bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictive value of isolated symptoms for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children tested during peak circulation of the delta variant
Authors: Westbrook Adrianna L. , Benedit Laura C. , Frediani Jennifer K , Griffiths Mark A. , Khan Nabeel Y. , Levy Joshua M. , Morris Claudia R. , Rostad Christina A. , Stone Cheryl L. , Sullivan Julie , Vos Miriam B. , Welsh Jean , Wood Anna , Martin Greg S. , Lam Wilbur , Pollock Nira R. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundCOVID-19 testing policies for symptomatic children attending U.S. schools or daycare vary, and whether isolated symptoms should prompt testing is unclear. We evaluated children presenting for SARS-CoV-2 testing to determine if the likelihood of having a positive SARS-CoV-2 test differed between participants with one versus ≥2 symptoms, and to examine the predictive capability of isolated symptoms.MethodsParticipants ≤ 18 years presenting for clinical SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing in six sites in urban/suburban/rural Georgia (July-October, 2021; delta variant predominant) were queried about individual symptoms. Participants were classified into three groups: asymptomatic, one symptom only, or ≥2 symptoms. SARS-CoV-2 test results and clinical characteristics of the three groups were compared. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values (PPV/NPV) for isolated symptoms were calculated by fitting a saturated Poisson model.ResultsOf 602 participants, 21.8% tested positive and 48.7% had a known or suspected close contact. Children reporting one symptom (n=82; OR=6.00, 95% CI: 2.70-13.33) and children reporting ≥2 symptoms (n=365; OR=5.25: 2.66-10.38) were significantly more likely to have a positive COVID-19 test than asymptomatic children (n=155), but they were not significantly different from each other (OR=0.88: 0.52-1.49). Sensitivity/PPV were highest for isolated fever (33%/57%), cough (25%/32%), and sore throat (21%/45%); headache had low sensitivity (8%) but higher PPV (33%). Sensitivity/PPV of isolated congestion/rhinorrhea were 8%/9%.ConclusionsWith high delta variant prevalence, children with isolated symptoms were as likely as those with multiple symptoms to test positive for COVID-19. Isolated fever, cough, sore throat, or headache, but not congestion/rhinorrhea, offered highest predictive value.Key pointsIn an area with high community prevalence of the delta variant, children presenting with one symptom were as likely as those with two or more symptoms to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Isolated symptoms should be considered in testing decisions.
Perceptions and Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccination Amongst Pregnant and Postpartum Individuals
Authors: Siegel Molly R. , Lumbreras-Marquez Mario I. , James Kaitlyn , McBay Brandon R. , Gray Kathryn J. , Schantz-Dunn Julianna , Diouf Khady , Goldfarb Ilona T. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIntroductionThis study aims to characterize attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and to evaluate factors associated with vaccine uptake amongst pregnant individuals.MethodsAn anonymous survey was distributed to a convenience sample of pregnant individuals receiving prenatal care at two large urban academic hospitals in a single healthcare network in Massachusetts. Individual demographic variables were included in the survey along with questions assessing attitudes towards COVID-19 and vaccination in pregnancy.ResultsOf 477 respondents, 233 (49.3%) had received or were scheduled to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Age, White race, non-Hispanic/LatinX ethnicity, working from home, and typical receipt of the influenza vaccine were associated with COVID-19 vaccination. 276 respondents (58.4%) reported that their provider recommended the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy; these participants were more likely to have received a vaccine (OR 5.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.68-9.26). Vaccinated individuals were less likely to be worried about the effects of the vaccine on themselves (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.12-0.27) or their developing babies (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.11-0.26). Unvaccinated individuals were less likely to report that it is easy to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.34-0.93), to travel to receive a vaccine (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.10-0.36), and to miss work to receive a vaccine (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.18-0.48).ConclusionsStrategies are needed to improve patient education regarding vaccine side effects and safety in pregnancy and to change policy to make it feasible for pregnant patients to schedule and miss work without loss of pay to get vaccinated.Key PointsThere were racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination.Unvaccinated respondents were more likely to be concerned about vaccine effects for themselves or their growing babies.Unvaccinated respondents cited work and scheduling-related barriers to vaccination, indicating areas for advocacy
Provider Confidence in Counseling Preconception, Pregnant, and Postpartum Patients Regarding COVID-19 Vaccination
