bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy Control‐Based Energy‐Aware Routing Protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks
Authors: Wang Xintong , Zheng Guoqiang , Ma Huahong , Bai Weiwei , Wu Honghai , Ji Baofeng
Published: January 2021

Advances in medical and communication technologies have empowered the development of Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs). WBANs interconnect with miniature sensors placed on the human body to enable medical monitoring of patient health. However, the limited battery capacity, delay, and reliability of data transmission have brought challenges to the wider application of WBAN. Minimum consumption of energy and maximum satisfaction with the QoS requirements are essential design aims of the WBAN schemes. Therefore, a fuzzy control‐based energy‐aware routing protocol (EARP) is proposed in this paper, the proposed protocol establishes a fuzzy control model composed of remaining node energy and link quality, and the best forwarder node is determined by the processes of fuzzification, fuzzy inference, and defuzzification. The simulation results showed that compared with the performance of the existing EERDT and M‐TSIMPLE protocols, the proposed EARP has better performance, including extending network lifetime and improving the reliability of data transmission.
Chronic Energy Deficiency and Its Determinant Factors among Adults Aged 18–59 Years in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Dagne Samuel , Menber Yonatan , Wassihun Yosef , Dires Gedefaw , Abera Atitegeb , Adane Seteamlak , Linger Melese , Haile Zelalem T.
Published: January 2021

Background. The prevalence of undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries is still remarkably high. Undernutrition during adulthood is a greater risk factor for low productivity, poor health, and mortality. There is limited information on the prevalence and determinants of chronic energy deficiency in Ethiopia. Objective. To assess the prevalence and determinants of chronic energy deficiency among adults aged 18–59 years in Ethiopia. Method. A secondary data analysis was conducted using the data obtained from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. Data were collected using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique, and the analytic sample consisted of 9,280 adults aged 18–59 years. The chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used, and

p

value <0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Result. A total of 9280 adults aged 18–59 years were included in the study and 2911 (28.7%) (95% CI: 27.0%–30.4%) of whom were chronic energy deficient. Adults who have no work (AOR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.72), male adults from Tigray region (AOR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.61, 3.09), Afar region (AOR = 2.98, 95% CI: 2.04, 4.36), Somali region (AOR = 3.14, 95% CI: 2.19, 4.52), Gambella region (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.76), Harari region (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.19), Amhara region (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.13), Oromia region (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.19), Dire Dawa (AOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.05), adults live lonely (AOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.71), and adults residing in poor wealth index households (AOR = 1.26 : 95% CI: 1.07, 1.49) were significantly associated with chronic energy deficiency. Conclusion and recommendation. Chronic energy deficiency among male adults in Ethiopia was a high public health problem. Marital status, wealth index, occupation, and region were significant predictors of chronic energy deficiency. The Ministry of Health with other partners should strictly monitor and evaluate interventions that are being applied and should give focus to adult men to prevent malnutrition.
Assessment of Major Reproductive Disorders in Dairy Cattle in and around Bale Robe, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
Authors: Tolosa Fedhiko , Netsere Misrak , Habtamu Yitbarek
Published: January 2021

A cross-sectional study by employing a questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of major reproductive disorders in dairy cattle and its associated risk factors in and around Bale Robe town from November 2016 to April 2017. Out of 384 dairy cows which were under investigation, 254 (66.15%) had encountered at least one of the reproductive disorders. The major reproductive disorders recorded with high prevalence in the present study included mastitis (20.57%), repeat breeder (17.71%), retained fetal membrane (6.51%), uterine and vaginal prolapse (5.47%), and abortion (4.1%), whereas reproductive problems with lower incidence rate included dystocia, anestrus, hypocalcaemia, uterine discharge, and stillbirth accounting 3.91%, 1.82%, 1.30%, 1.04%, and 0.78%, respectively. The overall incidence of reproductive disorders in this study showed statistical significance (

p
<
0.05

) with respect to body condition, age of the animals, production system, and mating system. However, this finding indicated that occurrence of reproductive problems shows statistical insignificance compared to breed, parity, and hygiene of the farm. The prevalence of reproductive disorders in extensive management system (91.02%) was higher than intensive (64.58%) and semi-intensive (57.61%) management systems and also more in local breed (67.93%) than crossbreed (62.29%). However, the prevalence based on parity was higher in primiparous (71.05%) than pluriparous (64.07%) cows. In general, it is recommended that improvement in management system, proper selection of bull and appropriate timing of AI for breeding system, accurate heat detection, routine and periodical examination of cows, balanced feeding, and hygienic condition should be corrected to minimize the incidence of reproductive health disorders and associated risk factors in the study area.
Prevention and Control of Hydrogen Sulphide Accidents in Mining Extremely Thick Coal Seam: A Case Study in Wudong Coal Mine
Authors: Huang Xuchao , Wang Enmao , Wang Gang , Fan Jiuyuan
Published: January 2021

