bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving uptake of cervical cancer screening services for women living with HIV and attending chronic care services in rural Malawi
Authors: Talama George C , Shaw Mairead , Maloya Jordan , Chihana Tafwirapo , Nazimera Lawrence , Wroe Emily B , Kachimanga Chiyembekezo
Published: September 2020

Malawi has the second highest age-standardised incidence rate and the highest mortality rate of cervical cancer in the world. Though the prevalence of HIV is currently 11.7% for Malawian women of reproductive age, cervical cancer screening rates remain low. To address this issue, we integrated cervical cancer screening into a dual HIV and non-communicable disease clinic at a rural district hospital in Neno, Malawi. The project was implemented between January 2017 and March 2018 using the Plan-Do-Study-Act model of quality improvement (QI). At baseline (January to December 2016), only 13 women living with HIV were screened for cervical cancer. One year after implementation of the QI project, 73% (n=547) of women aged 25 to 49 years living with HIV enrolled in HIV care were screened for cervical cancer, with 85.3% of these receiving the screening test for the first time. The number of women living with HIV accessing cervical cancer services increased almost 10 times (from four per month to 39 per month, p<0.001). Key enablers in our QI process included: strong mentorship, regular provision of cervical cancer health talks throughout the hospital, nationally accredited cervical cancer prevention training for all providers, consistent community engagement, continuous monitoring and evaluation, and direct provision of resources to strengthen gaps in the public system. This practical experience integrating cervical cancer screening into routine HIV care may provide valuable lessons for scale-up in rural Malawi.
Cadaveric study identifying clinical sonoanatomy for proximal and distal approaches of ultrasound-guided intercostobrachial nerve block
Authors: Samerchua Artid , Leurcharusmee Prangmalee , Panjasawatwong Krit , Pansuan Kittitorn , Mahakkanukrauh Pasuk
Published: September 2020

Background and objectives

The intercostobrachial nerve (ICBN) has significant anatomical variation. Localization of the ICBN requires an operator’s skill. This cadaveric study aims to describe two simple ultrasound-guided plane blocks of the ICBN when it emerges at the chest wall (proximal approach) and passes through the axillary fossa (distal approach).

Methods

The anatomical relation of the ICBN and adjacent structures was investigated in six fresh cadavers. Thereafter, we described two potential techniques of the ICBN block. The proximal approach was an injection medial to the medial border of the serratus anterior muscle at the inferior border of the second rib. The distal approach was an injection on the surface of the latissimus dorsi muscle at 3–4 cm caudal to the axillary artery. The ultrasound-guided proximal and distal ICBN blocks were performed in seven hemithoraxes and axillary fossae. We recorded dye staining on the ICBN, its branches and clinically correlated structures.

Results

All ICBNs originated from the second intercostal nerve and 34.6% received a contribution from the first or third intercostal nerve. All ICBNs gave off axillary branches in the axillary fossa and ran towards the posteromedial aspect of the arm. Following the proximal ICBN block, dye stained on 90% of all ICBN’s origins. After the distal ICBN block, all terminal branches and 43% of the axillary branches of the ICBN were stained.

Conclusions

The proximal and distal ICBN blocks, using easily recognized sonoanatomical landmarks, provided consistent dye spread to the ICBN. We encourage further validation of these two techniques in clinical studies.
Alternative to AHP approach to criteria weight estimation in highway bridge management
Authors: Ikpong Anthony , Chandra Amit , Bagchi Ashutosh
Published: September 2020

Criteria weights formulation is the most essential component of a multi-criteria prioritization scheme. The research reported in this paper sought to critically compare a recently developed multi-criteria optimization criteria weights method to the well-known analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as well as the method employed by the bridge management software BrM (formerly Pontis), which is licensed to all 50 State Departments of Transportation in the United States. Using four criteria for demonstration (bridge performance, utility, vulnerability to climate-triggered extreme events, and vulnerability to climate-triggered extreme loads), the new method clearly separates the concept of prioritization from the concept of optimization. The study demonstrates that there is an important and practical difference between a suitable criteria weight formulation for asset management optimization, on one hand, and the type of formulation required for a general selection problem, on the other hand. More importantly, the new method performs better than both the AHP and the BrM on all the important measures.
Importance of boreal forested wetlands for epiphytic macrolichen communities
Authors: Padgett Tegan , Wiersma Yolanda F.
Published: September 2020

Forested wetlands provide ecosystem services and often support elevated levels of biodiversity and rare species. However, forested wetlands are understudied and face threats such as logging and land conversion. Epiphytic lichens are abundant in forested wetlands and may be useful to help delineate microhabitats across wetland–upland gradients. We investigated epiphytic macrolichen richness, diversity, and community composition in 15 sites in the Avalon Forest Ecoregion, Newfoundland, Canada. Within each site, we set up three parallel 40 m transects in (i) the forested wetland, (ii) the ecotone, and (iii) the upland forest. Along each transect, we selected five balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) trees 10 m apart and surveyed for macrolichens on the lower bole. We collected data on tree height and tree diameter at breast height, which differed significantly among forest types. We also collected data on tree age and canopy cover, which did not differ significantly among forest types. Contrary to hypotheses suggesting that biodiversity is highest in ecotones, we found that mean macrolichen richness was significantly higher in wetlands, lower in the ecotones, and lowest in upland forests, and macrolichen diversity followed a similar pattern but with no significant difference among groups. Macrolichen community composition significantly differed among wetlands, ecotones, and upland forests. A lichen of conservation concern, Erioderma pedicellatum (Hue) P.M. Jørg., was detected primarily in forested wetlands, highlighting wetlands as key habitats for rare epiphytic macrolichens.
NLO QCD+NLO EW corrections to diboson production matched to parton shower
Authors: Chiesa Mauro , Oleari Carlo , Re Emanuele
Published: September 2020

