bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deep learning-based approach to the characterization and quantification of histopathology in mouse models of colitis
Authors: Kobayashi Soma , Shieh Jason , Ruiz de Sabando Ainara , Kim Julie , Liu Yang , Zee Sui Y. , Prasanna Prateek , Bialkowska Agnieszka B. , Saltz Joel H. , Yang Vincent W.
Published: August 2022

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-mediated disease of the gastrointestinal tract. While therapies exist, response can be limited within the patient population. Researchers have thus studied mouse models of colitis to further understand pathogenesis and identify new treatment targets. Flow cytometry and RNA-sequencing can phenotype immune populations with single-cell resolution but provide no spatial context. Spatial context may be particularly important in colitis mouse models, due to the simultaneous presence of colonic regions that are involved or uninvolved with disease. These regions can be identified on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained colonic tissue slides based on the presence of abnormal or normal histology. However, detection of such regions requires expert interpretation by pathologists. This can be a tedious process that may be difficult to perform consistently across experiments. To this end, we trained a deep learning model to detect ‘Involved’ and ‘Uninvolved’ regions from H&E-stained colonic tissue slides. Our model was trained on specimens from controls and three mouse models of colitis–the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) chemical induction model, the recently established intestinal epithelium-specific, inducible Klf5ΔIND (Villin-CreERT2;Klf5fl/fl) genetic model, and one that combines both induction methods. Image patches predicted to be ‘Involved’ and ‘Uninvolved’ were extracted across mice to cluster and identify histological classes. We quantified the proportion of ‘Uninvolved’ patches and ‘Involved’ patch classes in murine swiss-rolled colons. Furthermore, we trained linear determinant analysis classifiers on these patch proportions to predict mouse model and clinical score bins in a prospectively treated cohort of mice. Such a pipeline has the potential to reveal histological links and improve synergy between various colitis mouse model studies to identify new therapeutic targets and pathophysiological mechanisms.
M&A goodwill and corporate technological innovation: The mediating moderating effect of stock pledges
Authors: Zhang Yan , Sun Ziyuan , Zhou Yiqiang , Dong Yuting
Published: August 2022

Identifying whether and how merger and acquisition (M&A) goodwill influences corporate technology innovation is a critical topic in the context of growing M&A activities. Based on the panel data of 2,634 Chinese non-financial listed companies from 2007 to 2019, this paper adopts multiple linear regression and the Bootstrap method to investigate the impact of M&A goodwill on corporate technological innovation and the mechanism through which M&A goodwill affects technological innovation. The results show that: (1) There is a significant negative correlation between M&A goodwill and technological innovation input, with financial constraints acting as the main channels. (2) Non-private corporations enjoy a higher level of financing capacity in terms of debt and equity compared with private corporations, resulting in the absence of the disincentive effect of M&A goodwill on corporate technological innovation inputs, despite the fact that M&A activities also cause massive resource consumption. (3) Stock pledges by controlling shareholders are effective in alleviating the negative impact of M&A goodwill on technological innovation inputs. Furthermore, our results highlight that simple stock pledge measures capture a significant influence of alleviating financing constraints, thereby decreasing the adverse impact of M&A, and hence need to be adequately considered in future M&A and innovation studies. While enriching the literature on the economic consequences of M&A and the research on stock pledge, this paper also provides micro-evidence for an in-depth understanding of the effect of M&A goodwill on technological innovation.
Research on image content description in Chinese based on fusion of image global and local features
Authors: Kong Dongyi , Zhao Hong , Zeng Xiangyan
Published: August 2022

Most image content modelling methods are designed for English description which is different form Chinese in syntax structure. The few existing Chinese image description models do not fully integrate the global features and the local features of an image, limiting the capability of the models to represent the details of the image. In this paper, an encoder-decoder architecture based on the fusion of global and local features is used to describe the Chinese image content. In the encoding stage, the global and local features of the image are extracted by the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and the target detection network, and fed to the feature fusion module. In the decoding stage, an image feature attention mechanism is used to calculate the weights of word vectors, and a new gating mechanism is added to the traditional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network to emphasize the fused image features, and the corresponding word vectors. In the description generation stage, the beam search algorithm is used to optimize the word vector generation process. The integration of global and local features of the image is strengthened to allow the model to fully understand the details of the image through the above three stages. The experimental results show that the model improves the quality of Chinese description of image content. Compared with the baseline model, the score of CIDEr evaluation index improves by 20.07%, and other evaluation indices also improve significantly.
Wolbachia infection and genetic diversity of Italian populations of Philaenus spumarius, the main vector of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe
Authors: Formisano Giorgio , Iodice Luigi , Cascone Pasquale , Sacco Adriana , Quarto Roberta , Cavalieri Vincenzo , Bosco Domenico , Guerrieri Emilio , Giorgini Massimo
Published: August 2022

