bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Generation of synchronized configuration space trajectories with workspace path constraints for an ensemble of robots
Authors: Kabir Ariyan M , Thakar Shantanu , Malhan Rishi K , Shembekar Aniruddha V , Shah Brual C , Gupta Satyandra K
Published: February 2021

We present an approach to generate path-constrained synchronous motion for the coupled ensemble of robots. In this article, we refer to serial-link manipulators and mobile bases as robots. We assume that the relative motion constraints among the objects in the environment are given. We represent the motion constraints as path constraints and pose the problem of path-constrained synchronous trajectory generation as a non-linear optimization problem. Our approach generates configuration space trajectories for the robots to manipulate the objects such that the given motion constraints among the objects are satisfied. We present a method that formulates the problem as a discrete parameter optimization problem and solves it using successive constraint refinement techniques. The method adaptively selects the parametric representation of the configuration variables for a given scenario. It also generates an approximate solution as the starting point for the successive constraint refinement stages to reduce the computation time. We discuss in detail why successive constraint refinement strategies are useful for solving this class of problems. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method on challenging test cases in simulation and physical environments with high-degree-of-freedom robotic systems.
Managing patients with suspected postpartum retained products of conception using a novel sonographic classification
Authors: Levinsohn-Tavor Orna , Sharon Nataly Zilberman , Feldman Noa , Svirsky Ran , Smorgick Noam , Nir-Yoffe Arava , Maymon Ron
Published: February 2021

Background

Suspicion of retained products of conception (RPOC) often arises after delivery and still poses a diagnostic and management challenge.

Purpose

To prospectively evaluate a sonographic classification for the management of patients with suspected RPOC after delivery.

Material and Methods

Based on grayscale and Doppler ultrasound parameters, patients were classified into high, moderate, or low probability of RPOC. For the low and moderate probability groups, an ultrasound follow-up at the end of the puerperium was recommended. For the high probability group, a follow-up examination was conducted 10–14 days after the first ultrasound, and patients with persistent high probability findings were referred for surgical intervention.

Results

The sample was composed of 215 patients at risk of RPOC. Of these, 100, 93, and 22 patients were classified as having a low, moderate, or high probability of RPOC, respectively. Rates of RPOC were 55%, 2%, and 2% in the high, moderate, and low probability categories, respectively. When the categorization was based on the most recent ultrasound obtained during the puerperium, the adjusted RPOC prevalence rates were 71% in the high, 6% in the moderate, and 0% in the low probability groups.

Conclusion

This study confirms the effectiveness of our sonographic classification for managing patients with suspected RPOC after delivery. In all three categories, it is recommended to adhere to a conservative management protocol in clinically stable women until the end of the puerperium. This approach provides good predictability for RPOC and can reduce unnecessary surgical interventions.
Multiscale Modeling of Asphalt Concrete and Validation through Instrumented Pavement Section
Authors: Khan Zafrul H. , Tarefder Rafiqul A. , Faisal Hasan M.
Published: February 2021

In this study, macroscale responses of asphalt concrete (AC) are predicted from the responses of its corresponding microscale representative volume element (RVE) within a finite element framework using quasi-static and dynamic analyses. Nanoindentation test was performed on the mastic and aggregate phase of an AC sample to determine the viscoelastic and elastic properties of RVE elements. Aggregate-mastic proportions in the RVE were obtained from the morphological image analysis. Macroscale model responses were compared with the AC pavement responses obtained from an instrumented pavement section subjected to falling weight deflectometer loading and a class 9 vehicle. Model responses are very close to the actual responses. The multiscale analyses show that tensile strain in microscale RVE is 5–10 times higher than that in a macroscale element. Furthermore, multiscale analyses also show that variations in the microscale RVE, such as the reduction in the aggregate-mastic ratio or increment in the voids, can increase the maximum tensile strain at the bottom of the AC in macroscale model by around 25%.
Arthroscopic Side-to-Side Repair of Massive Rotator Cuff Tears Maintains Adequate Functional Improvement at 12 to 14 Years’ Follow-up
Authors: Merlet Marie Caroline , Guinet Virginie , Rousseau Thomas , van Rooij Floris , Saffarini Mo , Dujardin Franck , Courage Olivier
Published: February 2021

Background:

Rotator cuff tears are common shoulder injuries that often cause pain and loss of function. Nonanatomic side-to-side techniques facilitate repair by minimizing tensions within tendons to improve healing and optimize the thickness of sutured tissues.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose was to evaluate long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes of arthroscopic side-to-side repair of massive rotator cuff tears (mRCTs). The hypothesis was that, at a minimum follow-up of 12 years, arthroscopic side-to-side repair maintains clinically important improvements.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

The authors reviewed records of all patients who underwent arthroscopic repair of mRCTs over 2 consecutive years. A total of 30 adult patients met the eligibility criteria and underwent side-to-side repair. Patients were evaluated clinically using the Constant score (CS) and ultrasound to assess retears at 3 timepoints after surgery: 2 to 4 years, 5 to 7 years, and 12 to 14 years.

