bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus among pregnant women in Nigeria
Authors: Ozim C , Mahendran R , Amalan M , Puthussery S 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Background
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection among pregnant women has been associated with a number of adverse maternal and infant outcomes. Nigeria accounts for about 10% of the HIV/AIDS burden worldwide and has the second highest incidence of new HIV infections among women globally. This study estimated the overall prevalence of HIV among pregnant women in Nigeria and examined variations across the geo-political zones of the country.

Methods
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. A comprehensive search was conducted using eight electronic databases and grey sources for studies published from 1·1·2008 to 31·8·2019. Primary studies reporting prevalence estimates of HIV among pregnant women diagnosed using a diagnostic/ screening test were identified, screened and appraised using a two-stage process. A meta-analysis was conducted with the primary outcome measure as proportion (%) of pregnant women identified as having HIV infection.

Results
Twenty three eligible studies involving 72,728 pregnant women were included in the meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of HIV among pregnant women was 7·22% (95% CI: 5·64, 9·21). A high degree of heterogeneity (I2=97·2%) and publication bias (p = 0.728) was reported. Prevalence rate for South-East geo-political zone (17·04%, 95% CI: 9·01, 29·86) was higher compared to the overall prevalence.

Conclusions
Findings imply that 7 out of every 100 pregnant women in Nigeria are likely to have HIV infection. The magnitude of the issue highlight the need for targeted efforts at local, national and international levels towards prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Key messages
HIV infection among pregnant women is a major public health issue in Nigeria. Targeted efforts are needed at local, national and international levels towards prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Aging Influences the Metabolic and Inflammatory Phenotype in an Experimental Mouse Model of Acute Lung Injury
Authors: Gibbs Kevin W , Chuang Key Chia-Chi , Belfield Lanazha , Krall Jennifer , Purcell Lina , Liu Chun , Files D Clark 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Increased age is a risk factor for poor outcomes from respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In this study, we sought to define age-related differences in lung inflammation, muscle injury, and metabolism after intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (IT-LPS) acute lung injury (ALI) in adult (6 months) and aged (18–20 months) male C57BL/6 mice. We also investigated age-related changes in muscle fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and the consequences of systemic FAO inhibition with the drug etomoxir. Aged mice had a distinct lung injury course characterized by prolonged alveolar neutrophilia and lack of response to therapeutic exercise. To assess the metabolic consequences of ALI, aged and adult mice underwent whole body metabolic phenotyping before and after IT-LPS. Aged mice had prolonged anorexia and decreased respiratory exchange ratio, indicating increased reliance on FAO. Etomoxir increased mortality in aged but not adult ALI mice, confirming the importance of FAO on survival from acute severe stress and suggesting that adult mice have increased resilience to FAO inhibition. Skeletal muscles from aged ALI mice had increased transcription of key fatty acid metabolizing enzymes, CPT-1b, LCAD, MCAD, FATP1 and UCP3. Additionally, aged mice had increased protein levels of CPT-1b at baseline and after lung injury. Surprisingly, CPT-1b in isolated skeletal muscle mitochondria had decreased activity in aged mice compared to adults. The distinct phenotype of aged ALI mice has similar characteristics to the adverse age-related outcomes of ARDS. This model may be useful to examine and augment immunologic and metabolic abnormalities unique to the critically ill aged population.
The calm after the storm: re-starting ART treatments safely in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors:   The ESHRE COVID-19 Working Group, Gianaroli Luca , Ata Baris , Lundin Kersti , Rautakallio-Hokkanen Satu , Tapanainen Juha S , Vermeulen Nathalie , Veiga Anna , Mocanu Edgar 
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created a significant impact on medically assisted reproduction (MAR) services. ESHRE decided to mobilize resources in order to collect, analyse, monitor, prepare and disseminate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) knowledge specifically related to ART and early pregnancy. This article presents the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic focusing on reproductive healthcare. It details the rationale behind the guidance prepared to support MAR services in organizing and managing the re-start of treatments or in case of any future wave of COVID-19 disease. The guidance includes information on patient selection and informed consent, staff and patient triage and testing, adaptation of ART services, treatment planning and code of conduct. The initiatives detailed in this article are not necessarily COVID-specific and such action plans could be applied effectively to manage similar emergency situations in different areas of medicine, in the future.
Militarized masculinity and the paradox of restraint: mechanisms of social control under modern authoritarianism
Authors: Tapscott Rebecca 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
