bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hyperuricaemia, gout and allopurinol in the CKD Queensland registry
Authors: Jeyaruban A. , Hoy W. , Cameron A. , Healy H. , Wang Z. , Zhang J. , Mallett A.
Published: January 2021

Introduction

There is scant data on the role of hyperuricaemia, gout and allopurinol treatment in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, our aim is to investigate the possible associations between hyperuricaemia, gout, prescription of allopurinol and renal outcomes in patients with CKD.

Methods

The retrospective cohort study involved 1123 Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) patients, enrolled in the CKD.QLD registry from May 2011 to August 2017. Patients were divided into two uric acid categories, with uric acid ≤ 0.36 mmol/L and > 0.36 mmol/L. Association of delta estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with gout, allopurinol treatment and hyperuricaemia were analysed.

Results

Patients with an entry urate > 0.36 mmol/L were older, had higher body mass index (BMI) and worse baseline kidney function. Proportion of patients with gout, hyperuricaemia and allopurinol treatment increased with advanced CKD stages. Age-adjusted analysis revealed a significant association between serum urate level and delta eGFR, with no significant association between gout, treatment with allopurinol and delta eGFR. Furthermore, neither gout nor the prescription of allopurinol had a significant effect on the time to renal death (composite end point of kidney replacement therapy or death).

Conclusion

Hyperuricaemia seemed to be independently associated with faster CKD progression or renal death. This was not observed with gout or prescription of allopurinol. Furthermore, allopurinol was not associated with decreased incidence of cardiovascular events. These data suggest that hyperuricaemia is likely the effect and not the cause of CKD or CKD progression.

Graphic abstract
Dwell Time Algorithm Based on Bounded Constrained Least Squares Under Dynamic Performance Constraints of Machine Tool in Deterministic Optical Finishing
Authors: Zhang Yunfei , Fang Fengzhou , Huang Wen , Fan Wei
Published: January 2021

The dwell time algorithm is one of the most important techniques within the deterministic optical surfacing technologies. The existing dwell time algorithms are generally based on non-negative least squares (NNLS) without considering the dynamic performance constraints of machine tools. This is a circumstance that leads to poor convergence accuracy. In this paper, a dwell time algorithm, based on bounded constrained least-squares (BCLS) under dynamic performance constraints of the machine tool, has been developed. The upper and lower constraints of the dwell time model could be derived through the acceleration and deceleration mechanism of the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine tools. A two-metric projection Newton iteration algorithm was used to solve the large-scale dwell time model, which greatly improved the computation efficiency. The results of the experiments and simulations showed that the proposed algorithm will give a very high convergence accuracy for optical finishing with machine tools with different dynamic performances. When the machine acceleration was set to a value as low as 0.1 g, the accuracies of the surface figures PV (Peak-to-Valley) and RMS (Root Mean Square) till improved by 40.8% and 55.2%, respectively, when using the BCLS algorithm. The influences of different dynamic performances of the machine tools on the dwell time solutions have also been investigated, which will provide a good guidance in the design of deterministic polishing machine tools.
Modest Exercise-Induced Increases in Testosterone Concentration Are Not Associated with Mating Strategy Change in Healthy Young Men
Authors: Thomas Andrew G. , Kowal Marta , Sorokowski Piotr , Żelaźniewicz Agnieszka , Nowak Judyta , Orzechowski Sylwester , Crewther Blair T.
Published: January 2021

Research has demonstrated that increases in testosterone (T) concentration can affect the expression of behaviours and preferences that are typical of high mating effort. However, little research has considered whether such T increases affect mating strategy more generally and whether this is achievable using a physical intervention. In this pilot study, we examined whether exercise-induced changes in T covary with, or predict, changes in male mating strategy. Healthy young men (N = 94) completed a measure of short- and long-term relationship preference, before and after a series of short cycling sprints. Salivary T was measured pre- and post-exercise, along with salivary cortisol (C), which is known to moderate some behavioural effects of T. A significant group-level increase in T was observed, though this was smaller than anticipated (~ 10%, d = 0.27) with substantial intragroup variation. No group-level change in C or mating preferences emerged. Testosterone change did not significantly predict a change in short- or long-term mating preference from baseline, even with inclusion of C change as a moderator. The current findings suggest that modest exercise-induced increases in T concentration have little impact on male mating strategies. Pharmaceutical interventions, which produce larger and more consistent T increases, may be required to observe mating strategy change.
Automated Full-Pattern Summation of X-Ray Powder Diffraction Data for High-Throughput Quantification of Clay-Bearing Mixtures
Authors: M. Butler Benjamin , Hillier Stephen
Published: January 2021

