bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract 17245: The Ipad Project: Enhancing Patient-Family Communication During COVID-19 Visitor Restrictions
Authors: Kettle Mollie , Kester Kelly , Ornell Amanda , Dobbins Ashley , Floyd Sara , Jaeger Annie , Cossaart Kristen , Williams Krista , Wilkinson Meredith , Engel Jill , Granger Bradi B
Published: November 2020

Introduction:
As patients, hospitals and scientific communities are struck by rapidly evolving effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, new approaches to achieving high quality care and communication in the context of “restricted visitation” are emerging. The evidence for optimal communication strategies in the context of restrictive visitation is lacking in the literature.

Methods:
We used a rapid-cycle quality improvement approach to design and evaluate high quality, effective communication with families in the context of visitor restrictions in two cardiothoracic ICUs in an academic health system. The effectiveness of video chat, assessment of loved-ones’ awareness, understanding and inclusion in the plan of care, and the engagement of the healthcare team in communication of decisions were each defined using validated response scales. To evaluate the effectiveness of communication using video chat, six questions were included from two subscales using a visual analogue scale. To evaluate the inclusion in healthcare decisions, three items were included using Likert scales and binary or open-ended narratives.

Results:
Overall, 92 adult patients contributed complete data for analysis. Communication with the ICU team met expectations (Always-95.3%), with expected frequency (Always - 91.9%), and duration (Always - 97.7%), and quality, including having questions answered (Always - 96.5%) and seeing (visualizing) members of the healthcare team when requested (Always - 82.6%). Patient and families reported high levels of “presence” on a validated scale reflecting the quality, sensitivity and responsiveness of the providers to critical conversations. In 96.3% of cases, patients and family reported feeling “that I had the impression that I was actively participating” and that “the other person reacted to my presence.”

Conclusion:
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced opportunities for rapid innovation due to the need for fully restrictive visitation. This case demonstrates that teamwork, collaboration and creative engagement of people and resources across clinical, administrative and academic partners can efficiently improve patient-provider communication in rapid-cycle timeframes.
Abstract 17285: Metabolite-Derived Network Reveals Cluster of Acylcholine Metabolites Associated With Better Diet Quality and Lower Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes: Findings From the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study
Authors: Haslam Danielle E , Wang Dong , Liang Liming , Kelly Rachel S , Wittenbecher Clemens , Clish Clary , Ordovos Jose M , Lai Chao-Qiang , Hu Frank B , Tucker Katherine L , Manson Joann E , Bhupathiraju Shilpa N
Published: November 2020

Introduction:
Puerto Rican (PR) adults living on the US mainland are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), and dietary factors may contribute to this increased risk. Network analysis is a data-reduction tool that can identify correlated clusters of co-regulated metabolites that reflect mechanisms underlying diet-T2D associations.

Hypothesis:
Diet quality will associate with T2D-associated metabolite clusters among PR adults.

Methods:
We used LC/MS to measure fasting plasma metabolites (>700) among Boston PR Health Study participants, aged 45-75 years, with (n=258) and without (n=421) T2D. We applied an unsupervised correlation network-based method to identify metabolite clusters within a global metabolite network and calculated a score for each cluster using a weighted sum of metabolite concentrations. To estimate diet quality, we calculated a modified version of a previously validated American Heart Association diet score (AHA-DS). Logistic regression was used to assess cross-sectional associations between metabolite clusters and prevalent T2D, and linear regression was used to assess associations between the continuous AHA-DS and T2D-associated metabolite clusters among controls, adjusting for potential confounders and correcting for multiple testing.

Results:
We identified 7 metabolite clusters that were associated with prevalent T2D (
p
<0.05). For every 1-standard deviation (SD) increase in cluster score, the odds ratios for prevalent T2D and 95% confidence intervals were as the follows: acylcholines [0.40 (0.31, 0.50)], aromatic hydrocarbon derivatives [0.33 (0.22, 0.47)], sphingolipids [0.46 (0.33, 0.64)], tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle amino acids/peptides [0.39 (0.25, 0.62)], branched-chain amino acid metabolites [4.1 (2.9, 6.0)], acylcarnitines [1.8 (1.3, 2.5)], and TCA cycle/energy metabolites [2.0 (1.4, 3.0)]. The AHA-DS was only significantly associated with the acylcholine metabolites cluster [β (standard error) = 0.01 (0.004) SD increase in cluster score, p=0.02].

Conclusions:
In individuals of PR descent, we identified a cluster of acylcholine metabolites where concentrations are higher among those with better diet quality and lower among those with prevalent T2D.
Abstract 17288: Clinical Outcomes of Hyponatremia in Patients Undergoing TAVR - A National Inpatient Sample Database
Authors: sattar yasar , Ullah Waqas , Zahid Salman , Moussa Pacha Houman , Rauf Khawaja Uneza , Darmoch Fahed , Soud Mohamad , Alkhadra Yasser , Demirhan Mehmet E , Patel Urja , Fischman David L , Alraies M Chadi M
Published: November 2020

Introduction:
The in-hospital outcomes and complications of hyponatremia in patients who are undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) remains uncertain.

Hypothesis:
Hyponatremia effect on TAVR outcomes

Methods:
We queried National Inpatient Sample (NIS) (2011-2014) using the International Classification of Disease, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes for TAVR and hyponatremia (level<135 mEq/L). Categorical and continuous variables were reported as percentages and weighted means and were compared using unadjusted odds ratio (OR) and t-test, respectively. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to control the outcomes variables.

