bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient characteristics and admitting vital signs associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–related mortality among patients admitted with noncritical illness
Authors: Sands Kenneth E. , Wenzel Richard P. , McLean Laura E. , Korwek Kimberly M. , Roach Jonathon D. , Miller Karla M. , Poland Russell E. , Burgess L. Hayley , Jackson Edmund S. , Perlin Jonathan B. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractObjective:To determine risk factors for mortality among COVID-19 patients admitted to a system of community hospitals in the United States.Design:Retrospective analysis of patient data collected from the routine care of COVID-19 patients.Setting:System of >180 acute-care facilities in the United States.Participants:All admitted patients with positive identification of COVID-19 and a documented discharge as of May 12, 2020.Methods:Determination of demographic characteristics, vital signs at admission, patient comorbidities and recorded discharge disposition in this population to construct a logistic regression estimating the odds of mortality, particular for those patients characterized as not being critically ill at admission.Results:In total, 6,180 COVID-19+ patients were identified as of May 12, 2020. Most COVID-19+ patients (4,808, 77.8%) were admitted directly to a medical-surgical unit with no documented critical care or mechanical ventilation within 8 hours of admission. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and vital signs at admission in this subgroup, the largest driver of the odds of mortality was patient age (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.06–1.08; P < .001). Decreased oxygen saturation at admission was associated with increased odds of mortality (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.06–1.12; P < .001) as was diabetes (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.21–2.03; P < .001).Conclusions:The identification of factors observable at admission that are associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients who are initially admitted to non-critical care units may help care providers, hospital epidemiologists, and hospital safety experts better plan for the care of these patients.
A new era of social policy integration? Looking at the case of health, social care and housing
Authors: MCCALL VIKKI , HOYLE LOUISE , GUNASINGHE SAMINDA , O’CONNOR SIOBHAN 
Published: September 2020

AbstractService integration is a global trend aiming to create partnerships, cost-effectiveness and joined-up working across public and third sector services to support an ageing population. However, social policy research suggests that the policy making process behind integration and implementation is complex, contradictory and full of tension. This paper explores social policy integration at the ground-level of services in the health and housing sector within a new integrated model for housing for older people. The paper applies a critical Lipskian approach to show that housing can promote integration for both users and wider stakeholders. Front-line workers were central to service integration, often working to integration principles despite policy changes and uncertainty. Challenges of social policy integration include the gaps between policy and practice and the developing nature of interaction at the ground-level – most notably, the role of technology. Technology and digital health platforms could enhance service user and practitioner interactions at the ground-level. The paper calls for renewed focus on policy processes in relation to service integration and consideration of new forms of service user, practitioner and policy maker interaction.
Understanding Aging, Frailty, and Resilience in Ontario First Nations
Authors: Slater Morgan , Jacklin Kristen , Sutherland Roseanne , Jones Carmen , Blind Melissa , Warry Wayne , Valvasori Meghan , Walker Jennifer 
Published: September 2020

ABSTRACTFollowing Canadian estimates of frailty, academic researchers and the Chiefs of Ontario came together to create the first Ontario-wide profile of aging in First Nations people in Ontario. Using self-reported data from First Nations adults who participated in the Ontario First Nations Regional Health Survey Phase 2, we found that First Nations people in Ontario experience higher rates of frailty than the general Canadian population and early onset frailty appears to affect First Nations communities. This is important to consider as communities plan for health care needs of an aging population and is particularly relevant in the face of Covid-19, as we know severity is exacerbated by underlying health conditions.
Hybrid court resilience and the selection of cases
Authors: Vagias Michail 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe article explores the extent to which the resilience of hybrid courts is impacted by their selection of cases. It proceeds from the observation that the cases pursued by hybrid institutions are the result of choice under constraints. The article examines the identity of the case-choosers and the relevance of such choices for the internal and external resilience of hybrid courts. The research reveals the need to distinguish between case selection by the drafters and case selection by court authorities in the context of each institution and the tensions between these two sets of practices. These tensions are examined in the context of four hybrid institutions. The Office of the Prosecutor at the Special Court for Sierra Leone enjoyed a relatively broad measure of discretion in terms of case selection. However, the Extraordinary African Chambers, the Cambodia Chambers and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers seem to have been established with specific accused in mind. The article argues that resilience considerations are probably relevant in instances of case selection by the court officers, albeit they are context sensitive and may vary over time. Case selection prior to the establishment of a court and/or by political stakeholders, on the other hand, is ill-suited for analysis using internal resilience and arguably fall outside its scope of application. For these cases, the research argues that the discussion requires re-orientation with emphasis shifted to concepts such as contribution to national reconciliation as opposed to resistance to external pressure.
