bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of integrated Aedes albopictus management in southern Switzerland
Authors: Ravasi Damiana , Parrondo Monton Diego , Tanadini Matteo , Flacio Eleonora 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Background
The exotic invasive tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, appeared in southern Switzerland in 2003. The spread of the mosquito has been surveyed constantly since then, and an integrated vector management (IVM) has been implemented to control its numbers. The control measures focus on the aquatic phase of the mosquito with removal of breeding sites and applications of larvicides in public areas whereas private areas are reached through extensive public information campaigns. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of the IVM.

Methods
Since all the municipalities with Ae. albopictus in southern Switzerland are currently implementing the IVM, Italian municipalities just across the Swiss-Italian border, where Ae. albopictus is present but no coordinated intervention programme is in place, served as control. Ovitraps and adult female traps were used to measure mosquito abundance in 2019. Generalised mixed-effects models were used to model the numbers of Ae. albopictus eggs and adult females collected. These numbers of Ae. albopictus eggs were compared to the numbers of eggs collected in 2012 and 2013 in a previous assessment of the IVM, using a hurdle model.

Results
Mean numbers of Ae. albopictus eggs and adult females in 2019 were consistently higher in the municipalities not following an IVM programme. In these municipalities, there were about four times (3.8) more eggs than in the municipalities implementing an IVM programme. Also, the numbers of eggs and adult females increased steadily from the beginning of the Ae. albopictus reproductive season, reaching a peak in August. In contrast, the increase in numbers of Ae. albopictus was much more contained in the municipalities implementing an IVM programme, without reaching an evident peak. Comparison with data from 2012 and 2013 indicates that the gap between intervention and non-intervention areas may have almost doubled in the past 6 years.

Conclusions
The results of the survey strongly support the efficacy of the IVM programme implemented in southern Switzerland compared to municipalities without defined control measures. With the constant implementation of an IVM, it appears possible to contain the numbers of Ae. albopictus at a manageable level, reducing the nuisance for the human population and the risk of arbovirus epidemics.

Graphical Abstract
Evaluation of two Plasmodium vivax sexual stage antigens as transmission-blocking vaccine candidates
Authors: Zhang Yongzhe , Liu Fei , Zhao Yan , Yang Fan , Bai Jie , Jia Xitong , Roobsoong Wanlapa , Sattabongkot Jetsumon , Cui Liwang , Cao Yaming , Luo Enjie , Wang Meilian 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Background
Plasmodium vivax transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs) are receiving increasing attention. Based on excellent transmission-blocking activities of the PbPH (PBANKA_0417200) and PbSOP26 (PBANKA_1457700) antigens in Plasmodium berghei, their orthologs in P. vivax, PVX_098655 (PvPH) and PVX_101120 (PvSOP26), were selected for the evaluation of their potential as TBVs.

Methods
Fragments of PvPH (amino acids 22–304) and PvSOP26 (amino acids 30–272) were expressed in the yeast expression system. The recombinant proteins were used to immunize mice to obtain antisera. The transmission-reducing activities of these antisera were evaluated using the direct membrane feeding assay (DMFA) using Anopheles dirus mosquitoes and P. vivax clinical isolates.

Results
The recombinant proteins PvPH and PvSOP26 induced robust antibody responses in mice. The DMFA showed that the anti-PvSOP26 sera significantly reduced oocyst densities by 92.0 and 84.1% in two parasite isolates, respectively, whereas the anti-PvPH sera did not show evident transmission-reducing activity. The variation in the DMFA results was unlikely due to the genetic polymorphisms of the two genes since their respective sequences were identical in the clinical P. vivax isolates.

Conclusion
PvSOP26 could be a promising TBV candidate for P. vivax, which warrants further evaluation.

Graphical Abstract
Aeromonas species obtained from different farmed aquatic species in India and Taiwan show high phenotypic relatedness despite species diversity
Authors: Dubey Saurabh , Maiti Biswajit , Girisha Shivani Kallappa , Das Rakesh , Lamkhannat Mustapha , Mutoloki Stephen , Chen Shih-Chu , Karunasagar Indrani , Evensen Øystein , Munang´andu Hetron M. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Objectives
Aeromonads cause severe diseases in farmed aquatic organisms. Herein, we examined 28 isolates causing disease in farmed aquatic organisms from India (n = 24) and Taiwan (n = 4) to gain insight of their genotypic and phenotypic properties.

