bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
TXU (Anti-CD7)-Pokeweed Antiviral Protein as a Potent Inhibitor of Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Authors: Uckun Fatih M. , Chelstrom Lisa M. , Tuel-Ahlgren Lisa , Dibirdik Ilker , Irvin James D. , Langlie Mridula-Chandan , Myers Dorothea E. 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT
We have evaluated the clinical potential of TXU (anti-CD7)-pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) immunoconjugate (TXU-PAP) as a new biotherapeutic anti-human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV) agent by evaluating its anti-HIV type 1 (anti-HIV-1) activity in vitro, as well as in a surrogate human peripheral blood lymphocyte-severe combined immunodeficient (Hu-PBL-SCID) mouse model of human AIDS. The present report documents in a side-by-side comparison the superior in vitro anti-HIV-1 activity of TXU-PAP compared to the activities of zidovudine, 2′,3′-didehydro-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine, unconjugated PAP, and B53-PAP, an anti-CD4-PAP immunoconjugate. Notably, TXU-PAP elicited potent anti-HIV activity in the Hu-PBL-SCID mouse model of human AIDS without any side effects and at doses that were very well tolerated by cynomolgus monkeys. Furthermore, plasma samples from TXU-PAP-treated cynomolgus monkeys showed potent anti-HIV-1 activity in vitro.
Postantibiotic and Sub-MIC Effects of Azithromycin and Isepamicin against
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Escherichia coli
Authors: Fuentes F. , Izquierdo J. , Martín M. M. , Gomez-Lus M. L. , Prieto J. 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT

Investigations of pharmacodynamic parameters (postantibiotic effect [PAE], sub-MIC effects [SMEs], etc.) have been progressively employed for the design of dosing schedules of antimicrobial agents. However, there are fewer in vivo than in vitro data, probably because of the simplicity of the in vitro procedures. In this study, we have investigated the in vitro PAE, SME, and previously treated (postantibiotic [PA]) SME (1/2 MIC, 1/4 MIC and 1/8 MIC) of azithromycin and isepamicin against standard strains of
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Escherichia coli
by using centrifugation to remove the antibiotics. In addition, the in vivo PAE and SME have been studied with the thigh infection model in neutropenic mice. Finally, in vivo killing curves with two dosing schedules were determined to examine whether the PAE can cover the time that antimicrobial agents are below the MIC. The two antimicrobial agents induced moderate-to-high in vitro PAEs, SMEs, and PA SMEs against
S. aureus
(>8 h) and
E. coli
(3.38 to >7.64 h). The in vivo PAEs were also high (from 3.0 to 3.6 h), despite the fact that isepamicin had lower times above the MIC in serum. Only azithromycin showed a high in vivo SME against the two strains (1.22 and 1.75 h), which indicated that the in vivo PAEs were possibly overestimated. In the killing kinetics, no great differences (<0.5 log
10
) were observed between the schedule that took the PAE into account and the continuous administration of doses. These results are comparable with those of other authors and suggest that these antimicrobial agents could be administered at longer intervals without losing effectiveness.
Effects of Probenecid and Cimetidine on Renal Disposition of Ofloxacin in Rats
Authors: Foote Edward F. , Halstenson Charles E. 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT
The renal handling of ofloxacin in rats which were given ofloxacin either alone or in combination with probenecid or cimetidine was studied. In the presence of cimetidine or probenecid, ofloxacin’s total and renal clearances were reduced and its half-life was prolonged. This suggests that ofloxacin is secreted by both the anionic and cationic transport systems.
Characterization of FOX-3, an AmpC-Type Plasmid-Mediated β-Lactamase from an Italian Isolate of
Klebsiella oxytoca
Authors: Marchese Anna , Arlet Guillaume , Schito Gian Carlo , Lagrange Philippe H. , Philippon Alain 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT

Klebsiella oxytoca
1731, which showed a wide spectrum of resistance to β-lactams, including cefoxitin, was isolated in 1994 from a patient in Genoa, Italy. This strain contained a plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamase with a pI of 7.25. Sequencing of the corresponding DNA of
K. oxytoca
1731 revealed 96 and 97% identities of the deduced amino acid sequence with FOX-1 and FOX-2, respectively.
Visual outcomes after surgery for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in era of microincision vitrectomy: Japan-Retinal Detachment Registry Report IV
Authors: Baba Takayuki , Kawasaki Ryo , Yamakiri Keita , Koto Takashi , Nishitsuka Koichi , Yamamoto Shuichi , Sakamoto Taiji 
Published: April 2020

