bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In Vivo Absolute Metabolite Quantification Using a Multiplexed ERETIC‐RX Array Coil for Whole‐Brain MR Spectroscopic Imaging
Authors: Thapa Bijaya , Mareyam Azma , Stockmann Jason , Strasser Bernhard , Keil Boris , Hoecht Philipp , Carp Stefan A. , Li Xianqi , Wang Zhe , Chang Yulin V. , Dietrich Jorg , Uhlmann Erik , Cahill Daniel P. , Batchelor Tracy , Wald Lawrence , Andronesi Ovidiu C.
Published: December 2021

Background

Absolute quantification of metabolites in MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) requires a stable reference signal of known concentration. The Electronic REference To access In vivo Concentrations (ERETIC) has shown great promise but has not been applied in patients and 3D MRSI. ERETIC hardware has not been integrated with receive arrays due to technical challenges, such as coil combination and unwanted coupling between multiple ERETIC and receive channels, for which we developed mitigation strategies.

Purpose

To develop absolute quantification for whole‐brain MRSI in glioma patients.

Study Type

Prospective.

Population

Five healthy volunteers and three patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase mutant glioma (27% female). Calibration and coil loading phantoms.

Field Strength/Sequence

A 3 T; Adiabatic spin‐echo spiral 3D MRSI with real‐time motion correction, Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR), Gradient Recalled Echo (GRE), Multi‐echo Magnetization Prepared Rapid Acquisition of Gradient Echo (MEMPRAGE).

Assessment

Absolute quantification was performed for five brain metabolites (total N‐acetyl‐aspartate [NAA]/creatine/choline, glutamine + glutamate, myo‐inositol) and the oncometabolite 2‐hydroxyglutarate using a custom‐built 4x‐ERETIC/8x‐receive array coil. Metabolite quantification was performed with both EREIC and internal water reference methods. ERETIC signal was transmitted via optical link and used to correct coil loading. Inductive and radiative coupling between ERETIC and receive channels were measured.

Statistical Tests

ERETIC and internal water methods for metabolite quantification were compared using Bland–Altman (BA) analysis and the nonparametric Mann–Whitney test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

ERETIC could be integrated in receive arrays and inductive coupling dominated (5–886 times) radiative coupling. Phantoms show proportional scaling of the ERETIC signal with coil loading. The BA analysis demonstrated very good agreement (3.3% ± 1.6%) in healthy volunteers, while there was a large difference (36.1% ± 3.8%) in glioma tumors between metabolite concentrations by ERETIC and internal water quantification.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that ERETIC integrated with receive arrays and whole‐brain MRSI is feasible for brain metabolites quantification. Further validation is required to probe that ERETIC provides more accurate metabolite concentration in glioma patients.

Evidence Level

2

Technical Efficacy

Stage 1
High neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio at intensive care unit admission is associated with nutrition risk in patients with COVID‐19
Authors: Martins Paula M. , Gomes Tatyanne L. N. , Franco Emanoelly P. , Vieira Liana L. , Pimentel Gustavo D.
Published: December 2021

Background

Inflammation plays a crucial role in nutrition status and can be useful in early nutrition risk screening of patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Thus, this study aimed to assess the association between systemic inflammatory markers and nutrition risk tools in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with COVID‐19.

Methods

Patients with confirmed COVID‐19 and ICU admission were enrolled in a retrospective, observational, cross‐sectional study. The medians of C‐reactive protein (CRP; ≥13.8 mg/dl) and the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR; ≥12.6) upon admission were used to dichotomize patients.

Results

Of the 73 patients, 63% were men; the average age was 56 years, and the median length of hospital stay was 10 (25th: 4; 75th: 17) days. When nutrition risk screening tools were used, 85% were at risk according to Nutritional Risk Screening (≥3 points), whereas 42% had high risk according to the Modified Nutrition Risk in the Critically Ill (mNUTRIC; ≥5 points), and 57% were moderately or severely malnourished according to the Subjective Global Assessment (B or C). Mortality was higher in the group with NLR ≥12.6 than in the group with NLR <12.6, with no difference between CRP groups. A significant association was found only between NLR and mNUTRIC, even when adjusted by sex, age, and body mass index (odds ratio, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.06–1.76; P = 0.016), but not between CRP and nutrition risk.

Conclusion

Although the inflammatory marker CRP is the most used in hospital clinical practice, we found that only NLR was associated with nutrition risk (NUTRIC score).
Prevalence, extent, and severity of periodontitis among Australian older adults: Comparison of two generations
Authors: Ju Xiangqun , Harford Jane , Luzzi Liana , Jamieson Lisa M.
Published: December 2021

Background

Chronic periodontitis is highly prevalent among older adults. The study aimed to compare periodontal disease among Australian older adults in two generations. We hypothesized that the prevalence and severity of periodontitis would decrease from the previous generation to the recent generation.

Methods

Data were obtained from the South Australian Dental Longitudinal Study (SADLS) in 1991 to 1992 (SADLS I) and 2013 to 2014 (SADLS II); population‐based longitudinal surveys of Australian older adults aged ≥60 years. American Academy of Periodontology, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (AAP/CDC), and the 2018 European Federation of Periodontology (EFP/AAP) classification case definitions were used to define and calculate prevalence of chronic periodontitis. Multivariable log‐Poisson regression models were used to identify risk indicators for severe periodontitis after adjusting for other covariates.

