bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The prevalence of mental illness and unmet needs of police custody detainees
Authors: Samele Chiara , McKinnon Iain , Brown Penelope , Srivastava Samir , Arnold Aleksandra , Hallett Nicholas , Forrester Andrew
Published: April 2021

Background

Internationally, there is evidence of high rates of mental disorders amongst police custody detainees but this literature is limited, and there has been little research into the unmet needs of police detainees in the UK, or elsewhere. Such research could support better focussed interventions for improving health and recidivism outcomes.

Aim

To examine psychiatric and developmental morbidity amongst police detainees, and ascertain differences in need between morbidity categories.

Method

We used a cross‐sectional study design and interviewed a 40% sample of people entering police custody in one South London police station over a 2‐week period. A series of standardised measures was administered to screen for the presence of mental illness, general health and social care needs.

Results

A cohort of 134 people was generated, of whom nearly one‐third (39, 29%) had current mental illness (major depression and/or psychosis); more had a lifetime diagnosis (54, 40%). Just under a fifth met the threshold for post‐traumatic stress disorder (11, 8%). Clinically relevant alcohol or daily cannabis use affected about one quarter of the sample. Twenty‐one percent (or 28) screened positive for personality disorder, 11% (or 15) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and 4% (6) for intellectual disability. Nearly one‐fifth (24, 18%) were at risk for suicide. Those with psychosis, and those deemed at risk for suicide, had the highest levels of unmet need and, indeed, overall need. The most frequent unmet need was for accommodation.

Conclusion

Our findings not only confirm high rates of mental health problems amongst police detainees but also demonstrate their high risk of suicide and high levels of unmet need, especially as regards accommodation. This underscores the need to provide mental health services in police stations, to help identify and resolve these issues at this early stage in the criminal justice system. Extending accommodation capacity to help some arrestees may help to save lives and interrupt cycling through the criminal justice system.
Primary age‐related EBV‐associated effusion‐based lymphoma successfully treated with rituximab and thoracentesis
Authors: Kuhlman Justin J. , Alhaj Moustafa Muhamad , Tun Alexander J. , Menke David M. , Tun Han W. , Jiang Liuyan
Published: April 2021

EBV‐positive HHV8‐negative EBL is part of the spectrum of EBV‐positive diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma NOS. This entity can be labeled as primary age‐related EBV‐associated EBL and appears to respond well to rituximab and thoracentesis.
Understanding the effects of counterfeit quality on consumer attitudes toward genuine brands: An associative judgment model
Authors: Astray Tatiana V. , Darke Peter R. , Tasa Kevin
Published: April 2021

Using an associative judgment framework, the authors examine the implications that negative feedback about counterfeit performance can have on subsequent evaluations for both the imitated genuine brand and competing genuine brands. Findings from two studies suggest that poor–quality counterfeits can carry over to produce negative evaluations for the target brand and closely associated competitors, but not to weakly associated competitors. These negative carry–over effects were qualified by country–of–origin differences and increased cognitive elaboration. These findings have important theoretical and managerial implications for the problems that counterfeits pose to genuine brands.
Longitudinal evaluation of multiple biomarkers for the detection of testosterone gel administration in women with normal menstrual cycle
Authors: Salamin Olivier , Nicoli Raul , Langer Tobias , Boccard Julien , Grundisch Carine Schweizer , Xu Cheng , Rudaz Serge , Kuuranne Tiia , Pitteloud Nelly , Saugy Martial
Published: April 2021

In women, hormonal fluctuations related to the menstrual cycle may impose a great source of variability for some biomarkers of testosterone (T) administration, which can ultimately disrupt the sensitivity of their longitudinal monitoring. In this study, the sensitivity of the current urinary and haematological markers of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), as well as serum steroid biomarkers, was investigated for the monitoring of a 28‐day T gel treatment combined with endogenous fluctuation of the menstrual cycle in 14 healthy female subjects. Additionally, the analysis of urinary target compounds was performed on a subset of samples for endogenous/exogenous origin via isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). In serum, concentrations of T and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) increased significantly during the treatment, whereas in urine matrix the most affected biomarkers were found to be the ratios of testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) and 5α‐androstane‐3α,17β‐diol/epitestosterone (5αAdiol/E). The detection capability of both urinary biomarkers was heavily influenced by [E], which fluctuated depending on the menstrual cycle, and resulted in low sensitivity of the urinary steroidal ABP module. On the contrary, an alternative approach by the longitudinal monitoring of serum T and DHT concentrations with the newly proposed T/androstenedione ratio showed higher sensitivity. The confirmatory IRMS results demonstrated that less than one third of the tested urine samples fulfilled the criteria for positivity. Results from this study demonstrated that the ‘blood steroid profile’ represents a powerful complementary approach to the ‘urinary module’ and underlines the importance of gathering bundle of evidence to support the scenario of an endogenous prohibited substance administration.
Rapid deforestation of a coastal landscape driven by sea‐level rise and extreme events
Authors: Ury Emily A. , Yang Xi , Wright Justin P. , Bernhardt Emily S.
Published: April 2021

