bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vertical Atmospheric Structures Associated with Positive Biases in COSMIC-2 Refractivity Retrievals
Authors: Hordyniec Paweł , Norman Robert , Marshall John Le
Published: March 2022

Representation of complex vertical structures observed in the troposphere can vary depending on data sources. The radio occultation (RO) technique offers great advantages for sensing the atmosphere down to its lowermost layers using high-resolution measurements collected by satellites on low-Earth orbit (LEO). The structures are generally smoother in vertical when reproduced from atmospheric models. We evaluate the quality of troposphere retrievals from the COSMIC-2 mission and demonstrate that systematic effects in fractional refractivity deviations with respect to European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) background fields are spatially correlated with positive refractivity gradients characterized as subrefraction. The magnitude of refractivity biases observed mostly over the equatorial regions can exceed 1% within altitudes of 3–5 km. Respective zonal means reveal seasonal trends linked with the distribution of atmospheric inversion layers and signal-to-noise ratio values in RO data. The positive biases are vertically collocated with significant refractivity gradients in COSMIC-2 retrievals that are not reflected in the corresponding ECMWF profiles. The analysis of gradients based on COSMIC-2 data, further supported by radiosonde observations, suggests that most of subrefractions is identified in the middle troposphere at around 4 km. While the altitudes of maximum refractivity gradients from COSMIC-2 and ECMWF data are in fairly good agreement, the magnitude of ECMWF gradients is significantly smaller and rarely exceeds positive values.
Living in a Region With a Low Level of COVID-19 Infection: Health Belief Toward COVID-19 Vaccination and Intention to Receive a COVID-19 Vaccine in Hong Kong Individuals
Authors: Lee Linda Yin-king , Chu Kit-ying , Chan Max Hin-wa , Wong Chloe Tsz-ching , Leung Heidi Po-ying , Chan Issac Chun-wing , Ng Crystal Kit-ying , Wong Rachel Yuen-shan , Pun Angel Lok-ching , Ng Yaki Hoi-ying , Ng Joe Ka-chun
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Vaccination is vital for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals’ vaccination intention is a good predictor of vaccine uptake and is influenced by individuals’ health belief toward vaccination. Regions with different levels of pandemic severity may present varying effects. This study aimed to determine the influence of health belief on COVID-19 vaccination intention in a region with a low level of COVID-19 infection.

Methods

This cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted on a quota sample of 800 adults in Hong Kong before the commencement of the local COVID-19 vaccination program. The Health Belief Model Scale–COVID-19 was developed to assess health belief toward COVID-19 vaccination. The contribution of health belief on explaining intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was assessed using logistic regression.

Results

The subjects demonstrated moderate levels in all aspects of health belief. Only 28.9% of the subjects indicated an intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. After controlling for age, educational level, marital status, and high risk status, the logistic regression analysis indicated that perceived benefits of vaccination (OR = 1.615; CI 95%: 1.443–1.807; P < .001), perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 (OR = 1.130; CI 95%: 1.032–1.237; P = .008), cues to action toward vaccination (OR = 1.212; CI 95%: 1.108–1.326; P < .001), and perceived barriers to vaccination (OR = .696; CI 95%: .641–.756; P < .001) were associated with intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Conclusion

Vaccination campaigns in regions with good control of the pandemic should promote the benefits of vaccination, emphasizing how it can help individuals regain a sense of normalcy in their daily lives and stop the spread of COVID-19. Although the COVID-19 pandemic affects countries worldwide, this study highlights the importance of adopting specific vaccination promotion strategies for regions with different levels of pandemic severity.
Teaching Social Theory as Cartography: Toward a Pedagogy of Radical Accessibility
Authors: Estefan Michel , Seim Josh
Published: March 2022

There has been a growing number of calls to improve theory instruction in sociology. These conversations have focused on what instructors should teach (with a renewed emphasis on racism and sexism) and whom to teach (with calls to diversify the reading list), but comparatively little attention has been placed on how social theory should be taught. Building on recent findings from the literature on reading comprehension and on a popular description of theories as maps, we suggest that teaching theory can be treated as a form of cartography, a student-centered method that advocates for radical accessibility. We describe three different ways students can use theory maps—as tourists, navigators, and mapmakers—each adapted for a different stage in the learning process. We believe that adding accessibility to current calls for critique and representation brings our conversations about how to reimagine theory courses full circle.
Development and evaluation of a vision-based transfer learning approach for indoor fire and smoke detection
Authors: Pincott James , Tien Paige Wenbin , Wei Shuangyu , Kaiser Calautit John
Published: March 2022

