bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diversification and phylogenetic correlation of functional traits for co‐occurring understory species in the Chinese boreal forest
Authors: Liu Bo , Zhang Jin‐Long , Lau Matthew K. , Wang Xu‐Gao , Liang Yu , Ma Tian‐Xiao
Published: February 2022

Functional traits impact species interactions, community composition, and ecosystem functioning. However, few studies have focused on the diversification and phylogenetic correlation of multiple functional traits over geological time. We conducted phylogenetic comparative analysis for boreal forest understory species in northeast China to examine the diversification and phylogenetic correlation in several functional traits: leaf area (LA), leaf carbon content (LCC), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf nitrogen content (LNC), plant height (PH), and specific leaf area (SLA). Phylogenetic signals showed that there were very low levels of phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC) in understory leaf‐related traits and plant height, suggesting divergence of functional traits for the co‐occurring understory species. The disparity through time analyses (DTT) indicated that trait disparities mainly originated during recent divergence events and there were no differences in the observed trait disparities compared with that expected under Brownian motion. Furthermore, we found both positive and negative phylogenetic correlations among the measured functional traits. The very low levels of PNC suggest that these functional traits diverged among co‐occurring understory species, and that those species are distantly phylogenetically related. The phylogenetic correlations among traits may be caused by both positively and negatively correlated adaptions that correspond to resource acquisition strategies. This study provides evidence that divergence in functional traits may reflect understory adaptions to boreal conditions.
Antibacterial activity and mechanism of essential oils in combination with medium-chain fatty acids against predominant bovine mastitis pathogens
Authors: Rani Sapna , Verma Sunita , Singh Hemlata , Ram Chand
Published: February 2022

Bovine mastitis has become a significant economic importance for the dairy industry. Concerns regarding poor milk quality and emergence of bacterial resistance have necessitated to develop an alternative therapeutic approach to antibiotics for the treatment of mastitis. Saturated medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and essential oils (EOs) are known natural antimicrobials, but their combined effect has not been investigated extensively. The objective of the present investigation was to examine the bactericidal effect of various combined treatments of eight EOs and three saturated MCFAs to inactivate predominant mastitis pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213; Escherichia coli ATCC 25922; Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 27736 and Streptococcus agalactiae ATCC 27956. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values confirmed that all the tested pathogens were variably susceptible to both EOs and saturated MCFAs. Among essential oils, carvacrol (CAR), trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC) and thymol (TM) showed the highest inhibitory activity at concentration 0·38–1·32 mg/mL. Carvacrol exhibited effective additive antibacterial activity in combined treatment with octanoic acid (OA) in terms of its fractional inhibitory index (0·63–0·88) and time-kill effect in reducing about 6 log CFU/mL bacterial cells in less than 5 min. The effort was also made to elucidate the mechanism of antibacterial action of CAR and OA against selected mastitis pathogens by observing changes in cell microstructure, permeability and integrity of cell membrane and their membrane potential. After adding CAR and OA at MIC level, there were obvious changes in cell morphology, leakage of small electrolytes and macromolecules at the initial few hours of treatment i.e. within 1–2 h were observed. Our results indicated that CAR and OA could be evaluated as alternatives or adjuncts to antibiotics as intramammary infusion or topical application to treat bovine mastitis, significantly improving the microbiological safety of milk.
Is person‐centred medical education an aim or an empty promise?
Authors: Koopman Wilma J. , LaDonna Kori A.
Published: February 2022

The authors argue that person‐centered learning demands that biomedical and experiential expertise coalesce. To achieve that, involving patients in teaching and assessment is essential.
Multiple pilomatricomas in a child with xeroderma pigmentosum: Coincidence or association?
Authors: Palacios‐Diaz Rodolfo David , Navarro‐Mira Miguel Ángel , Ballester‐Sánchez Rosa , Calle‐Andrino Anaid , de Unamuno‐Bustos Blanca , Botella‐Estrada Rafael
Published: February 2022

The association of multiple pilomatricomas with xeroderma pigmentosum has not been described. We report a case of a child with multiple pilomatricomas and photosensitivity who was found to have a pathogenic variant in exon 4 of XPA and a likely pathogenic variant in COL6A1.
Process modularity, supply chain responsiveness, and moderators: The Médecins Sans Frontières response to the Covid‐19 pandemic
Authors: Saïah Félicia , Vega Diego , deVries Harwin , Kembro Joakim
Published: February 2022

