bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
After-Hours/Nighttime Transfers Out of the Intensive Care Unit and Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Moshynskyy Anton I. , Mailman Jonathan F. , Sy Eric J.
Published: December 2020

Purpose:

We evaluated the effects of after-hours/nighttime patient transfers out of the ICU on patient outcomes, by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO CRD 42017074082).

Data Sources:

MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library from 1987-November 2019. Conference abstracts from the Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Thoracic Society, CHEST, Critical Care Canada Forum, and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine from 2011-2019.

Data Extraction:

Observational or randomized studies of adult ICU patients were selected if they compared after-hours transfer out of the ICU to daytime transfer on patient outcomes. Case reports, case series, letters, and reviews were excluded. Study year, country, design, co-variates for adjustment, definitions of after-hours, mortality rates, ICU readmission rates, and hospital length of stay (LOS) were extracted.

Data Synthesis:

We identified 3,398 studies. Thirty-one observational studies (1,418,924 patients) were selected for the systematic review and meta-analysis. Included studies had varying definitions of after-hours, with the after-hours period starting anytime between 16:00-22:00 and ending between 06:00-09:00. Approximately 16% of transfers occurred after-hours. After-hours transfers were associated with increased in-hospital mortality for both unadjusted (odds ratio [OR] 1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30-1.75, I2 = 96%, number of studies [n] = 26, P < 0.001, low certainty) and adjusted (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.25-1.38, I 2 = 33%, n = 10, P < 0.001, low certainty) data, compared to daytime transfers. They were also associated with increased ICU readmission (pooled unadjusted OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.18-1.38, I2 = 85%, n = 17, P < 0.001, low certainty) and longer hospital LOS (standardized mean difference 0.13, 95% CI 0.09-0.18, I 2 = 93%, n = 9, P < 0.001, low certainty), compared to daytime transfers.

Conclusions:

After-hours transfers out of the ICU are associated with increased in-hospital mortality, ICU readmission, and hospital LOS, across many settings. While the certainty of evidence is low, future research is needed to reduce the number and effects of after-hours transfers.
Prevalence of Stalking Among Justice Professionals in Portugal
Authors: Matos Marlene , Alheiro Andreia , Gonçalves Mariana , Cunha Ana , Martinho Gabriela
Published: December 2020

Despite the growing interest from researchers’ in recent years, stalking is a phenomenon of difficult operationalization within the scientific community. Examining the phenomenon in criminal justice professionals has become relevant since the work context is considered a fertile environment for the presence of stalking, despite underreported. This study aims specifically to know the prevalence, nature, dynamics, impact, and help-seeking behaviors (and its perceived effectiveness) of stalking victimization by criminal justice professionals stalked in Portugal. We were also interested in the professionals’ perceptions of why they were stalked. The data were collected through a web-based survey, after the approval of the ethic committee. The sample was composed of 270 criminal justice professionals, mostly men (59.3%), with a mean age of 42.70 ( SD = 9.07) years. The results showed that 24.8% reported having been stalked at least once in their lifetime. Stalking prevalence was higher in women compared to men. Concerning the profession, the highest prevalence was verified in the group of professionals composed of lawyers, jurists, court officials, and auditors, followed by the group of magistrates, and finally the judges and the criminal police. More diversity of stalking behaviors experienced was associated with a higher frequency of those behaviors. Psychological health (70.7%) and lifestyle/behavioral changes (62.1%) were the most reported areas of impact. Being stalked in a private context (e.g., intimate relationships), for a longer period and feeling a higher level of fear as a result of the stalking campaign were associated with more impact. Most of the victims (74.6%) revealed having sought help to cope with the stalking experience, with women seeking more help than men (88.6% vs. 59.4%). For bringing evidence that criminal justice professionals are at risk of being stalked, these findings can contribute to the adoption of policies and strategies to prevent stalking victimization among this population.
Transversal Solidarities and the City: An Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Jørgensen Martin Bak , Schierup Carl-Ulrik
Published: December 2020

The special issue contributes to the exploration of transversal solidarities counterpoised to an exhausted neoliberalism on the one hand and a xenophobic populism on the other. It tracks contours of a multifarious countermovement, traversing ‘race’, class and gender, driven by reimaginings of the common and the renewal of democracy. The emphasis is on the understanding of contending urban justice movements, welcoming communities and their liaisons in a multiscale (local, national, transnational) perspective. A collection of theoretically informed papers discusses cases from urban contexts of Europe and the United States, all riveted by schisms of class, ‘race’/ethnicity and gender, occupied by the ‘migration’ issue and challenged by contending movements for social cum environmental sustainability. Exploring examples of social movements and forms of mobilisation in different contexts, the overarching aim is to retrieve options for transversal solidarities transcending identities while focusing on commonalities.
Artificial diffusion in the simulation of micromixers: A review
Authors: Bayareh Morteza
Published: December 2020

