bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is it sustainable consumption or performative environmentalism?
Authors: Anantharaman Manisha
Published: August 2022

What are the cultural politics of what becomes recognised as sustainable consumption and consequently good environmental citizenship? And how does this contour who is able to participate in urban environmental politics? In this article, I draw on Bourdieusian theories of distinction to explore the links between (sustainable) consumption, moral authority and participation in environmental politics in Bangalore, India. I re-theorise the term performative environmentalism to argue that when the new middle classes successfully claim cultural authority over sustainable consumption, it obscures the daily environmental practices of the poor in a manner that further disenfranchises their already tenuous right to the city and its environments. This analysis connects the study of consumption practices to scholarship on just sustainabilities by exploring the relational poverty and class politics of sustainable consumption. By focusing on how sustainability and poverty discourses articulate with each other, I show that performative environmentalism exacerbates the exclusion of the working poor from participation in environmental politics by reinforcing class inequalities, restigmatising poverty and monopolising ecological legitimacy for higher status groups. Doing so, I connect cultural and practice-based studies of green consumption to broader questions about how inequality is reproduced in neoliberalising cities through everyday practices.
Digital ecosystems as social institutions: exploring the role of consumption through four research streams of digital ecosystems
Authors: Dulsrud Arne , Bygstad Bendik
Published: August 2022

The growth of global digital ecosystems such as Google, Apple and Uber has led to radical changes in economic activity, work and consumption. It has also challenged established economic, social and organisation theory, which has clear limitations in understanding these phenomena. The discourses on these topics are conducted in various arenas, which are not linked, and conceptualise digital ecosystems differently. What kind of theoretical object is this? And what is the role of consumption in digital ecosystems? To investigate these issues, we conducted an investigation in two steps. First, we performed a focused and a comparative analysis of the research on platforms and digital ecosystems. We identified four research streams: the political, the economic, the technological, and the social and cultural. In the second step, we explored a typology of the role of consumption in the four streams, that is, the position in the ecosystem, the consumer agency and the currency of exchange. We associated the consumer as the critical actor of digital ecosystems, because the impact of digital ecosystem development hinges on the way in which consumers perform, accept and integrate the technology into their everyday lives. Our findings highlight that the relationship between consumption and digital technology is multifaceted and non-deterministic.
Snapshot polarimetric diffuse-specular separation
Authors: Dave Akshat , Hold-Geoffroy Yannick , Hašan Miloš , Sunkavalli Kalyan , Veeraraghavan Ashok
Published: August 2022

We present a polarization-based approach to perform diffuse-specular separation from a single polarimetric image, acquired using a flexible, practical capture setup. Our key technical insight is that, unlike previous polarization-based separation methods that assume completely unpolarized diffuse reflectance, we use a more general polarimetric model that accounts for partially polarized diffuse reflections. We capture the scene with a polarimetric sensor and produce an initial analytical diffuse-specular separation that we further pass into a deep network trained to refine the separation. We demonstrate that our combination of analytical separation and deep network refinement produces state-of-the-art diffuse-specular separation, which enables image-based appearance editing of dynamic scenes and enhanced appearance estimation.
Hardware optical correlation method for dynamic detection of micrometer gaps with sub-nanometer resolution
Authors: Jiahang Tan , Qi Wang , Ning Wang , Jie Zhang , Yong Zhu
Published: August 2022

Surface plasmon lithography breaks through the diffraction limit with surface plasmon effect and achieves high-resolution imaging below sub-wavelengths. The dynamic detection and control of the working distance between the mask and the substrate is particularly important for the quality of the lithography samples. In this paper, the mask-substrate gap sensing mechanism is analyzed, and a mask-substrate gap absolute distance measurement model is established based on the principle of white light interference. We design a Fizeau interferometer demodulation system based on a hardware optical correlation method, and focus on analyzing the influence of the sub-nanometer surface profile of the optical wedge on the resolution. Finally, we propose a data processing method for extracting the dynamic gap value by SSA (singular spectrum analysis). The experimental results show that the system shows high performance with a gap detection range of 3.0∼6.0 µm, the stability of ±0.12 nm, and the resolution of better than 0.30 nm.
Chromatin accessibility of primary human cancers ties regional mutational processes and signatures with tissues of origin
Authors: Ocsenas Oliver , Reimand Jüri
Published: August 2022