The unprecedented scale of the Covid‐19 pandemic has been a challenge for health supply chains around the world. Many international humanitarian organizations have had to ensure the continuity of their already complex development programs, while addressing their supply chain disruptions linked to the pandemic. Process modularity has frequently been advocated as a strategy to mitigate such disruptions, although empirical evidence regarding its impact on supply chain responsiveness and what moderates this impact is scarce. This exploratory research uses supply chain data analysis, qualitative content analysis, interviews, and a three‐round Delphi study to investigate how Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières; MSF) and its 151 missions employed process modularity during the Covid‐19 pandemic. Our results show that despite severe disruptions, process modularity—based on a modular architecture, interfaces, and standards—has helped MSF maintain supply chain responsiveness. Specifically, it (1) enabled time‐consuming, nonessential tasks to be skipped, (2) relieved internal and external bottlenecks, and (3) facilitated better allocation and prioritization. Our analyses also put forward eight moderators, structured in three dimensions (visibility, alignment, and resource orchestration), which can affect the impact of process modularity on supply chain responsiveness. We extend the literature on supply chain responsiveness and process modularity by presenting extensive empirical results suggesting that process modularity improves responsiveness in crisis situations, how it does so, and what moderates this impact. Our study thereby highlights the potential of this strategy and provides operationally relevant insights that could help organizations to implement or to review and redesign their process modularity.
Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand Position Statement on Acute Oxygen Use in Adults: ‘Swimming between the flags’
Authors: Barnett Adrian , Beasley Richard , Buchan Catherine , Chien Jimmy , Farah Claude S. , King Gregory , McDonald Christine F. , Miller Belinda , Munsif Maitri , Psirides Alex , Reid Lynette , Roberts Mary , Smallwood Natasha , Smith Sheree
Published: February 2022

Oxygen is a life‐saving therapy but, when given inappropriately, may also be hazardous. Therefore, in the acute medical setting, oxygen should only be given as treatment for hypoxaemia and requires appropriate prescription, monitoring and review. This update to the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) guidance on acute oxygen therapy is a brief and practical resource for all healthcare workers involved with administering oxygen therapy to adults in the acute medical setting. It does not apply to intubated or paediatric patients. Recommendations are made in the following six clinical areas: assessment of hypoxaemia (including use of arterial blood gases); prescription of oxygen; peripheral oxygen saturation targets; delivery, including non‐invasive ventilation and humidified high‐flow nasal cannulae; the significance of high oxygen requirements; and acute hypercapnic respiratory failure. There are three sections which provide (1) a brief summary, (2) recommendations in detail with practice points and (3) a detailed explanation of the reasoning and evidence behind the recommendations. It is anticipated that these recommendations will be disseminated widely in structured programmes across Australia and New Zealand.
Verification and Validation: The Path to Predictive Scale-Resolving Simulations of Turbulence
Authors: Pereira Filipe S. , Grinstein Fernando F. , Israel Daniel M. , Eça Luis
Published: February 2022

This work investigates the importance of verification and validation (V&V) to achieve predictive scale-resolving simulations (SRSs) of turbulence, i.e., computations capable of resolving a fraction of the turbulent flow scales. Toward this end, we propose a novel but simple V&V strategy based on grid and physical resolution refinement studies that can be used even when the exact initial flow conditions are unknown, or reference data are unavailable. This is particularly relevant for transient and transitional flow problems, as well as for the improvement of turbulence models. We start by presenting a literature survey of results obtained with distinct SRS models for flows past circular cylinders (CCs). It confirms the importance of V&V by illustrating a large variability of results, which is independent of the selected mathematical model and Reynolds number. The proposed V&V strategy is then used on three representative problems of practical interest. The results illustrate that it is possible to conduct reliable V&V exercises with SRS models and evidence the importance of V&V to predictive SRS of turbulence. Most notably, the data also confirm the advantages and potential of the proposed V&V strategy: separate assessment of numerical and modeling errors, enhanced flow physics analysis, identification of key flow phenomena, and ability to operate when the exact flow conditions are unknown or reference data are unavailable.
Multivalued specific heat
Authors: Pacheco Matheus G. , Souza Reinaldo de Melo e , Szilard Daniela
Published: February 2022

Specific heat is usually analyzed only for common thermodynamic processes, leaving us with the impression that it can always be expressed as a single-valued function of temperature. In this paper, we show that specific heat functions may be multivalued even for processes that are mathematically simple, such as an ideal gas following a linear path with a negative slope in the pressure–volume diagram. Although this example has been studied previously, we show that the multivalued approach provides additional physical insights, and we establish the conditions that any path must satisfy in order to have a single-valued specific heat. As a final application of our approach, we demonstrate a geometric theorem.
Higher-order figure-8 microphones/hydrophones collocated as a perpendicular triad—Their “spatial-matched-filter” beam steering
Authors: Du Shiyu Sandy , Wong Kainam Thomas , Song Yang , Nnonyelu Chibuzo Joseph , Wu Yue Ivan
Published: February 2022

Directional sensors, if collocated but perpendicularly oriented among themselves, would facilitate signal processing to uncouple the azimuth-polar direction from the time-frequency dimension—in addition to the physical advantage of spatial compactness. One such acoustical sensing unit is the well-known “tri-axial velocity sensor” (also known as the “gradient sensor,” the “velocity-sensor triad,” the “acoustic vector sensor,” and the “vector hydrophone”), which comprises three identical figure-8 sensors of the first directivity-order, collocated spatially but oriented perpendicularly of each other. The directivity of the figure-8 sensors is hypothetically raised to a higher order in this analytical investigation with an innocent hope to sharpen the overall triad's directionality and steerability. Against this wishful aspiration, this paper rigorously analyzes how the directivity-order would affect the triad's “spatial-matched-filter” beam's directional steering capability, revealing which directivity-order(s) would allow the beam-pattern of full maneuverability toward any azimuthal direction and which directivity-order(s) cannot.
Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Educational Outcomes Among Australian University Students: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations
Authors: Babaeer Lena , Stylianou Michalis , Gomersall Sjaan R.
Published: February 2022