Philaenus spumariusis a cosmopolitan species that has become a major threat to European agriculture being recognized as the main vector of the introduced plant pathogenXylella fastidiosa, the agent of the “olive quick decline syndrome”, a disease which is devastating olive orchards in southern Italy.Wolbachiaare bacterial symbionts of many insects, frequently as reproductive parasites, sometime by establishing mutualistic relationships, able to spread within host populations.Philaenus spumariusharborsWolbachia, but the role played by this symbiont is unknown and data on the infection prevalence within host populations are limited. Here, theWolbachiainfection rate was analyzed in relation to the geographic distribution and the genetic diversity of the Italian populations ofP.spumarius. Analysis of theCOIgene sequences revealed a geographically structured distribution of the three main mitochondrial lineages ofP.spumarius.Wolbachiawas detected in half of the populations sampled in northern Italy where most individuals belonged to the western-Mediterranean lineage. All populations sampled in southern and central Italy, where the individuals of the eastern-Mediterranean lineage were largely prevalent, were uninfected. Individuals of the north-eastern lineage were found only in populations from the Alps in the northernmost part of Italy, at high altitudes. In this area,Wolbachiainfection reached the highest prevalence, with no difference between north-eastern and western-Mediterranean lineage. Analysis of molecular diversity ofCOIsequences suggested no significant effect ofWolbachiaon population genetics ofP.spumarius. Using the MLST approach, six newWolbachiasequence types were identified. Using FISH,Wolbachiawere observed within the host’s reproductive tissues and salivary glands. Results obtained led us to discuss the role ofWolbachiainP.spumarius, the factors influencing the geographic distribution of the infection, and the exploitation ofWolbachiafor the control of the vector insect to reduce the spread ofX.fastidiosa.
Genomic characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates causing osteoarticular infections in otherwise healthy children
Authors: Dehority Walter , Morley Valerie J. , Domman Daryl B. , Daly Seth M. , Triplett Kathleen D. , Disch Kylie , Varjabedian Rebekkah , Yousey Aimee , Mortaji Parisa , Hill Deirdre , Oyebamiji Olufunmilola , Guo Yan , Schwalm Kurt , Hall Pamela R. , Dinwiddie Darrell , Femling Jon
Published: August 2022

Background

Pediatric osteoarticular infections are commonly caused byStaphylococcus aureus. The contribution ofS.aureusgenomic variability to pathogenesis of these infections is poorly described.

Methods

We prospectively enrolled 47 children over 3 1/2 years from whomS.aureuswas isolated on culture—12 uninfected with skin colonization, 16 with skin abscesses, 19 with osteoarticular infections (four with septic arthritis, three with acute osteomyelitis, six with acute osteomyelitis and septic arthritis and six with chronic osteomyelitis). Isolates underwent whole genome sequencing, with assessment for 254 virulence genes and any mutations as well as creation of a phylogenetic tree. Finally, isolates were compared for their ability to form static biofilms and compared to the genetic analysis.

Results

No sequence types predominated amongst osteoarticular infections. Only genes involved in evasion of host immune defenses were more frequently carried by isolates from osteoarticular infections than from skin colonization (p = .02). Virulence gene mutations were only noted in 14 genes (three regulating biofilm formation) when comparing isolates from subjects with osteoarticular infections and those with skin colonization. Biofilm results demonstrated large heterogeneity in the isolates’ capacity to form static biofilms, with healthy control isolates producing more robust biofilm formation.

Conclusions

S.aureuscausing osteoarticular infections are genetically heterogeneous, and more frequently harbor genes involved in immune evasion than less invasive isolates. However, virulence gene carriage overall is similar with infrequent mutations, suggesting that pathogenesis ofS.aureusosteoarticular infections may be primarily regulated at transcriptional and/or translational levels.
MA-CharNet: Multi-angle fusion character recognition network
Authors: Wang Qingyu , Liu Jing , Zhu Ziqi , Deng Chunhua
Published: August 2022

Irregular text recognition of natural scene is a challenging task due to large span of character angles and morphological diversity of a word. Recent work first rectifies curved word region, and then employ sequence algorithm to complete the recognition task. However, this strategy largely depends on rectification quality of the text region, and cannot be applied to large difference between tilt angles of character. In this work, a novel anchor-free network structure of rotating character detection is proposed, which includes multiple sub-angle domain branch networks, and the corresponding branch network can be selected adaptively according to character tilt angle. Meanwhile, a curvature Adaptive Text linking method is proposed to connect the discrete strings detected on the two-dimensional plane into words according to people’s habits. We achieved state-of-the-art performance on two irregular texts (TotalText, CTW1500), outperforming state-of-the-art by 2.4% and 2.7%, respectively. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
CALMS: Modelling the long-term health and economic impact of Covid-19 using agent-based simulation
Authors: Mintram Kate , Anagnostou Anastasia , Anokye Nana , Okine Edward , Groen Derek , Saha Arindam , Abubakar Nura , Islam Tasin , Daroge Habiba , Ghorbani Maziar , Xue Yani , Taylor Simon J. E.
Published: August 2022