The twenty-first century is marked by the rise of new forms of authoritarianism, many of which are characterized by the ‘paradox of restraint’, in which reforms compliant with the rule of law are used to unshackle the ruler's arbitrary power. Despite a proliferation of scholarly studies on this topic, we still have limited understanding of how national-level authoritarian power reaches ordinary citizens in these contexts. This article identifies the performance of militarized masculinities as an understudied mechanism that does so. It offers two main contributions: first, it highlights how performances of militarized masculinities enact the paradox of restraint through gendered idioms, thereby magnifying the ambiguities of modern authoritarianism and diffusing them at a local level. Second, it recasts the conceptual utility of militarized masculinities, showing that the concept's inherent tensions between ordered discipline and unaccountable violence produce and project authoritarian power, giving militarized masculinities special potency as a mode of social discipline in these contexts. The article draws on feminist International Relations, employing grounded ethnographic research to illustrate how national-level power circulates locally. To do so, it first illustrates the relationship between the paradox of restraint and militarized masculinities using the cases of Putin's Russia and Duterte's Philippines. It then turns to an in-depth case study of a local dispute between soldiers and civilians in Museveni's Uganda to trace how gendered local encounters facilitate the transmission of national-level authoritarian power into the lives of ordinary people.
The 2020 oil price dive in a carbon-constrained era: strategies for energy exporters in central Asia
Authors: Skalamera Morena 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
The quick rise of commercially viable renewable energy worldwide presents encouraging opportunities for sustainable growth, but it also portends new risks. Hydrocarbon-producing nations of Eurasia have typically strongly relied on geographic proximity to their most lucrative export market: Europe. Yet the revolutionary nature of Europe's ‘Green Deal’ means that their position is under threat. While the demand-side ramifications of the global low-carbon transition are widely discussed, little consideration has been given to the inevitable implications for hydrocarbons producers, particularly in the less-studied central Asian region. This article draws attention to the interconnections between hydrocarbon rents, regime stability and new foreign policy strategies in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the wake of the global shift away from oil to renewable energy. By so doing, it systematically examines what implications the energy transition has on crucial petrostates in central Asia, and what this, in turn, means for international stability.
Automatic fish measurement using a camera and a 3D sensor applied to a long-term experiment
Authors: Silva César Santos , Aires Ricardo , Rodrigues Flávio 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
The fish monitoring effort has been increasing over the past years, due to conservation and management requests demanding more accurate data and consequently raising costs. This is an important challenge especially for remote and disperse locations where fish sampling poses unbearable costs, leading to limited spatial sampling schemes, limited data on rare and occasional landed species, and erroneous and biased observations. In this article, we propose a new autonomous system that can be installed on monitoring spots or on board fishing vessels, which is able to remotely acquire all the landed or captured fish and measure it automatically without any physical interaction. The system uses (i) a camera and a 3D sensor to obtain a complete XYZ reading of the fish and (ii) a convolutional neural network, trained for a representative set of species to detect and measure the individuals visible in a box. The system was validated in real conditions, using continuous observations of the landed fish in three islands of the Azores Archipelago, for 2 years. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the measuring system and an analysis of the sampled data, by comparing the results of the proposed method with the traditional sampling methodology for a given period.
Individual growth profiling improves growth modelling in the geoduck clam Panopea generosa
Authors: Hidalgo-de-la-Toba José Angel , Vadopalas Brent , Lluch-Cota Daniel Bernardo , Morales-Bojórquez Enrique , Bautista-Romero J Jesús , González-Peláez Sergio Scarry 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Contemporary modelling of growth based on shell-length to terminal age (SLTA) in long-lived clams is subject to inaccuracies as a consequence of low representation of early age classes in population samplings. To increase early age representation and improve growth modelling, we implemented an approach that used individual growth profile (IGP) data recorded in shells of the Pacific geoduck (Panopea generosa). We compared IGP against SLTA and a combination of both IGP + SLTA data through a multi-model approach for the southernmost known P. generosa population. The most parsimonious model for both IGP and IGP + SLTA data sets was the Schnute model, with L∞ = 127.9 and 122.5 mm, respectively, with the asymptotic phase attained at ∼15 years. For SLTA data alone, the most parsimonious was the Johnson model, with L∞ = 161.6 mm reaching the asymptotic phase at &gt;25 years. In terms of performance, the IGP and IGP + SLTA data sets informed individual growth models with stronger relationships (r2 &gt; 0.9) and higher modelling efficiency (ME &gt; 0.9) than those fitted to SLTA alone (r2 = 0.51; ME = 0.51). The results demonstrate that IGP yields reliable information from relatively few organisms, improves the biological knowledge of the population, and increases the accuracy of parameter estimates for better fishery management.
Inferior outcomes following cardiac surgery in patients with a functioning renal allograft
Authors: Fazmin Ibrahim T , Rafiq Muhammad U , Nashef Samer , Ali Jason M 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Renal transplantation is an effective treatment for end-stage renal failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes for these patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