We present the matching of NLO QCD and NLO EW corrections to parton showers for vector-boson pair production at the LHC. We consider leptonic final states, including resonant and non-resonant diagrams, spin correlations and off-shell effects. Our results are obtained interfacing the Recola2-Collier one-loop provider with the framework. We discuss our implementation, we validate it at fixed order, and we show our final results matched to parton shower. A by-product of our work is also a general interface between Recola2-Collier and . This is the first time that EW and QCD corrections to diboson production are consistently matched to parton showers.
Regularized Deep LSTM Autoencoder for Phonological Deviation Assessment
Authors: Pravin Sheena Christabel , Palanivelan M.
Published: September 2020

In this paper, the Deep Long-short term memory Autoencoder (DLAE), a regularized deep learning model, is proposed for the automatic severity assessment of phonological deviations which are crucial stuttering markers in children. This automatic noninvasive severity assessment plays a paramount role in prevenient diagnosis, progress inference, and post-care for the patients with specific speech disorder. The proposed model is an implementation of a multi-layered Autoencoder in the Encoder–Decoder architecture of the Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) model with hierarchically appended hidden layers and hidden units. The DLAE has definite advantage over the baseline Autoencoders. During the training phase, the proposed DLAE reconstructs the phonological features in an unsupervised fashion and the latent bottleneck features are extracted from the Encoder. The trained and regularized DLAE model with drop out is then used to predict the severity of the phonological deviation with high precision and classification accuracy compared to the baseline models.
From noncommutative diagrams to anti-elementary classes
Authors: Wehrung Friedrich
Published: September 2020

Anti-elementarity is a strong way of ensuring that a class of structures, in a given first-order language, is not closed under elementary equivalence with respect to any infinitary language of the form [Formula: see text]. We prove that many naturally defined classes are anti-elementary, including the following:

the class of all lattices of finitely generated convex [Formula: see text]-subgroups of members of any class of [Formula: see text]-groups containing all Archimedean [Formula: see text]-groups; the class of all semilattices of finitely generated [Formula: see text]-ideals of members of any nontrivial quasivariety of [Formula: see text]-groups; the class of all Stone duals of spectra of MV-algebras — this yields a negative solution to the MV-spectrum Problem; the class of all semilattices of finitely generated two-sided ideals of rings; the class of all semilattices of finitely generated submodules of modules; the class of all monoids encoding the nonstable K0-theory of von Neumann regular rings, respectively, C*-algebras of real rank zero; (assuming arbitrarily large Erdős cardinals) the class of all coordinatizable sectionally complemented modular lattices with a large [Formula: see text]-frame.

The main underlying principle is that under quite general conditions, for a functor [Formula: see text], if there exists a noncommutative diagram [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], indexed by a common sort of poset called an almost join-semilattice, such that

[Formula: see text] is a commutative diagram for every set [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] for any commutative diagram [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text],

then the range of [Formula: see text] is anti-elementary.
Typical irreducible characters of generalized quantum groups
Authors: Yamane Hiroyuki
Published: September 2020

We introduce the definition of the typical irreducible modules of the generalized quantum groups, and prove the Weyl–Kac-type formulas of their characters. As a by-product, we obtain the Weyl–Kac-type character formulas of the typical irreducible modules of the quantum superalgebras associated with the basic classical Lie superalgebras, which is explained in Introduction.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND EXTERNALITY
Authors: YANG ZILI
Published: September 2020

Climate change is an externality phenomenon. The DICE/RICE models are IAMs that treat climate change as an externality explicitly. Such a feature of DICE/RICE is recognized by the Nobel Committee and is one of the primary reasons for its influence. This paper argues the essentiality of incorporating external effects of climate change in our understanding of climate change from a socio-economic perspective; points out the biases of missing the externality elements in climate change economics; outlining the crucial role of externality in IAM modeling.
GeoMatch
Authors: Zeidan Ayman , Lagerspetz Eemil , Zhao Kai , Nurmi Petteri , Tarkoma Sasu , Vo Huy T.
Published: September 2020