Results:

At first follow-up (3.2 ± 0.5 years), all 30 patients had clinical and ultrasound assessment, which revealed 13 retears (43%). At second follow-up (6.2 ± 0.5 years), all 30 patients had clinical and ultrasound assessment, which revealed 2 new retears (total 50%). At final follow-up (13.0 ± 0.7 years), only 21 patients had clinical assessment (1 died and 8 could not be reached), and only 19 patients had ultrasound assessment, which revealed 6 new retears (total 79%). Both absolute CS and age-/sex-adjusted CS improved significantly from baseline values at first follow-up (73.5 and 96.6, respectively), and remained stable at second follow-up (69.0 and 91.9, respectively), and final follow-up (64.4 and 87.0, respectively). Compared to shoulders with intact repairs, those with retears tended to have lower absolute CS at all follow-up visits, although differences were not statistically significant.

Conclusion:

Patients with mRCTs maintain satisfactory clinical scores at 12 to 14 years after arthroscopic side-to-side repair despite a high incidence of retears. Repair is a safe and effective treatment for mRCTs, providing a less invasive and less complex alternative to reverse shoulder arthroplasty and tendon transfer procedures.
An inhibitor of Krüppel-like factor 5 suppresses peritoneal fibrosis in mice
Authors: Muta Kumiko , Nakazawa Yuka , Obata Yoko , Inoue Hiro , Torigoe Kenta , Nakazawa Masayuki , Abe Katsushige , Furusu Akira , Miyazaki Masanobu , Yamamoto Kazuo , Koji Takehiko , Nishino Tomoya
Published: February 2021

Back ground:

Krüppel-like transcription factor 5 (KLF5) is a transcription factor regulating cell proliferation, angiogenesis and differentiation. It has been recently reported that Am80, a synthetic retinoic acid receptor α-specific agonist, inhibits the expression of KLF5. In the present study, we have examined the expression of KLF5 in fibrotic peritoneum induced by chlorhexidine gluconate (CG) in mouse and evaluated that Am80, as an inhibitor of KLF5, can reduce peritoneal fibrosis.

Methods:

Peritoneal fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of CG into peritoneal cavity of ICR mice. Am80 was administered orally for every day from the start of CG injection. Control mice received only a vehicle (0.5% carboxymethylcellulose solution). After 3 weeks of treatment, peritoneal equilibration test (PET) was performed and peritoneal tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry.

Results:

The expression of KLF5 was less found in the peritoneal tissue of control mice, while KLF5 was expressed in the thickened submesothelial area of CG-injected mice receiving the vehicle. Am80 treatment reduced KLF5 expression and remarkably attenuated peritoneal thickening, accompanied with the reduction of type III collagen expression. The numbers of transforming growth factor β-positive cells, α-smooth muscle actin-positive cells and infiltrating macrophages were significantly decreased in Am80-treated group. PET revealed the increased peritoneal permeability in CG mice, whereas Am80 administration significantly improved the peritoneal high permeability state.

Conclusions:

These results indicate the involvement of KLF5 in the progression of experimental peritoneal fibrosis and suggest that Am80 may be potentially useful for the prevention of peritoneal fibrosis through inhibition of KLF5 expression.
An investigation of skill requirements in artificial intelligence and machine learning job advertisements
Authors: Verma Amit , Lamsal Kamal , Verma Payal
Published: February 2021

Due to the advent of big data and efficient computational resources, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have seen massive growth in recent years. Informatics degree programs are scrambling to meet the ever-increasing market demand of such professions. To explore the skillsets required for AI and ML positions, the authors conducted a content analysis of online job advertisements posted on Indeed.com . They present a ranking of the relevant skills for the two positions. Further, they performed a pairwise comparison between AI and ML positions. Overall, it was observed that technical skills like data mining, programming, statistics and big data are more valued for ML positions than for AI positions. On the contrary, AI positions tend to be more generic, with an emphasis on communication skills. These clearly defined skills can be valuable for the hiring process as well as to revamp existing course curricula to cater to the increasing market demand.
Material flow and mechanical properties of friction stir welded Al-Mg-Si alloy: Role of concentric circles shoulder with non-circular pins
Authors: Mugada Krishna Kishore , Adepu Kumar
Published: February 2021