False (artificial) diffusion provides an erroneous estimation of molecular diffusion during the simulation of liquid micromixing. The present review introduces discretization methods, numerical grid types, and numerical errors to address the effect of false diffusion on the prediction of mixing efficiency of microfluidic devices. False diffusivity is characterized by the grid Peclet number, grid type, and discretization scheme. This review demonstrates that most investigators have selected a grid resolution just for the grid independence test. It is revealed that the convergence criterion should not be quantitative values of mixing efficiency even when high-order schemes are employed to discretize the computational grid. Based on the previous publications in this field, a straightforward procedure is recommended to manage false diffusion in the numerical simulation of micromixers.
Benevolence in New-age Businesses of Developing Economies: Some Conclusions from The Information Technology Companies/Sector of India
Authors: Venkatesh Umashankar , Chaudhuri Anirban , Mathew Jones
Published: December 2020

The article evaluates how knowledge workers in new-age businesses in developing economies conceptualize and practise acts of individual social responsibility (ISR) vis-à-vis the corporate social responsibility (CSR) endeavours of the companies for which they work. The study aims to differentiate between the values that drive ISR and CSR in such organizations. On one hand, the study targets young information technology professionals between the ages of 25 and 35 years exploring the individual motivations for socially responsible behaviour, and it looks at CSR managers responsible for strategizing and implementing CSR portfolio, representing the organizational imperatives of CSR behaviour and practice on the other. The study concludes with a conceptualization of how the convergence or otherwise of motivations between ISR and CSR in such organizations are defined and what are their determinants, with the derivative managerial implications for firms in developing economies in the context of managing the relatively younger workforce’s participation in their CSR efforts.
A critical review of the first six months of operation of a trial Hospital Outreach Post-suicidal Engagement (HOPE) service in Australia
Authors: Williamson Phoebe , Hope Judy , Segal Jose , Gill Lisa , Orr Michele , Trevorah Brooke , Garbutt Rebecca , Hurter Pieter
Published: December 2020

Objective:

To review the Hospital Outreach Post-suicidal Engagement (HOPE) service in the first six months of the pilot program in a metropolitan Melbourne setting, including a description of: (a) socio-demographic, health and psychosocial stressors of people referred; (b) method of presentation; (c) interventions provided and (d) outcomes measured.

Method:

A retrospective case file analysis reviewed the first six months of HOPE service operation.

Results:

Forty people received HOPE service during the study period, 60% female, mean age 35 years (range 17–58). The majority had previously engaged in self-harm (72.5%) or attempted suicide (67.5%). Stressors included social isolation, relationship breakdown, unemployment, financial stress, medical problems, history of mental illness, exposure to family violence and adverse childhood events. Statistically significant improvements occurred in the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) and Session Rating Scale (SRS) following intervention. There were no deaths by suicide during the study period.

Conclusion:

People referred to HOPE had significant health and psychosocial stressors. Engagement significantly improved subjective well-being and connection with supports. Findings highlighted the need for an integrated clinical and psychosocial model to promote hope and connection in life post suicide attempt. It remains unclear which interventions improved well-being and if this contributes to suicide prevention.
Decreasing Racial Bias Through A Facilitated Game and Workshop: The Case of Fair Play
Authors: Pribbenow Christine Maidl , Caldwell Kyrie Eleison H. , Dantzler Donald Dejon , Brown Percy , Carnes Molly
Published: December 2020

Introduction. Fair Play is an avatar-based role-playing video game in which Jamal Davis, a Black graduate student at a research university, navigates implicit forms of racial bias to reach the win-state of earning his PhD and becoming a professor. Fair Play was designed to educate players on the existence of racial bias in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) fields in an experiential way and to encourage perspective-taking. Research has found that taking the perspective of another can induce empathy, which improves the empathizer’s attitudes towards individuals and groups. Paired with a facilitated workshop, Fair Play was also designed to teach bias concepts to increase participants’ bias literacy.

Intervention. Research on workshops to reduce gender bias suggests that it increased awareness of personal bias, the motivation and self-efficacy to practice bias-reducing strategies, and a more welcoming department climate and the hiring of more women faculty three years after the intervention. Capitalizing on these findings, a 3-hour workshop was developed to reduce race-based bias against Black/African Americans in STEMM using Fair Play.

