bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gonococcus infection probably acquired from bathing in a natural thermal pool: a case report
Authors: Goodyear-Smith Felicity , Schabetsberger Robert 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundAuthorities need to recognize that, while rare, gonorrhea can be transmitted nonsexually, and should not be presumed definitive evidence of abuse. We report the unusual case of a girl diagnosed withNeisseria gonorrhoeaeafter bathing in a heavily frequented hot pool at the edge of the crater lake Specchio di Venere (“Mirror of Venus”) on Pantelleria Island, Italy.Case presentationTwo days after bathing in the pool, this 11-year-old Austrian girl developed vulvovaginitis that partially settled with antifungal cream. Subsequent swabs cultured positive forNeisseria gonorrhoeae.Family members tested negative. The child adamantly denied any sexual contact, and no opportunities for sexual exposure could be identified. It was therefore concluded that she must have acquired the infection from pool water contaminated by gonococcus after a 2-day incubation period. The infection was successfully treated with ceftriaxone and azithromycin with no adverse effects.ConclusionsThe pools are shallow, close to body temperature, isotonic, slightly acidic from CO2bubbles, and contain organic particles, all potentially supporting survival of gonococcus. There are historical case reports in the literature of gonococcal epidemics in children’s hospitals being traced to common baths. It is imperative that all cases of gonococcal infection in children are fully investigated, including examining all other relevant family members, to determine whether sexual assault has occurred. This is not a diagnosis to be missed. However, both sexual and nonsexual transmission are possible. A presumption that a gonococcal infection is diagnostic of sexual abuse can be dire, with children wrongfully removed from their parents’ care, and their caregivers facing false charges of sexual crimes. Our case serves to illustrate that the very uncommon diagnosis of gonorrhea in a child may be the result of nonsexual transmission of the infection, and that contaminated hot pools are a very rare source of infection that should be considered.
Canard solutions in neural mass models: consequences on critical regimes
Authors: Köksal Ersöz Elif , Wendling Fabrice 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMathematical models at multiple temporal and spatial scales can unveil the fundamental mechanisms of critical transitions in brain activities. Neural mass models (NMMs) consider the average temporal dynamics of interconnected neuronal subpopulations without explicitly representing the underlying cellular activity. The mesoscopic level offered by the neural mass formulation has been used to model electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings and to investigate various cerebral mechanisms, such as the generation of physiological and pathological brain activities. In this work, we consider a NMM widely accepted in the context of epilepsy, which includes four interacting neuronal subpopulations with different synaptic kinetics. Due to the resulting three-time-scale structure, the model yields complex oscillations of relaxation and bursting types. By applying the principles of geometric singular perturbation theory, we unveil the existence of the canard solutions and detail how they organize the complex oscillations and excitability properties of the model. In particular, we show that boundaries between pathological epileptic discharges and physiological background activity are determined by the canard solutions. Finally we report the existence of canard-mediated small-amplitude frequency-specific oscillations in simulated local field potentials for decreased inhibition conditions. Interestingly, such oscillations are actually observed in intracerebral EEG signals recorded in epileptic patients during pre-ictal periods, close to seizure onsets.
Ultra- and micro-structural changes of respiratory tracts in SARS-CoV-2 infected Syrian hamsters
Authors: Yang Myeon-Sik , Oh Byung Kwan , Yang Daram , Oh Eun Young , Kim Yeonhwa , Kang Kyung Won , Lim Chae Woong , Koh Gou Young , Lee Sang-Myeong , Kim Bumseok 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) pandemic is causing a global crisis. It is still unresolved. Although many therapies and vaccines are being studied, they are still in their infancy. As this pandemic continues, rapid and accurate research for the development of therapies and vaccines is needed. Therefore, it is necessary to understand characteristics of diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 through animal models. Syrian hamsters are known to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. They were intranasally inoculated with SARS-CoV-2. At 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 days post-infection (dpi), these hamsters were euthanized, and tissues were collected for ultrastructural and microstructural examinations. Microscopic lesions were prominent in the upper and lower respiratory tracts from 2 and 4 dpi groups, respectively. The respiratory epithelium in the trachea, bronchiole, and alveolar showed pathological changes. Inflammatory cells including neutrophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and eosinophils were infiltrated in/around tracheal lamina propria, pulmonary vessels, alveoli, and bronchiole. In pulmonary lesions, alveolar wall was thickened with infiltrated inflammatory cells, mainly neutrophils and macrophages. In the trachea, epithelial damages started from 2 dpi and recovered from 8 dpi, consistent with microscopic results, High levels of SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein were detected at 2 dpi and 4 dpi. In the lung, lesions were most severe at 8 dpi. Meanwhile, high levels of SARS-CoV-2 were detected at 4 dpi. Electron microscopic examinations revealed cellular changes in the trachea epithelium and alveolar epithelium such as vacuolation, sparse micro-organelle, and poor cellular margin. In the trachea epithelium, the number of cytoplasmic organelles was diminished, and small vesicles were prominent from 2 dpi. Some of these electron-lucent vesicles were filled with virion particles. From 8 dpi, the trachea epithelium started to recover. Because of shrunken nucleus and swollen cytoplasm, the N/C ratio of type 2 pneumocyte decreased at 8 and 12 dpi. From 8 dpi, lamellar bodies on type 2 pneumocyte cytoplasm were increasingly observed. Their number then decreased from 16 dpi. However, there was no significant change in type 1 pneumocyte. Viral vesicles were only observed in the cytoplasm of type 2 pneumocyte. In conclusion, ultra- and micro-structural changes presented in this study may provide useful information for SARS-CoV-2 studies in various fields.
Commensal microbe-derived acetate suppresses NAFLD/NASH development via hepatic FFAR2 signalling in mice
Authors: Aoki Ryo , Onuki Masayoshi , Hattori Koya , Ito Masato , Yamada Takahiro , Kamikado Kohei , Kim Yun-Gi , Nakamoto Nobuhiro , Kimura Ikuo , Clarke Julie M. , Kanai Takanori , Hase Koji 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, and it can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Alterations in the gut microbiome have been implicated in the development of NAFLD/NASH, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Results
We found that the consumption of the prebiotic inulin markedly ameliorated the phenotype of NAFLD/NASH, including hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, in mice. Inulin consumption resulted in global changes in the gut microbiome, including concomitant enrichment of the genera Bacteroides and Blautia, and increased concentrations of short-chain fatty acids, particularly acetate, in the gut lumen and portal blood. The consumption of acetate-releasing resistant starch protected against NAFLD development. Colonisation by Bacteroides acidifaciens and Blautia producta in germ-free mice resulted in synergetic effects on acetate production from inulin. Furthermore, the absence of free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2), an acetate receptor, abolished the protective effect of inulin, as indicated by the more severe liver hypertrophy, hypercholesterolaemia and inflammation. These effects can be attributed to an exacerbation of insulin resistance in the liver, but not in muscle or adipose tissue.