Background: This study aimed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and educational outcomes (EO) in first-year university students in Australia. Method: Participants (N = 80) engaged in 3 data collection points (semesters 1, 2, and 3) that included self-reported and device-based PA and SB, and objective EO measures. Cross-sectional associations were examined using linear and binary logistic regressions, and longitudinal associations were examined using generalized estimating equations. Result: Overall, results indicated some positive but weak cross-sectional associations between some device-based and self-reported measures of PA and EO outcomes when controlling for confounders. Self-reported SB was negatively associated with semester GPA at time point 3 after adjusting for confounders (β = −0.224; 95% confidence interval, −0.446 to −0.001; P < .05). No other significant cross-sectional or longitudinal associations were identified. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that SB may be a more important target healthy behavior than PA when aiming to influence EO, and that related interventions may be more appropriate in second rather than first-year university students. Further research is needed to better understand this relationship that uses larger sample sizes, follows students beyond first year, and includes measures that distinguish between leisure and educational screen time.
Big-data approaches lead to an increased understanding of the ecology of animal movement
Authors: Nathan Ran , Monk Christopher T. , Arlinghaus Robert , Adam Timo , Alós Josep , Assaf Michael , Baktoft Henrik , Beardsworth Christine E. , Bertram Michael G. , Bijleveld Allert I. , Brodin Tomas , Brooks Jill L. , Campos-Candela Andrea , Cooke Steven J. , Gjelland Karl Ø. , Gupte Pratik R. , Harel Roi , Hellström Gustav , Jeltsch Florian , Killen Shaun S. , Klefoth Thomas , Langrock Roland , Lennox Robert J. , Lourie Emmanuel , Madden Joah R. , Orchan Yotam , Pauwels Ine S. , Říha Milan , Roeleke Manuel , Schlägel Ulrike E. , Shohami David , Signer Johannes , Toledo Sivan , Vilk Ohad , Westrelin Samuel , Whiteside Mark A. , Jarić Ivan
Published: February 2022

Understanding animal movement is essential to elucidate how animals interact, survive, and thrive in a changing world. Recent technological advances in data collection and management have transformed our understanding of animal “movement ecology” (the integrated study of organismal movement), creating a big-data discipline that benefits from rapid, cost-effective generation of large amounts of data on movements of animals in the wild. These high-throughput wildlife tracking systems now allow more thorough investigation of variation among individuals and species across space and time, the nature of biological interactions, and behavioral responses to the environment. Movement ecology is rapidly expanding scientific frontiers through large interdisciplinary and collaborative frameworks, providing improved opportunities for conservation and insights into the movements of wild animals, and their causes and consequences.
Biomimetic fracture model of lizard tail autotomy
Authors: Baban Navajit S , Orozaliev Ajymurat , Kirchhof Sebastian , Stubbs Christopher J , Song Yong-Ak
Published: February 2022

Lizard tail autotomy is an antipredator strategy consisting of sturdy attachment at regular times but quick detachment during need. We propose a biomimetic fracture model of lizard tail autotomy using multiscale hierarchical structures. The structures consist of uniformly distributed micropillars with nanoporous tops, which recapitulate the high-density mushroom-shaped microstructures found on the lizard tail’s muscle fracture plane. The biomimetic experiments showed adhesion enhancement when combining nanoporous interfacial surfaces with flexible micropillars in tensile and peel modes. The fracture modeling identified micro- and nanostructure-based toughening mechanisms as the critical factor. Under wet conditions, capillarity-assisted energy dissipation pertaining to liquid-filled microgaps and nanopores further increased the adhesion performance. This research presents insights on lizard tail autotomy and provides new biomimetic ideas to solve adhesion problems.
SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant infection elicits potent lineage-specific and cross-reactive antibodies
Authors: Reincke S. Momsen , Yuan Meng , Kornau Hans-Christian , Corman Victor M. , van Hoof Scott , Sánchez-Sendin Elisa , Ramberger Melanie , Yu Wenli , Hua Yuanzi , Tien Henry , Schmidt Marie Luisa , Schwarz Tatjana , Jeworowski Lara Maria , Brandl Sarah E. , Rasmussen Helle Foverskov , Homeyer Marie A. , Stöffler Laura , Barner Martin , Kunkel Désirée , Huo Shufan , Horler Johannes , von Wardenburg Niels , Kroidl Inge , Eser Tabea M. , Wieser Andreas , Geldmacher Christof , Hoelscher Michael , Gänzer Hannes , Weiss Günter , Schmitz Dietmar , Drosten Christian , Prüss Harald , Wilson Ian A. , Kreye Jakob
Published: February 2022