Hydrogen sulphide is a toxic gas often present in coal seams and seriously threatens the lives and health of underground workers in coal mines. In this study, we theoretically modelled hydrogen sulphide generation in extremely thick underground coal mines with the +575 level #45 coal seam of Wudong Coal Mine as an example and obtained the on-site hydrogen sulphide emission pattern and spatial distribution features by combining field measurements and computational fluid dynamics simulation. The results showed that hydrogen sulphide mainly exists in the coal porous system in an adsorbed state. Because hydrogen sulphide has a molecular weight greater than the average molecular weight of air molecules, its concentration decreases with the increase of altitude to the bottom plate. When mining the upper stratified coal stratum, it diffuses widely in the working space; while when mining the lower coal stratum, it mainly concentrates at the bottom of the working face. Based on these analyses, on-site treatments were carried out using mixtures with different concentrations of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. In addition, different combinations of catalysts as well as type A and type B wetting agents were also tested. Eventually, a neutral KXL-I absorbent was developed, and the process of preinjecting absorbent and spraying absorbent was designed. The results showed that the newly developed KXL-I absorbent has high hydrogen sulphide absorption ability and is suitable for use as an absorbent in Wudong Coal Mine; preinjecting and spraying the absorbent can effectively prevent hydrogen sulphide disasters in the +575 level #45 coal seam in Wudong Coal Mine with the optimal final concentration of 0.9% and the absorption rate of 87% at the shearer of 66.6% at the support. Overall, our study provides valuable information for the prevention and control of hydrogen sulphide disasters in coal mines.
Case Series: Clinical Impact of Plasmapheresis and Thymectomy on Early-Onset Myasthenia Gravis
Authors: Siahaan Yusak M.T. , Ketaren Retno Jayantri , Pangestu Aristo Rinaldi , Hartoyo Vinson
Published: January 2021

Thymectomy is a common procedure performed in cases of myasthenia gravis (MG) with a thymoma or general MG that does not improve with medical therapy. This procedure is usually preceded by plasmapheresis to prevent the occurrence of myasthenic crisis and improve clinical outcome after thymectomy. Early-onset MG has a different phenotype than late-onset MG. So far, the effectiveness of plasmapheresis followed by thymectomy in early-onset MG remains unclear because of the conflicting results of previous studies. We present 5 early-onset MG patients who underwent plasmapheresis followed by thymectomy in the 2007–2020 period. Follow-up was done 1 year after thymectomy. We describe clinical features and postoperative data and evaluate the clinical outcome after thymectomy. Muscle strength was assessed by the Medical Research Council scale. Evaluation of clinical stage before and after thymectomy were carried out with the modified Osserman classification. All patients showed improvement (100%) in the clinical grade of the modified Osserman classification: 3 patients were in the complete remission category and 2 patients were in the improved category. All patients with general weakness experienced improvement in muscle strength at the 1-year evaluation.
Joint Statement of the German Respiratory Society and German Society of Thoracic Surgery in Cooperation with the German Radiological Society: Structural Prerequisites of Centres for Interventional Treatment of Emphysema
Authors: Gesierich Wolfgang Johannes , Darwiche Kaid , Döllinger Felix , Eberhardt Ralf , Eisenmann Stephan , Grah Christian , Heußel Claus Peter , Huebner Ralf-Harto , Ley-Zaporozhan Julia , Stanzel Franz , Welter Stefan , Hoffmann Hans
Published: January 2021

Interventional treatment of emphysema offers a wide range of surgical and endoscopic options for patients with advanced disease. Multidisciplinary collaboration of pulmonology, thoracic surgery, and imaging disciplines in patient selection, therapy, and follow-up ensures treatment quality. The present joint statement describes the required structural and quality prerequisites of treatment centres. This is a translation of the German article “Positionspapier der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Pneumologie und Beatmungsmedizin und der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Thoraxchirurgie in Kooperation mit der Deutschen Röntgengesellschaft: Strukturvoraussetzungen von Zentren für die interventionelle Emphysemtherapie” Pneumologie. 2020;74:17–23.
Validation of Indian Council of Medical Research Neurocognitive Tool Box in Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment in India: Lessons from a Harmonization Process in a Linguistically Diverse Society
Authors: Menon Ramshekhar N. , Varghese Feba , Paplikar Avanthi , Mekala Shailaja , Alladi Suvarna , Sharma Meenakshi , Aralikatte Onkarappa Saroja , Gollahalli Divyaraj , Dutt Aparna , Ghosh Amitabha , Dhaliwal Rupinder Singh , Hooda Roopa , Iyer Gowri K. , Justus Sunitha , Kandukuri Rajmohan , Kaul Subhash , Banu Khan Arfa , Nandi Ranita , Narayanan Jwala , Nehra Ashima , Vasantha Padma M. , Pauranik Apoorva , Mathew Robert , Ramakrishnan Subasree , Sarath Lekha , Shah Urvashi , Tripathi Manjari , Padmavathy Narayana Sylaja , Varma Ravi Prasad , Verma Mansi , Vishwanath Yeshaswini
Published: January 2021

