bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alternative non-destructive method for strength testing of structural concrete
Authors: Elemba Modests , Lapsa Videvuds-Arijs , Šahmenko Genadijs , Korjakins Aleksandrs
Published: May 2021

This work proposes an original and active method for non-destructive testing of concrete and can also be used for other building materials. The proposed method includes the successive steps of: drilling holes into samples of building material with use of rotation or percussion drilling machine and simultaneously determining the power consumption necessary for drilling; strength determination of building material by destructive failure of samples; obtaining a positive empiric correlation between the power consumption necessary for drilling and determined strength values of material; control during drilling the holes in structure material being tested and simultaneously determining the power consumption necessary for drilling; determining the actual strength of structure material being tested by use of correlation between power consumption and material strength values derived in testing process. The application of the method makes strength determination of building materials simpler and faster and also increases the accuracy of testing.
Metrology of biotechnical systems
Authors: Chindjeria A B , Poyasov I Z , Tikhonenkova O V , Sergeev T V , Danilova A S
Published: May 2021

The history of creation and features of functioning of biotechnical systems, types of feedbacks and their role in the work of complex systems are considered in the article. The idea of biofeed-back, the prospects of its application and the difference from the traditionally used one in the technique of feedbacks are given. Due to the increasing requirements for measurement accuracy, the special role of Metrology in the development and operation of biotechnical systems is emphasize. Traditionally used sections of Metrology are specified: theoretical, legislative and applied. In relation to living objects, Metrology is considered as a special discipline-biometrology. The article proposes to consider the information in the BTS as a subjective perception relating to the subject of perception, which is a human operator. It is proved that it is the cognitive functions of the human operator that give information subjective properties. The thesis about the possibility of using the concept of “image” as a biometrological concept denoting a unit of information in bio-technical systems is put forward.
Telemedicine technologies as one of the promising intellectual areas of medicine in the pandemic conditions
Authors: Popova S V , Zolkin A L , Munister V D , Yumashev A V , Yu Bogaevskaya O
Published: May 2021

The article discusses the functional, fundamental and role-based component of the organization of telemetry instruments in medical support of remote settlements in pandemic conditions. The importance of adherence to technical and technological features in the design of an intelligent environmentwhich provides the telemedicine sector of the provided services is substantiated. The model of anonymized telemetry of medical research is indicated. An adaptive model for deploying of an information portal for a medical office is proposed. Much attention is paid to compliance with responsive design. A method for solving this problem is demonstrated.
Modeling and forecasting the dynamics of wastewater contaminant pollution by manganese (II) ions
Authors: Kh Kurbangaleeva M , Islamutdinova A A
Published: May 2021

Modeling and forecasting of the dynamics of wastewater contaminant pollution by manganese (II) ions is carried out. The informational basis of the technique is statistical indicators of changing in the chemical composition of raw materials and change in the mass concentration of manganese (II) ions in river water used for washing the process gas obtained by calcining limestone. The purpose of the modeling is to detect the relationship between the independent values (change in the compounds of bivalent manganese in limestones as well as change in the mass concentration of manganese (II) ions in river water) and the dependent factor (change in the volume of wastewater contaminant pollution by manganese (II) ions. For modeling, it is proposed to use the mathematical apparatus of correlation and regression analysis, in particular multiple regression. According to calculations, there is a relationship between the change in the volume of environmental pollution and the parameters of the model, that is between the change in the amount of bivalent manganese compounds in the raw material and the change in the content of manganese (II) ions in river water.
The Industry 4.0 net information, measuring and control subsystems
Authors: Shukalov A V , Zharinov I O , Zharinov O O
Published: May 2021

The net information subsystems are for measuring processes application, universal and special cyber-physical production control processes through the calculation and link. The subsystems consist of calculation, technological and telecommunication devices united into open system architecture. The schemes are given of information, measuring and control subsystems, which coordination effort mechanisms are selectively to process a distributed information received through nets of electro and radio connection with a necessary passing through ability. The subsystem structure contains physical and virtual components, which include calculation, electronic and electromechanical elements united with general principles how to construct a communication nets for cyber-physical systems reception and transmission. The main attention is paid to the general data exchange processes as for measurements and control engaging the information vast data processing, which are formed in cyber-physical systems registered in different company local nets.
Total quality control of the cyber-physical production using machine vision technologies
Authors: Gurjanov A V , Babenkov V I , Shukalov A V , Zharinov I O , Zharinov O O
Published: May 2021