Understanding the material flow in friction stir welding (FSW) is one of the challenging aspects for producing defect free and quality welds. The material flow is majorly governed by the tool shoulder/pin geometries and process conditions. In the present study, concentric circles shoulder shape with various polygonal pin designs are selected, and their influence on material flow and mechanical properties in Al 6082 friction stir welds is addressed. Material flow is studied by inserting the markers before welding and subsequent analysis of deformed marker material by radiography and macrostructure after welding. The outcome shows the welds with square pin design facilitated a constant stable force, and hexagonal pin design facilitated a decreasing behavior of force with reference to welding length/time. The heat input is increasing from triangular pin to hexagonal pin and is maximum for welds with hexagonal pins (973 kJ/mm). Further, welds with hexagonal pins (TCC)HEX tool facilitated higher mechanical properties of strength (187 MPa) and average hardness (79 HV) at the stir zone.
Total knee replacement wear during simulated gait with mechanical and anatomic alignments
Authors: Maag Chase , Cracaoanu Ioan , Langhorn Jason , Heldreth Mark
Published: February 2021

Total knee replacements (TKR) have historically been implanted perpendicular to the mechanical axis of the knee joint, with a commensurate external rotation of the femur in flexion relative to the posterior condylar axis (PCA). Although this mechanical alignment (MA) method has typically offered good long-term survivorship of implants, it may result in alignment of the implant that departs significantly from the native Joint Line (JL) in extension and flexion for a considerable portion of the patient population. There is a growing interest with surgeons to implant TKR components more closely aligned to the natural JL (Anatomic Alignment-AA) of the patient’s knee joint to reduce the need for soft tissue releases during surgery, potentially improving knee function and patient satisfaction. Using a previously-validated finite element model of the lower extremity, implant- and alignment-specific loading conditions were developed and applied in a wear experiment via a six-degree-of-freedom joint simulator. MA was defined as 0° Joint Line (JL), 0° varus hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle, and 3° external femoral rotation. AA was defined as 5° varus JL, 3° varus HKA, and 0° femoral rotation. The experiment returned wear rates of 3.76 ± 0.51 mg/million cycles (Mcyc) and 2.59 ± 2.11 mg/Mcyc for ATTUNE® cruciate-retaining (CR) fixed bearing (FB) in MA and AA, respectively. For ATTUNE posterior-stabilized (PS) FB in AA, the wear rate was 0.97 ± 1.11 mg/Mcyc. For ATTUNE CR rotating platform (RP), the wear rates were 0.23 ± 0.19 mg/Mcyc, 0.48 ± 1.02 mg/Mcyc in MA and AA respectively. Using a two-way ANOVA, it was determined that there was no significantly difference in the wear rates between AA and MA ( p = 0.144) nor the wear rate of ATTUNE PS FB in AA significantly different from either ATTUNE CR FB or ATTUNE CR RP.
The environmental health and energy efficiency in China: A network slacks-based measure
Authors: Chen Xiang , Zhang Xuping , Wu Xin , Lu Ching-Cheng
Published: February 2021

The importance of afforested area in environmental protection was emphasized in the 12th Five Year Period. Therefore, we first synthetically assess the afforested efficiency by non-oriented Network SBM model. The overall process is divided into two stages, and PM2.5, NOx, and SO2 are viewed as the linkage between two stages. Moreover, the afforested area is used as the final output in the second stage. According to the empirical results, the energy efficiency is higher than the afforested efficiency, and the low overall efficiency mainly due to the bad performance of afforested efficiency. The average afforested efficiency score was less than 0.42 in these five years, indicating that although the average afforestation area increased gradually, the afforestation efficiency did not improve significantly. Most provinces should take effective measures to control the emissions of PM2.5, NOx, and SO2 and gradually improve the afforested area.
Upregulation of ETV2 Expression Promotes Endothelial Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells
Authors: Li Jing , Zhu Youming , Li Na , Wu Tao , Zheng Xianyu , Heng Boon chin , Zou Duohong , Xu Jianguang
Published: February 2021

The lack of vasculogenesis often hampers the survivability and integration of newly engineered tissue grafts within the host. Autologous endothelial cells (ECs) are an ideal cell source for neovascularization, but they are limited by their scarcity, lack of proliferative capacity, and donor site morbidity upon isolation. The objective of this study was to determine whether differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) into the endothelial lineage can be enhanced by recombinant ETV2 overexpression. DPSCs were extracted from fresh dental pulp tissues. ETV2 overexpression in DPSCs was achieved by lentiviral infection and cellular morphological changes were evaluated. The mRNA and protein expression levels of endothelial-specific markers were assessed through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry. The tube formation assay and Matrigel plug assay were also performed to evaluate the angiogenic potential of the ETV2-transduced cells in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Additionally, proteomic analysis was performed to analyze global changes in protein expression following ETV2 overexpression. After lentiviral infection, ETV2-overexpressing DPSCs showed endothelial-like morphology. Compared with control DPSCs, significantly higher mRNA and protein expression levels of endothelial-specific genes, including CD31, VE-Cadherin, VEGFR1, and VEGFR2, were detected in ETV2-overexpressing DPSCs. Moreover, ETV2 overexpression enhanced capillary-like tube formation on Matrigel in vitro, as well as neovascularization in vivo. In addition, comparative proteomic profiling showed that ETV2 overexpression upregulated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors, which was indicative of increased VEGF signaling. Taken together, our results indicate that ETV2 overexpression significantly enhanced the endothelial differentiation of DPSCs. Thus, this study shows that DPSCs can be a promising candidate cell source for tissue engineering applications.
Human Embryonic Stem Cell–derived Neural Crest Cells Promote Sprouting and Motor Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury in Adult Rats
Authors: Jones Iwan , Novikova Liudmila N. , Wiberg Mikael , Carlsson Leif , Novikov Lev N.
Published: February 2021