Results
API 20NE biochemical phenotyping showed ≥ 90% similarity classifying all isolates as Aeromonas hydrophila. 16S rRNA genotyping showed ≥ 98% homology among all isolates with A. sobria (NR119044.1ATCC), A. veronii (MK990549.1), A. caviae (NR029252.1) and A. hydrophila (MG984625.1ATCC) and other reference strains. In contrast, gyrB showed a higher intraspecies diversity (≥ 96%) than 16S rRNA delineating the 28 isolates into three groups. Group-I consisted of seven Indian isolates clustered with A. sobria (MK484163.1ATCC), group-II comprised of five Indian and two Taiwanese isolates clustered with A. veronii AF417626.1ATCC while group-III had 11 Indian and three Taiwanese isolates grouped with A. hydrophila (AY987520.1 and DQ519366.1) reference strains. None of our isolates clustered with A. caviae (AJ868400.1ATCC) reference strain. These findings suggest that A. sobria, A. veronii and A. hydrophila could be the etiological agents of diseases observed in farmed fish and soft-shelled turtles (Pelodiscus sinensis) examined in this study. Overall, our findings accentuate the importance of combining phenotyping with genotyping for correct taxonomic classification of Aeromonas spp. in Aquaculture.
Monitoring bond-slip behavior of CFRP-RCESC beams using piezoelectric active sensing method
Authors: Jiang Tianyong , Yu Donghai , Xiao Min , Li Lingyun , Wang Lei 
Published: August 2021

AbstractCombination of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) tendon and reinforced concrete encased steel composite (RCESC) beam can improve the workability and the energy dissipation capacity of members. In this paper, three RCESC beams reinforced with steel bars or CFRP bars were designed and fabricated to study the bond-slip behavior between I-shaped steel and CFRP reinforced concrete and the damage states between bond-slip interfaces of the beams. The lead zirconate titanate (PZT) patch as stress wave actuator, the smart aggregates (SAs) were installed in concrete as the sensors to collect the stress wave signal. A method based on piezoelectric active sensing was developed to monitor the bond-slip damage of CFRP-RCESC beam. The changes of responding signals were characterized in time- and frequency- domains. The characteristic information of bond-slip damage was further quantified by wavelet packet energy. Results show the bond-slip resistance of the CFRP-RCESC beams can be improved by increasing reinforcement ratio and elastic modulus of the main bars. The bond-slip damage process of the specimens can be effectively monitored by the active sensing method.
Development of public stigma toward people with mental health problems in Czechia 2013–2019
Authors: Winkler Petr , Formánek Tomáš , Mladá Karolína , Evans Lacko Sara 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Background
We aimed to assess the changes in public stigma towards people with mental health problems in Czechia; and to investigate the association between these and the exposure to the ongoing mental health care reform and one of its implementation projects focused on reducing stigma.

Methods
We analyzed data from three cross-sectional surveys representative of the Czech adult population. We used linear regression models to compare population attitudes and desire for future contact with people with mental health problems between the 2013/2014 baseline and the 2019 follow-up. In our 2019 sample, we employed linear regression models to assess the relationship between exposure to mental health care reform and nation-wide anti-stigma campaign, and population stigmatizing attitudes and intended behavior. We utilized a propensity score matching procedure to mitigate potential bias.

Results
The 2013, 2014, and 2019 datasets consisted of 1797, 1810, and 1077 participants, respectively. Population attitudes improved significantly between 2014 and 2019 (B = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.06; 1.93), but we did not detect a change in population desire for future contact with people with mental health problems. Exposure to the nationwide anti-stigma campaign or mental health care reform was associated with more favorable attitudes (B = 4.25, 95% CI = 2.07; 6.42 and B = 7.66, 95% CI = 3.91; 11.42), but not with higher desire for future contact with people with mental health problems.

Conclusions
Mental health care reform and its nation-wide anti-stigma project seems to have a positive impact on population attitudes, but not on desire for future contact with people with mental health problems.
Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Peptide-Modified Nanoparticles with Engineered Physicochemical Properties in a Mouse Model of Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Waggoner Lauren E. , Madias Marianne I. , Hurtado Alan A. , Kwon Ester J. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractPeptides are used to control the pharmacokinetic profiles of nanoparticles due to their ability to influence tissue accumulation and cellular interactions. However, beyond the study of specific peptides, there is a lack of understanding of how peptide physicochemical properties affect nanoparticle pharmacokinetics, particularly in the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI). We engineered nanoparticle surfaces with peptides that possess a range of physicochemical properties and evaluated their distribution after two routes of administration: direct injection into a healthy mouse brain and systemic delivery in a mouse model of TBI. In both administration routes, we found that peptide-modified nanoparticle pharmacokinetics were influenced by the charge characteristics of the peptide. When peptide-modified nanoparticles are delivered directly into the brain, nanoparticles modified with positively charged peptides displayed restricted distribution from the injection site compared to nanoparticles modified with neutral, zwitterionic, or negatively charged peptides. After intravenous administration in a TBI mouse model, positively charged peptide-modified nanoparticles accumulated more in off-target organs, including the heart, lung, and kidneys, than zwitterionic, neutral, or negatively charged peptide-modified nanoparticles. The increase in off-target organ accumulation of positively charged peptide-modified nanoparticles was concomitant with a relative decrease in accumulation in the injured brain compared to zwitterionic, neutral, or negatively charged peptide-modified nanoparticles. Understanding how nanoparticle pharmacokinetics are influenced by the physicochemical properties of peptides presented on the nanoparticle surface is relevant to the development of nanoparticle-based TBI therapeutics and broadly applicable to nanotherapeutic design, including synthetic nanoparticles and viruses.
Graphical abstract
Enablers of gender equitable scientific career progression in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from the DELTAS Africa Initiative
Authors: Liani Millicent L. , Nyamongo Isaac K. , Pulford Justin , Tolhurst Rachel 
Published: August 2021

