bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Eco-friendly foam biocomposites based on cellulose extracted from date palm leaves and low-density polyethylene
Authors: Maria Hanna J , Luyt Adriaan Stephanus , Popelka Anton , Nzihou Ange , Egorov Vladimir Valentinovich , Krupa Igor , Al-Ali Al-Maadeed Mariam A S , Thomas Sabu 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
The design of composite materials using environmentally compatible materials and adopting sustainable preparation techniques is very necessary for a better environment. The present study is a step towards developing an environmentally friendly alternative to foam-based composites. The aim of the study is to understand the effect of natural fibers from date palms on the property of foam biocomposites. We adopted an environmentally friendly method of compatibilization between the polymer and the fibers for better reinforcement. The compatibility was done by environmentally friendly physical modification using plasma treatment. Plasma treatment provides surface modification and is an economical solution for further processing. In fact, three types of interfaces have been created: (1) by the addition of maleic anhydride, (2) by the use of plasma-treated low-density polyethylene, (3) by the combination of maleic anhydride and plasma. The overall performance was best in the use of plasma treatment alone. The effect was carefully analyzed based on morphological, mechanical and thermal studies. Finally, a morphology–property correlation was established.
COVID 19: prioritise autonomy, beneficence and conversations before score-based triage
Authors: Ho Esther Peiying , Neo Han-Yee 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, mounting demand overwhelmed critical care surge capacities, triggering implementation of triage protocols to determine ventilator allocation. Relying on triage scores to ration care, while relieving clinicians from making morally distressing decisions under high situational pressure, distracts clinicians from what is essentially deeply humanistic issues entrenched in this protracted public health crisis. Such an approach will become increasingly untenable as countries flatten their epidemic curves. Decisions regarding intensive care unit admission are particularly challenging in older people, who are most likely to require critical care, but for whom benefits are most uncertain. Before applying score-based triage, physicians must first discern if older people will benefit from critical care (beneficence) and second, if he wants critical care (autonomy). When deliberating beneficence, physicians should steer away from solely using age-stratified survival probabilities from epidemiological data. Instead, decisions must be based on individualised risk-stratification that encompasses evidence-based predictors of adverse outcomes specific to older adults. Survival will also need to be weighed against burden of treatment, as well as longer term functional deficits and quality-of-life. By identifying the robust older people who may benefit from critical care, clinicians should proceed to elicit his values and preferences that would determine the treatment most aligned with his best interest. During these dialogues, physicians must truthfully convey the emergent clinical reality, discern the older person’s therapeutic goals and discuss the feasibility of achieving them. Given that COVID-19 is here to stay, these conversations aimed at achieving goal-cordant care must become a new clinical norm.
Management of patients admitted to hospital with acute vertebral fragility fractures: a modified Delphi study
Authors: Ong Terence , Sahota Opinder , Gladman John R F 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIntroductionAcute vertebral fragility fracture requiring hospital admission is common, painful and disabling. No comprehensive clinical guideline for their care exists. To support the development of such a guideline, we sought the views of experts in the field.MethodsA modified Delphi study was used. A total of 70 statements were presented, using an online platform, over three consensus-seeking rounds, to participants with experience in the hospital care of patients with acute vertebral fragility fractures from UK-based specialist societies. Participants rated the level of their agreement with each statement on a 5-point Likert scale. Consensus was defined at 70% of respondents choosing either agree/strongly agree or disagree/strong disagree. Over the first two rounds, statements not reaching consensus were modified in subsequent rounds, and new statements proposed by participants and agreed by the research team could be added.ResultsThere were 71 participants in the first round, 37 in the second round and 28 (most of whom were geriatricians) in the third round. Consensus was reached in 52 statements covering fracture diagnosis, second-line imaging, organisation of hospital care, pain management and falls and bone health assessment. Consensus was not achieved for whether vertebral fragility fractures should be managed in a specific clinical area.DiscussionThese findings provide the basis for the development of clinical guidelines and quality improvement initiatives. They also help to justify research into the merits of managing acute vertebral fragility fracture patients in a specific clinical area.
FunRes: resolving tissue-specific functional cell states based on a cell–cell communication network model
Authors: Jung Sascha , Singh Kartikeya , del Sol Antonio 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe functional specialization of cell types arises during development and is shaped by cell–cell communication networks determining a distribution of functional cell states that are collectively important for tissue functioning. However, the identification of these tissue-specific functional cell states remains challenging. Although a plethora of computational approaches have been successful in detecting cell types and subtypes, they fail in resolving tissue-specific functional cell states. To address this issue, we present FunRes, a computational method designed for the identification of functional cell states. FunRes relies on scRNA-seq data of a tissue to initially reconstruct the functional cell–cell communication network, which is leveraged for partitioning each cell type into functional cell states. We applied FunRes to 177 cell types in 10 different tissues and demonstrated that the detected states correspond to known functional cell states of various cell types, which cannot be recapitulated by existing computational tools. Finally, we characterize emerging and vanishing functional cell states in aging and disease, and demonstrate their involvement in key tissue functions. Thus, we believe that FunRes will be of great utility in the characterization of the functional landscape of cell types and the identification of dysfunctional cell states in aging and disease.
Group B Streptococcal Disease in England (1998 – 2017): A Population-based Observational Study
Authors: Kadambari Seilesh , Trotter Caroline L , Heath Paul T , Goldacre Michael J , Pollard Andrew J , Goldacre Raphael 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Background and Objectives
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in infants &lt;90 days. In this study, the burden of GBS disease and mortality in young infants in England was assessed.