Conclusions. The facilitation of the workshops and Fair Play requires particular competencies due to its topic (racial bias) and player’s skepticism about the reality of the bias incidents. Our data suggest that participants who identify as a person of color are more likely to believe that bias exists compared to White players, which can lead to a discussion about how the incidents in the game were designed and scripted. The facilitator also needs to be versed in a number of intentional design choices, such as Jamal not having voiceover and his success. Finally, this paper describes the Facilitator Game, which was developed as a complement to the game and allows a facilitator to jump to bias incidents quickly while debriefing and discussing the game to further participant learning.
Inspiring Excellence and Nurturing Potential Through Partnership and Collaboration: It’s a Wonderful Life
Authors: Assouline Susan
Published: December 2020

The invitation to write a brief summary highlighting Belin-Blank Center partnerships that support talent development in youth led my mind to channel the 1946 Frank Capra movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The existential storyline from that classic film reveals the merit of relationships when considered from the vantage of nonexistence. The moral? In life, what counts is the relationship—the partnership—between individuals and among organizations because it is the partnership that contributes to an individual’s, as well as an organization’s, “wonderful life.” Five lessons, each with specific recommendations, emerge from this review of Belin-Blank Center partnerships.
Oral GLP1 Analog: Where Does the Tide Go?
Authors: Gardner Hannah , Hamdy Osama
Published: December 2020

T2D is a potentially preventable disease that has been ranked the seventh leading cause of mortality in the United States. There is strong evidence demonstrating that preventing type 2 diabetes is, in many cases, attainable through lifestyle intervention. Unfortunately, prediabetes is mostly overlooked and awareness with diabetes prevention tools is lacking among primary care physicians. Nationally, efforts were not successful in reversing this epidemic even with an array of diabetes medications. Among the most effective medications for T2D are glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), which have been shown to reduce both A1C and body weight. Dulaglutide, liraglutide and injectable semaglutide also reduced cardiovascular events and cardiovascular mortality in patients with established cardiovascular disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors. In this review, we will examine the first FDA approved oral GLP-1 RA; semaglutide. Moreover, this review will discuss the potential impact oral semaglutide may have on glycemic control, weight loss and cardiovascular comorbidities. It also examines the factors that may impact patient compliance, including cost, side effects and clinical issues. Finally, it deliberates the optimism surrounding the development of oral semaglutide in the treatment of diabetes as well as related conditions, such as obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Immunotherapy Induced Myasthenic-Like Syndrome in a Metastatic Melanoma Patient With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Authors: Jaffer Muhammad , Chung Matthew , Sharda Esha , Ramsakal Asha , Peguero Edwin , Verma Neha , Mokhtari Sepideh
Published: December 2020

Immunotherapy agents such as ipilimumab and nivolumab are immensely effective in the treatment of various malignancies. Despite this, neurologic immune-related sequelae (NIRS) have been observed. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is critical to improve patient outcomes. We present a case of a 63-year-old man with stage IV metastatic melanoma beginning treatment with ipilimumab and nivolumab. Gathered history from the patient showed that he had a 3-year presentation of bradykinesia, shuffling gait, and muscle cramping. After one dose, the patient began to have progressively worsening generalized weakness; after receiving the immunotherapy, there was a rapid decline in his health. In addition to weakness, the patient developed diplopia, impaired single breath count, lingual and upper/lower extremity fasciculations, and brisk reflexes. While the lumbar puncture and myasthenia panel were non-diagnostic, the electromyography (EMG) revealed axonal neuropathy and diffuse denervation/reinnervation changes. Furthermore, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) displayed fatty replacement of the tongue with a bright tongue sign. These results pointed to the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) superimposed onto myasthenic-like syndrome. The patient was started on various treatments; however, unfortunately he died due to acute hypoxic respiratory failure. This case highlights important considerations that must be taken when using immunotherapy, especially in patients with pre-existing neurological deficits. Furthermore, it shows the importance of early diagnosis as treatment can potentially cure adverse sequelae.
Spatial spillover of transport improvement on tourism growth
Authors: Tian Fengjun , Yang Yang , Jiang Lan
Published: December 2020

Transport infrastructure plays an important role in moving tourists to and between destinations. In this study, we investigate the spatial spillover effects of transport improvements on regional tourism growth. Using panel data from 337 Chinese prefecture-level regions from 2007 to 2016, we estimate a spatial Durbin model to understand whether enhancements in road, air, railway, and high-speed rail transport stimulated tourism growth in nearby regions. Our empirical models confirm transport spillover. High-speed rail services generated spillover to nearby regions’ domestic and inbound tourism growth. For domestic tourism, road transport and air transport yielded significant spillover, while only air transport generated significant spillover in tourism revenue from inbound tourism. Findings also highlight the limited geographic scope of high-speed rail spillover and the broader scope of air transport spillover. Lastly, relevant implications are discussed.
Awareness and Experience of Mindfulness in Britain
Authors: Simonsson Otto , Fisher Stephen , Martin Maryanne
Published: December 2020