Background/AimTo determine the preoperative ocular factors and surgical methods that led to best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) or scleral buckling (SB) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD).MethodsThis was a prospective, nationwide, multicentre, observational study. Data from the Japanese Retina and Vitreous Society registry from 2016 to 2017 were used to determine the association between preoperative clinical factors, surgical procedures and postoperative BCVA at 6 months. Japanese individuals >40 years of age were included. Eyes with proliferative vitreoretinopathy were included. The primary outcome was the percentage of eyes that achieved 20/25 vision.ResultsOf the 3219 registered cases, 2192 met the inclusion criteria (344 SB, 1738 PPV, 110 PPV+SB). Cases with preoperative BCVA (≤0 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) units) had good postoperative BCVA (OR=3.97, CI 2.87 to 5.51). Older age (>70 years), low intraocular pressure (<10 mm Hg), high myopia (<−5 dioptres), multiple retinal breaks (>4), giant retinal tear (>90°), wide retinal detachment (>3 quadrants) and macula-off detachment were associated with less probability of postoperative 20/25 vision (OR=0.39, 0.64, 0.62, 0.60, 0.12, 0.51 and 0.36, respectively). Postoperative BCVA was 0.03±0.23 and 0.10±0.32 logMAR units after SB and PPV, respectively. The percentage of cases that achieved 20/25 vision was not significantly different after PPV or SB if cases that had concurrent cataract surgery were excluded (p=0.251).ConclusionsBetter BCVA in patients with RRD who had undergone PPV was observed. However, if concurrent cataract surgery is not performed, BCVA will be comparable with either PPV or SB.
Design and validation of a patient-reported outcome measure scale in acute pancreatitis: the PAN-PROMISE study
Authors: de-Madaria Enrique , Sánchez-Marin Claudia , Carrillo Irene , Vege Santhi Swaroop , Chooklin Serge , Bilyak Andriy , Mejuto Rafael , Mauriz Violeta , Hegyi Peter , Márta Katalin , Kamal Ayesha , Lauret-Braña Eugenia , Barbu Sorin T , Nunes Vitor , Ruiz-Rebollo M Lourdes , García-Rayado Guillermo , Lozada-Hernandez Edgard E , Pereira Jorge , Negoi Ionut , Espina Silvia , Hollenbach Marcus , Litvin Andrey , Bolado-Concejo Federico , Vargas Rómulo D , Pascual-Moreno Isabel , Singh Vikesh K , Mira José J 
Published: April 2020

ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop and validate a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) in acute pancreatitis (AP) as an endpoint centred on the patient.DesignA PROM instrument (PAtieNt-rePoRted OutcoMe scale in acute pancreatItis, an international proSpEctive cohort study, PAN-PROMISE scale) was designed based on the opinion of patients, professionals and an expert panel. The scale was validated in an international multicentre prospective cohort study, describing the severity of AP and quality of life at 15 days after discharge as the main variables for validation. The COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments) methodology was applied. Both the design and validation stages considered the content and face validity of this new instrument; the metric properties of the different items, reliability (reproducibility and internal consistence), the construct, structural and criterion validity, responsiveness and interpretability of this scale.ResultsPAN-PROMISE consists of a seven-item scale based on the symptoms that cause the most discomfort and concern to patients with AP. The validation cohort involved 15 countries, 524 patients. The intensity of symptoms changed from higher values during the first 24 hours to lower values at discharge and 15 days thereafter. Items converged into a unidimensional ordinal scale with good fit indices. Internal consistency and split-half reliability at discharge were adequate. Reproducibility was confirmed using test–retest reliability and comparing the PAN-PROMISE score at discharge and 15 days after discharge. Evidence is also provided for the convergent-discriminant and empirical validity of the scale.ConclusionThe PAN-PROMISE scale is a useful tool to be used as an endpoint in clinical trials, and to quantify patient well-being during the hospital admission and follow-up.Trial registration numberNCT03650062
Comparing outcomes after peripheral nerve block versus general anesthesia for lower extremity amputation: a nationwide exploratory retrospective cohort study in Japan
Authors: Abe Hiroaki , Sumitani Masahiko , Matsui Hiroki , Aso Shotaro , Inoue Reo , Fushimi Kiyohide , Uchida Kanji , Yasunaga Hideo , Yamada Yoshitsugu 
Published: April 2020