Epidemiological profile and transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in the Philippines
Authors: Haw N. J. L. , Uy J. , Sy K. T. L. , Abrigo M. R. M. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
The Philippines confirmed local transmission of COVID-19 on 7 March 2020. We described the characteristics and epidemiological time-to-event distributions for laboratory-confirmed cases in the Philippines recorded up to 29 April 2020 and followed until 22 May 2020. The median age of 8212 cases was 46 years (IQR 32–61), with 46.2% being female and 68.8% living in the National Capital Region. Health care workers represented 24.7% of all detected infections. Mean length of hospitalisation for those who were discharged or died were 16.00 days (95% CI 15.48–16.54) and 7.27 days (95% CI 6.59–8.24). Mean duration of illness was 26.66 days (95% CI 26.06–27.28) and 12.61 days (95% CI 11.88–13.37) for those who recovered or died. Mean serial interval was 6.90 days (95% CI 5.81–8.41). Epidemic doubling time prior to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ; 11 February and 19 March) was 4.86 days (95% CI 4.67–5.07) and the reproductive number was 2.41 (95% CI 2.33–2.48). During the ECQ (20 March to 9 April), doubling time was 12.97 days (95% CI 12.57–13.39) and the reproductive number was 0.89 (95% CI 0.78–1.02).
The effectiveness of Virkon® S disinfectant against an invasive insect and implications for Antarctic biosecurity practices
Authors: Bartlett Jesamine C. , Radcliffe Richard James , Convey Pete , Hughes Kevin A. , Hayward Scott A.L. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe flightless midge Eretmoptera murphyi is thought to be continuing its invasion of Signy Island via the treads of personnel boots. Current boot-wash biosecurity protocols in the Antarctic region rely on microbial biocides, primarily Virkon® S. As pesticides have limited approval for use in the Antarctic Treaty area, we investigated the efficacy of Virkon® S in controlling the spread of E. murphyi using boot-wash simulations and maximum threshold exposures. We found that E. murphyi tolerates over 8 h of submergence in 1% Virkon® S. Higher concentrations increased effectiveness, but larvae still exhibited > 50% survival after 5 h in 10% Virkon® S. Salt and hot water treatments (without Virkon® S) were explored as possible alternatives. Salt water proved ineffective, with mortality only in first-instar larvae across multi-day exposures. Larvae experienced 100% mortality when exposed for 10 s to 50°C water, but they showed complete survival at 45°C. Given that current boot-wash protocols alone are an ineffective control of this invasive insect, we advocate hot water (> 50°C) to remove soil, followed by Virkon® S as a microbial biocide on ‘clean’ boots. Implications for the spread of invasive invertebrates as a result of increased human activity in the Antarctic region are discussed.
Early-life adversities and adult attachment in depression and alexithymia
Authors: Kajanoja Jani , Karukivi Max , Scheinin Noora M. , Ahrnberg Hanna , Karlsson Linnea , Karlsson Hasse 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAlexithymia is a personality construct characterized by difficulties in identifying and verbalizing feelings, a restricted imagination, and an externally oriented thinking style. As alexithymia shows marked overlap with depression, its independent nature as a personality construct is still being debated. The etiology of alexithymia is unknown, although childhood emotional neglect and attachment formation are thought to play important roles. In the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, experiences of early-life adversities (EA) and childhood maltreatment (CM) were studied in a sample of 2,604 men and women. The overlap and differences between depression and alexithymia were investigated by comparing their associations with EA types and adult attachment style. Alexithymia was specifically associated with childhood emotional neglect (odds ratio (OR) 3.8, p < .001), whereas depression was related to several types of EA. In depression co-occurring with alexithymia, there was a higher prevalence of emotional neglect (81.3% vs. 54.4%, p < .001), attachment anxiety (t = 2.38, p = .018), and attachment avoidance (t = 4.03, p < .001). Early-life adversities were markedly different in the alexithymia group compared to those suffering from depression, or healthy controls. Depression with concurrent alexithymia may represent a distinct subtype, specifically associated with childhood experiences of emotional neglect, and increased attachment insecurity compared to non-alexithymic depression.