In recent years, the practice of mindfulness has become increasingly popular, but there is very little evidence on how many and what kind of people have heard of and learnt to practise mindfulness. Using data from an online survey on a sample of 1013 adults in Britain in November 2018, this study aims to estimate the prevalence of mindfulness use among adults in Britain and to identify the sociodemographic and political characteristics associated with awareness and experience of mindfulness. The findings suggest that 15% of adults in Britain had learnt to practise mindfulness, which is significantly more than the finding that 2.5% of adults in the United States in 2012 had practised mindfulness in their lifetime. Although widespread, awareness of mindfulness was more common among women, unmarried adults, adults from middle and high-income households, and those who voted Remain in the 2016 Brexit Referendum. Higher levels of engagement with mindfulness, beyond awareness, were more likely among young and middle-aged adults, but otherwise not concentrated in any particular groups.
Explaining away crime: The race narrative in American sociology and ethical theory
Authors: Turner Stephen
Published: December 2020

Rates of crime for Blacks in the United States in the post-slavery era have always been high relative to Whites. But explaining, or minimizing, this fact faces a major problem: individual excuses for bad acts point to deficiencies, in the agent, which are perhaps forgivable, such as mental deficiency or a deprived childhood, but at the price of treating the agent as less than a full member of the moral community. Collectivizing excuses risks implying group inferiority. The history of attempts to provide an explanation of crime that mitigates blame without undermining full participation to the moral community is long and convoluted, leading to the presently widespread claim that crime is itself a product of victimization through pervasive racism. Three basic strategies – rejection of comparison, attribution to racially invariant causes and explanation by reference to uniquely Black conditions, such as subculture or extreme stigmatization – are identified and their ethical implications distinguished.
Painful memories as mnemonic resources: Grand Canyon Dories and the protection of place
Authors: Crawford Brett , Coraiola Diego M , Dacin M Tina
Published: December 2020

Organizations commonly regard memories of pain and destruction as being unwanted. In this article, we consider the largely undertheorized potential that painful pasts can have for building a mnemonic community. We draw primarily on oral history interviews to explore how Martin Litton and Grand Canyon Dories use sensory, discursive, and material-discursive modalities to convert painful memories into mnemonic resources through the performance of three practices: sensitizing, retelling, and reincarnating. Their aim was to protect the Grand Canyon for future generations. We advance research on organizational uses of the past by theorizing how painful memories can be converted into mnemonic resources. Specifically, we underscore the untapped potential of organizations repackaging history-at-large to curate experiences of the past using combinations of semiotic modalities and remembering practices. We call this multimodal remembering. We also contribute to research on place by illustrating how destroyed natural wonders that no longer exist in their geological corporeal form can be transposed across time and space and become re-embodied in new phantasmatic forms.
Integrated scheduling algorithm based on the priority constraint table for complex products with tree structure
Authors: Gao Yilong , Xie Zhiqiang , Liu Xinyang , Zhou Wei , Yu Xu
Published: December 2020

Aiming at the existing intelligent optimization algorithms for solving the integrated scheduling problem of complex products with tree structure, there are problems of missing optimal solutions when designing encoding methods or generating infeasible offspring while designing evolutionary operators, an integrated scheduling algorithm based on the priority constraint table is proposed in this paper. A novel encoding method based on the dynamic priority constraint table is developed, which can guarantee the feasibility and completeness of the initial population individuals. For the legitimacy of the generated offspring individuals, two new different crossover and mutation methods are designed separately. The introduced evolutionary operators can avoid the detection and repairment of the infeasible individuals. An insertion-based greedy decoding method is also developed. In addition, based on the critical operations, a local search strategy is presented to enhance the search ability for the superior solutions. The feasibility and superiority of the proposed algorithm is verified by comparative experiments.
Optimizing thermal insulation of external building walls in different climate zones in Libya
Authors: Elmzughi Malik , Alghoul Samah , Mashena Mohamed
Published: December 2020

An efficient way to reduce the energy required for conditioning buildings and therefore to reduce CO2 emission is the use of proper thermal insulation in buildings’ external walls. This measure requires data from metrological stations that can be used in the optimization of the thermal insulation. The main objectives of this study are to construct thermal climatic zones for Libya and to specify the optimum insulation thickness for external walls for the different zones. This work is comprehensive as the metrological data from all existing 33 weather stations has been collected and used for identifying thermal zones. For the optimization of the construction of external walls, the most commonly used local wall structures are investigated: hollow concrete block, limestone block and hollow brick. In addition, four thermal insulation materials: extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, rock wool and foamed polyurethane are used with every wall type. Optimum insulation thickness, energy savings, energy cost and payback periods were estimated for the 33 locations using life cycle cost analysis. A map is constructed for the thermal zones based on degree-day values for the entire country. The results show that limestone blocks with expanded polystyrene insulation form the optimum wall construction as it provides the minimum total cost for all locations. Depending on the Degree-day values, the optimum insulation thickness varies between 5.4 and 15.3 cm across the country with energy saving varies between 28 and 178 $/m2. Using the optimum thickness, the average CO2 emissions can potentially be reduced by about 85%. Finally, a contour map represents the optimum thickness of expanded polystyrene is presented in this work.
Proteus syndrome in pregnancy: A case report
Authors: Ranaei-Zamani Niccole , Kaler Mandeep K , Khan Rehan
Published: December 2020