Methods
Using linked hospitalization records from every National Health Service (NHS) hospital from April 1, 1998 to March 31, 2017, we calculated annual GBS incidence in infants aged &lt;90 days and, using regression models, compared their perinatal factors, rates of hospital-recorded disease outcomes, and all-cause infant mortality rates with those of the general infant population.

Results
15 429 infants aged &lt;90 days had a hospital-recorded diagnosis of GBS, giving an average annual incidence of 1.28 per 1000 live births (95% CI 1.26–1.30) with no significant trend over time. GBS-attributable mortality declined significantly from 0.044 (95% CI .029–.065) per 1000 live births in 2001 to 0.014 (95% CI .010–.026) in 2017 (annual percentage change −6.6, 95% CI −9.1 to −4.0). Infants with GBS had higher relative rates of visual impairment (HR 7.0 95% CI 4.1–12.1), cerebral palsy (HR 9.3 95% CI 6.6–13.3), hydrocephalus (HR 17.3 95% CI 13.8–21.6), and necrotizing enterocolitis (HR 18.8 95% CI 16.7–21.2) compared with those without GBS.

Conclusions
Annual rates of GBS disease in infants have not changed over 19 years. The reduction in mortality is likely multifactorial and due to widespread implementation of antibiotics in at-risk mothers and babies, as well as advances in managing acutely unwell infants. New methods for prevention, such as maternal vaccination, must be prioritized.
Assessing the Burden of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Among Healthcare Workers in Mexico City: A Data-Driven Call to Action
Authors: Antonio-Villa Neftali Eduardo , Bello-Chavolla Omar Yaxmehen , Vargas-Vázquez Arsenio , Fermín-Martínez Carlos A , Márquez-Salinas Alejandro , Pisanty-Alatorre Julio , Bahena-López Jessica Paola 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundHealthcare workers (HCWs) could be at increased occupational risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections due to increased exposure. Information regarding the burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in HCWs living in Mexico is scarce. Here, we aimed to explore the epidemiology, symptoms, and risk factors associated with adverse outcomes in HCWs in Mexico City.MethodsWe explored data collected by the National Epidemiological Surveillance System in Mexico City, in HCWs who underwent real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. We explored COVID-19 outcomes in HCWs and the performance of symptoms to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection.ResultsAs of 20 September 2020, 57 758 HCWs were tested for SARS-CoV-2 and 17 531 were confirmed (30.35%); 6610 were nurses (37.70%), 4910 physicians (28.0%), 267 dentists (1.52%), and 5744 laboratory personnel and other HCWs (32.76%). Overall, 2378 HCWs required hospitalization (4.12%), 2648 developed severe COVID-19 (4.58%), and 336 required mechanical-ventilatory support (.58%). Lethality was recorded in 472 (.82%) cases. We identified 635 asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections (3.62%). Compared with general population, HCWs had higher incidence, testing, asymptomatic cases, and mortality rates. No individual symptom offers adequate performance to detect SARS-CoV2. Older HCWs with chronic noncommunicable diseases and severe respiratory symptoms were associated with higher risk for adverse outcome; physicians were at higher risk compared with nurses and other HCWs.ConclusionsWe report a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs in Mexico City. Symptoms as a screening method are not efficient to discern those HCWs with a positive PCR-RT test. Particular attention should focus on HCWs with risk factors to prevent adverse outcomes.