The total control is made for each separate unit of the item being manufactured to prevent any scrap. The automatic control tools are a part of information, measurement and controlling sub-systems, which use the machine vision technology. The information sub-system is done with the cyber-physical production calculation potency. The measurement sub-system is a set of digital cameras (optical detectors) and the artificial illumination semiconductor sources. The controlling sub-system regulates the item position with turning mechanisms inside the closed cyber-physical system technological chamber. A set of sub-systems performs a non-destructible item quality control with the item surface photographic images and stereo-maps program analysis, which should not contain non-homogeneous sections like scars, fissures, inclusions and other and any deviations of geometrical dimensions. The calculator three-dimension item image is formed with reconstruction algorithms of two-dimension photographs received in different views and illumination conditions and the means of laser scanning. The item surface quality requirements in the enlightened areas and obscured ones are defined with rendering equation, which are permitted for the item digital twin with calculator numerous methods. The quality control requires to compare with the reference energy and color measurement item surface characteristics, which are defined with mathematical calculations and optical measurement means. There is a scheme given of information, measurement and controlling cyber-physical system channels, which engage the machine vision technologies to control the item quality.
Enhancement of metrological support in measuring the composition and concentrations of pollutants in wear products of automobile tires
Authors: Tretyak L N , Volnov A S , Kosykh D A
Published: May 2021

The article shows that the high environmental hazard of tires is caused not so much by the mass of pollutants of dispersed particles, but by the toxic properties of the materials used in their manufacture and the impurities contained in them. It is emphasized that when assessing the quality of automobile tires, there are no reliable indicators and methods that allow determining the level of their environmental hazard. The necessity of changing the regulatory requirements for assessing the quality of automobile tires by expanding the list of their environmental indicators, developing methods for controlling tire emissions, both at the production stages and during operation, is justified. A list of pollutants subject to regulation in the assessment of the environmental safety of automobile tires and methods of their measurement are proposed. The main pollutants subject to regulation and control are: benz(α)pyrene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as aromatic hydrocarbons and N-nitrosamines. The results of quantitative assessment of the composition and concentrations of harmful substances in the wear products of automobile tires are presented. The authors substantiate the level of rationing and methods that can be used in assessing the environmental hazard of automobile tires, both in the production process and in the conditions of their operation. It is proposed to use the principles of dose assessment of the toxicity of the total aerogenically absorbed dose of pollutants emitted in the wear products of automobile tires.
On the possible causal relationship of the COVID-19 viral disease with electromagnetic pollution of the environment and the main directions of its weakening
Authors: Darovskikh S N , Shonazarov P M , Sodik F , Kholov F T , Umaralizoda R , Juraeva R
Published: May 2021

The purpose of the study is a systematic analysis of the processes associated with the emergence of the COVID-19 viral disease, it was concluded that the most likely reason for its appearance and spread throughout the world is the global impact of wireless local area networks Wi-Fi on the Earth’s biosphere. Recommendations are formulated for weakening their negative impact on the human body. The necessity of using in the treatment of human diseases of viral and (or) inflammatory etiology of radiophysical technology based on modeling the microwave radiation of the Sun is substantiated. This makes it possible to activate inhibited enzyme complexes for the restoration of the free energy potential in cellular structures under hypoxic conditions, which is necessary for the synthesis of biostructures not only for antiviral, but also for antibacterial protection, regardless of the virus strain or one or another pathogenic microorganism. The proofs of the expediency of using the developed hardware and software tools for modeling the solar microwave radiation to provide antiviral protection are presented. Their main focus is related to the control of the radiation of these networks in various places of their use, the formation of new regulatory requirements for the used operating frequency range and the development of scientifically based recommendations for ensuring the safety of their use.
Measuring systems for monitoring the human state: human digital twins based on a kinematic portrait
Authors: Alekseyev V V , Vizgirda A S , Nefedyev D I , Tsareva A V
Published: May 2021

The report is concerned with the analysis of the functional and physical structures of human characteristics for the formation of reference digital models and individual portraits of a human which are his digital twins. A database structure has been developed for describing the human state, based on a variety of models, measured physical quantities, and results obtained from a mobile information and measurement system. The paper outlines an approach to the study and design of mobile information and measurement system designed for the construction of individual kinematic portraits of a human. A variant of a part of the inference system is shown on the example of studying the trend of changes in one of the time characteristics of the movement technique.
Comparing the test power for the normal distribution of the direct multiple measurements
Authors: Borbats N M , Shkolina T V
Published: May 2021

An experimental study of the test power (Shapiro-Wilk W-test, Geary test and composite test) was carried out. The test power was used to check the normal distribution of a relatively small number of the multiple measurements. The study results confirm the high power of the W-test for detecting the deviation of the probability distribution from the normal law for a wide range of alternative distributions. A slightly better sensitivity of the Geary test for alternative distributions close to normal was also established. The results obtained can be used to justify the inclusion of the Shapiro-Wilk test in the next edition of the corresponding national standard.
Enhancing tools in lateral flow assay for improving detection limit and working range
Authors: Taranova N A , Zherdev A V , Dzantiev B B
Published: May 2021