Background/Aims: In a linguistically diverse country such as India, challenges remain with regard to diagnosis of early cognitive decline among the elderly, with no prior attempts made to simultaneously validate a comprehensive battery of tests across domains in multiple languages. This study aimed to determine the utility of the Indian Council of Medical Research-Neurocognitive Tool Box (ICMR-NCTB) in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its vascular subtype (VaMCI) in 5 Indian languages. Methods: Literate subjects from 5 centers across the country were recruited using a uniform process, and all subjects were classified based on clinical evaluations and a gold standard test protocol into normal cognition, MCI, and VaMCI. Following adaptation and harmonization of the ICMR-NCTB across 5 different Indian languages into a composite Z score, its test performance against standards, including sensitivity and specificity of the instrument as well as of its subcomponents in diagnosis of MCI, was evaluated in age and education unmatched and matched groups. Results: Variability in sensitivity-specificity estimates was noted between languages when a total of 991 controls and 205 patients with MCI (157 MCI and 48 VaMCI) were compared due to a significant impact of age, education, and language. Data from a total of 506 controls, 144 patients with MCI, and 46 patients with VaMCI who were age- and education-matched were compared. Post hoc analysis after correction for multiple comparisons revealed better performance in controls relative to all-cause MCI. An optimum composite Z-score of −0.541 achieved a sensitivity of 81.1% and a specificity of 88.8% for diagnosis of all-cause MCI, with a high specificity for diagnosis of VaMCI. Using combinations of multiple-domain 2 test subcomponents retained a sensitivity and specificity of >80% for diagnosis of MCI. Conclusions: The ICMR-NCTB is a “first of its kind” approach at harmonizing neuropsychological tests across 5 Indian languages for the diagnosis of MCI due to vascular and other etiologies. Utilizing multiple-domain subcomponents also retains the validity of this instrument, making it a valuable tool in MCI research in multilingual settings.
Role of Intraductal RFA: A Novel Tool in the Palliative Care of Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Weismüller Tobias J.
Published: January 2021

Background: Patients with irresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC) have a limited prognosis with median survival times still less than 1 year. In addition to the current standard first-line systemic chemotherapy (gemcitabine and a platinum derivate), endoscopic treatment aims to ensure adequate drainage of the biliary system by placing biliary plastic or metal stents. Local ablative procedures like intraluminal biliary brachytherapy (ILBT) or photodynamic therapy (PDT) are used to improve local tumor control and to optimize the stent patency. Summary: Intraductal radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is another promising tool in the therapeutic armamentarium for the endoscopic management and tumor ablation of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA). By applying thermal energy to the tissue through high-frequency alternating current, RFA induces coagulative necrosis and causes local destruction of the tumor. It is established as a first line percutaneous treatment of solid liver tumors, and since 2011 an endoscopic catheter is available that allows intraductal RFA in the biliary or pancreatic ducts. While the first pilot studies primarily evaluated this new method in patients with distal eCCA, there is now evidence accumulating also for PHC. Two retrospective and two prospective studies demonstrated a significantly improved overall survival and a longer stent patency with intraductal RFA, which overall had a favorable safety profile and was not associated with a significant increase in adverse events. However, prospective studies comparing the efficacy and safety of intraductal RFA, PDT, and/or ILBT are lacking. Key Messages: Recent studies suggest that intraductal RFA is an effective and well-tolerated additional treatment option with regard to stent patency but also overall survival. Since RFA has fewer systemic side effects and requires less logistical effort when compared to ILBT and PDT, intraductal RFA should be considered as another safe and feasible adjuvant method for the palliative care of patients with advanced PHC. Since comparative studies are lacking, the choice of the local ablative method remains in each case an individual decision.
Surgical Therapy for Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma: State of the Art
Authors: Nooijen Lynn E. , Swijnenburg Rutger-Jan , Klümpen Heinz-Josef , Verheij Joanne , Kazemier Geert , van Gulik Thomas M. , Erdmann Joris I.
Published: January 2021

Background: Surgical therapy still offers the only chance of long-term survival for patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA). The aim of this narrative review is to summarize the current standards and challenges in the surgical treatment of pCCA. Summary: After imaging and defining resectability, the first step towards optimal surgical treatment is optimizing biliary drainage and preventing cholangitis, followed by securing adequate future liver remnant volume and/or function. The main goal of resection for pCCA is achieving radical resection and ultimately long-term survival. In order to achieve radical resection, several points will be addressed (e.g., vascular resection and reconstruction, intraoperative frozen sections, right versus left hemihepatectomy, and the usefulness of preoperative [chemo]therapy). Key Messages: In order to optimize long-term outcomes for patients with pCCA, collaboration between leading centers should be increased. In addition, this collaboration is necessary to design large prospective randomized controlled trials, as the incidence of pCCA is low and the number of resectable patients is even lower. Currently, most results are based on small retrospective cohort studies resulting in low evidence. In order to properly investigate how to improve long-term survival, we need to set up trials to confirm the results of small series suggesting the positive effect of preoperative chemotherapy and extended lymph node resection.
História das Relações Internacionais do Brasil: uma aventura metodológica
Authors: Franceschini Adilson
Published: January 2021