X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) is found consistently to be the most accurate analytical technique for quantitative analysis of clay-bearing mixtures based on results from round-robin competitions such as the Reynolds Cup (RC). A range of computationally intensive approaches can be used to quantify phase concentrations from XRPD data, of which the ‘full-pattern summation of prior measured standards’ (FPS) has proven accurate and parsimonious. Despite its proven utility, the approach often requires time-consuming selection of appropriate pure reference patterns to use for a given sample. As such, applying FPS to large and mineralogically diverse datasets is challenging. In the present work, the accuracy of an automated FPS algorithm implemented within the powdR package for the R Language and Environment for Statistical Computing was tested on a set of 27 samples from nine RC contests. The samples represent challenging and diverse clay-bearing mixtures with known concentrations, with the added advantage of allowing the accuracy of the algorithm to be compared with results submitted to previous contests. When supplied with a library of 201 reference patterns representing a comprehensive range of phases that may be encountered in natural clay-bearing mixtures, the algorithm selected appropriate phases and achieved a mean absolute bias of 0.57% for non-clay minerals (n = 275), 2.37% for clay minerals (n = 120), and 4.43% for amorphous phases (n = 14). This accuracy would be sufficient for top-3 placings in all nine RC contests held to date (RC1 = 2nd, RC2 = 2nd, RC3 = 1st; RC4 = 2nd; RC5 = 1st; RC6 = 3rd; RC7 = 3rd; RC8 = 1st; RC9 = 2nd). The comparatively low values of absolute bias in combination with the competitive placings in all RC contests tested is particularly promising for the future of automated quantitative phase analyses by XRPD.
Kinase–Substrate Edge Biomarkers Provide a More Accurate Prognostic Prediction in ER-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Sun Yidi , Li Chen , Pang Shichao , Yao Qianlan , Chen Luonan , Li Yixue , Zeng Rong
Published: January 2021

The estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer subtype is aggressive with few treatment options available. To identify specific prognostic factors for ER-negative breast cancer, this study included 705,729 and 1034 breast invasive cancer patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases, respectively. To identify key differential kinase–substrate node and edge biomarkers between ER-negative and ER-positive breast cancer patients, we adopted a network-based method using correlation coefficients between molecular pairs in the kinase regulatory network. Integrated analysis of the clinical and molecular data revealed the significant prognostic power of kinase–substrate node and edge features for both subtypes of breast cancer. Two promising kinase–substrate edge features, CSNK1A1–NFATC3 and SRC–OCLN, were identified for more accurate prognostic prediction in ER-negative breast cancer patients.
Early Medieval Hagiography
Authors: Palmer James T.
Published: January 2021

Saints were powerful role models in the early Middle Ages, capable of defining communities. But what roles did saintly biographies play in shaping the medieval West? Can we understand society and its many post-Roman transformations through them? This short book takes readers from the creation of medieval hagiography, through the ways in which it circulated, to a wide-ranging assessment of different modern methodologies used to interrogate hagiographies, from early twentieth-century source criticism, to the insights gained from gender studies, postmodernism and digital humanities.
Alfred the Great
Authors: Anlezark Daniel
Published: January 2021

Alfred the Great is a rare historical figure from the early Middle Ages, in that he retains a popular image. This image increasingly suffers from the dead white male syndrome, exacerbated by Alfred's association with British imperialism and colonialism, so this book provides an accessible reassessment of the famous ruler of Wessex, informed by current scholarship, both on the king as a man in history, and the king as a subsequent legendary construct. Daniel Anlezark presents Alfred in his historical context, seen through Asser's Life, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, and other texts associated with the king. The book engages with current discussions about the authenticity of attributions to Alfred of works such as the Old English Boethius and Soliloquies, and explores how this ninth-century king of Wessex came to be considered the Great king of legend.
Strategic Affection?
Authors: Thoen Irma
Published: January 2021

Since the early days of humanity, gifts as varied as valued objects, hospitality, and works of art have been an essential means of establishing and maintaining social ties. Strategic Affection? studies the exchange of gifts in order to explore the nature of seventeenth-century Dutch social relations. Looking at such widely divergent figures as schoolmasters, artisans, poets, and nobles, Irma Thoen compares seventeenth-century Dutch gifts with contemporary gift exchanges to show that both strategy and affection are necessary elements of any social relations - and that what changes most is not the system but the discourse of exchange.
Jean Desmet and the Early Dutch Film Trade
Authors: Blom Ivo
Published: January 2021

The Netherlands Film Museum's Desmet Collection contains the estate of Dutch cinema owner and film distributor Jean Desmet (1875–1956): almost nine hundred European and American films of all genres, a collection of publicity material, and a massive business archive. These three sources form the basis of this book, the first comprehensive reconstruction of Desmet's career. From his nomadic beginnings as a traveling showman to his successful switch to permanent cinema operation and film distribution, Blom shows how Desmet's fortunes encapsulated a series of structural changes within the new culture of the cinema.
Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film
Authors: Heide William van der
Published: January 2021

This monograph departs from traditional studies of national cinema by accentuating the intercultural and intertextual links between Malaysian films and Asian (as well as European and American) film practices. Using cross-cultural analysis, the author characterizes Malaysia as a pluralist society consisting of a multiplicity of cultural identities. Malaysian film reflects this remarkable heterogeneity, particularly evident in the impact of the Indian and Hong Kong cinema.