This work is directed to the estimation of the analytical parameters for improved immunochromatographic tests. A combination of 2 approaches has been proposed to decrease the detection limit of troponin T, a biomarker of acute myocardial infarction. The first approach consists of replacing spherical gold nanoparticles, which are common markers in immunochromatography, with alternative markers, such as gold nanoflowers (AuNFs). The second approach consists of the formation of large aggregates in the analytical zone from AuNFs due to the biotin–streptavidininteraction. The improved tests demonstrated a 10-fold lowering of the detection limit (1.2 ng/ml instead of 11.1 ng/ml) and a 3-fold expanding of the working range of the determined concentrations.
Volumetric dynamometer units for laboratory and field testing of tillage equipment
Authors: Gnusov M A , Lysych M N , Yu Druchinin D
Published: May 2021

The search for energy efficient tillage technologies and the creation of more advanced machines while reducing the cost of the final product are one of the priority goals. One step in the development of tillage implements is to develop a theoretical basis. In this case, mathematical or simulation modeling is used, but part of the work carried out in the laboratory and in the field is an integral part of the research structure. Of great importance in testing forestry equipment are dynamometer methods, which consist in measuring the forces transmitted from the engine to the machine or acting on the working bodies and parts of the machines. This is especially true for forest implements that interact not only directly with soils, but also with roots, branches, stumps and other components of forest soils. The article is presented in the form of an analysis of the structures of dynamometric installations used to conduct research on tillage equipment. Also given are the designs of installations used for research of combined machines with active working bodies, such as a forest fire engine. Particular attention is paid to structures for volumetric dynamometry (2D and 3D).
Vibration Control for the Flexible Rotor with Piezoelectric Bearings Based on the Mixed Sensitivity Robust Controller
Authors: Zhang Shuyue , Wu Jihao , Jungblut Jens , Rinderknecht Stephan
Published: May 2021

Active control of flexible rotors is a challenging issue in modern industries. This paper focuses on the synthesis of a mixed sensitivity robust controller for a linear parameter-varying (LPV) system. The objective is to control rotor vibration, especially when the rotor is passing the first two bending critical speeds. In the formulation of the problem for the controller, weighting functions are proposed based on the relationship between the desired shape of the open-loop transfer function and sensitivity functions of the closed-loop system. Recent research has highlighted the efficiency of mixed sensitivity robust controllers in stabilizing a wide range of magnetic bearing systems. Here, the method is extended to control the vibration of a piezoelectric bearing system. The experimental rotor features two unbalance-exited resonances within its operating range. Experimental results demonstrate good performance of the vibration reduction and the effectiveness of the design method.
Differences in Perinatal Outcomes of Birthing People in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Marriages
Authors: Downing Jae , Everett Bethany , Snowden Jonathan M
Published: May 2021

It is unknown whether people in same-sex relationships who give birth have different perinatal outcomes than people in different-sex relationships, despite differences in risk factors such as use of assisted reproductive technologies, obesity, smoking, and poor mental health. Marriage equality has established birth certificates as a promising new source of population-based data on births to same-sex married parents. We used birth certificate data from Massachusetts for 201,873 singletons born to married parents from 2012 to 2016. We estimated the associations of several birth outcomes with having a birth parent in a same-sex marriage using propensity score–matched and –unmatched samples. We also tested whether these associations were modified by the use of assisted reproductive technologies. People in same-sex marriages who gave birth had perinatal outcomes related to decreased fetal growth and preterm birth that were similar to those of their peers in different-sex marriages. Use of assisted reproductive technology was associated with decreased fetal growth and increased risk of preterm birth for infants with different-sex parents but not for infants with same-sex parents. More research is needed across other states and to understand why use of assisted reproductive technology is not a risk factor for poor birth outcomes for those in same-sex marriages.
The Impact of Sex Chromosome Trisomies (XXX, XXY, XYY) on Early Social Cognition: Social Orienting, Joint Attention, and Theory of Mind
Authors: Bouw N , Swaab H , Tartaglia N , van Rijn S
Published: May 2021

Objective

About 1:650–1,000 children are born with an extra X or Y chromosome (XXX; XXY; XYY), which results in a sex chromosome trisomy (SCT). This study aims to cross-sectionally investigate the impact of SCT on early social cognitive skills. Basic orienting toward social cues, joint attention, and theory of mind (ToM) in young children with SCT were evaluated.

Method

About 105 children with SCT (range: 1–7 years old) were included in this study, as well as 96 age-matched nonclinical controls. Eyetracking paradigms were used to investigate the eye gaze patterns indicative of joint attention skills and orienting to social interactions. The ToM abilities were measured using the subtest ToM of the Developmental NEuroPSYchological Assessment, second edition, neuropsychological test battery. Recruitment and assessment took place in the Netherlands and in the United States.