We develop GeoMatch as a novel, scalable, and efficient big-data pipeline for large-scale map matching on Apache Spark. GeoMatch improves existing spatial big-data solutions by utilizing a novel spatial partitioning scheme inspired by Hilbert space-filling curves. Thanks to its partitioning scheme, GeoMatch can effectively balance operations across different processing units and achieve significant performance gains. GeoMatch also incorporates a dynamically adjustable error-correction technique that provides robustness against positioning errors. We demonstrate the effectiveness of GeoMatch through rigorous and extensive empirical benchmarks that consider large-scale urban spatial datasets ranging from 166,253 to 3.78B location measurements. We separately assess execution performance and accuracy of map matching and develop a benchmark framework for evaluating large-scale map matching. Results of our evaluation show up to 27.25-fold performance improvements compared to previous works while achieving better processing accuracy than current solutions. We also showcase the practical potential of GeoMatch with two urban management applications. GeoMatch and our benchmark framework are open-source.
Preference Provides a Plethora of Problems (Don't Panic)
Authors: Singer Michael C.
Published: September 2020

This review was solicited as an autobiography. The “problems” in my title have two meanings. First, they were professional difficulties caused by my decision to study oviposition preferences of butterflies that were not susceptible to traditional preference-testing designs. Until I provided video, my claim that the butterflies duplicate natural post-alighting host-assessment behavior when placed on hosts by hand was not credible, and the preference-testing technique that I had developed elicited skepticism, anger, and derision. The second meaning of “problems” is scientific. Insect preference comes with complex dimensionality that interacts with host acceptability. Part Two of this review describes how my group's work in this area has revealed unexpected axes of variation in plant–insect interactions—axes capable of frustrating attempts to derive unequivocal conclusions from apparently sensible experimental designs. The possibility that these complexities are lurking should be kept in mind as preference and performance experiments are devised.
Differences in metabolic and liver pathobiology induced by two dietary mouse models of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Zhang Hannah , Léveillé Mélissa , Courty Emilie , Gunes Aysim , N. Nguyen Bich , Estall Jennifer L.
Published: September 2020

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing epidemic linked to metabolic disease. The first stage of NAFLD is characterized by lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, but this can progress into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Western diets, high in fats, sugars, and cholesterol, are linked to NAFLD development. Murine models are often used to study NAFLD; however, there remains debate on which diet-induced model best mimics both human disease progression and pathogenesis. In this study, we performed a side-by-side comparison of two popular diet models of murine NAFLD/NASH and associated HCC, a high-fat diet supplemented with 30% fructose water (HFHF) and a Western diet high in cholesterol (WDHC), and these were compared with a common grain-based chow diet (GBD). Mice on both experimental diets developed liver steatosis, and WDHC-fed mice had greater levels of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis than HFHF-fed mice. In contrast, HFHF-fed mice were more obese and developed more severe metabolic syndrome, with less pronounced liver disease. Despite these differences, WDHC-fed and HFHF-fed mice had similar tumor burdens in a model of diet-potentiated liver cancer. Response to diet and resulting phenotypes were generally similar between sexes, albeit delayed in females. This study shows that modest differences in diet can significantly uncouple glucose homeostasis and liver damage. In conclusion, long-term feeding of either HFHF or WDHC is a reliable method to induce NASH and diet-potentiated liver cancer in mice of both sexes; however, the choice of diet involves a trade-off between severity of metabolic syndrome and liver damage.
Signal Timing Optimization Model for Intersections in Traffic Incidents
Authors: Wang Jiawen , Hang Jiayu , Zhou Xizhao
Published: September 2020

The intersection control and management can alleviate the traffic congestion caused by traffic incidents. Therefore, it becomes essential to develop a signal optimization method for intersections influenced by traffic incidents, which will be beneficial to prevent congestion spreading. In this paper, the proposed model is capable of maximizing the intersection throughput by comprehensively considering the queue length as the penalty value. The headway of leaving vehicles is assumed to follow the Cowan’s M3 headway distribution, where formulas for queue length can be derived based on gap acceptance theory. To satisfy the conditions for efficiently identifying feasible solutions in a short time, a heuristic algorithm (simulated annealing algorithm) is employed to solve the model. The numerical results can validate that the proposed method can solve the problem more efficiently and alleviate the intersection congestion caused by the incidents more desirably. When the incident occurs away from the intersection stop line, the impacts on intersection throughput will be gradually weakened. The proposed method is capable of improving the signalized intersection throughput while preventing the congestion from spreading to the upstream intersection.
Forecasting of Global Market Prices of Major Financial Instruments
Authors: Divisekara Roshani W. , Nawarathna Ruwan D. , Nawarathna Lakshika S.
Published: September 2020

One of the easiest and fastest ways of building a healthy financial future is investing in the global market. However, the prices of the global market are highly volatile due to the impact of economic crises. Therefore, future prediction and comparison lead traders to make the low-risk decisions with price. The present study is based on time series modelling to forecast the daily close price values of financial instruments in the global market. The forecasting models were tested with two sample sizes, namely, 5-year close price values for correlation analysis and 3-year close price values for model building from 2013 January to 2018 January. The forecasting capabilities were compared for both ARIMA and GARCH class models, namely, TGARCH, APARCH, and EGARCH. The best-fitting model was selected based on the minimum value of the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criteria (BIC). Finally, the comparison was carried out between ARIMA and GARCH class models using the measurement of forecast errors, based on the Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The GARCH model was the best-fitted model for Australian Dollar, Feeder cattle, and Coffee. The APARCH model provides the best out-of-sample performance for Corn and Crude Oil. EGARCH and TGARCH were the better-fitted models for Gold and Treasury bond, respectively. GARCH class models were selected as the better models for forecasting than the ARIMA model for daily close price values in global financial market instruments.
Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Masquerading as Catatonia
Authors: Alakkas Aljoharah , Meyer Aaron , Debbold Eric , Yagudayeva Raisa , Bui Jonathan
Published: September 2020