Spinal cord injury results in irreversible tissue damage and permanent sensorimotor impairment. The development of novel therapeutic strategies that improve the life quality of affected individuals is therefore of paramount importance. Cell transplantation is a promising approach for spinal cord injury treatment and the present study assesses the efficacy of human embryonic stem cell–derived neural crest cells as preclinical cell-based therapy candidates. The differentiated neural crest cells exhibited characteristic molecular signatures and produced a range of biologically active trophic factors that stimulated in vitro neurite outgrowth of rat primary dorsal root ganglia neurons. Transplantation of the neural crest cells into both acute and chronic rat cervical spinal cord injury models promoted remodeling of descending raphespinal projections and contributed to the partial recovery of forelimb motor function. The results achieved in this proof-of-concept study demonstrates that human embryonic stem cell–derived neural crest cells warrant further investigation as cell-based therapy candidates for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
Estrogen and Androgen Receptor Inhibitors: Unexpected Allies in the Fight Against COVID-19
Authors: Bravaccini Sara , Fonzi Eugenio , Tebaldi Michela , Angeli Davide , Martinelli Giovanni , Nicolini Fabio , Parrella Paola , Mazza Massimiliano
Published: February 2021

Translational Relevance

No prophylactic treatments for COVID-19 have been clearly proven and found. In this pandemic context, cancer patients constitute a particularly fragile population that would benefit the best from such treatments, a present unmet need. TMPRSS2 is essential for COVID-19 replication cycle and it is under androgen control. Estrogen and androgen receptor dependent cues converge on TMPRSS2 regulation through different mechanisms of action that can be blocked by the use of hormonal therapies. We believe that there is enough body of evidence to foresee a prophylactic use of hormonal therapies against COVID-19 and this hypothesis can be easily tested on cohorts of breast and prostate cancer patients who follow those regimens. In case of pandemic, if the protective effect of hormonal therapies will be proven on cancer patients, the use of specific hormonal therapies could be extended to other oncological groups and to healthy individuals to decrease the overall risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2.

Given the COVID-19 coronavirus emergency, a special focus is needed on the impact of this rapidly spreading viral infection on cancer patients. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling in the transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) regulation is emerging as an important determinant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) susceptibility. In our study, we analyzed AR and TMPRSS2 expression in 17,352 normal and 9,556 cancer tissues from public repositories and stratified data according to sex and age. The emerging picture is that some patient groups may be particularly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and may benefit from antiandrogen- or tamoxifen-based therapies. These findings are relevant to choose proper treatments in order to protect cancer patients from concomitant SARS-CoV-2 contagion and related symptoms and put forward the idea that hormonal therapies could be used as prophylactic agents against COVID-19.
Bomba: The Sound of Puerto Rico’s African Heritage
Authors: Colón-León Vimari
Published: February 2021

Bomba is an emblematic Puerto Rican musical genre that emerged 400 years ago from the colonial plantations where West African slaves and their descendants worked. It remains one of the most popular forms of folk music on the island and serves as significant evidence of its rich African heritage. This article explores the main components of bomba by making them more accessible to those that have not experienced it from an insider’s perspective. The material presented in this article provides a learning sequence that could take the form of several lessons, or even a curricular unit. Transcriptions of rhythms typically learned aurally are also included.
Momentary Emotion Differentiation: The Derivation and Validation of an index to Study Within-Person Fluctuations in Emotion Differentiation
Authors: Erbas Yasemin , Kalokerinos Elise K. , Kuppens Peter , van Halem Sjoerd , Ceulemans Eva
Published: February 2021

