bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Activity of temocillin against ESBL-, AmpC-, and/or KPC-producing Enterobacterales isolated in Poland
Authors: Kuch Alicja , Zieniuk Bartłomiej , Żabicka Dorota , Van de Velde Sebastien , Literacka Elżbieta , Skoczyńska Anna , Hryniewicz Waleria 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWe evaluated the in vitro effectiveness of temocillin and several commonly used antimicrobials against Enterobacterales bacteria in isolates from Polish patients. We tested 400 isolates: 260 extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)- and/or ampC β-lactamase (AmpC)-producing isolates; 40 Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing isolates; and 100 ESBL-, AmpC-, and KPC-negative isolates. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of temocillin and 16 other antimicrobials were determined by reference microdilution. We also determined the activities of fosfomycin and ceftazidime/avibactam in KPC-producing isolates. The antibiotic sensitivities were interpreted according to EUCAST, BSAC, and CLSI criteria. Overall, 91% of the isolates were susceptible to temocillin using the urinary tract infection breakpoint (≤ 32 mg/L), and 61.8% were susceptible using the systemic infection breakpoint (≤ 8 mg/L). Meropenem and imipenem were the most active drugs (MIC50 values of 0.06 and 0.5 mg/L, respectively). Colistin and ertapenem (both MIC50 = 0.12 mg/L) were less active than meropenem or imipenem, but some strains were 77% susceptible to each of them. Among the KPC-producing isolates, 42.5% had MIC values of ≤ 32 mg/L (urinary tract infection breakpoint), but 100% were resistant to temocillin (systemic infection breakpoint). Ceftazidime/avibactam was active against 100% of the KPC-producing isolates, and fosfomycin was active against 40%. The empirical susceptibility rate observed among the urinary isolates suggests that temocillin may be considered as an alternative to carbapenems in the absence of KPC-producing bacteria. With regard to isolates from other sources, temocillin might be useful as a documented therapy agent or an empirical treatment in hospitals with a low prevalence of ESBL/AmpC-producing strains.
Performance and ease of use of a molecular point-of-care test for influenza A/B and RSV in patients presenting to primary care
Authors: Verbakel Jan Y , Matheeussen Veerle , Loens Katherine , Kuijstermans Mandy , Goossens Herman , Ieven Margareta , Butler Christopher C 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAnnual influenza epidemics cause substantial morbidity and mortality, and the majority of patients with influenza-like illness present to primary care. Point-of-care influenza tests could support treatment decisions. It is critical to establish analytic performance of these platforms in real-life patient samples before uptake can be considered. We aimed to assess the analytical performance and ease of use of the cobas® Liat® PCR POCT in detecting influenza A/B and RSV in samples collected from patients with influenza-like illness in primary care. Sensitivity and specificity of the cobas® Liat® POCT are calculated in comparison with a commercial laboratory-based PCR test (Fast-Track Respiratory Pathogens 21 Plus kit (Fast-Track Diagnostics)). Samples with discordant results were analysed additionally by the RespiFinder 2Smart (PathoFinder) using an Extended Gold Standard (EGS). Acceptability was scored on a five-point Likert scale as well as a failure mode analysis of the cobas® Liat® POCT was performed. Nasal and oropharyngeal swabs were obtained from 140 children and nasopharyngeal swabs from 604 adults (744 patients). The cobas® Liat® POCT had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% (95% CI 99–100%) and 98.1% (95%CI 96.3–99%) for influenza A, 100% (95% CI 97.7–100%) and 99.7% (95%CI 98.7–99.9%) for influenza B and 100% (95% CI 87.1–100%) and 99.4% (95%CI 98.6–99.8%) for RSV, respectively. According to trained lab technicians, the cobas® Liat® POCT was considered easy-to-use, with a fast turn-around-time. Cobas® Liat® POCT is a promising decentralised test platform for influenza A/B and RSV in primary care as it provides fairly rapid results with excellent analytic performance. Point-of-care influenza tests could support treatment decisions in primary care. Cobas® Liat® POCT is a promising decentralised test platform for influenza A/B and RSV in primary care as it provides fairly rapid results with excellent analytic performance.
A comparison of GenomEra® GBS PCR and GeneXpert ® GBS PCR assays with culture of GBS performed with and without broth pre-enrichment
Authors: Nielsen S. Y. , Møller J. K. , Khalil M. R. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis study was designed to compare the performance of GeneXpert® and GenomEra® group B streptococcus (GBS) PCR assays, held up against standard culture of GBS performed with and without broth pre-enrichment. In Denmark, the strategy for preventing early onset GBS infection (EOGBS) is risk factor based. Three hundred and sixty six women fulfilling one or more of the criteria for presence of risk factors for EOGBS were prospectively included. Rectovaginal swab samples were taken intrapartum and tested bed-site by the GenomEra® and the GeneXpert® GBS PCR assays and cultured at the microbiology laboratory using Granada agar plates with and without prior growth of sampling material in selective enrichment broth. Among 366 participants tested intrapartum, 99 were GBS-positive by culture, 95 by GenomEra, and 95 by GeneXpert. Compared with culture, the GenomEra and the GeneXpert performed with a sensitivity of 91.8% and 91.7% and a specificity of 98.1% and 97.3%, respectively. A combined reference standard was established by defining true positives as either culture-positive samples or culture-negative samples where both the GeneXpert and the GenomEra GBS PCR assays were positive. Using this, the sensitivity increased to 92.2% and the specificity to 99.6% for GenomEra and to 92.0% and 96.8% for GeneXpert. The use of selective broth enrichment found only three additional GBS culture-positive samples. The performance of the two PCR methods examined was very similar and close to the findings by culture, and both PCR assays are thus applicable as rapid intrapartum bed-site tests.
Diagnostic parameters of modified two-tier testing in European patients with early Lyme disease
Authors: Baarsma ME , Schellekens JFP , Meijer BC , Brandenburg AH , Souilljee T. , Hofhuis A , Hovius JW , van Dam AP 
Published: July 2020

