogeneity of human microbiome. Assessing and interpreting the heterogeneity and dispersal in microbiomes explicitly are particularly challenging, but implicit approaches such as Taylor's power law (TPL) can be rather effective. Based on TPL, which achieved a rare status of ecological laws, we introduce a general methodology for characterizing the spatial heterogeneity of microbiome (i.e. characterization of microbial spatial distribution) and further apply it for investigating the heterogeneity–disease relationship (HDR) via analyzing a big dataset of 26 MAD (microbiome-associated disease) studies covering nearly all high-profile MADs including obesity, diabetes and gout. It was found that in majority of the MAD cases, the microbiome was sufficiently resilient to endure the disease disturbances. Specifically, in ∼10–16% cases, disease effects were significant—the healthy and diseased cohorts exhibited statistically significant differences in the TPL heterogeneity parameters. We further compared HDR with classic diversity–disease relationship (DDR) and explained their mechanistic differences. Both HDR and DDR cross-verified remarkable resilience of the human microbiomes against MADs.
Exploration and profiling of hidden endophytic mycota of marine macroalgae with potential drug leads
Authors: Sarasan Manomi , Job Neema , Puthumana Jayesh , R Ravinesh , M P Prabhakaran , Thomas Lathika Cicily , Philip Rosamma
Published: May 2020

Diversity studies of endophytic assemblages are emerging challenges, which unveil novel phenotypes producing interesting chemical entities and a better understanding of their ecological significance. In the present investigation, we selected an extremely complex and unique environment supporting unexplored endophytes, ‘Macroalgae of Kerala coast, India’. Unlike terrestrial flora and mangroves, reports displaying endophytic assemblages of marine flora remain limited, especially from India. The main goal of this study was to expose hidden endophytic fungi from macroalgae and examination of their bioactive potential. An ecological investigation of four red, four green and three brown algae resulted in 133 fungal taxa with 29 distinct morphospecies. Aspergillus and Penicillium were found to be the dominant genera. Penicillium chrysogenum was the sole fungi that contributed 11% of the entire endophytic community. Antimicrobial activity against various aquaculture/human pathogens revealed that around 59% of endophytes inhibited at least one of the pathogens screened. The maximum number of isolates (37%) inhibited Escherichia coli tailed by Aspergillus fumigatus (27%). Antimicrobial profile of fungal endophytes endorses them as a potential source of bioactive molecules that can be explored to find a solution for drug resistance in microbial pathogens.
Diversity ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaestrains associated to racemes of Grillo grape variety
Authors: Alfonzo Antonio , Francesca Nicola , Matraxia Michele , Craparo Valentina , Naselli Vincenzo , Mercurio Vincenzo , Moschetti Giancarlo
Published: May 2020

The most important oenological characteristics of high-quality sparkling wines are high content of acidity and low pH. Racemes are late-maturing grapes of Grillo variety characterized by low pH and high content of tartaric and malic acids and, due to their intrinsic characteristics, might represent an interesting technological solution to increase acid quality of base sparkling wine. To this purpose, the use of yeasts able to ferment grape must at very low pH is mandatory for the success of the process. In this work, 261 Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from spontaneous vinifications of Grillo grape racemes were subject to intraspecific characterization by interdelta analysis which evidenced a total population consisting of 82 strains which were screened for their basis of technological traits including SO2 and alcohol tolerance, flocculence, growth at low temperatures and qualitative features such as H2S production. A total of 11 strains with interesting technological performance in vitro were inoculated into musts obtained from racemes of Grillo grape variety and microfermentation were monitored. For the first time an ecological investigation of yeast associated to raceme grapes has been carried out and provided an innovative strategy to improve the acidity of a Sicilian sparkling base wine from Grillo grape variety.
High-added value products from microalgae and prospects of aquaculture wastewaters as microalgae growth media
Authors: Dourou Marianna , Dritsas Panagiotis , Baeshen Mohamed N , Elazzazy Ahmed , Al-Farga Ammar , Aggelis George
Published: May 2020

Aquaculture plays an important role in human nutrition and economic development but is often expanded to the detriment of the natural environment. Several research projects, aimed at cultivating microalgae in aquaculture wastewaters (AWWs) to reduce organic loads and minerals, along with the production of microalgal cell mass and metabolic products, are underway. Microalgal cell mass is of high nutritional value and is regarded as a candidate to replace, partially at least, the fish meal in the fish feed. Also, microalgal cell mass is considered as a feedstock in the bio-fuel manufacture, as well as a source of high-added value metabolic products. The production of these valuable products can be combined with the reuse of AWWs in the light of environmental concerns related with the aquaculture sector. Many research papers published in the last decade demonstrate that plenty of microalgae species are able to efficiently grow in AWWs, mainly derived from fish and shrimp farms, and produce valuable metabolites reducing the AWW pollutant load. We conclude that bio-remediation of AWWs combining with the production of microalgae cell mass and specific metabolites is probably the most convenient and economical solution for AWWs management and can contribute to the sustainable growth of the aquaculture.
Kuijieling, a Chinese medicine alleviates DSS-induced colitis in C57BL/6Jmouse by improving the diversity and function of gut microbiota
Authors: Pan Guihua , Liu Bingdong , Li Sixing , Han Mulan , Gao Liang , Xu Guohuan , Du Qun , Xie Liwei
Published: May 2020

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a gastrointestinal disease. The link between gut microbiota and the inflammatory response in the gut has been recently established. Restoration of gut microbiota suppresses inflammatory signaling. Kuijieling (KJL) decoction, an experimental Chinese medicine formula could ameliorate the symptom of colitis. However, the involvement of gut microbiota in its curative effect remains known. Here, we would like to assess the therapeutic effect of KJL in DSS-induced UC model. Mouse feces were collected, followed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Kuijieling decoction improved gut microbial homeostasis and suppressed inflammation in the UC model. A 5-fold cross-validation and random forest analysis identified seven signature bacterial taxa representing the DSS-mediated pathogenic condition and recovery stage upon KJL decoction treatment. Overall, the findings support the notion of KJL decoction-mediated restoration of gut microbiota as a critical step of inducing remission and alleviating UC symptoms. In the present investigation, we aimed to address the question of whether KJL decoction alleviates the UC symptoms by manipulating the gut microbial structure and function.