A 35-year-old woman with a history of sexual trauma was brought in by her family for further evaluation of depressive symptoms and progressive decline in activities of daily living. She was admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit for the treatment of suspected catatonia. After failure to respond to standard medical treatment, she received an extensive workup, which ultimately revealed a PSEN1 mutation consistent with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Diagnosis was challenging because of her young age, lack of reliable family history, and reports of recent sexual abuse by her biological father. This case is a cautionary reminder for clinicians that end stages of dementia can present similar to catatonia with mutism, lack of spontaneous movement, and refusal to eat. The clues to the diagnosis were profound cortical atrophy and lack of improvement with optimal medical management.
Parastomal Varices with Recurrent Bleeding in the Absence of Liver Cirrhosis
Authors: Kopel Jonathan , Baucom Rebeccah , Campbell Samuel , Brower Gregory L.
Published: September 2020

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common problem in patients with portal hypertension. One of the most common causes of GI bleeding are varices (e.g., esophageal varices). In some instances, varices can develop between an intestinal stoma and the abdominal wall vasculature, known as parastomal varices. Specifically, parastomal varices are common in patients with a preexisting stoma and concurrent chronic portal hypertension. These patients often present with recurrent bleeding and may require regular transfusions. Herein, we report on a patient with parastomal varices and portal hypertension without hepatic cirrhosis. Given the high morbidity and mortality associated with surgical interventions, most clinical guidelines encourage observation and medical management of bleeding from parastomal varices. Among the nonsurgical interventions, manual compression and local maneuvers often successfully stop the bleeding. However, subsequent rebleeding from parastomal varices can remain a problem requiring additional treatment. Further research is needed to investigate appropriate medical or surgical alternatives for managing parastomal varices bleeding.
Leveraging Innovation Resources for Modular Products under Open Innovation Scenarios Using Fuzzy Distance Method
Authors: Wang Hai-jun , Shu Chao-hui
Published: September 2020

In an open innovation environment, it is meaningful for manufacturing enterprises targeting global markets to integrate qualified innovation resources. In this paper, the linkage between product modularity and open innovation is first discussed, revealing a role that modular product architecture plays in linking enterprises’ innovation requirements and innovation resources as external innovation inputs. Next, indices for evaluating external innovation resources are developed. An evaluation method based on fuzzy distance is then proposed, which is intended to select optimal resources for the core modules of modular product architecture. A modular product of Haier Group is used as a typical case to verify the proposed method. Consistent evaluation results of innovation resources are achieved for different decision-making attitudes. Another finding regarding the case enterprise is that the resource management mechanisms it employs lead to a win-win cooperative relationship with its partners.
Physical Characteristics of Amorphous and Crystalline Coconut Sugar Powder with the Addition of Tricalcium Phosphate (TCP) as an Anticaking Agent
Authors: Nurhadi Bambang , Sukri Nandi , Saputra Rudy Adi , Wandhani Fatonah Isnaini , Nurlita Afifah Indah
Published: September 2020

The coconut sugar powder produced by vacuum drying and conventional method has high hygroscopicity due to its high sugar content (mostly sucrose). Therefore, it is easier for caking to occur during storage. An anticaking agent such as tricalcium phosphate was therefore added to the powder to maintain its stability. The purpose of this research was to determine the physical characteristics of amorphous and crystalline coconut sugar after the addition of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) in different concentrations. The two types of coconut sugar were prepared by the conventional method, which gave it a predominantly crystalline structure, and the vacuum drying method, which gave it a mainly amorphous structure. The TCP at concentrations 0, 0.5%, and 1% was added to both types of the coconut sugar. The addition of the anticaking agent affected the water sorption of coconut sugar by decreasing the monolayer water content for both types of coconut sugar. TCP seemed to give more significant effect on decreasing the hygroscopicity of crystalline coconut sugar than the amorphous one, while similar trends were obtained in increasing flow ability of both types of coconut sugar. The capacity of TCP to cover the surface of the host coconut powder was proposed as the mechanism of TCP in decreasing hygroscopicity and increasing flow ability of the host powder.
Inhaled Formoterol-Fluticasone Single Inhaler Therapy in Asthma: Real-World Efficacy, Budget Impact, and Potential to Improve Adherence
Authors: Rajesh V. , Augustine Jolsana , Divya R. , Cleetus Melcy
Published: September 2020

Asthma is the commonest chronic disease affecting airways in humans and has an increasing global disease burden. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the first-line therapeutic option for asthma, and addition of a long-acting beta 2-agonist (LABA) has been shown to improve asthma control. A combination of the two agents in a single inhaler is beneficial with regard to ease of administration and patient compliance. Various ICS-LABA formulations are available across various countries in the world, one among them being formoterol-fluticasone. Both formoterol and fluticasone have pharmacologic peculiarities which places the combination in a uniquely advantageous position when it comes to asthma therapy. The present review focuses on some of the, hitherto, less explored aspects of this combination inhaler such as real-world efficacy, impact on budget allocation, results of switch-over therapy, and potential to improve adherence to asthma treatment. It also provides practical recommendations on positioning it in real-world asthma management.
Effects of Annular Combustor Width on the Ethylene-Air Continuous Rotating Detonation
Authors: Fan Weijie , Liu Shijie , Zhou Jin , Peng Haoyang , Huang Siyuan
Published: September 2020