Redox stratification within cryoconite granules influences the nitrogen cycle on glaciers
Authors: Segawa Takahiro , Takeuchi Nozomu , Mori Hiroshi , Rathnayake Rathnayake M L D , Li Zhongqin , Akiyoshi Ayumi , Satoh Hisashi , Ishii Satoshi 
Published: September 2020

ABSTRACT
Cryoconite granules are naturally occurring microbial structures on glacier surfaces worldwide. They play a key role in carbon and nitrogen cycling in glacier ecosystems and can accelerate the melting of snow and ice. However, detailed mechanism of nitrogen cycling in cryoconite granules remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that redox stratification affects the spatial distribution of N cycling processes in cryoconite granules. Based on microsensor measurements for O2, NH4+, NO2– and NO3–, we identified the presence of fine-scale redox stratification within cryoconite granules. Cyanobacteria at the surface layer of the granules created oxic conditions, whereas the inner core of the granules was anoxic. Metatranscriptomic analyses indicated the active occurrences of nitrification in the inner core, whereas denitrification actively occurred both in the inner core and the surface layer of the granules. Cyanobacteria in the inner core of the granules were inactive, and likely dead and being degraded, providing carbon and nitrogen to support nitrifiers and denitrifiers. Quantities of nitrification genes/transcripts were greater in large cryoconite granules than small ones, most likely because nitrogen substrates were more abundantly present in the inner core of large granules due to distinct redox stratification. Our results suggest that the development of a granular structure of cryoconite granules can largely affect carbon and nitrogen cycling on glaciers.
Elder Mediation Services Among Diverse Older Adult Communities in Australia: Practitioner Perspectives on Accessibility
Authors: Herro Annie , Lee Ka Yee , Withall Adrienne , Peisah Carmelle , Chappell Louise , Sinclair Craig 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Background and Objectives
Elder abuse is a complex problem, and barriers to reporting and help-seeking include shame and fear of loss of relationships with key family members. Elder mediation has been identified as one promising method of alternative dispute resolution. This study aimed to investigate the accessibility of elder mediation services among diverse groups of older adults, from the perspective of practitioners in a large Australian jurisdiction.

Research Design and Methods
The study employed a sequential mixed-methods approach, comprising a thematic analysis of semistructured interviews (N = 17) and an online survey of practitioners (N = 49) involved in referral to, or provision of, elder mediation services. Accessibility was conceptualized using existing theoretical frameworks, spanning practical (logistics-related), and normative (justice- and culture-related) dimensions.

Results
Factors limiting accessibility of elder mediation services included lack of community and practitioner awareness of elder abuse and elder mediation, discomfort with the mediation process, financial costs, lack of services in regional and remote areas, and complex service systems for older people. Within the mediation process, difficulties in assessing and accommodating cognitive and other impairments, managing power imbalances, and determining the appropriateness of the dispute for mediation were influential.