Fire poses a significant risk across industrial and domestic settings, especially to firefighters who must tackle the blaze. Current technology for detection in indoor environments are smoke detectors and flame detectors. However, these detectors have several limitations during the ignition phase of a fire and propagation. These systems cannot detect an exact position of the fire nor how the fire is spreading or its size, all of which is necessary information for fire services when dealing with these incidents. A potential solution is to use artificial intelligence techniques such as computer vision, which has shown the potential to detect and recognise objects and activities in indoor spaces. This study aims to develop a vision-based fire and smoke detection system. A deep learning technique that incorporates convolutional neural networks (CNN) was utilised to develop the real-time detection approach that can potentially provide necessary information for fire services, including identifying the position and size of the fire and how the fire spreads. A transfer learning approach using a pre-trained model was used to train the detector. Based on the detection and recognition tests using indoor fire and smoke videos, results indicated that the fire detection achieved up to 92.37% correct detections while the smoke detection did not perform as well. Hence, further improvement and evaluation of the detection approach will be conducted in future work, focusing on the impact of different parameters such as the detection model, building type, indoor space size and positioning of the detection camera. The present study provides an insight into the capabilities and potential applications of the concept.
The Reproductive Bodies of Postgenomics
Authors: van Wichelen Sonja , Keaney Jaya
Published: March 2022

In this Introduction, we present a collection of articles under the topic “the reproductive bodies of postgenomics.” Through individual and collective research, the articles explore—sociologically, ethnographically, and philosophically—how bioscience in the postgenomic age is changing our understanding of reproductive bodies, and more broadly, how it is challenging existing ideas of heredity, embodiment, kinship, and identity. Feminist and postcolonial theories of technoscience are at the heart of this collection, and our aim is to further biosocial thinking while being cognizant that practices of postgenomics also continue to reproduce deterministic paradigms. The concepts of “knowledge,” “experience,” and “justice” form the reference points animating our investigations. We bring these concepts into conversation with one another to disentangle how postgenomics operate differently on the reproductive body, namely on the levels of practice, discourse, and norms. This is an important exercise as it will enable social science and humanities scholars to evaluate the political capacities of postgenomics for the future study of reproduction.
Minders of the Clock and Starvers of the People: Everyday Fascism and the Grassroots Logic of Revolutionary Defascistization in Monfalcone, Italy, 1922–1946
Authors: Gramith Luke
Published: March 2022

Although much is known about the political and legal contours of post-dictatorial transitions in twentieth-century Southern Europe, less is known about the process of resolving contradictory purge aspirations at the national and local levels, let alone how new social imaginaries emerged at the grassroots level informed by the everyday experiences of dictatorship. This article provides a bottom-up account of defascistization in the Italian town of Monfalcone, where a distinctly social-revolutionary logic of defascistization emerged independent of Marxism and tied to the town's everyday experiences of dictatorship. Twenty years of everyday antagonism between non-Fascist residents and local Fascists who headed workplace and marketplace power structures led to a conflation of Fascism with workplace and marketplace power structures in their entirety. Residents understood defascistization as a project to dismantle both political Fascism and local power structures that instantiated ‘everyday Fascism’. This clashed with the logic of defascistization brought to Monfalcone by Italy's post-war Allied Military Government, and incompatibilities between local and external logics concretely undermined defascistization efforts with profound political effects. As defascistization faltered, the Communist Party articulated Marxism-Leninism within the language of popular purge aspirations, fuelling a campaign for Tito's Yugoslavia to annex much of northeastern Italy, Monfalcone included. Residents participated in this battle to realize their expansive vision of defascistization and to weed out authoritarian structures characteristic of ‘Fascist’ life. The study suggests a great potential for everyday-historical approaches to uncover still-buried dynamics of post-dictatorial transitions in and beyond Southern Europe.
Neither Resistance nor Consent: Alltagsgeschichte, Everyday Economy and Eigen-Sinn in Franco’s Post-War Spain (1939–1951)
Authors: Hernández Burgos Claudio
Published: March 2022

Alltagsgeschichte has contributed much to our understanding of the emergence, construction and development of dictatorships in the twentieth century. However, Franco’s regime has hardly featured in the main accounts of everyday life and social attitudes in European dictatorships. This article seeks to remedy this deficit by placing Franco’s forty-year-long rule into international debates on everyday life under non-democratic regimes. This is achieved by exploring the heterogeneous and dynamic attitudes and strategies employed by Spaniards to cope with hunger and scarcity during the post-war period. The article draws on a range of sources from international, national and local archives, as well as several life-history interviews. These provide a deeper insight into individual experience and behaviour, which is at the heart of Alltagsgeschichte. By focusing on everyday life experiences and the potential of concepts like Eigen-Sinn, this article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the way in which ordinary people negotiated power in their daily lives.
‘Living Normally’: Everyday Life Under Salazarism
Authors: Melo Daniel
Published: March 2022

In this article we propose a problematizing overview of daily life under the Salazarist dictatorship (1926–1974), linking the corporative, educational and propagandistic contexts. We examine how institutionalized, controlled, negotiated and/or repressed leisure was spread throughout the smallest interstices of daily life in Portugal. We also analyse the dichotomous realities and policies for the people and elites (in education and reading, cultural production, circulation and consumption), for women and men (social and cultural roles), etc., and compromises with an expanded mass culture. The article directs attention to specific examples of sociocultural negotiations between civil society and the state, as happened in sports (para-)folkloristic festivities and parades (e.g. the ‘popular marches’) and in certain mass culture productions (e.g. revue theatre, cinema, broadcasting and television). Similarly, our ‘bottom-up’ approach focuses on evidence of subversive or alternative sociability and cultural achievements, demonstrating that, in some areas, elements of civil society were able to express open resistance and/or alternative views to the dictatorship.
Mutations in the genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2: implications for COVID-19 severity and progression
Authors: Al-Qahtani Ahmed Ali
Published: March 2022