Results

There were a total of 801 and 355 participants that underwent a periodontal exam in SADLS I and II, respectively. The prevalence of severe periodontitis was higher in the recent generation (88% and 56%) than the previous generation (75% and 46.7%) under the CDC/AAP and EFP/AAP case definitions, respectively. The mean number of missing teeth was lower in the recent generation (6) than the previous generation (13). The prevalence ratio of severe periodontitis was around two times higher in the younger age group, men, those not born in Australia, and current smokers across both generations.

Conclusions

Our findings indicated that the recent generation of older adults has higher prevalence and severity of chronic periodontitis than the previous generation. Our findings indicated that aging, being male, born overseas, low household income, no dental insurance, and being a current smoker are significant risk factors associated with severe periodontitis among older Australians.
Comparative analysis in different organs and tissue‐specific metabolite profiling of Atractylodes lancea from four regions by GC–MS and laser microdissection
Authors: Xu Rui , Lu Jimei , Wu Junxian , Yu Daqing , Chu Shanshan , Guan Fengya , Liu Weiwei , Hu Jianpeng , Peng Huasheng , Zha Liangping
Published: December 2021

Traditional Chinese medicine is made from the rhizome of Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. (Compositae), known as Cangzhu. In this study, gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry was used to identify and quantify the volatile oils of different organs of A. lancea from four regions of China: Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, and Hubei provinces. The volatile oils of A. lancea were qualitatively and quantitatively characterized using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry combined with laser microdissection. The results identified 21 components in A. lancea, the majority of the components were found in the rhizomes, followed by the fibrous roots, flowers, leaves, and stems. According to the contents of volatile oils in A. lancea, it was divided into Dabieshan (mainly includes hinesol and β‐eudesmol) and Maoshan types (mainly includes atractylon and atractylodin), and the ratios of hinesol:β‐eudesmol:atractylon:atractylodin were 17.06:4.55:0:1, 12.66:11.71:0.99:1, 7.43:6.23:0:1, and 0.13:0.16:1.52:1 in A. lancea from AH, HN, HB, and JS, respectively. Tissue‐specific study indicated that Dabieshan type mainly includes elemol, hinesol, and β‐eudesmol in the periderm and secretory cavities of A. lancea, whereas Maoshan type mainly includes atractylon, atractylodin, little hinesol, and β‐eudesmol in the secretory cavities. Conversely, no volatile oils were detected in the cortex, phloem, xylem, vascular ray, or pith. This study provides a foundation for further evaluation and utilization of A. lancea.
Quantifying the errors in animal contacts recorded by proximity loggers
Authors: Ossi Federico , Focardi Stefano , Tolhurst Bryony A. , Picco Gian Pietro , Murphy Amy L. , Molteni Davide , Giannini Noemi , Gaillard Jean‐Michel , Cagnacci Francesca
Published: December 2021

Automated contact detection by means of proximity loggers permits the measurement of encounters between individuals (animal‐animal contacts) and the time spent by individuals in the proximity of a focal resource of interest (animal‐fixed logger contacts). The ecological inference derived from contact detection is intrinsically associated with the distance at which the contact occurred. But no proximity loggers currently exist that record this distance and therefore all distance estimations are associated with error. Here we applied a probabilistic approach to model the relationship between contact detection and inter‐logger distance, and quantify the associated error, on free‐ranging animals in semi‐controlled settings. The probability of recording a contact declined with the distance between loggers, and this decline was steeper for weaker radio transmission powers. Even when proximity loggers were adjacent, contact detection was not guaranteed, irrespective of the radio transmission power. Accordingly, the precision and sensitivity of the system varied as a function of inter‐logger distance, radio transmission power, and experimental setting (e.g., depending on animal body mass and fine‐scale movements). By accounting for these relationships, we were able to estimate the probability that a detected contact occurred at a certain distance, and the probability that contacts were missed (i.e., false negatives). These calibration exercises have the potential to improve the predictability of the study and enhance the applicability of proximity loggers to key wildlife management issues such as disease transmission rates or wildlife use of landscape features and resources.
Gingerol ameliorates neuronal damage induced by hypoxia‐reoxygenation via the miR‐210/brain‐derived neurotrophic factor axis
Authors: Zhai Yang , Liu Bu‐Gu , Mo Xue‐Ni , Zou Min , Mei Xiao‐Ping , Chen Wei , Huang Guo‐Dong , Wu Lin
Published: December 2021