Climate change is driving ecological shifts in coastal regions of the world, where low topographic relief makes ecosystems particularly vulnerable to sea‐level rise, salinization, storm surge, and other effects of global climate change. The consequences of rising water tables and salinity can penetrate well inland, and lead to particularly dramatic changes in freshwater forested wetlands dominated by tree species with low salt tolerance. The resulting loss of coastal forests could have significant implications to the coastal carbon cycle. We quantified the rates of vegetation change including land loss, forest loss, and shrubland expansion in North Carolina’s largest coastal wildlife refuge over 35 yr. Despite its protected status, and in the absence of any active forest management, 32% (31,600 hectares) of the refuge area has changed landcover classification during the study period. A total of 1,151 hectares of land was lost to the sea and ~19,300 hectares of coastal forest habitat was converted to shrubland or marsh habitat. As much as 11% of all forested cover in the refuge transitioned to a unique land cover type—“ghost forest”—characterized by standing dead trees and fallen tree trunks. The formation of this ghost forest transition state peaked prominently between 2011 and 2012, following Hurricane Irene and a 5‐yr drought, with 4,500 ± 990 hectares of ghost forest forming during that year alone. This is the first attempt to map and quantify coastal ghost forests using remote sensing. Forest losses were greatest in the eastern portion of the refuge closest to the Croatan and Pamlico Sounds, but also occurred much further inland in low‐elevation areas and alongside major canals. These unprecedented rates of deforestation and land cover change due to climate change may become the status quo for coastal regions worldwide, with implications for wetland function, wildlife habitat, and global carbon cycling.
Long‐term trends in the phylogenetic and functional diversity of Anatidae in South China coastal wetlands
Authors: Che Xianli , Zhang Min , Zhao Xuebing , Zhang Qiang , Zhao Yanyan , Møller Anders Pape , Zou Fasheng
Published: April 2021

Species loss has attracted much attention among scientists for more than half a century. However, we have little information on the trends in phylogenetic and functional changes behind the species loss although this information is always asynchronous and important for conservation and management. We measured community trends in Anatidae (ducks and geese) for the last 50 yr to quantify trends in phylogenetic and functional diversity patterns coinciding with taxonomic historical dynamics. We used one‐way ANOVAs to test if there was a significant historical trend in communities of Anatidae. We characterized taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of communities. For taxonomic diversity, we used species richness (SR). For phylogenetic diversity, we calculated the standardized effect size of mean pairwise distances (ses.MPD) and the standard effect size of mean nearest taxon distances (ses.MNTD) in communities. For functional diversity, we calculated functional richness (FRic), functional evenness (FEve), functional divergence (FDiv), and the community‐level weighted means (CWM) of trait values for diet, foraging stratum, and body mass, separately. From the 1950s to 2010s, species richness declined without significant trends. The ses.MNTD of Anatidae communities showed no clear trends. However, ses.MPD of Anatidae communities declined dramatically during this period. For functional diversity, functional evenness of diet, foraging stratum, body mass, and functional dispersion of diet, foraging stratum did not increase or decline significantly. However, functional evenness of all traits, functional richness, and functional dispersion of body mass showed declined trends. The basic phylogenetic diversity and species body mass of Anatidae communities declined significantly because of a declining trend in the relative independent branch of geese. This makes it more challenging for implement community recovery in the future. More attention in conservation biology should consider taxonomic diversity and asynchrony in phylogenetic and functional diversity.
Fishing and habitat condition differentially affect size spectra slopes of coral reef fishes
Authors: Carvalho Paul G. , Setiawan Fakhrizal , Fahlevy Karizma , Subhan Beginer , Madduppa Hawis , Zhu Guangyu , Humphries Austin T.
Published: April 2021

Marine food webs are structured through a combination of top‐down and bottom‐up processes. In coral reef ecosystems, fish size is related to life‐history characteristics and size‐based indicators can represent the distribution and flow of energy through the food web. Thus, size spectra can be a useful tool for investigating the impacts of both fishing and habitat condition on the health and productivity of coral reef fisheries. In addition, coral reef fisheries are often data‐limited and size spectra analysis can be a relatively cost‐effective and simple method for assessing fish populations. Abundance size spectra are widely used and quantify the relationship between organism size and relative abundance. Previous studies that have investigated the impacts of fishing and habitat condition together on the size distribution of coral reef fishes, however, have aggregated all fishes regardless of taxonomic identity. This leads to a poor understanding of how fishes with different feeding strategies, body size‐abundance relationships, or catchability might be influenced by top‐down and bottom‐up drivers. To address this gap, we quantified size spectra slopes of carnivorous and herbivorous coral reef fishes across three regions of Indonesia representing a gradient in fishing pressure and habitat conditions. We show that fishing pressure was the dominant driver of size spectra slopes such that they became steeper as fishing pressure increased, which was due to the removal of large‐bodied fishes. When considering fish functional groups separately, however, carnivore size spectra slopes were more heavily impacted by fishing than herbivores. Also, structural complexity, which can mediate predator‐prey interactions and provisioning of resources, was a relatively important driver of herbivore size spectra slopes such that slopes were shallower in more complex habitats. Our results show that size spectra slopes can be used as indicators of fishing pressure on coral reef fishes, but aggregating fish regardless of trophic identity or functional role overlooks differential impacts of fishing pressure and habitat condition on carnivore and herbivore size distributions.
Development of SiC merged reverse conductive devices
Authors: Sugawara Yoshitaka
Published: April 2021