Background: This paper present findings on current strategies utilised within selected Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science in Africa’ (DELTAS Africa) consortia to promote gender equitable scientific career progression for researchers, as well as participants’ recommendations for change. Findings are drawn from a wider research study nested within this health-based scientific research capacity strengthening initiative that was aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of the barriers and enablers of gender equitable scientific career progression for researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We adopted an exploratory qualitative cross-sectional study design. The main method of data collection was in-depth interviews (IDIs) with trainees/research fellows at various career stages affiliated to three purposively selected DELTAS Africa Research Consortia. In addition, key informant interviews (KIIs) with consortia research leaders/directors, co-investigators, and management team were also conducted to corroborate information gathered from the IDIs, and to provide additional insights on the enabling factors/actions and policy processes that were currently in place or proposed to enhance gender equitable career progression. In total, fifty-eight IDIs (32 female and 26 male) and twenty KIIs (4 female and 16 male) were conducted. Interviews were carried out between May and December 2018 in English. Data were analysed inductively based on emergent themes, and aligned to the developed integrated conceptual framework. Results: Three overarching themes were identified. First: micro level efforts - individual coping mechanisms and familial level support. Second: Meso level efforts -existing enabling mechanisms at the institutional level. Third: proposed solutions for positive change towards enhancing gender equitable career progression at micro, meso and macro levels. Conclusions: These findings have implications for future research capacity strengthening programming, including DELTAS Africa II initiative (2021-2025); they provide valuable insights on potential strategies and actions aiming to narrow gender inequities in scientific career progression in the context of sub-Saharan African research institutions.
No difference in biomarkers of ischemic heart injury and heart failure in patients with COVID-19 who received treatment with chloroquine phosphate and those who did not
Authors: Beck-Friis Josefine , Leach Susannah , Omerovic Elmir , Zeijlon Rickard , Gisslen Magnus , Yilmaz Aylin 
Published: August 2021

Background
Chloroquine was promoted as a COVID-19 therapeutic early in the pandemic. Most countries have since discontinued the use of chloroquine due to lack of evidence of any benefit and the risk of severe adverse events. The primary aim of this study was to examine if administering chloroquine during COVID-19 imposed an increased risk of ischemic heart injury or heart failure.

Methods
Medical records, laboratory findings, and electrocardiograms of patients with COVID-19 who were treated with 500 mg chloroquine phosphate daily and controls not treated with chloroquine were reviewed retrospectively. Controls were matched in age and severity of disease.

Results
We included 20 patients receiving chloroquine (500 mg twice daily) for an average of five days, and 40 controls. The groups were comparable regarding demographics and biochemical analyses including C-reactive protein, thrombocytes, and creatinine. There were no statistically significant differences in cardiac biomarkers or in electrocardiograms. Median troponin T was 10,8 ng/L in the study group and 17.9 ng/L in the control group, whereas median NT-proBNP was 399 ng/L in patients receiving chloroquine and 349 ng/L in the controls.

Conclusions
We found no increased risk of ischemic heart injury or heart failure as a result of administering chloroquine. However, the use of chloroquine to treat COVID-19 outside of clinical trials is not recommended, considering the lack of evidence of its effectiveness, as well as the elevated risk of fatal arrythmias.
Inter-database validation of a deep learning approach for automatic sleep scoring
Authors: Alvarez-Estevez Diego , Rijsman Roselyne M. 
Published: August 2021