The specific mechanism of gingerol in cerebral ischemia remains unknown. A neuroprotective function for miR‐210 in cerebral ischemia has been identified. The brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)‐mediated signaling pathway protects against cerebral ischemic injury. This investigation aimed to determine whether gingerol plays a neuroprotective role in cerebral ischemia via the miR‐210/BDNF axis. N2a cells subjected to 10 h of hypoxia and 4 h of reoxygenation were treated with 5, 10, or 20 μmol/L gingerol. The levels of viability, apoptosis, and proteins in N2a cells were determined using MTT assays, flow cytometry, and western blotting, respectively. The binding relationship between BDNF and miR‐210 was studied using a dual luciferase reporter assay. The expression levels of miR‐210 and BDNF were determined using qPCR. Gingerol repressed the increase in apoptosis and decrease in viability observed in response to hypoxia/reoxygenation. Gingerol increased Bcl‐2, BDNF, and TrkB levels and reduced Bax and cleaved caspase 3 levels after hypoxia/reoxygenation. Gingerol evoked decreased expression of miR‐210. Inhibition of miR‐210 resulted in increased viability and reduced apoptosis along with increased levels of Bcl‐2, BDNF, and TrkB and reduced levels of Bax and cleaved caspase 3 after hypoxia/reoxygenation. Additionally, the miR‐210 mimic reversed changes induced by gingerol. The cotransfection of the miR‐210 mimic and wild type BDNF led to decreased luciferase activity. BDNF was negatively regulated by miR‐210. BDNF siRNA reversed these changes evoked by miR‐210 inhibition. Gingerol ameliorated hypoxia/reoxygenation‐stimulated neuronal damage by regulating the miR‐210/BDNF axis, indicating that gingerol is worthy of further application in cerebral ischemia therapy.
Introduction of a novel telescopic pathway to streamline 2‐week‐wait suspected head and neck cancer referrals and improve efficiency: A prospective service evaluation
Authors: Metcalfe Christopher , Dogan Mehmet , Glazzard Nina , Ross Elizabeth , George Ajith
Published: December 2021

Objectives

This study summarizes the introduction of a novel telescopic pathway, which streamlines 2‐week‐wait suspected head and neck cancer referrals to our unit, describes the logistics of the pathway, and analyzes referral numbers and outcomes. We also discuss wider issues surrounding remote assessment in head and neck cancer.

Methods

Data were collected prospectively between January and May 2021, capturing all 2‐week‐wait referrals to our unit following the introduction of a telescopic pathway which utilized a nurse‐led clinic for nasendoscopic examination of selected patients and consultant‐led remote assessment using store and forward technology. Information on referral numbers, waiting times and outcomes was recorded.

Results

Three hundred and forty (185 high risk, 155 low risk) patients entered the telescopic pathway with the remaining 74 patients seen on the conventional standard of care pathway. Cancer conversion rates were 17%, <1%, and 5.4% for the high‐risk telescopic, low‐risk telescopic and standard of care pathways respectively. No patients discharged from the telescopic pathway were re‐referred within 3 months. Review capacity for endoscopic examination was higher per consultant on the telescopic pathway versus the standard of care (p = .01).

Conclusion

A combination of risk stratification and asynchronous telescopic assessment shows promise for the management of suspected head and neck cancer referrals. Potential benefits include consultant‐led care for all patients and enhanced documentation. Digital communication with patients may also assist with adherence to the new NHS 28‐day diagnostic standard for cancer referrals. Ongoing data collection is required to assess how the pathway functions over a longer period.

Level of Evidence

2c
On regularity of weak solutions for the Navier–Stokes equations in general domains
Authors: Duong V. T. T. , Khai D. Q. , Tri N. M.
Published: December 2021

Let u be a weak solution of the instationary Navier–Stokes equations in a completely general domain which additionally satisfies the strong energy inequality. Firstly, we prove that u is regular if the kinetic energy is left‐side Hölder continuous with Hölder exponent and with a sufficiently small Hölder seminorm. This result extends the previous ones by several authors [5, 6, 7, 8] in which the domain Ω is additionally supposed to be bounded or have the uniform C2‐boundary . Secondly, we show that if and for all with a sufficiently small positive constant C then u is regular in [0, T). Our proofs use the theory about the existence of local strong solutions and uniqueness arguments in the general domain.
Classical solutions to a Hartree type system
Authors: Le Phuong
Published: December 2021

This paper is concerned with positive classical solutions to the nonlocal system of Hartree type
where and . We prove that the system has no positive solution if , and . We also classify all positive solutions to the system in the critical case . The main tool we use is the method of moving spheres in integral forms. Our results can be seen as the Hartree type counterpart of the classical work “D. G. de Figueiredo and P. L. Felmer, A Liouville‐type theorem for elliptic systems, Ann. Scuola Norm. Sup. Pisa Cl. Sci. (4) 21 (1994), 387–397”.
Thermoactive Smart Electrospun Nanofibers
Authors: Liguori Anna , Pandini Stefano , Rinoldi Chiara , Zaccheroni Nelsi , Pierini Filippo , Focarete Maria Letizia , Gualandi Chiara
Published: December 2021

The recent burst of research on smart materials is a clear evidence of the growing interest of the scientific community, industry, and society in the field. The exploitation of the great potential of stimuli‐responsive materials for sensing, actuation, logic, and control applications is favored and supported by new manufacturing technologies, such as electrospinning, that allows to endow smart materials with micro‐ and nanostructuration, thus opening up additional and unprecedented prospects. In this wide and lively scenario, this article systematically reviews the current advances in the development of thermoactive electrospun fibers and textiles, sorting them, according to their response to the thermal stimulus. Hence, several platforms including thermoresponsive systems, shape memory polymers, thermo‐optically responsive systems, phase change materials, thermoelectric materials, and pyroelectric materials, are described and critically discussed. The difference in active species and outputs of the aforementioned categories is highlighted, evidencing the transversal nature of temperature stimulus. Moreover, the potential of novel thermoactive materials are pointed out, revealing how their development could take to utmost interesting achievements.
Age‐dependent cerebrospinal fluid‐tissue water exchange detected by magnetization transfer indirect spin labeling MRI
Authors: Li Anna M. , Chen Lin , Liu Hongshuai , Li Yuguo , Duan Wenzhen , Xu Jiadi
Published: December 2021

Purpose

A non‐invasive magnetization transfer indirect spin labeling (MISL) MRI method is developed to quantify the water exchange between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and other tissues in the brain and to examine the age‐dependence of water exchange.