Proteus syndrome is a rare, multi-system, genetic syndrome characterised by atypical and excessive growth of skeletal tissue. Clinical presentations include abnormal musculoskeletal growth and cutaneous lesions. Due to its rarity, there have been a limited number of published case reports of Proteus syndrome. This is the first case report on the management of Proteus syndrome in pregnancy. We present the case of a pregnant woman with Proteus syndrome in her first pregnancy in a large teaching hospital and discuss the considerations and challenges faced in her antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care.
Enfortumab Vedotin in urothelial cancer
Authors: Alt Marie , Stecca Carlos , Tobin Swanee , Jiang Di Maria , Sridhar Srikala S.
Published: December 2020

The treatment landscape for metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) beyond first-line platinum-based chemotherapy has changed significantly over the last 5 years with the recent approvals of the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitors and most recently Enfortumab Vedotin (EV). EV is a novel antibody–drug conjugate (ADC), that delivers monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), a microtubule-disrupting agent, inside cells harboring the cell surface nectin-4 receptor. In mUC, EV has shown encouraging response rates and received accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2019 in the post-platinum and ICI setting. EV is generally well tolerated, with the main toxicities being neuropathy, skin rash, alopecia and fatigue. Notably EV can also be administered to patients with renal dysfunction, which is commonly a concern in this patient population. EV is now being tested in combination strategies and in earlier disease settings in urothelial cancers. In this review, we will discuss its mechanism of action, clinical trials leading to FDA approval as well as ongoing trials and future directions.
The Household Financial Losses Triggered by an Immigration Arrest, and How State and Local Government Can Most Effectively Protect Their Constituents
Authors: Boyce Geoffrey Alan , Launius Sarah
Published: December 2020

Through a survey of 125 long-term resident households in Pima County, Arizona, this study finds that an immigration arrest costs each household an average of more than $24,000. These costs accumulate through the value of assets seized and not recovered, out-of-pocket costs for hiring an attorney, immigration bond, and other expenses involved in supporting an immediate family member as they navigate the immigration court system. But they also include lost income due to disruptions to employment resulting from the arrest, and a physical inability to work while in detention, appearing in court, and immediately following deportation. In this article, we discuss how, when measured at the scale of the household, these financial costs fail to discriminate according to immigration or citizenship status, and accumulate to affect issues of poverty, education, housing security, health and development, and generational wealth inequality — all matters of sustained interest to state and local government. In the second half of the article, we draw on our research findings to evaluate various policies that states, counties, and municipalities can implement to mitigate these financial burdens while promoting the overall well-being of their constituents. Policies considered include: The “Immigrant Welcoming City” paradigm The limitation of routine cooperation and custody transfer between local and federal law enforcement Expanding access to permissible forms of identification Universal representation for immigration defendants The cultivation of community bond funds The promotion of worker-owned cooperatives

Although these kinds of state or local initiatives cannot replace meaningful federal action on immigration reform, they can do much to provide relief and promote economic security for established immigrant and mixed-status families living in the United States, while contributing to overall community well-being and economic vitality.
Outcomes Associated With Fibrin Sealant Use in Lateral Neck Dissections
Authors: Stanisce Luke , Lai Michael , Ahmad Nadir , Spalla Thomas C. , Reid Lisa M. , Gaughan John P. , Koshkareva Yekaterina
Published: December 2020

Objective

To determine whether the use of fibrin sealant tissue adhesives during lateral neck dissections is associated with a change in postoperative outcomes.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort.

Setting

Institutionally affiliated tertiary care center.

Methods

Various demographic, disease, and surgical data were collected for patients who underwent lateral neck dissections. Univariate regression analysis was performed with the following outcomes: total drain output and duration of drain placement, as well as incidence of postoperative infection, hematoma, seroma, chyle leak, and salivary leak.

Results

A total of 133 patients underwent lateral neck dissections. Fibrin sealant was used in 35% of cases (n = 46). Its use was not associated with differences in total drain output (P =. 77) or the number of days that the drains were in place (P =. 83). On secondary analysis, the use of fibrin sealant was not associated with a difference in postoperative incidence of hematoma (P =. 65), seroma (P =. 68), chyle leak (P =. 42), or salivary leak (P =. 73). These results were consistent when stratified by the presence of intraoperative complications. Its use accompanied an average cost of $674 per case.

