bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dacryoendoscopy for dacryocystitis management in a dog: A case report
Authors: Choi Yeon‐Hyung , Jang Je‐Hwan , Kim Joon‐Young 
Published: December 2020

AbstractA castrated, mixed‐breed, 10‐year‐old male dog developed a skin fistula from a ruptured periorbital swelling on the right eye; the patient was successfully treated with dacryoendoscope‐guided cannulation using a nasolacrimal tube. On presentation, computed tomography with concurrent dacryocystography (CT‐DCG) revealed obstruction of the right nasolacrimal duct and abnormal flow of contrast agents towards the root of tooth 109 at the right maxillary bone; however, the origin of the fistula remained unclear on CT‐DCG. Dacryoendoscopy was used to confirm the physical association between the fistula and the nasolacrimal duct; the fistula end was found to be near the right upper gum mucosa around tooth 107. CT‐DCG and dacryoendoscopy revealed that the periorbital swelling occurred owing to an infection or inflammation of the accessory nasolacrimal duct. The fistula end was connected to the oral cavity through a nasolacrimal tube installed in the oral mucosa. The tube was removed a week later, and the clinical symptoms completely resolved.
Modeling molecular kinetics with Milestoning
Authors: Elber Ron , Fathizadeh Arman , Ma Piao , Wang Hao 
Published: December 2020

AbstractTime scales are of paramount importance in biology. Living systems exploit variations in time scales to aim processes in desired directions. The network of biochemical reactions shapes cellular responses and metabolism. Enzymes speed up the rate of reactions and molecular machines carry on cellular tasks. Significant efforts are invested in studying dynamics of biophysical processes and understanding their mechanisms. Experiments provide important clues, but the data can be sparse. Atomically detailed Molecular Dynamics simulations hold the promise of comprehensive pictures of these events. A challenge for simulations is the wide range of time scales in biology, from femtoseconds to hours. Straightforward Molecular Dynamics simulations of kinetics are typically bound by microseconds and unable to probe slower processes. For example, membrane permeation by a small molecule can take hours, slow events in protein folding, seconds, and enzymatic reactions, hundreds of milliseconds. To address these challenges, we introduce the method of Milestoning. Milestoning is a theory and an algorithm to enhance the sampling of kinetic events using computer simulations. Milestoning exploits short trajectories between interfaces of cells in coarse space. Short trajectories are efficient to compute and provide a sequence of approximations that converge to the exact solution. The theory is discussed, and several examples illustrate the use of Milestoning. We consider an enzymatic reaction, peptide permeation through a phospholipid membrane, and the translocation of the lethal factor through the Anthrax channel. The high versatility of Milestoning suggests that it is a useful tool for investigations of complex biomolecular reactions.This article is categorized under:
Structure and Mechanism > Computational Biochemistry and Biophysics
Molecular and Statistical Mechanics > Molecular Dynamics and Monte‐Carlo Methods
Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Reaction Dynamics and Kinetics
Mycoremediation of azo dyes using Cyberlindnera fabianii yeast strain: Application of designs of experiments for decolorization optimization
Authors: Danouche Mohammed , Ferioun Mohamed , Bahafid Wifak , El Ghachtouli Naima 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis study investigated the dye decolorization capacity of three yeast strains. Cyberlindnera fabianii was shortlisted for its high decolorization capacity and was further tested on various azo dyes. Based on the color of the biomass, and the UV–Vis analysis, Acid Red 14 was selected as a model dye, to examine the enzymatic biodegradation. The results showed significant increase in the intracellular and extracellular activities of laccase, tyrosinase, manganese peroxidase, and azoreductase. Phytotoxicity assessment indicated that the AR14 biodegradation by‐products were not phytotoxic compared to the original dye molecules. Regarding the decolorization optimization, the screening of factors using the Plackett–Burman design showed that pH, dye concentration, and shaking speed had significant effects. These factors and their combined effect were evaluated using response surface methodology with the Box–Behnken model. The pH was the most significant factor, followed by dye concentration. The analysis of the contour plot and the 3D response surface diagram showed that the decolorization was inversely proportional to the increase in the initial dye concentration, but proportional to the initial pH and shaking speed. At optimal conditions (pH = 5.154, AR14 = 50 mg/L), C. fabianii could decolorize more than 97% of AR14 within 12 hr.Practitioner points

Cyberlindnera fabianii is a successful candidate for dye mycoremediation.
Oxidase and reductase are the key enzymes involved in the biodegradation of azo dyes.
By‐products of Acid red 14 biodegradation are not phytoxic compared to the original dye.
Design of experience tools enables to determine optimum conditions for efficient decolorization.
Genome‐wide prediction of chromatin accessibility based on gene expression
Authors: Zhou Weiqiang , Ji Hongkai 
Published: December 2020