Authors: Siegel Molly R. , James Kaitlyn E. , Jaffe Elana , L’Heureux Michelle M. , Kaimal Anjali J. , Goldfarb Ilona T. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo assess knowledge and confidence in COVID-19 vaccine counseling among practitioners who provide care to pregnant persons and to describe factors associated with confidence in counseling.Study DesignA web-based anonymous survey was distributed via email to a cross-sectional convenience sample of OB/GYN, Primary Care, and Internal Medicine faculty at three hospitals in a single healthcare network in Massachusetts. Individual demographics and institution-specific variables were included in the survey along with questions assessing both attitudes toward COVID-19 illness in pregnancy as well as confidence in counseling regarding the use of the vaccine for pregnant patients.ResultsAlmost all providers (151, 98.1%) reported already receiving or being scheduled to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and a majority of providers (111, 72.1%) reported that they believe the benefits of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy outweigh the risks. Forty-one (26.6%) reported feeling very confident in counseling patients who primarily speak English about the evidence for mRNA vaccination in pregnancy, and 36 (23%) reported feeling very confident in counseling patients who are not primarily English-speaking. Forty-three providers (28.1%) expressed strong confidence in their comfort talking to individuals with vaccine hesitancy based on historic and continued racism and systemic injustices. The sources that survey respondents most commonly used to find information regarding COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy were the CDC (112, 74.2%), hospital-specific resources (94, 62.3%) and ACOG (82, 54.3%).ConclusionWhile providers reported high personal uptake of COVID-19 vaccination and felt that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks in pregnancy, less than one-third felt very confident in counseling pregnant patients about available evidence for mRNA vaccine safety in pregnancy. Ensuring that providers feel comfortable bridging the gap between their belief that the vaccine is beneficial for pregnant patients and their comfort with holding conversations with patients regarding vaccination is paramount in order to ensure equitable access to vaccines for pregnant patients.
OPEN leaf: an open-source cloud-based phenotyping system for tracking dynamic changes at leaf-specific resolution in Arabidopsis
Authors: Swartz Landon G. , Liu Suxing , Dahlquist Drew , Kramer Skyler , Walter Emily S. , McInturf Sam , Bucksch Alexander , Mendoza-Cozatl David G. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe first draft of the Arabidopsis genome was released more than 20 years ago and despite intensive molecular research, more than 30% of Arabidopsis genes remained uncharacterized or without an assigned function. This is in part due to gene redundancy within gene families or the essential nature of genes, where their deletion results in lethality (i.e., the dark genome).High-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) offers an automated and unbiased approach to characterize subtle or transient phenotypes resulting from gene redundancy or inducible gene silencing; however, commercial HTPP platforms remain unaffordable. Here we describe the design and implementation of OPEN leaf, an open-source HTPP system with cloud connectivity and remote bilateral communication to facilitate data collection, sharing and processing.OPEN leaf, coupled with the SMART imaging processing package was able to consistently document and quantify dynamic morphological changes over time at the whole rosette level and also at leaf-specific resolution when plants experienced changes in nutrient availability.The modular design of OPEN leaf allows for additional sensor integration. Notably, our data demonstrate that VIS sensors remain underutilized and can be used in high-throughput screens to identify characterize previously unidentified phenotypes in a leaf-specific manner.Significance StatementMany bottlenecks exist in high-throughput phenotyping involving computing power for processing and a lack of focus on abiotic stresses that has prevented an advancement in phenotyping on par with genotyping. Therefore, we create an automated HTP system that performs nutrient studies on Arabidopsis thaliana with cloud-based image processing that quantifies plant traits at a whole and leaf-level.
Integrative small and long RNA-omics analysis of human healing and non-healing wounds discovers cooperating microRNAs as therapeutic targets
Authors: Liu Zhuang , Zhang Letian , Toma Maria A. , Li Dongqing , Bian Xiaowei , Pastar Irena , Tomic-Canic Marjana , Sommar Pehr , Landén Ning Xu 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMicroRNAs (miR) are important posttranscriptional regulators and exhibit a high potential to be utilized in diagnosis and therapy. However, our insufficient knowledge of the miR-mediated gene regulation in human skin wound healing severely hinders the identification of clinically relevant miRs. Here, we performed paired small RNA and long RNA sequencing in human tissue samples, including matched skin and acute wounds collected at each healing stage and chronic non-healing venous ulcers (VU). With integrative small and long RNA-omics analysis, we developed a compendium (https://www.xulandenlab.com/humanwounds-mirna-mrna), which will be an open, comprehensive resource to broadly aid wound healing research. With this first clinical, wound-centric resource of miRs and mRNAs, we identified 17 pathologically relevant miRs that exhibited abnormal VU expression and displayed their targets enriched explicitly in the VU gene signature. Intermeshing regulatory networks controlled by these miRs revealed their high cooperativity in contributing to chronic wound pathology characterized by persistent inflammation and proliferative phase initiation failure. Furthermore, we demonstrated that miR-34a, miR-424, and miR-516, upregulated in VU, cooperatively suppressed keratinocyte growth while promoting inflammatory response. Collectively, our study opens the possibility of developing innovative wound treatment that targets pathologically relevant cooperating miRs to attain higher therapeutic efficacy and specificity.