Coronaviridae is a large family of enveloped, positive-strand RNA viruses that has plagued the world since it was discovered in humans in the 1960s. The recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 pandemic has already exceeded the number of combined cases and deaths witnessed during previous SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome-CoV epidemics in the last two decades. This narrative review focuses on genomic mutations in SARS-CoV-2 and their impact on the severity and progression of COVID-19 in light of reported data in the literature. Notable SARS-CoV-2 mutations associated with open reading frames, the S glycoprotein, and nucleocapsid protein, currently circulating globally, are discussed along with emerging mutations such as those in the SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 variant in the UK and other European countries, the 484K.V2 and P.1 variants in Brazil, the B.1.617 variant in India, and South African variants 501Y.V2 and B.1.1.529 (omicron). These variants have the potential to influence the receptor binding domain, host–virus fusion, and SARS-CoV-2 replication. Correlating these mutations with disease dynamics could help us understand their pathogenicity and design appropriate therapeutics.
A Long-Term Study Evaluating the Effects of Nicorandil Treatment on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-Associated Cardiomyopathy in mdx Mice
Authors: Gartz Melanie , Haberman Margaret , Prom Mariah J. , Beatka Margaret J. , Strande Jennifer L. , Lawlor Michael W.
Published: March 2022

Background:

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular disease caused by dystrophin gene mutations affecting striated muscle. Due to advances in skeletal muscle treatment, cardiomyopathy has emerged as a leading cause of death. Previously, nicorandil, a drug with antioxidant and nitrate-like properties, ameliorated cardiac damage and improved cardiac function in young, injured mdx mice. Nicorandil mitigated damage by stimulating antioxidant activity and limiting pro-oxidant expression. Here, we examined whether nicorandil was similarly cardioprotective in aged mdx mice.

Methods and Results:

Nicorandil (6 mg/kg) was given over 15 months. Echocardiography of mdx mice showed some functional defects at 12 months compared to wild-type (WT) mice, but not at 15 months. Disease manifestation was evident in mdx mice via treadmill assays and survival, but not open field and grip strength assays. Cardiac levels of SOD2 and NOX4 were decreased in mdx vs. WT. Nicorandil increased survival in mdx but did not alter cardiac function, fibrosis, diaphragm function or muscle fatigue.

Conclusions:

In contrast to our prior work in young, injured mdx mice, nicorandil did not exert cardioprotective effects in 15 month aged mdx mice. Discordant findings may be explained by the lack of cardiac disease manifestation in aged mdx mice compared to WT, whereas significant cardiac dysfunction was previously seen with the sub-acute injury in young mice. Therefore, we are not able to conclude any cardioprotective effects with long-term nicorandil treatment in aging mdx mice.
Social Determinants of Health (Social Risk) and Nutritional Status Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living in a Rural Setting: The Atahualpa Project
Authors: Del Brutto Oscar H. , Rumbea Denisse A. , Mera Robertino M. , Recalde Bettsy Y. , Sedler Mark J.
Published: March 2022

Background:

Several studies have attempted to clarify the role of social determinants of health (SDH) on nutritional status of older adults, but results are inconsistent due to differences in SDH assessments at different levels of population development. In this study, we assessed this association in community-dwelling older adults living in rural Ecuador. Methods: SDH were measured by the Gijon’s Social-Familial Evaluation Scale (SFES) and nutritional status by the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA®). Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to assess the association between SDH components and nutritional status. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) and a generalized linear model were used to evaluate the potential non-linearity of the association between the Gijon’s SFES and MNA® scores.

Results:

A total of 295 individuals (mean age: 72.1 ± 7.6 years; 58% women) were enrolled. There was an inverse association between the total Gijon’s SFES and nutritional status (OR: 0.75; 95% C.I.: 0.65-0.86; P < .001). Three of five components of the Gijon’s SFES (family situation, social relationships, and support networks) were inversely associated with nutritional status in multivariate logistic regression models. A LOWESS plot, together with a generalized linear model, showed an inverse linear relationship between the continuous Gijon’s SFES and MNA® scores. One standard deviation of increase in the continuous Gijon’s SFES score (2.39 points) decreased the MNA® score by 0.78 points.