The realization and stable operation of Continuous Rotating Detonation (CRD) in the annular combustor fueled by hydrocarbon-air are still challenging. For further investigation of this issue, a series of ethylene-air CRD tests with the variation of combustor width is conducted, and the effects of combustor width are well analyzed based on high-frequency pressure and high-speed photograph images. The results show that the combustor width plays a significant role in the realization and sustainability of the ethylene-air CRD. In this paper, the critical combustor width for the CRD realization and stable single wave are 20 mm and 25 mm, respectively. In wide combustors, the backward-facing step at the combustor forepart makes the main flow slow down, and thus, the mixing quality is promoted. Besides, the pilot flame at the recirculation zone contributes to sustaining the CRD wave. As the width increases, the propagation mode changes from counter-rotating two-wave mode to single wave mode with higher propagation velocity and stability. The highest propagation velocity reaches 1325.56 m/s in the 40 mm wide combustor, accounting for 71.51% of the corresponding Chapman-Jouguet velocity. Despite large combustor volume, high combustor pressure is obtained in detonation combustion mode indicating that a better propulsive performance could be achieved by CRD.
A Study on the Optimization of Blockchain Hashing Algorithm Based on PRCA
Authors: Fu Jinhua , Qiao Sihai , Huang Yongzhong , Si Xueming , Li Bin , Yuan Chao
Published: September 2020

Blockchain is widely used in encrypted currency, Internet of Things (IoT), supply chain finance, data sharing, and other fields. However, there are security problems in blockchains to varying degrees. As an important component of blockchain, hash function has relatively low computational efficiency. Therefore, this paper proposes a new scheme to optimize the blockchain hashing algorithm based on PRCA (Proactive Reconfigurable Computing Architecture). In order to improve the calculation performance of hashing function, the paper realizes the pipeline hashing algorithm and optimizes the efficiency of communication facilities and network data transmission by combining blockchains with mimic computers. Meanwhile, to ensure the security of data information, this paper chooses lightweight hashing algorithm to do multiple hashing and transforms the hash algorithm structure as well. The experimental results show that the scheme given in the paper not only improves the security of blockchains but also improves the efficiency of data processing.
Variation of Selected Physicochemical and Hydrological Properties of Soils in Different Tropical Land Use Systems of Nepal
Authors: Shrestha Sujita , Kafle Gandhiv
Published: September 2020

Different land use systems can have different soil properties. It is important to study the soil properties for wise use and sustainable management of land resources. This article reports the findings of a research conducted in Makwanpur district of Nepal, to determine and compare the selected physicochemical and hydrological properties of soil in forest, rainfed agriculture land, and grassland. These forest, agriculture land, and grassland represent tropical land use systems. Soil samples were collected from 0 to 30 cm depths of soil profile from nine randomly distributed pits dug in forest, grassland, and rainfed agriculture land in 2019. Soil samples were analyzed in the laboratory to determine the soil properties using standard methods. Bulk density, porosity, moisture content and infiltration, pH, total nitrogen, available potassium, and available phosphorus were quantified from the soils samples. It was found that the highest BD was found in the grassland (1.29 g/cm³) followed by the forest (1.23 g/cm³) and rainfed agriculture land (1.18 g/cm³). The highest porosity was found in rainfed agriculture land (55.50%) followed by the forest (53.74%) and grassland (51.63%). The highest MC was found in the grassland (26.94%) followed by the forest (10.17%) and rainfed agriculture land (9.92%). The mean cumulative infiltration amount was highest in the rainfed agriculture land (39.27 cm) followed by the forest (33.47 cm) and grassland (8.4 cm). The highest soil pH was found in the grassland (7.91) and the lowest pH (5.70) in the forest. The highest level of total nitrogen was found in rainfed agriculture land (0.121%), followed by the forest (0.106%) and grassland (0.096%). The highest level of available phosphorous was found in rainfed agriculture land (84.94 ppm), followed by the forest (67.76 ppm) and grassland (6.69). The highest level of available potassium was found in rainfed agriculture land (154.24 ppm), followed by the forest (84.49 ppm) and the grassland (44.71 ppm). Bulk density, porosity, and total nitrogen were not found to be significantly different and other soil properties were found to be significantly different between different land use systems. The contribution of farmers in maintaining soil properties on the farmlands is clearly reflected in the results, so their knowledge on soil management needs to be explored and adapted for wise use and sustainable management of other land use systems.
Idiopathic Scrotal Calcinosis: A Case Report and Review of Postoperative Outcomes
Authors: Kyei Mathew Yamoah , Djagbletey Robert , Abrahams Afua Darkwa , Mensah James Edward
Published: September 2020