Results

Eyetracking results revealed difficulties in children with SCT in social orienting. These difficulties were more pronounced in children aged 3 years and older, and in boys with 47,XYY. Difficulties in joint attention were found over all age groups and karyotypes. Children with SCT showed impairments in ToM (26.3% in the [well] below expected level), increasing with age. These impairments did not differ between karyotypes.

Conclusions

An impact of SCT on social cognitive abilities was found already at an early age, indicating the need for early monitoring and support of early social cognition. Future research should explore the longitudinal trajectories of social development in order to evaluate the predictive relationships between social cognition and outcome later in life in terms of social functioning and the risk for psychopathology.
The Future of Fat Grafting
Authors: Hanson Summer E
Published: May 2021

One of the earliest reported cases of autologous fat grafting (AFG) was by Neuber in 1893 and consisted of the transfer of small lobules of fat from the upper arm for cicatrical depression of the face. He advocated the use of smaller grafts, noting that pieces larger than the size of a bean would form cysts. In 1895, Czerny excised a lumbar lipoma and transplanted it to the chest for breast reconstruction. Since these early reports, the knowledge base around AFG has expanded exponentially, as illustrated by the other papers within this special topic. As we embark on the next phase of AFG in the clinical setting, there are several directions which are near-clinical translation. This paper discusses future directions in fat grafting that build on optimization of our current techniques as clinical indications expand, such as supplementing purified lipoaspirate and the associated regulatory burden, or deconstructing adipose tissue to selectively use adipose graft components for a variety of regenerative indications.
A meta-analysis of the group-size effect on vigilance in mammals
Authors: Beauchamp Guy , Li Zhongqiu , Yu Cong , Bednekoff Peter A , Blumstein Daniel T
Published: May 2021

Group-size effects, whereby antipredator vigilance decreases as group size increases, are widely reported in mammals and birds but a meta-analysis has only been conducted in birds. We systematically reviewed the literature on mammalian group-size effects, estimated the effect sizes in each study, and conducted a phylogenetic meta-analysis. We obtained 296 effect sizes from 97 species belonging to 10 Orders and 26 Families. Overall, effect sizes indicated a moderate negative effect of group size (r = −0.44), but 43% of the effect sizes were compatible with a null effect of group size. There was significant heterogeneity in effect sizes. Weaker effect sizes occurred when vigilance was measured as a frequency or a duration rather than as a percentage of time spent vigilant, when measured in closed habitats, during the reproductive season, and in mixed-sex groups or during times when juveniles were absent. We infer a “file drawer problem” because there were relatively few studies with smaller sample sizes reporting small group-size effects. The results confirm the importance of group size in explaining variation in mammalian vigilance but also suggest which a substantial amount of variation remains unexplained. We suggest that future studies should aim to study mammalian group-size effects by quantifying the percentage of time allocated to vigilance rather than lower-power methods such as frequency or duration of vigilance.
Autoencoder-based drug–target interaction prediction by preserving the consistency of chemical properties and functions of drugs
Authors: Sun Chang , Cao Yangkun , Wei Jin-Mao , Liu Jian
Published: May 2021

Motivation

Exploring the potential drug–target interactions (DTIs) is a key step in drug discovery and repurposing. In recent years, predicting the probable DTIs through computational methods has gradually become a research hot spot. However, most of the previous studies failed to judiciously take into account the consistency between the chemical properties of drug and its functions. The changes of these relationships may lead to a severely negative effect on the prediction of DTIs.

Results

We propose an autoencoder-based method, AEFS, under spatial consistency constraints to predict DTIs. A heterogeneous network is established to integrate the information of drugs, proteins and diseases. The original drug features are projected to an embedding (protein) space by a multi-layer encoder, and further projected into label (disease) space by a decoder. In this process, the clinical information of drugs is introduced to assist the DTI prediction. By maintaining the distribution of drug correlation in the original feature, embedding and label space, AEFS keeps the consistency between chemical properties and functions of drugs. Experimental comparisons indicate that AEFS is more robust for imbalanced data and of significantly superior performance in DTI prediction. Case studies further confirm its ability to mine the latent DTIs.