Somatic mutations in cancer genomes are associated with DNA replication timing (RT) and chromatin accessibility (CA), however these observations are based on normal tissues and cell lines while primary cancer epigenomes remain uncharacterised. Here we use machine learning to model megabase-scale mutation burden in 2,500 whole cancer genomes and 17 cancer types via a compendium of 900 CA and RT profiles covering primary cancers, normal tissues, and cell lines. CA profiles of primary cancers, rather than those of normal tissues, are most predictive of regional mutagenesis in most cancer types. Feature prioritisation shows that the epigenomes of matching cancer types and organ systems are often the strongest predictors of regional mutation burden, highlighting disease-specific associations of mutational processes. The genomic distributions of mutational signatures are also shaped by the epigenomes of matched cancer and tissue types, with SBS5/40, carcinogenic and unknown signatures most accurately predicted by our models. In contrast, fewer associations of RT and regional mutagenesis are found. Lastly, the models highlight genomic regions with overrepresented mutations that dramatically exceed epigenome-derived expectations and show a pan-cancer convergence to genes and pathways involved in development and oncogenesis, indicating the potential of this approach for coding and non-coding driver discovery. The association of regional mutational processes with the epigenomes of primary cancers suggests that the landscape of passenger mutations is predominantly shaped by the epigenomes of cancer cells after oncogenic transformation.
Uncertainty-aware deep learning in healthcare: A scoping review
Authors: Loftus Tyler J. , Shickel Benjamin , Ruppert Matthew M. , Balch Jeremy A. , Ozrazgat-Baslanti Tezcan , Tighe Patrick J. , Efron Philip A. , Hogan William R. , Rashidi Parisa , Upchurch Gilbert R. , Bihorac Azra
Published: August 2022

Mistrust is a major barrier to implementing deep learning in healthcare settings. Entrustment could be earned by conveying model certainty, or the probability that a given model output is accurate, but the use of uncertainty estimation for deep learning entrustment is largely unexplored, and there is no consensus regarding optimal methods for quantifying uncertainty. Our purpose is to critically evaluate methods for quantifying uncertainty in deep learning for healthcare applications and propose a conceptual framework for specifying certainty of deep learning predictions. We searched Embase, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases for articles relevant to study objectives, complying with PRISMA guidelines, rated study quality using validated tools, and extracted data according to modified CHARMS criteria. Among 30 included studies, 24 described medical imaging applications. All imaging model architectures used convolutional neural networks or a variation thereof. The predominant method for quantifying uncertainty was Monte Carlo dropout, producing predictions from multiple networks for which different neurons have dropped out and measuring variance across the distribution of resulting predictions. Conformal prediction offered similar strong performance in estimating uncertainty, along with ease of interpretation and application not only to deep learning but also to other machine learning approaches. Among the six articles describing non-imaging applications, model architectures and uncertainty estimation methods were heterogeneous, but predictive performance was generally strong, and uncertainty estimation was effective in comparing modeling methods. Overall, the use of model learning curves to quantify epistemic uncertainty (attributable to model parameters) was sparse. Heterogeneity in reporting methods precluded the performance of a meta-analysis. Uncertainty estimation methods have the potential to identify rare but important misclassifications made by deep learning models and compare modeling methods, which could build patient and clinician trust in deep learning applications in healthcare. Efficient maturation of this field will require standardized guidelines for reporting performance and uncertainty metrics.
Reliability of citations of medRxiv preprints in articles published on COVID-19 in the world leading medical journals
Authors: Gehanno Jean-Francois , Grosjean Julien , Darmoni Stefan J. , Rollin Laetitia
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Preprints have been widely cited during the COVID-19 pandemics, even in the major medical journals. However, since subsequent publication of preprint is not always mentioned in preprint repositories, some may be inappropriately cited or quoted. Our objectives were to assess the reliability of preprint citations in articles on COVID-19, to the rate of publication of preprints cited in these articles and to compare, if relevant, the content of the preprints to their published version.

Methods

Articles published on COVID in 2020 in the BMJ, The Lancet, the JAMA and the NEJM were manually screened to identify all articles citing at least one preprint from medRxiv. We searched PubMed, Google and Google Scholar to assess if the preprint had been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and when. Published articles were screened to assess if the title, data or conclusions were identical to the preprint version.

Results

Among the 205 research articles on COVID published by the four major medical journals in 2020, 60 (29.3%) cited at least one medRxiv preprint. Among the 182 preprints cited, 124 were published in a peer-reviewed journal, with 51 (41.1%) before the citing article was published online and 73 (58.9%) later. There were differences in the title, the data or the conclusion between the preprint cited and the published version for nearly half of them. MedRxiv did not mentioned the publication for 53 (42.7%) of preprints.

Conclusions

More than a quarter of preprints citations were inappropriate since preprints were in fact already published at the time of publication of the citing article, often with a different content. Authors and editors should check the accuracy of the citations and of the quotations of preprints before publishing manuscripts that cite them.
Childhood meningitis in rural Gambia: 10 years of population-based surveillance
Authors: Ikumapayi Usman N. , Hill Philip C. , Hossain Ilias , Olatunji Yekini , Ndiaye Malick , Badji Henry , Manjang Ahmed , Salaudeen Rasheed , Ceesay Lamin , Adegbola Richard A. , Greenwood Brian M. , Mackenzie Grant A.
Published: August 2022

Background

The introduction in many countries of conjugate vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae type b, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Neisseria meningitidis has led to significant reductions in acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in children. However, recent population-based data on ABM in sub-Saharan Africa are limited.

Methods

Population-based surveillance for meningitis was carried out in a rural area of The Gambia under demographic surveillance from 2008 to 2017, using standardised criteria for referral, diagnosis and investigation. We calculated incidence using population denominators.