SiC merged reverse conductive (MRC) power devices composed of both unipolar devices and bipolar devices have been developed to achieve a smaller chip size, a lower power loss, and a higher reliability. SiC MRC power devices such as SiC MRC‐MOSFET and SiC MRC‐IGBT can achieve this performance, but have the problems of on‐voltage degradation and a large snap‐back voltage. The former has been solved by the newly developed majority carrier heating‐TEDREC (MaCH‐TEDREC) method and the latter has been solved by both the newly developed double buffer device structure and novel standard cells with pilot IGBT.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Alter the Hepatic Expression of Genes Involved in Sanderling (Calidris alba) Pre-migratory Fueling
Authors: Bianchini Kristin , Crump Doug , Farhat Amani , Morrissey Christy A.
Published: April 2021

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) impaired pre-migratory fueling in 49 orally dosed Sanderling (Calidris alba). In the present study, 8 genes related to fat deposition and PAH exposure were measured in liver subsamples from these same shorebirds. At the highest dose (1260 µg total PAH [tPAH]/kg body wt/day), PAH exposure decreased liver basic fatty acid binding protein 1 (Lbfabp) and hepatic lipase (Lipc) expression. The present study reveals candidate molecular-level pathways for observed avian pre-migratory refueling impairment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1981–1989. © 2021 SETAC
Ecological Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in the Transboundary Vecht River (Germany and The Netherlands)
Authors: Duarte Daniel J. , Niebaum Gunnar , Lämmchen Volker , van Heijnsbergen Eri , Oldenkamp Rik , Hernández-Leal Lucia , Schmitt Heike , Ragas Ad M. J. , Klasmeier Jörg
Published: April 2021

Millions of people rely on active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to prevent and cure a wide variety of illnesses in humans and animals, which has led to a steadily increasing consumption of APIs across the globe and concurrent releases of APIs into the environment. In the environment, APIs can have a detrimental impact on wildlife, particularly aquatic wildlife. Therefore, it is essential to assess their potential adverse effects to aquatic ecosystems. The European Water Framework Directive sets out that risk assessment should be performed at the catchment level, crossing borders where needed. The present study defines ecological risk profiles for surface water concentrations of 8 APIs (carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, cyclophosphamide, diclofenac, erythromycin, 17α-ethinylestradiol, metformin, and metoprolol) in the Vecht River, a transboundary river that crosses several German and Dutch regions. Ultimately, 3 main goals were achieved: 1) the geo-referenced estimation of API concentrations in surface water using the geography-referenced regional exposure assessment tool for European rivers; 2) the derivation of new predicted-no-effect concentrations for 7 of the studied APIs, of which 3 were lower than previously derived values; and 3) the creation of detailed spatially explicit ecological risk profiles of APIs under 2 distinct water flow scenarios. Under average flow conditions, carbamazepine, diclofenac, and 17α-ethinylestradiol were systematically estimated to surpass safe ecological concentration thresholds in at least 68% of the catchment's water volume. This increases to 98% under dry summer conditions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:648–662. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC

Abstract

Spatially explicit environmental pharmaceutical risk profiles in the Vecht River basin under 2 climate condition scenarios.
Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) elastin hydrolysate‐derived peptides attenuate UVA irradiation‐induced cell damage in human HaCaT keratinocytes
Authors: Amakye William Kwame , Yang Liu , Yao Maojin , Yuan Erdong , Ren Ruiwen , Ren Jiaoyan
Published: April 2021

We aimed to identify skipjack elastin hydrolysate‐derived peptides, and explore its mechanism of photoprotection against ultraviolet A (UVA) induced skin damage. Two peptides, TGVLTVM (peptide A) and NHIINGW (peptide B), were successfully identified using Sephadex G‐15, analyzed and detected using LC‐MS/MS fitted with electrospray ionization (ESI‐MS/MS), and further synthesized using the Fmoc strategy. A UVA radiation‐induced damage cell model of Human keratinocytes cell line (HaCaT) was established and applied. We found that both peptides significantly reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, reversed mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) by 12.40%–13.13% and 10.80%–12.90% and reduced cell apoptosis by 3.43%–6.44%, and 4.56%–6.03% for peptide A and B, respectively, compared to the UVA model group. In conclusion, peptides TGVLTVM and NHIINGW protected against UVA‐induced photoaging through the attenuation of oxidative stress, thus both peptides might be useful as promising ingredients in sunscreens or antiaging cosmetic products.
Wetting boundary conditions for multicomponent pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann
Authors: Coelho Rodrigo C. V. , Moura Catarina B. , Telo da Gama Margarida M. , Araújo Nuno A. M.
Published: April 2021