We present our agent-based CoronAvirus Lifelong Modelling and Simulation (CALMS) model that aspires to predict the lifelong impacts of Covid-19 on the health and economy of a population. CALMS considers individual characteristics as well as comorbidities in calculating the risk of infection and severe disease. We conduct two sets of experiments aiming at demonstrating the validity and capabilities of CALMS. We run simulations retrospectively and validate the model outputs against hospitalisations, ICU admissions and fatalities in a UK population for the period between March and September 2020. We then run simulations for the lifetime of the cohort applying a variety of targeted intervention strategies and compare their effectiveness against the baseline scenario where no intervention is applied. Four scenarios are simulated with targeted vaccination programmes and periodic lockdowns. Vaccinations are targeted first at individuals based on their age and second at vulnerable individuals based on their health status. Periodic lockdowns, triggered by hospitalisations, are tested with and without vaccination programme in place. Our results demonstrate that periodic lockdowns achieve reductions in hospitalisations, ICU admissions and fatalities of 6-8% compared to the baseline scenario, with an associated intervention cost of £173 million per 1,000 people and targeted vaccination programmes achieve reductions in hospitalisations, ICU admissions and fatalities of 89-90%, compared to the baseline scenario, with an associated intervention cost of £51,924 per 1,000 people. We conclude that periodic lockdowns alone are ineffective at reducing health-related outputs over the long-term and that vaccination programmes which target only the clinically vulnerable are sufficient in providing healthcare protection for the population as a whole.
A public health approach to monitoring HIV with resistance to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis
Authors: Buskin Susan E. , Lechtenberg Richard J. , Slaughter Francis A. , Herbeck Joshua T. , Kerani Roxanne P. , Golden Matthew R. , Dombrowski Julia C.
Published: August 2022

Background

The risk of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) failure with sufficient medication adherence is extremely low but has occurred due to transmission of a viral strain with mutations conferring resistance to PrEP components tenofovir (TDF) and emtricitabine (FTC). The extent to which such strains are circulating in the population is unknown.

Methods

We used HIV surveillance data to describe primary and overall TDF/FTC resistance and concurrent viremia among people living with HIV (PLWH). HIV genotypes conducted for clinical purposes are reported as part of HIV surveillance. We examined the prevalence of HIV strains with mutations conferring intermediate to high level resistance to TDF/FTC, defining primary resistance (predominantly K65R and M184I/V mutations) among sequences reported within 3 months of HIV diagnosis and total resistance for sequences reported at any time. We examined trends in primary resistance during 2010–2019 and total resistance among all PLWH in 2019. We also monitored resistance with viremia (≥1,000 copies/mL) at the end of 2019 among PLWH.

Results

Between 2010 and 2019, 2,172 King County residents were diagnosed with HIV; 1,557 (72%) had a genotypic resistance test within three months; three (0.2%) had primary TDF/FTC resistance with both K65R and M184I/V mutations. Adding isolated resistance for each drug resulted in 0.3% with primary TDF resistance and 0.8% with primary FTC resistance. Of 7,056 PLWH in 2019, 4,032 (57%) had genotype results, 241 (6%) had TDF/FTC resistance and 15 (0.4% of those with a genotype result) had viremia and TDF/FTC resistance.

Conclusions

Primary resistance and viremia combined with TDF/FTC resistance are uncommon in King County. Monitoring trends in TDF/FTC resistance coupled with interventions to help ensure PLWH achieve and maintain viral suppression may help ensure that PrEP failure remains rare.
Brazilian female researchers do not publish less despite an academic structure that deepens sex gap
Authors: Hipólito Juliana , Shirai Leila Teruko , Halinski Rosana , Guidolin Aline Sartori , Querino Ranyse Barbosa , Quintela Eliane Dias , Pini Nivia da Silva Dias , Pires Carmen Sílvia Soares , Fontes Eliana Maria Gouveia
Published: August 2022

In the 21st century, we still need to talk about gender inequality in science. Even with the sharp growth of studies on this theme over the last decades, we are still trying to convince our peers that diversity matters and, if embraced, makes better science. Part of this drawback can be related to the need for data to support effective proposals to change the academic scenario. In order to close some of those gaps, we here analyze 1) the profile of Brazilian researchers based on production, impact, and membership to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, 2) participation in the Editorial boards of Brazilian journals dedicated to Entomology, and, 3) the academic scenario of Brazilian Entomology focusing on the sex of the first and last authors in peer-reviewed international publications related to Entomology. We aimed to provide a deeper look on the Brazilian Entomology scenario and to expand the amount of data availability to stimulate and foster a mind-change in the current academic structure. We performed scientometric searches and analysis using different platforms and found that the number and impact of the publications by female researchers, as observed by relative numbers, are not less than that of males. Despite that, female researchers are less represented at the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and editorial boards, reinforcing the lack of women recognition in science. Thus, we observe that some narratives related to the productivity gap can be misleading to a perpetuation of our internal and structural biases. We here expanded data from a previous paper where we scrutinized the Brazilian Entomology scenario and discussed the patches and systems that maintain gender gap in science.
Seasonal changes in rosemary species: A chemotaxonomic assessment of two varieties based on essential oil compounds, antioxidant and antibacterial activities
Authors: Ben Arfa Abdelkarim , Gouja Hassen , Hannachi Hédia , Isoda Hiroko , Neffati Mohamed , Najjaa Hanen
Published: August 2022