AbstractDecoding gene regulation in a biological system requires information from both transcriptome and regulome. While multiple high‐throughput transcriptome and regulome mapping technologies are available, transcriptome profiling is more widely used. Today, over a million bulk and single‐cell gene expression samples are publicly available. This number is orders of magnitude larger than the number of available regulome samples. Most of the gene expression samples do not have corresponding regulome data. However, it is possible to obtain regulome information via prediction. Open chromatin is a hallmark of active regulatory elements. This mini‐review discusses recent advances in predicting chromatin accessibility using gene expression data, including both the development of prediction methods and their applications in expanding the regulome catalog, improving regulome analysis, integrating transcriptome and regulome data, and facilitating single‐cell analysis of gene regulation.This article is categorized under:
Applications of Computational Statistics > Genomics/Proteomics/Genetics
Data: Types and Structure > Massive Data
Statistical Models > Linear Models
Improving Coastal Plain Hardwoods for Deer and Turkeys with Canopy Reduction and Fire
Authors: Turner Mark A. , Gulsby William D. , Harper Craig A. , Ditchkoff Stephen S. 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTPrescribed fire and canopy reduction are accepted forest management practices used to increase forage and cover for white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in pine systems throughout the southeastern United States. However, use of prescribed fire to improve conditions for deer and turkeys has not been evaluated in upland hardwood forests of the Coastal Plain, and some land managers remain skeptical of the utility of fire in this ecoregion. We designed a manipulative experiment to measure deer and turkey habitat components following canopy reduction and prescribed fire in 4 upland hardwood stands in the Coastal Plain of Alabama, USA, during 2018 and 2019. Specifically, we used herbicide to kill trees with low value to deer and turkeys and retained oaks (Quercus spp.) and other species considered important as part of a forest stand improvement (FSI) operation to reduce canopy coverage. We then applied low‐intensity prescribed fire to half of each treatment unit. One unit in each replicate served as a control. We measured total understory plant coverage, biomass of deer forage, and turkey brooding cover for 2 years following canopy reduction and one year after fire. Coverage of herbaceous plants increased by 134% in FSI/Burn, and coverage of woody and semiwoody plants increased by 33% and 97%, respectively, following FSI only. Deer forage biomass was greater in both FSI and FSI/Burn compared to control, but there was no difference in deer forage biomass between FSI and FSI/Burn. FSI/Burn provided better turkey brooding cover than FSI or control. No overstory trees were killed by fire. We detected minor cambium damage to 13% of water oaks (Quercus nigra) in the FSI/Burn units; other species only showed light bark charring or no sign of burning. We recommend FSI and low‐intensity prescribed fire in Coastal Plain hardwoods to improve brooding cover for turkeys and understory forage for deer while retaining acorn production. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.
A novel approach for the evaluation of ice release performance of coatings using static friction measurements
Authors: Martinsen M. , Hed K. O. , Diget J. S. , Lein H. L. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAtmospheric icing on structures and equipment represents a challenge for operation and safety. Passive ice removal by ice-phobic coatings has received much attention over the last decades. The current state-of-the-art methods for quantifying the ice-release properties of such coatings suffer from a range of drawbacks, including poor reproducibility and high complexity test setups. Here, a facile rotational tribometer approach for measuring the static friction between polymeric coatings and ice is presented. The torque necessary to initiate motion at the coating-ice interphase was used as a measure of ice release. For a polydimethylsiloxane-based coating (Sylgard 184), the effects of ice-temperature, normal force, coating thickness, and dwell time (contact time between coating and ice at rest with fully applied normal force prior to applying torque) were established along with the conditions resulting in least data variation. With these conditions, tribology-based friction measurements were carried out on two additional coatings; a two-component polyurethane, and a commercial foul release coating. The outcome of the method, i.e., grading of the coatings in terms of antiicing effect, matched those obtained with a widely used ice adhesion test method based on ice shear adhesion testing. The same trends are revealed by the two methods. However, the findings from the proposed tribology-based method result in consistently lower variation in outcomes and offer more detail on the ice adhesion and friction mechanisms.
Societal bias reinforcement through machine learning: a credit scoring perspective
Authors: Hassani Bertrand K. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractDoes machine learning and AI ensure that social biases thrive? This paper aims to analyze this issue. Indeed, as algorithms are informed by data, if these are corrupted, from a social bias perspective, good machine learning algorithms would learn from the data provided and reverberate the patterns learnt on the predictions related to either the classification or the regression intended. In other words, the way society behaves whether positively or negatively would necessarily be reflected by the models. In this paper, we analyze how social biases are transmitted from the data into banks loan approvals by predicting either the gender or the ethnicity of the customers using the exact same information provided by customers’ through their applications
Human Services workers’ experiences of rapidly moving to Telehealth
Authors: Sanders Rachael 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAs a way of restricting the spread of COVID-19, methods of social distancing were instituted in most places that people gather, including workplaces. As such, human service agencies have implemented novel ways of delivering services to clients, with a common method being telehealth. For some practitioners this was unchartered waters and required rapid adaption to their everyday practice. I was interested to hear about their experiences and what useful learning came from it. I spoke, informally, with 13 people across four settings in a regional city in Victoria, asking them about the problems, positive changes and innovations that emerged. There were reports of challenges to overcome as well as benefits that may well become long-lasting. Practitioners adapted quickly and successfully to telehealth, with only minor problems that they managed to iron out quite quickly. They were mindful of people’s differing levels of capacity and access to technology and learned to be gentle and kind to themselves and others as they adapted. Some people came to realise that they like to work from home because it improves their work-life balance. Others, however, are keen to return to the workplace; highlighting the importance for flexibility based on individual circumstances. There was a strong sense of improved communication between agencies as they were better able to connect via telehealth compared with former in-person practices.
An agent-based model to simulate the transmission of vancomycin-resistant enterococci according different prevention and control measures
Authors: Deboscker Stéphanie , Séverac François , Gaudart Jean , Ménard Céline , Meyer Nicolas , Lavigne Thierry 
Published: December 2020