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Beta variant of concern (VOC) resists neutralization by major classes of antibodies from COVID-19 patients and vaccinated individuals. In this study, serum of Beta-infected patients revealed reduced cross-neutralization of wild-type virus. From these patients, we isolated Beta-specific and cross-reactive receptor-binding domain (RBD) antibodies. The Beta-specificity results from recruitment of VOC-specific clonotypes and accommodation of mutations present in Beta and Omicron into a major antibody class that is normally sensitive to these mutations. The Beta-elicited cross-reactive antibodies share genetic and structural features with wild type–elicited antibodies, including a public VH1-58 clonotype that targets the RBD ridge. These findings advance our understanding of the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 shaped by antigenic drift, with implications for design of next-generation vaccines and therapeutics.
Structures from intact myofibrils reveal mechanism of thin filament regulation through nebulin
Authors: Wang Zhexin , Grange Michael , Pospich Sabrina , Wagner Thorsten , Kho Ay Lin , Gautel Mathias , Raunser Stefan
Published: February 2022

In skeletal muscle, nebulin stabilizes and regulates the length of thin filaments, but the underlying mechanism remains nebulous. In this work, we used cryo–electron tomography and subtomogram averaging to reveal structures of native nebulin bound to thin filaments within intact sarcomeres. This in situ reconstruction provided high-resolution details of the interaction between nebulin and actin, demonstrating the stabilizing role of nebulin. Myosin bound to the thin filaments exhibited different conformations of the neck domain, highlighting its inherent structural variability in muscle. Unexpectedly, nebulin did not interact with myosin or tropomyosin, but it did interact with a troponin T linker through two potential binding motifs on nebulin, explaining its regulatory role. Our structures support the role of nebulin as a thin filament “molecular ruler” and provide a molecular basis for studying nemaline myopathies.
Making progress on mental illness
Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health
Thomas Insel
Penguin, 2022. 336 pp.
Authors: Miller Benjamin F.
Published: February 2022

A former NIH leader advocates more holistic approaches to mental health care
Closed Genome Sequences of Providencia alcalifaciens Isolates from Dogs
Authors: Haverkamp Thomas H. A. , Kaspersen Håkon , Øines Øivind , Spilsberg Bjørn , Telke Amar Anandrao , Lagesen Karin , Slettemeås Jannice Schau , Mo Solveig Sølverød , Jørgensen Hannah Joan , Sekse Camilla
Published: February 2022

Eight
Providencia alcalifaciens
isolates from eight different dogs in Norway with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea were sequenced. Based on Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing, all of the genomes were complete and closed after hybrid assembly.
Impact of bending-related faulting and oceanic-plate topography on slab hydration and intermediate-depth seismicity
Authors: Geersen Jacob , Sippl Christian , Harmon Nicholas
Published: February 2022

It is commonly assumed that intermediate-depth seismicity is in some way linked to dehydration reactions inside subducting oceanic plates. Although there is growing evidence that the hydration state of an oceanic plate is controlled by its structure and degree of faulting, we do not have a quantitative understanding of this relationship. Double seismic zones offer the possibility of investigating changes in oceanic-plate hydration not only along strike but also with depth beneath the slab surface. To quantify the impact of oceanic-plate structure and faulting on slab hydration and intermediate-depth seismicity, with a focus on the genesis of double seismic zones, we correlate high-resolution earthquake catalogs and seafloor maps of ship-based bathymetry for the northern Chilean and Japan Trench subduction zones. The correlations show only a weak influence of oceanic-plate structure and faulting on seismicity on the upper plane of the double seismic zone, which may imply that hydration is limited by slow reaction kinetics at low temperatures 5–7 km below the seafloor and by the finite amount of exposed wall rock in the outer-rise region. These factors seem to limit hydration even if abundant water is available. Seismicity in the lower plane is, in contrast, substantially enhanced where deformation of the oceanic plate is high and distributed across intersecting faults. This likely leads to an increase in the volume of damaged wall rock around the faults, thereby promoting the circulation of water to mantle depths where serpentinization is faster due to elevated temperatures. Increased lower-plane seismicity around subducting oceanic features such as seamounts or fracture zones may also be caused by enhanced faulting around these features. Our results provide a possible explanation for the globally observed presence of rather homogeneous upper-plane seismicity in double seismic zones as well as for the commonly patchy and inhomogeneous distribution of lower-plane seismicity.
Measuring the learning outcomes of datathons
Authors: Lyndon Mataroria P , Pathanasethpong Atipong , Henning Marcus A , Chen Yan , Celi Leo Anthony
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Healthcare datathons are events in which cross-disciplinary teams leverage data science methodologies to address clinical questions using large datasets. The aim of this research was to evaluate participant satisfaction and learning outcomes of datathons.

Methods

A multicentre cross-sectional study was performed using survey data from datathons conducted in Sydney, Australia (April 2018) n=98, Singapore (July 2018) n=169 and Beijing, China (December 2018) n=200.

Participants (n=467) completed an online confidential survey at the end of the datathons which contained the Affective Learning Scale, and measures of event satisfaction, perceived knowledge gain, as well as free text responses, and participants’ demographic background. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Thematic analysis was performed on the text responses.