The change in social norms in the Mafia's territories: the anti-racket movement of Addiopizzo
Authors: Lipari Francesca , Andrighetto Giulia 
Published: September 2020

AbstractSocial norms pervade society and when they conflict with legal norms, the former undermine the latter making them ineffective. In this study, we propose that the extortion racket in Sicily has turned into a social norm and this is why recent top-down interventions have failed in stalling this socially undesirable activity. One exception is represented by Addiopizzo, a grass root movement that uses non-legal means to fight the racket phenomenon in Sicily. During the last 15 years, Addiopizzo was able to produce an effective reduction in the payment of protection money in the Sicilian city of Palermo by triggering, we suggest, among other things, a process of change in social norms. Acknowledging the importance of a change in social norms to achieve social change allows us to link the theory of institutions as ‘rules’ with the theory of institutions as ‘equilibria’.
Converging paths: bounded rationality, practice theory and the study of change in historical international relations
Authors: Bruneau Quentin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBounded rationality and practice theory have both become popular theories of action for major strands of work in constructivist and rationalist International Relations (IR). Based on this observation, I make two arguments. The first is that although they underpin what are generally seen as opposed theoretical camps in IR, bounded rationality and practice theory share two fundamental assumptions. They both accept that how agents process information and make decisions depends on where they are situated in social space, and where they stand in historical time. In turn, these shared assumptions imply that they agree on the existence of a common type of change: change in terms of how groups of people process information and make decisions over time. My second argument is that by studying this type of change, it is possible to shed new light on major transformations of international relations, and that one way of engaging in this type of research is to study international practitioners' education over substantial time periods. With these arguments, this article makes a methodological contribution to the study of change in historical international relations and charts a practical course for pluralist dialogue in IR.
Experimental verification of super-compact ultra-wideband (UWB) polarization and incident angle-independent metamaterial absorber
Authors: Kaur Manpreet , Singh Hari Shankar 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIn this paper, a super-compact ultra-wideband (UWB) metamaterial absorber (MMA) is presented. The absorber design consists of an inverted L-shaped structure and a diagonal rectangular-shaped structure. The capacitive coupling between these two structures not only provides UWB nature but also provides a super-compact absorber design. The dimension of the unit cell arrangement is 5 × 5 mm2 and printed on a low-cost FR-4 substrate of thickness 1.54 mm (0.061λlowest). The design absorber provides more than 97% absorptivity from 12 to 21 GHz for normal incidence electromagnetic (EM) wave. However, the proposed MMA has a full width at half maximum absorption bandwidth of 11.71 GHz from 10.34 to 22.05 GHz. Moreover, the surface current distributions have been analyzed to understand the absorption mechanism of the MMA. The stability of the proposed design is validated with different incident angles (for TE and TM modes) and different polarization angles. Finally, the absorber design is fabricated and verified experimentally. Furthermore, the UWB frequency range, high absorption, ease in design and fabrication, and cost-effective make it suitable for different quality applications in stealth technology, thermal imaging, radar detection, antenna systems, and other EM devices.
An era of single-cell genomics consortia
Authors: Ando Yoshinari , Kwon Andrew Tae-Jun , Shin Jay W. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe human body consists of 37 trillion single cells represented by over 50 organs that are stitched together to make us who we are, yet we still have very little understanding about the basic units of our body: what cell types and states make up our organs both compositionally and spatially. Previous efforts to profile a wide range of human cell types have been attempted by the FANTOM and GTEx consortia. Now, with the advancement in genomic technologies, profiling the human body at single-cell resolution is possible and will generate an unprecedented wealth of data that will accelerate basic and clinical research with tangible applications to future medicine. To date, several major organs have been profiled, but the challenges lie in ways to integrate single-cell genomics data in a meaningful way. In recent years, several consortia have begun to introduce harmonization and equity in data collection and analysis. Herein, we introduce existing and nascent single-cell genomics consortia, and present benefits to necessitate single-cell genomic consortia in a regional environment to achieve the universal human cell reference dataset.