Results:
A total of 33790 (no-hyponatremia 31683, hyponatremia 2107; ,mean age = 81 year) patients were included. The unadjusted odds for in-hospital mortality (5.7% vs. 3.8%, uOR 0.43, 95% CI, 0.23-0.618, p=<0.001) and new-onset seizures (0.5% vs. 0.2%%, uOR 2.15; 95% CI, 1.02-4.18, P = 0.037) were significantly higher for patients with hyponatremia compared to no-hyponatremia, respectively. Intriguingly, patients with hyponatremia had significantly higher odds of developing cardiopulmonary arrest (4.9% vs. 3.0%, uOR 0.53; 95% CI, 0.33-0.74, P=<0.001) compared to patients without hyponatremia. The odds for cerebral herniation and in-hospital new-onset coma (0.2% vs 0.2%, uOR 0.31 ;95% CI, 0.60-1.2, P = 0.69) did not differ significantly between the two groups. The adjusted odds ratio based on baseline comorbidities (hypertension, renal failure, diabetes, history of seizures), demographics (race, hospital, month of admission) and age followed the unadjusted odds ratios. Outcome differences of complications of TAVR with or without hypernatremia are shown in figure 1. (bue= without hyponatremia; red=hyponatremia).

Conclusions:
Patients with hyponatremia undergoing TAVR have higher odds of all-cause mortality, seizures and cardiopulmonary arrest.
Abstract 17294: Outcomes of ECMO Use in Cardiogenic Shock: Analysis From the Nationwide Readmissions Database
Authors: Acharya Prakash , nuqali Abdulelah , Ranka Sagar , Shah Zubair , gupta Kamal
Published: November 2020

Introduction:
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is being increasingly used for acute support in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS). Data regarding the indications, outcomes, and readmissions in these patients from a nationally representative sample is lacking.

Methods:
A secondary analysis of the Nationwide Readmission Database for years 2016-2017 was performed. Patients who were admitted with a primary diagnosis of CS were identified using ICD-10, Clinical Modification codes and were sub-grouped into those with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and without ACS (non-ACS). Any readmission within 30 days of discharge was considered for analysis.

Results:
A total of 6,126 patients with CS received ECMO support, among which 35% had concurrent acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Patients on ECMO who had ACS were significantly older (60.5±11 vs 45.1±11 years, p<0.001) compared to non-ACS patients. Time to ECMO placement was also significantly shorter in ACS patients (3.4±5 vs 6.9±15 days, p<0.001). There was no difference in complications during index admission including vascular complications and stroke among the two groups. The length of index hospitalization was longer in the non-ACS group (32.8±36 vs 19.6±22.9 days, p<0.001) whereas mortality was significantly higher in patients with ACS (58.21 vs 49.55%, p<0.001). Every decade increase in the age above 50 years significantly increased odds of mortality in the non-ACS group whereas in the ACS group, mortality increased significantly only when the age is over 70 years [HR 2.32, CI(1.35-3.99), p=0.002]. The rate of readmission among patients who survived to discharge was 18.2% (17.3% in ACS group vs 18.9% in non-ACS group, p=0.35). The most common primary causes of readmission were local complications from ECMO placement (7.65%), CHF, (6.5%), sepsis (6.5%), critical illness poly-myopathy/neuropathy (2.9%) and stroke (1.46%). The mortality during readmission was 8.2%.

Conclusions:
Only 1 in every 2 patients with CS on ECMO survives to discharge. Survival to discharge in these patients differs significantly according to the presence or absence of ACS. Among the patients who survive to discharge, 18% of patients are readmitted within 30 days.
Abstract 196: Development and Validation of Machine Learning-based Race-specific Models to Predict 10-year Risk of Heart Failure: A Multi-cohort Analysis
Authors: Segar Matthew W , Jaeger Byron , Patel Kershaw V , Nambi Vijay , Ndumele Chiadi E , Correa Adolfo , Butler Javed , Chandra Alvin , Ayers Colby , Raffield Laura M , Rodriguez Carlos J , Michos Erin D , Ballantyne Christie M , Hall Michael E , Mentz Robert J , De Lemos James A , Pandey Ambarish
Published: November 2020

Introduction:
Heart failure (HF) risk and the underlying biological risk factors vary by race. Machine learning (ML) may improve race-specific HF risk prediction but this has not been fully evaluated.

Methods:
The study included participants from 4 cohorts (ARIC, DHS, JHS, and MESA) aged > 40 years, free of baseline HF, and with adjudicated HF event follow-up. Black adults from JHS and white adults from ARIC were used to derive race-specific ML models to predict 10-year HF risk. The ML models were externally validated in subgroups of black and white adults from ARIC (excluding JHS participants) and pooled MESA/DHS cohorts and compared to prior established HF risk scores developed in ARIC and MESA. Harrell’s C-index and Greenwood-Nam-D’Agostino chi-square were used to assess discrimination and calibration, respectively.