Conclusions

Fibrin sealant use during lateral neck dissections was not associated with a reduction in drain output or days that the drains remained in situ. Although the current study was limited by sample size, fibrin sealant use was not associated with a decreased risk of postoperative adverse events. The evidence in this report suggests that the routine use of these products adds cost without clear benefit.
An integrated grey AHP-MOORA model for ameliorating public transport service quality
Authors: Moslem Sarbast , Çelikbilek Yakup
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Public transport systems provide essential mobility service to citizens who do not have access to private cars. Public transport also plays a significant role in minimizing road congestions, air pollution, journey time and energy consumption. Public transport service quality need efficient strategic plans to be able to increase user’s satisfaction and attract non-user’s.

Objectives

To achieve this target, a combined model of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with Multi Objective Optimization Method by Ratio Analysis (MOORA) based on grey optimization has been adopted, as a case study, the public bus transport system in Budapest, Hungary has been opted.

Methods

The weight scores of the evaluation criteria are conducted based on transport experts' assessments. When the studies in the literature are reviewed, it is observed that the success of the MOORA technique about decision making is remarkable. Also, there is not an agreed and validated grey MOORA technique in the literature. Thus, an integrated grey AHP and grey MOORA technique is proposed in this study to evaluate the public transport service quality. Grey based multi-criteria decision making methods are very useful to decrease the subjectivity of the decision makers.

Results

The importance of criteria has been computed by conducting grey AHP approach while the alternatives that have been preferred mostly within the certain criteria have been estimated by adopting grey MOORA method. Finally, the findings of the proposed model shed the light on “Provide new buses” as the most desired alternative for developing the service quality of public bus transport in Budapest.

Conclusion

The proposed model provides reliable and robust results for improving public transport service quality. The local government representatives in Budapest may use the obtained results in their future strategic plans for developing public bus transport system.
Deep learning detection of informative features in tau PET for Alzheimer’s disease classification
Authors:   for the Alzheimer’s Neuroimaging Initiative, Jo Taeho , Nho Kwangsik , Risacher Shannon L. , Saykin Andrew J.
Published: December 2020

Background

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia, typically characterized by memory loss followed by progressive cognitive decline and functional impairment. Many clinical trials of potential therapies for AD have failed, and there is currently no approved disease-modifying treatment. Biomarkers for early detection and mechanistic understanding of disease course are critical for drug development and clinical trials. Amyloid has been the focus of most biomarker research. Here, we developed a deep learning-based framework to identify informative features for AD classification using tau positron emission tomography (PET) scans.

Results

The 3D convolutional neural network (CNN)-based classification model of AD from cognitively normal (CN) yielded an average accuracy of 90.8% based on five-fold cross-validation. The LRP model identified the brain regions in tau PET images that contributed most to the AD classification from CN. The top identified regions included the hippocampus, parahippocampus, thalamus, and fusiform. The layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP) results were consistent with those from the voxel-wise analysis in SPM12, showing significant focal AD associated regional tau deposition in the bilateral temporal lobes including the entorhinal cortex. The AD probability scores calculated by the classifier were correlated with brain tau deposition in the medial temporal lobe in MCI participants (r = 0.43 for early MCI and r = 0.49 for late MCI).

Conclusion

A deep learning framework combining 3D CNN and LRP algorithms can be used with tau PET images to identify informative features for AD classification and may have application for early detection during prodromal stages of AD.
Auto3DCryoMap: an automated particle alignment approach for 3D cryo-EM density map reconstruction
Authors: Al-Azzawi Adil , Ouadou Anes , Duan Ye , Cheng Jianlin
Published: December 2020

Background

Cryo-EM data generated by electron tomography (ET) contains images for individual protein particles in different orientations and tilted angles. Individual cryo-EM particles can be aligned to reconstruct a 3D density map of a protein structure. However, low contrast and high noise in particle images make it challenging to build 3D density maps at intermediate to high resolution (1–3 Å). To overcome this problem, we propose a fully automated cryo-EM 3D density map reconstruction approach based on deep learning particle picking.

Results

A perfect 2D particle mask is fully automatically generated for every single particle. Then, it uses a computer vision image alignment algorithm (image registration) to fully automatically align the particle masks. It calculates the difference of the particle image orientation angles to align the original particle image. Finally, it reconstructs a localized 3D density map between every two single-particle images that have the largest number of corresponding features. The localized 3D density maps are then averaged to reconstruct a final 3D density map. The constructed 3D density map results illustrate the potential to determine the structures of the molecules using a few samples of good particles. Also, using the localized particle samples (with no background) to generate the localized 3D density maps can improve the process of the resolution evaluation in experimental maps of cryo-EM. Tested on two widely used datasets, Auto3DCryoMap is able to reconstruct good 3D density maps using only a few thousand protein particle images, which is much smaller than hundreds of thousands of particles required by the existing methods.