Idiopathic scrotal calcinosis is a rare condition, characterized by the idiopathic deposition of calcium in the scrotal dermis leading to the formation of a single nodule or multiple nodules of different sizes. Surgical excision of the nodules reduces symptoms and improves cosmesis. We present a case of idiopathic scrotal calcinosis that had an en bloc excision of scrotal skin nodules and primary closure of the scrotal skin. Handling each hemiscrotum as a separate entity and preserving the median raphe with its uninvolved skin improved the cosmesis. Reported outcomes of surgery were satisfactory with no postoperative complications. At 30 months of follow-up, the residual scrotal skin had regained its laxity and the scrotum its normal configuration. There is the risk of recurrence of the calcific nodules post excision, but these may be smaller in size and with regained scrotal configuration that could be amenable to excision with further preservation of the native scrotal skin.
The Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein Livin Confers Resistance to Fas-Mediated Immune Cytotoxicity in Refractory Lymphoma
Authors: Sugihara Eiji , Hashimoto Norisato , Osuka Satoru , Shimizu Takatsune , Ueno Sayaka , Okazaki Shogo , Yaguchi Tomonori , Kawakami Yutaka , Kosaki Kenjiro , Sato Taka-Aki , Okamoto Shinichiro , Saya Hideyuki
Published: September 2020

Death receptor Fas-mediated apoptosis not only eliminates nonspecific and autoreactive B cells but also plays a major role in antitumor immunity. However, the possible mechanisms underlying impairment of Fas-mediated induction of apoptosis during lymphomagenesis remain unknown. In this study, we employed our developed syngeneic lymphoma model to demonstrate that downregulation of Fas is required for both lymphoma development and lymphoma cell survival to evade immune cytotoxicity. CD40 signal activation significantly restored Fas expression and thereby induced apoptosis after Fas ligand treatment in both mouse and human lymphoma cells. Nevertheless, certain human lymphoma cell lines were found to be resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis, with Livin (melanoma inhibitor of apoptosis protein; ML-IAP) identified as a driver of such resistance. High expression of Livin and low expression of Fas were associated with poor prognosis in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Livin expression was tightly driven by bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins BRD4 and BRD2, suggesting that Livin expression is epigenetically regulated in refractory lymphoma cells to protect them from Fas-mediated apoptosis. Accordingly, the combination of CD40-mediated Fas restoration with targeting of the BET proteins–Livin axis may serve as a promising immunotherapeutic strategy for refractory B-cell lymphoma.

Significance:

These findings yield insights into identifying risk factors in refractory lymphoma and provide a promising therapy for tumors resistant to Fas-mediated antitumor immunity.
Flumatinib versus Imatinib for Newly Diagnosed Chronic Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Phase III, Randomized, Open-label, Multi-center FESTnd Study
Authors: Zhang Li , Meng Li , Liu Bingcheng , Zhang Yanli , Zhu Huanling , Cui Jiuwei , Sun Aining , Hu Yu , Jin Jie , Jiang Hao , Zhang Xi , Li Yan , Liu Li , Zhang Wanggang , Liu Xiaoli , Gu Jian , Qiao Jianhui , Ouyang Guifang , Liu Xin , Luo Jianmin , Jiang Ming , Xie Xiaobao , Li Jianyong , Zhao Chunting , Zhang Mei , Yang Tonghua , Wang Jianxiang
Published: September 2020

Purpose:

Flumatinib has been shown to be a more potent inhibitor of BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase than imatinib. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of flumatinib versus imatinib, for first-line treatment of chronic phase Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP).

Patients and Methods:

In this study, 394 patients were randomized 1:1 to flumatinib 600 mg once daily (n = 196) or imatinib 400 mg once daily (n = 198) groups.

Results:

The rate of major molecular response (MMR) at 6 months (primary endpoint) was significantly higher with flumatinib than with imatinib (33.7% vs. 18.3%; P = 0.0006), as was the rate of MMR at 12 months (52.6% vs. 39.6%; P = 0.0102). At 3 months, the rate of early molecular response (EMR) was significantly higher in patients receiving flumatinib than in those receiving imatinib (82.1% vs. 53.3%; P < 0.0001). Compared with patients receiving imatinib, more patients receiving flumatinib achieved molecular remission 4 (MR4) at 6, 9, and 12 months (8.7% vs. 3.6%, P = 0.0358; 16.8% vs. 5.1%, P = 0.0002; and 23.0% vs. 11.7%, P = 0.0034, respectively). No patients had progression to accelerated phase or blast crisis in the flumatinib arm versus 4 patients in the imatinib arm by 12 months. Adverse events of edema, pain in extremities, rash, neutropenia, anemia, and hypophosphatemia were more frequent in imatinib arm, whereas diarrhea and alanine transaminase elevation were more frequent in flumatinib arm.

Conclusions:

Patients receiving flumatinib achieved significantly higher rates of responses, and faster and deeper responses compared with those receiving imatinib, indicating that flumatinib can be an effective first-line treatment for CML-CP. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02204644.