Results:
In the derivation cohorts, 288 of 4141 (7.0%) black and 391 of 8242 (4.7%) white adults developed HF over 10 years. The ML models had excellent discrimination in both black and white participants (C-indices = 0.88 and 0.89). In the external validation cohorts for black participants from ARIC (excluding JHS, N = 1072) and MESA/DHS pooled cohorts (N = 2821), 131 (12.2%) and 115 (4.1%) developed HF. The ML model had adequate calibration and demonstrated superior discrimination compared to established HF risk models (Fig A). A consistent pattern was also observed in the external validation cohorts of white participants from the MESA/DHS pooled cohorts (N=3236; 100 [3.1%] HF events) (Fig A). The most important predictors of HF in both races were NP levels. Cardiac biomarkers and glycemic parameters were most important among blacks while LV hypertrophy and prevalent CVD and traditional CV risk factors were the strongest predictors among whites (Fig B).

Conclusions:
Race-specific and ML-based HF risk models that integrate clinical, laboratory, and biomarker data demonstrated superior performance when compared to traditional risk prediction models.
Sources of Hospital Variation in Postacute Care Spending After Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Thompson Michael P. , Yost Monica L. , Syrjamaki John D. , Norton Edward C. , Nathan Hari , Theurer Patricia , Prager Richard L. , Pagani Francis D. , Likosky Donald S.
Published: November 2020

Background:

Postacute care is a major driver of cardiac surgical episode spending, but the sources of variation in spending have not been explored. The objective of this study was to identify sources of variation in postacute care spending within 90-days of discharge following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and aortic valve replacement (AVR) and the relationship between postacute care spending and other postdischarge utilization.

Methods and Results:

A retrospective analysis was conducted of public and private administrative claims for Michigan residents insured by Medicare fee-for-service and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network commercial and Medicare Advantage plans undergoing CABG (n=11 208) or AVR (n=6122) in 33 nonfederal acute care Michigan hospitals between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018. Postacute care use was present in 9662 (86.2%) CABG episodes and 4242 (69.3%) AVR episodes, with respective mean (SD) 90-day spending of $4398±$6124 and $3465±$5759. Across hospitals, mean postacute care spending ranged from $3280 to $8186 for CABG and $2246 to $7710 for AVR. Inpatient rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility care accounted for over 80% of the variation spending between low and high postacute care spending hospitals. At the hospital-level, postacute care spending was modestly correlated across procedures and payers. Spending associated with readmissions, emergency department visits, and outpatient facility care was significantly different between low and high postacute care spending hospitals in CABG and AVR episodes.

Conclusions:

There was wide hospital variation in postacute care spending after cardiac surgery, which was primarily driven by differential use and intensity in facility-based postacute care. Optimizing facility-based postacute care after cardiac surgery offers unique opportunities to reduce potentially unwarranted care variation.
Targeting Mitochondria-Inflammation Circuit by β-Hydroxybutyrate Mitigates HFpEF
Authors: Deng Yan , Xie Maodi , Li Qian , Xu Xuewen , Ou Wei , Zhang Yabing , Xiao Haitao , Yu Hai , Zheng Yanyi , Liang Yu , Jiang Chunling , Chen Guo , Du Dan , Zheng Wen , Wang Shisheng , Gong Meng , Chen Yaohui , Tian Rong , Li Tao
Published: November 2020

Rationale:

Over 50% of patients with heart failure have preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), rather than reduced ejection fraction. Complexity of its pathophysiology and the lack of animal models hamper the development of effective therapy for HFpEF.

Objective:

This study was designed to investigate the metabolic mechanisms of HFpEF and test therapeutic interventions using a novel animal model.

Methods and Results:

By combining the age, long-term high-fat diet, and desoxycorticosterone pivalate challenge in a mouse model, we were able to recapture the myriad features of HFpEF. In these mice, mitochondrial hyperacetylation exacerbated while increasing ketone body availability rescued the phenotypes. The HFpEF mice exhibited overproduction of IL (interleukin)-1β/IL-18 and tissue fibrosis due to increased assembly of NLPR3 inflammasome on hyperacetylated mitochondria. Increasing β-hydroxybutyrate level attenuated NLPR3 inflammasome formation and antagonized proinflammatory cytokine–triggered mitochondrial dysfunction and fibrosis. Moreover, β-hydroxybutyrate downregulated the acetyl-CoA pool and mitochondrial acetylation, partially via activation of CS (citrate synthase) and inhibition of fatty acid uptake.

Conclusions:

Therefore, we identify the interplay of mitochondrial hyperacetylation and inflammation as a key driver in HFpEF pathogenesis, which can be ameliorated by promoting β-hydroxybutyrate abundance.
Being-towards-Eternity: R. Isaac Hutner’s Adaptation of a Heideggerian Notion
Authors: Herskowitz Daniel , Shalev Alon
Published: November 2020

In his writings, Rabbi Isaac Hutner integrated various insights from secular philosophy and particularly from existentialist thought. Concerns regarding temporality, authenticity, and death permeate his thought. This article deals with what we call “being-towards-eternity,” a modification of Martin Heidegger’s “being-towards-death,” through which Hutner seeks to reconcile genuine anxiety in the face of finitude with an unwavering belief in resurrection and life after death. Hutner’s appropriation and adaptation of this Heideggerian notion demonstrates how he adopted secular ideas while cautiously remaining within the boundaries of traditional Jewish concerns and vocabulary.
Whose Best Friend? Muslims, Dogs, and the Making of American Humanity
Authors: Kharputly Nadeen
Published: November 2020