Discussion and Implications
This study showed that mediation can be a promising and effective approach to resolving disputes involving older people. The emergent perceptive dimension (community and practitioner awareness) emphasizes the importance of awareness-raising efforts surrounding both elder abuse and the potential of mediation as a viable pathway, the training of elder-mediators as well as resourcing elder mediation services, especially in rural and remote locations.
Hausdorff and Wasserstein metrics on graphs and other structured data
Authors: Patterson Evan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractOptimal transport is widely used in pure and applied mathematics to find probabilistic solutions to hard combinatorial matching problems. We extend the Wasserstein metric and other elements of optimal transport from the matching of sets to the matching of graphs and other structured data. This structure-preserving form of optimal transport relaxes the usual notion of homomorphism between structures. It applies to graphs—directed and undirected, labeled and unlabeled—and to any other structure that can be realized as a $\textsf{C}$-set for some finitely presented category $\textsf{C}$. We construct both Hausdorff-style and Wasserstein-style metrics on $\textsf{C}$-sets, and we show that the latter are convex relaxations of the former. Like the classical Wasserstein metric, the Wasserstein metric on $\textsf{C}$-sets is the value of a linear program and is therefore efficiently computable.
Oviposition Behavior and Development of Aster Leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) on Selected Host Plants From the Canadian Prairies
Authors: Romero Berenice , Olivier Chrystel , Wist Tyler , Prager Sean M 
Published: September 2020

AbstractSome plant pathogens are capable of manipulating their insect vectors and plant hosts in a way that disease transmission is enhanced. Aster leafhopper (Macrosteles quadrilineatus Forbes) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is the main vector of Aster Yellows Phytoplasma (Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris) in the Canadian Prairies, which causes Aster Yellows (AY) disease in over 300 plant species including cereals and oilseeds. However, little is known about the host range of Aster leafhoppers or their host-choice selection behavior in this geographical region. Several crop and noncrop species commonly found in the Canadian Prairies were evaluated as food and reproductive hosts for Aster leafhoppers through no-choice bioassays. To study possible effects of pathogen infection, AY-uninfected and AY-infected insects were used. Cereals and some noncrops like fleabane were suitable reproductive hosts for Aster leafhoppers, with numbers of offspring observed in treatments using both AY-uninfected and AY-infected insects, suggesting an egg-laying preference on these plant species. Development was similar across the different plant species, except for canola and sowthistle, where growth indexes were lower. Sex-ratios of Aster leafhopper adults did not differ among the plant species or with respect to AY infection. Potential fecundity differed across plant species and was affected by the infection status of the insect. These findings have implications for AY epidemiology and suggest that while cereals can be suitable host plants for Aster leafhopper oviposition and development, some noncrop species could act as alternate hosts for leafhoppers that migrate into the Canadian Prairies before emergence of cereal and canola crops.
The Impact of Artificial Sweeteners on Insects
Authors: Lee Shao-Hung , Choe Dong-Hwan , Lee Chow-Yang 
Published: September 2020

AbstractArtificial sweeteners are sweet-tasting additives found in consumable products as substitutes for naturally occurring sugars. They are derived from plant extracts or manufactured by chemical synthesis. Ingestion of sweeteners by insects can lead to significant physiological effects, such as mortality, decreased fecundity, and behavioral change. Due to their low toxicity toward humans and the issues associated with conventional insecticide usage, artificial sweeteners have recently gained attention for their potential use as biorational insecticides. Here, we review their impact on insects and potential as novel insecticides.
Associations Between Peer Use, Costs and Benefits, Self-Efficacy, and Adolescent E-cigarette Use
Authors: Durkin Kristine , Williford Desireé N , Turiano Nicholas A , Blank Melissa D , Enlow Paul T , Murray Pamela J , Banvard-Fox Christine , Duncan Christina L 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Objective
Prior research identified peer use as a salient risk factor of adolescent electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, but has not expanded on the mechanisms of this association.

