bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An Epidemic Model SIPHERD and its application for prediction of the spread of COVID-19 infection in India
Authors: Mahajan Ashutosh , Solanki Ravi , Sivadas Namitha 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAfter originating from Wuhan, China, in late 2019, with a gradual spread in the last few months, COVID-19 has become a pandemic crossing 9 million confirmed positive cases and 450 thousand deaths. India is not only an overpopulated country but has a high population density as well, and at present, a high-risk nation where COVID-19 infection can go out of control. In this paper, we employ a compartmental epidemic model SIPHERD for COVID-19 and predict the total number of confirmed, active and death cases, and daily new cases. We analyze the impact of lockdown and the number of tests conducted per day on the prediction and bring out the scenarios in which the infection can be controlled faster. Our findings indicate that increasing the tests per day at a rapid pace (10k per day increase), stringent measures on social-distancing for the coming months and strict lockdown in the month of July all have a significant impact on the disease spread.
Impact of the Use of a WhatsApp-based Group Chat for Sharing Emergency Department Access-Block Data on Overcrowding and Census in a Low-Resource Emergency Department in Kigali, Rwanda
Authors: Nkeshimana Menelas , Uwineza Christine , Pousson Amelia Y , Cattermole Giles N 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIn Low & Middle Income Countries (LMICs), hospitals often face serious communication issues that threaten to paralyze the process of healthcare provision. The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHUK) is located in the middle of a vibrant city of Kigali, and is often overwhelmed by a high number of referred patients from its catchment area, and those brought in by emergency evacuation ambulance system (SAMU). The facility has no interdepartmental landline communication network, which would be ideal to connect the inpatient services to the emergency room in order to fasten the care process. Using WhatsApp-based Group Chat for sharing the real-time caseloads, the number of patients boarding the emergency room has significantly improved (dropping from 38.1 +-7.1 to 28 +-6.5, p<0.001), although the overall length of stay in the emergency room has remained high (3.37 +-0.61 days), mainly due to other co-factors such as the availability of specialized staff (i.e. neurosurgeon) and uninterrupted imaging services (i.e. computer tomography scans).
Genetically informed precision drug repurposing for lung function and implications for respiratory infection
Authors: Reay William R. , Shair Sahar I. El , Geaghan Michael P. , Riveros Carlos , Holliday Elizabeth G. , McEvoy Mark A. , Hancock Stephen , Peel Roseanne , Scott Rodney J. , Attia John R. , Cairns Murray J. 
Published: June 2020

ABSTRACTImpaired lung function is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Restrictive and obstructive lung disorders are a large contributor to decreased lung function, as well as the acute impact of infection. Measures of pulmonary function are heritable, and thus, we sought to utilise genomics to propose novel drug repurposing candidates which could improve respiratory outcomes. Lung function measures were found to be genetically correlated with metabolic and hormone traits which could be pharmacologically modulated, with a causal effect of increased fasting glucose on diminished lung function supported by latent causal variable models and Mendelian randomisation. We developed polygenic scores for lung function specifically within pathways with known drug targets to prioritise individuals who may benefit from particular drug repurposing opportunities, accompanied by transcriptome-wide association studies to identify drug-gene interactions with potential lung function increasing modes of action. These drug repurposing candidates were further considered relative to the host-viral interactome of three viruses with associated respiratory pathology (SARS-CoV2, influenza, and human adenovirus). We uncovered an enrichment amongst glycaemic pathways of human proteins which putatively interact with virally expressed SARS-CoV2 proteins, suggesting that antihyperglycaemic agents may have a positive effect both on lung function and SARS-CoV2 progression.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in ascitic fluid: a case of viral peritonitis?
Authors: Passarelli Victor C. , Perosa Ana H. , Luna Luciano , Conte Danielle D. , Nascimento Oliver A. , Ota-Arakaki Jaquelina , Bellei Nancy 
Published: June 2020

AbstractSARS Coronavirus-2 detection in different clinical specimens, including serum and stool, has raised important insights about its dynamics and pathogenesis, but some details remain to be understood.In that respect, disrupt viral control seen in immunocompromising conditions can help unveil pathogenetic mechanisms and characterize new Coronavirus Disease-19 immunological and clinical aspects in general.We herein report a case of cirrhosis decompensation with ascites due to COVID-19 and unprecedented detection of SARS-CoV-2 in ascitic fluid, hence a possible acute viral peritonitis, as well as in serum, leading to a fatal disseminated infection.