AbstractObjective:Despite the existence of various levels of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures aimed at limiting the transmission of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in hospitals, these measures are sometimes difficult to implement. Using an agent-based model (ABM), we simulated the transmission of VRE within and between 3 care units according to different IPC measures.Methods:The ABM was modelled on short-stay medical wards, represented by 2 conventional care units and 1 intensive care unit. The scenarios consisted of the simulation of various compliance rates of caregivers with regard to hand hygiene (HH) in different contexts of IPC measures: (1) standard precautions for all patients, (2) additional contact precautions for VRE-carrier patients, (3) geographical cohorting of carrier patients, and (4) creation of an isolation unit with dedicated staff.Results:With <50% HH compliance, the dissemination of VRE was not adequately controlled. With 80% compliance for all patients (ie, standard precautions scenario), there were no secondary VRE cases in 50% of the simulations, which represented the best scenario. A more realistic rate, 60% HH compliance for all patients, revealed interesting results. Implementing an isolation unit was effective only if the level of HH compliance was low. Patient cohorting was less effective.Conclusions:The present ABM showed that while contact precautions, geographic cohorting, and an isolation unit may represent good complements to standard precautions, they may theoretically not be necessary if HH is followed at a high level of compliance.
Old age and fear of crime: cross-national evidence for a decreased impact of neighbourhood disadvantage in older age
Authors: Köber Göran , Oberwittler Dietrich , Wickes Rebecca 
Published: December 2020

AbstractFear of crime among older people has been a frequent topic in ageing research, criminology and urban studies. The ‘environmental docility hypothesis’ assumes that older people are more vulnerable to adverse neighbourhood conditions than younger age groups. Yet, few studies have tested this influential hypothesis using samples of respondents covering the complete adult lifespan. Looking at fear of crime, we investigated the person–environment interaction of age and neighbourhood disadvantage, using two independent surveys comprising 12,620 respondents aged 25–90 years residing in 435 neighbourhoods in four cities in Germany and Australia. We used multi-level analysis and cross-level interactions to model age-differential effects of neighbourhood disadvantage on fear. Contrary to the hypothesis, we found a weakening of neighbourhood effects on fear with age. The strong effect of neighbourhood disadvantage on fear of crime dropped by around half from the youngest (25 years) to the oldest age (90 years) in both countries. Younger people were almost as fearful as older people in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, but older people were considerably more fearful than younger ages in better-off neighbourhoods. We found limited empirical support for the assumption that this diminished association between neighbourhood disadvantage and fear can be explained by the stronger neighbourhood attachment of older people. The limitations of the analysis and potential future directions of research are discussed.
Dynamic game semantics
Authors: Yamada Norihiro , Abramsky Samson 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe present work achieves a mathematical, in particularsyntax-independent, formulation ofdynamicsandintensionalityof computation in terms ofgamesandstrategies. Specifically, we givegame semanticsof a higher-order programming language that distinguishes programmes with the same value yet different algorithms (or intensionality) and thehiding operationon strategies that precisely corresponds to the (small-step) operational semantics (or dynamics) of the language. Categorically, our games and strategies give rise to acartesian closed bicategory, and our game semantics forms an instance of a bicategorical generalisation of the standard interpretation of functional programming languages in cartesian closed categories. This work is intended to be a step towards a mathematical foundation of intensional and dynamic aspects of logic and computation; it should be applicable to a wide range of logics and computations.
Should fertile women quit drinking alcohol to produce better quality oocytes?
Authors: Ozbakir Burcu , Tulay Pinar 
Published: December 2020