Detailed analyses of a selection of Malaysian films highlight their cultural complexities, while noting the tension between cultural inclusivity and ethnic exclusivity at the heart of this cinema.
The European Union, Turkey and Islam
Authors: Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy The
Published: January 2021

Islam no hindrance to Turkey's EU membership.
Film Festivals
Authors: de Valck Marijke
Published: January 2021

The film festival has come a long way from its relatively humble origins in Venice in 1932 - when nine nations presented twenty-five feature films screened in an open-air cinema where men had to adhere to standards of formal evening attire. Hugely popular events that attract diverse lovers of cinema worldwide, today's most famous film festivals - Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Rotterdam - continue the story of a phenomenon that began in the midst of geopolitical disputes in war-torn Europe. Film Festivals shows how these festivals turned impediments into advantages and developed a successful global network that addresses issues as diverse as programming and prizes, national legitimation, city marketing, cinephilia, glamour, and audience. Discussing the festival as a media event and looking closer at various festival visitors, this volume also questions whether 'successful' is in fact the appropriate term for understanding developments that could be considered dogmatic in their insistence on framing filmmakers as auteurs and films as belonging to 'new waves.' An essential title for everyone interested in the culture
A Family Occupation
Authors: Taylor Jolanda Vanderwal
Published: January 2021

Many of today's Dutch writers were children during World War II. Even today, the traumatic childhood experience of enemy occupation is still central to the work of many of them. This interest cuts across the traditional boundaries between fiction, autobiography and the literature of trauma and recovery. A Family Occupation is the first English-language introduction to Dutch-language texts written by and about the 'Children of the War' and their cultural context. Their themes and literary conventions throw an interesting light on the Dutch approach to issues such as guilt and innocence, memory and narrative, national identity, child abuse and victimhood.
Less Pretension, More Ambition
Authors: Lieshout Peter van , Went Robert , Kremer Monique
Published: January 2021

On some levels, the accepted role of development aid has been supplanted by the increase of individual remittances and foreign direct investment, as well as by policies that focus on issues such as climate, migration, financial stability, knowledge, trade, and security in order to increase opportunities in struggling countries. This study considers such changes and examines the effectiveness of aid and its role in international power relations. The editors and contributors close the book by proposing new strategies for development aid in the era of globalization.
Northeast Migrants in Delhi
Authors: McDuie-Ra Duncan
Published: January 2021

The Northeast border region of India is a crossroads of Southeast Asia, where India meets China and the Himalayas, and home to many ethnic minorities from across the continent. The area is also the birthplace of a number of secessionist and insurgent movements and a hotbed of political fervor and violent instability. In this trailblazing new study, Duncan McDuie-Ra observes the everyday lives of the thousands of men and women who leave the region every year to work, study, and find refuge in Delhi. He examines how new migrants navigate the rampant racism, harassment, and even violence they face upon their arrival in Delhi. But McDuie-Ra does not paint them simply as victims of the city, but also as contributors to Delhi's vibrant community and increasing cosmopolitanism. India's embrace of globalization has created employment opportunities for Northeast migrants in many capitalistic enterprises: shopping malls, restaurants, and call centers. They have been able to create their own 'map' of Delhi and their own communities within the larger and often unfriendly one of the metropolis.
Two Centuries of Solidarity German Belgian and Dutch social health insurance 1770-2008
Authors: Companje K. P. , Hendriks R. H. M. , Veraghtert K. F. E. , Widdershoven B. E. M.
Published: January 2021

Today, health insurance is a key component in the system of social security in most European Union countries. In many of these countries, modern health-insurance funds and healthcare insurers play an essential role in implementing the public health-insurance system. Many of these health-insurance funds have a long and fascinating history, of which clear traces can be seen today in the organisation and structure of health insurance, as well as health-insurance funds and insurers. In Two centuries of solidarity, the authors compare the systems of health insurance, health-insurance funds and healthcare insurers in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Given the similar political, economic and social development that these countries have undergone in the past 60 years and the availability of a qualitatively high level of health care, one might expect a high degree of similarity between these countries' healthcare insurance systems. However, the dissimilarities are surprising. In fact, these differences are currently becoming ever more apparent between systems in general, and the structure and operation of the health insurance funds and health care insurers in particular. The differences include the compulsory nature of insurance, the extent of coverage, premiums, entrepreneurship, competition, and the degree of private insurance. Many of these national singularities can be understood and explained only by considering the historical background of the health insurance systems, the insurers, and their evolution over the past two centuries. This study adopts an institutional and political perspective towards a further understanding of the development of health insurance, and of how this ultimately determined the specific nature of the healthcare insurers and funds and the way they currently operate in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Wages: An Overlooked Dimension of Business and Human Rights in Global Supply Chains
Authors: LEBARON Genevieve
Published: January 2021