Conclusions

We design a fully automated approach for cryo-EM 3D density maps reconstruction (Auto3DCryoMap). Instead of increasing the signal-to-noise ratio by using 2D class averaging, our approach uses 2D particle masks to produce locally aligned particle images. Auto3DCryoMap is able to accurately align structural particle shapes. Also, it is able to construct a decent 3D density map from only a few thousand aligned particle images while the existing tools require hundreds of thousands of particle images. Finally, by using the pre-processed particle images,
Auto3DCryoMap reconstructs a better 3D density map than using the original particle images.
Immunological biomarkers of the vitreous responsible for proliferative alteration in the different forms of retinal detachment
Authors: Balogh Anikó , Milibák Tibor , Szabó Viktória , Nagy Zoltán Zsolt , Kaarniranta Kai , Resch Miklós D.
Published: December 2020

Background

The purpose of the study was to explore the immunological components that are responsible for the proliferative alterations in the different forms of retinal detachment (RD).

Methods

Vitreous fluids were collected during 23G pars plana vitrectomy from 54 eyes of 54 patients with different RD types, such as rhegmatogenous RD (RRD) without proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) (n = 30), PVR (n = 16) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) with tractional RD (n = 8). Vitreous fluids were obtained from 19 eyes with epiretinal membrane (ERM), which were used as control samples. A multiplex chemiluminescent immunoassay was performed to evaluate the concentrations of 48 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors.

Results

The expression levels of eotaxin, IFN-gamma, IL-6, IL-8, IL-16, MCP-1, MIF and MIP-1 beta were significantly higher in all RD groups than in the ERM group. The levels of CTACK, IP-10, SCGF-beta, and SDF-1 alpha were significantly higher in patients with diabetic tractional RD and PVR than in other patients. The upregulation of VEGF and IL-18 was detected in PDR.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that complex and significant immunological mechanisms are associated with the pathogenesis of different forms of RD: selected cytokines, chemokines and growth factors are upregulated in the vitreous of eyes with RD. The detected proteins are present in different concentrations both in RRD and PVR. In the presence of PVR and PDR, the majority of cytokines are upregulated; thus, they may serve as biomarkers to estimate the progression or severity level of proliferation and later to develop personalized therapeutic strategies to slow down or prevent pathological changes.
Characterization of genome-wide association study data reveals spatiotemporal heterogeneity of mental disorders
Authors: Dai Yulin , O’Brien Timothy D. , Pei Guangsheng , Zhao Zhongming , Jia Peilin
Published: December 2020

Background

Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BIP), major depressive disorder (MDD), attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often related to brain development. Both shared and unique biological and neurodevelopmental processes have been reported to be involved in these disorders.

Methods

In this work, we developed an integrative analysis framework to seek for the sensitive spatiotemporal point during brain development underlying each disorder. Specifically, we first identified spatiotemporal gene co-expression modules for four brain regions three developmental stages (prenatal, birth to 11 years old, and older than 13 years), totaling 12 spatiotemporal sites. By integrating GWAS summary statistics and the spatiotemporal co-expression modules, we characterized the risk genes and their co-expression partners for five disorders.

Results

We found that SCZ and BIP, ASD and ADHD tend to cluster with each other and keep a distance from other psychiatric disorders. At the gene level, we identified several genes that were shared among the most significant modules, such asCTNNB1andLNX1, and a hub gene,ATF2,in multiple modules. Moreover, we pinpointed two spatiotemporal points in the prenatal stage with active expression activities and highlighted one postnatal point for BIP. Further functional analysis of the disorder-related module highlighted the apoptotic signaling pathway for ASD and the immune-related and cell-cell adhesion function for SCZ, respectively.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated the dynamic changes of disorder-related genes at the network level, shedding light on the spatiotemporal regulation during brain development.
The International Conference on Intelligent Biology and Medicine (ICIBM) 2020: Data-driven analytics in biomedical genomics
Authors: Shi Xinghua , Zhao Zhongming , Wang Kai , Shen Li
Published: December 2020

This editorial summarizes eight research articles included in this supplement issue for the 2020 International Conference on Intelligent Biology and Medicine (ICIBM 2020) conference, that was held on August 9-10, 2020 (virtual conference), with a topic on data-driven analytics in biomedical genomics. These articles cover a wide range of topics in medical genomics that focus on integrative analysis of genomics data together with other types of data toward understanding complex human diseases, including cancer. With the growing importance of data analytics in biomedical science, we expect this collection of research articles provides scientific discussions in this direction.
Non-pharmacological labor pain management and associated factor among skilled birth attendants in Amhara Regional State health institutions, Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Getu Almaz Aklilu , Getie Simegnew Asmer , Gela Getahun Belay , Maseresha Eleni Admassu , Feleke Birhanu Elifu , Muna Alemtsehay Mekonen
Published: December 2020

Background

Healthcare providers have a responsibility to provide pain management support to women during labor. Labor pain management in low and middle income countries primarily relies on non-pharmacological methods, as there is little access to pharmacologic pain management. This study aimed to determine the utilization of non-pharmacological labor pain management (NPLPM) and associated factors among skilled birth attendants (SBAs) in Amhara Regional State health institutions, Ethiopia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 592 SBAs working in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia. A multistage sampling was used to collect data using a pretested interview-administered questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was done to characterize the study population. Logistic regression was used to model predictors of NPLPM utilization among SBAs, including age, qualifications, type of medical institution, knowledge, attitudes, and the presence of a protocol.