Results

The overall response rate was 64% (301/467). Participants were mostly male (70%); 50.2% were health professionals and 49.8% were data scientists.

Based on the Affective Learning Scale (7-point Likert type scale), participants reported a positive learning experience (M = 5.93, SD = 1.21), satisfaction for content and subject matter of the datathon (M = 5.81, SD = 1.17), applying behaviours (M = 4.71, SD =2.02), instruction from mentors (M = 6.01, SD = 1.18), and intention to participate in future datathons (M = 6.03, SD = 1.23).

The MANOVA showed significant differences between health professionals and data scientists in perceived knowledge gain from the datathons. Themes from text responses emerged: (1) cross-disciplinary collaboration; (2) improving healthcare using data science and (3) preparations for big data analytics.

Conclusions

Datathons provide a satisfying learning experience for participants and promote affective learning, cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge gain in health data science.
Clinicians’ perspectives on equity of access to dialysis and kidney transplantation for rural people in Australia: a semistructured interview study
Authors: Scholes-Robertson Nicole Jane , Gutman Talia , Howell Martin , Craig Jonathan , Chalmers Rachel , Dwyer Karen M , Jose Matthew , Roberts Ieyesha , Tong Allison
Published: February 2022

Objectives

People with chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation in rural areas have worse outcomes, including an increased risk of hospitalisation and mortality and encounter many barriers to accessing kidney replacement therapy. We aim to describe clinicians’ perspectives of equity of access to dialysis and kidney transplantation in rural areas.

Design

Qualitative study with semistructured interviews.

Setting and participants

Twenty eight nephrologists, nurses and social workers from 19 centres across seven states in Australia.

Results

We identified five themes: the tyranny of distance (with subthemes of overwhelming burden of travel, minimising relocation distress, limited transportation options and concerns for patient safety on the roads); supporting navigation of health systems (reliance on local champions, variability of health literacy, providing flexible models of care and frustrated by gatekeepers); disrupted care (without continuity of care, scarcity of specialist services and fluctuating capacity for dialysis); pervasive financial distress (crippling out of pocket expenditure and widespread socioeconomic disadvantage) and understanding local variability (lacking availability of safe and sustainable resources for dialysis, sensitivity to local needs and dependence on social support).

Conclusions

Clinicians identified geographical barriers, dislocation from homes and financial hardship to be major challenges for patients in accessing kidney replacement therapy. Strategies such as telehealth, outreach services, increased service provision and patient navigators were suggested to improve access.
Occupational risk factors and breast cancer in Beijing, China: a hospital-based case–control study
Authors: Li Aihua , Shen Zhuang , Sun Zhifeng , Yun Shuiying , Tian Xingkuan , Hu Zaifang , Yu Guixin , Hu Li , Wang Zihuan , Ye Yan
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Studies on the association between breast cancer and occupational hazards are limited, especially in China. This is the first study to explore the relationship between breast cancer and occupational hazards in Beijing, China.

Design

A hospital-based case–control study.

Setting

Eight local hospitals in Beijing, China.

Participants

A total of 973 female participants, comprising 495 cases and 478 controls, were recruited in our study. We identified patients who underwent diagnosis for breast cancer at one of the eight local hospitals in Beijing between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2019; controls were individuals randomly matched from the same hospital where the cases were confirmed.

Main outcome and measure

Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to estimate the occupational risk factors associated with breast cancer, including night shift work history and work posture.

Results

In the case group, the breast cancer type was mainly invasive, which accounted for 85.66% of all the breast cancer patients. Five risk factors were included in the final LASSO model, including body mass index (BMI), marital status, menopause, night shift work history and work posture. Furthermore, these risk factors were considered for multivariate logistic regression, and the analyses suggested that the risk of breast cancer was significantly associated with higher BMI (≥28.0 kg/m2, OR: 2.85, 95% CI: 1.29 to 6.30); married status: married (OR: 2.67, 95% CI: 1.28 to 5.56) or divorced (OR: 4.51, 95% CI: 1.84 to 11.07); menopause (OR: 6.89, 95% CI: 5.07 to 9.36); night shift work (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.11 to 2.11); and maximum standing or walking, and minimal sitting (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.19 to 2.73).

Conclusion

Breast cancer is associated with occupational risk factors. Night shift work, especially in a standing posture, can increase the incidence of breast cancer in women in Beijing, China.
Barriers to patient enrolment in phase III cancer clinical trials: interviews with clinicians and pharmaceutical industry representatives
Authors: Dane Aniek , Ashraf Soedaba , Timmis James , Bos Monique , Uyl-de Groot Carin , van der Kuy P Hugo M
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Phase III cancer clinical trials are expensive and time-consuming phases in drug development. Effective patient enrolment can reduce delays and save costs, offering patients an opportunity to benefit from innovative treatments. However, the current evidence base does not fully explain the persistence of barriers to patient enrolment in phase III cancer clinical trials. The aim was to explore clinicians’ and pharmaceutical representatives’ views on these barriers.