O campo de estudo da História das Relações Internacionais apresenta evolução e dinâmica próprias que precisam ser revisitadas. Nesse logo processo, podem ser observados a ascensão e o declínio da história nacionalista do século XIX, os fundamentos teóricos e os caminhos institucionais da hegemonização da École des Annales e, em uma dinâmica quase que paralela, as resistências para a formação e institucionalização da História das Relações Internacionais. Precursores desta última, Pierre Renouvin e Jean Baptiste Duroselle estabeleceram os bases do senso epistemológico da disciplina. No Brasil, Amado Cervo ampliou esses termos ao desenvolver ferramentas metodológicas para abordar e sustentar a inserção internacional brasileira de forma autônoma. Esses movimentos no tabuleiro do estudo e ensino das Relações Internacionais são importantes para que professores, pesquisadores, tomadores de decisão e estudantes não venham a reproduzir a cronologia dos eventos do Estado mascarada de História das Relações Internacionais.
Revisitando a Escola Inglesa – da velha via média das Relações Internacionais à nova escola inglesa
Authors: Patrício Raquel de Caria
Published: January 2021

Este artigo procura posicionar a Escola Inglesa na via intermédia entre o Realismo e o Idealismo, focando-se no pensamento de Hedley Bull e Martin Wight, e analisar a evolução da Escola Inglesa após o derrube do muro de Berlim, quando novas problemáticas foram agregadas ao estudo da sociedade internacional e das instituições internacionais. Pretende-se ainda demonstrar como a Escola Inglesa, fundada nas normas e nos padrões regulares de comportamento, é uma grande influência para a abordagem construtivista.  Frente a estas realidades, surge a grande pergunta de partida: por que razão, apesar dos estudos de Hedley Bull e de Martin Wight sobre a sociedade internacional e as instituições internacionais, a Escola Inglesa se manteve, à época, marginalizada frente à Escola Norte-Americana de Relações Internacionais?, a qual origina objetivos, alguns dos quais já mencionados, e hipóteses de trabalho, que serão alcançados e comprovadas.
A semântica do passado
Authors: Gomes Nelson Gonçalves
Published: January 2021

Este artigo apresenta a linguagem do passado, no contexto do antirrealismo de Michael Dummett. Ao final, de modo breve, o papel dos condicionais contrafáticos é enfatizado.
Risk Factors for Severe Residual Headache in Cerebral Venous Thrombosis
Authors: Ji Kangxiang , Zhou Chen , Wu Longfei , Li Weili , Jia Milan , Chu Min , Wu Di , Hou Chengbei , Duan Jiangang , Meng Ran , Ji Xunming
Published: January 2021

Background and purpose:

Which factors will influence the presence of severe residual headache after cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for severe residual headache in a large single-center cohort of patients with CVT.

Methods:

We consecutively included eligible patients with CVT from a prospective stroke registry. Severe residual headache was defined as a residual headache attack requiring bed rest or hospital admission within 1 month before the last follow-up visit. We identified the risk factors of severe residual headache in all survivors and in those with favorable functional outcome (a modified Rankin Scale score, 0–2).

Results:

A total of 325 patients’ data were analyzed. At the last follow-up (median 13 months), 43 patients (13.2%) reported severe headache. In the multivariable analysis, isolated intracranial hypertension (odds ratio [OR], 3.309 [95% CI, 1.434–7.634];
P
=0.005), CVT recurrence (OR, 4.722 [95% CI, 1.639–13.602];
P
=0.004), and no recanalization (OR, 10.158 [95% CI, 4.194–24.600];
P
<0.001) were independently associated with severe headache. Severe headache was more frequent in patients with unfavorable outcome (11/25 [44.0%] versus 32/300 [10.7%];
P
<0.001). In patients with favorable outcome, the risk factors for severe headache were isolated intracranial hypertension (OR, 3.236 [95% CI, 1.268–8.256];
P
=0.014) and no recanalization (OR, 7.863 [95% CI, 3.120–19.812];
P
<0.001).

Conclusions:

Isolated intracranial hypertension, CVT recurrence, and no recanalization increased the risk for severe residual headache after CVT.
Dynamic Prevalence of Sleep Disorders Following Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack
Authors: Hasan Faizul , Gordon Christopher , Wu Dean , Huang Hui-Chuan , Yuliana Lia Taurussia , Susatia Budi , Marta Ollyvia Freeska Dwi , Chiu Hsiao-Yean
Published: January 2021

Background and Purpose:

The exact prevalence of sleep disorders following stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) remains unclear. We aimed to determine the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing, insomnia, periodic leg movement during sleep, and restless leg syndrome following stroke or TIA in acute, subacute, and chronic phases and examine the moderating effects of patient characteristics (eg, age) and methodological features (eg, study quality) on the prevalence.

Methods:

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. Embase and PubMed were searched from inception to December 18, 2019. We included 64 047 adults in 169 studies (prospective, retrospective, case-control, and cross-sectional study designs) reporting the prevalence of sleep disorders following stroke or TIA.

Results:

In the acute phase, the overall prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe sleep-disordered breathing was 66.8%, 50.3%, and 31.6% (95% CIs, 63.8–69.7, 41.9–58.7, and 24.9–39.1). In the subacute phase, the prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe sleep-disordered breathing was 65.5%, 44.3%, and 36.1% (95% CIs, 58.9–71.5, 36.1–52.8, and 22.2–52.8). In the chronic phase, the summary prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe sleep-disordered breathing was 66.2%, 33.1%, and 25.1% (95% CIs, 58.6–73.1, 24.8–42.6, and 10.9–47.6). The prevalence rates of insomnia in the acute, subacute, and chronic phases were 40.7%, 42.6%, and 35.9% (95% CIs, 31.8–50.3, 31.7–54.1, and 28.6–44.0). The pooled prevalence of periodic leg movement during sleep in the acute, subacute, and chronic phases was 32.0%, 27.3%, and 48.2% (95% CIs, 7.4–73.5, 11.6–51.7, and 33.1–63.5). The summary prevalence of restless leg syndrome in the acute and chronic phases was 10.4% and 13.7% (95 CIs, 6.4–16.4 and 2.3–51.8). Age, sex, comorbidities, smoking history, and study region had significant moderating effects on the prevalence of sleep disorders.