Experimental evolution reveals nitrate tolerance mechanisms in Desulfovibrio vulgaris
Authors: Wu Bo , Liu Feifei , Zhou Aifen , Li Juan , Shu Longfei , Kempher Megan L , Yang Xueqin , Ning Daliang , Pan Feiyan , Zane Grant M , Wall Judy D , Van Nostrand Joy D , Juneau Philippe , Chen Shouwen , Yan Qingyun , Zhou Jizhong , He Zhili 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Elevated nitrate in the environment inhibits sulfate reduction by important microorganisms of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Several SRB may respire nitrate to survive under elevated nitrate, but how SRB that lack nitrate reductase survive to elevated nitrate remains elusive. To understand nitrate adaptation mechanisms, we evolved 12 populations of a model SRB (i.e., Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, DvH) under elevated NaNO3 for 1000 generations, analyzed growth and acquired mutations, and linked their genotypes with phenotypes. Nitrate-evolved (EN) populations significantly (p &lt; 0.05) increased nitrate tolerance, and whole-genome resequencing identified 119 new mutations in 44 genes of 12 EN populations, among which six functional gene groups were discovered with high mutation frequencies at the population level. We observed a high frequency of nonsense or frameshift mutations in nitrosative stress response genes (NSR: DVU2543, DVU2547, and DVU2548), nitrogen regulatory protein C family genes (NRC: DVU2394-2396, DVU2402, and DVU2405), and nitrate cluster (DVU0246-0249 and DVU0251). Mutagenesis analysis confirmed that loss-of-functions of NRC and NSR increased nitrate tolerance. Also, functional gene groups involved in fatty acid synthesis, iron regulation, and two-component system (LytR/LytS) known to be responsive to multiple stresses, had a high frequency of missense mutations. Mutations in those gene groups could increase nitrate tolerance through regulating energy metabolism, barring entry of nitrate into cells, altering cell membrane characteristics, or conferring growth advantages at the stationary phase. This study advances our understanding of nitrate tolerance mechanisms and has important implications for linking genotypes with phenotypes in DvH.
Overactivated sonic hedgehog signaling aggravates intrauterine adhesion via inhibiting autophagy in endometrial stromal cells
Authors: Wei Cheng , Pan Yibin , Zhang Yinli , Dai Yongdong , Jiang Lingling , Shi Libing , Yang Weijie , Xu Shiqian , Zhang Yingyi , Xu Wenzhi , Zhang Yanling , Lin Xiaona , Zhang Songying 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAutophagy can be dynamically induced in response to stresses and is an essential, ubiquitous intracellular recycling system that impacts the fate of damaged resident cells, thereby influencing wound healing. Endometrial fibrosis is a form of abnormal wound healing that causes intrauterine adhesion (IUA) and infertility. We previously demonstrated that overactivated sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling exacerbated endometrial fibrosis, but the role of autophagy in this process is still unknown. Here, we report that impaired autophagy participates in SHH pathway-induced endometrial fibrosis. Endometrial stroma-myofibroblast transition accompanied by autophagy dysfunction was present in both endometrial biopsies of IUA patients and Amhr2cre/+R26-SmoM2+/− (AM2) transgenic mouse. Mechanistically, SHH pathway negatively regulated autophagy through pAKT-mTORC1 in a human endometrial stromal cell line (T-HESCs). Furthermore, SHH pathway-mediated fibrosis was partly counteracted by autophagy modulation in both T-HESCs and the murine IUA model. Specifically, the impact of SHH pathway inhibition (GANT61) was reversed by the pharmacological autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) or RNA interference of autophagy-related gene ATG5 or ATG7. Similar results were obtained from the murine IUA model treated with GANT61 and CQ. Moreover, promoting autophagy with rapamycin reduced fibrosis in the AM2 IUA model to baseline levels. In summary, defective autophagy is involved in SHH pathway-driven endometrial fibrosis, suggesting a potential novel molecular target for IUA treatment.