Design

A qualitative study was performed. In-depth information was collected from 15 experts in the field of oncology clinical trials, in particular clinical oncologists acting as principal investigators (PIs) and clinical research associates. By means of semistructured interviews, based on a questionnaire derived from our newly developed conceptual framework, they were asked to identify barriers to patient enrolment they had experienced and comment on barriers identified in literature.

Findings

Existing knowledge on barriers to patient enrolment was confirmed by all interviewees. Two new key barriers to patient enrolment were identified, that is, insufficient attention to the importance of clinical trial-based research in medical training and a trust gap between PIs and pharmaceutical representatives. A third important barrier was increasingly narrow patient inclusion criteria.

Conclusions

The success rate of patient enrolment in phase III cancer clinical trials highly depends on the clinicians’ willingness to take part in clinical trials. Raising awareness of the importance of clinical trials in medical training and among practising oncologists is recommended. Furthermore, to reduce barriers to patient enrolment, it is essential that both clinicians and pharmaceutical representatives acknowledge each other’s expertise, become acquainted with each other’s procedures and regulations, and work on building trust relationships. Finally, in accordance with our key findings, we propose to add two new barriers to our newly developed conceptual framework; insufficient attention to clinical trial research in medical training and trust gap.
Barriers and facilitators of use of analytics for strategic health and care decision-making: a qualitative study of senior health and care leaders’ perspectives
Authors: Ingram Elizabeth , Cooper Silvie , Beardon Sarah , Körner Katherine , McDonald Helen I , Hogarth Sue , Gomes Manuel , Sheringham Jessica
Published: February 2022

Objective

This study investigated the barriers and facilitators that senior leaders’ experience when using knowledge generated from the analysis of administrative health or care records (‘analytics’) to inform strategic health and care decision-making.

Setting

One London-based sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) in England, as it was on the cusp of forming an integrated care system (ICS).

Participants

20 senior leaders, including health and social care commissioners, public health leads and health providers. Participants were eligible for inclusion if they were a senior leader of a constituent organisation of the STP and involved in using analytics to make decisions for their own organisations or health and care systems.

Design

Semi-structured interviews conducted between January 2020 and March 2020 and analysed using the framework method to generate common themes.

Results

Organisational fragmentation hindered use of analytics by creating siloed data systems, barriers to data sharing and different organisational priorities. Where trusted and collaborative relationships existed between leaders and analysts, organisational barriers were circumvented and access to and support for analytics facilitated. Trusted and collaborative relationships between individual leaders of different organisations also aided cross-organisational priority setting, which was a key facilitator of strategic health and care decision-making and use of analytics. Data linked across health and care settings were viewed as an enabler of use of analytics for decision-making, while concerns around data quality often stopped analytics use as a part of decision-making, with participants relying more so on expert opinion or intuition.

Conclusions

The UK Governments’ 2021 White Paper set out aspirations for data to transform care. While necessary, policy changes to facilitate data sharing across organisations will be insufficient to realise this aim. Better integration of organisations with aligned priorities could support and sustain cross-organisational relationships between leaders and analysts, and leaders of different organisations, to facilitate use of analytics in decision-making.
Are ethnic differences, urinary iodine status, lead and cadmium exposure associated with thyroid autoimmunity and hypothyroid status? A cross-sectional study
Authors: Chen Yi , Xiang Qian , Wang Ningjian , Zhang Wen , Zhu Chunfang , Wang Yuying , Wan Heng , Cheng Jing , Zhang Kun , Cai Yan , Lu Yingli
Published: February 2022

Objective

We aimed to evaluate the effects of different ethnicities and potential environmental exposure on the prevalence of thyroid autoimmune status and hypothyroid status.

Design

The data were obtained from two cross-sectional studies.

Participants

2105 participants in Shanghai (Han) and 772 participants in Yunnan Honghe Prefecture (Han, Yi, Miao and Hani), aged 18–75 were enrolled.

Methods

Participants underwent several checkups, including urinary iodine concentration, blood lead (BPb) and blood cadmium (BCd), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) as well as thyroid ultrasonography (US). Thyroid autoimmune status was defined as: antithyroid antibody positive (ATA+): TPOAb + or TgAb+; and ATA + and US+: TPOAb + or TgAb + together with characteristic US features.

Results

The standardised prevalence of thyroid autoimmune positivity in Yunnan were higher than those in Shanghai (TPOAb+: 13.56% vs 8.27%, p<0.001; TgAb+: 9.28% vs 7.09%, p=0.045; ATA+: 16.96% vs 11.10%, p<0.001; ATA + and US+: 8.96% vs 6.64%, p=0.036). For urinary iodine-to-creatinine ratio (UI/Cr), compared with the level of 100.00–199.99 µg/g, the level of ≥300.00 µg/g had a 1.5-fold risk for ATA + and US+ (OR 1.455, p=0.041). The levels of 200.00–299.99 µg/g and ≥300.00 µg/g were positively associated with hypothyroid status (OR 1.509, p=0.002 and OR 1.338, p=0.043). Compared with the first quartiles, the fourth quartiles of BPb were positively associated with TPOAb+: (OR 1.637, p=0.006), ATA+ (OR 1.435, p=0.025), ATA + and US+ (OR 1.641, p=0.013), hypothyroid status (OR 1.467, p=0.013) and TSH levels (B 0.092, p=0.021). The fourth quartile of BCd was positively associated with the prevalence of ATA+ (OR 1.427, p=0.036).