See related commentary by Müller, p. 3
Cell Fate Decisions: The Role of Transcription Factors in Early B-cell Development and Leukemia
Authors: Fischer Ute , Yang Jun J. , Ikawa Tomokatsu , Hein Daniel , Vicente-Dueñas Carolina , Borkhardt Arndt , Sánchez-García Isidro
Published: September 2020

B cells are an integral part of the adaptive immune system and regulate innate immunity. Derived from hematopoietic stem cells, B cells mature through a series of cell fate decisions. Complex transcriptional circuits form and dissipate dynamically during these lineage restrictions. Genomic aberrations of involved transcription factors underlie various B-cell disorders. Acquired somatic aberrations are associated with cancer, whereas germline variations predispose to both malignant and nonmalignant diseases. We review the opposing role of transcription factors during B-cell development in health and disease. We focus on early B-cell leukemia and discuss novel causative gene–environment cooperation and their implications for precision medicine. Childhood leukemia is frequently initiated during fetal hematopoiesis. Clinical silent preleukemic clones are detectable in cord blood of a large number of healthy newborns. These predisposing alterations cooperate with environmental factors to trigger leukemia onset. Understanding of the underlying principles is a prerequisite for the development of measures to prevent leukemia in children.
Genetic Analysis of Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia and Stroke Before 4 Years of Age Suggest an Important Role for Apoliprotein E
Authors: Brewin John N. , Smith Alexander E. , Cook Riley , Tewari Sanjay , Brent Julie , Wilkinson Sarah , Brousse Valentine , Inusa Baba , Menzel Stephan , Rees David C.
Published: September 2020

Background:

Ischemic stroke is a devastating complication affecting children with sickle cell anemia. Genetic factors are likely to be important in determining the risk of stroke but are poorly defined.

Methods:

We have studied a cohort of 19 children who had an overt ischemic stroke before 4 years of age. We predicted genetic determinants of stroke would be more prominent in this group. We performed whole exome sequencing on this cohort and applied 2 hypotheses to our variant filtering. First, we looked for strong, potentially mono- or oligogenic variants for ischemic stroke, and second, we considered that more common polygenic variants will be enriched in our cohort. Candidate variants emerging from both strategies were validated in a cohort of 283 patients with sickle cell anemia and known pediatric cerebrovascular outcomes. We used principal component analysis in this cohort to control for relatedness and population substructure.

Results:

Our primary finding was that the Apoliprotein E genotypes ε2/ε4 and ε4/ ε4, defined by the interplay of
rs7412
and
rs429358
, were associated with increased stroke risk, with an odds ratio of 4.35 ([95% CI, 1.85–10.0]
P
=0.0011) for ischemic stroke in the validation cohort. We also found that
rs2297518
in NOS (NO synthase) 2 (odds ratio, 2.25 [95% CI, 1.21–4.19];
P
=0.014) and
rs2230123
in signal transducer and activator of transcription (odds ratio, 2.60 [95% CI, 1.30–5.20];
P
=0.009) both had increased odds ratios for ischemic stroke, although these two variants were below the threshold for statistical significance after correction for multiple testing.

Conclusions:

These data identify new loci for future functional investigations into cerebrovascular disease in sickle cell anemia. Based on African population reference allele frequencies, the Apoliprotein E genotypes would be present in about 10% of children with sickle cell anemia and represent a genetic risk factor that is potentially modifiable by both dietary and pharmaceutical manipulation of its dyslipidemic effects.
Attainment of Targets of the 20-Year Infancy-Onset Dietary Intervention and Blood Pressure Across Childhood and Young Adulthood
Authors: Laitinen Tomi T. , Nuotio Joel , Niinikoski Harri , Juonala Markus , Rovio Suvi P. , Viikari Jorma S.A. , Rönnemaa Tapani , Magnussen Costan G. , Sabin Matthew , Burgner David , Jokinen Eero , Lagström Hanna , Jula Antti , Simell Olli , Raitakari Olli T. , Pahkala Katja
Published: September 2020

We examined whether success in achieving the key targets of an infancy-onset 20-year dietary intervention was associated with blood pressure (BP) from infancy to young adulthood. In the prospective randomized STRIP (Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project; n=877 children), dietary counseling was provided biannually based on the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations primarily to improve the quality of dietary fat in children’s diets and secondarily to promote intake of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Dietary data and BP were accrued annually from the age of 13 months to 20 years. The dietary targets for fat quality were defined as the ratio of saturated fatty acids to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids <1:2 and intake of saturated fatty acids <10 E%, dietary fiber intake in the top age-specific quintile, and dietary sucrose intake as being in the lowest age-specific quintile. Attaining a higher number of the dietary targets was associated with lower systolic BP (mean [SE] systolic BP, 107.3 [0.3], 107.6 [0.3], 106.8 [0.3], and 106.7 [0.5] mm Hg in participants meeting 0, 1, 2, and 3 to 4 targets, respectively;
P
=0.03) and diastolic BP (mean [SE] diastolic BP, 60.4 [0.2], 60.5 [0.2], 59.9 [0.2], and 59.9 [0.3] mm Hg;
P
=0.02). When the lowest age-specific quintile of dietary cholesterol was added as an additional target, the association with systolic BP remained significant (
P
=0.047), but the association with diastolic BP attenuated (
P
=0.13). Achieving the key targets of an infancy-onset 20-year dietary intervention, reflecting dietary guidelines, was favorably albeit modestly associated with systolic and diastolic BP from infancy to young adulthood.