The implementation of boundary conditions is among the most challenging parts of modeling fluid flow through channels and complex media. Here, we show that the existing methods to deal with liquid‐wall interactions using multicomponent Lattice Boltzmann are accurate when the wall is aligned with the main axes of the lattice but fail otherwise. To solve this problem, we extend a strategy previously developed for multiphase models. As an example, we study the coalescence of two droplets on a curved surface in two dimensions. The strategy proposed here is of special relevance for binary flows in complex geometries.
Unsteady bioconvective squeezing flow with higher‐order chemical reaction and second‐order slip effects
Authors: Acharya Nilankush , Bag Raju , Kundu Prabir Kumar
Published: April 2021

In this investigation, the foremost aim is to study the impact of a higher‐order chemical reaction and second‐order slip on the bioconvective nanoliquid flow comprising gyrotactic microorganisms between two squeezed parallel plates. The existence of magnetic strength, thermophoretic, and Brownian migration is considered to model the flow. Similarity transformations are implemented to reduce our mathematical model into a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations along with the requisite boundary conditions. The classical Runge‐Kutta‐Fehlberg method technique is employed to avail the numerical outcomes of the aforementioned nonlinear foremost equations correlated with the relevant boundary conditions. Parametric flow discussions, like, velocity profile, thermal profile, and heat and mass transport, have been portrayed through indispensable charts and graphs. Physical quantities, like, skin friction, Nusselt number, Sherwood number, and microorganism density number, have been estimated to analyze their numerous applications. The results communicate that temperature diminishes for squeezing factor and first‐order velocity slip parameter, but augments for second‐order slip parameter. Mass transport accelerates for chemical reaction but reduces for the order of reaction. Microorganism density number amplifies owing to chemical reaction and Peclet number while it decays for chemical reaction. This has advantageous applications in bio‐micro‐systems, bioreactors, biosensors, biochromatography, magnetic bioseparation devices, biocoating, and ecological fuels.
Multi‐scale decomposition‐based CT‐MR neurological image fusion using optimized bio‐inspired spiking neural model with meta‐heuristic optimization
Authors: Das Manisha , Gupta Deep , Radeva Petia , Bakde Ashwini M.
Published: April 2021

Multi‐modal medical image fusion plays an important role in clinical diagnosis and works as an assistance model for clinicians. In this paper, a computed tomography‐magnetic resonance (CT‐MR) image fusion model is proposed using an optimized bio‐inspired spiking feedforward neural network in different decomposition domains. First, source images are decomposed into base (low‐frequency) and detail (high‐frequency) layer components. Low‐frequency subbands are fused using texture energy measures to capture the local energy, contrast, and small edges in the fused image. High‐frequency coefficients are fused using firing maps obtained by pixel‐activated neural model with the optimized parameters using three different optimization techniques such as differential evolution, cuckoo search, and gray wolf optimization, individually. In the optimization model, a fitness function is computed based on the edge index of resultant fused images, which helps to extract and preserve sharp edges available in the source CT and MR images. To validate the fusion performance, a detailed comparative analysis is presented among the proposed and state‐of‐the‐art methods in terms of quantitative and qualitative measures along with computational complexity. Experimental results show that the proposed method produces a significantly better visual quality of fused images meanwhile outperforms the existing methods.
Mobile technology for street trading in Tanzania: A design science research approach for determining user requirements
Authors: Rumanyika Joel , Apiola Mikko , Mramba Nasibu Rajabu , Oyelere Solomon Sunday , Tedre Matti
Published: April 2021

Street trading is an economic activity that is conducted by street traders in numerous urban parts of Tanzania. Street traders use mobile technology to search for markets. This study mapped the wants and needs of Tanzanian street traders and their customers in order to better understand the potential and pitfalls of technology to help their trade activities. Qualitative data were collected using in‐depth interviews with 22 street traders and 22 customers. In addition, two focus group discussions with 20 participants, including street traders and customers, were conducted. Data were analyzed through content analysis. The results identified a number of technology wants and needs shared by traders and customers that would ease the customers' access to products they want, and support the traders to promote their products, locate where the users are, support business growth, and predict sales potential. This research study contributes to understanding the technology needs of one marginalized group in Tanzania. The study facilitates discussion on the suitability of design research in the context of informal worker communities, and it points toward a path for design research of information systems that are grounded on the needs and knowledge of end‐users in their communities and contexts of use.
Common myths of glucocorticoid function in ecology and conservation
Authors: Romero L. Michael , Beattie Ursula K.
Published: April 2021