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a popular herb in cooking, traditional healing, and aromatherapy. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of meteorological conditions plant growth stage and genetic factors on the yield, quantitative and qualitative composition, on the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of rosemary essential oil from two Tunisian locations (El Fahs and Matmata) during two successive years. The composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistilation from rosemary plants were carried out annually using GC and GC/MS. Results showed the the main constituents were camphor (18.2–28.1%), 1,8-cineole (6.4–18.0%), α-pinene (9.7–13.5%), borneol (4.4–9.5%), and camphene (5.1–8.7%). The principal component and heatmapper analyses showed group segregation of the two studied varities based on major essential oil compounds. Additionally, in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities showed that rosemary essential oils had an important ability in scavenging DPPH, as well as a higher bactericidal effect. The seasonal variation, growth stage and genetic pools seemed to be a factors of significant variation of the composition, antimicrobial and the antioxidant activities of the rosemary essential oils. These finding would be taken to use the chemotaxonomy tools to develop a program for Rosmary protection conservation and identification based on essential oil composition.
SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant induces enhanced pathology and inflammatory responses in K18-hACE2 mice
Authors: Lee Katherine S. , Wong Ting Y. , Russ Brynnan P. , Horspool Alexander M. , Miller Olivia A. , Rader Nathaniel A. , Givi Jerome P. , Winters Michael T. , Wong Zeriel Y. A. , Cyphert Holly A. , Denvir James , Stoilov Peter , Barbier Mariette , Roan Nadia R. , Amin Md. Shahrier , Martinez Ivan , Bevere Justin R. , Damron F. Heath
Published: August 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has been fueled by SARS-CoV-2 novel variants of concern (VOC) that have increased transmissibility, receptor binding affinity, and other properties that enhance disease. The goal of this study is to characterize unique pathogenesis of the Delta VOC strain in the K18-hACE2-mouse challenge model. Challenge studies suggested that the lethal dose of Delta was higher than Alpha or Beta strains. To characterize the differences in the Delta strain’s pathogenesis, a time-course experiment was performed to evaluate the overall host response to Alpha or Delta variant challenge. qRT-PCR analysis of Alpha- or Delta-challenged mice revealed no significant difference between viral RNA burden in the lung, nasal wash or brain. However, histopathological analysis revealed high lung tissue inflammation and cell infiltration following Delta- but not Alpha-challenge at day 6. Additionally, pro-inflammatory cytokines were highest at day 6 in Delta-challenged mice suggesting enhanced pneumonia. Total RNA-sequencing analysis of lungs comparing challenged to no challenge mice revealed that Alpha-challenged mice have more total genes differentially activated. Conversely, Delta-challenged mice have a higher magnitude of differential gene expression. Delta-challenged mice have increased interferon-dependent gene expression and IFN-γ production compared to Alpha. Analysis of TCR clonotypes suggested that Delta challenged mice have increased T-cell infiltration compared to Alpha challenged. Our data suggest that Delta has evolved to engage interferon responses in a manner that may enhance pathogenesis. The in vivo and in silico observations of this study underscore the need to conduct experiments with VOC strains to best model COVID-19 when evaluating therapeutics and vaccines.
Chemical and enzymatic modifications of 5-methylcytosine at the intersection of DNA damage, repair, and epigenetic reprogramming
Authors: Baljinnyam Tuvshintugs , Sowers Mark L. , Hsu Chia Wei , Conrad James W. , Herring Jason L. , Hackfeld Linda C. , Sowers Lawrence C.
Published: August 2022

The DNA of all living organisms is persistently damaged by endogenous reactions including deamination and oxidation. Such damage, if not repaired correctly, can result in mutations that drive tumor development. In addition to chemical damage, recent studies have established that DNA bases can be enzymatically modified, generating many of the same modified bases. Irrespective of the mechanism of formation, modified bases can alter DNA-protein interactions and therefore modulate epigenetic control of gene transcription. The simultaneous presence of both chemically and enzymatically modified bases in DNA suggests a potential intersection, or collision, between DNA repair and epigenetic reprogramming. In this paper, we have prepared defined sequence oligonucleotides containing the complete set of oxidized and deaminated bases that could arise from 5-methylcytosine. We have probed these substrates with human glycosylases implicated in DNA repair and epigenetic reprogramming. New observations reported here include: SMUG1 excises 5-carboxyuracil (5caU) when paired with A or G. Both TDG and MBD4 cleave 5-formyluracil and 5caU when mispaired with G. Further, TDG not only removes 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxycytosine when paired with G, but also when mispaired with A. Surprisingly, 5caU is one of the best substrates for human TDG, SMUG1 and MBD4, and a much better substrate than T. The data presented here introduces some unexpected findings that pose new questions on the interactions between endogenous DNA damage, repair, and epigenetic reprogramming pathways.
Do educators value the promotion of students’ wellbeing? Quantifying educators’ attitudes toward wellbeing promotion
Authors: Byrne David , McGuinness Colm , Carthy Aiden
Published: August 2022