Emotion differentiation refers to the tendency to label emotions in a granular way. While differentiation is an important individual difference in the context of psychological well-being, it is unknown how it fluctuates within individuals. Such a within-person measure is important, since it would allow the study of how changes in differentiation predict subsequent levels of other variables of interest. Here, we present a framework to study emotion differentiation at the within-person level by introducing a momentary emotion differentiation index. This index is directly derived from the classical emotion differentiation index, the intraclass correlation. We first give a theoretical derivation of this index. Next, using data from two experience sampling studies, we show how this new momentary index is related to other momentary indicators of well-being, and take the first steps in building its nomological network. A better understanding of within-person fluctuations in emotion differentiation will allow us to identify the causes and consequences of these fluctuations, and search for ways to teach individuals to increase their level of emotion differentiation.
Design and stability of pediatric oral formulation of imatinib
Authors: Hinterlang Mélanie , Gendron Amandine , Fleury Thomas , Rieutord André , Vrana Anastasia , Schlatter Joël , Annereau Maxime
Published: February 2021

Background

Imatinib is a protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor which is currently only commercially available as a tablet dosage form in the strength of 100mg and 400mg. The elaboration of new oral liquid formulations is suitable in pediatrics and for patients who have difficulties to swallow, notably in the absence of commercial forms. This enables the adaptation of dosage and secure the administration.

Objectives

The formulation of an oral pediatric solution of imatinib at a concentration of 30 mg/mL and the evaluation of its stability for the treatment of pediatric patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

Methods

The physicochemical stability parameters: appearance, pH, osmolality, and drug content of formulation were evaluated for 30 days when stored at 2–8°C. Concentration of solution was measured with a validated method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with an absorbance UV detector. Equally, microbiological stability was performed.

Results

The remaining imatinib concentration was at least 95% of the initial concentration after 30 days stored in fridge temperature. No changes were observed regarding the physical properties of the formulation during the study period.

Conclusions

The stability study showed that the imatinib oral solution at a concentration of 30 mg/mL provides an alternative option at the commercial tablet dosage forms for pediatric patients and patients who have difficulties to swallow.
Home Health Agencies: Empirical Evidence on the Patient-Driven Groupings Model’s Expected Effects on Agency Reimbursements
Authors: Plummer Elizabeth , Wempe William F.
Published: February 2021

Beginning January 1, 2020, Medicare’s Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) eliminated therapy as a direct determinant of Home Health Agencies’ (HHAs’) reimbursements. Instead, PDGM advances Medicare’s shift toward value-based payment models by directly linking HHAs’ reimbursements to patients’ medical conditions. We use 3 publicly-available datasets and ordered logistic regression to examine the associations between HHAs’ pre-PDGM provision of therapy and their other agency, patient, and quality characteristics. Our study therefore provides evidence on PDGM’s likely effects on HHA reimbursements assuming current patient populations and service levels do not change. We find that PDGM will likely increase payments to rural and facility-based HHAs, as well as HHAs serving greater proportions of non-white, dual-eligible, and seriously ill patients. Payments will also increase for HHAs scoring higher on quality surveys, but decrease for HHAs with higher outcome and process quality scores. We also use ordinary least squares regression to examine residual variation in HHAs’ expected reimbursement changes under PDGM, after accounting for any expected changes related to their pre-PDGM levels of therapy provision. We find that larger and rural HHAs will likely experience residual payment increases under PDGM, as will HHAs with greater numbers of seriously ill, younger, and non-white patients. HHAs with higher process quality, but lower outcome quality, will similarly benefit from PDGM. Understanding how PDGM affects HHAs is crucial as policymakers seek ways to increase equitable access to safe and affordable non-facility-provided healthcare that provides appropriate levels of therapy, nursing, and other care.
Relationships between resilience and quality of life in parents of children with cancer
Authors: Luo Y. H. , Li W. H. C. , Cheung A. T. , Ho L. L. K. , Xia W. , He X. L. , Zhang J. P. , Chung J. O. K.
Published: February 2021

A child suffering from cancer can be considerably stressful for parents, exerting a negative impact on their psychological well-being and quality of life. This study explored the relationships between resilience and quality of life in parents of children with cancer. We recruited 146 parents of children with cancer in two tertiary hospitals in mainland China. The results revealed that greater parental resilience was associated with better quality of life. It is essential to develop interventions that can enhance resilience for parents of children with cancer, thereby improving their quality of life.

ClinicalTrials.gov ID:

NCT03631485
Reconceptualizing multisectoral prison regulation: Voluntary organizations and bereaved families as regulators
Authors: Tomczak Philippa
Published: February 2021

Prison health, prisoner safety and imprisonment rates matter: intrinsically and for health and safety outside. Existing prison regulation apparatuses (e.g. OPCAT) are extensive and hold unrealized potential to shape imprisonment. However, criminologists have not yet engaged much with this potential. In this article, I reconceptualize prison regulation by exploring the work of a broad range of multisectoral regulators who operate across stakeholder groups. I illustrate that voluntary organizations and families bereaved by prison suicide act as regulators, although their substantive actions have been erased from official narratives. Mobilizing (threats of) litigation, these actors have responsibilized the state and brought qualitative changes across the prison estate.
Losing what is OURS: The intergroup consequences of collective ownership threat
Authors: Nijs Tom , Verkuyten Maykel , Martinovic Borja
Published: February 2021