Glucocorticoids are popular hormones to measure in both biomedical and ecological studies of stress. Many assumptions used to interpret glucocorticoid results are derived from biomedical data on humans or laboratory rodents, but these assumptions often fail for wild animals under field conditions. We discuss five common assumptions often made about glucocorticoids in ecological and conservation research that are not generally supported by the literature. (1) High acute elevations of glucocorticoids indicate an animal in distress. In fact: because glucocorticoids are needed to survive stressors, elevated concentrations often reflect adequate coping. (2) Low glucocorticoid concentrations indicate a healthy animal. In fact: because glucocorticoids are important in responding to stressors, low glucocorticoid concentrations might indicate the lack of adequate coping. (3) Sustained elevated glucocorticoids indicate chronically stressed animals. In fact: glucocorticoid concentrations by themselves have no predictive value in diagnosing chronic stress. (4) Glucocorticoids mobilize energy to survive short‐term stressors such as predator attacks. In fact: glucocorticoids' primary impact on energy regulation is to remove glucose transporters from cell surfaces. Not only is this process too slow to provide short‐term energy, but glucocorticoid‐induced increases in glucose reflect decreased, not increased, glucose utilization. (5) Glucocorticoid measurements in non‐blood tissues (e.g., feces, hair, feathers, etc.) are equivalent to blood concentrations. In fact: these alternative tissues present imperfect reflections of blood concentrations, and it is blood concentrations that interact with receptors to evoke biological change. In summary, proper consideration of these common assumptions will greatly aid in interpreting glucocorticoid data from ecological and conservation studies.
Endovascular management of portal steal syndrome due to portosystemic shunts after living donor liver transplantation
Authors: Jajodia Surabhi , Khandelwal Anubhav H , Khandelwal Rohit , Kapoor Abhay K , Baijal Sanjay S
Published: April 2021

Background and Aim

After liver transplant, pre‐existent porto‐systemic shunts (PSS) may persist, causing “portal steal,” leading to graft dysfunction, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and eventual rejection. In recipients of small‐for‐size transplant liver grafts, shunts may be created intraoperatively, facilitating diversion of portal flow to systemic circulation to avoid ill‐effects of portal overperfusion. These iatrogenic shunts may also subsequently lead to portal steal. We aim to evaluate safety and efficacy of endovascular techniques in management of portal steal due to PSSs in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) recipients.

Methods

Between 2013 and 2020, we encountered five LDLT recipients with large PSS, who presented with graft dysfunction and/or HE. One patient had a surgically created shunt and four had spontaneous shunts, not surgically ligated during transplant. Endovascular techniques including plug‐assisted or balloon‐occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (PARTO/BRTO) or covered inferior vena cava (IVC) stent grafts were to occlude these PSS and counter the portal steal in all patients. Technical success and clinical outcomes at 1‐year‐follow‐up were assessed.

Results

Imaging showed large PSS causing portal steal syndrome in all five patients. IVC stent graft was used to isolate the shunt in two patients and PARTO/BARTO was performed in three patients. One patient had guarded prognosis due to multiple organ dysfunction and died 5 days after endovascular procedure. At 1‐year follow up, graft functions normalized in four patients with no recurrence of HE. No procedure‐related complications were seen.

Conclusion

Endovascular techniques can be safely and effectively used to counter portal steal syndrome in LDLT recipients, thus avoiding surgical re‐exploration in these patients.
Long non‐coding RNA KCNQ1OT1 promotes proliferation, migration and invasion via targeting miR‐134 in retinoblastoma
Authors: Wang Lei , Yi Sisi , Wang Runze , Wang Jianwen
Published: April 2021

Background

Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert a significant role in carcinogenesis. lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 is detected in many tumors and is considered as an oncogene. The expression and mechanism of KCNQ1OT1 in retinoblastoma (Rb) are not clearly elucidated.

Methods

KCNQ1OT1, miR‐134 and TRIM44 mRNA expression were examined by a quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Proliferation, migration and invasion of Weri‐Rb1 and Y79 cells were tested by cell counting kit‐8, colony formation, scratch and transwell assays. Meanwhile, the regulatory relationships among KCNQ1OT1, miR‐134 and TRIM44 were clarified by several biological experiments, including dual‐luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation, subcellular distribution, qRT‐PCR and western blotting.

Results

lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 was up‐regulated in Rb tissues and Rb cell lines. In addition, the expression of KCNQ1OT1 was negatively correlated with the disease‐free survival rate of RB patients. Silencing KCNQ1OT1 could significantly inhibit the RB progression in vivo and in vitro. The analysis of the mechanism of KCNQ1OT1 showed that KCNQ1OT1 can sponge miR‐134, and miR‐134 may inhibit TRIM44 expression. Moreover, the rescue assays showed that KCNQ1OT1 promoted RB progression by regulating the miR‐134/TRIM44 pathway.