Method

In the pulsed MISL, we implemented a short selective pulse followed by a post‐labeling delay before an MRI acquisition with a long echo time; in the continuous MISL, a train of saturation pulses was applied. MISL signal (∆Z) was obtained by the subtraction of the label MRI at −3.5 ppm from the control MRI at 200 ppm. CSF was extracted from the mouse ventricles for the MISL optimization and validation. Comparison between wild type (WT) and aquaporin‐4 knockout (AQP4−/−) mice was performed to examine the contributions of CSF water exchange, whereas its age‐dependence was investigated by comparing the adult and young WT mice.

Results

The pulsed MISL method observed that the MISL signal reached the maximum at 1.5 s. The continuous MISL method showed the highest MISL signal in the fourth ventricle (∆Z = 13.5% ± 1.4%), whereas the third ventricle and the lateral ventricles had similar MISL ∆Z values (∆Z = 12.0% ± 1.8%). Additionally, significantly lower ∆Z (9.3%–18.7% reduction) was found in all ventricles for the adult mice than those of the young mice (p < 0.02). For the AQP4−/− mice, the ∆Z values were 5.9%–8.3% smaller than those of the age‐matched WT mice in the lateral and fourth ventricles, but were not significant.

Conclusion

The MISL method has a great potential to study CSF water exchange with the surrounding tissues in brain.
Light sedation with short habituation time for large‐scale functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in rats
Authors: Dvořáková Lenka , Stenroos Petteri , Paasonen Ekaterina , Salo Raimo A. , Paasonen Jaakko , Gröhn Olli
Published: December 2021

Traditionally, preclinical resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have been performed in anesthetized animals. Nevertheless, as anesthesia affects the functional connectivity (FC) in the brain, there has been a growing interest in imaging in the awake state. Obviously, awake imaging requires resource‐ and time‐consuming habituation prior to data acquisition to reduce the stress and motion of the animals. Light sedation has been a less widely exploited alternative for awake imaging, requiring shorter habituation times, while still reducing the effect of anesthesia. Here, we imaged 102 rats under light sedation and 10 awake animals to conduct an FC analysis. We established an automated data‐processing pipeline suitable for both groups. Additionally, the same pipeline was used on data obtained from an openly available awake rat database (289 measurements in 90 rats). The FC pattern in the light sedation measurements closely resembled the corresponding patterns in both onsite and offsite awake datasets. However, fewer datasets had to be excluded due to movement in rats with light sedation. The temporal analysis of FC in the lightly sedated group indicated a lingering effect of anesthesia that stabilized after the first 5 min. In summary, our results indicate that the light sedation protocol is a valid alternative for large‐scale studies where awake protocols may become prohibitively resource‐demanding, as it provides similar results to awake imaging, preserves more scans, and requires shorter habituation times. The large amount of fMRI data obtained in this work are openly available for further analyses.
Impact of intratumoral heterogeneity on the metabolic profiling of breast cancer tissue using high‐resolution magic angle spinning magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Authors: Choi Ji Soo , Yoon Dahye , Han Kyunghwa , Koo Ja Seung , Kim Suhkmann , Kim Min Jung
Published: December 2021

High‐resolution magic angle spinning (HR‐MAS) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a useful metabolic profiling technique for human tissue. However, the impact of intratumoral heterogeneity on the metabolite levels of breast cancers is not yet established. The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate whether the tumor cell fraction of core needle biopsy (CNB) specimens of breast cancers affect metabolic profiles assessed with HR‐MAS MRS. From June 2015 to December 2016, 46 patients with 47 breast cancers were enrolled. HR‐MAS MRS was used for the metabolic profiling of 285 CNB specimens from the 47 cancers. Multiple CNB samples (range 2–8) for the HR‐MAS MRS experiment were obtained from surgical specimens under ultrasound guidance following surgical removal of the tumor. Tumor cell fraction was expressed as a percentage of the tumor cell volume relative to the total tumor volume contained in each CNB sample. Metabolite quantification levels were compared according to primary tumor characteristics using the t‐test. Multivariate analyses were performed including primary tumor characteristics and tumor cell percentages as variables. Correlations between tumor cell percentage and metabolite levels in the CNB specimens were assessed according to the immunohistochemical status of the primary tumor. In univariate analysis, levels of choline‐containing compounds, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, serine, and taurine were correlated with primary tumor characteristics. In multivariate analysis, most metabolite levels were not affected by tumor cell percentage. Tumor cell percentage showed poor correlation with metabolite levels in hormone receptor‐positive cancer and triple‐negative cancer, and poor to fair correlation with metabolite levels in HER2‐positive cancer. This study showed that differences in the tumor cell fraction of CNB samples do not affect predictions on the primary cancer from which the samples are obtained.
Numerical analysis for a system coupling curve evolution attached orthogonally to a fixed boundary, to a reaction–diffusion equation on the curve
Authors: Styles Vanessa , Van Yperen James
Published: December 2021