This article examines the relationship between Muslims, dogs, and the constitution of American humanity. While existing scholarship has explored scriptural portrayals of dogs in Islam, the article focuses on the cultural effects of this perceived hostility towards dogs in the U.S. and situates this hostility within the legacy of canine abuse against bodies of color in the U.S. These historical links demonstrate the use of dogs in the dehumanization of communities of color in the U.S. and against Muslims specifically.
Attention-getting in a white-cheeked gibbon by means of a novel vocalization?
Authors: Caspar Kai R. , Kammerer Caroline , Hradec Michal
Published: November 2020

Gibbons (family Hylobatidae) are renowned for their melodious territorial songs but other aspects of their acoustic communication have received little research attention. Here we describe an apparently novel idiosyncratic non-song vocalization in an adult captive Southern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus siki), which we suggest acts specifically in attracting a human’s attention. For this preliminary report we analysed 25 individual calls recorded over a period of 6 months. Typically, calling is accompanied by clapping and feet-slapping, behaviours not reported from gibbons in comparable situations so far. The utilization of both innovative vocalizations and other acoustic displays as human-directed attention getters, reminiscent of our white-cheeked gibbon subject, is known from great apes, which further suggests a concordant behavioural function. However, the gibbon’s displays, despite their unequivocal novelty, could also represent unintentional behavioural responses related to frustration. Eventually, experimental approaches are required to clarify what underlies this unusual behaviour.
To Withdraw or Not to Withdraw: A Structural Analysis of the Scope and Limits of Voluntary Withdrawal of Criminal Attempt in the Rome Statute
Authors: Vuletić Igor
Published: November 2020

Voluntary withdrawal of criminal attempt is one of the fundamental institutes of the general part of criminal law, originally codified in international criminal law in the Rome Statute. Since the Statute attributed significant legal effects to withdrawal, which excludes the liability for criminal attempt, it is important to establish a clear understanding on its scope and limitations. This article analyses controversial issues related to the legal nature of withdrawal as grounds for exclusion of criminal liability, withdrawal of individual offenders and accomplices, and provides interpretations on potential solutions for these issues. The analysis is based on the subjective conception of withdrawal, under which its essence lays in the rejection of the initial criminal intent, while taking into consideration withdrawal in the context of international crime. Based on the analysis, an original three-level test for the determination of withdrawal in the future practice of the International Criminal Court, (icc) is proposed.
Jonathan Leaman: In Conversation
Authors: Goldman-Ida Batsheva
Published: November 2020

Jonathan Leaman (b. 1954, London) is a British painter who is represented in the Tate Collection. This article, the result of 15 years of his correspondence with art historian and museum curator Batsheva Goldman-Ida, focuses on a group of works by the artist from the last two decades. Leaman’s familiarity with major Kabbalah scholarship, combined with his wide knowledge of poetry and philosophy, enable him to engage in concepts related to Kabbalah and art in a discursive manner that is unparalleled in modern scholarship. This article showcases Leaman’s remarks with source material for the benefit of the reader. Leaman is one of the most important contemporary artists in the area of mystical art. His introduction to the public is long overdue. His paintings are an authentic, creative expression of the considered material filtered through the artist’s own self-awareness. Leaman’s keen interest in haecceity, hypostatization, and reification is juxtaposed with Goldman-Ida’s interest in object history and linguistic mysticism, and with key Hasidic and kabbalistic concepts such as worship through corporeality, divine contraction, and rectification.
Cosmopolitanism in Dubai’s Pan-Arab Drama
Authors: Haddad Fadi G. , Dhoest Alexander
Published: November 2020

Pan-Arab dramas (Ar. al-drama al-ʿarabiyya al-mushtaraka) are a recent trend in Arabic drama series (Ar. musalsalat); they portray an ensemble of characters of various Arab nationalities in a transnational narrative setting. By considering transnational television a factor that contributes to the cosmopolitan imagination, and given the argument that Gulf cities are replacing historical Arab capitals and becoming ‘new centers’ for Arab culture, education and business, we explore the manner in which cosmopolitanism is represented in transnational Arab drama content. We do this through a case study of ‘04’ (Zero Four), a pan-Arab drama series that tells the story of four young expatriates of four Arab nationalities, experiencing their personal, professional and private lives in modern-day Dubai. We find that the boundaries of the cosmopolitan imagined community encompass the Arab world, resulting in a cosmopolitan imaginary that seems to favor Arabs over non-Arabs.
Degree of Commitment (diqi) and Differential Peasant Resistance in Three Village Communities
Authors: Wang Xiao , Tong Ying
Published: November 2020

Centering on an analysis of the role of diqi, or the degree of commitment underlying one’s self-confidence and actions, this study investigates villagers’ differential responses to the same project of demolition of local residences in three neighboring communities in order to understand the psychological mechanism through which peasant resistance came to be differentiated. It is found that what sustained peasant actions was their shared moral commitment to a way of life rather than self-interest or rational reasoning. Different also from James Scott’s “subsistence ethic” or Ying Xing’s ethical power “qi,” however, what the villagers stressed was an “everyday ethic” that sought to preserve their current way of life. Their resistance took different forms because of the different levels of commitment (diqi) that influenced their choice of actions despite the same kind of impact on their ethic of everyday life. To protect the rights and interests of rural residents and alleviate their resistance, it is necessary to give weight to the ethic of the everyday way of life of villagers instead of the logic of capital and to pay attention to the fundamental concerns of the silent majority in rural China.
Ray properties in the stems of Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii) and Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi)
Authors: Kim Do Hoon , Kim Seong Hyun , Jo Jae Ik , Kim Jong Ho , Purusatama Byantara Darsan , Lee Seung Hwan , Kim Nam Hun
Published: November 2020