Results

We diagnosed 1,666 patients with suspected meningitis and collected cerebrospinal fluid (n = 1,121) and/or blood (n = 1,070) from 1,427 (88%) of cases. We identified 169 cases of ABM, 209 cases of suspected non-bacterial meningitis (SNBM) and 1,049 cases of clinically suspected meningitis (CSM). The estimated average annual incidence of ABM was high at 145 per 100,000 population in the <2-month age group, 56 per 100,000 in the 2–23-month age group, but lower at 5 per 100,000 in the 5–14-year age group. The most common causes of ABM were Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 44), Neisseria meningitidis (n = 42), and Gram-negative coliform bacteria (n = 26). Eighteen of 22 cases caused by pneumococcal serotypes included in PCV13 occurred prior to vaccine introduction and four afterwards. The overall case fatality ratio for ABM was 29% (49/169) and was highest in the <2-month age group 37% (10/27). The case fatality ratio was 8.6% (18/209) for suspected non-bacterial meningitis and 12.8% (134/1049) for clinically suspected meningitis cases.

Conclusions

Gambian children continue to experience substantial morbidity and mortality associated with suspected meningitis, especially acute bacterial meningitis. Such severely ill children in sub-Saharan Africa require improved diagnostics and clinical care.
Schooling amidst a pandemic in the United States: Parents’ perceptions about reopening schools and anticipated challenges during COVID-19
Authors: Meghani Ankita , Agarwal Smisha , Zapf Alexander John , Edwards Jeffrey G. , Labrique Alain , Gibson Dustin
Published: August 2022

Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous states in the United States instituted measures to close schools or shift them to virtual platforms. Understanding parents’ preferences for sending their children back to school, and their experiences with distance learning is critical for informing school reopening guidelines. This study characterizes parents’ plans to return their children to school, and examines the challenges associated with school closures during the 2020–2021 academic year.

Methods

A national-level cross-sectional online survey was conducted in September 2020. Focusing on a subset of 510 respondents, who were parents of school-aged children, we examined variations in parents’ plans for their children to return to school by their demographic and family characteristics, and challenges they anticipated during the school-year using multivariable logistic regressions.

Results

Fifty percent of respondents (n = 249) said that they would send their children back to school, 18% (n = 92) stated it would depend on what the district plans for school reopening, and 32% (n = 160) would not send their children back to school. No demographic characteristics were significantly associated with parents plans to not return their children to school. Overall, parents reported high-level of access to digital technology to support their child’s learning needs (84%). However, those who reported challenges with distance learning due to a lack of childcare were less likely to not return their children to school (aOR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.64). Parents who reported requiring supervision after school had higher odds of having plans to not return their children to school (aOR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.03, 3.79). Parents viewed COVID-19 vaccines and face-masks important for resuming in-person classes.

Discussion

About one-third of parents objected to their children returning to school despite facing challenges with distance learning. Besides access to vaccines and face-masks, our findings highlight the need to better equip parents to support remote learning, and childcare.
Reviving the sound of a 150-year-old insect: The bioacoustics of Prophalangopsis obscura (Ensifera: Hagloidea)
Authors: Woodrow Charlie , Baker Ed , Jonsson Thorin , Montealegre-Z Fernando
Published: August 2022

Determining the acoustic ecology of extinct or rare species is challenging due to the inability to record their acoustic signals or hearing thresholds. Katydids and their relatives (Orthoptera: Ensifera) offer a model for inferring acoustic ecology of extinct and rare species, due to allometric parameters of their sound production organs. Here, the bioacoustics of the orthopteranProphalangopsis obscuraare investigated. This species is one of only eight remaining members of an ancient family with over 90 extinct species that dominated the acoustic landscape of the Jurassic. The species is known from only a single confirmed specimen–the 150-year-old holotype material housed at the London Natural History Museum. Using Laser-Doppler Vibrometry, 3D surface scanning microscopy, and known scaling relationships, it is shown thatP.obscuraproduces a pure-tone song at a frequency of ~4.7 kHz. This frequency range is distinct but comparable to the calls of Jurassic relatives, suggesting a limitation of early acoustic signals in insects to sonic frequencies (<20 kHz). The acoustic ecology and importance of this species in understanding ensiferan evolution, is discussed.
The predictive performance of current termination-of-resuscitation rules in patients following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Asian countries: A cross-sectional multicentre study
Authors: Hsu Shu-Hsien , Sun Jen-Tang , Huang Edward Pei-Chuan , Nishiuchi Tatsuya , Song Kyoung Jun , Leong Benjamin , Rahman Nik Hisamuddin Nik AB , Khruekarnchana Pairoj , Naroo GY , Hsieh Ming-Ju , Chang Shu-Hui , Chiang Wen-Chu , Huei-Ming Ma Matthew
Published: August 2022

Background

Termination-of-resuscitation rules (TORRs) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients have been applied in western countries; in Asia, two TORRs were developed and have not been externally validated widely. We aimed to externally validate the TORRs using the registry of Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS).