Conclusions

The present study indicates that a new KCNQ1OT1/miR‐134/TRIM44 pathway regulates Rb progression. It may be used as a potential prognostic marker for Rb.
Trihydroxycholanoyl‐taurine in brains of rodents with hepatic encephalopathy
Authors: Schnelle Amy N. W. , Richardson Luke T. , Pettit Michael E. , DeMorrow Sharon , Solouki Touradj
Published: April 2021

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a neurological disease resulting from liver failure, is difficult to manage and its causes are unclear. Bile acids have been postulated to be involved in the provenance and progression of various diseases including HE. Hence, the characterization of bile acid profiles in the brains of subjects with and without liver failure can provide important clues for the potential treatment of HE. Nanoflow ultra‐performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization ion mobility mass spectrometry (UPLC‐ESI‐IM‐MS) is a highly sensitive method for detection of specific molecules, such as bile acids in brain samples, at biologically relevant concentrations. We used UPLC‐ESI‐IM‐MS to characterize bile acid profiles in brain samples from seven “healthy” control rodents and 22 “diseased” rodents with liver failure (i.e., induced HE). An isomer of trihydroxycholanoyl‐taurine was detected in brain tissue samples from both rats and mice with induced HE; however, this isomer was not detected in the brains of healthy rats and mice. Our findings were confirmed by comparing IM arrival times (AT), exact mass measurements (m/z), and mass spectral fragmentation patterns of the experimentally observed suspected species to standards of trihydroxycholanoyl‐taurine isomers. Moreover, In Silico Fractionation was employed to provide an additional analytical dimension to verify bile acid identifications.
Genotyping and sequence characterization of the NSP4 gene of human group A rotavirus strains in Northern Iran
Authors: Khalkhali Parinaz , Khavandegar Armin , Mozhgani Sayed‐Hamidreza , Teimoori Ali , Moradi Abdolvahhab , Ajorloo Mehdi , Lorestani Nazanin , Kaveh Kimia , Akbar Soroush , Razavi Nikoo Hadi
Published: April 2021

Rotavirus is known to be responsible for remarkable numbers of severe diarrheal episodes and even death in infants and young children. In this study, we aimed to survey genetic diversity and variation analysis of viroporin, which is encoded by the rotavirus NSP4 segment. Thirty‐five rotavirus‐positive specimens were obtained, and RNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction amplification were performed. After the sequencing process, four specimens were excluded, and the final 31 samples remained for genetic diversity and variation analysis. The predominant single G/P combination was G1P[8] (~78%), followed by G2P[8] (~13%), and equal percentages (3%) of G2P[4], G3P[8], and G‐non‐typeable‐P[8]. Further analyses revealed that variations could be found in the three regions of NSP4, including VP4 binding site (aa 112–146), double‐layered particle binding site (aa 161–175), and finally, in the predicted amphipathic alpha‐helix. Phylogenic tree analysis demonstrated that the mentioned samples clustered with genotype E1 and E2 reference sequences. As previously reported in the literature, in this study, it was revealed that no apparent correlation exists in the deduced amino acid sequences corresponding to this region between the rotaviruses collected from patients with and without diarrhea.
Indirect Associations Between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Other Psychiatric Symptoms, Alcohol Use, and Well‐being via Psychological Flexibility Among Police Officers
Authors: Baker Lucas D. , Stroman Joel C. , Kalantar Emily A. , Bock Rachel C. , Berghoff Christopher R.
Published: April 2021

Police officers experience a high number of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) often associated with elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). In addition, PTSS are related to co‐occurring psychiatric symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression), alcohol misuse, and low perceived well‐being. Yet, behavioral processes that may account for the associations between PTSS and unfavorable outcomes remain unspecified. Psychological flexibility, or one's response to private experiences (e.g., PTE‐related memories) with an open, aware, and active approach, may be one such process. The present study aimed to evaluate psychological flexibility as both a mediator and moderator of PTSS and commonly co‐occurring psychiatric symptoms, alcohol use, and general well‐being, using cross‐sectional data provided by a sample of police officers (N= 459) recruited from three regionally distributed U.S. police agencies. Structural equation modeling indicated a well‐fitting model wherein psychological flexibility indirectly accounted for associations among PTSS and endogenous outcomes, χ2(107,N= 457) = 225.33,p< .001, CFI = .99, TLI = .98, RMSEA = .05, 90% CI [.04, .06], SRMR = .03. Psychological flexibility also moderated associations between PTSS and psychiatric symptoms,B= 1.58 (SE= 0.22),p< .001; and well‐being,B= −3.84 (SE= 0.46),p< .001. Although additional research is needed, these preliminary results suggest psychological flexibility may be a behavioral process that accounts for negative outcomes associated with PTSS and a productive intervention target in the context of PTSS and generalized distress. Further research regarding the role of psychological flexibility in PTSS‐related outcomes for police officers appears warranted.
Polyethyleneimine‐Mediated Polyamide Composite Membrane with High Perm‐Selectivity for Forward Osmosis
Authors: Chen Yiqiang , Song Xiangju , Zhang Na , Zhang Xiaoqian , Su Ge , Huang Minghua , Jiang Heqing
Published: April 2021