Availability and implementation

The code of AEFS is available at https://github.com/JackieSun818/AEFS.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Towards an automatic analysis of CHO-K1 suspension growth in microfluidic single-cell cultivation
Authors: Stallmann Dominik , Göpfert Jan P , Schmitz Julian , Grünberger Alexander , Hammer Barbara
Published: May 2021

Motivation

Innovative microfluidic systems carry the promise to greatly facilitate spatio-temporal analysis of single cells under well-defined environmental conditions, allowing novel insights into population heterogeneity and opening new opportunities for fundamental and applied biotechnology. Microfluidics experiments, however, are accompanied by vast amounts of data, such as time series of microscopic images, for which manual evaluation is infeasible due to the sheer number of samples. While classical image processing technologies do not lead to satisfactory results in this domain, modern deep-learning technologies, such as convolutional networks can be sufficiently versatile for diverse tasks, including automatic cell counting as well as the extraction of critical parameters, such as growth rate. However, for successful training, current supervised deep learning requires label information, such as the number or positions of cells for each image in a series; obtaining these annotations is very costly in this setting.

Results

We propose a novel machine-learning architecture together with a specialized training procedure, which allows us to infuse a deep neural network with human-powered abstraction on the level of data, leading to a high-performing regression model that requires only a very small amount of labeled data. Specifically, we train a generative model simultaneously on natural and synthetic data, so that it learns a shared representation, from which a target variable, such as the cell count, can be reliably estimated.

Availability and implementation

The project is cross-platform, open-source and free (MIT licensed) software. We make the source code available at https://github.com/dstallmann/cell_cultivation_analysis; the dataset is available at https://pub.uni-bielefeld.de/record/2945513.
RNAcmap: a fully automatic pipeline for predicting contact maps of RNAs by evolutionary coupling analysis
Authors: Zhang Tongchuan , Singh Jaswinder , Litfin Thomas , Zhan Jian , Paliwal Kuldip , Zhou Yaoqi
Published: May 2021

Motivation

The accuracy of RNA secondary and tertiary structure prediction can be significantly improved by using structural restraints derived from evolutionary coupling or direct coupling analysis. Currently, these coupling analyses relied on manually curated multiple sequence alignments collected in the Rfam database, which contains 3016 families. By comparison, millions of non-coding RNA sequences are known. Here, we established RNAcmap, a fully automatic pipeline that enables evolutionary coupling analysis for any RNA sequences. The homology search was based on the covariance model built by INFERNAL according to two secondary structure predictors: a folding-based algorithm RNAfold and the latest deep-learning method SPOT-RNA.

Results

We showed that the performance of RNAcmap is less dependent on the specific evolutionary coupling tool but is more dependent on the accuracy of secondary structure predictor with the best performance given by RNAcmap (SPOT-RNA). The performance of RNAcmap (SPOT-RNA) is comparable to that based on Rfam-supplied alignment and consistent for those sequences that are not in Rfam collections. Further improvement can be made with a simple meta predictor RNAcmap (SPOT-RNA/RNAfold) depending on which secondary structure predictor can find more homologous sequences. Reliable base-pairing information generated from RNAcmap, for RNAs with high effective homologous sequences, in particular, will be useful for aiding RNA structure prediction.

Availability and implementation

RNAcmap is available as a web server at https://sparks-lab.org/server/rnacmap/ and as a standalone application along with the datasets at https://github.com/sparks-lab-org/RNAcmap_standalone. A platform independent and fully configured docker image of RNAcmap is also provided at https://hub.docker.com/r/jaswindersingh2/rnacmap.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Building Immigrants’ Solidarity with Police: Procedural Justice, Identity and Immigrants’ Willingness to Cooperate with Police
Authors: Murphy Kristina , Bradford Ben , Sargeant Elise , Cherney Adrian
Published: May 2021

Some immigrants can be reluctant to cooperate with the police due to experiences of social exclusion and discrimination. Procedural justice scholars argue that people cooperate with police when they feel the police are just and fair because such treatment motivates identification with social categories that police represent. In this paper, we consider whether immigrants in Australia respond favourably to procedurally just treatment from police because it enhances their identification with both Australia and the police. Using survey data from 903 Vietnamese, Middle Eastern and British immigrants, we demonstrate an association between police procedural justice and both modes of identification. We also find that both identities mediate the relationship between procedural justice and cooperation. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Israeli Health Care Social Workers’ Personal and Professional Concerns during the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis: The Work–Family Role Conflict
Authors: Schiff Miriam , Shinan-Altman Shiri , Rosenne Hadas
Published: May 2021