Methods

PAROS enrolled 66,780 OHCA patients in seven Asian countries from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2012. The American Heart Association-Basic Life Support and AHA-ALS (AHA-BLS), AHA-Advanced Life Support (AHA-ALS), Goto, and Shibahashi TORRs were selected. The diagnostic test characteristics and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated. We further determined the most suitable TORR in Asia and analysed the variable differences between subgroups.

Results

We included 55,064 patients in the final analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value, and AUC, respectively, for AHA-BLS, AHA-ALS, Goto, Shibashi TORRs were 79.0%, 80.0%, 19.6%, 98.5%, and 0.80; 48.6%, 88.3%, 9.8%, 98.5%, and 0.60; 53.8%, 91.4%, 11.2%, 99.0%, and 0.73; and 35.0%, 94.2%, 8.4%, 99.0%, and 0.65. In countries using the Goto TORR with PPV<99%, OHCA patients were younger, had more males, a higher rate of shockable rhythm, witnessed collapse, pre-hospital defibrillation, and survival to discharge, compared with countries using the Goto TORR with PPV ≥99%.

Conclusions

There was no single TORR fit for all Asian countries. The Goto TORR can be considered the most suitable; however, a high predictive performance with PPV ≥99% was not achieved in three countries using it (Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan).
How should ICU beds be allocated during a crisis? Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Dieteren Charlotte M. , van Hulsen Merel A. J. , Rohde Kirsten I. M. , van Exel Job
Published: August 2022

Background

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed healthcare systems in many countries, and the rapid spread of the virus and the acute course of the disease resulted in a shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds. We studied preferences of the public in the Netherlands regarding the allocation of ICU beds during a health crisis.

Methods

We distributed a cross-sectional online survey at the end of March 2020 to a representative sample of the adult population in the Netherlands. We collected preferences regarding the allocation of ICU beds, both in terms of who should be involved in the decision-making and which rationing criteria should be considered. We conducted Probit regression analyses to investigate associations between these preferences and several characteristics and opinions of the respondents.

Results

A total of 1,019 respondents returned a completed survey. The majority favored having physicians (55%) and/or expert committees (51%) play a role in the allocation of ICU beds and approximately one-fifth did not favor any of the proposed decision-makers. Respondents preferred to assign higher priority to vulnerable patients and patients who have the best prospect of full recovery. They also preferred that personal characteristics, including age, play no role.

Conclusion

“Our findings show that current guidelines for allocating ICU beds that include age as an independent criterion may not be consistent with societal preferences. Age may only play a role indirectly, in relation to the vulnerability of patients and their prospect of full recovery. Allocation of ICU beds during a health crisis requires a multivalue ethical framework.”
Prognostic values of modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular events in South African health promotion
Authors: Kganakga Jacobeth T. , Bester Petra , Ricci Cristian , Botha-Le Roux Shani , Cockeran Marike , Greeff Minrie , Kruger Iolanthé M.
Published: August 2022

Background

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are increasing at an alarming rate among the South African population. This study aimed to determine the prognostic value of modifiable CVD risk factors for fatal and non-fatal events to inform cardiovascular health promotion practices in the South African public health system.

Methods

Data was collected from individuals participating in the South African leg of a multi-national prospective cohort study. Binary logistic regression was applied to estimate odds of total, non-fatal and fatal cardiovascular events.

Results

Binary logistic regression analyses identified age as a predictor of non-fatal and fatal CV events, with ORs of 1.87 to 3.21, respectively. Hypertension increased the odd of suffering a non-fatal CV event by almost two and a half (OR = 2.47; 95% CI = 1.26, 4.85). Moreover, being physically active reduced the odd of non-fatal CVD events by 38% (OR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.46, 0.83 for 1 Standard deviation increase of the weighted physical activity index score (WPA)). On the one hand, gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) was associated with a higher fatal cardiovascular disease risk OR = 2.45 (95% CI = 1.36, 4.42) for a standard deviation increase.

Conclusions

Elevated blood pressure, GGT, and physical activity have significant prognostic values for fatal or non-fatal CV events. These findings emphasise the importance of highlighting hypertension and physical activity when planning cardiovascular health education and intervention programmes for this population, with attention to the monitoring of GGT.
Diagnostic performance of the AID line probe assay in the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and drug resistance in Romanian patients with presumed TB
Authors: Rachow Andrea , Saathoff Elmar , Mindru Roxana , Popescu Oana , Lugoji Doinita , Mahler Beatrice , Merker Matthias , Niemann Stefan , Olaru Ioana D. , Kastner Sabine , Hoelscher Michael , Lange Christoph , Ibraim Elmira
Published: August 2022

Background

The AID line probe assay has shown promising evaluation data on the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as well as 1st- and 2nd-line drug resistance, using isolates and selected clinical samples in previous studies.

Methods

The diagnostic performance of three AID-modules (AID INH/RIF, AID FQ/EMB and AID AG) was analyzed in sputum samples from patients with presumed tuberculosis against culture methods and phenotypic drug resistance as reference standards.