Conclusion:

Study results show a significant inverse association between high social risk and a good nutritional status. Components of the Gijon’s SFES measuring social isolation are responsible for this association.
How Does Gravity Influence the Distribution of Lordosis in Patients With Sagittal Malalignment?
Authors: Fourman Mitchell S. , Lafage Renaud , Lovecchio Francis , Sheikh Alshabab Basel , Shah Sachiin , Punyala Ananth , Ang Bryan , Elysee Jonathan , Lenke Lawrence G , Kim Han Jo , Schwab Frank , Lafage Virginie
Published: March 2022

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Objective

Compare the supine vs standing radiographs of patients with adult spinal deformity against ideals defined by healthy standing alignment.

Methods

56 patients with primary sagittal ASD (SRS-Schwab Type N) and 119 asymptomatic volunteers were included. Standing alignment of asymptomatic volunteers was used to calculate PI-based formulas for normative age-adjusted standing PI–LL, L4–S1, and L1–L4. These formulas were applied to the supine and standing alignment of ASD cohort. Analyses were repeated on a cohort of 25 patients with at least 5 degrees of lumbar flexibility (difference between supine and standing lordosis).

Results

The asymptomatic cohort yielded the following PI-based formulas: PI–LL = −38.3 + .41*PI + .21*Age, L4–S1 = 45.3–.18*Age, L1–L4 = −3 + .48*PI). PI–LL improved with supine positioning (mean 8.9 ± 18.7°, P < .001), though not enough to correct to age-matched norms (mean offset 12.2 ± 16.9°). Compared with mean normative alignment at L1–L4 (22.1 ± 6.2°), L1–L4 was flatter on standing (7.2 ± 17.0°, P < .001) and supine imaging (8.5 ± 15.0°, P < .001). L4-S1 lordosis of subjects with L1-S1 flexibility >5° corrected on supine imaging (33.9 ± 11.1°, P = 1.000), but L1–L4 did not (23.0 ± 6.2° norm vs 2.2 ± 14.4° standing, P < .001; vs 7.3 ± 12.9° supine, P < .001).

Conclusions

When the effects of gravity are removed, the distal portion of the lumbar spine (i.e., below the apex of lordosis) corrects, suggesting that structural lumbar deformity is primarily proximal.
Densification of timber: a review on the process, material properties, and application
Authors: Cabral John Paul , Kafle Bidur , Subhani Mahbube , Reiner Johannes , Ashraf Mahmud
Published: March 2022

Timber densification is a process that has been around since the early 1900s and is predominantly used to enhance the structural properties of timber. The process of densification provides the timber with a greater mechanical strength, hardness, abrasion resistance, and dimensional stability in comparison to its virgin counterparts. It alters the cellular structure of the timber through compression, chemical impregnation, or the combination of the two. This in turn closes the voids of the timber or fills the porosity of the cell wall structure, increasing the density of the timber and, therefore, changing its properties. Several processes are reported in literature which produce densified timber, considering the effect of various parameters, such as the compression ratio, and the temperature on the mechanical properties of the densified timber. This paper presents an overview of the current processes of timber densification and its corresponding effects. The material properties of densified timber, applications, and possible future directions are also explored, as the potential of this innovative material is still not fully realised.
TIDD: tool-independent and data-dependent machine learning for peptide identification
Authors: Li Honglan , Na Seungjin , Hwang Kyu-Baek , Paek Eunok
Published: March 2022

Background

In shotgun proteomics, database search engines have been developed to assign peptides to tandem mass (MS/MS) spectra and at the same time post-processing (or rescoring) approaches over the search results have been proposed to increase the number of confident peptide identifications. The most popular post-processing approaches such as Percolator and PeptideProphet have improved rates of peptide identifications by combining multiple scores from database search engines while applying machine learning techniques. Existing post-processing approaches, however, are limited when dealing with results from new search engines because their features for machine learning must be optimized specifically for each search engine.

Results

We propose a universal post-processing tool, called TIDD, which supports confident peptide identifications regardless of the search engine adopted. TIDD can work for any (including newly developed) search engines because it calculates universal features that assess peptide-spectrum match quality while it allows additional features provided by search engines (or users) as well. Even though it relies on universal features independent of search tools, TIDD showed similar or better performance than Percolator in terms of peptide identification. TIDD identified 10.23–38.95% more PSMs than target-decoy estimation for MSFragger, which is not supported by Percolator. TIDD offers an easy-to-use simple graphical user interface for user convenience.

Conclusions

TIDD successfully eliminated the requirement for an optimal feature engineering per database search tool, and thus, can be applied directly to any database search results including newly developed ones.
Adolescent anxiety and depression: burden of disease study in 53,894 secondary school pupils in the Netherlands
Authors: Klaufus Leonie , Verlinden Eva , van der Wal Marcel , Cuijpers Pim , Chinapaw Mai , Smit Filip
Published: March 2022

Background

Prevalence rates of anxiety and depression in adolescence are rising markedly in early adolescence. It is important to quantify the non-fatal disease burden of anxiety and depression, such that early interventions can be well targeted, and resources can be allocated in a just and optimal way. This study aimed to estimate the non-fatal disease burden of anxiety and depression with and without suicidal ideation in girls and boys aged 13, 14, and 15 years.