METHODS
A retrospective analysis identified patients with a functioning renal allograft at the time of surgery. A 2:1 propensity matching was performed. Patients were matched on: age, sex, left ventricle function, body mass index, preoperative creatinine, operation priority, operation category and logistic EuroSCORE.

RESULTS
Thirty-eight patients undergoing surgery with a functioning renal allograft were identified. The mean age was 62.4 years and 66% were male. A total of 44.7% underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and 26.3% underwent a single valve procedure. The mean logistic EuroSCORE was 10.65. The control population of 76 patients was well matched. Patients undergoing surgery following renal transplantation had a prolonged length of intensive care unit (3.19 vs 1.02 days, P &lt; 0.001) and hospital stay (10.3 vs 7.17 days, P = 0.05). There was a higher in-hospital mortality (15.8% vs 1.3%, P = 0.0027). Longer-term survival on Kaplan–Meier analysis was also inferior (P &lt; 0.001). One-year survival was 78.9% vs 96.1% and 5-year survival was 63.2% vs 90.8%. A further subpopulation of 11 patients with a failed renal allograft was identified and excluded from the main analysis; we report demographic and outcome data for them.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with a functioning renal allograft are at higher risk of perioperative mortality and inferior long-term survival following cardiac surgery. Patients in this population should be appropriately informed at the time of consent and should be managed cautiously in the perioperative period with the aim of reducing morbidity and mortality.
Adjuvant chemotherapy as a risk factor for chronic postoperative pain after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a 10-year single-centre retrospective study
Authors: Yoon Susie , Hong Won-Pyo , Joo Hyundeok , Jang Dongyeon , Park Samina , Lee Ho-Jin 
Published: October 2020

AbstractOBJECTIVESThe association between adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) and chronic postoperative pain (CPP) after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lung cancer resection has not yet been reported. We, therefore, investigated the association between AC and the long-term incidence of CPP after VATS.METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed 3015 consecutive patients who underwent VATS for lung cancer between 2007 and 2016. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those who received (AC group) and those who did not receive (non-AC group) AC within 3 months after VATS. Propensity score analysis was performed to adjust for baseline differences between the 2 groups. The cumulative incidence of CPP at the intervals of 3 months, over 36 months, was compared before and after matching. A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to investigate the predictors of CPP after VATS.RESULTSWe included and assessed 2222 patients in this study. Of these, 320 patients (14.4%) received AC within 3 months post-VATS. The cumulative incidence of CPP during 36 months post-surgery was significantly higher in the AC group than in the non-AC group, before and after matching (log-rank test; P = 0.002 and 0.027, respectively). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis also showed that AC was a significant risk factor for CPP (hazard ratio 1.62, 95% confidence interval 1.16–2.28; P = 0.005).CONCLUSIONSOur results indicate that AC is an important risk factor for CPP after VATS. Further understanding of the risk factors for CPP may facilitate its prediction and treatment.
Mid-term outcomes of coronary endarterectomy combined with coronary artery bypass grafting
Authors: Tiemuerniyazi Xieraili , Yan Hua , Song Yangwu , Nan Yifeng , Xu Fei , Feng Wei 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to evaluate the mid-term outcome of coronary endarterectomy (CE) combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and explore the potential risk factors for adverse events.