AbstractModified two-tier testing (MTTT) for Lyme borreliosis (i.e. confirmation with an EIA instead of an immunoblot) has been shown to have improved sensitivity compared with standard two-tier testing (STTT) in samples from American patients, without losing specificity. The current study assesses the sensitivity and specificity of various algorithms of MTTT in European patients with erythema migrans (EM) as a model disease for early Lyme borreliosis, and in appropriate controls. Four different immunoassays were used in the first tier, followed by either an immunoblot or the C6-EIA, or were used as standalone single-tier test. These tests were performed on consecutively collected sera of 228 Dutch patients with physician-diagnosed EM in the setting of general practice, 231 controls from the general population, and 50 controls with potentially cross-reactive antibodies. All the variants of MTTT that were studied had significantly higher sensitivity compared with their equivalent STTT, while retaining comparable specificity. Within the MTTT algorithms, classifying equivocal results as positive yielded better diagnostic parameters than classifying equivocal results as negative. The best diagnostic parameters were found using the Enzygnost-2 assay in the first tier, followed by a C6-ELISA in the second tier (sensitivity 77.6%, 95% CI 71.7–82.9; specificity 96.1%, 95% CI 92.7–98.2). This algorithm performed significantly better than the equivalent STTT algorithm in terms of sensitivity (p < 0.001), while maintaining comparable specificity (population controlsp = 0.617). Our results show that MTTT can be a useful tool for the serodiagnosis of European patients with early Lyme borreliosis.
Long-term cognitive outcome in adult survivors of an early childhood posterior fossa brain tumour
Authors: Wagner Adam P. , Carroll Cliodhna , White Simon R. , Watson Peter , Spoudeas Helen A. , Hawkins Michael M. , Walker David A. , Clare Isabel C. H. , Holland Anthony J. , Ring Howard 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Posterior fossa brain tumours (PFT) and their treatment in young children are often associated with subsequent cognitive impairment. However, reported follow-up periods rarely exceed 10 years. This study reports very long-term cognitive consequences of surviving an early childhood PFT.