Methods

Participants were 53,894 secondary school pupils who completed health questionnaires between September 2018 and July 2019. A design-based approach was used for complex survey data with post-stratification weights and taking clustering at school-level into account. At individual level, disability weights (DWs) were calculated for each disorder. At population level, DWs were multiplied by the point-prevalence per one thousand population of the respective disorders to compute years lived with disability (YLD). DWs and YLD of anxiety and depression were calculated with and without adjustment for comorbid eating disorders, substance use disorders and somatic illnesses.

Results

The unadjusted DW of depression with suicidal ideation (0.30) was greater than without suicidal ideation (0.26), and both were greater than the DW of anxiety (0.24). A similar ranking was obtained after adjusting for comorbidities. At population level, where the prevalence of the disorders come into play, the YLD disease burden was greatest for anxiety, followed by depression with suicidal ideation and depression without suicidal ideation with 17.40, 9.85, and 5.28 YLD per one thousand population, unadjusted for comorbidities. This pattern was the same after adjustment, but then the total YLD of depression with and without suicidal ideation was similar to the YLD of anxiety (12.47 and 12.46, respectively). Girls showed a significantly greater YLD burden of anxiety and depression than boys, but no differences were found between different age groups.

Conclusions

From an individual clinical perspective, depression, especially when accompanied by suicidal ideation, was identified as a major health concern, especially in girls. From a public health perspective, both anxiety and depression, especially when accompanied by suicidal ideation, were identified as major drivers of disease burden, again most notably in girls.
Large outbreak of Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) poisoning due to consumption of contaminated humanitarian relief food: Uganda, March–April 2019
Authors: Mutebi Ronald R. , Ario Alex R. , Nabatanzi Maureen , Kyamwine Irene B. , Wibabara Yvette , Muwereza Peter , Eurien Daniel , Kwesiga Benon , Bulage Lilian , Kabwama Steven N. , Kadobera Daniel , Henderson Alden , Callahan John H. , Croley Timothy R. , Knolhoff Ann M. , Mangrum John B. , Handy Sara M. , McFarland Melinda A. , Sam Jennifer L. Fong , Harris Julie R. , Zhu Bao-Ping
Published: March 2022

Background

Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) contains toxic alkaloids that cause gastrointestinal and central nervous system symptoms when ingested. This can be lethal at high doses. The plant may grow together with leguminous crops, mixing with them during harvesting. On 13 March 2019, more than 200 case-patients were admitted to multiple health centres for acute gastrointestinal and neurologic symptoms. We investigated to determine the cause and magnitude of the outbreak and recommended evidence-based control and prevention measures.

Methods

We defined a suspected case as sudden onset of confusion, dizziness, convulsions, hallucinations, diarrhoea, or vomiting with no other medically plausible explanations in a resident of Napak or Amudat District from 1 March—30 April 2019. We reviewed medical records and canvassed all villages of the eight affected subcounties to identify cases. In a retrospective cohort study conducted in 17 villages that reported the earliest cases, we interviewed 211 residents about dietary history during 11–15 March. We used modified Poisson regression to assess suspected food exposures. Food samples underwent chemical (heavy metals, chemical contaminants, and toxins), proteomic, DNA, and microbiological testing in one national and three international laboratories.

Results

We identified 293 suspected cases; five (1.7%) died. Symptoms included confusion (62%), dizziness (38%), diarrhoea (22%), nausea/vomiting (18%), convulsions (12%), and hallucinations (8%). The outbreak started on 12 March, 2–12 h after Batch X of fortified corn-soy blend (CSB +) was distributed. In the retrospective cohort study, 66% of 134 persons who ate CSB + , compared with 2.2% of 75 who did not developed illness (RRadj = 22, 95% CI = 6.0–81). Samples of Batch X distributed 11–15 March contained 14 tropane alkaloids, including atropine (25-50 ppm) and scopolamine (1-10 ppm). Proteins of Solanaceae seeds and Jimsonweed DNA were identified. No other significant laboratory findings were observed.

Conclusion

This was the largest documented outbreak caused by food contamination with tropane alkaloids. Implicated food was immediately withdrawn. Routine food safety and quality checks could prevent future outbreaks.
Postoperative morbidity risk factors after conservative surgery of hydatic cyst of the liver: a retrospective study of 151 hydatic cysts of the liver
Authors: Ghannouchi Mossaab , Rodayna Hawas , Ben Khalifa Mohamed , Nacef Karim , Boudokhan Moez
Published: March 2022

Background

The purpose of the present paper is to assess the morbidity specifics risk factors of hepatic hydatid cyst after conservative surgery.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study of 102 patients over a period of 13 years, from 2006 to 2019. We included all patients operated on hydatid cyst of the liver, complicated and uncomplicated, in the Department of General Surgery in Tahar Sfar hospital, Mahdia, Tunisia. We excluded patients who received an exclusive medical treatment and those who have other hydatic cyst localizations.