The radial variation of rays within the stems of Dahurian larch and Japanese larch growing in Korea was studied to obtain valuable information to identify the two species and determine wood quality. Uniseriate ray height, fusiform ray height, ray number, ray spacing, and epithelial cell number were investigated by optical microscopy. The heights of uniseriate and fusiform rays and epithelial cell numbers in Dahurian larch were lower than those in Japanese larch. Dahurian larch wood had greater ray number and ray spacing than Japanese larch wood. In both species, the heights of uniseriate and fusiform rays and epithelial cell number increased with increasing growth ring number but then stabilized from a certain growth ring number. However, ray number and ray spacing decreased with age but were stable toward the bark. There were significant differences in all ray properties between the two species. Furthermore, in both species, the number and spacing of rays showed a significant negative correlation with uniseriate ray height. The relationships between uniseriate and fusiform ray height, and between ray spacing and ray number were significantly positive. In conclusion, the results from this study provide basic information that can be used to identify these species, and the quality indices from ray properties will improve the effective utilization of the two woody species.
Reading the Lyrical “Self”
Authors: Kulcsár-Szabó Zoltán
Published: November 2020

Lyrical subjectivity is often thought of as the manifestation or self-expression of real, empirical personhood. The concept of “lyrical self” has since long served as a means to distinguish between lyrical subject, considered as a poetic form and the empirical person of the author. The theoretical presuppositions behind this concept seem, however, to blur the line of separation between the two. The paper proposes a reconsideration of the issue by drawing the attention to the discursive and material techniques of recording the empirical subject in poetic texts. In the first part, it discusses Rilke’s lyrical epitaph and one of Charles Olson’s Maximus poems, and confronts the conclusions with the theoretical concept of lyrical self as elaborated in German Geistesgeschichte. In the second part, it outlines a case study on the reception of the Hungarian poet Attila József with special respect to those phenomena (traces of a lyrical autobiography, appearances of the author’s name in the poems, references to the author’s body) which at first sight seem to be records of the empirical subject in the poetic text.
Ten new species of Polyosma (Escalloniaceae) from Borneo

Authors: SAW LENG GUAN
Published: November 2020

Twenty species of Polyosma are currently recorded for Borneo, ten are new and they are described here: P. cyanoides, P. dewildei, P. fulva, P. glabrescens, P. grandiflora, P. matangensis, P. melanophylla, P. murudensis, P. parvifolia and P. pseudobracteosa. Provisional conservation assessments are made for all the newly described species. One species is assessed Endangered (EN), four Vulnerable (VU), one Near Threatened (NT), one Least Concern (LC) and three Data Deficient (DD).
Two new species of Fauveliopsidae (Annelida, Sedentaria) from submarine caves and deep sea, Japan
Authors: JIMI NAOTO , FUJIMOTO SHINTA , OGAWA AKITO , FUJITA YOSHIHISA , SHIGENOBU YUYA , IMURA SATOSHI
Published: November 2020

Two new species of fauveliopsid annelids, Fauveliopsis antri sp. nov. and Laubieriopsis soyoae sp. nov., are described based on specimens collected from Japanese waters. Fauveliopsis antri sp. nov. inhabits submarine caves and can be discriminated from the other congeners by the following features: i) 32 chaetigers, ii) chaetigers 1–3 with stout hooks, iii) minute body (about 1 mm in length), iv) all parapodia with same number of chaetae (2 notochaetae; 2 neurochaetae), and v) presence of dorsal and ventral papillae. Laubieriopsis soyoae sp. nov. inhabits deep water sediments and can be distinguished from the other congeners by: i) 24 chaetigers, ii) chaetigers 1–3 without annulations, and iii) acicular chaetae with tips entire, without denticles.
Two new tardigrade species (Echiniscidae and Doryphoribiidae) from the Salta province (Argentina)
Authors: ROCHA ALEJANDRA , DOMA IRENE , REYES ANDREA GONZALEZ , LISI OSCAR
Published: November 2020

Tardigrades from Argentina are poorly known. Two new species from the Salta province are described in the present contribution: Pseudechiniscus saltensis sp. nov., and Doryphoribius cephalogibbosus sp. nov. The former species belongs to the novaezeelandiae group and, apart from the nominal species of the group, it is similar to nine congeneric species by the following characters: the absence of spines on legs I and lateral papillae, the scapular plate with a transversal fold, the presence of projections at the posterior margin of the pseudosegmental plate, caudal plate not faceted, and cuticular ornamentation in the form of heads (capituli) of endocuticular pillars, protruding through epicuticle and joined by striae. However, the new species differs from all of them in important qualitative (e.g. colour, different division of plates, details of cuticular ornamentation, claws etc.) and morphometric characters. The new species exhibits a unique morphology of gonopore and anus. Doryphoribius cephalogibbosus sp. nov., by the presence of two macroplacoids, dorsal gibbosities, and inhabiting terrestrial environment, belongs to the flavus group and differs from all members of the group in having ten, instead of nine, rows of gibbosities (X:2-4-6- 6-6-6-6-4-2-2+2[LI–III]), with as a peculiar exclusive character, the presence of the two cephalic gibbosities, never reported in other Doryphoribius species. Moreover, the new species differs from the other species of the group by morphometric and more detailed morphological characters. The new species description also gave an occasion to discuss the issue of gibbosity arrangement in other species and address the morphology of claw accessory points.
Indoreonectes telanganaensis, a new species of loach (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from the Godavari Basin of India
Authors: PRASAD KANTE KRISHNA , SRINIVASULU CHELMALA , SRINIVASULU ADITYA , ANOOP V.K. , DAHANUKAR NEELESH
Published: November 2020