Collective ownership threat is the fear of losing control over what is perceived to be owned. In two experimental studies, we examined the intergroup consequences of collective ownership threat in relation to perceived owned territories. First, among a sample of Dutch adolescents ( N = 227), we found that infringement of a hangout place owned by a group of friends led to more perceived collective ownership threat (and not symbolic threat), which was in turn related to more marking and anticipatory defending behavior. Second, among a sample of native Dutch adults ( N = 338), we found that framing Turkish EU accession as an infringement of the collective ownership of the country led to more perceived collective ownership threat (and not symbolic and economic threat), which was in turn related to more opposition to Turkey’s possible accession. Our findings indicate that collective ownership threat is an important construct to consider in intergroup research.
Impact of home visits to pregnant women and their spouses on gender norms and dynamics in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Narratives from visited men and women
Authors: Mudi Hadiza , Dutse Umar , Belaid Loubna , Ansari Umaira , Omer Khalid , Gidado Yagana , Baba Muhd Chadi , Mahdi Amina , Andersson Neil , Cockcroft Anne
Published: February 2021

Background:

Maternal and newborn child health are priority concerns in Bauchi State, northern Nigeria. Increased male involvement in reproductive health is recommended by the World Health Organization. A trial of a program of universal home visits to pregnant women and their spouses, with an intention to increase male involvement in pregnancy and childbirth, showed improvements in actionable risk factors and in maternal morbidity. We used a narrative technique to explore experiences of the visits and their effect on gender roles and dynamics within the households.

Methods:

Trained fieldworkers collected narratives of change from 23 visited women and 21 visited men. After translation of the stories into English, we conducted an inductive thematic analysis to examine the impact of the visits on gender norms and dynamics.

Results:

The analysis indicated that the visits improved men’s support for antenatal care, immunization, and seeking help for danger signs, increased spousal communication, and led to changes in perceptions about gender violence and promoted non-violent gender relationships. However, although some stories described increased spousal communication, they did not mention that this translated into shared decision-making or increased autonomy for women. Many of the men’s stories described a continuing paternalistic, male-dominant position in decision-making.

Conclusions:

Few studies have examined the gender-transformative potential of interventions to promote male involvement in reproductive health; our analysis provides some initial insights into this.
Peoples’ experiences of painful diabetic neuropathy: are pain management programmes appropriate?
Authors: Davies Ben , Cramp Fiona , Gauntlett-Gilbert Jeremy , McCabe Candida S
Published: February 2021

Objective:

Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is a painful complication of diabetes. This study aimed to explore: (1) strategies used by participants to manage impacts of PDN and (2) their perspectives on whether strategies from pain management programmes (PMPs) had applicability for PDN.

Design:

Participants were recruited through local National Health Service (NHS) diabetes and PDN clinics, and nationally from a diabetes support charity. One-to-one interviews were conducted. The transcribed data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results:

Twenty-three people were interviewed who had PDN symptoms for mean 10 years. Four themes emerged from the data: seeking help and advice, pragmatic approach to management, perspectives on physical activity and perspectives on psychological coping strategies.

Conclusion:

Some participants were open to the strategies advised by PMP strategies. There were also strong opinions that no exercise or psychological approach could help with diabetes-related pain. It is possible PMPs as currently delivered need to be adapted to maximise engagement from people with PDN. Research is required to understand the healthcare priorities of people with PDN and whether these priorities can be mapped to existing management strategies.
What Do You Call a Black Woman With a PhD? A N*****: How Race Trumps Education No Matter What
Authors: McCoy Henrika
Published: February 2021

The 16-year journey from being a doctoral student to a tenured Associate Professor as a Black woman has been eventful. This essay provides a peek into some of the unforgettable moments experienced by one Black female PhD during that journey. It highlights how having a PhD as a Black woman has not resulted in the same respect and reverence generally afforded to those who are White. It reminds us of the work that still needs to be done if we are ever going to be able to honestly say that the playing field is even. It is also a story of resolve and commitment, and how it can be possible to find new ways to contribute to improving outcomes for Black people, even when current events make doing so seem impossible.
Biomechanical Analysis of the Tuning Fork Plate Versus Dual Pelvic Screws in a Sacrectomy Model: A Finite Element Study
Authors: Joukar Amin , Mehta Jwalant , Goel Vijay K. , Marks David S.
Published: February 2021

Study Design:

To evaluate the mechanical effectiveness of “tuning fork” plate fixation system by comparing with dual iliac screw fixation under different spinal motion through finite element analysis (FEA).