SummaryAlcohol consumption has long been shown to affect both fetal health and pregnancy. In this study, antral follicle count, maturation level of oocytes including morphological assessment and number of metaphase I (MI), metaphase II (MII) and germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes obtained from young women (age < 30 years old) with or without alcohol consumption were investigated. In total, 20 healthy women who were social drinkers and 36 healthy women who do not consume alcohol were involved in this study. Women in both study and control groups were undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation. The antral follicle count and the number and quality of the oocytes retrieved were evaluated and recorded. In total, 635 antral follicles, 1098 follicles and 1014 oocytes with 820 MII, 72 MI and 78 GV stage oocytes were collected from the social drinkers. In the control group, 628 antral follicles, 1136 follicles and 1085 oocytes with 838 MII, 93 MI and 102 GV stage oocytes were evaluated. The results of this study showed that the antral follicle count was very similar in both groups. The number of oocytes and MII stage oocytes was slightly higher in the control group, although it was not a significant difference. This study showed that although the consumption of alcohol may have adverse effects post-implantation, it may not have a solid effect during oogenesis in young women. The results of this study are especially important in clinical settings as some women who are social drinkers undergo in vitro fertilization treatments.
Incongruous objectives? Endeavouring to realise women migrant workers’ rights through the global development agenda
Authors: Holliday Jenna 
Published: December 2020

AbstractRecent decades have seen improvements in our understanding of the gendered dynamics of migration and how they affect women migrant workers. Whilst characterised by precarity, women's labour migration is recognised as contributing to positive developmental outcomes. The full dimensions of these contributions are not yet well understood, but the need to improve the situation of women migrant workers is. Through analysis of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), this paper examines the global development agenda to assess the extent to which it recognises the gendered dimensions of migration and seeks to realise the rights of women migrant workers as development actors. Drawing on content analysis of the SDGs and a review of the GCM, the paper finds that, while their content provides potential for states to strengthen their evidence base and establish progressive policy agendas and practice interventions to realise women migrant workers’ rights, the measures for implementation and monitoring of these frameworks reduce the likelihood of this potential being realised.
The EU shaping the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration: the glass half full or half empty?
Authors: Molnár Tamás 
Published: December 2020

AbstractWhile migration is a policy field that is fairly state-centric, the prominent role of the EU in the development of international migration law and policy has been acknowledged, to some extent, by the international community. This paper scrutinises the EU's role and impact during the preparatory and inter-governmental talks leading to the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). A central question is the degree to which the EU influenced negotiations and their outcome; and how the international community received the EU's external action in this matter. Next to mapping the EU's substantive input shaping the process, the EU's internal machinery to formulate its position and the challenges faced within the bloc are also explored. The GCM process also illustrates the willingness of the international community – or the lack of it – to elevate European standards to the global level in the highly complex and politicised domain of migration.
Future Changes in the Great Plains Low‐Level Jet Governed by Seasonally Dependent Pattern Changes in the North Atlantic Subtropical High
Authors: Zhou Wenyu , Leung L. Ruby , Song Fengfei , Lu Jian 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis study investigates the response of the Great Plains low‐level jet (GPLLJ) to global warming based on ensemble projections of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 and 6. We show that the GPLLJ will intensify and extend northward in spring and autumn but change marginally in summer. This is governed by seasonally dependent pattern changes in the North Atlantic subtropical high (NASH), that are further linked to the poleward shift of the North America westerly jet (NAWJ). In spring and autumn, a substantial poleward NAWJ shift drives anomalous surface high poleward of the NASH and enhances the southerly GPLLJ to its west over the Central US. Among models, the NASH expansion and GPLLJ enhancement are correlated with the poleward NAWJ shift. In summer, the poleward NAWJ shift is weak and acts more northward. The NASH changes manifest a westward extension, which only affects the southerlies over the Gulf of Mexico.
Compositional Enhancement of Crustal Magnetization on Mars
Authors: AlHantoobi A. , Buz J. , O'Rourke J. G. , Langlais B. , Edwards C. S. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractMartian orbital and lander measurements revealed strong (∼1–2 orders of magnitude greater than Earth) crustal magnetic anomalies and the lack of an active detectable core dynamo. This strong crustal magnetization remains unexplained given that models of an ancient core dynamo on Mars predict surface field strengths comparable to modern Earth. We explored the relationship between Mars' crustal magnetization and its composition in multivariate space. We identified that 530 and 1,000 nm absorptions (from orbital spectrometers) have unique correlations with crustal magnetization in the Terra Sirenum‐Terra Cimmeria region and ∼13% of the variance of the magnetization can be attributed to these correlations. Because we do not expect the topmost material, detectable by the orbital spectrometers, to retain magnetization from an ancient core dynamo, we propose this material is compositionally similar to the bulk rock below it, which is more likely to retain magnetization. Therefore, the observed variance is a lower limit.