Wages – the monetary payments that workers receive from employers in exchange for their labour – are widely overlooked in academic and policy debates about human rights and business in global supply chains. They shouldn’t be. Just as living wages can insulate workers from human rights abuse and labour exploitation, wages that hover around or below the poverty line, compounded by illegal practices like wage theft and delayed payment, leave workers vulnerable to severe labour exploitation and human rights abuse. This article draws on data from a study of global tea and cocoa supply chains to explore the impact of wages on one of the most severe human rights abuses experienced in global supply chains, forced labour. Demonstrating that low-wage workers experience high vulnerability to forced labour in global supply chains, it argues that the role of wages in shaping or protecting workers from exploitation needs to be taken far more seriously by scholars and policymakers. When wages are ignored, so too is a crucial tool to protect human rights and heighten business accountability in global supply chains.
The relationship between vocal affect recognition and psychosocial functioning for people with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury: a systematic review
Authors: Zupan Barbra , Dunn Leah , Hackney Susanne , Shamshidinova Bahtiyorhon
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this review was to explore how vocal affect recognition deficits impact the psychosocial functioning of people with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted, whereby six databases were searched, with additional hand searching of key journals also completed. The search identified 1847 records after duplicates were removed, and 1749 were excluded through title and abstract screening. After full text screening of 65 peer-reviewed articles published between January 1999 and August 2019, only five met inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of selected studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) Version 2018 with a fair level of agreement reached. A narrative synthesis of the results was completed, exploring vocal affect recognition and psychosocial functioning of people with moderate to severe TBI, including aspects of social cognition (i.e., empathy; Theory of Mind) and social behaviour. Results of the review were limited by a paucity of research in this area, a lack of high-level evidence, and wide variation in the outcome measures used. More rigorous study designs are required to establish more conclusive evidence regarding the degree and direction of the association between vocal affect recognition and aspects of psychosocial functioning. This review is registered with Prospero.
Contacts with Police Officers and Changes in Police Legitimacy Perceptions Among Brazilian Adolescents Over Time
Authors: Komatsu André V. , Theodoro Renan , Chies-Santos Mariana , Alvarez Marcos C.
Published: January 2021

Growing research indicates that police legitimacy is a strong predictor of whether people behave respecting or violating rules. Perceptions of legitimacy are an output of socializing processes through which individuals develop their values and orientations toward authorities and the legal system. Legal socialization studies show that encounters with legal authorities are critical “teachable moments” in this process. The present study verifies whether direct or vicarious negative contacts with police officers affect changes in the perception of the legitimacy of police authority by adolescents over time. The adolescents were classified according to whether or not they had witnessed or experienced any negative contact or experience with the police during the period before the interview, composing two group trajectories at the first wave, four at the second wave, and eight at the third wave. Then the trajectories were compared in terms of the extent to which they agree with statements about police legitimacy, allowing the quantification of changes of opinion after negative contacts with the police. Results show that three main factors diminish the perception of police legitimacy: having negative contact with the police; having more than one negative contact; and having a recent negative contact. These findings have important implications for police patrolling and approach strategies.
An eight-year multicenter study on short-term peripheral intravenous catheter–related bloodstream infection rates in 100 intensive care units of 9 countries in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela. Findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC)
Authors: Rosenthal Victor Daniel , Chaparro Gustavo Jorge , Servolo-Medeiros Eduardo Alexandrino , Souza-Fram Dayana , Escudero Daniela Vieira da Silva , Gualtero-Trujillo Sandra Milena , Morfin-Otero Rayo , Gonzalez-Diaz Esteban , Rodriguez-Noriega Eduardo , Altuzar-Figueroa Miguel Angel , Aguirre-Avalos Guadalupe , Mijangos-Méndez Julio César , Corona-Jiménez Federico , Hernandez-Chena Blanca Estela , Abu-Jarad Mohamed Rajab , Diaz-Hernandez Evelia Maria , Miranda-Novales María Guadalupe , Vázquez-Rosales José Guillermo , Aguilar-De-Morós Daisy , Castaño-Guerra Elizabeth , Munoz-Gutierrez Gabriel , Mejia Nepomuceno , Acebo-Arcentales Jenia Johana , Di-Silvestre Gabriela
Published: January 2021

Background:

Data on short-term peripheral intravenous catheter–related bloodstream infections per 1,000 peripheral venous catheter days (PIVCR BSIs per 1,000 PVC days) rates from Latin America are not available, so they have not been thoroughly studied.

Methods:

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) members conducted a prospective, surveillance study on PIVCR BSIs from January 2010 to March 2018 in 100 intensive care units (ICUs) among 41 hospitals, in 26 cities of 9 countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican-Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Health Safety Network (NHSN) definitions were applied, and INICC methodology and INICC Surveillance Online System software were used.

Results:

In total, 10,120 ICU patients were followed for 40,078 bed days and 38,262 PVC days. In addition, 79 PIVCR BSIs were identified, with a rate of 2.06 per 1,000 PVC days (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.635–2.257). The average length of stay (ALOS) of patients without a PIVCR BSI was 3.95 days, and the ALOS was 5.29 days for patients with a PIVCR BSI. The crude extra ALOS was 1.34 days (RR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.0975–1.6351; P = .040).