Educators’ attitudes toward Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and health and wellbeing promotion can significantly influence the success (or otherwise) of such policies and practices. While numerous studies exist, from which a broad understanding of such attitudes can be garnered, there is currently no attendant measurement which quantifies educators attitudes regarding the promotion of student wellbeing. The aim of this study was to address this gap in knowledge by quantifying the degree to which educators are positively or negatively disposed to the promotion of student wellbeing. The Attitudes Toward Wellbeing Promotion (ATWP) scale was administered to a diverse participant sample (n = 324), which was opportunistically recruited from the population of post-primary educators in Ireland. Analyses using General Linear Modelling (GLM) identified several statistically significant differences in attitude. Main effects included position held in school and the presence/absence of practices such as streaming and vertical education, while Interactions included educator gender*age and educator gender*single-sex/co-educational school status. The results of this study suggest that, overall, educators appear to be positively disposed toward the promotion of student wellbeing. The highest levels of positivity were observed among female educators, particularly those working in all-girls schools. The lowest levels of positivity were observed among older male educators and educators working in schools that adopt streaming and vertical education practices. This study provides the first baseline data pertaining to the degree to which post-primary educators may be positively or negatively disposed to the promotion of students’ social and emotional wellbeing.
Exploring channels and gaps in information dissemination and acquisition among energy scientists and the public: The southeast Asian context
Authors: Zhang Langcheng , Malviya Shruti , Tandoc Edson C. , Ho Shirley S.
Published: August 2022

This study investigates the flow of energy-related information, which plays a vital role in promoting the public understanding and support for various energy sources. Through 12 focus group discussions with the public and energy experts, this study found that energy information flows from scientists to the public through both direct (e.g., roadshows, scientists’ blogs) and indirect (via agents, e.g., school, news media) channels. However, communication gaps remain between scientists and the public. First, the public commonly obtains information from personal experience and the media but not directly from scientists. Second, while the public stressed the importance of mass media and social media, only a few experts reported writing news commentaries or making social media posts about energy. Third, while scientists emphasize their relationships with the government and other agencies in disseminating information, the public shows relatively weak trust in these agencies. Implications are made for future research and public communication on energy issues.
Perspectives and experiences of researchers regarding feedback of incidental genomic research findings: A qualitative study
Authors: Ochieng Joseph , Kwagala Betty , Barugahare John , Mwaka Erisa , Ekusai-Sebatta Deborah , Ali Joseph , Sewankambo Nelson K.
Published: August 2022

Background

There is a plethora of unanswered ethical questions about sharing incidental findings in genetics and genomics research. Yet understanding and addressing such issues is necessary for communicating incidental findings with participants. We explored researchers’ perspectives and experiences regarding feedback of incidental genomics findings to participants.

Methods

This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interview schedules for In-depth interviews. Thirty respondents were purposively selected based on role as genetics and genomics researchers in Uganda. Data were analysed through content analysis to identify emerging themes using a comprehensive thematic matrix. QSR International NVivo software was used to support data analysis.

Results

a). On perceptions, sharing of incidental findings was acceptable and four themes emerged including role of professional judgement; role of ethics committees and ethical guidelines; optimal disclosure practices; limits to professional duty and uncertainty and; b). on practices, sharing had been carried out by some researchers and a theme on experience and practices emerged.

Conclusion

Feedback of incidental genomics research findings to participants is generally acceptable to researchers. Some researchers. Challenges include lack of ethical guidelines and uncertainty about the findings.
Factors associated with neonatal near miss among neonates admitted to public hospitals in dire Dawa administration, Eastern Ethiopia: A case-control study
Authors: Sintayehu Yitagesu , Abera Legesse , Sema Alekaw , Belay Yalelet , Guta Alemu , Amsalu Bezabih , Dejene Tafese , Kassie Nigus , Mulatu Teshale , Tiruye Getahun
Published: August 2022

Introduction

The neonatal near-miss cases are subject to factors that are major causes of early neonatal deaths. For every death, more newborns suffer a life-threatening complication. Nearly 98% of neonatal death unduly existed in developing countries. Though there were few prior studies in other regions, they failed in identifying the factors of NNM. Besides, there has been no prior study in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess factors associated with neonatal near-miss.

Methods

A case-control study was employed on a total of 252 cases and 756 controls using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected using pre-tested and interview administered questionnaires adapted from similar studies and medical records from December 2020 –March 2021. Pragmatic and management criteria definition of neonatal near miss were utilized. Epi-Data version 3.1 and SPSS version 23 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were done to identify factors associated with a neonatal near-miss by using COR and AOR with a 95% confidence interval. Finally, the statistical significance was declared at a p-value < 0.05.