This exploratory study focuses on the personal and professional concerns of Israeli social workers in hospitals and community health settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Other studies omitted health care social workers’ needs and concerns. Participants included 126 social workers (120 females, 5 males and 1 other gender identity) in hospitals and community health settings who completed an online survey during the height of the first wave of COVID-19 in Israel. Measures included questions on exposure to COVID-19, sense of safety at work, perceived support, and personal and professional concerns. Two open-ended questions about the social workers’ concerns and the perceived concerns of their patients were included. The results showed that 17 per cent reported one of their inter-disciplinary team testing positive for COVID-19. Only one-third of the social workers felt safe from COVID-19 infection in their workplace. Mothers of dependent children were more concerned about income loss and about balancing work and family requirements than mothers of older children. ‘Home–work conflict’ was also a main theme in the qualitative data. In conclusion, the work–home role conflict took an especially heavy toll during the COVID-19 pandemic on social workers who were mothers to dependent children.
Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness for Prevention of Severe Influenza-Associated Illness Among Adults in the United States, 2019–2020: A Test-Negative Study
Authors: Grijalva Carlos G , Feldstein Leora R , Talbot H Keipp , Aboodi Michael , Baughman Adrienne H , Brown Samuel M , Casey Jonathan D , Erickson Heidi L , Exline Matthew C , Files D Clark , Gibbs Kevin W , Ginde Adit A , Gong Michelle N , Halasa Natasha , Khan Akram , Lindsell Christopher J , Nwosu Samuel K , Peltan Ithan D , Prekker Matthew E , Rice Todd W , Shapiro Nathan I , Steingrub Jay S , Stubblefield William B , Tenforde Mark W , Patel Manish M , Self Wesley H ,   Influenza and Other Viruses in the Acutely Ill (IVY) Network
Published: May 2021

Background

Influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) against a spectrum of severe disease, including critical illness and death, remains poorly characterized.

Methods

We conducted a test-negative study in an intensive care unit (ICU) network at 10 US hospitals to evaluate VE for preventing influenza-associated severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) during the 2019–2020 season, which was characterized by circulation of drifted A/H1N1 and B-lineage viruses. Cases were adults hospitalized in the ICU and a targeted number outside the ICU (to capture a spectrum of severity) with laboratory-confirmed, influenza-associated SARI. Test-negative controls were frequency-matched based on hospital, timing of admission, and care location (ICU vs non-ICU). Estimates were adjusted for age, comorbidities, and other confounders.

Results

Among 638 patients, the median (interquartile) age was 57 (44–68) years; 286 (44.8%) patients were treated in the ICU and 42 (6.6%) died during hospitalization. Forty-five percent of cases and 61% of controls were vaccinated, which resulted in an overall VE of 32% (95% CI: 2–53%), including 28% (−9% to 52%) against influenza A and 52% (13–74%) against influenza B. VE was higher in adults 18–49 years old (62%; 95% CI: 27–81%) than those aged 50–64 years (20%; −48% to 57%) and ≥65 years old (−3%; 95% CI: −97% to 46%) (P = .0789 for interaction). VE was significantly higher against influenza-associated death (80%; 95% CI: 4–96%) than nonfatal influenza illness.

Conclusions

During a season with drifted viruses, vaccination reduced severe influenza-associated illness among adults by 32%. VE was high among young adults.
Factors Associated With Readmission in the United States Following Hospitalization With Coronavirus Disease 2019
Authors: Verna Elizabeth C , Landis Charles , Brown Robert S , Mospan Andrea R , Crawford Julie M , Hildebrand Janet S , Morris Heather L , Munoz Breda , Fried Michael W , Reddy K Rajender
Published: May 2021

Background

Patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may experience complications following hospitalization and require readmission. In this analysis, we estimated the rate and risk factors associated with COVID-19–related readmission and inpatient mortality.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, we used deidentified chargemaster data from 297 hospitals across 40 US states on patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from 15 February 2020 through 9 June 2020. Demographics, comorbidities, acute conditions, and clinical characteristics of first hospitalization are summarized. Multivariable logistic regression was used to measure risk factor associations with 30-day readmission and in-hospital mortality.

Results

Among 29 659 patients, 1070 (3.6%) were readmitted. Readmitted patients were more likely to have diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), or chronic kidney disease (CKD) vs those not readmitted (P < .0001) and to present on first admission with acute kidney injury (15.6% vs 9.2%), congestive heart failure (6.4% vs 2.4%), or cardiomyopathy (2.1% vs 0.8%) (P < .0001). Higher odds of readmission were observed in patients aged >60 vs 18–40 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48–2.50) and those admitted in the Northeast vs West (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.14–1.79) or South (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.11–1.49). Comorbidities including diabetes (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.12–1.60), CVD (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.23–1.72), CKD stage 1–5 (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.25–1.81), and CKD stage 5 (OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.81–2.86) were associated with higher odds of readmission; 12.3% of readmitted patients died during second hospitalization.