We consider a semidiscrete finite element approximation for a system consisting of the evolution of a planar curve evolving by forced curve shortening flow inside a given bounded domain , such that the curve meets the boundary orthogonally, and the forcing is a function of the solution of a reaction–diffusion equation that holds on the evolving curve. We prove optimal order error bounds for the resulting approximation and present numerical experiments.
Preparation and properties of antibacterial styrene‐acrylic emulsion based on bis‐quaternary ammonium salt‐containing mono‐methacrylates as polymerizable antibacterial agents
Authors: Zhou Xiaopei , He Jingwei , Xiong Shaobo , Zhou Furong , Xiang Hui , Liu Fang
Published: December 2021

With the aim to prepare antibacterial styrene‐acrylic emulsion, a series of bis‐quaternary ammonium salt‐containing mono‐methacrylates MEQABr‐x(x = 12, 14, 16) were synthesized as polymerizable antibacterial agents via two steps. The chemical structures of MEQABr‐x(x = 12, 14, 16) were confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and Critical micelle moncentration (CMC) results showed that MEQABr‐x(x = 12, 14, 16) had antibacterial properties and surface properties which was influenced by its alkyl chain length. The antibacterial emulsion (SAQx‐n) was synthesized by emulsion polymerization of styrene (St), butyl acrylate (BA), acrylic acid (AA) and MEQABr‐x(x = 12, 14, 16). The structures of its films (SAQx‐n‐F) were characterized by attenuated total reflectance‐FTIR. The effects of MEQABr‐14 content or alkyl chain length of MEQABr‐x(x = 12, 14, 16) on emulsion and its films were investigated in the aspect of particle sizes, pencil hardness, adhesive force grade, thermal stabilities, surface morphology, particle morphology, and so forth. The films (SAQx‐9‐F) with 9 wt% content of MEQABr‐x(x = 12, 14, 16) showed the nearly 100% antibacterial rate against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, indicating its potential to be used as antibacterial coating.
Crystalline property change of poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) by compounding and curing procedures
Authors: Choi Sung‐Seen , Chung Yu Yeon
Published: December 2021

Influence of manufacturing processes of poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) (EVA) on the crystalline properties was investigated using various EVAs with different VA contents. Four compounds with different compositions for each EVA were prepared to examine the influence of the ingredients. Stearic acid, dicumyl peroxide (DCP, crosslinking agent), triallyl cyanurate (TAC, co‐crosslinker), and azodicarbonamide (JTR, blowing agent) were employed as principal ingredients. By compounding, percentage crystallinities (Xcs) increased irrespective of kinds of the EVAs and their compound formulations. It was found that stearic acid, TAC, and JTR improved crystallinities of the EVA compounds. And milling process could accelerate crystal formation of EVA chains by strain‐induced crystallization. The Xcs of the EVA compounds were notably decreased through curing process, but some EVA vulcanizates showed greater Xcs than their raw EVAs. Especially, the EVA foam samples had higher Xcs than their raw EVAs and it could be explained with compression of EVA chains by blowing. Xc changes of the two crystals of [110] and [200] by the ingredients and manufacturing procedures were also examined. The Xc ratios of [110]/[200] of the foam samples were greater than those of the unfoamed ones.
Markers of hypercoagulability in children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Carmona Roxana , Kizilocak Hande , Marquez‐Casas Elizabeth , Vasquez Siobhan , Ji Lingyun , Ko Richard H. , Young Guy , Jaffray Julie
Published: December 2021

Background

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a known complication for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The aim of this study was to identify laboratory biomarkers that predict which children with ALL are at risk for VTE during induction chemotherapy.

Materials and methods

Newly diagnosed ALL patients admitted to Children's Hospital Los Angeles with a central venous catheter (CVC) were eligible to participate. Participants’ blood samples (complete blood count [CBC], quantitative D‐dimer, prothrombin fragment 1.2 [PTF 1.2], and thrombin–antithrombin complexes [TAT]) were collected at day 0 (baseline/prior to induction), day 7 (±2 days), day 14 (±2 days), day 21 (±2 days), and day 28 (±2 days) of induction chemotherapy or until participants presented with a symptomatic VTE.

Results

Seventy‐five participants aged 1–21 years were enrolled and included in the final analysis. Twenty‐six (35%) of the 75 participants were diagnosed with a CVC‐associated VTE (22 asymptomatic and four symptomatic). There was a statistically significant difference between VTE and non‐VTE participants for D‐dimer (odds ratio [OR] 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.59–1.64), TAT (OR 1.34, 95% CI: 1.32–1.38), and PTF 1.2 (OR 1.31, 95% CI: 1.25–1.37) at all time points. Participants >10 years had a significantly higher risk of developing a VTE compared to participants <4 years (p = .007).

Conclusion

Older children with ALL as well as those with an elevated TAT, PTF 1.2, or D‐dimer showed an increased risk of VTE, which may hold potential for predicting VTE in future studies.
Non‐invasive prenatal testing detects blood chimerism in dizygotic twins
Authors: Janicki Ewa , Janssens Katrien , Blaumeiser Bettina
Published: December 2021

Key points

What is already known?