A new species of hill-stream loach, Indoreonectes telanganaensis, is described from a seasonal tributary of the Godavari River at Maisamma Loddi, within the Kawal Tiger Reserve, Telangana State, India. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters including caudal peduncle as long as deep; eye large, its diameter about one-fifth head length; pectoral fin as long as head; nasal barbel reaching the middle of the eye; dorsal-fin origin on vertical through pelvic-fin origin; and bars on the lateral side of the body well defined and wide. We also provide multivariate morphometric, and DNA analysis based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequence to support the distinction of the new species.
A new species of Hastospiculum Skrjabin (Spirurida: Diplotriaenidae) parasite of Xenodon merremii (Walger in Spix) (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from Northeastern Brazil
Authors: FERREIRA-SILVA CRISTIANA , ALCANTARA EDNA P. , ÁVILA ROBSON W. , SILVA REINALDO J.
Published: November 2020

A new nematode species of the Diplotriaenidae is described from the Neotropical region. The species was found infecting the body cavity of the snake Xenodon merremii (Wagler in Spix) collected in the municipality of Barbalha, Ceará State, Northeastern Brazil. Hastospiculum nordestinum n. sp. differs from the congeners by combining the following characters: caudal end ornamented with lateral alae not surrounding the tail end and not connected, supported by eight pairs of pedunculated papillae (three precloacal, one paracloacal, and four postcloacal pairs) and three adcloacal sessile papillae, and left spicule length 719.6–902.4 µm. Besides the description of Hastospiculum nordestinum n. sp., a species list and a dichotomous key to Hastospiculum are provided.
Disparate Midlatitude Responses to the Eastern Pacific El Niño
Authors: Shiozaki Masahiro , Enomoto Takeshi , Takaya Koutarou
Published: November 2020

To investigate the disparate influences of the eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño on the winter climate in the Far East, we conducted composite analyses using long-term reanalysis datasets. Our analysis shows that the western Pacific (WP) pattern dominates in the warm winter (typical) composite and the Pacific–North American (PNA) pattern dominates in the non-warm winter (atypical) composite. In the warm winter case, the amplitudes of the negative sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the western Pacific Ocean are large whereas in the non-warm winter case, these amplitudes are small. In addition, the Indian Ocean basin warming occurs following the Indian Ocean dipole mode, as seen in the warm winter composite. We investigated the dynamical mechanisms responsible for the disparate midlatitude responses to the EP El Niño by focusing on Rossby wave sources and propagation. These SST anomalies modulate the Walker and Hadley circulations and the convective activity in the western Pacific Ocean. Upper-tropospheric divergences at the midlatitudes due to the anomalous Hadley circulation result in different teleconnection patterns. In the warm winter composite, the anticyclonic anomaly in the southern part of the WP pattern is created by the upstream negative Rossby wave source, while the other cyclonic anomaly is reinforced by the northward Rossby wave propagation. The cyclonic second and fourth centers of action of the PNA pattern are created by the positive Rossby wave sources. Furthermore, the equatorial SST gradient near the date line is found be a good precursor of the winter climate in the Far East.
Development and Testing of the AXBT Real-Time Editing System (ARES)
Authors: Densmore Casey R. , Jayne Steven R. , Sanabia Elizabeth R.
Published: November 2020

Airborne expendable bathythermographs (AXBTs) are air-launched, single-use temperature–depth probes that telemeter temperature observations as VHF-modulated frequencies. This study describes the AXBT Real-Time Editing System (ARES), which is composed of two components: the ARES Data Acquisition System, which receives telemetered temperature–depth profiles with no external hardware other than a VHF radio receiver, and the ARES Profile Editing System, which quality controls AXBT temperature–depth profiles. The ARES Data Acquisition System performs fast Fourier transforms on windowed segments of the demodulated signal transmitted from the AXBT. For each segment, temperature is determined from peak frequency and depth from elapsed time since profile start. Valid signals are distinguished from noise by comparing peak signal levels and signal-to-noise ratios to predetermined thresholds. When evaluated using 387 profiles, the ARES Data Acquisition System produced temperature–depth profiles nearly identical to those generated using a Sippican MK-21 processor, while reducing the amount of noise from VHF interference included in those profiles. The ARES Profile Editor applies a series of automated checks to identify and correct common profile discrepancies before displaying the profile on an editing interface that provides simple user controls to make additional corrections. When evaluated against 1177 tropical Atlantic and Pacific AXBT profiles, the ARES automated quality control system successfully corrected 87% of the profiles without any required manual intervention. Necessary future work includes improvements to the automated quality control algorithm and algorithm evaluation against a broader dataset of temperature–depth profiles from around the world across all seasons.
Effect of sildenafil citrate on treatment of infertility in women with a thin endometrium: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li Xin , Luan Ting , Zhao Chun , Zhang Mianqiu , Dong Li , Su Yan , Ling Xiufeng
Published: November 2020

Objective

Endometrial thickness is a prognostic factor for successful pregnancy. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the role of sildenafil citrate on infertile women with a thin endometrium.