Methods
62 adult survivors of a PFT, ascertained from a national register, diagnosed before 5 years of age, and a sibling control, received a single IQ assessment an average of 32 years (range 18–53) after initial diagnosis, using the Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Regression models were fitted to survivor–sibling pair differences on verbal and performance IQ (VIQ and PIQ) scores to investigate whether increasing time between PFT diagnosis and follow-up IQ assessment contributed to survivor–sibling IQ differences.

Results
At follow-up, survivors had, on average, VIQ 15 points and PIQ 19 points lower than their siblings. There was no significant effect of time since diagnosis on survivor–sibling VIQ difference. Survivors who received radiotherapy showed no significant effect of time since diagnosis on survivor–sibling PIQ difference. Survivors who did not receive radiotherapy demonstrated a trend for it to reduce.

Conclusions
VIQ and PIQ deficits persist in adulthood, suggesting the effect of a fixed injury imposing on cognitive development, rather than an ongoing pathological process.

Implications for cancer survivors
The findings will help parents and others supporting survivors of an early life PFT to identify and plan for possible cognitive outcomes, and highlight the importance of early interventions to optimize cognitive function during the developmental period.
The Structural Integrity of Composite Materials and Long-Life Implementation of Composite Structures
Authors: Beaumont Peter W. R. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractEmpirical or semi-empirical design methodologies at the macroscopic scale (structural level) can be supported and justified only by a fundamental understanding at the lower (microscopic) size scale through the physical model. Today structural integrity (SI) is thought as the optimisation of microstructure by controlling processing coupled with intelligent manufacturing of the material: to maximise mechanical performance and ensure reliability of the large scale structure; and to avoid calamity and misfortune. SI analysis provides quantitative input to the formulation of an appropriately balanced response to the problem. This article demonstrates that at the heart of the matter are those mechanisms of crack nucleation and growth that affect the structural integrity of the material: microscopic cracking events that are usually too small to observe and viewed only by microscopy.
Induction: A Logical Analysis
Authors: Saint-Mont Uwe 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe aim of this contribution is to provide a rather general answer to Hume’s problem. To this end, induction is treated within a straightforward formal paradigm, i.e., several connected levels of abstraction. Within this setting, many concrete models are discussed. On the one hand, models from mathematics, statistics and information science demonstrate how induction might succeed. On the other hand, standard examples from philosophy highlight fundamental difficulties. Thus it transpires that the difference between unbounded and bounded inductive steps is crucial: while unbounded leaps of faith are never justified, there may well be reasonable bounded inductive steps. In this endeavour, the twin concepts of information and probability prove to be indispensable, pinning down the crucial arguments, and, at times, reducing them to calculations. Essentially, a precise study of boundedness settles Goodman’s challenge. Hume’s more profound claim of seemingly inevitable circularity is answered by obviously non-circular hierarchical structures.
Distinct topographic-anatomical patterns in primary and secondary brain tumors and their therapeutic potential
Authors: Akeret Kevin , Staartjes Victor E. , Vasella Flavio , Serra Carlo , Fierstra Jorn , Neidert Marian Christoph , Regli Luca , Krayenbühl Niklaus 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Understanding the topographic-anatomical patterns of brain tumors has the potential to improve our pathophysiological understanding and may allow for anatomical tailoring of surgery and radiotherapy. This study analyzed topographic-anatomical patterns underlying neuroepithelial tumors, primary CNS lymphoma and metastases.

Methods
Any histologically confirmed supra- or infratentorial parenchymal neoplasia of one institution over a 4-year period was included. Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging data, a detailed analysis of the topographic-anatomical tumor features was performed. Differences between neuroepithelial tumors, primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and metastases were assessed using pairwise comparisons adjusted for multiple testing, upon significance of the omnibus test.