Placentas of dichorionic twins are fused in approximately 40% of the cases, and blood chimeras can originate upon transfer of cells.

In general, dizygotic twins always have a dichorionic placenta, but as an exception, monochorionic dizygotic twins exist, which can lead to blood chimerism.

What does this study add?

Blood chimerism due to either a monochorionic placenta in fraternal twins or transfer of cells between fused placentas can adopt a permanent state.

Blood chimerism in sex‐discordant twins can lead to aberrant patterns in the non‐invasive prenatal test of adult female twins.
Assessment of perceived distress due to nasopharyngeal swab collection in healthy Indian infants participating in a clinical trial
Authors: Kawade Anand , Dayma Girish , Apte Aditi , Roy Sudipto , Gondhali Arun , Juvekar Sanjay , Bavdekar Ashish
Published: December 2021

Routinely children are exposed to various procedures as a part of clinical care and/or research participation. Public health strategies to contain current COVID‐19 pandemic demanded massive nasopharyngeal swab testing but limited data exist to confirm the extent of the pain and distress that result from this procedure. These data could help clinicians to formulate mitigation strategies, influence public health directives, and inform review boards/ethics committees to decide on risk‐benefit ratio of the procedure. Hence, an observational study to assess perceived distress was nested in a phase IV alternate and reduced dose schedule trial of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in which nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) was used to collect nasopharyngeal secretions as part of the study procedure. Out of 805 infant participants enrolled in the main study, a total of 425 infants were enrolled and observed for procedural distress at 18 weeks and 10 months of age using the Face Leg Activity Cry and Consolability (FLACC) Scale. The FLACC score and duration of cry were recorded. The mean FLACC score changed substantially from preprocedural to procedure in both age groups (from 0.08 to 5.8 at 18 weeks and from 0.5 to 7.007 at 10 months. P = <.0001). The proportion of infants experiencing higher FLACC scores (7‐10) indicating severe distress increased significantly from 22% (n = 95) at 18 weeks to 61% (n = 248) at 10 months (P < .0001). The mean duration of cry was significantly increased from 23.03 seconds at 18 weeks to 52.6 seconds at 10 months (P = .00). Nasopharyngeal swab collection produced substantial distress which increased with age. Adequate training of sample collectors and supporting parent engagement during procedure could help in reducing the distress.
Investigations on Preparation and Electrochemical Performance Optimization of LiMnPO4/C Composites with High Tap Density
Authors: Cao Shi‐yuan , Chang Long‐jiao , Luo Shao‐hua , Bi Xiao‐long , Wei An‐lu , Liu Jia‐nan
Published: December 2021

In this paper, the process route of synthesizing high tap density LiMnPO4 material by hydrothermal method with Li3PO4 as precursor is designed, and the microstructure and electrochemical properties of in situ carbon coated material are systematically studied. The phase, structure, morphology, and grain fineness distribution of the LiMnPO4/C are characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanner transmission electron microscope, and laser particle size analyzer. There are a series of process parameters are optimized by orthogonal, such as reaction temperature, reaction time, polyethylene glycol 400 to H2O volume ratio and reactants concentration. The results show that, in the range of ≈2.5–4.5 V, the original charge–discharge volume of the prepared battery cathode material is shown as 123.7 mAh g−1 at a rate of 0.05 C. After 500 long cycles, the sample saves 95.55% (0.05 C) of the original capacity. At 550 °C, at different rates in the discontinuance voltage range of ≈2.5–4.5 V, the charge and discharge quantity of the cathode electrode raw materials obtained by individuals can be maintained at about 120.9 mAh g−1 (0.1 C), 119.0 mAh g−1 (0.5 C), 116.8 mAh g−1 (1 C), respectively.
Noncanonical autophagy in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Gan Ting , Zhou Xu‐jie
Published: December 2021

Background

Noncanonical autophagy is generally described as a lysosomal degradation process that requires only a subset of the core autophagy‐related proteins to form functional autophagosomes.

Review: Accumulating evidence implicates noncanonical autophagy pathways in expanding the versatility of the immune system via regulation of functions that include antigen presentation, dead cell clearance, inflammatory cytokine production, and immune cell homeostasis. In this review, we use microtubule‐associated protein 1 light chain 3‐associated phagocytosis (LAP) as an example of noncanonical autophagy, describing its distinctive molecular machinery and highlighting recent advances in its functioning in immunity. We also discuss the direct and indirect evidence supporting the pathogenic significance of abnormal levels of LAP in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Future Perspectives: A better understanding of the role of noncanonical autophagy in SLE may reveal crucial information about the disease pathology, providing direction for therapeutic developments and improved prognosis.
Robust stability of switched nonlinear systems with delay and sampling
Authors: Wang Yue‐E , Wu Di , Karimi Hamid Reza
Published: December 2021