Conclusions:

Sleep disorders following stroke or TIA are highly prevalent over time. Our findings indicate the importance of early screening and treating sleep disorders following stroke or TIA.
Anecdotic observations of homosexual behaviour among male capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp.)
Authors: Rufo Henrique P. , Ottoni Eduardo B.
Published: January 2021

Many species were reported engaging in homosexual behaviour among mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. In primates, this behaviour seems to be much more frequent among apes and Old World monkeys than in New World monkeys, where only a few species, like squirrel monkeys, tamarins, marmosets, and capuchins, have been observed engaging in same-sex mounts. In capuchin monkeys, homosexual mounting has been rarely reported, with a few observations in Cebus capucinus and captive Sapajus groups. However, homosexual behaviour between males of the genus Sapajus has never before been reported outside captivity. Our observations are the first made with a semi free-ranging group living in the Tiete Ecological Park (São Paulo, SP, Brazil), during an experimental study. Four events of male-male mounts were observed, involving six individuals — two juveniles and four adults, which do not seem related to hierarchical or age group factors, but could be related to getting access to our experimental apparatus.
Fledgling sex-ratio is biased towards the helping sex in a Neotropical cooperative breeder, the brown-and-yellow marshbird (Pseudoleistes virescens)
Authors: Mermoz Myriam E. , Villarruel Cecilia , de la Colina Alicia , Mahler Bettina
Published: January 2021

In many cooperatively breeding species, helpers increase the breeding success of their parents. The repayment hypothesis predicts a skewed sex-ratio towards the helping sex at population level; at individual level bias would increase in broods attended by a smaller number of helpers. We studied a brown-and-yellow marshbird (Pseudoleistes virescens) population during 11 breeding seasons. We found that 90% of helpers were males and that they increased nestling survival, although this effect disappeared in presence of parasitic shiny cowbirds. Helpers sometimes helped at nests of adults other than their parents. Population sex-ratio of fledglings was highly skewed towards males (1.4:1). At individual level, male-biased sex-ratio of fledglings was more pronounced early in the season and increased with brood losses but was not affected by number of helpers. Marshbirds feed at communal areas so retaining helpers would not be costly. Therefore, a general skew towards males might be the best adaptive strategy.
Additions to pestalotioid fungi in Thailand: Neopestalotiopsis hydeana sp. nov. and Pestalotiopsis hydei sp. nov.

Authors: HUANALUEK NARUEMON , JAYAWARDENA RUVISHIKA S. , MAHARACHCHIKUMBURA SAJEEWA S. N. , HARISHCHANDRA DULANJALEE L.
Published: January 2021

Pestalotioid fungi commonly occur as pathogens, endophytes or saprobes. In this study, pestalotioid fungi associated with leaf spots and fruit rots were isolated from Alpinia malaccensis, A. galangal, Annona squamosa, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Citrus sp., Garcinia mangostana, Litsea petiolata, a pteridophyte, and Vitis vinifera in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Based on single- and multi-locus phylogenies using internal transcribed spacer, β-tubulin and partial translation elongation factor 1-α gene regions, along with morphological features, the isolates were identified as two new species, Neopestalotiopsis hydeana and Pestalotiopsis hydei. This is the first time a Pestalotiopsis sp. was reported associated with Litsea petiolata and a Neopestalotiopsis sp. recorded from Alpinia, Annona, Artocarpus, Garcinia and a pteridophyte in the world. This fungal group can be considered as an emerging pathogenic group on different hosts in different climatic conditions.
The first record of the subfamily Dasycerinae in Taiwan, with description of a new species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)
Authors: HU FANG-SHUO , LIANG WEI-REN
Published: January 2021

Dasycerus poseidon Hu & Liang, sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on fresh specimens from central and southern Taiwan, which filled in the disjunct distribution between the Japanese archipelago and south-eastern Asia. The new species represents the first record of the subfamily Dasycerinae in Taiwan. The barcoding sequence of the holotype of D. poseidon Hu & Liang, sp. nov.is provided, and revealed a surprisingly large genetic distance within the genus. Detailed illustrations of D. poseidon Hu & Liang, sp. nov. by scanning electron micrograph and micro-computed tomography are also provided. Living individuals of D. poseidon Hu & Liang, sp. nov. were observed eating the mycelium of Pleurotus ostreatus in lab conditions, which represents the first direct evidence of mycophagous habits of Dasycerinae.
Modified View of Energy Budget Diagram and Its Application to the Kuroshio Extension Region
Authors: Matsuta Takuro , Masumoto Yukio
Published: January 2021