Results

59 patients had culture-confirmed tuberculosis. All AID modules showed moderate sensitivity (46/59, 78.0%, 65.3–87.7) and very good specificity (100%, 95.5%, 93.7%). There was a high proportion of invalid tests, resulting in 32.6%, 78.3% and 19.6% of 46 AID-positive tuberculosis cases, who could not be assessed for drug resistance by the AID INH/RIF-, AID FQ/EM- and AID AG-module, respectively. A small number of patients showed drug resistance by reference standards: Three MDR-TB cases plus three, one and one patients with resistance to streptomycin, fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides, respectively. The AID-assay detected all MDR-TB cases, two of three streptomycin-resistant TB cases, one of one of fluoroquinolone-resistant and missed one aminoglycoside-resistant TB case.

Discussion

The high proportion of invalid results precludes the use of the AID-assay from direct sputum-based tuberculosis and drug-resistance testing.
Leading causes of death in Asian Indians in the United States (2005–2017)
Authors: Fernandez Perez Claudia , Xi Kevin , Simha Aditya , Shah Nilay S. , Huang Robert J. , Palaniappan Latha , Chung Sukyung , Au Tim , Sharp Nora , Islas Nathaniel , Srinivasan Malathi
Published: August 2022

Objective

Asian Indians are among the fastest growing United States (US) ethnic subgroups. We characterized mortality trends for leading causes of death among foreign-born and US-born Asian Indians in the US between 2005–2017.

Study design and setting

Using US standardized death certificate data, we examined leading causes of death in 73,470 Asian Indians and 20,496,189 non-Hispanic whites (NHWs) across age, gender, and nativity. For each cause, we report age-standardized mortality rates (AMR), longitudinal trends, and absolute percent change (APC).

Results

We found that Asian Indians’ leading causes of death were heart disease (28% mortality males; 24% females) and cancer (18% males; 22% females). Foreign-born Asian Indians had higher all-cause AMR compared to US-born (AMR 271 foreign-born, CI 263–280; 175.8 US-born, CI 140–221; p<0.05), while Asian Indian all-cause AMR was lower than that of NHWs (AMR 271 Indian, CI 263–278; 754.4 NHW, CI 753.3–755.5; p<0.05). All-cause AMR increased for foreign-born Asian Indians over time, while decreasing for US-born Asian Indians and NHWs.

Conclusions

Foreign-born Asian Indians were 2.2 times more likely to die of heart disease and 1.6 times more likely to die of cancer. Asian Indian male AMR was 49% greater than female on average, although AMR was consistently lower for Asian Indians when compared to NHWs.
Machine learning for stone artifact identification: Distinguishing worked stone artifacts from natural clasts using deep neural networks
Authors: Emmitt Joshua , Masoud-Ansari Sina , Phillipps Rebecca , Middleton Stacey , Graydon Jennifer , Holdaway Simon
Published: August 2022

Stone artifacts are often the most abundant class of objects found in archaeological sites but their consistent identification is limited by the number of experienced analysts available. We report a machine learning based technology for stone artifact identification as part of a solution to the lack of such experts directed at distinguishing worked stone objects from naturally occurring lithic clasts. Three case study locations from Egypt, Australia, and New Zealand provide a data set of 6769 2D images, 3868 flaked artifact and 2901 rock images used to train and test a machine learning model based on an openly available PyTorch implementation of Faster R-CNN ResNet 50. Results indicate 100% agreement between the model and original human derived classifications, a better performance than the results achieved independently by two human analysts who reassessed the 2D images available to the machine learning model. Machine learning neural networks provide the potential to consistently assess the composition of large archaeological assemblages composed of objects modified in a variety of ways.
Effect of robot’s vertical body movement on its perceived emotion: A preliminary study on vertical oscillation and transition
Authors: Mahzoon Hamed , Ueda Ayaka , Yoshikawa Yuichiro , Ishiguro Hiroshi
Published: August 2022

The emotion expressions of social robots are some of the most important developments in recent studies on human–robot interactions (HRIs). Several research studies have been conducted to assess effective factors to improve the quality of emotion expression of the robots. In this study, we examined the effects of a robot’s vertical oscillation and transition on the quality of its emotion expression, where the former indicates the periodic up/down movement of the body of the robot, while the latter indicates a one-time up or down movement. Short-term and long-term emotion expressions of the robot were studied independently for the four basic emotions described in the circumplex model of emotions: joy, anger, sadness, and relief. We designed an experiment with an adequate statistical power and minimum sample size of human subjects based on a priori power analysis. Human subjects were asked to evaluate the robot’s emotion expressions by watching its video with/without vertical movement. The results of the experiment showed that for the long-term emotions, the speed of vertical oscillation corresponded to the degree of arousal of the emotion expression as noted in the circumplex model; this indicated that fast oscillations improved the emotion expression with a higher degree of arousal, such as joy and anger, while slow or no oscillations were more suited to emotions with a lower degree of arousal, such as sadness and relief. For the short-term emotions, the direction of the vertical transition corresponded to the degree of valence for most of the expressed emotions, while the speed of vertical oscillation reflected the degree of arousal. The findings of this study can be adopted in the development of conversational robots to enhance their emotion expression.
A novel attention-getting vocalization in zoo-housed western gorillas
Authors: Salmi Roberta , Szczupider Monica , Carrigan Jodi
Published: August 2022