Conclusion
These findings demonstrated that the commensal microbiome–acetate–FFAR2 molecular circuit improves insulin sensitivity in the liver and prevents the development of NAFLD/NASH.
VEDAS: an efficient GPU alternative for store and query of large RDF data sets
Authors: Makpaisit Pisit , Chantrapornchai Chantana 
Published: September 2021

AbstractResource Description Framework (RDF) is commonly used as a standard for data interchange on the web. The collection of RDF data sets can form a large graph which consumes time to query. It is known that modern Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) can be employed to execute parallel programs in order to speedup the running time. In this paper, we propose a novel RDF data representation along with the query processing algorithm that is suitable for GPU processing. Since the main challenges of GPU architecture are the limited memory sizes, the memory transfer latency, and the vast number of GPU cores. Our system is designed to strengthen the use of GPU cores and reduce the effect of memory transfer. We propose a representation consists of indices and column-based RDF ID data that can reduce the GPU memory requirement. The indexing and pre-upload filtering techniques are then applied to reduce the data transfer between the host and GPU memory. We add the index swapping process to facilitate the sorting and joining data process based on the given variable and add the pre-upload step to reduce the size of results’ storage, and the data transfer time. The experimental results show that our representation is about 35% smaller than the traditional NT format and 40% less compared to that of gStore. The query processing time can be speedup ranging from 1.95 to 397.03 when compared with RDF3X and gStore processing time with WatDiv test suite. It achieves speedup 578.57 and 62.97 for LUBM benchmark when compared to RDF-3X and gStore. The analysis shows the query cases which can gain benefits from our approach.
Novel method of transpulmonary pressure measurement with an air-filled esophageal catheter
Authors: Massion Paul Bernard , Berg Julien , Samalea Suarez Nicolas , Parzibut Gilles , Lambermont Bernard , Ledoux Didier , Massion Pierre Pascal 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
There is a strong rationale for proposing transpulmonary pressure-guided protective ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome. The reference esophageal balloon catheter method requires complex in vivo calibration, expertise and specific material order. A simple, inexpensive, accurate and reproducible method of measuring esophageal pressure would greatly facilitate the measure of transpulmonary pressure to individualize protective ventilation in the intensive care unit.