Conclusions

Among this large US population of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, readmission was associated with certain comorbidities and acute conditions during first hospitalization. These findings may inform strategies to mitigate risks of readmission due to COVID-19 complications.
Efficacy of a smartphone application-based intervention for encouraging children’s healthy eating in Denmark
Authors: Ragelienė Tija , Aschemann-Witzel Jessica , Grønhøj Alice
Published: May 2021

The growing rates of childhood obesity constitute a public health challenge worldwide. Therefore it is important to identify effective and widely applicable interventions to prevent it. This study aims to explore children’s experience of using a newly developed smartphone application (app) designed to promote healthy eating and evaluate its efficacy on encouraging healthy eating. First, two focus groups were conducted to explore children’s experience of using the app. Then, a quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the app’s efficacy. The children were asked to use the app for three months. Afterwards, the effect of the intervention was evaluated. 118 children aged 9 to 13 years (M=10.9, Sd=1.1) participated in the study. The children’s experience of using the app was relatively positive, and they found the app easy to use. A significant increase in fruit (η2=.10) and vegetable preferences (η2=.37) and fruit intake (η2=.06) was found in the experimental group. No effects were found for vegetable intake, selfefficacy for healthy eating, or peer norms for healthy and unhealthy eating (p>0.05). The smartphone app-based intervention could potentially serve as an attractive and low-cost intervention to reach a wide population of children for the promotion of healthy eating and prevention of childhood obesity.
Human photoreceptor cells from different macular subregions have distinct transcriptional profiles
Authors: Voigt Andrew P , Mullin Nathaniel K , Whitmore S Scott , DeLuca Adam P , Burnight Erin R , Liu Xiuying , Tucker Budd A , Scheetz Todd E , Stone Edwin M , Mullins Robert F
Published: May 2021

The human neural retina is a light sensitive tissue with remarkable spatial and cellular organization. Compared with the periphery, the central retina contains more densely packed cone photoreceptor cells with unique morphologies and synaptic wiring. Some regions of the central retina exhibit selective degeneration or preservation in response to retinal disease and the basis for this variation is unknown. In this study, we used both bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing to compare gene expression within concentric regions of the central retina. We identified unique gene expression patterns of foveal cone photoreceptor cells, including many foveal-enriched transcription factors. In addition, we found that the genes RORB1, PPFIA1 and KCNAB2 are differentially spliced in the foveal, parafoveal and macular regions. These results provide a highly detailed spatial characterization of the retinal transcriptome and highlight unique molecular features of different retinal regions.
Recommendations for interpreting zooplankton metabarcoding and integrating molecular methods with morphological analyses
Authors: Matthews Stephanie A , Goetze Erica , Ohman Mark D
Published: May 2021

Metabarcoding of zooplankton communities is becoming more common, but molecular results must be interpreted carefully and validated with morphology-based analyses, where possible. To evaluate our metabarcoding approach within the California Current Ecosystem, we tested whether physical subsampling and PCR replication affects observed community composition; whether community composition resolved by metabarcoding is comparable to morphological analyses by digital imaging; and whether pH neutralization of ethanol with ammonium hydroxide affects molecular diversity. We found that (1) PCR replication was important to accurately resolve alpha diversity and that physical subsampling can decrease sensitivity to rare taxa; (2) there were significant correlations between relative read abundance and proportions of carbon biomass for most taxonomic groups analyzed, but such relationships showed better agreement for the more dominant taxonomic groups; and (3) ammonium hydroxide in ethanol had no effect on molecular diversity. Together, these results indicate that with appropriate replication, paired metabarcoding and morphological analyses can characterize zooplankton community structure and biomass, and that metabarcoding methods are to some extent indicative of relative community composition when absolute measures of abundance or biomass are not available.
Circulating Regulatory T Cells Expressing Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Type 2 Contribute to Sepsis-Induced Immunosuppression in Patients During Septic Shock
Authors: Gaborit Benjamin Jean , Chaumette Tanguy , Chauveau Marie , Asquier-Khati Antoine , Roquilly Antoine , Boutoille David , Josien Régis , Salomon Benoit L , Asehnoune Karim
Published: May 2021

Background

Septic shock remains a major cause of death that can be complicated by long-term impairment in immune function. Among regulatory T (Treg) cells, the tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 positive (TNFR2pos) Treg-cell subset endorses significant immunosuppressive functions in human tumors and a sepsis mouse model but has not been investigated during septic shock in humans.

Methods

We prospectively enrolled patients with septic shock hospitalized in intensive care units (ICU). We performed immunophenotyping and functional tests of CD4+ T cells, Treg cells, and TNFR2pos Treg cells on blood samples collected 1, 4, and 7 days after admission to ICU.

Results

We investigated 10 patients with septic shock compared to 10 healthy controls. Although the proportions of circulating Treg cells and TNFR2pos Treg-cell subsets were not increased, their CTLA4 expression and suppressive functions in vitro were increased at 4 days of septic shock. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors cultured with serum from septic shock patients had increased CTLA4 expression in TNFR2pos Treg cells compared to TNFR2neg Treg cells.