Results
Based on image analysis of 648 patients—419 (65%) neuroepithelial tumors, 28 (5%) PCNSL and 201 (31%) metastases—entity-specific topographic-anatomical patterns were identified. Neuroepithelial tumors showed a radial ventriculo-cortical orientation, inconsistent with the current belief of a growth along white matter tracts, whereas the pattern in PCNSL corresponded to a growth along such. Metastases preferentially affected the cortex and subcortical white matter of large arteries’ terminal supply areas. This study provides a comprehensive anatomical description of the topography of NT, PCNSL and metastases intended to serve as a topographic reference for clinicians and neuroscientists.

Conclusions
The identified distinct anatomical patterns provide evidence for a specific interaction between tumor and anatomical structures, following a pathoclitic concept. Understanding differences in their anatomical behavior has the potential to improve our pathophysiological understanding and to tailor therapy of brain tumors.
Taxing the People, Not Trade: the International Monetary Fund and the Structure of Taxation in Developing Countries
Authors: Reinsberg Bernhard , Stubbs Thomas , Kentikelenis Alexander 
Published: July 2020

AbstractStrengthening fiscal capacity in low- and middle-income countries is essential for achieving sustainable development. The International Monetary Fund—the world’s premier agent of fiscal policy reform—has taken a front-stage role in this process, promoting a model of tax policy that favors broad-based consumption taxes and discourages trade taxes. This article investigates the links between IMF-mandated tax reforms and the evolution of tax revenues. Using novel measures of tax-related conditionality and disaggregated data on revenues, our analysis shows that IMF interventions are significantly related to changes in tax structure. In particular, IMF programs increase revenues derived from goods and services taxes, but decrease revenues collected from trade taxes. Results for personal and corporate income taxes are inconclusive. These findings have important implications for debates on the role of the IMF in developing countries.
Abnormal Cerebellar Volume in Patients with Remitted Major Depression with Persistent Cognitive Deficits
Authors: Depping Malte S. , Schmitgen Mike M. , Bach Claudia , Listunova Lena , Kienzle Johanna , Kubera Katharina M. , Roesch-Ely Daniela , Wolf R. Christian 
Published: July 2020

AbstractCerebellar involvement in major depressive disorder (MDD) has been demonstrated by a growing number of studies, but it is unknown whether cognitive functioning in depressed individuals is related to cerebellar gray matter volume (GMV) abnormalities. Impaired attention and executive dysfunction are characteristic cognitive deficits in MDD, and critically, they often persist despite remission of mood symptoms. In this study, we investigated cerebellar GMV in patients with remitted MDD (rMDD) that showed persistent cognitive impairment. We applied cerebellum-optimized voxel-based morphometry in 37 patients with rMDD and with cognitive deficits, in 12 patients with rMDD and without cognitive deficits, and in 36 healthy controls (HC). Compared with HC, rMDD patients with cognitive deficits had lower GMV in left area VIIA, crus II, and in vermal area VIIB. In patients with rMDD, regression analyses demonstrated significant associations between GMV reductions in both regions and impaired attention and executive dysfunction. Compared with HC, patients without cognitive deficits showed increased GMV in bilateral area VIIIB. This study supports cerebellar contributions to the cognitive dimension of MDD. The data also point towards cerebellar area VII as a potential target for non-invasive brain stimulation to treat cognitive deficits related to MDD.
Public attitude towards cow-calf separation and other common practices of calf rearing in dairy farming—a review
Authors: Placzek M. , Christoph-Schulz I. , Barth K. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPublic demand for food produced in systems with high animal welfare standards is rising. In terms of animal welfare, the dairy industry has a positive reputation in European countries. However, there are many practices in the dairy industry of which the public is unaware, e.g.,zero-grazing, tethering, dehorning, disposal of male calves, and early cow-calf separation. We focused on the latter and reviewed studies addressing public opinions about dealing with calves in dairy farming. We show that most respondents in studies are unaware or reject these practices. During the last years, more and more attention was paid to cow-calf separation. This practice is mainly rejected because it is considered to be unnatural and associated with stress for the animals. However, there is a lack of scientific surveys that explore the public opinion about how much stress is tolerable in animals that have been allowed to live up to their needs for a period of time. On the other hand, the economic aspects of management practices enabling the animals to express their natural behavior to a greater extent than in the current husbandry systems should be investigated comprehensively. The amount of sales and the willingness to pay a higher price for milk and meat produced in such systems might be the key factors to a wider acceptance of such systems by dairy farmers, who will expect to be compensated for their increased efforts.
Carbonate reservoir characterization: an integrated approach
Authors: Kargarpour Mohammad Ali 
Published: July 2020