Results

There were a response rate of 100% for both cases, and controls. Factors that affects neonatal near miss were non-governmental/private employee (AOR, 1.72[95%CI: 1.037, 2.859]), referral in (AOR, 1.51[95%CI: 1.079, 2.108]), multiple birth (AOR, 2.50[95%CI: 1.387, 4.501]), instrumental assisted delivery (AOR, 4.11[95%CI: 1.681, 10.034]), hypertensive during pregnancy (AOR, 3.32[95%CI: 1.987, 5.530]), and male neonates (AOR, 1.71[95%CI: 1.230, 2.373]), paternal education of secondary school (AOR, 0.43[95%CI: 0.210, 0.868]) and college/above (AOR, 0.25[95%CI: 0.109, 0.578]), monthly income (1500–3500 birr) (AOR, 0.29[95%CI: 0.105, 0.809]) and >3500 birr (AOR, 0.34[95%CI: 0.124, 0.906]).

Conclusion

Maternal occupation, paternal education, income, referral, multiple births, mode of delivery, hypertension during pregnancy, and sex of the neonate have identified factors with neonatal near-miss. Better to create job opportunities, improving education, and income generation. Counseling on multiple birth and hypertension, and minimizing instrumental delivery should be done at the health facility level.
Huntington’s disease phenotypes are improved via mTORC1 modulation by small molecule therapy
Authors: St-Cyr Sophie , Child Daniel D. , Giaime Emilie , Smith Alicia R. , Pascua Christine J. , Hahm Seung , Saiah Eddine , Davidson Beverly L.
Published: August 2022

Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disease for which the major causes of mortality are neurodegeneration-associated aspiration pneumonia followed by cardiac failure. mTORC1 pathway perturbations are present in HD models and human tissues. Amelioration of mTORC1 deficits by genetic modulation improves disease phenotypes in HD models, is not a viable therapeutic strategy. Here, we assessed a novel small molecule mTORC1 pathway activator, NV-5297, for its improvement of the disease phenotypes in the N171-82Q HD mouse model. Oral dosing of NV-5297 over 6 weeks activated mTORC1, increased striatal volume, improved motor learning and heart contractility. Further, the heart contractility, heart fibrosis, and survival were improved in response to the cardiac stressor isoprenaline when compared to vehicle-treated mice. Cummulatively, these data support mTORC1 activation as a therapeutic target in HD and consolidates NV-5297 as a promising drug candidate for treating central and peripheral HD phenotypes and, more generally, mTORC1-deficit related diseases.
Relative impact of genetic ancestry and neighborhood socioeconomic status on all-cause mortality in self-identified African Americans
Authors: Iyer Hari S. , Gomez Scarlett Lin , Cheng Iona , Rebbeck Timothy R.
Published: August 2022

Self-identified race/ethnicity is a correlate of both genetic ancestry and socioeconomic factors, both of which may contribute to racial disparities in mortality. Investigators often hold a priori assumptions, rarely made explicit, regarding the relative importance of these factors. We studied 2,239 self-identified African Americans (SIAA) from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian screening trial enrolled from 1993–1998 and followed prospectively until 2019 or until death, whichever came first. Percent African genetic ancestry was estimated using the GRAF-Pop distance-based method. A neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) index was estimated using census tract measures of income, housing, and employment and linked to participant residence in 2012. We used Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) to represent causal models favoring (1) biomedical and (2) social causes of mortality. Hazard ratios were estimated using Cox models adjusted for sociodemographic, behavioral, and neighborhood covariates guided by each DAG. 901 deaths occurred over 40,767 person-years of follow-up. In unadjusted (biomedical) models, a 10% increase in percent African ancestry was associated with a 7% higher rate of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.12). This effect was attenuated in covariate adjusted (social) models (aHR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.06). Mortality was lower comparing participants in the highest to lowest nSES quintile following adjustment for covariates and ancestry (aHR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.98, Ptrend = 0.017). Higher African ancestry and lower nSES were associated with higher mortality, but African ancestry was not associated with mortality following covariate adjustment. Socioeconomic factors may be more important drivers of mortality in African Americans.
Evaluation of accuracy and performance of self-reported HIV and antiretroviral therapy status in the Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (2018)
Authors: Jahun Ibrahim , Ehoche Akipu , Bamidele Moyosola , Yakubu Aminu , Bronson Megan , Dalhatu Ibrahim , Greby Stacie , Agbakwuru Chinedu , Baffa Ibrahim , Iwara Emem , Alagi Matthias , Asaolu Olugbenga , Mukhtar Ahmed , Ikpeazu Akudo , Nzelu Charles , Tapdiyel Jelpe , Bassey Orji , Abimiku Alash’le , Patel Hetal , Parekh Bharat , Aliyu Sani , Aliyu Gambo , Charurat Manhattan , Swaminathan Mahesh
Published: August 2022

Background

Data on awareness of HIV status among people living with HIV (PLHIV) are critical to estimating progress toward epidemic control. To ascertain the accuracy of self-reported HIV status and antiretroviral drug (ARV) use in the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS), we compared self-reported HIV status with HIV rapid diagnostic test (RDT) results and self-reported ARV use with detectable blood ARV levels.