Registration—

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT00223600.
Beat Machine: Embracing the Creative Limitations and Opportunities of Low-Cost Computers
Authors: Brown Andrew R. , Ferguson John R.
Published: September 2020

The Beat Machine is a handheld music synthesizer and sequencer. The authors discuss the development of the Beat Machine and how creative constraints and opportunities were introduced by the particularities of low-cost microprocessors and associated electronics. The discussion is framed as an exemplar of Kåre Poulsgaard's concept of enactive individuation, a framework for relating material engagement to digital design and fabrication. In reflecting on the design and making of the Beat Machine the authors connect this framework with more established notions of creative interaction and the affordances of digital media.
Minding the Gap: Conceptualizing “Perceptualized” Timbre in Music Analysis
Authors: Engebretsen Nora
Published: September 2020

In the past decade, a growing music-analytic practice has emerged around timbre, a parameter long considered either irrelevant to musical structure or too unwieldy to tackle. This new practice centers on an understanding of timbre as a perceptual rather than physical (acoustical) attribute and privileges timbre as a bearer of musical meaning. Through a focused survey of scholarship on timbre from the 1980s to present, this article considers theoretical commitments and challenges that have attended the shift toward this subjective, “perceptualized” conception of timbre, particularly in light of music theory's objectivist and structuralist disciplinary leanings.
Exploring the Nexus of Holography and Holophony in Visual Music Composition
Authors: Rhoades Michael
Published: September 2020

In this article the author explores the idea that, owing to their shared three-dimensional nature, holophons and virtual holograms are well suited as mediums for visual music composition. This union is ripe with creative opportunity and fraught with challenges in the areas of aesthetics and technical implementation. Squarely situated upon the bleeding edge of phenomenological research and creative practice, this novel medium is within reach. Here, one methodological pipeline is delineated that employs the convergence of holophony, virtual holography and supercomputing toward the creation of visual music compositions intended for head-mounted displays or large-scale 3D/360-degree projection screens and high-density loudspeaker arrays.
Transductive Wind Music: Sharing the Danish Landscape with Wind Turbines
Authors: Højlund Marie , Riis Morten
Published: September 2020

In this article the authors present their sound art project Nephew vs. Overheard as an exploration of a messy, fragile and incoherent local approach to public ecological art, an approach that aims at creating links of affectivity with technological creatures, such as large wind turbines, with which we share our landscape. Supplementing, as well as challenging, the dominant global strategy of ecological art, the authors argue that it is essential to experiment with transductive chains of local environmental data, creating sensibilities that we can relate to in our everyday environments.
Interspecies Bodies and Watery Sonospheres: Listening in the Lab, the Archives and the Field
Authors: Holmstedt Janna
Published: September 2020

In this text, the author brings together scientific interspecies communication experiments, artistic practice and feminist posthumanities to inquire into the transformative role of sound and listening. Departing from an archive with recordings of human-dolphin language experiments, this research attends to sound as evidence and listening as a situated knowledge practice, with ethico-political implications that trouble Western, visually oriented knowledge systems. By imploding interfaces into situations of shared surfaces, the author directs attention to the logics of the skin to bring forth matters of care and suggest how listening might contribute to more careful and attentive modes of knowing.
Tactical Soundwalking in the City: A Feminist Turn from Eye to Ear
Authors: Loveless Stephanie
Published: September 2020

This article investigates a turn from eye to ear in the literature and practice of walking-as-art. Arguing for listening as a feminist and ecologically oriented mode of engaging with the world, the author examines the practice of soundwalking (Westerkamp) and Deep Listening (Oliveros), placing them in conversation with the work of Michel de Certeau, and concludes with a discussion of the creative projects of Suzanne Thorpe, Viv Corringham and Amanda Gutierrez in order to chart the importance of relational listening practices today.
Tasmanian chroodiscoid thelotremoid lichens (Graphidaceae) revisited

Authors: KANTVILAS GINTARAS
Published: September 2020

Some thelotremoid lichens of Tasmania are reviewed. The following new combinations are proposed: Gintarasia asteliae (Kantvilas & Vĕzda) Kantvilas, G. minor (Kantvilas & Vĕzda) Kantvilas and G. tasmanica (Kantvilas & Vĕzda) Kantvilas. A revised description of Schizotrema schizolomum (Müll.Arg.) Mangold & Lumbsch, based on Tasmanian collections, is provided, and the new species, S. vezdanum Kantvilas, recorded from Tasmanian and Victoria, is described and illustrated; it is characterised by a thallus containing stictic acid, 8-spored asci, and non-amyloid, muriform ascospores, 22−44 × 9−18 µm. Schizotrema guadeloupense (Hale) Mangold & Lumbsch is deleted from the Tasmanian census. Also described as new and illustrated is the Tasmanian endemic, Topeliopsis fatiscens Kantvilas, characterised by a thallus containing salazinic acid, (1−)2(−3)-spored asci and strongly amyloid, muriform ascospores, 37−100 × 19−40 µm. Thelotrema lepadodes var. endochrysoides Jatta is identified as a synonym of the cosmopolitan species T. lepadinum (Ach.) Ach.