Thin‐film composite (TFC) membranes comprised of a polyamide (PA) selective layer upon a porous substrate dominate the forward osmosis (FO) membrane market. However, further improvement of perm‐selectivity still remains a great challenge. Herein, a polyethyleneimine (PEI) interlayer is intentionally designed prior to interfacial polymerization (IP) to tailor the PA layer, which thus improves the separation performance. The PEI interlayer not only improves the substrate hydrophilicity for adsorbing more diamine monomer and controlling its release rate, but also participates in IP reaction by crosslinking with acyl chloride (TMC). Furthermore, it can decrease the electronegativity of the substrate for decreasing reverse salt diffusion. Consequently, a denser, thinner and smoother PA layer is formed due to the uniform distribution, controllable release of diamine monomer and the extra crosslinking between PEI and TMC. Furthermore, the PA layer becomes more hydrophilic with PEI involvement. As a result, the asprepared TFC membrane exhibits a favorable water flux of 16.1 L m−2 h−1 and an extremely low reverse salt flux (1.25 g m−2 h−1). Meanwhile, it achieves an excellent perm‐selectivity with a ratio of water to salt permeability coefficient of 8.25 bar−1. Moreover, it exhibits an outstanding antifouling capacity. The work sheds light on fabricating high perm‐selective membranes for desalination.
Neuroticism and Risk of Parkinson's Disease: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Terracciano Antonio , Aschwanden Damaris , Stephan Yannick , Cerasa Antonio , Passamonti Luca , Toschi Nicola , Sutin Angelina R.
Published: April 2021

Background

Neuroticism is linked to mood disorders and Alzheimer's disease, but fewer studies have tested the prospective association with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objectives

To examine the association between neuroticism and risk of PD in a large cohort and a meta‐analysis of prospective cohort studies.

Methods

Participants from the UK Biobank (N = 490,755) completed a neuroticism scale in 2006–2010. Incident PD was ascertained using electronic health records or death records up to 2018. The systematic search and meta‐analysis followed the MOOSE guidelines.

Results

During 11.91 years of follow‐up (mean = 8.88 years; 4,360,105 person‐years) 1142 incident PD cases were identified. Neuroticism was associated with higher risk of incident PD, both as continuous (HR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.21–1.36) and categorical variable (top vs. bottom quartiles: HR = 1.88; 95% CI: 1.60–2.22). The association remained significant after accounting for age, sex, smoking, physical activity, anxiety, and depressed mood, and after excluding cases that occurred within the first 5 years of follow‐up. The associations were similar for women and men and across levels of socioeconomic status. Random‐effect meta‐analysis of four prospective studies (N = 548,284) found neuroticism associated with increased risk of incident PD (HR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.59–2.08; P = 7.31−19). There was no evidence of heterogeneity across studies with follow‐ups ranging from one to four decades.

Conclusion

The results from the large UK Biobank and meta‐analysis of prospective studies indicate that neuroticism is consistently associated with a higher risk of incident PD. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Lateralized Effect of Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation Location on Verbal Abstraction
Authors: Wang Dengyu , Jorge Ahmed , Lipski Witold J. , Kratter Ian H. , Henry Luke C. , Richardson R. Mark
Published: April 2021

Background

Regionalized thalamic activity has been implicated in language function, and yet the effect of thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) on language‐related clinical outcomes is underexplored.

Objective

The objective of this study was to determine if the location of stimulation within the thalamus correlates with changes in language‐related neuropsychological outcomes following DBS for essential tremor.

Methods

Thirty patients with essential tremor underwent comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations before and after DBS surgery targeting the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus. Changes in neuropsychological functions were evaluated. The relationships between language‐related outcomes and stimulation location were assessed using both categorical and linear methods. Any significant results were further validated using linear discriminant analysis.

Results

Most neuropsychological functions remained unchanged at the group level. However, outcome on a measure of verbal abstraction was significantly dependent on stimulation location along the anterior–posterior axis within the left ventral lateral thalamus, with anterior stimulation associated with reduced verbal abstraction performance. This result was supported by linear discriminant analysis, which showed that stimulation locations with improved and reduced verbal abstraction function were best separated by a vector nearly parallel to the anterior–posterior axis. No stimulation location dependence was found for verbal abstraction outcome in the right thalamus or for outcomes of other language functions in either hemisphere.

Conclusion

We demonstrate an effect of thalamic DBS on verbal abstraction as a function of left thalamic topography. This finding provides clinical evidence for the lateralization and regionalization of thalamic language function that may be relevant for understanding nonmotor effects of stimulation. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
A glimpse of the genetics of young‐onset Parkinson’s disease in Central Asia
Authors: Kaiyrzhanov Rauan , Aitkulova Akbota , Vandrovcova Jana , Murphy David , Zharkinbekova Nazira , Shashkin Chingiz , Akhmetzhanov Vadim , Kaishibayeva Gulnaz , Karimova Altynay , Myrzayev Zhanybek , Murray Malgorzata , Khaibullin Talgat , Hardy John , Houlden Henry
Published: April 2021

Background

Knowledge of the genetic background of many human diseases is currently lacking from genetically undiscovered regions, including Central Asia. Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country where the genetic studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been emerging since it had become a member of the International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium. Here we report on the results of whole‐exome sequencing (WES) in 50 young‐onset PD (YOPD) cases from Kazakhstan.

Methodology

WES was performed on 50 unrelated individuals with YOPD from Kazakhstan. Exome data were screened for novel/ultra‐rare deleterious variants in known and candidate PD genes. Copy number variants and small indels were also called.