Methods

On the basis of responses and test results, participants were categorized by HIV status and ARV use. Self-reported HIV status and ARV use performance characteristics were determined by estimating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). Proportions and other analyses were weighted to account for complex survey design.

Results

During NAIIS, 186,405 participants consented for interview out of which 58,646 reported knowing their HIV status. Of the 959 (weighted, 1.5%) who self-reported being HIV-positive, 849 (92.1%) tested HIV positive and 64 (7.9%) tested HIV negative via RDT and polymerase chain reaction test for discordant positive results. Of the 849 who tested HIV positive, 743 (89.8%) reported using ARV and 72 (10.2%) reported not using ARV. Of 57,687 who self-reported being HIV negative, 686 (1.2%) tested HIV positive via RDT, with ARV biomarkers detected among 195 (25.1%). ARV was detected among 94.5% of those who self-reported using ARV and among 42.0% of those who self-reported not using ARV. Overall, self-reported HIV status had sensitivity of 52.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 49.4%–56.0%) with specificity of 99.9% (95% CI: 99.8%–99.9%). Self-reported ARV use had sensitivity of 95.2% (95% CI: 93.6%–96.7%) and specificity of 54.5% (95% CI: 48.8%–70.7%).

Conclusions

Self-reported HIV status and ARV use screening tests were found to be low-validity measures during NAIIS. Laboratory tests to confirm self-reported information may be necessary to determine accurate HIV and clinical status for HIV studies in Nigeria.
Improving cardiac rehabilitation patient adherence via personalized interventions
Authors: Aharon Keren B. , Gershfeld-Litvin Avital , Amir On , Nabutovsky Irene , Klempfner Robert
Published: August 2022

Objectives

Despite documented benefits and physicians’ recommendations to participate in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs, the average dropout rate remains between 12–56%. This study’s goal was to demonstrate that using personalized interventions can significantly increase patient adherence.

Method

Ninety-five patients (ages 18–90) eligible for the CR program were randomly recruited and received personalized interventions using the Well-Beat system. Adherence levels were compared to those of a historical control group. The Well-Beat system provided Sheba CR Health Care Provider (HCP) guidelines for personalized patient-therapist dialogue. The system also generated ongoing personalized text messages for each patient sent twice a week and related each patient’s dynamic profile to their daily behavior, creating continuity, and reinforcing the desired behavior.

Results

A significant increase in patient adherence to the CR program: Three months after initiation, 76% remained active compared to the historical average of 24% in the matched control group (log-rank p-value = 0.001).

Conclusions

Using an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based engine that generated recommendations and messages made it possible to improve patient adherence without increasing HCP load, benefiting all. Presenting customized patient insights to the HCP and generating personalized communications along with action motivating text messages can also be useful for remote care.
Surgery duration: Optimized prediction and causality analysis
Authors: Babayoff Orel , Shehory Onn , Shahoha Meishar , Sasportas Ruth , Weiss-Meilik Ahuva
Published: August 2022

Accurate estimation of duration of surgery (DOS) can lead to cost-effective utilization of surgical staff and operating rooms and decrease patients’ waiting time. In this study, we present a supervised DOS nonlinear regression prediction model whose accuracy outperforms earlier results. In addition, unlike previous studies, we identify the features that influence DOS prediction. Further, in difference from others, we study the causal relationship between the feature set and DOS. The feature sets used in prior studies included a subset of the features presented in this study. This study aimed to derive influential effectors of duration of surgery via optimized prediction and causality analysis. We implemented an array of machine learning algorithms and trained them on datasets comprising surgery-related data, to derive DOS prediction models. The datasets we acquired contain patient, surgical staff, and surgery features. The datasets comprised 23,293 surgery records of eight surgery types performed over a 10-year period in a public hospital. We have introduced new, unstudied features and combined them with features adopted from previous studies to generate a comprehensive feature set. We utilized feature importance methods to identify the influential features, and causal inference methods to identify the causal features. Our model demonstrates superior performance in comparison to DOS prediction models in the art. The performance of our DOS model in terms of the mean absolute error (MAE) was 14.9 minutes. The algorithm that derived the model with the best performance was the gradient boosted trees (GBT). We identified the 10 most influential features and the 10 most causal features. In addition, we showed that 40% of the influential features have a significant (p-value = 0.05) causal relationship with DOS. We developed a DOS prediction model whose accuracy is higher than that of prior models. This improvement is achieved via the introduction of a novel feature set on which the model was trained. Utilizing our prediction model, hospitals can improve the efficiency of surgery schedules, and by exploiting the identified causal relationship, can influence the DOS. Further, the feature importance methods we used can help explain the model’s predictions.
Factors associated with the very high caesarean section rate in urban areas of Vietnam
Authors: Giang Hoang Thi Nam , Duy Do Thi Thuy , Hieu Le Tho Minh , Vuong Nguyen Lam , Ngoc Nguyen Thi Tu , Phuong Mai Thi , Huy Nguyen Tien
Published: August 2022

Background

Caesarean section and associated factors require detailed investigation globally. This study aims to determine the rate and associated factors of caesarean deliveries in urban areas of Vietnam.