As a critical aspect of language, vocal learning is extremely rare in animals, having only been described in a few distantly related species. New evidence, however, extends vocal learning/innovation to the primate order, with zoo-housed chimpanzees and orangutans producing novel vocal signals to attract the attention of familiar human caregivers. If the ability to produce novel vocalizations as a means of navigating evolutionarily novel circumstances spans the Hominidae family, then we can expect to find evidence for it in the family’s third genus,Gorilla. To explore this possibility, we conduct an experiment with eight gorillas from Zoo Atlanta to examine whether they use species-atypical vocalizations to get the attention of humans across three different conditions: just a human, just food, or a human holding food. Additionally, we survey gorilla keepers from other AZA-member zoos to compile a list of common attention-getting signals used by the gorillas in their care. Our experiment results indicated that Zoo Atlanta gorillas vocalized most often during the human-food condition, with the most frequently used vocal signal being a species-atypical sound somewhere between a sneeze and a cough (n = 28). This previously undescribed sound is acoustically different from other calls commonly produced during feeding (i.e., single grunts and food-associated calls). Our survey and analyses of recordings from other zoos confirmed that this novel attention-getting sound is not unique to Zoo Atlanta, although further work should be done to better determine the extent and patterns of transmission and/or potential independent innovation of this sound across captive gorilla populations. These findings represent one of the few pieces of evidence of spontaneous novel vocal production in non-enculturated individuals of this species, supporting the inclusion of great apes as moderate vocal learners and perhaps demonstrating an evolutionary function to a flexible vocal repertoire.
Trends in opioid and non-opioid treatment for chronic non-cancer pain and cancer pain among privately insured adults in the United States, 2012–2019
Authors: Bandara Sachini , Bicket Mark C. , McGinty Emma E.
Published: August 2022

Recent clinical guidelines have emphasized non-opioid treatments in lieu of prescription opioids for chronic non-cancer pain, exempting cancer patients from these recommendations. In this study, we determine trends in opioid and non-opioid treatment among privately insured adults with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) or cancer. Using administrative claims data from IBM MarketScan Research Databases, we identified privately-insured adults who were continuously enrolled in insurance for at least one calendar year from 2012 to 2019. We identified individuals with CNCP diagnosis, defined as a diagnosis of arthritis, headache, low back pain, and/or neuropathic pain, and a individuals with cancer diagnosis in a calendar year. Outcomes included receipt of any opioid, non-opioid medication, or non-pharmacologic CNCP therapy and opioid prescribing volume, MME-per-day, and days’ supply. Estimates were regression-adjusted for age, sex, and region. Between 2012 and 2019, the proportion of patients who received any opioid decreased across both groups (CNCP: 49.7 to 30.5%, p<0.01; cancer: 86.0 to 78.7%, p<0.01). Non-opioid pain medication receipt remained steady for individuals with CNCP (66.7 to 66.4%, p<0.01) and increased for individuals with cancer (74.4 to 78.8%, p<0.01), while non-pharmacologic therapy use rose among individuals with CNCP (62.4 to 66.1%, p<0.01). Among those prescribed opioids, there was a decrease in the receipt of at least one prescription with >90 MME/day (CNCP: 13.9% in 2012 to 4.9% in 2019, p<0.01; Cancer: 26.2% to 7.6%, p<0.01); >7 days of supply (CNCP: 56.3% to 30.7%, p <0.01; Cancer: 47.5% to 22.7%, p<0.01), the mean number of opioid prescriptions (CNCP: 5.2 to 3.9, p<0.01; Cancer: 4.0 to 2.7, p<0.01) and mean MME/day (CNCP: 49.9 to 38.0, p<0.01; Cancer: 62.4 to 44.7, p<0.01). Overall, from 2012–2019, opioid prescribing declined for CNCP and cancer, with larger reductions for patients with CNCP. For both groups, reductions in prescribed opioids outpaced increases in non-opioid alternatives.
Mapping evidence on factors contributing to maternal and child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review protocol
Authors: Nwagbara Ugochinyere I. , Osuala Emmanuella C. , Chireshe Rumbidzai , Babatunde Gbotemi B. , Okeke Ngozichika O. , Opara Nnennaya , Hlongwana Khumbulani W.
Published: August 2022

Background

Maternal and child mortality remains a major public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with the region having the highest under-five mortality rates, where approximately 1 in 11 children, dies before the age of 5 years. This is nearly 15 times the average in high-income countries (HICs). This scoping review is aimed at mapping evidence on the factors contributing to maternal and child mortality in SSA.

Methods

This study will be conducted using a scoping review to map existing literature on the factors contributing to maternal and child mortality in SSA. The search will comprise of peer-reviewed and grey literature, using the EBSCOhost platform. Keyword search from electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Science Direct and World Health Organization library, will be conducted. Information will be obtained from the included studies, using a data charting table. We will use NVIVO version 10 software to analyse the data, and the narrative account of the study will be presented by means of a thematic content analysis.