Results

The cohort was composed of 102 patients with a total of 151 cysts operated on using conservative surgery, among them there was 75 women (73.5%) and 27 men (26.5%). The median age was 43, with extremes ranging from 12 to 88 years. The majority of patients (94.1%) were from rural areas. The cysts were uncomplicated in about half of the cases (48%), elsewhere complications such as compression of neighboring organs (25.5%), opening in the bile ducts (16.7%), infection (9.8%), and rupture in the peritoneum (2%) were found. Conservative surgery was the mainstay of treatment with an overall mortality rate of 1.9%. The overall morbidity rate was 22%: 14% specific morbidity and 8% non-specific morbidity. External biliary fistula was the most common postoperative complication (9%). The predictive factors of morbidity in univariate analysis were: preoperative hydatid cyst infection (P = 0.01), Compressive cysts (P = 0.05), preoperative fever and jaundice, (respectively P = 0.03 and P = 0.02), no one achieved statistical significance in the multivariate model.

Conclusions

Preoperative hydatid cyst infection, compressive cysts and preoperative fever and jaundice could be predictor factors of morbidity after conservative surgery for liver hydatid cyst. They must be considered in the treatment and the surgical decision for patients with hydatid cyst.
An integrated analysis of prognostic and immune infiltrates for hub genes as potential survival indicators in patients with lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Xu Zhiyun , Wang Shi , Ren Zhijian , Gao Xiang , Xu Lin , Zhang Shuai , Ren Binhui
Published: March 2022

Objective

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the major subtypes of lung cancer that is associated with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to identify useful biomarkers to enhance the treatment and diagnosis of LUAD.

Methods

GEO2R was used to identify common up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the GSE32863, GSE40791, and GSE75037 datasets. The DEGs were submitted to Metascape for gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis as well as construction of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, while the molecular complex detection (MCODE) plug-in was employed to filter important subnetworks. The expression levels of the hub genes and their prognostic values were evaluated using the UALCAN, GEPIA2, and Kaplan-Meier plotter databases. The timer algorithm was utilized to determine the correlation between immune cell infiltration and the expression levels of hub genes in LUAD tissues. In addition, the hub gene mutation landscape and the correlation analysis with tumor mutational burden (TMB) score were evaluated using maftools package and ggstatsplot package in R software, respectively.

Results

We identified 156 common up-regulated DEGs, with gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis indicating that they were mostly enriched in mitotic cell cycle process and cell cycle pathway. DEGs in the subnetwork with the largest number of genes were AURKB, CCNB2, CDC20, CDCA5, CDCA8, CENPF, and KNTC1. The seven hub genes were highly expressed in LUAD tissues and were associated with poor prognosis. These hub genes were negatively correlated with most immune cells. The somatic mutation landscape showed that AURKB, CDC20, CENPF, and KNTC1 had mutations and were positively correlated with TMB scores.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that increased expression of seven hub genes is associated with poor prognosis for LUAD patients. Additionally, the TMB score indicates that the high expression of hub gene increases immune cell infiltration in patients with lung adenocarcinoma which may significantly improve response to immunotherapy.
Mechanical stress shapes the cancer cell response to neddylation inhibition
Authors: Mittler Frédérique , Obeïd Patricia , Haguet Vincent , Allier Cédric , Gerbaud Sophie , Rulina Anastasia V. , Gidrol Xavier , Balakirev Maxim Y.
Published: March 2022

Background

The inhibition of neddylation by the preclinical drug MLN4924 represents a new strategy to combat cancer. However, despite being effective against hematologic malignancies, its success in solid tumors, where cell–cell and cell-ECM interactions play essential roles, remains elusive.

Methods

Here, we studied the effects of MLN4924 on cell growth, migration and invasion in cultured prostate cancer cells and in disease-relevant prostate tumoroids. Using focused protein profiling, drug and RNAi screening, we analyzed cellular pathways activated by neddylation inhibition.

Results

We show that mechanical stress induced by MLN4924 in prostate cancer cells significantly affects the therapeutic outcome. The latter depends on the cell type and involves distinct Rho isoforms. In LNCaP and VCaP cells, the stimulation of RhoA and RhoB by MLN4924 markedly upregulates the level of tight junction proteins at cell–cell contacts, which augments the mechanical strain induced by Rho signaling. This “tight junction stress response” (TJSR) causes the collapse of cell monolayers and a characteristic rupture of cancer spheroids. Notably, TJSR is a major cause of drug-induced apoptosis in these cells. On the other hand, in PC3 cells that underwent partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), the stimulation of RhoC induces an adverse effect by promoting amoeboid cell scattering and invasion. We identified complementary targets and drugs that allow for the induction of TJSR without stimulating RhoC.

Conclusions

Our finding that MLN4924 acts as a mechanotherapeutic opens new ways to improve the efficacy of neddylation inhibition as an anticancer approach.

Graphical Abstract
Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor: a case report
Authors: Keka-Sylaj Alije , Ramosaj Atifete , Baloku Arbana , Zogaj Leonore , Mushica Flamur , Kurshumliu Fisnik
Published: March 2022

Background

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors are extremely rare and highly aggressive malignant small round cell tumors that arise from the primitive nerve cells of the nervous system or outside it. These tumors share similar histology, immunohistologic characteristics, and cytogenetics with Ewing’s sarcoma. Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors of the chest wall are rare malignant tumors seen in children and young adults.