The mortality rate in patients without PIVCR BSI was 3.67%, and this rate was 6.33% in patients with a PIVCR BSI. The crude extra mortality was 1.70 times higher. The microorganism profile showed 48.5% gram-positive bacteria (coagulase-negative Staphylococci 25.7%) and 48.5% gram-negative bacteria: Acinetobacter spp, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella spp (8.5% each one), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.7%), and Candida spp (2.8%). The resistances of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 0% to amikacin and 50% to meropenem. The resistance of Acinetobacter baumanii to amikacin was 0%, and the resistance of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus to oxacillin was 75%.

Conclusions:

Our PIVCR BSI rates were higher than rates from more economically developed countries and were similar to those of countries with limited resources.
Skin carotenoid status and plasma carotenoids: biomarkers of dietary carotenoids, fruits and vegetables for middle-aged and older Singaporean adults
Authors: Toh Darel Wee Kiat , Loh Wen Wei , Sutanto Clarinda Nataria , Yao Yuanhang , Kim Jung Eun
Published: January 2021

Skin carotenoid status (SCS) measured by resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) may serve as an emerging alternative measurement for dietary carotenoid, fruit and vegetable (FV) intake although its application had not been assessed in a middle-aged and older population in Asia. This cross-sectional study aims to concurrently examine the use of SCS and plasma carotenoids to measure FV and carotenoid intake in a middle-aged and older population, taking into consideration potential socio-demographic and nutritional confounders. The study recruited 103 middle-aged and older adults (mean age: 58 years) in Singapore. Dietary carotenoids and FV, plasma carotenoid concentration and SCS were measured using 3-d food records, HPLC and a biophotonic scanner which utilised RRS, respectively. Adjusted for statistically defined socio-demographic covariates sex, age, BMI, prescription medication and cigarette smoking, plasma carotenoids and SCS showed positive associations with dietary total carotenoids (βplasma: 0·020 (95 % CI 0·000, 0·040) µmol/l/mg, P = 0·05; βskin: 265 (95 % CI 23, 506) arbitrary units/mg, P = 0·03) and FV (βplasma: 0·076 (95 % CI 0·021, 0·132) µmol/l per FV serving, P = 0·008; βskin: 1036 (95 % CI 363, 1708) arbitrary units/FV serving, P = 0·003). The associations of SCS with dietary carotenoid and FV intake were null with the inclusion of dietary PUFA, fibre and vitamin C as nutritional covariates (P > 0·05). This suggests a potential influence of these nutritional factors on carotenoid circulation and deposition in the skin. In conclusion, SCS, similar to plasma carotenoids, may serve as a biomarker for both dietary carotenoid and FV intake in a middle-aged and older Singaporean population.
Dwyer–Kan homotopy theory for cyclic operads
Authors: Drummond-Cole Gabriel C. , Hackney Philip
Published: January 2021

We introduce a general definition for coloured cyclic operads over a symmetric monoidal ground category, which has several appealing features. The forgetful functor from coloured cyclic operads to coloured operads has both adjoints, each of which is relatively simple. Explicit formulae for these adjoints allow us to lift the Cisinski–Moerdijk model structure on the category of coloured operads enriched in simplicial sets to the category of coloured cyclic operads enriched in simplicial sets.
“A Ringer Was Used to Make the Killing”: Horse Painting and Racetrack Corruption in the Early Depression-Era War on Crime
Authors: MILLER VIVIEN
Published: January 2021

Peter Christian “Paddy” Barrie was a seasoned fraudster who transferred his horse doping and horse substitution skills from British to North American racetracks in the 1920s. His thoroughbred ringers were entered in elite races to guarantee winnings for syndicates and betting rings in the Prohibition-era United States. This case study of a professional travelling criminal and the challenges he posed for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in the early 1930s war on crime highlights both the importance of illegal betting to urban mobsters and the need for broader and more nuanced critiques of Depression-era organized-crime activities and alliances.
A Data Association Algorithm for SLAM Based on Central Difference Joint Compatibility Criterion and Clustering
Authors: Liu Dan
Published: January 2021

A data association algorithm for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) based on central difference joint compatibility (CDJC) criterion and clustering is proposed to obtain the data association results. Firstly, CDJC criterion is designed to calculate joint Mahalanobis distance. Secondly, ordering points to identify the clustering structure is used to divide all observed features into several groups. Thirdly, CDJC branch and bound method is designed to be performed in each group. The results based on simulation data and benchmark dataset show that the proposed algorithm has low computational complexity and provide accurate association results for SLAM of mobile robot.
Why does the spread of COVID-19 vary greatly in different countries? Revealing the efficacy of face masks in epidemic prevention
Authors: Wei Jincheng , Guo Shurui , Long Enshen , Zhang Li , Shu Bizhen , Guo Lei
Published: January 2021

The severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly contagious, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by it has forced many countries to adopt ‘lockdown’ measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic through social isolation of citizens. Some countries proposed universal mask wearing as a protection measure of public health to strengthen national prevention efforts and to limit the wider spread of the epidemic. In order to reveal the epidemic prevention efficacy of masks, this paper systematically evaluates the experimental studies of various masks and filter materials, summarises the general characteristics of the filtration efficiency of isolation masks with particle size, and reveals the actual efficacy of masks by combining the volume distribution characteristics of human exhaled droplets with different particle sizes and the SARS-CoV-2 virus load of nasopharynx and throat swabs from patients. The existing measured data show that the filtration efficiency of all kinds of masks for large particles and extra-large droplets is close to 100%. From the perspective of filtering the total number of pathogens discharged in the environment and protecting vulnerable individuals from breathing live viruses, the mask has a higher protective effect. If considering the weighted average filtration efficiency with different particle sizes, the filtration efficiencies of the N95 mask and the ordinary mask are 99.4% and 98.5%, respectively. The mask can avoid releasing active viruses to the environment from the source of infection, thus maximising the protection of vulnerable individuals by reducing the probability of inhaling a virus. Therefore, if the whole society strictly implements the policy of publicly wearing masks, the risk of large-scale spread of the epidemic can be greatly reduced. Compared with the overall cost of social isolation, limited personal freedoms and forced suspension of economic activities, the inconvenience for citizens caused by wearing masks is perfectly acceptable.
Effect of antioxidants on preimplantation embryo developmentin vitro: a review
Authors: Zarbakhsh Sam
Published: January 2021

In vitroculture of the embryo is a useful method to treat infertility that shows embryo potential for selecting the best one to transfer and successfully implantation. However, embryo developmentin vitrois affected by oxidative stresses such as reactive oxygen species that may damage embryo development. Antioxidants are molecules found in fruits, vegetables, and fish that play an important role in reducing oxidative processes. In the natural environment, there is a physiological antioxidant system that protects embryos against oxidative damage. This antioxidant system does not existin vitro. Antioxidants act as free radical scavengers and protect cells or repair damage done by free radicals. Various studies have shown that adding antioxidants into embryo culture medium improves embryo developmentin vitro. This review article emphasizes different aspects of various antioxidants, including types, functions and mechanisms, on the growth improvement of different species of embryosin vitro.
Using Social Media to Advance Community-Based Research
Authors: Glazier Rebecca A. , Topping Morgan Paige
Published: January 2021

Community-based research can improve validity and benefit its subjects, but building trust with communities and research subjects can be challenging. Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to build connections and share information. Yet, little research has been done on how social media can be used as a recruitment and communication tool for community-based research (CBR) projects. Our study used Facebook to advance the goals of a community-based social science research project in Little Rock, Arkansas. We compared participation and results distribution rates for this longitudinal research project in 2012, 2016, and 2018, and we found increases in 2018, the year we used social media. The results indicate that social media can aid CBR by helping to build trust, improve credibility, and facilitate communication.
Impact of Self-Efficacy and Affective Functioning on Pediatric Concussion Symptom Severity
Authors: Ramsey Kesley A. , Vaughan Christopher , Wagner Barry M. , McGuire Joseph F. , Gioia Gerard A.
Published: January 2021

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to examine whether self-efficacy predicted pediatric concussion symptom severity and explore whether affective mood states (e.g., depression) influenced this relationship.

Method:

Children (8–17 years) who were diagnosed with a concussion within 30 days of injury participated in the study (n= 105). Following a clinical assessment, participants and caregivers completed questionnaires that assessed overall concussion symptom severity and current depression symptoms. Participants also completed ratings capturing self-efficacy for managing concussion recovery.

Results:

Linear regression models revealed that greater levels of self-efficacy predicted lower parent- (R2= 0.10,p= .001) and youth-rated (R2= 0.23,p< .001) concussion symptom severity. Interestingly, depression symptoms moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and concussion symptom severity.

Conclusions:

Findings provide initial support for a relationship between self-efficacy and concussion outcomes and highlight the influence of depressive symptoms. Interventions that optimize youth’s self-efficacy have the potential to increase treatment adherence, reduce concussion symptom severity, and improve recovery prognosis.
Behaviors of Concern after Acquired Brain Injury: The Role of Negative Emotion Recognition and Anger Misattribution
Authors: Jorna Lieke S. , Westerhof-Evers Herma J. , Khosdelazad Sara , Rakers Sandra E. , van der Naalt Joukje , Groen Rob J.M. , Buunk Anne M. , Spikman Jacoba M.
Published: January 2021

Objective:

Behavioral changes are common after acquired brain injury (ABI) and may be caused by social cognition impairments. We investigated whether impaired emotion recognition, specifically Negative Emotion Recognition (NER) and Anger Misattribution (AM), after ABI was related to behavioral problems, so-called Behaviors of Concern (BoC).