Genomic and multi-tissue proteomic integration for understanding the biology of disease and other complex traits
Authors: Yang Chengran , Farias Fabiana G. , Ibanez Laura , Sadler Brooke , Fernandez Maria Victoria , Wang Fengxian , Bradley Joseph L. , Eiffert Brett , Bahena Jorge A. , Budde John P. , Li Zeran , Dube Umber , Sung Yun Ju , Mihindukulasuriya Kathie A. , Morris John C. , Fagan Anne , Perrin Richard J. , Benitez Bruno , Rhinn Herve , Harari Oscar , Cruchaga Carlos 
Published: June 2020

AbstractExpression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) mapping has successfully resolved some genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci for complex traits1–6. However, there is a need for implementing additional “omic” approaches to untangle additional loci and provide a biological context for GWAS signals. We generated a detailed landscape of the genomic architecture of protein levels in multiple neurologically relevant tissues (brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma), by profiling thousands of proteins in a large and well-characterized cohort. We identified 274, 127 and 32 protein quantitative loci (pQTL) for CSF, plasma and brain respectively. We demonstrated that cis-pQTL are more likely to be shared across tissues but trans-pQTL are tissue-specific. Between 78% to 87% of pQTL are not eQTL, indicating that protein levels have a different genetic architecture than gene expression. By combining our pQTL with Mendelian Randomization approaches we identified potential novel biomarkers and drug targets for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer disease and frontotemporal dementia. In the context of personalized medicine, these results highlight the need for implementing additional functional genomic approaches beyond gene expression in order to understand the biology of complex traits, and to identify novel biomarkers and potential drug targets for those traits.
Implementation-independent representation for deep convolutional neural networks and humans in processing faces
Authors: Song Yiying , Qu Yukun , Xu Shan , Liu Jia 
Published: June 2020

AbstractDeep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) nowadays can match and even outperform human performance in challenging complex tasks. However, it remains unknown whether DCNNs achieve human-like performance through human-like processes; that is, do DCNNs use similar internal representations to achieve the task as humans? Here we applied a reverse-correlation method to reconstruct the internal representations when DCNNs and human observers classified genders of faces. We found that human observers and a DCNN pre-trained for face identification, VGG-Face, showed high similarity between their “classification images” in gender classification, suggesting similar critical information utilized in this task. Further analyses showed that the similarity of the representations was mainly observed at low spatial frequencies, which are critical for gender classification in human studies. Importantly, the prior task experience, which the VGG-Face was pre-trained for processing faces at the subordinate level (i.e., identification) as humans do, seemed necessary for such representational similarity, because AlexNet, a DCNN pre-trained to process objects at the basic level (i.e., categorization), succeeded in gender classification but relied on a completely different representation. In sum, although DCNNs and humans rely on different sets of hardware to process faces, they can use a similar representation, possibly from similar prior task experiences, to achieve the same computation goal. Therefore, our study provides the first empirical evidence supporting the hypothesis of implementation-independent representation.
Task-irrelevant visual forms facilitate covert and overt spatial selection
Authors: Bogadhi Amarender R. , Buonocore Antimo , Hafed Ziad M. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractCovert and overt spatial selection behaviors are guided by both visual saliency maps derived from early visual features as well as priority maps reflecting high-level cognitive factors. However, whether mid-level perceptual processes associated with visual form recognition contribute to covert and overt spatial selection behaviors remains unclear. We hypothesized that if peripheral visual forms contribute to spatial selection behaviors, then they should do so even when the visual forms are task-irrelevant. We tested this hypothesis in male and female human subjects as well as in male macaque monkeys performing a visual detection task. In this task, subjects reported the detection of a supra-threshold target spot presented on top of one of two peripheral images, and they did so with either a speeded manual button press (humans) or a speeded saccadic eye movement response (humans and monkeys). Crucially, the two images, one with a visual form and the other with a partially phase-scrambled visual form, were completely irrelevant to the task. In both manual (covert) and oculomotor (overt) response modalities, and in both humans and monkeys, response times were faster when the target was congruent with a visual form than when it was incongruent. Importantly, incongruent targets were associated with almost all errors, suggesting that forms automatically captured selection behaviors. These findings demonstrate that mid-level perceptual processes associated with visual form recognition contribute to covert and overt spatial selection. This indicates that neural circuits associated with target selection, such as the superior colliculus, may have privileged access to visual form information.Significance statementSpatial selection of visual information either with (overt) or without (covert) foveating eye movements is critical to primate behavior. However, it is still not clear whether spatial maps in sensorimotor regions known to guide overt and covert spatial selection are influenced by peripheral visual forms. We probed the ability of humans and monkeys to perform overt and covert target selection in the presence of spatially congruent or incongruent visual forms. Even when completely task-irrelevant, images of visual objects had a dramatic effect on target selection, acting much like spatial cues used in spatial attention tasks. Our results demonstrate that traditional brain circuits for orienting behaviors, such as the superior colliculus, likely have privileged access to visual object representations.