Background and objectivesThe health benefits of peripheral nerve block (PNB) on postoperative complications after lower extremity amputation (LEA) compared with general anesthesia (GA) remains controversial. We performed a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort analysis to compare major outcomes after LEA with PNB versus GA.Materials and methodsWe used a nationwide inpatient database in Japan to compare patient outcomes after LEA with PNB versus GA from 2010 to 2016. Our primary outcome was 30-day mortality after LEA. The incidence of composite morbidity from life-threatening complications and of delirium within 30 days after LEA were secondary outcomes. We conducted propensity score-matched analyses of patients who underwent below knee or foot amputation using 36 covariates. Logistic regression analyses fitted with generalized estimating equations were performed to calculate ORs and their 95% CIs.ResultsOf 11 796 patients, 747 received PNB and 11 049 received GA. After one-to-four propensity score matching, 747 patients were included in the PNB group and 2988 in the GA group. The adjusted ORs for postoperative mortality, composite morbidity and delirium within 30 days after LEA were 1.11 (95% CI 0.75 to 1.64), 1.15 (95% CI 0.85 t o1.56) and 0.75 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.98), respectively, for the PNB group with reference to the GA group.ConclusionsThere was no significant difference between groups in 30-day mortality or composite morbidity. The PNB group showed a significantly lower risk of postoperative delirium than the GA group. Our findings suggest that PNB may have advantages over GA in preventing postoperative delirium among patients undergoing LEA.
Designing and implementing a practical prehospital emergency trauma care curriculum for lay first responders in Guatemala
Authors: Delaney Peter G , Figueroa Jose A , Eisner Zachary J , Hernandez Andrade Rudy Erik , Karmakar Monita , Scott John W , Raghavendran Krishnan 
Published: April 2020

BackgroundInjury disproportionately affects low-income and middle-income countries, yet robust emergency medical services are often lacking to effectively address the prehospital injury burden. A half-day prehospital emergency trauma care curriculum was designed for first responders and piloted in the Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, and Escuintla departments in Guatemala.MethodsThree hundred and fifty-four law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and civilians volunteered to participate in a 5-hour emergency care course teaching scene safety, triage, airway management, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, fracture management, and victim transport. A validated 26-question pretest/post-test study instrument was contextually adapted and used to measure overall test performance, the primary study outcome, as well as test performance stratified by occupation, the secondary study outcome. Pretest/post-test score distributions were compared using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. For test evaluation, knowledge acquisition on a by-question and by-category basis was examined using McNemar’s χ² test, whereas item difficulty indices used frequency-of-distribution tests and item discrimination indices used point biserial correlation.ResultsTwo hundred and eighty-seven participants qualified for inclusion. Participant mean pretest versus post-test scores improved 24 percentage points after course completion (43% vs 68%, p<0.001). Cronbach’s alpha yielded values of 0.86 (pretest) and 0.94 (post-test), suggesting testing instrument reliability. Between-group analyses demonstrated law enforcement and civilian participants improved more than firefighters (p<0.001). Performance on 23 of 26 questions improved significantly. All test questions except one showed an increase in their PPDI.DiscussionA 1-day, contextually adapted, 5-hour course targeting laypeople demonstrates significant improvements in emergency care knowledge. Future investigations of similar curricula should be trialed in alternate low-resource settings with increased civilian participation to evaluate efficacy and replicability as adequate substitutes for longer courses. This study suggests future courses teaching emergency care for lay first responders may be reduced to 5 hours duration.Level of evidenceLevel II.
Fake news propagates differently from real news even at early stages of spreading
Authors: Zhao Zilong , Zhao Jichang , Sano Yukie , Levy Orr , Takayasu Hideki , Takayasu Misako , Li Daqing , Wu Junjie , Havlin Shlomo 
Published: April 2020