Method:

The study included 139 participants with ABI and 129 healthy controls. BoC was measured using four scales of the Brock Adaptive Functioning Questionnaire (BAFQ): Impulsivity, Aggression, Social Monitoring, and Empathy. Both self-ratings and informant ratings of BoC were obtained. Emotion recognition was measured with the Ekman 60 Faces Test (FEEST). A NER score was composed of the summed scores on Anger, Disgust, Fear, and Sadness. An AM score was composed of the number of facial expressions wrongly recognized as Anger.

Results:

Total FEEST scores in ABI participants were significantly worse than in healthy controls. The effect size is moderate. Informants rated significantly more problems in Social Monitoring and Empathy than participants. Effect sizes were small. Scores on FEEST total, NER, and AM were significantly correlated to informant ratings of Social Monitoring. Correlations were weak to moderate.

Conclusions:

Worse NER and more profound AM were related to more informant-rated problems in social monitoring. In addition, informants rated more problems in social monitoring and empathy than participants. This strongly suggests problems in self-awareness in ABI participants. Consequently, social cognition tests and informant ratings should be used in clinical practice to improve the detection and treatment of BoC after ABI.
Overlapping and distinct neural networks supporting novel word learning in bilinguals and monolinguals
Authors: Bakker-Marshall Iske , Takashima Atsuko , Fernandez Carla B. , Janzen Gabriele , McQueen James M. , Van Hell Janet G.
Published: January 2021

This study investigated how bilingual experience alters neural mechanisms supporting novel word learning. We hypothesised that novel words elicit increased semantic activation in the larger bilingual lexicon, potentially stimulating stronger memory integration than in monolinguals. English monolinguals and Spanish–English bilinguals were trained on two sets of written Swahili–English word pairs, one set on each of two consecutive days, and performed a recognition task in the MRI-scanner. Lexical integration was measured through visual primed lexical decision. Surprisingly, no group difference emerged in explicit word memory, and priming occurred only in the monolingual group. This difference in lexical integration may indicate an increased need for slow neocortical interleaving of old and new information in the denser bilingual lexicon. The fMRI data were consistent with increased use of cognitive control networks in monolinguals and of articulatory motor processes in bilinguals, providing further evidence for experience-induced neural changes: monolinguals and bilinguals reached largely comparable behavioural performance levels in novel word learning, but did so by recruiting partially overlapping but non-identical neural systems to acquire novel words.
Interoception, Stress, and Physical Symptoms in Stress-Associated	Diseases
Authors: Schulz André , Schultchen Dana , Vögele Claus
Published: January 2021

Abstract. The brain and peripheral bodily organs continuously exchange information. Exemplary, interoception refers to the processing and perception of ascending information from the body to the brain. Stress responses involve a neurobehavioral cascade, which includes the activation of peripheral organs via neural and endocrine pathways and can thus be seen as an example for descending information on the brain-body axis. Hence, the interaction of interoception and stress represents bi-directional communication on the brain-body axis. The main hypothesis underlying this review is that the dysregulation of brain-body communication represents an important mechanism for the generation of physical symptoms in stress-related disorders. The aims of this review are, therefore, (1) to summarize current knowledge on acute stress effects on different stages of interoceptive signal processing, (2) to discuss possible patterns of abnormal brain-body communication (i.e., alterations in interoception and physiological stress axes activation) in mental disorders and chronic physical conditions, and (3) to consider possible approaches to modify interoception. Due to the regulatory feedback loops underlying brain-body communication, the modification of interoceptive processes (ascending signals) may, in turn, affect physiological stress axes activity (descending signals), and, ultimately, also physical symptoms.
Network Connects Indigenous Knowledges in the Arctic and U.S. Southwest
Authors: Duncombe Jenessa
Published: January 2021

Indigenous Peoples from the Arctic and the U.S. Southwest have joined together to tackle issues of food sovereignty in two environmental extremes. Their bond led to a swift response to COVID-19.
The association of polygenic risk for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression with neural connectivity in adolescents and young adults: examining developmental and sex differences
Authors: Meyers J. L. , Chorlian D. B. , Bigdeli T. B. , Johnson E. C. , Aliev F. , Agrawal A. , Almasy L. , Anokhin A. , Edenberg H. J. , Foroud T. , Goate A. , Kamarajan C. , Kinreich S. , Nurnberger J. , Pandey A. K. , Pandey G. , Plawecki M. H. , Salvatore J. E. , Zhang J. , Fanous A. , Porjesz B.
Published: January 2021