Discussion

We expect to find relevant literature that can help us in mapping evidence on the factors contributing to maternal and child mortality in SSA. This study results are anticipated to identify research gaps and in turn, guide the design of future primary studies.

Systematic review protocol registration

Open Science Framework registration number (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/XF5VN).
A humanized nanobody phage display library yields potent binders of SARS CoV-2 spike
Authors: Fu Ying , da Fonseca Rezende e Mello Juliana , Fleming Bryan D. , Renn Alex , Chen Catherine Z. , Hu Xin , Xu Miao , Gorshkov Kirill , Hanson Quinlin , Zheng Wei , Lee Emily M. , Perera Lalith , Petrovich Robert , Pradhan Manisha , Eastman Richard T. , Itkin Zina , Stanley Thomas B. , Hsu Allen , Dandey Venkata , Sharma Kedar , Gillette William , Taylor Troy , Ramakrishnan Nitya , Perkins Shelley , Esposito Dominic , Oh Eunkeu , Susumu Kimihiro , Wolak Mason , Ferrer Marc , Hall Matthew D. , Borgnia Mario J. , Simeonov Anton
Published: August 2022

Neutralizing antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein have shown a great preventative/therapeutic potential. Here, we report a rapid and efficient strategy for the development and design of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing humanized nanobody constructs with sub-nanomolar affinities and nanomolar potencies. CryoEM-based structural analysis of the nanobodies in complex with spike revealed two distinct binding modes. The most potent nanobody, RBD-1-2G(NCATS-BL8125), tolerates the N501Y RBD mutation and remains capable of neutralizing the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant. Molecular dynamics simulations provide a structural basis for understanding the neutralization process of nanobodies exclusively focused on the spike-ACE2 interface with and without the N501Y mutation on RBD. A primary human airway air-lung interface (ALI) ex vivo model showed that RBD-1-2G-Fc antibody treatment was effective at reducing viral burden following WA1 and B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 infections. Therefore, this presented strategy will serve as a tool to mitigate the threat of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The development and validation of the awareness and knowledge of diabetes distress questionnaire among doctors in Malaysia
Authors: Jikinong Grace , Lai Pauline Siew Mei , Abu Bakar Ahmad Ihsan , Abdul Malik Tun Firzara
Published: August 2022

The main objective of this study was to develop and validate the Awareness and Knowledge of Diabetes Distress (AKODD) questionnaire, so that it can be used to assess the knowledge attitude and practice of doctors who treat patients with diabetes distress. This validation study was conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from June to July 2019. Doctors from the Departments of Primary Care Medicine, Medicine, Psychological Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Staff Health Unit, who could understand English were recruited, as they treat patients with diabetes or diabetes distress. The AKODD was developed based on literature review. Next, an expert panel met to review findings from literature and to develop the items for AKODD. The AKODD has 3 sections: socio-demographic information, awareness and knowledge. It was then piloted among 7 doctors from the Departments of Primary Care Medicine, Medicine, Psychological Medicine and Emergency Medicine. No problems were encountered. Hence, no changes were made, and the AKODD was administered twice: at 0 and 2 weeks as part of the validation process. Discriminative validity was assessed by comparing scores of doctors who had/had not attended a diabetes course before. A total of 103/119 doctors agreed to participate (response rate = 86.6%). Flesch Reading Ease was 51.1. Thirty-three doctors (32.0%) have heard of diabetes distress before. Doctors had a good level of knowledge regarding diabetes distress with a median score of 77.8% (IQR:66.7–88.9). The AKODD had adequate discriminative validity between participants who had (83.3%)/had not attended a diabetes course before (72.2%; p<0.049). The AKODD had good internal consistency (Kuder-Richardson = 0.931) and adequate reliability as 9/18 items were not statistically significant at test-retest. The AKODD was found to be a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess the awareness and knowledge of diabetes distress among doctors in Malaysia as it had adequate psychometric properties.
Low condom use at the last sexual intercourse among university students in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Izudi Jonathan , Okello Gerald , Semakula Daniel , Bajunirwe Francis
Published: August 2022

Background

There is inconsistent data about condom use at the last sexual intercourse (LSI) among university students in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and its association with sex, age, and condom negotiation efficacy. The primary objective of this study was to summarize the proportion of condom use at the LSI among university students in SSA. The secondary objective was to determine the association between condom use at the LSI with sex, age, and condom negotiation efficacy among university students in SSA.

Methods

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, two reviewers independently searched electronic databases and grey literature for eligible studies published until July 30, 2020, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias in the included studies. We used the Dersimonian-Liard random-effects model to pool the proportion of condom use at the LSI and the association between condom use at the LSI with sex, age, and condom negotiation efficacy, reported using risk ratio (RR). We assessed publication bias using funnel plot and Egger’s test, and explored sources of heterogeneity using sub-group and meta-regression analyses.