Results
We propose an air-filled esophageal catheter method without balloon, using a disposable catheter that allows reproducible esophageal pressure measurements. We use a 49-cm-long 10 Fr thin suction catheter, positioned in the lower-third of the esophagus and connected to an air-filled disposable blood pressure transducer bound to the monitor and pressurized by an air-filled infusion bag. Only simple calibration by zeroing the transducer to atmospheric pressure and unit conversion from mmHg to cmH2O are required. We compared our method with the reference balloon catheter both ex vivo, using pressure chambers, and in vivo, in 15 consecutive mechanically ventilated patients. Esophageal-to-airway pressure change ratios during the dynamic occlusion test were close to one (1.03 ± 0.19 and 1.00 ± 0.16 in the controlled and assisted modes, respectively), validating the proper esophageal positioning. The Bland–Altman analysis revealed no bias of our method compared with the reference and good precision for inspiratory, expiratory and delta esophageal pressure measurements in both the controlled (largest bias −0.5 cmH2O [95% confidence interval: −0.9; −0.1] cmH2O; largest limits of agreement −3.5 to 2.5 cmH2O) and assisted modes (largest bias −0.3 [−2.6; 2.0] cmH2O). We observed a good repeatability (intra-observer, intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC: 0.89 [0.79; 0.96]) and reproducibility (inter-observer ICC: 0.89 [0.76; 0.96]) of esophageal measurements. The direct comparison with pleural pressure in two patients and spectral analysis by Fourier transform confirmed the reliability of the air-filled catheter-derived esophageal pressure as an accurate surrogate of pleural pressure. A calculator for transpulmonary pressures is available online.

Conclusions
We propose a simple, minimally invasive, inexpensive and reproducible method for esophageal pressure monitoring with an air-filled esophageal catheter without balloon. It holds the promise of widespread bedside use of transpulmonary pressure-guided protective ventilation in ICU patients.
Technology upgrading and labor degrading? A sociological study of three robotized factories
Authors: Xu Yi , Ye Xin 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn recent years, the technology-driven industrial upgrading in China has resulted in human labor being replaced with robots. This article explores the impact of "intelligent manufacturing" on workers from the following two perspectives: labor relations and the labor process. The authors argue that workers on the shopfloor are experiencing some forms of labor degradation due to robotization, i.e., more flexible labor relations, deskilling, and strengthened technical control. Such a corporation-led and machine-centered industrial upgrading is driven by state policy, capital, and the labor market.
The Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Warmups for Lower Extremity Injury Prevention in Basketball: A Systematic Review
Authors: Davis Anna C. , Emptage Nicholas P. , Pounds Dana , Woo Donna , Sallis Robert , Romero Manuel G. , Sharp Adam L. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundNeuromuscular warmups have gained increasing attention as a means of preventing sports-related injuries, but data on effectiveness in basketball are sparse. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate evidence of the effectiveness of neuromuscular warmup-based strategies for preventing lower extremity injuries among basketball athletes.MethodsPubMed and Cochrane Library databases were searched in February 2019. Studies were included if they were English-language randomized controlled, non-randomized comparative, or prospective cohort trials, tested neuromuscular and/or balance-focused warmup interventions among basketball players, and assessed at least one type of lower extremity injury as a primary outcome. Criteria developed by the USPSTF were used to appraise study quality, and GRADE was used to appraise the body of evidence for each outcome. Due to heterogeneity in the included studies, meta-analyses could not be performed.ResultsIn total, 825 titles and abstracts were identified. Of the 13 studies which met inclusion criteria for this review, five were balance interventions (3 randomized controlled trials) and eight were multicomponent interventions involving multiple categories of dynamic neuromuscular warmup (5 randomized controlled trials). Authors of four of the studies were contacted to obtain outcome data specific to basketball athletes. Basketball specific results from the studies suggest significant protective effects for the following lower extremity injuries: ankle injuries (significant in 4 out of the 9 studies that assessed this outcome); ACL injuries (2 of 4 studies); knee injuries generally (1 of 5 studies); and overall lower extremity injuries (5 of 7 studies). All but one of the non-significant results were directionally favorable. Evidence was moderate for the effect of multicomponent interventions on lower extremity injuries generally. For all other outcomes, and for balance-based interventions, the quality of evidence was rated as low.ConclusionOverall, the evidence is supportive of neuromuscular warmups for lower extremity injury prevention among basketball players. However, most studies are underpowered, some used lower-quality research study designs, and outcome and exposure definitions varied. Due to the nature of the study designs, effects could not be attributed to specific intervention components. More research is needed to identify the most effective bundle of warmup activities.
Association between physical activity and activity space in different farming seasons among rural Lao PDR residents
Authors: Jiang Hongwei , Lin Lin , Yonto Daniel Anthony , Pongvongsa Tiengkham , Kounnavong Sengchanh , Moji Kazuhiko 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Southeast Asia is experiencing a health transition, where non-communicable diseases (NCD) are exceeding communicable diseases. Despite NCDs accounting for roughly 60–85% of deaths in the region, many developing Southeast Asian countries are beginning to address the impacts of a physically inactive lifestyle for the first time. Our study aims to bridge this gap by objectively measuring physical activity in rural Lao PDR to reveal the association among physical activity, activity space, and seasonal variation.