Neurodevelopmental abnormalities in neural connectivity have been long implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia (SCZ); however, it remains unclear whether these neural connectivity patterns are associated with genetic risk for SCZ in unaffected individuals (i.e., an absence of clinical features of SCZ or a family history of SCZ). We examine whether polygenic risk scores (PRS) for SCZ are associated with functional neural connectivity in adolescents and young adults without SCZ, whether this association is moderated by sex and age, and if similar associations are observed for genetically related neuropsychiatric PRS. One-thousand four-hundred twenty-six offspring from 913 families, unaffected with SCZ, were drawn from the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) prospective cohort (median age at first interview = 15.6 (12–26), 51.6% female, 98.1% European American, 41% with a family history of alcohol dependence). Participants were followed longitudinally with resting-state EEG connectivity (i.e., coherence) assessed every two years. Higher SCZ PRS were associated with elevated theta (3–7 Hz) and alpha (7–12 Hz) EEG coherence. Associations differed by sex and age; the most robust associations were observed between PRS and parietal-occipital, central-parietal, and frontal-parietal alpha coherence among males between ages 15–19 (B: 0.15–0.21, p < 10–4). Significant associations among EEG coherence and Bipolar and Depression PRS were observed, but differed from SCZ PRS in terms of sex, age, and topography. Findings reveal that polygenic risk for SCZ is robustly associated with increased functional neural connectivity among young adults without a SCZ diagnosis. Striking differences were observed between men and women throughout development, mapping onto key periods of risk for the onset of psychotic illness and underlining the critical importance of examining sex differences in associations with neuropsychiatric PRS across development.
Anxiolytic effects of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition in a model of chronic sleep deprivation
Authors: Smith Chad , Trageser Kyle J. , Wu Henry , Herman Francis J. , Iqbal Umar Haris , Sebastian-Valverde Maria , Frolinger Tal , Zeng Emma , Pasinetti Giulio Maria
Published: January 2021

Sleep deprivation is a form of stress that provokes both inflammatory responses and neuropsychiatric disorders. Because persistent inflammation is implicated as a physiological process in anxiety disorders, we investigated the contributions of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling to anxiety and anxiolytic properties of flavanol diets in a model of chronic sleep deprivation. The results show a flavanol-rich dietary preparation (FDP) exhibits anxiolytic properties by attenuating markers of neuroimmune activation, which included IL-1β upregulation, NLRP3 signaling, and microglia activation in the cortex and hippocampus of sleep-deprived mice. Production of IL-1β and NLRP3 were critical for both anxiety phenotypes and microglia activation. Individual FDP metabolites potently inhibited IL-1β production from microglia following stimulation with NLRP3-specific agonists, supporting anxiolytic properties of FDP observed in models of sleep deprivation involve inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome. The study further showed sleep deprivation alters the expression of the circadian gene Bmal1, which critically regulated NLRP3 expression and IL-1β production.
Investigation of MicroRNA and transcription factor mediated regulatory network for silicosis using systems biology approach
Authors: Choudhari J. K. , Verma M. K. , Choubey J. , Sahariah B. P.
Published: January 2021

Silicosis is a major health issue among workers exposed to crystalline silica. Genetic susceptibility has been implicated in silicosis. The present research demonstrates key regulatory targets and propagated network of gene/miRNA/transcription factor (TF) with interactions responsible for silicosis by integrating publicly available microarray data using a systems biology approach. Array quality is assessed with the Quality Metrics package of Bioconductor, limma package, and the network is constructed using Cytoscape. We observed and enlist 235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) having up-regulation expression (85 nos) and down-regulation expression (150 nos.) in silicosis; and 24 TFs for the regulation of these DEGs entangled with thousands of miRNAs. Functional enrichment analysis of the DEGs enlighten that, the maximum number of DEGs are responsible for biological process viz, Rab proteins signal transduction (11 nos.) and Cellular Senescence (20 nos.), whereas IL-17 signaling pathway (16 nos.) and Signalling by Nuclear Receptors (14 nos.) etc. are Biological Pathway involving more DEGs. From the identified 1100 high target microRNA (miRNA)s involved in silicosis, 1055 miRNAs are found to relate with down-regulated genes and 847 miRNAs with up-regulated genes. The CDK19 gene (Up-regulated) is associated with 617 miRNAs whereas down-regulated gene ARID5B is regulated by as high as 747 high target miRNAs. In Prediction of Small-molecule signatures, maximum scoring small-molecule combinations for the DEGs have shown that CGP-60774 (with 20 combinations), alvocidib (with 15 combinations) and with AZD-7762 (24 combinations) with few other drugs having the high probability of success.
ScreenSeed as a novel high throughput seed germination phenotyping method
Authors: Merieux Nicolas , Cordier Pierre , Wagner Marie-Hélène , Ducournau Sylvie , Aligon Sophie , Job Dominique , Grappin Philippe , Grappin Edwin
Published: January 2021

A high throughput phenotyping tool for seed germination, the ScreenSeed technology, was developed with the aim of screening genotype responsiveness and chemical drugs. This technology was presently used with Arabidopsis thaliana seeds to allow characterizing seed samples germination behavior by incubating seeds in 96-well microplates under defined conditions and detecting radicle protrusion through the seed coat by automated image analysis. This study shows that this technology provides a fast procedure allowing to handle thousands of seeds without compromising repeatability or accuracy of the germination measurements. Potential biases of the experimental protocol were assessed through statistical analyses of germination kinetics. Comparison of the ScreenSeed procedure with commonly used germination tests based upon visual scoring displayed very similar germination kinetics.