Study objectivesDevelopment of inter-database generalizable sleep staging algorithms represents a challenge due to increased data variability across different datasets. Sharing data between different centers is also a problem due to potential restrictions due to patient privacy protection. In this work, we describe a new deep learning approach for automatic sleep staging, and address its generalization capabilities on a wide range of public sleep staging databases. We also examine the suitability of a novel approach that uses an ensemble of individual local models and evaluate its impact on the resulting inter-database generalization performance.MethodsA general deep learning network architecture for automatic sleep staging is presented. Different preprocessing and architectural variant options are tested. The resulting prediction capabilities are evaluated and compared on a heterogeneous collection of six public sleep staging datasets. Validation is carried out in the context of independent local and external dataset generalization scenarios.ResultsBest results were achieved using the CNN_LSTM_5 neural network variant. Average prediction capabilities on independent local testing sets achieved 0.80 kappa score. When individual local models predict data from external datasets, average kappa score decreases to 0.54. Using the proposed ensemble-based approach, average kappa performance on the external dataset prediction scenario increases to 0.62. To our knowledge this is the largest study by the number of datasets so far on validating the generalization capabilities of an automatic sleep staging algorithm using external databases.ConclusionsValidation results show good general performance of our method, as compared with the expected levels of human agreement, as well as to state-of-the-art automatic sleep staging methods. The proposed ensemble-based approach enables flexible and scalable design, allowing dynamic integration of local models into the final ensemble, preserving data locality, and increasing generalization capabilities of the resulting system at the same time.
A novel model to quantify balance alterations in older adults based on the center of pressure (CoP) measurements with a cross-sectional study
Authors: Estévez-Pedraza Ángel Gabriel , Parra-Rodríguez Lorena , Martínez-Méndez Rigoberto , Portillo-Rodríguez Otniel , Ronzón-Hernández Zoraida 
Published: August 2021

BackgroundThe timely detection of fall risk or balance impairment in older adults is transcendental because, based on a reliable diagnosis, clinical actions can be taken to prevent accidents. This study presents a statistical model to estimate the fall risk from the center of pressure (CoP) data.MethodsThis study is a cross-sectional analysis from a cohort of community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and over living in Mexico City. CoP balance assessments were conducted in 414 older adults (72.2% females) with a mean age of 70.23 ± 6.68, using a modified and previously validated Wii Balance Board (MWBB) platform. From this information, 78 CoP indexes were calculated and analyzed. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted in order to estimate the relationship between balance alteration and the CoP indexes and other covariables.ResultsThe CoP velocity index in the Antero-Posterior direction with open eyes (MVELAPOE) had the best value of area under the curve (AUC) to identify a balance alteration (0.714), and in the adjusted model, AUC was increased to 0.827. Older adults with their mean velocity higher than 14.24 mm/s had more risk of presenting a balance alteration than those below this value (OR(Odd Ratio) = 2.94,p<0.001, 95%C.I.(Confidence Interval) 1.68–5.15). Individuals with increased age and BMI were more likely to present a balance alteration (OR1.17,p<0.001, 95%C.I.1.12–1.23;OR1.17,p<0.001, 95%C.I.1.10–1.25). Contrary to what is reported in the literature, sex was not associated with presenting a balance alteration (p= 0.441, 95%C.I.0.70–2.27).SignificanceThe proposed model had a discriminatory capacity higher than those estimated by similar means and resources to this research and was implemented in an embedded standalone system which is low-cost, portable, and easy-to-use, ideal for non-laboratory environments. The authors recommend using this technology to support and complement the clinical tools to attend to the serious public health problem represented by falls in older adults.
Pre-gestational diabetes: Maternal body mass index and gestational weight gain are associated with augmented umbilical venous flow, fetal liver perfusion, and thus birthweight
Authors: Lund Agnethe , Ebbing Cathrine , Rasmussen Svein , Qvigstad Elisabeth , Kiserud Torvid , Kessler Jörg 
Published: August 2021

Objectives
To assess how maternal body mass index and gestational weight gain are related to on fetal venous liver flow and birthweight in pregnancies with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus.

Methods
In a longitudinal observational study, 49 women with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus were included for monthly assessments (gestational weeks 24–36). According to the Institute Of Medicine criteria, body mass index was categorized to underweight, normal, overweight, and obese, while gestational weight gain was classified as insufficient, appropriate or excessive. Fetal size, portal flow, umbilical venous flow and distribution to the fetal liver or ductus venosus were determined using ultrasound techniques. The impact of fetal venous liver perfusion on birthweight and how body mass index and gestational weight gain modified this effect, was compared with a reference population (n = 160).

Results
The positive association between umbilical flow to liver and birthweight was more pronounced in pregnancies with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus than in the reference population. Overweight and excessive gestational weight gain were associated with higher birthweights in women with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus, but not in the reference population. Fetuses of overweight women with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus had higher umbilical (p = 0.02) and total venous liver flows (p = 0.02), and a lower portal flow fraction (p = 0.04) than in the reference population. In pre-gestational diabetes mellitus pregnancies with excessive gestational weight gain, the umbilical flow to liver was higher than in those with appropriate weight gain (p = 0.02).

Conclusions
The results support the hypothesis that umbilical flow to the fetal liver is a key determinant for fetal growth and birthweight modifiable by maternal factors. Maternal pre-gestational diabetes mellitus seems to augment this influence as shown with body mass index and gestational weight gain.