Objective:

Lumbosacral deficiencies occur from birth defects or following destruction by tumors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the mechanical effectiveness of the tuning fork plate compared to dual iliac screw system which is the gold standard fixation in treating lumbosacral deficiencies. This is an innovative fixation device for treating lumbosacral deficiencies.

Methods:

The deficiency model was prepared using a previously developed and validated finite element T10-pelvis model. To create the lumbo-sacral deficiency the segments between L3 and sacrum were removed from the model. The model was then instrumented from T10 to L2 segments and the ilium using either the tuning fork plate or a dual iliac screw construct. With the ilium fixed, the T10 vertebrae was subjected to 10 Nm moment and 400 N follower load to simulate spinal motions. Range of motion (ROM) of spine and stresses on the instrumentation were calculated for 2 fixation devices and compared with each other.

Results:

The 2 fixation systems demonstrate a comparable motion reduction in all loading modes. Stress values were higher in the dual iliac screw constructs compared with the tuning fork plate fixation system. The factor of safety of the tuning fork plate device was higher than the dual iliac screw fixation by 50%.

Conclusions:

Both fixation devices had similar performance in motion reduction at spine levels. However, based on predicted implant stresses there were less chances of implant failure in the fork plate fixation, compared to the dual iliac screw system.
SARS-CoV-2 tropism: what urologists need to know
Authors: Desouky Elsayed
Published: February 2021

Background

Apart from viral sexually transmitted diseases, viral infections in urology are not common and likely to be underreported. Initially, COVID-19 was thought to be only affecting our practice indirectly through reducing elective work that almost came to a stop. However, recent upcoming reports show that urologists can get involved far beyond that.

Main body

Genitourinary tract can be directly affected based on the SARS-CoV-2 virus organotropism. The aim of this article is to present a comprehensive review of the data available and to highlight any possible similarity with the few known viral infections involving genitourinary organs with regard to its pathophysiologic impact.

Conclusion

Urologists need to extrapolate their experience with viral infections in the urinary tract so as to be able to manage such possible COVID infections and its short- and long-term consequences.
Two-year follow-up after holmium laser enucleation of the prostate and bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate: a prospective randomized study
Authors: El-Hawy Mamdouh M. , Eldakhakhny Amr , AbdEllatif Ahmed , Salem Emad A. , Ragab Ahmed , Elsharkawy Mostafa S. , Abdelghani Mostafa M. , Alshara Luay , Hasanein Mohamed G. , Ismail Ahmed H. , Ismail Ebrahim M. , Hassan Mohamed A. , Ali Ahmed I.
Published: February 2021

Background

Different treatment options are available for the management of BPH. Our study aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of a holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and a bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate (Bipolar-TURP) after 2 years.

Methods

Our prospective randomized study included 114 patients: 55 patients underwent HoLEP procedure and 59 patients underwent bipolar TURP procedure. All patients underwent a complete preoperative assessment and a physical examination. The postoperative follow-up data included Q max and IPSS recordings at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months and PVR urinary volume recordings at 6 and 12 months. Any postoperative complications were also recorded.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences between both groups regarding IPSS and Q max scores at one and 24 months postoperative. Also, there were no statistically significant differences between both groups regarding postoperative PVR at 6 and 12 months. One patient in the HoLEP group developed total incontinence after surgery.

Conclusion

Our study did not show a significant difference between HoLEP and bipolar TURP regarding postoperative Q max and IPSS scores at 24 months of follow-up.
Potential of blockchain approach on development and security of microbial databases
Authors: Mohammadipanah Fatemeh , Sajedi Hedieh
Published: February 2021

Approaches developed based on the blockchain concept can provides a framework for the realization of open science. The traditional centralized way of data collection and curation is a labor-intensive work that is often not updated. The fundamental contribution of developing blockchain format of microbial databases includes: 1. Scavenging the sparse data from different strain database; 2. Tracing a specific thread of access for the purpose of evaluation or even the forensic; 3. Mapping the microbial species diversity; 4. Enrichment of the taxonomic database with the biotechnological applications of the strains and 5. Data sharing with the transparent way of precedent recognition. The plausible applications of constructing microbial databases using blockchain technology is proposed in this paper. Nevertheless, the current challenges and constraints in the development of microbial databases using the blockchain module are discussed in this paper.

Graphical Abstract
tidyMicro: a pipeline for microbiome data analysis and visualization using the tidyverse in R
Authors: Carpenter Charlie M. , Frank Daniel N. , Williamson Kayla , Arbet Jaron , Wagner Brandie D. , Kechris Katerina , Kroehl Miranda E.
Published: February 2021

Background

The drive to understand how microbial communities interact with their environments has inspired innovations across many fields. The data generated from sequence-based analyses of microbial communities typically are of high dimensionality and can involve multiple data tables consisting of taxonomic or functional gene/pathway counts. Merging multiple high dimensional tables with study-related metadata can be challenging. Existing microbiome pipelines available in R have created their own data structures to manage this problem. However, these data structures may be unfamiliar to analysts new to microbiome data or R and do not allow for deviations from internal workflows. Existing analysis tools also focus primarily on community-level analyses and exploratory visualizations, as opposed to analyses of individual taxa.