Conclusions

Higher levels of UI/Cr, BPb and BCd may be associated with thyroid autoimmunity and hypothyroid status.
Breaking bad news: during the holiday season
Authors: Habib Muhammad Hamza , Saraiya Biren , Davis Mellar P
Published: February 2022

Breaking bad news can be a difficult process. This can further be complicated when such news needs to be delivered around the holiday season. Here, we discuss such a case, and provide recommendations on breaking bad news around the holiday season.
Republished: Robotic assistant spinal angiography: a case report and technical considerations
Authors: Tateshima Satoshi , Saber Hamidreza , Colby Geoffrey P , Enzmann Dieter , Duckwiler Gary
Published: February 2022

Robotic-assisted technology has shown to be promising in coronary and peripheral vascular interventions. Early case reports have also demonstrated its efficacy in neuro-interventions. However, there is no prior report demonstrating use of the robotic-assisted platform for spinal angiography. We report the feasibility of the robotic-assisted thoracic and lumbar spinal angiography.
Gender differences in authorship prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in research submissions to Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2017–2021)
Authors: Orchard Christa , Smith Peter M , Kromhout Hans
Published: February 2022

Objective

To explore whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted productivity of female academics in the field of occupational and environmental health, by examining trends in male and female authorship of submissions during and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Methods

Administrative data on submissions between January 2017 and November 2021 were obtained through databases held at BMJ journals. Author gender was identified using an existing algorithm based on matching names to social media accounts. The number and proportion of female and male primary (first) and senior (last) authors were examined for each quarter, and the average change in share of monthly submissions from male authors in the months since the pandemic compared with corresponding months prior to the pandemic were identified using regression models estimating least squares means.

Results

Among 2286 (64.7%) and 2335 (66.1%) manuscripts for which first and last author gender were identified, respectively, 49.3% of prepandemic submissions were from male first authors, increasing to 55.4% in the first year of the pandemic (difference of 6.1%, 95% CI 1.3% to 10.7%), before dropping to 46.6% from April 2021 onwards. Quarterly counts identified a large increase in submissions from male authors during the first year after the onset of the pandemic, and a smaller increase from female authors. The proportion of male last authors did not change significantly during the pandemic.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that there has been an increase in male productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic within the field of occupational and environmental health research that is present to a lesser extent among women.
CT-like images in MRI improve specificity of erosion detection in patients with hand arthritis: a diagnostic accuracy study with CT as standard of reference
Authors: Ulas Sevtap Tugce , Ziegeler Katharina , Richter Sophia-Theresa , Ohrndorf Sarah , Poddubnyy Denis , Makowski Marcus R , Diekhoff Torsten
Published: February 2022

Objective

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), standard T1-weighted (T1w) images and high-resolution 3D-gradient echo sequences (volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE)) for detection of erosions in patients with peripheral arthritis using CT as standard of reference.

Materials and methods

A total of 36 patients were included in the study. All patients underwent CT and MRI, including SWI, VIBE and T1w sequences of the clinically more affected hand. Two trained readers scored all imaging datasets separately for erosions in a blinded fashion. Specificity, sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of MRI sequences were calculated on a per-patient level.

Results

CT was positive for erosion in 16 patients and 77 bones (Rheumatoid Arthritis MRI Score >0), T1w in 28 patients, VIBE in 25 patients and SWI in 17 patients. All MRI sequences performed with comparably high sensitivities (T1w 100%, VIBE 94% and SWI 94%). SWI had the highest specificity of 90%, followed by VIBE (50%) and T1w (40%). Both T1w and VIBE produced significantly higher sum scores than CT (341 and 331 vs 148, p<0.0001), while the sum score for SWI did not differ from CT (119 vs 148; p=0.411).

Conclusion

Specificity for erosion detection remains a challenge for MRI when conventional and high-resolution sequences are used but can be improved by direct bone depiction with SWI. Both T1w and VIBE tend to overestimate erosions, when CT is used as the standard of reference.
Environmental DNA dispersal from Atlantic salmon farms
Authors: Shea Dylan , Frazer Neil , Wadhawan Kiran , Bateman Andrew , Li Shaorong , Miller Kristina M. , Short Steven , Krkošek Martin
Published: February 2022