Methods

Two investigators independently searched the literature on sildenafil citrate and infertile women with a thin endometrium from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register Database from inception to January 2019.

Results

Nine studies involving 1452 patients were included for analysis in our study. We found that endometrial thickness in patients who received sildenafil citrate was significantly higher than that in the control group (placebo or no treatment) (weighted mean difference: 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.38). The radial artery resistance index was significantly lower (weighted mean difference: −0.12; 95% CI: −0.17 to −0.06), and the clinical pregnancy rate (risk ratio: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.11–1.53) and biochemical pregnancy rate (risk ratio: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.11–1.89) were significantly higher in the sildenafil citrate group compared with the control group.

Conclusion

Sildenafil citrate is effective in improving endometrial thickness, the clinical pregnancy rate, and the biochemical pregnancy rate in women who have a thin endometrium. This treatment is a potential therapeutic intervention for a thin endometrium.
Ibrutinib, obinutuzumab, and venetoclax in relapsed and untreated patients with mantle cell lymphoma: a phase 1/2 trial
Authors: Le Gouill Steven , Morschhauser Franck , Chiron David , Bouabdallah Krimo , Cartron Guillaume , Casasnovas Olivier , Bodet-Milin Caroline , Ragot Sylviane , Bossard Céline , Nadal Nathalie , Herbaux Charles , Tessoulin Benoit , Tchernonog Emmanuelle , Rossi Cédric , McCulloch Rory , Gastinne Thomas , Callanan Mary B. , Rule Simon
Published: November 2020

Ibrutinib, obinutuzumab, and venetoclax demonstrate synergy in preclinical models of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). OAsIs (NCT02558816), a single-arm multicenter prospective phase 1/2 trial, aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose of venetoclax in combination with fixed doses of ibrutinib and obinutuzumab, in relapsed MCL patients. At the venetoclax MTD, extension cohorts were opened for relapsed and untreated patients. Safety and efficacy were secondary objectives. Minimal residual disease (MRD) was assessed by allele-specific oligonucleotide quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Between 14 October 2015 and 29 May 2018, 48 patients were enrolled. No dose-limiting toxicity was reported, and venetoclax at 400 mg per day was chosen for extension. Eighteen (75%) relapsed and 8 (53%) untreated patients experienced grade 3/4 adverse events. The complete response rate assessed by positron emission tomography at the end of cycle 6 was 67% in relapsed and 86.6% in untreated patients. MRD clearance for evaluable patients was seen in 71.5% of relapsed (10/14 patients) and 100% of untreated MRD-evaluable patients (n = 12) at the end of 3 cycles. The median follow-up for relapsed patients was 17 months (range, 10-35 months). The 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 69.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 52.9%-91.4%) and 68.6% (95% CI, 49.5%-95.1%) for overall survival. The median follow-up was 14 months (range, 5-19) for untreated patients, the 1-year PFS was 93.3% (95% CI, 81.5%-100%). The combination of obinutuzumab, ibrutinib, and venetoclax is well tolerated and provides high response rates, including at the molecular level, in relapsed and untreated MCL patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02558816.
Enhanced Optical Absorption in Perovskite/Si Tandem Solar Cells with Nanoholes Array
Authors: Kuang Yawei , Ma Yulong , Zhang Debao , Wei Qingzhu , Wang Shuchang , Yang Xifeng , Hong Xuekun , Liu Yushen
Published: November 2020

Perovskite solar cells are used in silicon-based tandem solar cells due to their tunable band gap, high absorption coefficient and low preparation cost. However, the relatively large optical refractive index of bottom silicon, in comparison with that of top perovskite absorber layers, results in significant reflection losses in two-terminal devices. Therefore, light management is crucial to improve photocurrent absorption in the Si bottom cell. In this paper, nanoholes array filled with TiO2 is introduced into bottom cells design. By finite-difference time-domain methods, the absorption efficiency and photocurrent density in the range of 300–1100 nm has been analyzed, and the structural parameters have been also optimized. Our calculations show the photocurrent density which tends to be saturated with the increase in the height of the nanoholes. The absorption enhancement modes of photons at different wavelengths have been analyzed intuitively by the distribution of electric field. These results enable a viable and convenient route toward high efficiency design of perovskite/Si tandem solar cells.
DeepciRGO: functional prediction of circular RNAs through hierarchical deep neural networks using heterogeneous network features
Authors: Deng Lei , Lin Wei , Wang Jiacheng , Zhang Jingpu
Published: November 2020

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are special noncoding RNA molecules with closed loop structures. Compared with the traditional linear RNA, circRNA is more stable and not easily degraded. Many studies have shown that circRNAs are involved in the regulation of various diseases and cancers. Determining the functions of circRNAs in mammalian cells is of great significance for revealing their mechanism of action in physiological and pathological processes, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. However, determining the functions of circRNAs on a large scale is a challenging task because of the high experimental costs.