Conclusions

In patients with septic shock, CTLA4 expression and suppressive function were increased in circulating TNFR2pos Treg cells. We identify TNFR2pos Treg cells as a potential attractive target for therapeutic intervention.
Impact of trace mineral source on beef replacement heifer growth, reproductive development, and biomarkers of maternal recognition of pregnancy and embryo survival
Authors: Perry George A , Perkins Stephanie D , Northrop Emmalee J , Rich Jerica J J , Epperson Kaitlin M , Andrews Taylor N , Kline Adalaide C , Quail Lacey K , Walker Julie A , Wright Cody L , Russell Jason R
Published: May 2021

Trace minerals are known to play important roles in early embryo development. The study objective was to determine effects of trace mineral source on heifer reproductive performance. Beef heifers (n = 129) were randomly assigned to one of two treatments. From weaning through breeding, all heifers were individually fed a basal diet supplemented with cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) either from organic sources (COMP; Cu, Mn, and Zn amino acid complexes and Co glucoheptonate; Availa-4, Zinpro Corporation, Eden Prairie, MN) or inorganic sources (INORG; Cu, Mn, and Zn hydroxychlorides; Intellibond C, M, and Z, Micronutrients, Indianapolis, IN) and Co as CoSO4. Blood samples and a reproductive tract score (RTS) were collected to determine pubertal status. All animals were synchronized and artificially inseminated. Pregnancy status was determined by lymphocyte gene expression, circulating concentrations of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs), and by transrectal ultrasonography after artificial insemination. Embryonic loss was defined as when a previously pregnant animal was subsequently diagnosed not pregnant. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS. Puberty (P = 0.44), pelvic area (P = 0.74), RTS (P = 0.49), and estrus expression (P = 0.82) were not influenced by treatment. There was no effect of treatment (P = 0.37) or treatment by time (P = 0.19) on pregnancy, but there was a tendency (P = 0.13) for decreased embryonic loss among COMP heifers (27 ± 6%) compared to INORG heifers (38 ± 6%). There was a treatment by pregnancy status by time interaction (P < 0.01) on circulating PAG concentrations with PAG concentrations tending (P = 0.08) to be greater on day 25 among heifers in the COMP treatment compared to heifers in the INORG group. In summary, source of trace mineral did not affect puberty, RTS, pelvic area, or overall pregnancy success, but feeding complexed trace minerals tended to increase circulating PAG concentrations and embryo survival.
656 Autologous Skin Cell Suspension is Associated with Decreased Hospital Length of Stay and Limited Surgical Interventions
Authors: Qumsiyeh Yazen , Kopari Nicole M
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Hospital length of stay is a measure of burn care quality and resource allocation. Traditionally, the average length of stay (LOS) for patients with burns is estimated at 1 day/% total body surface area (TBSA) although the 2016 American Burn Association National Burn Repository predicts closer to 3 days/%TBSA. Recent literature has shown that application of autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS) is associated with decreased hospital LOS and therefore is considered economically advantageous. Our study evaluated the LOS as it related to TBSA as well as the number of operations in patients treated with ASCS.

Methods

This is a single institution, retrospective review of burn patients at an American Burn Associated verified burn center admitted from August 2019 - August 2020 who underwent epidermal autografting. Patients were treated for partial thickness and full thickness burns either with epidermal grafting alone or in combination with widely meshed skin grafting. Demographics included age and sex of patient. The TBSA, LOS, number of operations, and re-admission rates were also collected.

Results

A total of 52 patients were included in the review. 73% were male with an average age of 42 years (range 15 months to 88 years. The patients were stratified into 4 different categories based on their burn TBSA: 0-10% (n=25), 11-20% (n=16), 21-30% (n=5), and >30% (n=6). The average number of operations increased with %TBSA (0-10%=1, 11-20%=1, 21-30%=2, >30%=4). The average LOS overall was 0.9 days/%TBSA (0-10%=1.0, 11-20%=0.7, 21-30%=0.9, >30%=0.8). Only one patient required re-admission after the first dressing takedown and underwent a second application of ASCS with subsequent healing. No patients required reconstructive surgery.

Conclusions

Burn patients treated with ASCS continue to demonstrate a decreased LOS/%TBSA and an overall decrease in the number of operations. The most significant impact may be noted as burn size increases.
The Patentability of Computer-Implemented Simulations and Implications for Computer-Implemented Inventions (CIIs)
Authors: Minssen Timo , Aboy Mateo
Published: May 2021

G 1/19 (Simulations), Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office, 10 March 2021

The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) held that a computer-implemented simulation of a technical system or process which is claimed as such can, for the purpose of assessing inventive step, solve a technical problem by producing a technical effect going beyond the simulation’s implementation on a computer; and that the established case law on computer-implemented inventions (COMVIK approach) applies to computer-implemented simulations even if these do not have an output having a direct link with physical reality.