Results

We developed the R package “tidyMicro” to serve as a more complete microbiome analysis pipeline. This open source software provides all of the essential tools available in other popular packages (e.g., management of sequence count tables, standard exploratory visualizations, and diversity inference tools) supplemented with multiple options for regression modelling (e.g., negative binomial, beta binomial, and/or rank based testing) and novel visualizations to improve interpretability (e.g., Rocky Mountain plots, longitudinal ordination plots). This comprehensive pipeline for microbiome analysis also maintains data structures familiar to R users to improve analysts’ control over workflow. A complete vignette is provided to aid new users in analysis workflow.

Conclusions

tidyMicro provides a reliable alternative to popular microbiome analysis packages in R. We provide standard tools as well as novel extensions on standard analyses to improve interpretability results while maintaining object malleability to encourage open source collaboration. The simple examples and full workflow from the package are reproducible and applicable to external data sets.
Narrow environmental niches predict land-use responses and vulnerability of land snail assemblages
Authors: Wehner Katja , Renker Carsten , Simons Nadja K. , Weisser Wolfgang W. , Blüthgen Nico
Published: February 2021

Background

How land use shapes biodiversity and functional trait composition of animal communities is an important question and frequently addressed. Land-use intensification is associated with changes in abiotic and biotic conditions including environmental homogenization and may act as an environmental filter to shape the composition of species communities. Here, we investigated the responses of land snail assemblages to land-use intensity and abiotic soil conditions (pH, soil moisture), and analyzed their trait composition (shell size, number of offspring, light preference, humidity preference, inundation tolerance, and drought resistance). We characterized the species’ responses to land use to identify ‘winners’ (species that were more common on sites with high land-use intensity than expected) or ‘losers’ of land-use intensity (more common on plots with low land-use intensity) and their niche breadth. As a proxy for the environmental ‘niche breadth’ of each snail species, based on the conditions of the sites in which it occurred, we defined a 5-dimensional niche hypervolume. We then tested whether land-use responses and niches contribute to the species’ potential vulnerability suggested by the Red List status.

Results

Our results confirmed that the trait composition of snail communities was significantly altered by land-use intensity and abiotic conditions in both forests and grasslands. While only 4% of the species that occurred in forests were significant losers of intensive forest management, the proportion of losers in grasslands was much higher (21%). However, the species’ response to land-use intensity and soil conditions was largely independent of specific traits and the species’ Red List status (vulnerability). Instead, vulnerability was only mirrored in the species’ rarity and its niche hypervolume: threatened species were characterized by low occurrence in forests and low occurrence and abundance in grasslands and by a narrow niche quantified by land-use components and abiotic factors.

Conclusion

Land use and environmental responses of land snails were poorly predicted by specific traits or the species’ vulnerability, suggesting that it is important to consider complementary risks and multiple niche dimensions.
IRLnc: a novel functional noncoding RNA contributes to intramuscular fat deposition
Authors: Wang Ligang , Zhou Zhong-Yin , Zhang Tian , Zhang Longchao , Hou Xinhua , Yan Hua , Wang Lixian
Published: February 2021

Background

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is associated with meat quality and insulin resistance in animals. Research on genetic mechanism of IMF decomposition has positive meaning to pork quality and diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment. In this study, an IMF trait segregation population was used to perform RNA sequencing and to analyze the joint or independent effects of genes and long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) on IMF.

Results

A total of 26 genes including six lincRNA genes show significantly different expression between high- and low-IMF pigs. Interesting, one lincRNA gene, named IMF related lincRNA (IRLnc) not only has a 292-bp conserved region in 100 vertebrates but also has conserved up and down stream genes (< 10 kb) in pig and humans. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) validation study indicated that nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 3 (NR4A3) which located at the downstream of IRLnc has similar expression pattern with IRLnc. RNAi-mediated loss of function screens identified that IRLnc silencing could inhibit both of the RNA and protein expression of NR4A3. And the in-situ hybridization co-expression experiment indicates that IRLnc may directly binding to NR4A3. As the NR4A3 could regulate the catecholamine catabolism, which could affect insulin sensitivity, we inferred that IRLnc influence IMF decomposition by regulating the expression of NR4A3.

Conclusions

In conclusion, a novel functional noncoding variation named IRLnc has been found contribute to IMF by regulating the expression of NR4A3. These findings suggest novel mechanistic approach for treatment of insulin resistance in human beings and meat quality improvement in animal.