Methods
Participants were 562 adolescents recruited from rural and suburban public high schools and an adolescent medicine clinic in the mid-Atlantic United States. Participants completed a packet of questionnaires that assessed demographics, substance use, expectations about the consequences of e-cigarette use, and perceptions of their own self-efficacy to resist using e-cigarettes. We estimated a series of mediation models using the MODEL INDIRECT command in MPLUS statistical software. In all models, significance of indirect effects from peer e-cigarette use to self-reported e-cigarette use were tested via two variables: (a) expected costs, (b) benefits of e-cigarette use, and (c) the perceived self-efficacy of the individual to refrain from e-cigarette use.

Results
Adolescents with more peers using e-cigarettes were more likely to have ever used an e-cigarette and perceived greater benefits and fewer costs, which was associated with a reduced self-efficacy to refrain from e-cigarette smoking (Model 1). Those with more peers using e-cigarettes were more likely to be currently using e-cigarettes themselves because they perceived greater benefits and fewer costs, which was associated with a reduced self-efficacy to refrain from e-cigarette smoking (Model 2).

Conclusion
Peer use, self-efficacy to resist use, and expectations of cost and benefits of e-cigarette use should be considered as possible targets when devising tailored interventions and policies to prevent or reduce negative health consequences of long-term e-cigarette use.
Intrinsic DNA topology as a prioritization metric in genomic fine-mapping studies
Authors: Ainsworth Hannah C , Howard Timothy D , Langefeld Carl D 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIn genomic fine-mapping studies, some approaches leverage annotation data to prioritize likely functional polymorphisms. However, existing annotation resources can present challenges as many lack information for novel variants and/or may be uninformative for non-coding regions. We propose a novel annotation source, sequence-dependent DNA topology, as a prioritization metric for fine-mapping. DNA topology and function are well-intertwined, and as an intrinsic DNA property, it is readily applicable to any genomic region. Here, we constructed and applied Minor Groove Width (MGW) as a prioritization metric. Using an established MGW-prediction method, we generated a MGW census for 199 038 197 SNPs across the human genome. Summarizing a SNP’s change in MGW (ΔMGW) as a Euclidean distance, ΔMGW exhibited a strongly right-skewed distribution, highlighting the infrequency of SNPs that generate dissimilar shape profiles. We hypothesized that phenotypically-associated SNPs can be prioritized by ΔMGW. We tested this hypothesis in 116 regions analyzed by a Massively Parallel Reporter Assay and observed enrichment of large ΔMGW for functional polymorphisms (P = 0.0007). To illustrate application in fine-mapping studies, we applied our MGW-prioritization approach to three non-coding regions associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. Together, this study presents the first usage of sequence-dependent DNA topology as a prioritization metric in genomic association studies.
signatureSearch: environment for gene expression signature searching and functional interpretation
Authors: Duan Yuzhu , Evans Daniel S , Miller Richard A , Schork Nicholas J , Cummings Steven R , Girke Thomas 
Published: September 2020

AbstractsignatureSearch is an R/Bioconductor package that integrates a suite of existing and novel algorithms into an analysis environment for gene expression signature (GES) searching combined with functional enrichment analysis (FEA) and visualization methods to facilitate the interpretation of the search results. In a typical GES search (GESS), a query GES is searched against a database of GESs obtained from large numbers of measurements, such as different genetic backgrounds, disease states and drug perturbations. Database matches sharing correlated signatures with the query indicate related cellular responses frequently governed by connected mechanisms, such as drugs mimicking the expression responses of a disease. To identify which processes are predominantly modulated in the GESS results, we developed specialized FEA methods combined with drug-target network visualization tools. The provided analysis tools are useful for studying the effects of genetic, chemical and environmental perturbations on biological systems, as well as searching single cell GES databases to identify novel network connections or cell types. The signatureSearch software is unique in that it provides access to an integrated environment for GESS/FEA routines that includes several novel search and enrichment methods, efficient data structures, and access to pre-built GES databases, and allowing users to work with custom databases.