METHODS
A total of 208 consecutive patients underwent CE between 2008 and 2018 in our centre, of which 198 were included in this retrospective cohort study. The primary end point was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs). Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to evaluate event-free survival, whereas subgroup analysis and Cox regression were used to explore risk factors for the outcomes.

RESULTS
The median follow-up time was 34.7 months. CE + CABG was performed mainly on the left anterior descending artery (42.3%) or right coronary artery (42.3%). Both operative mortality and incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction were 1.5%. The overall survival at 3 and 5 years was 98.0% and 95.9%, whereas the MACCE-free survival was 93.7% and 89.4%, respectively. No significant difference in the incidence of MACCE was observed between on-pump and off-pump CE (P = 0.256) or between left anterior descending artery and non-left anterior descending artery endarterectomy (P = 0.540). Advanced age (&gt;65 years) was associated with a higher risk of MACCE both in univariate [hazard ratio (HR) 3.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37–9.62; P = 0.010] and multivariate analysis (HR 3.59, 95% CI 1.32–9.77; P = 0.013).

CONCLUSIONS
When performed by experienced surgeons, CE + CABG could be an acceptable approach to achieve complete revascularization of diffusely diseased coronary arteries with satisfactory outcomes, although advanced age might increase the risk of MACCE.
Reimbursement policy in a healthcare system with priorities: fee for priority versus bundled priority
Authors: Wang Zhongbin , Wang Jinting 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
This paper studies a healthcare system under two priority charging schemes. The first is a fee-for-priority (FFP) scheme under which the patients can choose to buy the priorities or not at their admission or readmission to the healthcare provider (HCP). The second is a bundled priority (BP) scheme under which the HCP receives a lump sum priority payment from patients for the entire episode of priority visits (regardless of the number of readmissions). Under both schemes, a certain proportion of revenue of the HCP (the reimbursement) is used to improve the service quality for patients. A two-stage Stackelberg game is established that captures the non-cooperative interactions between the HCP and patients, where the HCP is the leader who sets a price of priority and patients are the followers who decide whether to buy the priorities or not. We first characterize the Pareto-dominant equilibrium strategy of patients under the FFP and BP schemes, and we find that the total cost (including delay disutility and priority fee) of patients can be reduced if the patient pool is large. Although patients' minimum cost, including waiting cost and priority payment, is obtained under both the FFP and BP schemes, the prices are more flexible under the former than the latter. Finally, we demonstrate that implementing the FFP scheme can induce higher social welfare than the BP scheme.
Reducing the near boundary errors of nonhomogeneous heat equations by boundary consistent methods
Authors: Liu Chein-Shan , Chang Chih-Wen 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
In the paper, we point out a drawback of the Fourier sine series method to represent a given odd function, where the boundary Gibbs phenomena would occur when the boundary values of the function are non-zero. We modify the Fourier sine series method by considering the consistent conditions on the boundaries, which can improve the accuracy near the boundaries. The modifications are extended to the Fourier cosine series and the Fourier series. Then, novel boundary consistent methods are developed to solve the 1D and 2D heat equations. Numerical examples confirm the accuracy of the boundary consistent methods, accounting for the non-zeros of the source terms and considering the consistency of heat equations on the boundaries, which can not only overcome the near boundary errors but also improve the accuracy of solution about four orders in the entire domain, upon comparing to the conventional Fourier sine series method and Duhamel’s principle.
On the Optimal Volume Upper Bound for Kähler Manifolds with Positive Ricci Curvature (with an Appendix by Yuchen Liu)
Authors: Zhang Kewei 
Published: October 2020