Performance ofBracon brevicornis(Wesmael) on twoSpodopteraspecies and application as potential biocontrol agent against fall armyworm
Authors: Ghosh Enakshi , Varshney Richa , Venkatesan Radhika 
Published: June 2020

AbstractSuccessful pest management using parasitoids requires careful evaluation of host-parasitoid interactions. Here, we report the performance of larval ecto-parasitoid wasp,Bracon brevicornis(Wesmael) on important agricultural pests,Spodoptera litura(Fabricius) andS. frugiperda(J.E. Smith). Biology ofB. brevicorniswas studied on different host instars under laboratory and cage setup. In no-choice assay, the parasitoid development was highest on fifth instarS. lituralarvae as the wasp laid ∼253 eggs with 62% hatching, 76% pupae formation and 78% adult emergence. Similarly, these parameters were highest on fifth instarS. frugiperdalarvae (293 eggs, 57% hatching, 80% pupae formation, 70% adult emergence). In two-choice assay,B. brevicornispreferred fourth or fifth over third instar larvae of both hosts. Successful parasitism depends on host paralysis and suppression of host immunity.B. brevicornisinteraction downregulated cellular immunity of both hosts as shown by reduced hemocyte viability and spreading. The percent parasitism rate ofB. brevicorniswas unaltered in the presence of host plant,Zea maysin cage study. 76 and 84% parasitism was observed on fifth instar larvae ofS. lituraandS. frugiperda, respectively. We evaluated the performance ofB. brevicornisas a biocontrol agent onS. frugiperdain maize field. Our results show 54% average reduction in infestation after release ofB. brevicornis. Taken together, we report the performance ofB. brevicornison important insect pests for the first time in laboratory and field conditions. Our findings indicate thatB. brevicornisis a promising candidate for integrated pest management.Key messagesWe have evaluated the instar preference and performance ofB. brevicornisas a potential biocontrol agent for two serious pests,Spodoptera lituraandS. frugiperda.Fifth instar larva was most suitable forB. brevicornisdevelopment irrespective of the host species.B. brevicornisattack induced permanent paralysis and down-regulated cellular immunity of both hosts.Our field experiment confirmedB. brevicornisas a promising parasitoid for controllingS. frugiperda, a highly invasive pest of growing concern.
Higher pharyngeal epithelial gene expression of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 in upper respiratory infection patients
Authors: Zhang Mingjiao , Du Lingyan , Faleti Oluwasijibomi Damola , Huang Jing , Xiao Gang , Lyu Xiaoming 
Published: June 2020

AbstractWe analyzed the expression of ACE2 in pharyngeal epithelium and examined its relationship with clinical features and serological parameters in the upper respiratory infection (URI) patients. The expression of ACE2 were significantly higher in URI patients than in healthy controls individuals, and positively correlated with age and body temperature.
Chronic Kidney Disease Prediction Using Neural Approach
Authors: Dutta Shawni , Bandyopadhyay Samir Kumar 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAll over the world, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious public health condition that needs to be detected in advance so that costly end-stage treatments like dialysis, kidney transplantations can be avoided. Neural network model and 10-fold cross-validation methodology under a single platform in proposed as well as implemented in order to classify patients with CKD. This will assist medical care fields so that counter measures can be suggested. The performance of proposed classifier is justified against other baseline classifiers such as Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbours, Decision tree and Gradient Boost classifier. Experimental results conclude that the performance of neural network with 10-fold cross-validation method reaches promising accuracy of 98.25%, f1-score of 0.98, and kappa score of 0.96 and MSE of 0.0175.