Checkpoint regulator B7x is epigenetically regulated by HDAC3 and mediates resistance to HDAC inhibitors by reprogramming the tumor immune environment in colorectal cancer
Authors: Li Yuxin , Liu Yao , Zhao Na , Yang Xiaojun , Li Yaqing , Zhai Fangzheng , Zang Xingxing , Cui Wei 
Published: September 2020

AbstractHDAC inhibitors are efficacious for treating lymphoma, but display limited efficacy in treating solid tumors. Here, we investigated the relationship between HDAC inhibitor resistance and the tumor immune environment in colorectal cancer. Our data indicated that among the investigated immune factors, B7x expression was enhanced in HDAC inhibitor-resistant colorectal cancer models in vitro and in vivo. In addition, gene manipulation results demonstrated that xenograft mice with tumors derived from a B7x-overexpressing CT-26 colorectal cancer cell line were resistant to HDAC inhibitor treatment. Notably, we found that there is a negative relationship between HDAC and B7x expression in both colorectal cancer cell lines and patients’ tumors. Furthermore, our data indicated that elevated expression of B7x was related to a poor prognosis in colorectal tumor patients. Interestingly, treatment with a specific inhibitor or siRNA of HDAC3, but not HDAC2, 6, and 8, resulted in obvious upregulation of B7x expression in colorectal cancer cells. In addition, our data showed that a cell line with high HDAC3 expression and low B7x expression had decreased enrichment of acetylated histone H3 in the promoter region of the gene encoding B7x. This pattern was reversed by addition of HDAC3 inhibitors. Mechanistically, we found that HDAC3 regulated B7x transcription by promoting the binding of the transcription activator C/EBP-α with the B7x promoter region. Importantly, our data indicated that an antibody neutralizing B7x augmented the response to HDAC inhibitor in the colorectal cancer xenograft model and the lung metastasis model by increasing the ratios of both CD4-positive and CD8-positive T cells. In summary, we demonstrated a role of B7x in HDAC inhibitor resistance and identified the mechanism that dysregulates B7x in colorectal cancer. Our work provides a novel strategy to overcome HDAC inhibitor resistance.
CDK9 activity is critical for maintaining MDM4 overexpression in tumor cells
Authors: Štětková Monika , Growková Kateřina , Fojtík Petr , Valčíková Barbora , Palušová Veronika , Verlande Amandine , Jorda Radek , Kryštof Vladimír , Hejret Václav , Alexiou Panagiotis , Rotrekl Vladimír , Uldrijan Stjepan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe identification of the essential role of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) in the control of cell division has prompted the development of small-molecule CDK inhibitors as anticancer drugs. For many of these compounds, the precise mechanism of action in individual tumor types remains unclear as they simultaneously target different classes of CDKs – enzymes controlling the cell cycle progression as well as CDKs involved in the regulation of transcription. CDK inhibitors are also capable of activating p53 tumor suppressor in tumor cells retaining wild-type p53 gene by modulating MDM2 levels and activity. In the current study, we link, for the first time, CDK activity to the overexpression of the MDM4 (MDMX) oncogene in cancer cells. Small-molecule drugs targeting the CDK9 kinase, dinaciclib, flavopiridol, roscovitine, AT-7519, SNS-032, and DRB, diminished MDM4 levels and activated p53 in A375 melanoma and MCF7 breast carcinoma cells with only a limited effect on MDM2. These results suggest that MDM4, rather than MDM2, could be the primary transcriptional target of pharmacological CDK inhibitors in the p53 pathway. CDK9 inhibitor atuveciclib downregulated MDM4 and enhanced p53 activity induced by nutlin-3a, an inhibitor of p53-MDM2 interaction, and synergized with nutlin-3a in killing A375 melanoma cells. Furthermore, we found that human pluripotent stem cell lines express significant levels of MDM4, which are also maintained by CDK9 activity. In summary, we show that CDK9 activity is essential for the maintenance of high levels of MDM4 in human cells, and drugs targeting CDK9 might restore p53 tumor suppressor function in malignancies overexpressing MDM4.