AbstractSocial media can be a double-edged sword for society, either as a convenient channel exchanging ideas or as an unexpected conduit circulating fake news through a large population. While existing studies of fake news focus on theoretical modeling of propagation or identification methods based on machine learning, it is important to understand the realistic propagation mechanisms between theoretical models and black-box methods. Here we track large databases of fake news and real news in both, Weibo in China and Twitter in Japan from different cultures, which include their traces of re-postings. We find in both online social networks that fake news spreads distinctively from real news even at early stages of propagation, e.g. five hours after the first re-postings. Our finding demonstrates collective structural signals that help to understand the different propagation evolution of fake news and real news. Different from earlier studies, identifying the topological properties of the information propagation at early stages may offer novel features for early detection of fake news in social media.
Validate, simulate, and implement ARINC653 systems using the AADL
Authors: Delange Julien , Pautet Laurent , Plantec Alain , Kerboeuf Mickael , Singhoff Frank , Kordon Fabrice 
Published: April 2020

Safety-critical systems are widely used in different domains and lead to an increasing complexity. Such systems rely on specific services such space and time isolation as in the ARINC653 avionics standard. Their criticality requires a carefully driven design based on an appropriate development process and dedicated tools to detect and avoid problems as early as possible.
Model Driven Engineering (MDE) approaches are now considered as valuable approach for building safety-critical systems. The Architecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) proposes a component-based language suitable to operate MDE that fits with safety-critical systems needs.
This paper presents an approach for the modeling, verification and implementation of ARINC653 systems using AADL. It details a modeling approach exploiting the new features of AADL version 2 for the design of ARINC653 architectures. It also proposes modeling patterns to represent other safety mechanisms such as the use of Ravenscar for critical applications. This approach is fully backed by tools with Ocarina (AADL toolsuite), POK (AADL/ARINC653 runtime) and Cheddar (scheduling verification). Thus, it assists system engineers to simulate and validate non functional requirements such as scheduling or resources dimensioning.
Dynamic Synchronous/Asynchronous Replication
Authors: Natanzon Assaf , Bachmat Eitan 
Published: April 2020

Online, remote, data replication is critical for today’s enterprise IT organization. Availability of data is key to the success of the organization. A few hours of downtime can cost from thousands to millions of dollars With increasing frequency, companies are instituting disaster recovery plans to ensure appropriate data availability in the event of a catastrophic failure or disaster that destroys a site (e.g. flood, fire, or earthquake).
Synchronous and asynchronous replication technologies have been available for a long period of time. Synchronous replication has the advantage of no data loss, but due to latency, synchronous replication is limited by distance and bandwidth. Asynchronous replication on the other hand has no distance limitation, but leads to some data loss which is proportional to the data lag. We present a novel method, implemented within EMC Recover-Point, which allows the system to dynamically move between these replication options without any disruption to the I/O path. As latency grows, the system will move from synchronous replication to semi-synchronous replication and then to snapshot shipping. It returns to synchronous replication as more bandwidth is available and latency allows.
Market Clearing–based Dynamic Multi-agent Task Allocation
Authors: Nelke Sofia Amador , Okamoto Steven , Zivan Roie 
Published: April 2020