Methods
Multiple waves of survey data were collected in Songkhon District, Lao PDR between March 2010 and March 2011. Adults aged between 18 and 65 were recruited (n = 48). A portable GPS recorded participants’ activity and farmland locations and an accelerometer recorded participants’ physical activity level and daily steps for seven consecutive days. Using a directional distribution tool in ArcGIS 10.5, the activity space area of each participant in each wave was calculated. Concurrently, participants recorded time spent on each daytime activity. Linear mixed models with the fixed effects as the observations from different waves and the random effects as individual participants were developed to identify factors associated with areas of activity space and counts of daily steps, respectively.

Results
A total of 48 respondents aged between 19 and 57 took part in the study. Half of the participants were females. Walking was found to be the most frequent travel mode. Females were physically less active, with a smaller activity space, and were more overweight than the males in the study. Participants were physically less active during the off-farming seasons.

Conclusions
Findings contribute to the surveillance of risk factors needed to create healthy living environments. Our research is also one of the first to use empirical evidence demonstrating seasonal variations of rural residents’ activities in mainland Southeast Asia.
Transition of clinical and basic studies on liver cirrhosis treatment using cells to seek the best treatment
Authors: Terai Shuji , Tsuchiya Atsunori , Watanabe Yusuke , Takeuchi Suguru 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe liver is a highly regenerative organ; however, its regeneration potential is reduced by chronic inflammation with fibrosis accumulation, leading to cirrhosis. With an aim to tackle liver cirrhosis, a life-threatening disease, trials of autologous bone marrow cell infusion (ABMi) therapy started in 2003. Clinical studies revealed that ABMi attenuated liver fibrosis and improved liver function in some patients; however, this therapy has some limitations such as the need of general anesthesia. Following ABMi therapy, studies have focused on specific cells such as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from a variety of tissues such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, and umbilical cord tissues. Particularly, studies have focused on gaining mechanistic insights into MSC distribution and effects on immune cells, especially macrophages. Several basic studies have reported the use of MSCs for liver cirrhosis models, while a number of clinical studies have used autologous and allogeneic MSCs; however, there are only a few reports on the obvious substantial effect of MSCs in clinical studies. Since then, studies have analyzed and identified the important signals or components in MSCs that regulate immune cells, such as macrophages, under cirrhotic conditions and have revealed that MSC-derived exosomes are key regulators. Researchers are still seeking the best approach and filling the gap between basic and clinical studies to treat liver cirrhosis. This paper highlights the timeline of basic and clinical studies analyzing ABMi and MSC therapies for cirrhosis and the scope for future studies and therapy.
Sex estimation using the human vertebra: a systematic review
Authors: Rohmani Afiana , Shafie Mohamed Swarhib , Nor Faridah Mohd 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
The vertebral column has been used in forensic studies for its weight-bearing function and relative density. Sex estimation is one of the essential elements in an anthropological examination, as it may narrow down the possibility of a match by half. Hence, it is crucial to derive the population-specific reference data in each vertebra for sex estimation. This systematic review explored the most sexually dimorphic vertebra by using the conventional anthropometric analysis.

Main body
An electronic comprehensive search was conducted using databases such as Scopus, Web of Science (WOS) and EBSCO Medline for relevant studies between 2008 and 2020. The main inclusion criteria were studies in English, and studies on sex estimation by morphometric analysis of vertebra by CT scan or dry bone. Only studies related to human adult age and vertebra were analysed. Literature search identified 84 potentially relevant articles, in which 19 articles had fulfilled the inclusion criteria. This review included studies on the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in different populations.

Conclusion
The vertebral spine has demonstrated significant sexual dimorphism with variable prediction accuracies, whereby the body of a vertebra was found to be sexually dimorphic. It was shown that high accuracy of sex classification was provided by the second cervical, twelfth thoracic and first lumbar vertebrae, especially when they were used in combination.