Results

Only three cases (6%) were found to be positive for known PD genes including two unrelated familial PD cases with LRRK2 p.(Arg1441Cys) and one case with a homozygous pathogenic PRKN p.(Arg84Trp) variant. Four cases had novel and ultra‐rare variants of uncertain significance in LRRK2, DNAJC13, and VPS35. Novel deleterious variants were found in candidate Mendelian PD genes including CSMD1, TNR, EIF4G1, and ATP13A3. Eight cases harbored the East Asian‐specific LRRK2 p.(Ala419Val) variant.

Conclusions

The low diagnostic yield in our study might imply that a significant proportion of YOPD cases in Central Asia remains unresolved. Therefore, a better understanding of the genetic architecture of PD among populations of Central Asian ancestry and the pathogenicity of numerous rare variants should be further investigated. WES is a valuable technique for large‐scale YOPD genetic studies in Central Asia.
High‐dimensional fast convolutional framework (HICU) for calibrationless MRI
Authors: Zhao Shen , Potter Lee C. , Ahmad Rizwan
Published: April 2021

Purpose

To present a computational procedure for accelerated, calibrationless magnetic resonance image (Cl‐MRI) reconstruction that is fast, memory efficient, and scales to high‐dimensional imaging.

Theory and Methods

Cl‐MRI methods can enable high acceleration rates and flexible sampling patterns, but their clinical application is limited by computational complexity and large memory footprint. The proposed computational procedure, HIgh‐dimensional fast convolutional framework (HICU), provides fast, memory‐efficient recovery of unsampled k‐space points. For demonstration, HICU is applied to 6 2D T2‐weighted brain, 7 2D cardiac cine, 5 3D knee, and 1 multi‐shot diffusion weighted imaging (MSDWI) datasets.

Results

The 2D imaging results show that HICU can offer 1‐2 orders of magnitude computation speedup compared to other Cl‐MRI methods without sacrificing imaging quality. The 2D cine and 3D imaging results show that the computational acceleration techniques included in HICU yield computing time on par with SENSE‐based compressed sensing methods with up to 3 dB improvement in signal‐to‐error ratio and better perceptual quality. The MSDWI results demonstrate the feasibility of HICU for a challenging multi‐shot echo‐planar imaging application.

Conclusions

The presented method, HICU, offers efficient computation and scalability as well as extendibility to a wide variety of MRI applications.
MRIReco.jl: An MRI reconstruction framework written in Julia
Authors: Knopp Tobias , Grosser Mirco
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The aim of this work is to develop a high‐performance, flexible, and easy‐to‐use MRI reconstruction framework using the scientific programming language Julia.

Methods

Julia is a modern, general purpose programming language with strong features in the area of signal/image processing and numerical computing. It has a high‐level syntax but still generates efficient machine code that is usually as fast as comparable C/C++ applications. In addition to the language features itself, Julia has a sophisticated package management system that makes proper modularization of functionality across different packages feasible. Our developed MRI reconstruction framework MRIReco.jl can therefore reuse existing functionality from other Julia packages and concentrate on the MRI‐related parts. This includes common imaging operators and support for MRI raw data formats.

Results

MRIReco.jl is a simple to use framework with a high degree of accessibility. While providing a simple‐to‐use interface, many of its components can easily be extended and customized. The performance of MRIReco.jl is compared to the Berkeley Advanced Reconstruction Toolbox (BART) and we show that the Julia framework achieves comparable reconstruction speed as the popular C/C++ library.

Conclusions

Modern programming languages can bridge the gap between high performance and accessible implementations. MRIReco.jl leverages this fact and contributes a promising environment for future algorithmic development in MRI reconstruction.
A dissipation‐based path‐following technique for the phase‐field approach to brittle and ductile fracture
Authors: Wambacq Jef , Ulloa Jacinto , Lombaert Geert , François Stijn
Published: April 2021

This article presents a dissipation‐based path‐following technique for the phase‐field approach to brittle and ductile fracture. This technique allows computing the post‐peak response of solids loaded by external forces and snap‐backs in the softening stage. By controlling the dissipated energy during loading, the solid is prevented from unloading elastically, and an equilibrium branch with a continuous increase of dissipated energy is followed. Because solids can dissipate in both tension and compression, a discontinuous equilibrium path can be obtained. To avoid this occurrence, two novel techniques are presented, which ensure a continuous equilibrium path for which the solid is either in tension or compression. In addition, the thermodynamic constraints present in the phase‐field model are rigorously solved using an interior‐point method. In order to allow for simultaneous dissipation due to both plastic and damage mechanisms, the governing equations are solved monolithically. The presented method is tested on four benchmark problems, and it is observed that by tracing snap‐backs, time‐discontinuous evolutions are avoided, which restores energy balance and enhances the convergence of the monolithic scheme.
Regarding the Article by Rugo et al.
Authors: Badaoui Sarah , Rowland Andrew , Sorich Michael J. , Hopkins Ashley M.
Published: April 2021

This letter to the editor highlights additional analyses to add to the recently reported study by Rugo et al., regarding abemaciclib treatment for HR+/HER2− breast cancer.