AbstractEstimation of fluid and rock properties of a hydrocarbon reservoir is always a challenging matter; especially, it is true for heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs. Petrophysical logs and laboratory activities are common methods for characterizing a hydrocarbon reservoir. This method in conjunction with geostatistical methods is applied to relatively homogeneous sandstone reservoirs or matrix media of dual-porosity heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs. To estimate properties of fracture system of a dual-media carbonate reservoir, outcrop properties, electrical borehole scans, fractal discrete fracture network and analogy with other reservoirs are common methods. Results which obtained from these methods describe the reservoir in a static way and could be relied on them for very small portion of the reservoir. In this paper, a dynamic procedure for describing reservoir features is proposed in order to enhance the conventional reservoir characterization methods. This method utilizes the reported production data for a specific period of time in conjunction with rock and fluid properties to estimate drainage radius of the well and matrix block height, porosity and width of fracture in the estimated drainage radius. The presented method is elaborated through its application in a real case. By this method, one can generate maps of matrix block size and fracture width and porosity throughout the reservoir. Also, it could be a powerful tool for estimation of effectiveness of acid/hydraulic fracturing activity.
Towards Explanatory Interactive Image Captioning Using Top-Down and Bottom-Up Features, Beam Search and Re-ranking
Authors: Biswas Rajarshi , Barz Michael , Sonntag Daniel 
Published: July 2020

AbstractImage captioning is a challenging multimodal task. Significant improvements could be obtained by deep learning. Yet, captions generated by humans are still considered better, which makes it an interesting application for interactive machine learning and explainable artificial intelligence methods. In this work, we aim at improving the performance and explainability of the state-of-the-art method Show, Attend and Tell by augmenting their attention mechanism using additional bottom-up features. We compute visual attention on the joint embedding space formed by the union of high-level features and the low-level features obtained from the object specific salient regions of the input image. We embed the content of bounding boxes from a pre-trained Mask R-CNN model. This delivers state-of-the-art performance, while it provides explanatory features. Further, we discuss how interactive model improvement can be realized through re-ranking caption candidates using beam search decoders and explanatory features. We show that interactive re-ranking of beam search candidates has the potential to outperform the state-of-the-art in image captioning.
Modelling the Inundation and Morphology of the Seasonally Flooded Mayas Wetlands in the Dinder National Park-Sudan
Authors: Hassaballah Khalid , Mohamed Yasir , Omer Amgad , Uhlenbrook Stefan 
Published: July 2020

AbstractUnderstanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of surface water in varied, remote and inaccessible isolated floodplain lakes is difficult. Seasonal inundation patterns of these isolated lakes can be misestimated in a hydrodynamic model due to the short time of connectivity. The seasonal and annual variability of the Dinder River flow has great impact on what is so called Mayas wetlands, and hence, on the habitats and the ecological status of the Dinder National Park. This variability produces large morphological changes due to sediment transported within the river or from the upper catchment, which affects inflows to Mayas wetlands and floodplain inundation in general. In this paper, we investigated the morphological dimension using a quasi-3D modelling approach to support the management of the valuable Mayas wetlands ecosystems, and in particular, assessment of hydrological and morphological regime of the Dinder River as well as the Musa Maya. Six scenarios were developed and tested. The first three scenarios consider three different hydrologic conditions of average, wet and dry years under the existing system with the constructed connection canal. While the other three scenarios consider the same hydrologic conditions but under the natural system without an artificial connection canal. The modelling helps to understand the effect of human intervention (connection canal) on the Musa Maya. The comparison between the simulated scenarios concludes that the hydrodynamics and sedimentology of the Maya are driven by the two main factors: a) the hydrological variability of Dinder River; and b) deposited sediment plugs in the connection canal.