AbstractUsing $\delta $-invariants and Newton–Okounkov bodies, we derive the optimal volume upper bound for Kähler manifolds with positive Ricci curvature, from which we get a new characterization of the complex projective space.
An explainable machine learning platform for pyrazinamide resistance prediction and genetic feature identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Zhang Andrew , Teng Ling , Alterovitz Gil 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Objective
Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. The emergence of antimicrobial resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains makes the problem more severe. Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an important component for short-course treatment regimens and first- and second-line treatment regimens. This research aims for fast diagnosis of M. tuberculosis resistance to PZA and identification of genetic features causing resistance.

Materials and Methods
We use clinically collected genomic data of M. tuberculosis that are resistant or susceptible to PZA. A machine learning platform is built to diagnose PZA resistance using the whole genome sequence data, and to identify resistance genes and mutations. The platform consists of a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) model for resistance diagnosis and a support vector machine (SVM) model as a surrogate to identify resistance genes and mutations.

Results
The DCNN model achieves a PZA resistance diagnosis accuracy of 93%. Each prediction takes less than a second. The SVM has revealed 2 novel genes, embB and gyrA, besides the well-known pncA gene, and 9 mutations that harbor PZA resistance.

Discussion
The DCNN and SVM machine learning platform, if used together with the real-time genome sequencing machines, could allow for rapid PZA diagnosis, allowing for critical time to ensure good patient outcomes, and preventing outbreaks of deadly infections. Furthermore, identifying pertinent resistance genes and mutations will help researchers better understand the biological mechanisms behind resistance.

Conclusions
Machine learning can be used to achieve high-accuracy resistance prediction, and identify genes and mutations causing the resistance.
Large Differences in Urinary Benzene Metabolite S-Phenylmercapturic Acid Quantitation: A Comparison of Five LC–MS-MS Methods
Authors: Tevis Denise S , Willmore Andrew , Bhandari Deepak , Bowman Brett , Biren Chloe , Kenwood Brandon M , Jacob Peyton , Liu Jia , Bello Kristina , Hecht Stephen S , Carmella Steven G , Chen Menglan , Gaudreau Eric , Bienvenu Jean-François , Blount Benjamin C , De Jesús Víctor R 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Benzene is a known genotoxic carcinogen linked to many hematological abnormalities. S-phenylmercapturic acid (PHMA, N-acetyl-S-(phenyl)-L-cysteine, CAS# 4775-80-8) is a urinary metabolite of benzene and is used as a biomarker to assess benzene exposure. Pre-S-phenylmercapturic acid (pre-PHMA) is a PHMA precursor that dehydrates to PHMA at acidic pH. Published analytical methods that measure urinary PHMA adjust urine samples to a wide range of pH values using several types of acid, potentially leading to highly variable results depending on the concentration of pre-PHMA in a sample. Information is lacking on the variation in sample preparation among laboratories regularly measuring PHMA and the effect of those differences on PHMA quantitation in human urine samples. To investigate the differences in PHMA quantitation, we conducted an inter-laboratory comparison that included the analysis of 50 anonymous human urine samples (25 self-identified smokers and 25 self-identified non-smokers), quality control samples and commercially available reference samples in five laboratories using different analytical methods. Observed urinary PHMA concentrations were proportionally higher at lower pH, and results for anonymous urine samples varied widely among the methods. The method with the neutral preparation pH yielded results about 60% lower than the method using the most acidic conditions. Samples spiked with PHMA showed little variation, suggesting that the variability in results in human urine samples across methods is driven by the acid-mediated conversion of pre-PHMA to PHMA.