The nonlocality of eddy–mean flow interactions, which appears explicitly in the modified Lorentz diagram as a form of the interaction energy, and its link to other estimation methods are revisited, and a new formulation for the potential enstrophy is proposed. The application of these methods to the Kuroshio Extension region suggests that the combined use of energy analysis with other methods, including the potential enstrophy diagram, provides more comprehensive understandings for the eddy–mean flow interactions in the limited region. It is shown that the interaction energy is transported from the nearshore and upstream regions to the downstream region in the form of the interaction energy flux, causing acceleration of the Kuroshio Extension jet in the downstream region. The potential enstrophy diagram indicates that the eddy field decelerates (accelerates) the jet in the nearshore (downstream) region, which is a consistent result with the energy analysis. It turns out that the interaction potential enstrophy flux is radiated from a region of the eddy kinetic energy maximum toward the upstream region, which is the opposite direction from the interaction energy flux. The interaction potential enstrophy flux that originated from this eddy kinetic energy maximum region also convergences near the center of the northern recirculation gyre of the Kuroshio Extension region and tends to stabilize the structures of the recirculation gyre. Together with the energy analysis that indicates the eddy field accelerates the northeastern part of the recirculation gyre through the local interactions, the present analyses support the arguments on the eddy-driven northern recirculation gyre.
Giant inguinoscrotal hernia in children: two rare cases
Authors: Aihole Jayalaxmi Shripati
Published: January 2021

Background

Inguinal hernia is one of the most common surgical diseases encountered in adults as well as in children. Though rare, giant inguinoscrotal hernias are reported in adults, however, are rarely reported in children.

Case presentation

Here is a report of two rare cases of giant inguinoscrotal hernias in children managed successfully.

Conclusion

Giant inguinoscrotal hernias in children are rare and should be referred early and managed in a tertiary care paediatric centre.
Modeling drug mechanism of action with large scale gene-expression profiles using GPAR, an artificial intelligence platform
Authors: Gao Shengqiao , Han Lu , Luo Dan , Liu Gang , Xiao Zhiyong , Shan Guangcun , Zhang Yongxiang , Zhou Wenxia
Published: January 2021

Background

Querying drug-induced gene expression profiles with machine learning method is an effective way for revealing drug mechanism of actions (MOAs), which is strongly supported by the growth of large scale and high-throughput gene expression databases. However, due to the lack of code-free and user friendly applications, it is not easy for biologists and pharmacologists to model MOAs with state-of-art deep learning approach.

Results

In this work, a newly developed online collaborative tool, Genetic profile-activity relationship (GPAR) was built to help modeling and predicting MOAs easily via deep learning. The users can use GPAR to customize their training sets to train self-defined MOA prediction models, to evaluate the model performances and to make further predictions automatically. Cross-validation tests show GPAR outperforms Gene set enrichment analysis in predicting MOAs.

Conclusion

GPAR can serve as a better approach in MOAs prediction, which may facilitate researchers to generate more reliable MOA hypothesis.
Set-theory based benchmarking of three different variant callers for targeted sequencing
Authors: Molina-Mora Jose Arturo , Solano-Vargas Mariela
Published: January 2021

Background

Next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have improved the study of hereditary diseases. Since the evaluation of bioinformatics pipelines is not straightforward, NGS demands effective strategies to analyze data that is of paramount relevance for decision making under a clinical scenario. According to the benchmarking framework of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), we implemented a new simple and user-friendly set-theory based method to assess variant callers using a gold standard variant set and high confidence regions. As model, we used TruSight Cardio kit sequencing data of the reference genome NA12878. This targeted sequencing kit is used to identify variants in key genes related to Inherited Cardiac Conditions (ICCs), a group of cardiovascular diseases with high rates of morbidity and mortality.

Results

We implemented and compared three variant calling pipelines (Isaac, Freebayes, and VarScan). Performance metrics using our set-theory approach showed high-resolution pipelines and revealed: (1) a perfect recall of 1.000 for all three pipelines, (2) very high precision values, i.e. 0.987 for Freebayes, 0.928 for VarScan, and 1.000 for Isaac, when compared with the reference material, and (3) a ROC curve analysis with AUC > 0.94 for all cases. Moreover, significant differences were obtained between the three pipelines. In general, results indicate that the three pipelines were able to recognize the expected variants in the gold standard data set.

Conclusions

Our set-theory approach to calculate metrics was able to identify the expected ICCs related variants by the three selected pipelines, but results were completely dependent on the algorithms. We emphasize the importance to assess pipelines using gold standard materials to achieve the most reliable results for clinical application.
H2V: a database of human genes and proteins that respond to SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV infection
Authors: Zhou Nan , Bao Jinku , Ning Yuping
Published: January 2021

Background

The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus first discovered at the end of 2019. It has led to more than 50 million confirmed cases and more than 1 million deaths across 219 countries as of 11 November 2020, according to WHO statistics. SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV are similar. They are highly pathogenic and threaten public health, impair the economy, and inflict long-term impacts on society. No drug or vaccine has been approved as a treatment for these viruses. Efforts to develop antiviral measures have been hampered by the insufficient understanding of how the human body responds to viral infections at the cellular and molecular levels.