Methods

A cross-sectional study using questionnaire answered by women who had infants aged under 30 months was conducted from March to May 2021. Data were collected in 18 commune health centres in two cities during the day of routine immunization. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess factors associated with caesarean section.

Results

The overall caesarean section rate was 49.6%. The caesarean section rate in private hospitals (57.8%) were significantly higher than in public hospitals (49.1%). Caesarean section rate in first-time mothers (47.1%) were as high as this rate among mothers who had given birth before (50.6%). Factors associated with higher rate of caesarean section include increasing in women’s age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, gestational weight gain, and infant’s birth weight; first-time mothers; mothers living in urban areas; and mothers giving birth in private hospitals.

Conclusions

This study revealed a high rate of caesarean deliveries in urban areas of Vietnam. Comprehensive investigations of both medical and non-medical reasons for caesarean deliveries in Vietnam are urgent needs to shape the prioritized interventions.
Are women with disabilities less likely to utilize essential maternal and reproductive health services?—A secondary analysis of Pakistan Demographic Health Survey
Authors: Mahmood Shafaq , Hameed Waqas , Siddiqi Sameen
Published: August 2022

Background

People with disabilities deal with widespread exclusion from healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights. Studies analyzing the relationship between disability and key SRH utilization outcomes have often reported mixed findings. In Pakistan, very little to no literature is available on this topic, therefore we aim to determine inequalities in the utilization of essential maternal and reproductive health services between women with and without disabilities in Pakistan.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2017–18 performed on a weighted sample of 6,711 women aged 15–49 years with a live birth in the 5 years preceding the survey. Six types of disabilities were assessed i.e. vision, hearing, communication, cognition, walking and self-care. Utilization of essential maternal and reproductive health services was assessed through a set of four outcome variables: (i) modern contraceptive use; (ii) skilled antenatal care (ANC); (iii) skilled birth attendance (SBA); and (iv) skilled postnatal care (PNC). Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. Data were analyzed using Stata MP Version 16.0.

Results

A total of 6,711 women were included out of which 14.1% (n = 947) live with at least one form of disability. Mean age was 29.4 (S.E = 0.13) years. The most prevalent form of disability was vision (7.0%), followed by walking (4.8%), cognition (4.8%) and hearing (1.8%). Women with disabilities were comparatively less educated, belonged to older age group, and had higher parity than their non-disabled counterparts. With the exception of modern contraceptive use, which was more prevalent in the group with disabilities, women with disabilities were less likely to utilize skilled ANC, SBA and PNC in bivariate analysis. However, these associations turned insignificant in the adjusted model. Overall, no statistically significant differences were observed in the utilization of essential reproductive health services between women with and without disabilities after adjusting for important covariates.

Conclusion

Our analyses did not find any statistically significant differences in the utilization of essential maternal and reproductive health services between women with and without disabilities. In-depth research utilizing qualitative or mixed methods is required to understand how well the healthcare system in Pakistan is responsive to the different needs of disabled women.
A history of popular music education in the United States
Authors: Powell Bryan
Published: August 2022

Despite many current popular music styles originating in the United States, there has typically been a lack of inclusion of popular music in school-based music education contexts in the United States. In recent years, however, the incorporation of popular musics has become more commonplace with the propagation of modern band programmes and initiatives designed to diversify the genres of music included in school music. With the increased presence of popular music education (PME) in US schools, it is timely to further examine the history of popular music in school music programmes as well as the social conditions and educational rationales that led to the emergence of PME in US school music programmes. This article combines existing research on the history of PME into one document while adding further research and descriptions of important events in the history of PME in the United States not yet in print.
Discrimination Between Two Species of Microtus
Authors: Das Soumyadipta
Published: August 2022

Microtus subterraneus and M. multiplex are now thought to be two different species. M. subterraneus has more chromosomes (52) than M. multiplex (46 or 48). Lab-bred hybrids have lower fertility, and naturally occurring hybrids have never been found despite their distinguishable karyotypes. Salvioni analysed eight morphometric variables using a Nikon measure-scope (precision 1/1000 mm) and dial callipers (accuracy 1/100 mm). 288 specimens were collected in the Alps, Jura, and Tuscany. This uncommon data set assessed 89 specimens' chromosomes to establish species. 199 specimens only have morphometric data. We'll compare two species' skulls by classification which will help us to know how the skulls are different from each other.