The spatial spread of genetic material is fundamental to analyses of invasive species, species dispersal, and disease surveillance. Using a quantitative environmental DNA methodology, we assessed spatial variation in Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) eDNA concentration, originating from four active salmon farms, along ∼55 km of narrow channels in British Columbia, Canada. We evaluated eDNA from 36 and 47 seawater samples collected at 2 and 8 m depths, respectively, at 0.3–3 km intervals along the channels. We fitted a Laplace dispersal kernel to eDNA data separately for 2 and 8 m depths. The model estimates that 95% of eDNA spread at 2 m depth was within 1.6 km upstream and 3.2 km downstream from farms relative to a prevailing current, and this was expanded at 8 m (1.8 km upstream; 3.7 km downstream). Our modeling results were robust to multiple sources of simulated uncertainty associated with sampling regime and variable eDNA shedding rates. Our results provide a benchmark for the spatial spread of biological material such as pathogens or eDNA from invasive or imperilled species in a coastal marine context. This work has implications for the interpretation of eDNA data for species surveillance and predicting disease spread.
Deformable active nematic particles and emerging edge currents in circular confinements
Authors: Krause Veit , Voigt Axel
Published: February 2022

We consider a microscopic field theoretical approach for interacting active nematic particles. With only steric interactions the self-propulsion strength in such systems can lead to different collective behaviour, e.g. synchronized self-spinning and collective translation. The different behaviour results from the delicate interplay between internal nematic structure, particle shape deformation and particle–particle interaction. For intermediate active strength an asymmetric particle shape emerges and leads to chirality and self-spinning crystals. For larger active strength the shape is symmetric and translational collective motion emerges. Within circular confinements, depending on the packing fraction, the self-spinning regime either stabilizes positional and orientational order or can lead to edge currents and global rotation which destroys the synchronized self-spinning crystalline structure.

Graphical abstract
An Experimental Study of Neural Approaches to Multi-Hop Inference in Question Answering
Authors: Jiménez Patricia , Corchuelo Rafael
Published: February 2022

Question answering aims at computing the answer to a question given a context with facts. Many proposals focus on questions whose answer is explicit in the context; lately, there has been an increasing interest in questions whose answer is not explicit and requires multi-hop inference to be computed. Our analysis of the literature reveals that there is a seminal proposal with increasingly complex follow-ups. Unfortunately, they were presented without an extensive study of their hyper-parameters, the experimental studies focused exclusively on English, and no statistical analysis to sustain the conclusions was ever performed. In this paper, we report on our experience devising a very simple neural approach to address the problem, on our extensive grid search over the space of hyper-parameters, on the results attained with English, Spanish, Hindi, and Portuguese, and sustain our conclusions with statistically sound analyses. Our findings prove that it is possible to beat many of the proposals in the literature with a very simple approach that was likely overlooked due to the difficulty to perform an extensive grid search, that the language does not have a statistically significant impact on the results, and that the empirical differences found among some existing proposals are not statistically significant.
Timing-Oriented Task Offloading Algorithms for Internet-of-Vehicles
Authors: He Yifan , Xu Jing , Zheng Bo , Hu Jianqiang , Xie Yong
Published: February 2022

The emergence of computation intensive automotive applications poses significant challenges on computation capacity of automotive electronic systems, thus vehicular edge computing (VEC) is introduced as a new computing paradigm into the internet of vehicle (IoV) to improve its data processing capability. However, as the computation capacity is limited in VEC servers, efficient task offloading algorithms need to be proposed. This paper first proposes a multi-task offloading model and gives the related task response time analysis method, and then, both a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP)-based algorithm and a simulated annealing-based heuristic algorithm are proposed to minimize the task response time. By comparing with a baseline algorithm, the MILP-based offloading algorithm can reduce the average task response time by 91.45%, and the heuristic offloading algorithm can reduce the average task response time by 70%.
Equations in virtually abelian groups: Languages and growth
Authors: Evetts Alex , Levine Alex
Published: February 2022

This paper explores the nature of the solution sets of systems of equations in virtually abelian groups. We view this question from two angles. From a formal language perspective, we prove that the set of solutions to a system of equations forms an EDT0L language, with respect to a natural normal form. Looking at growth, we show that the growth series of the language of solutions is rational. Furthermore, considering the set of solutions as a set of tuples of group elements, we show that it has rational relative growth series with respect to any finite generating set.
ACCURATE PREDICTION OF PERMEABILITY IN POROUS MEDIA: EXTENSION OF PORE FRACTAL DIMENSION TO THROAT FRACTAL DIMENSION
Authors: SONG WENHUI , YAO JUN , ZHANG KAI , YANG YONGFEI , SUN HAI
Published: February 2022

Fractal characteristic has been considered as the essential parameter to determine transport properties of porous media. Fluid flow in the real porous media is more influenced by the narrow throat system than the relatively large pore system. In this work, the concept of throat fractal dimension is proposed and applied to predict permeability in porous media. First, pore system and throat system of six sandstone rock samples and three carbonate rock samples are divided from the pore network models extracted from rock CT images. Then, fractal dimensions based on the total pore space, pore system and throat system are calculated, respectively, based on the three-dimensional (3D) box-counting method. Three groups of permeabilities are estimated, respectively, using the fractal theory based on the pore space fractal parameter, pore system fractal parameter and the proposed throat system fractal parameter. The results indicate that permeabilities estimated by the proposed throat system fractal parameter are closer to the accurate permeabilities of rock samples compared with that estimated by the pore space fractal parameter and pore system fractal parameter. Our study results reveal that throat fractal dimension should be used to accurately predict fluid transport properties in porous media.