This article investigates the stability issue for a class of switched nonlinear systems whose control inputs include time delay and sampling. It is assumed that a stabilizing controller is predesigned for the nominal system such that it is stable under a certain switching signal. However, in the presence of input delay and sampling, the system may not be stable under the same stability criteria. Besides, the switching signals are discussed in two cases, that is, the switching signal of the system is transmitted to the controller in real time and only the sampled information of the switching signal is available to the controller at each sampling instant. For the latter, the asynchronous motions between the subsystems and the candidate controllers are caused and the closed‐loop system is rewritten as sampled switched nonlinear delay system with an augmented switching signal. By constructing sampling interval‐dependent Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional and using the theory of the asynchronous switched delay system, we establish the stability conditions on the switching signal which depends on the size of the delay, the upper bound of the sampling interval, and the dwell time. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.
Deconstructing knowledge and reconstructing understanding: Designing a knowledge architecture for transdisciplinary co‐creation of energy futures
Authors: Biswas Saurabh , Miller Clark A.
Published: December 2021

Transdisciplinary approaches for planning and managing sustainability transitions present an opportunity for embedding knowledge making as an integral design element. Collaboratively formulated energy transitions as one such transdisciplinary undertaking, can benefit from the plural integration of knowledge forms to maximize uptake and diffusion of material outcomes, and the principles and values underlying collaborative action. Moreover, reflexive knowledge practices can identify safeguards that prevent disproportionate distribution of benefits, consequences, and lower participation barriers for diverse stakeholders. This article presents a knowledge making research agenda for co‐creation of sustainable energy transitions and proposes the deconstruction‐reconstruction knowledge making framework to enable systemic social learning among stakeholders. The theoretical framework is operationalized through a knowledge architecture, designed to facilitate a multi‐stakeholder sustainable energy transition project in Sierra Leone. Findings indicate that an embedded knowledge architecture can lower epistemological and methodological barriers to co‐creation, while enhancing the ability to adaptively manage emergent information and conflicts.
Transdisciplinary research in natural resources management: Towards an integrative and transformative use of co‐concepts
Authors: Hakkarainen Viola , Mäkinen‐Rostedt Katri , Horcea‐Milcu Andra , D'Amato Dalia , Jämsä Johanna , Soini Katriina
Published: December 2021

Transdisciplinary research often utilizes collaborative ways of knowledge production to enable deliberate transformations towards sustainability. Multiple concepts with varying definitions are applied, leading to confusion in the aims and uses of these concepts. In this article, we review five concepts relevant to the current debate on the new collaborative ways of knowledge production in transdisciplinary research. We focus on the concepts of co‐creation, co‐production, co‐design, co‐learning, and adaptive co‐management in the context of natural resources management (NRM). This study couples a literature review and a conceptual analysis, and aims to clarify definitions, use, the interlinkages of these concepts and to shed light on their intertwined nature. We propose an integrative understanding of the concepts to facilitate collaborative modes and to enable the transformative aims of research processes. To this end, we discuss how to harvest the transformative potential of the “co‐concepts” by focusing on reflexivity, power analysis and process orientation.
Restrictive but not restricted: Perspectives on antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance among Swedish dairy veterinarians
Authors: Gröndal Hedvig , Fall Nils , Blanco‐Penedo Isabel , Sternberg‐Lewerin Susanna
Published: December 2021

Background and aims

In Europe, the antimicrobial use (AMU) for food‐producing animals has decreased rapidly. However, studies indicate that a too strict policy, with too restrictive AMU, is potentially problematic for veterinarians because it threatens animal welfare and creates tensions between farmers and veterinarians. The AMU in Sweden is among the lowest in Europe, and regulation of AMU in farm animals is strict. The aim of our study was to explore how Swedish veterinarians describe the relations between (1) being restrictive with antibiotics due to the risk of AMR and (2) concerns for animal welfare and/or the veterinarian‐client relationship.

Methods

Semi‐structured interviews with 21 veterinarians, working with dairy cattle, were performed. The transcripts were analysed, and a number of dominant patterns which recurred in all, or most of, the interviews were identified.

Result

The interviewed veterinarians described AMR prevention and tackling the threat AMR poses towards public health, as central for their profession and as influencing their everyday practice and decisions on AMU. Importantly, veterinarians described accounting for AMR in everyday practice as fairly unproblematic, both in relation to animal welfare as well as in relation to farmers. The veterinarians generally perceived that they could treat animals with antibiotics when justified, and being restrictive with antibiotics was described as an expression of professional skill and not as challenging as animal welfare. Moreover, they stated that restrictive AMU seldom or never caused conflicts with farmers.

Conclusion

Strict AMU policy and restrictive AMU do not necessarily put veterinarians in a problematic position where they are caught between conflicting demands and risks.
Evaluating the computational (“Big Data”) turn in studies of media coverage of climate change
Authors: Lahsen Myanna
Published: December 2021

Machine‐assisted big data (MABD) research is enabling quantitative studies of large‐scale social phenomena, including societal responses to climate change. The rise of MABD science is causing both enthusiasm and concerns. Reviewing prominent criticisms of MABD and their relevance for MABD explorations of macro‐structural factors shaping media coverage of climate change, this article finds that the quality and contributions of such studies depend on avoiding common pitfalls. The review focuses specifically on MABD studies' attempts to identify and make sense of correlations—or lack thereof—between climate vulnerability and climate coverage in different countries. The review draws on insights from a single, nationally focused, context‐attentive, and relatively more qualitative “small data” study in the Global South (Brazil) to shed critical light on assumptions, claims, and policy recommendations made based on the computer‐assisted macro‐studies. The review illustrates why more narrowly focused and qualitative small data studies are complementary and indispensable. Besides providing vital understanding of causal relationships that elude MABD studies, more narrowly focused and context‐sensitive qualitative studies can foster understanding of the consequential mediating roles of place‐specific meaning‐making and political strategizing in how climate and weather phenomena are framed by social actors and mass media in particular places. These are dimensions that escape the Big Data quantitative methods, but that are vital to sound policy advice, as illustrated by the Small Data research from Brazil.