Results

In this study, journal articles and transcriptomic and proteomic data surveying coronavirus infections were collected. Response genes and proteins were then identified by differential analyses comparing gene/protein levels between infected and control samples. Finally, the H2V database was created to contain the human genes and proteins that respond to SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV infection.

Conclusions

H2V provides molecular information about the human response to infection. It can be a powerful tool to discover cellular pathways and processes relevant for viral pathogenesis to identify potential drug targets. It is expected to accelerate the process of antiviral agent development and to inform preparations for potential future coronavirus-related emergencies. The database is available at:http://www.zhounan.org/h2v.
The micro-RNA content of unsorted cryopreserved bovine sperm and its relation to the fertility of sperm after sex-sorting
Authors: Keles Esin , Malama Eleni , Bozukova Siyka , Siuda Mathias , Wyck Sarah , Witschi Ulrich , Bauersachs Stefan , Bollwein Heinrich
Published: January 2021

Background

The use of sex-sorted sperm in cattle assisted reproduction is constantly increasing. However, sperm fertility can substantially differ between unsorted (conventional) and sex-sorted semen batches of the same sire. Sperm microRNAs (miRNA) have been suggested as promising biomarkers of bull fertility the last years. In this study, we hypothesized that the miRNA profile of cryopreserved conventional sperm is related to bull fertility after artificial insemination with X-bearing sperm. For this purpose, we analyzed the miRNA profile of 18 conventional sperm samples obtained from nine high- (HF) and nine low-fertility (LF) bulls that were contemporaneously used to produce conventional and sex-sorted semen batches. The annual 56-day non-return rate for each semen type (NRRconv and NRRss, respectively) was recorded for each bull.

Results

In total, 85 miRNAs were detected. MiR-34b-3p and miR-100-5p were the two most highly expressed miRNAs with their relative abundance reaching 30% in total. MiR-10a-5p and miR-9-5p were differentially expressed in LF and HF samples (false discovery rate < 10%). The expression levels of miR-9-5p, miR-34c, miR-423-5p, miR-449a, miR-5193-5p, miR-1246, miR-2483-5p, miR-92a, miR-21–5p were significantly correlated to NRRss but not to NRRconv. Based on robust regression analysis, miR-34c, miR-7859 and miR-342 showed the highest contribution to the prediction of NRRss.

Conclusions

A set of miRNAs detected in conventionally produced semen batches were linked to the fertilizing potential of bovine sperm after sex-sorting. These miRNAs should be further evaluated as potential biomarkers of a sire’s suitability for the production of sex-sorted sperm.
Shotgun proteomics of peach fruit reveals major metabolic pathways associated to ripening
Authors: Nilo-Poyanco Ricardo , Moraga Carol , Benedetto Gianfranco , Orellana Ariel , Almeida Andrea Miyasaka
Published: January 2021

Background

Fruit ripening in Prunus persica melting varieties involves several physiological changes that have a direct impact on the fruit organoleptic quality and storage potential. By studying the proteomic differences between the mesocarp of mature and ripe fruit, it would be possible to highlight critical molecular processes involved in the fruit ripening.

Results

To accomplish this goal, the proteome from mature and ripe fruit was assessed from the variety O’Henry through shotgun proteomics using 1D-gel (PAGE-SDS) as fractionation method followed by LC/MS-MS analysis. Data from the 131,435 spectra could be matched to 2740 proteins, using the peach genome reference v1. After data pre-treatment, 1663 proteins could be used for comparison with datasets assessed using transcriptomic approaches and for quantitative protein accumulation analysis. Close to 26% of the genes that code for the proteins assessed displayed higher expression at ripe fruit compared to other fruit developmental stages, based on published transcriptomic data. Differential accumulation analysis between mature and ripe fruit revealed that 15% of the proteins identified were modulated by the ripening process, with glycogen and isocitrate metabolism, and protein localization overrepresented in mature fruit, as well as cell wall modification in ripe fruit. Potential biomarkers for the ripening process, due to their differential accumulation and gene expression pattern, included a pectin methylesterase inhibitor, a gibbellerin 2-beta-dioxygenase, an omega-6 fatty acid desaturase, a homeobox-leucine zipper protein and an ACC oxidase. Transcription factors enriched in NAC and Myb protein domains would target preferentially the genes encoding proteins more abundant in mature and ripe fruit, respectively.

Conclusions

Shotgun proteomics is an unbiased approach to get deeper into the proteome allowing to detect differences in protein abundance between samples. This technique provided a resolution so that individual gene products could be identified. Many proteins likely involved in cell wall and sugar metabolism, aroma and color, change their abundance during the transition from mature to ripe fruit.
A transfer learning model with multi-source domains for biomedical event trigger extraction
Authors: Chen Yifei
Published: January 2021

Background

Automatic extraction of biomedical events from literature, that allows for faster update of the latest discoveries automatically, is a heated research topic now. Trigger word recognition is a critical step in the process of event extraction. Its performance directly influences the results of the event extraction. In general, machine learning-based trigger recognition approaches such as neural networks must to be trained on a dataset with plentiful annotations to achieve high performances. However, the problem of the datasets in wide coverage event domains is that their annotations are insufficient and imbalance. One of the methods widely used to deal with this problem is transfer learning. In this work, we aim to extend the transfer learning to utilize multiple source domains. Multiple source domain datasets can be jointly trained to help achieve a higher recognition performance on a target domain with wide coverage events.