Result

Nearly forty seven percent 277(46.8%) of SBAs in the study cohort utilized NPLPM. SBAs who had adequate knowledge of NPLPM had 2.8 times increased odds of using NPLPM than SBAs who had inadequate knowledge. (95%CI 1.89–4.014). SBAs who had a positive attitude had 4.12 times increased odds of using NPLPM than SBAs with a negative attitude (95%CI 2.36, 7.2). SBAs who had labor a pain management protocol in their facility had 3.98 times increased odds of using NPLPM than those who didn’t have a labor pain management protocol (95%CI 1.83, 8.62).

Conclusions

The analysis pointed to a gap in the utilization of NPLPM in the Amhara Region facilities studied. Less than half of SBAs used NPLPM when caring for laboring women. Professional factors related to use of NPLPM included the age of SBAs, their attitudes, level of education, and knowledge concerning pain management. NPLPM was also significantly associated with the availability of labor pain management protocols.
Analysis and validation of a highly sensitive one-step nested quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for specific detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Authors: Zhang Yang , Dai Chunyang , Wang Huiyan , Gao Yong , Li Tuantuan , Fang Yan , Shen Zuojun , Chen Lichang , Chen Zhaowu , Ma Xuejun , Li Ming
Published: December 2020

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is posing a serious threat to global public health. Reverse transcriptase real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is widely used as the gold standard for clinical detection of SARS-CoV-2. Due to technical limitations, the reported positive rates of qRT-PCR assay of throat swab samples vary from 30 to 60%. Therefore, the evaluation of alternative strategies to overcome the limitations of qRT-PCR is required. A previous study reported that one-step nested (OSN)-qRT-PCR revealed better suitability for detecting SARS-CoV-2. However, information on the analytical performance of OSN-qRT-PCR is insufficient.

Method

In this study, we aimed to analyze OSN-qRT-PCR by comparing it with droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and qRT-PCR by using a dilution series of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviral RNA and a quality assessment panel. The clinical performance of OSN-qRT-PCR was also validated and compared with ddPCR and qRT-PCR using specimens from COVID-19 patients.

Result

The limit of detection (copies/ml) of qRT-PCR, ddPCR, and OSN-qRT-PCR were 520.1 (95% CI: 363.23–1145.69) for ORF1ab and 528.1 (95% CI: 347.7–1248.7) for N, 401.8 (95% CI: 284.8–938.3) for ORF1ab and 336.8 (95% CI: 244.6–792.5) for N, and 194.74 (95% CI: 139.7–430.9) for ORF1ab and 189.1 (95% CI: 130.9–433.9) for N, respectively. Of the 34 clinical samples from COVID-19 patients, the positive rates of OSN-qRT-PCR, ddPCR, and qRT-PCR were 82.35% (28/34), 67.65% (23/34), and 58.82% (20/34), respectively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the highly sensitive and specific OSN-qRT-PCR assay is superior to ddPCR and qRT-PCR assays, showing great potential as a technique for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with low viral loads.
Bayesian stochastic multi-scale analysis via energy considerations
Authors: Sarfaraz Muhammad S. , Rosić Bojana V. , Matthies Hermann G. , Ibrahimbegović Adnan
Published: December 2020

Multi-scale processes governed on each scale by separate principles for evolution or equilibrium are coupled by matching the stored energy and dissipation in line with the Hill-Mandel principle. We are interested in cementitious materials, and consider here the macro- and meso-scale behaviour of such a material. The accurate representations of stored energy and dissipation are essential for the depiction of irreversible material behaviour, and here a Bayesian approach is used to match these quantities on different scales. This is a probabilistic upscaling and as such allows to capture, among other things, the loss of resolution due to scale coarsening, possible model errors, localisation effects, and the geometric and material randomness of the meso-scale constituents in the upscaling. On the coarser (macro) scale, optimal material parameters are estimated probabilistically for certain possible behaviours from the class of generalised standard material models by employing a nonlinear approximation of Bayes’s rule. To reduce the overall computational cost, a model reduction of the meso-scale simulation is achieved by combining unsupervised learning techniques based on a Bayesian copula variational inference with functional approximation forms.