This article is categorized under:

Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Knowledge and Practice
Robust minimum cost flow problem under consistent flow constraints
Authors: Büsing Christina , Koster Arie M. C. A. , Schmitz Sabrina
Published: December 2021

The robust minimum cost flow problem under consistent flow constraints (RobMCF$$\equiv $$
≡
) is a new extension of the minimum cost flow (MCF) problem. In the RobMCF$$\equiv $$
≡
problem, we consider demand and supply that are subject to uncertainty. For all demand realizations, however, we require that the flow value on an arc needs to be equal if it is included in the predetermined arc set given. The objective is to find feasible flows that satisfy the equal flow requirements while minimizing the maximum occurring cost among all demand realizations. In the case of a finite discrete set of scenarios, we derive structural results which point out the differences with the polynomial time solvable MCF problem in networks with integral demands, supplies, and capacities. In particular, the Integral Flow Theorem of Dantzig and Fulkerson does not hold. For this reason, we require integral flows in the entire paper. We show that the RobMCF$$\equiv $$
≡
problem is strongly $$\mathcal {NP}$$
NP
-hard on acyclic digraphs by a reduction from the (3, B2)-Sat problem. Further, we demonstrate that the RobMCF$$\equiv $$
≡
problem is weakly $$\mathcal {NP}$$
NP
-hard on series-parallel digraphs by providing a reduction from Partition. If in addition the number of scenarios is constant, we propose a pseudo-polynomial algorithm based on dynamic programming. Finally, we present a special case on series-parallel digraphs for which we can solve the RobMCF$$\equiv $$
≡
problem in polynomial time.
Towards MANET-based Recommender Systems for Open Facilities
Authors: Dunkel Jürgen , Hermoso Ramón
Published: December 2021

Nowadays, most recommender systems are based on a centralized architecture, which can cause crucial issues in terms of trust, privacy, dependability, and costs. In this paper, we propose a decentralized and distributed MANET-based (Mobile Ad-hoc NETwork) recommender system for open facilities. The system is based on mobile devices that collect sensor data about users locations to derive implicit ratings that are used for collaborative filtering recommendations. The mechanisms of deriving ratings and propagating them in a MANET network are discussed in detail. Finally, extensive experiments demonstrate the suitability of the approach in terms of different performance metrics.
Hierarchy-based semantic embeddings for single-valued & multi-valued categorical variables
Authors: Mumtaz Summaya , Giese Martin
Published: December 2021

In low-resource domains, it is challenging to achieve good performance using existing machine learning methods due to a lack of training data and mixed data types (numeric and categorical). In particular, categorical variables with high cardinality pose a challenge to machine learning tasks such as classification and regression because training requires sufficiently many data points for the possible values of each variable. Since interpolation is not possible, nothing can be learned for values not seen in the training set. This paper presents a method that uses prior knowledge of the application domain to support machine learning in cases with insufficient data. We propose to address this challenge by using embeddings for categorical variables that are based on an explicit representation of domain knowledge (KR), namely a hierarchy of concepts. Our approach is to 1. define a semantic similarity measure between categories, based on the hierarchy—we propose a purely hierarchy-based measure, but other similarity measures from the literature can be used—and 2. use that similarity measure to define a modified one-hot encoding. We propose two embedding schemes for single-valued and multi-valued categorical data. We perform experiments on three different use cases. We first compare existing similarity approaches with our approach on a word pair similarity use case. This is followed by creating word embeddings using different similarity approaches. A comparison with existing methods such as Google, Word2Vec and GloVe embeddings on several benchmarks shows better performance on concept categorisation tasks when using knowledge-based embeddings. The third use case uses a medical dataset to compare the performance of semantic-based embeddings and standard binary encodings. Significant improvement in performance of the downstream classification tasks is achieved by using semantic information.
Anymatrix: an extensible MATLAB matrix collection
Authors: Higham Nicholas J. , Mikaitis Mantas
Published: December 2021

Anymatrix is a MATLAB toolbox that provides an extensible collection of matrices with the ability to search the collection by matrix properties. Each matrix is implemented as a MATLAB function and the matrices are arranged in groups. Compared with previous collections, Anymatrix offers three novel features. First, it allows a user to share a collection of matrices by putting them in a group, annotating them with properties, and placing the group on a public repository, for example on GitHub; the group can then be incorporated into another user’s local Anymatrix installation. Second, it provides a tool to search for matrices by their properties, with Boolean expressions supported. Third, it provides organization into sets, which are subsets of matrices from the whole collection appended with notes, which facilitate reproducible experiments. Anymatrix comes with 146 built-in matrices organized into 7 groups with 49 recognized properties. The authors continue to extend the collection and welcome contributions from the community.