Results

Based on the study of previous work, we propose an improved multi-source domain neural network transfer learning architecture and a training approach for biomedical trigger detection task, which can share knowledge between the multi-source and target domains more comprehensively. We extend the ability of traditional adversarial networks to extract common features between source and target domains, when there is more than one dataset in the source domains. Multiple feature extraction channels to simultaneously capture global and local common features are designed. Moreover, under the constraint of an extra classifier, the multiple local common feature sub-channels can extract and transfer more diverse common features from the related multi-source domains effectively. In the experiments, MLEE corpus is used to train and test the proposed model to recognize the wide coverage triggers as a target dataset. Other four corpora with the varying degrees of relevance with MLEE from different domains are used as source datasets, respectively. Our proposed approach achieves recognition improvement compared with traditional adversarial networks. Moreover, its performance is competitive compared with the results of other leading systems on the same MLEE corpus.

Conclusions

The proposed Multi-Source Transfer Learning-based Trigger Recognizer (MSTLTR) can further improve the performance compared with the traditional method, when the source domains are more than one. The most essential improvement is that our approach represents common features in two aspects: the global common features and the local common features. Hence, these more sharable features improve the performance and generalization of the model on the target domain effectively.
Hepatic transcriptome perturbations in dairy cows fed different forage resources
Authors: Gao S. T. , Ma Lu , Zhang Y. D. , Wang J. Q. , Loor J. J. , Bu D. P.
Published: January 2021

Background

Forage plays critical roles in milk performance of dairy. However, domestic high-quality forage such as alfalfa hay is far from being sufficient in China. Thus, more than 1 million tons of alfalfa hay were imported in China annually in recent years. At the same time, more than 10 million tons of corn stover are generated annually in China. Thus, taking full advantage of corn stover to meet the demand of forage and reduce dependence on imported alfalfa hay has been a strategic policy for the Chinese dairy industry. Changes in liver metabolism under different forage resources are not well known. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of different forage resources on liver metabolism using RNAseq and bioinformatics analyses.

Results

The results of this study showed that the cows fed a diet with corn stover (CS) as the main forage had lower milk yield, DMI, milk protein content and yield, milk fat yield, and lactose yield than cows fed a mixed forage (MF) diet (P <  0.01). KEGG analysis for differently expressed genes (DEG) in liver (81 up-regulated and 423 down-DEG, Padj ≤0.05) showed that pathways associated with glycan biosynthesis and metabolism and amino acid metabolism was inhibited by the CS diet. In addition, results from DAVID and ClueGO indicated that biological processes related to cell-cell adhesion, multicellular organism growth, and amino acid and protein metabolism also were downregulated by feeding CS. Co-expression network analysis indicated that FAM210A, SLC26A6, FBXW5, EIF6, ZSCAN10, FPGS, and ARMCX2 played critical roles in the network. Bioinformatics analysis showed that genes within the co-expression network were enriched to “pyruvate metabolic process”, “complement activation, classical pathway”, and “retrograde transport, endosome to Golgi”.

Conclusions

Results of the present study indicated that feeding a low-quality forage diet inhibits important biological functions of the liver at least in part due to a reduction in DMI. In addition, the results of the present study provide an insight into the metabolic response in the liver to different-quality forage resources. As such, the data can help develop favorable strategies to improve the utilization of corn stover in China.
Transcriptomic time-series analysis of cold- and heat-shock response in psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria
Authors: Duru Ilhan Cem , Ylinen Anne , Belanov Sergei , Pulido Alan Avila , Paulin Lars , Auvinen Petri
Published: January 2021

Background

Psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species are the dominant species in the microbiota of cold-stored modified-atmosphere-packaged food products and are the main cause of food spoilage. Despite the importance of psychrotrophic LAB, their response to cold or heat has not been studied. Here, we studied the transcriptome-level cold- and heat-shock response of spoilage lactic acid bacteria with time-series RNA-seq for Le. gelidum, Lc. piscium, and P. oligofermentans at 0 °C, 4 °C, 14 °C, 25 °C, and 28 °C.

Results

We observed that the cold-shock protein A (cspA) gene was the main cold-shock protein gene in all three species. Our results indicated that DEAD-box RNA helicase genes (cshA, cshB) also play a critical role in cold-shock response in psychrotrophic LAB. In addition, several RNase genes were involved in cold-shock response in Lc. piscium and P. oligofermentans. Moreover, gene network inference analysis provided candidate genes involved in cold-shock response. Ribosomal proteins, tRNA modification, rRNA modification, and ABC and efflux MFS transporter genes clustered with cold-shock response genes in all three species, indicating that these genes could be part of the cold-shock response machinery. Heat-shock treatment caused upregulation of Clp protease and chaperone genes in all three species. We identified transcription binding site motifs for heat-shock response genes in Le. gelidum and Lc. piscium. Finally, we showed that food spoilage-related genes were upregulated at cold temperatures.

Conclusions

The results of this study provide new insights on the cold- and heat-shock response of psychrotrophic LAB. In addition, candidate genes involved in cold- and heat-shock response predicted using gene network inference analysis could be used as targets for future studies.