Results

In this paper, we present a hierarchical deep learning model, DeepciRGO, which can effectively predict gene ontology functions of circRNAs. We build a heterogeneous network containing circRNA co-expressions, protein–protein interactions and protein–circRNA interactions. The topology features of proteins and circRNAs are calculated using a novel representation learning approach HIN2Vec across the heterogeneous network. Then, a deep multi-label hierarchical classification model is trained with the topology features to predict the biological process function in the gene ontology for each circRNA. In particular, we manually curated a benchmark dataset containing 185 GO annotations for 62 circRNAs, namely, circRNA2GO-62. The DeepciRGO achieves promising performance on the circRNA2GO-62 dataset with a maximum F-measure of 0.412, a recall score of 0.400, and an accuracy of 0.425, which are significantly better than other state-of-the-art RNA function prediction methods. In addition, we demonstrate the considerable potential of integrating multiple interactions and association networks.

Conclusions

DeepciRGO will be a useful tool for accurately annotating circRNAs. The experimental results show that integrating multi-source data can help to improve the predictive performance of DeepciRGO. Moreover, The model also can combine RNA structure and sequence information to further optimize predictive performance.
Period prevalence and identification challenges of viral haemorrhagic fever suspect cases in a tertiary referral hospital in Guinea: a cross-sectional, retrospective study of triage and emergency room patient profiles
Authors: Raab Manuel , Pfadenhauer Lisa M. , Nguyen Vinh-Kim , Doumbouya Dansira , Hoelscher Michael , Froeschl Guenter
Published: November 2020

Background

A functioning Viral Haemorrhagic Fever (VHF) surveillance system in countries at risk for outbreaks can reduce early transmission in case of an outbreak. Surveillance performance depends on the application of suspect case definitions in daily clinical practice. Recommended suspect case criteria during outbreaks are designed for high sensitivity and include general symptoms, pyrexia, haemorrhage, epidemiological link and unexplained death in patients. Non-outbreak criteria are narrower, relying on the persistence of fever and the presence of haemorrhagic signs.

Methods

This study ascertains VHF suspect case prevalence based on outbreak and non-outbreak criteria in a Guinean regional hospital for a period of three months. The study further describes clinical trajectories of patients who meet non-outbreak VHF suspect case criteria in order to discuss challenges in their identification. We used cross-sectional data collection at triage and emergency room to record demographic and clinical data of all admitted patients during the study period. For the follow-up study with description of diagnostic trajectories of VHF suspect cases, we used retrospective chart review.

Results

The most common symptoms of all patients upon admission were fever, tiredness/weakness and abdominal pain. 686 patients met EVD outbreak criteria, ten adult patients and two paediatric patients met study-specific non-outbreak VHF suspect case criteria. None of the suspect cases was treated as VHF suspect case and none tested positive for malaria upon admission. Their most frequent discharge diagnosis was unspecific gastrointestinal infection. The most common diagnostic measures were haemoglobin level and glycaemia for both adults and for children; of the requested examinations for hospitalized suspect cases, 36% were not executed or obtained. Half of those patients self-discharged against medical advice.

Conclusions

Our study shows that the number of VHF suspect cases may vary greatly depending on which suspect case criteria are applied. Identification of VHF suspect cases seems challenging in clinical practice. We suggest that this may be due to the low use of laboratory diagnostics to support certain diagnoses and the non-application of VHF suspect case definitions in clinical practice. Future VHF suspect case management should aim to tackle such challenges in comparable hospital settings.
Prognostic role of follicular fluid tumor necrosis factor alpha in the risk of early ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
Authors: Alhilali Miaad Jabbar , Parham Abbas , Attaranzadeh Armin , Amirian Malihe , Azizzadeh Mohammad
Published: November 2020

Background

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is an iatrogenic condition characterized by capillary hyperpermeability which can be predicted by preovulatory ovarian responses such as number of follicles. A variety of cytokines are thought to be involved in pathophysiology of this syndrome.

Methods

A prospective cohort study invloving sixty intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) patients. On the day of hCG injection, we explored the threshold of larger follicles ≥11 mm diameter with a count of ≥18 follicles for the high-risk moderate-to-severe OHSS and 13–18 follicles for the low-risk moderate-to-severe OHSS. Whereas larger follicles count of less than 13 were classified as normoresponders. Pooled follicular fluid (FF) samples of each patient were collected on the day of oocyte retrieval. Magnetic multiplex immunoassay was explored to measure the concentrations of some intrafollicular cytokines including: GM-CSF, INF-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, CXCL8/IL-8, IL-6, IL-5, IL-4, IL-2, and IL-1β. All sixty patients underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with either GnRH agonist or antagonist protocols.

Results

Intrafollicular TNF-α concentration was significantly different (p < 0.05) in the high-risk moderate-to-severe OHSS patients compared to low-risk moderate-to-severe OHSS patients and normoresponders. TNF-α in FF had a negative correlation with the chance of high-risk moderate-to-severe OHSS. The differences in the risk of OHSS between patients who received GnRH agonist or antagonist were not significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

In accordance to the negative correlation of TNF-α and high risk of early OHSS, we did not expect TNF-α to play a role in increasing vascular permeability in ovarian tissues. In addition, the risk of early moderate-to-severe OHSS was not affected by different GnRH superovulation protocols.