Case presentation

We report a rare case of peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a 4-year-old Albanian girl with a mediastinal tumor and an unusual clinical presentation. She was initially treated for acute polyradiculoneuritis (Guillain–Barré syndrome) owing to pain, weakness in the lower limbs, and walking difficulty, as well as severe irritability. During the second week of treatment, the child began to experience dry cough, chest discomfort, and worsening dyspnea. Chest radiography, chest computed tomography, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography demonstrated a large mass in the right hemithorax that was derived from the posterior mediastinum with expansive growth in all directions and that shifted the mediastinal structures in the anterolateral left direction. Consequently, histopathology and immunohistochemical examination of the markers S-100, CD99, and Ki-67 showed that the tumor cells stained positively for S-100 and CD99. The proliferative index measured by Ki-67 was approximately 20%, which suggested primitive neuroectodermal tumor.

Conclusions

Even though other diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma, and neuroblastoma, may be accompanied by musculoskeletal manifestations in children, other solid tumors, such as peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors, should be considered in the differential diagnosis in any child presenting with musculoskeletal symptoms.
Geotemporospatial and causal inferential epidemiological overview and survey of USA cannabis, cannabidiol and cannabinoid genotoxicity expressed in cancer incidence 2003–2017: part 1 – continuous bivariate analysis
Authors: Reece Albert Stuart , Hulse Gary Kenneth
Published: March 2022

Background

The genotoxic and cancerogenic impacts of population-wide cannabinoid exposure remains an open but highly salient question. The present report examines these issues from a continuous bivariate perspective with subsequent reports continuing categorical and detailed analyses.

Methods

Age-standardized state census incidence of 28 cancer types (including “All (non-skin) Cancer”) was sourced using SEER*Stat software from Centres for Disease Control and National Cancer Institute across US states 2001–2017. It was joined with drug exposure data from the nationally representative National Survey of Drug Use and Health conducted annually by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2003–2017, response rate 74.1%. Cannabinoid data was from Federal seizure data. Income and ethnicity data sourced from the US Census Bureau. Data was processed in R.

Results

Nineteen thousand eight hundred seventy-seven age-standardized cancer rates were returned. Based on these rates and state populations this equated to 51,623,922 cancer cases over an aggregated population 2003–2017 of 124,896,418,350. Regression lines were charted for cancer-substance exposures for cigarettes, alcohol use disorder (AUD), cannabis, THC, cannabidiol, cannabichromene, cannabinol and cannabigerol. In this substance series positive trends were found for 14, 9, 6, 9, 12, 6, 9 and 7 cancers; with largest minimum E-Values (mEV) of 1.76 × 109, 4.67 × 108, 2.74 × 104, 4.72, 2.34 × 1018, 2.74 × 1017, 1.90 × 107, 5.05 × 109; and total sum of exponents of mEV of 34, 32, 13, 0, 103, 58, 25, 31 indicating that cannabidiol followed by cannabichromene are the most strongly implicated in environmental carcinogenesis. Breast cancer was associated with tobacco and all cannabinoids (from mEV = 3.53 × 109); “All Cancer” (non-skin) linked with cannabidiol (mEV = 1.43 × 1011); pediatric AML linked with cannabis (mEV = 19.61); testicular cancer linked with THC (mEV = 1.33). Cancers demonstrating elevated mEV in association with THC were: thyroid, liver, pancreas, AML, breast, oropharynx, CML, testis and kidney. Cancers demonstrating elevated mEV in relation to cannabidiol: prostate, bladder, ovary, all cancers, colorectum, Hodgkins, brain, Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, esophagus, breast and stomach.

Conclusion

Data suggest that cannabinoids including THC and cannabidiol are important community carcinogens exceeding the effects of tobacco or alcohol. Testicular, (prostatic) and ovarian tumours indicate mutagenic corruption of the germline in both sexes; pediatric tumourigenesis confirms transgenerational oncogenesis; quantitative criteria implying causality are fulfilled.
Meteorological drought monitoring across the main river basins of Ethiopia using satellite rainfall product
Authors: Lemma Estifanos , Upadhyaya Shruti , Ramsankaran Raaj
Published: March 2022

Background

Drought is a recurrent phenomenon emerging from an inter-annual and intra-seasonal deficit of water across the atmosphere-to-aquifer continuum and these events are reported to be very severe in regions of Ethiopia. Availability of accurate precipitation observations significantly impacts the drought monitoring systems. These observations are scarce and sparsely distributed in countries like Ethiopia. To overcome such a problem, the use of satellite rainfall estimates with continuous and timely data at different spatio-temporal scales is opportune, provided their accuracy is well known. Among the currently available satellite rainfall products studies specifically in Ethiopia shown that Climate Hazard Group Infrared Precipitation with Station version 2 daily rainfall product (hereafter CHIRPSv2) has better performance and recommended as a valuable substitute for gauge rainfall data. Therefore, the current study focused on assessing the applicability of CHIRPSv2 for meteorological drought monitoring in Ethiopia. Due to the wide spatio-temporal variability of Ethiopia's climate, the performance of CHIRPSv2 rainfall product for meteorological drought monitoring has been assessed in selected river basins (Awash, Blue Nile, Baro, Danakil, Omo and Tekeze) of Ethiopia. For drought estimations, two well-known meteorological drought indices such as Effective Drought Index (EDI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) have been utilized.