Re-designing the service experience in the value co-creation process: an exploratory study of a healthcare network
Authors: Schiavone Francesco , Leone Daniele , Sorrentino Annarita , Scaletti Alessandro 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThe study aims to provide an exploratory investigation of the magnitude of the customer-centric approach in the specific area of healthcare as a contribution to the scarce and preliminary literature on this topic. In particular, it explores the role of sharing economy-based (SE-based) platforms as an experiential touchpoint to co-create value within different levels. Specifically, the purpose of the study is threefold. First, it aims to address the service experience innovation in healthcare with a customer-centric approach. Second, it seeks to define the role of the SE-based platform as a touchpoint to redefine business processes, and third, it measures the co-created value within the network when redesigning the service experience.Design/methodology/approachTo address the research question, the authors proposed an analysis of service innovation and customer centricity in healthcare networks by using the case study of Saluber, an SE-based platform that offers logistics services for non-emergency medical transportation in the Campania region (south of Italy). By using a qualitative approach, the authors analysed primary and secondary data from multiple sources of evidence.FindingsThe results show that a customer-centric approach based on the SE-based platform can improve the customer experience and help to redesign and expand the business processes of healthcare organisations. A multilevel model demonstrates the possible service innovations that use SE principles that can co-create value for the customer (micro level), for the healthcare network (meso level) and for the community (macro-level).Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides managerial implications for the players who intend to take advantage of the possibilities offered by service innovations developed by the health and social organisations in the network. The SE-based platform helps redefine business processes to improve clinical and financial outcomes and improves the overall customer experience within this network.Originality/valueThis study allows new and important reflections from ethical, social and managerial points of view and underlines how digital platforms act as a support for healthcare services, not as a substitute.
The impact of alternative policies on livestock farmers' willingness to recycle manure: evidence from central China
Authors: Li Qian , Wang Jingjing , Wang Xiaoyang , Wang Yubin 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThis article examines the impact of different policy instruments on livestock farmers' willingness to recycle manure. The results shed light on the optimal policy combination.Design/methodology/approachA game theoretical framework is constructed to illustrate farmers' optimal strategies under different policies. Theoretical results are empirically tested by survey data from beef cattle farmers in Central China.FindingsEmpirical results show that penalties work better than subsidies if each type of policy is implemented separately. The authors also find a positive interaction between subsidy and penalty policies, suggesting that a combination of subsidy and penalty policies produces the best outcome in incentivizing livestock farmers to recycle manure. Furthermore, planting and breeding simultaneously have the strongest effect on increasing livestock farmers' willingness to recycle manure, suggesting that the combination of planting and breeding can be an optimal strategy for manure management.Originality/valueThis study is based on firsthand survey data and provides new evidence on the effectiveness of alternative environmental policies on manure recycling.
Impact of board attributes on the firm dividend payout policy: evidence from Malaysia
Authors: Tahir Hussain , Masri Ridzuan , Rahman Md Mahfuzur 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the extent to which corporate board attributes influence dividend payout policies.Design/methodology/approachA total number of 2,842 firm’s year-observations of Malaysian non-financial firms representing from various industries. The firms were scrutinized over a period of 14 financial years covering from 2005 to 2018. The data was in a panel form given the cross-sectional and time-series nature. The fixed effect is used as the main technique for analysis. The OLS and random effects techniques are used for robustness for this study.FindingsThe results revealed that the proportion of board independence, board tenure, board size and CEO duality have a positive and statistically mixed effect on dividend pay-out. However, the corporate board diversity and board member age had a negative association with dividend payouts. Overall, the results suggest that firms with well-organized corporate board attribute affect positively on dividend pay-out policy.Originality/valueThis research contributes to a nuanced understanding of internal governance mechanisms by presenting evidence of the substitution hypothesis in an emerging economy in which firms operate within a unique regulatory framework and board composition.
Doing good when times are bad: the impact of CSR on brands during recessions
Authors: Bhattacharya Abhi , Good Valerie , Sardashti Hanieh 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThis paper aims to determine what the brand performance consequences of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities would be during times of recession for well-known brands.Design/methodology/approachBased on signaling theory, this paper investigates if CSR activities serve to signal higher brand value for consumers via perceptions of better quality and greater differentiation, specifically during recessions. This study incorporates a representative longitudinal sample of known US firms for the analyses, which is accomplished through generalized method of moments estimations.FindingsThe findings empirically demonstrate that CSR initiatives during recessions are actually associated with increased perceptions of brand value. More specifically, during recessions, CSR initiatives such as charitable contributions provide a signal to customers of higher brand quality.Research limitations/implicationsThis study did not control for the costs of doing specific CSR activities that may be less visible to consumers.Practical implicationsWhile individual firms or managers may not be able to prevent recessions from happening, they can limit the negative impact of recessions on their performance by engaging in CSR activities (or refrain from cutting back) during these times.Social implicationsBecause CSR initiatives during recessions result in more favorable consumer perceptions of the brand, engaging in CSR aligns both social and managerial interests, owing to the economic gains from CSR investments.Originality/valueDuring times of recession, some critics indicate that CSR may be an unaffordable luxury. On the contrary, this research shows that managers may want to consider CSR activities as a means of increasing the value of their brands, especially during economic recessions.