Results

We meta-analyzed 44 studies with a combined sample size of 27,948 participants.Of 14,778 sexually active participants, 8,744 (pooled proportion, 52.9%; 95% CI, 45.0–60.7; 95% prediction interval, 2.8–98.9; I-squared = 99.0%, p< 0.0001) reported condom use at the LSI and the proportion of condom use at the LSI remained stagnant between 2000 and 2019 (p= 0.512). Condom use at the LSI was not associated with being a female compared to a male (pooled RR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.68–1.71), being of a younger age (≤24 years old) compared to older age (25 years and more) (pooled RR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0-85-1.57), and having a higher condom negotiation efficacy compared to a lower condom negotiation efficacy (pooled RR, 1.54; 95% CI, 0-81-2.94).

Conclusions

We found a low and heterogenous use of a condom at the LSI among university students in SSA which was not associated with sex, age, or condom negotiation efficacy. Accordingly, context-relevant interventions are needed to improve condom use at the LSI among university students in SSA.
Transcriptomic and metabonomic insights into the biocontrol mechanism of Trichoderma asperellum M45a against watermelon Fusarium wilt
Authors: Zhang Yi , Xiao Jiling , Yang Ke , Wang Yuqin , Tian Yun , Liang Zhihuai
Published: August 2022

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is one of the most popular fruit crops. However, Fusarium wilt (FW) is a serious soil-borne disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (FON) that severely limits the development of the watermelon industry. Trichoderma spp. is an important plant anti-pathogen biocontrol agent. The results of our previous study indicated that Trichoderma asperellum M45a (T. asperellum M45a) could control FW by enhancing the relative abundance of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in the rhizosphere of watermelon. However, there are few studies on its mechanism in the pathogen resistance of watermelon. Therefore, transcriptome sequencing of T. asperellum M45a-treated watermelon roots combined with metabolome sequencing of the rhizosphere soil was performed with greenhouse pot experiments. The results demonstrated that T. asperellum M45a could stably colonize roots and significantly increase the resistance-related enzymatic activities (e.g., lignin, cinnamic acid, peroxidase and peroxidase) of watermelon. Moreover, the expression of defense-related genes such as MYB and PAL in watermelon roots significantly improved with the inoculation of T. asperellum M45a. In addition, KEGG pathway analysis showed that a large number of differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in phenylpropane metabolic pathways, which may be related to lignin and cinnamic acid synthesis, thus further inducing the immune response to resist FON. Furthermore, metabolic analysis indicated that four differential metabolic pathways were enriched in M45a-treated soil, including six upregulated compounds and one down-regulated compound. Among them, galactinol and urea were significantly positively correlated with Trichoderma. Hence, this study provides insight into the biocontrol mechanism of T. asperellum M45a to resist soil-borne diseases, which can guide its industrial application.
A meta-analysis of childhood maltreatment in relation to psychopathic traits
Authors: de Ruiter Corine , Burghart Matthias , De Silva Raneesha , Griesbeck Garcia Sara , Mian Ushna , Walshe Eoin , Zouharova Veronika
Published: August 2022

Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a mix of traits belonging to four facets: affective (e.g., callous/lack of empathy), interpersonal (e.g., grandiosity), behavioral instability (e.g., impulsivity, poor behavioral controls), and social deviance (e.g., juvenile delinquency, criminal versatility). Several scholars have argued that early childhood maltreatment impacts the development of psychopathy, although views regarding its role in the four facets differ. We conducted a meta-analysis including 47 studies comprising a total of 389 effect sizes and 12,737 participants, to investigate the association between psychopathy and four types of child maltreatment: physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse. We found support for a moderate link between overall psychopathy and childhood physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect, as well as overall childhood maltreatment. The link between psychopathy and childhood sexual abuse was small, but still statistically significant. These associations were stronger for the behavioral and antisocial facets than for the affective and interpersonal facets of psychopathy, but nearly all associations were statistically significant. Our findings are consistent with recently developed theories on the role of complex trauma in the development of severe personality disorders. Trauma-focused preventive and therapeutic interventions can provide further tests of the trauma-psychopathy hypothesis.
Dissecting the roles of the Tuberin protein in the subcellular localization of the G2/M Cyclin, Cyclin B1
Authors: Pillon Adam , Dare-Shih Jessica , Fong Jackie , Fidalgo da Silva Elizabeth , Porter Lisa A.
Published: August 2022

Tuberin is a major component of the protein regulatory complex known as the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and plays a crucial role in cell cycle progression and protein synthesis. Mutations in the Tuberin gene, TSC2, lead to the formation of benign tumors in many organ systems and causes the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex disorder. Genotypes ranging from point mutations to large deletions in the TSC2 gene have been clinically characterized with a wide range of phenotypes from skin tumors to large brain tumors. Our lab has previously demonstrated that Tuberin can directly bind and regulate the timing of nuclear transport of the G2/M cyclin, Cyclin B1. Herein we study the consequence of one clinically relevant truncation in the Tuberin protein on cell cycle function. We demonstrate that exogenous expression of a fragment of the N-term region of Tuberin alters the subcellular localization of Cyclin B1 and increases cell proliferation. This adds to our body of information about the residues within Tuberin responsible for regulating the cytoplasmic retention of Cyclin B1 and supports the phenotypic data seen in the clinic with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex patients harbouring similar large deletions in Tuberin.