Realistic multi-agent team applications often feature dynamic environments with soft deadlines that penalize late execution of tasks. This puts a premium on quickly allocating tasks to agents. However, when such problems include temporal and spatial constraints that require tasks to be executed sequentially by agents, they are NP-hard, and thus are commonly solved using general and specifically designed incomplete heuristic algorithms.
We propose FMC_TA, a novel such incomplete task allocation algorithm that allows tasks to be easily sequenced to yield high-quality solutions. FMC_TA first finds allocations that are fair (envy-free), balancing the load and sharing important tasks among agents, and efficient (Pareto optimal) in a simplified version of the problem. It computes such allocations in polynomial or pseudo-polynomial time (centrally or distributedly, respectively) using a Fisher market with agents as buyers and tasks as goods. It then heuristically schedules the allocations, taking into account inter-agent constraints on shared tasks.
We empirically compare our algorithm to state-of-the-art incomplete methods, both centralized and distributed, on law enforcement problems inspired by real police logs. We present a novel formalization of the law enforcement problem, which we use to perform our empirical study. The results show a clear advantage for FMC_TA in total utility and in measures in which law enforcement authorities measure their own performance. Besides problems with realistic properties, the algorithms were compared on synthetic problems in which we increased the size of different elements of the problem to investigate the algorithm’s behavior when the problem scales. The domination of the proposed algorithm was found to be consistent.
Seed Incorporated
Authors: Nizamuddin Ali M. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
This study investigates corporate dominance of the world’s food supply. Multinational corporations have a monopoly control over seeds and the accompanying pesticides, which is leading to the disappearance of small farms and traditional methods of farming. Due to strict patent rights, local producers are forced to buy seeds that can only be used once, thereby fostering a feudalistic relationship of perpetual dependence. Advancements in DNA technology have enabled corporate scientists to splice one trait from one species and inject it in an altogether different organism. This process is referred to as genetic modification or transgenic engineering. The difference between enhanced traits from genetic modification (GM) as compared to conventional methods is that in the case of GM the genes are transferred without sexual crossing. They are injected in a targeted manner in a laboratory using sophisticated molecular technology. Transgenic seeds promise to increase output and are drought and pest resistant. But these seeds create monocultures in the food system as varieties of different types of crops are lost and age-old customs destroyed.
Psyche Matters: Resistance from the Chinese Sweatshop of the World
Authors: Lin Jake 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Why has the contemporary Chinese labor activism failed to engender transformative social and political change? One obvious answer is the authoritarian state’s neoliberal and technological fix and continuously ramped up efforts to stifle labor movements. This article, however, takes the focus back to workers themselves. Drawing from fieldwork studies, it examines workers and activists’ resistance, focusing on their everyday interpretation of the source of their problems, prospects for a labor movement, and their sense of solidarity. It argues that Chinese workers have not acquired sufficient cognitive strength to become the much-hoped-for agent of political change.
Underwater Monuments: Iossif Ventura and the Poetry of Commemoration
Authors: Despotopoulou Anna 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
The article looks at Iossif Ventura’s collected edition of “Tanaïs” and “Kyklonio” (two poems commemorating the death by drowning of almost the entire Jewish community of Crete in 1944, published in English in 2015), exploring the themes of memory, trauma, and guilt, while linking the poems’ haunting underwater imagery with current concerns about the deaths of refugees in the Mediterranean. Drawing connections between Ventura, Jason deCaires Taylor’s underwater statues, and Marie Jalowicz Simon’s book about survival in Nazi Germany, Gone to Ground, the essay considers the psychological ramifications of precarious sea crossings aiming at escape and freedom.
Manuscript Fragments of Early Tosafot in Perpignan
Authors: Roth Pinchas 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Fragments of a Hebrew manuscript in thirteenth-century Sephardic script were recently discovered in the binding of a fourteenth-century notarial manual in Perpignan. These fragments are identified here as originating in a copy of Tosafot redacted by a disciple of Isaac ben Samuel of Dampierre. It is suggested that the redactor was Samson ben Abraham of Sens. This find is doubly significant—for the study of Tosafot, and for the intellectual history of medieval Perpignan Jewry.
Fitting Precipitation Particle Size–Velocity Data to Mixed Joint Probability Density Function with an Expectation Maximization Algorithm
Authors: Katsuyama Yuta , Inatsu Masaru 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis paper proposes an estimation method of joint size and terminal velocity distribution on the basis of sampling data of precipitation particles containing multiple types. Assuming that the velocity follows the normal distribution and the size follows the gamma distribution, the method searches a locally maximum logarithmic likelihood within a realistic parameter range using the expectation–maximization algorithm. Several test populations were prepared with a realistic number of elements, and then the method was evaluated by retrieving the populations from their sample. The results showed that the original parameters were successfully estimated in most cases of the test population containing some of liquids, graupels, and rimed and unrimed aggregates. The original number of elements was also estimated with an adjustment of the number of elements in a manner such that each of their minority fractions exceeded a threshold. Applied to the two-dimensional disdrometer observation data, the method was helpful to discard frequently observed erroneous data with unrealistically large fall velocity.