Result

The obtained results show that the CHIRPSv2 based EDI and SPI are able to identify all the historical drought events reported between 1982 and 2016 (such as 1984, 1992, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015). The time series plots of EDI and SPI values show that most of the drought events in the selected river basins occurred during their corresponding main and smaller rainy months. Detailed spatio-temporal investigations of the two worst drought years (1984 and 2011) and one drought-free year (2007) show that both the EDI and SPI could enable to identify the drought and drought-free areas correctly when compared with the available recorded historical droughts (RHD) across each river basin. Similarly, the temporal trends of EDI and SPI identified drought shows that frequency and severity of drought were higher during 1980s and 2000s than 1990s.

Conclusions

Such good agreement between the identified drought and historical drought indicates that CHIRPSv2 is a promising rainfall dataset, which could be used to develop drought monitoring and early warning system across different river basins of Ethiopia. Besides, the study helps to provide useful information for decision makers to implement different adaptation and mitigation measures of drought in the study area. The finding also will support to improve the existing drought monitoring and early warning system and to build resilience to drought at the river basin level.
Investigating the fate of polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycle compounds in spilled oils with a microcosm weathering experiment
Authors: Filewood Taylor , Kwok Honoria , Brunswick Pamela , Yan Jeffrey , Ollinik Jessica E. , Cote Christopher , Kim Marcus , van Aggelen Graham , Helbing Caren C. , Shang Dayue
Published: March 2022

One of the common toxic compound groups in crude oils are the polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs) and their related alkylated forms (APASHs). Unlike commonly investigated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated forms (APAHs), these sulfur containing compounds have not been extensively studied due to the lack of practical analytical methodology as well as expense and limited availability of chemical standards. In the current study, a newly developed polycyclic aromatic carbon (PAC) method was applied to analyze the various PASHs/APASHs in crude oil samples using PAHs as surrogate standards. To investigate the fate of PASHs/APASHs in spilled oils in the environment, microcosm systems containing various crude oils were prepared and exposed to the environment for two months, simulating the summer weather conditions of Canada’s west coast. The artificially weathered crude oil samples were analyzed for both PAH/APAH and PASH/APASH composition, and the results were compared to un-weathered counterparts of the oils. PASHs/APASHs were found to be affected by the microcosm weathering in similar ways to PAHs/APAHs. Fifteen PASHs and APASHs were found to be resistant to weathering and be potential candidates as biomarkers in oil spill forensic investigation.
Project portfolio risk categorisation – factor analysis results
Authors: Hofman Mariusz , Grela Grzegorz
Published: March 2022

The subject of this article is project portfolio risk categorisation. Research conducted indicated categories containing the most probable and significant risks. The research described in this paper was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, the relevant literature was reviewed and the Delphi method was used to identify 36 risks specific to a project portfolio. In the second stage, the respondents (project portfolio managers) assessed the probability of each risk occurring and the impact of that risk on the objectives of the project portfolio. The empirical data obtained in this way made it possible to conduct an exploratory factor analysis and to identify the risk categories of the project portfolio. The presented results may also contribute to a broader discussion concerning the validity of identifying project portfolio risks and how to categorise them. The results may be useful for further discussion on the empirical confirmation of three categories of portfolio risks proposed by the Project Management Institute.
Project resilience: a conceptual framework
Authors: Rahi Khalil
Published: March 2022

Resilience is a novel but promising concept in project management studies. Resilience thinking can help projects maintain their performance through flexible, systemic and context-specific approaches once faced with disruptive events. That said, the main goal of this paper is to advance an interdisciplinary understanding of project resilience by proposing a definition and a conceptual framework of this concept. To achieve this article's objectives, the literature on project risk management is first reviewed to identify current research effort and limitations of dealing with disruptions. Consecutively, the concept of resilience in its broader applicability is explored, where two dimensions are sieved; awareness and adaptive capacity. The literature on the new concept of project resilience is also scrutinized, where its novel nature, the lack of scientific studies to conceptualize it, and its significance to project management are demonstrated. These facts helped propose a definition and a conceptual framework of project resilience, where a set of relationships are instigated, which constitute a base line to perform further disquisitions to assess their validity. Implications for future contributions advocate conceptual exchanges with more advanced research fields (e.g. organizational resilience). These exchanges can assist in the development of indicators to evaluate the ability of projects to deal with disruptive events and enhance their resilience.