Inferring community assembly processes from functional seed trait variation along temperature gradient
Authors: Sergey Rosbakh , Loïc Chalmandrier , Shyam Phartyal , Peter Poschlod 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAssembly of plant communities has long been scrutinized through the lens of trait-based ecology. Studies generally analyze functional traits related to the vegetative growth, survival and resource acquisition and thus ignore how ecological processes may affect plants at other stages of their lifecycle, particularly when seeds disperse, persist in soil and germinate.Here, we analyzed an extensive data set of 16 traits for 167 species measured in-situ in 36 grasslands located along an elevational gradient and compared the impact of abiotic filtering, biotic interactions and dispersal on traits reflecting different trait categories: plant vegetative growth, germination, dispersal, and seed morphology. For each community, we quantified community weighted mean (CWM) and functional diversity (FD) for all traits and established their relationships to mean annual temperature.The seed traits were weakly correlated to vegetative traits and thus constituted independent axes of plant phenotypical variation that were affected differently by the ecological processes considered. Abiotic filtering impacted mostly the vegetative traits and to a lesser extent on seed germination and morphological traits. Increasing low-temperature stress towards colder sites selected for short-stature, slow-growing and frost-tolerant species that produce small quantity of smaller seeds with higher degree of dormancy, high temperature requirements for germination and comparatively low germination speed.Biotic interactions, specifically competition in the lowlands and facilitation in uplands, also filtered certain functional traits in the study communities. The benign climate in lowlands promoted plant with competitive strategies including fast growth and resource acquisition (vegetative growth traits) and early and fast germination (germination traits), whereas the effects of facilitation on the vegetative and germination traits were cancelled out by the strong abiotic filtering.The changes in the main dispersal vector from zoochory to anemochory along the gradient strongly affected the dispersal and the seed morphological trait structure of the communities. Specifically, stronger vertical turbulence and moderate warm-upwinds combined with low grazing intensity selected for light and non-round shaped seeds with lower terminal velocity and endozoochorous potential.Synthesis. We clearly demonstrate that, in addition to vegetation traits, seed traits can substantially contribute to functional structuring of plant communities along environmental gradients. Thus, the, hard’ seed traits related to germination and dispersal are critical to detect multiple, complex community assembly rules. Consequently, such traits should be included in core lists of plant traits and, when applicable, be incorporated into analysis of community assembly.
Population coding and oscillatory subspace synchronization integrate context into actions
Authors: Weber Jan , Solbakk Anne-Kristin , Blenkmann Alejandro O. , Llorens Anais , Funderud Ingrid , Leske Sabine , Larsson Pål Gunnar , Ivanovic Jugoslav , Knight Robert T. , Endestad Tor , Helfrich Randolph F. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractContextual cues and prior evidence guide human goal-directed behavior. To date, the neurophysiological mechanisms that implement contextual priors to guide subsequent actions remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that increasing behavioral uncertainty introduces a shift from an oscillatory to a continuous processing mode in human prefrontal cortex. At the population level, we found that oscillatory and continuous dynamics reflect dissociable signatures that support distinct aspects of encoding, transmission and execution of context-dependent action plans. We show that prefrontal population activity encodes predictive context and action plans in serially unfolding orthogonal subspaces, while prefrontal-motor theta oscillations synchronize action-encoding population subspaces to mediate the hand-off of action plans. Collectively, our results reveal how two key features of large-scale population activity, namely continuous population trajectories and oscillatory synchrony, operate in concert to guide context-dependent human behavior.
Use of standard U-bottom and V-bottom well plates to generate neuroepithelial embryoid bodies
Authors: Buentello David Choy , Koch Lena Sophie , Santiago Grissel Trujillo-de , Alvarez Mario Moisés , Broersen Kerensa 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe use of organoids has become increasingly popular recently due to their self-organizing abilities, which facilitate developmental and disease modeling. Various methods have been described to create embryoid bodies (EBs) generated from embryonic or pluripotent stem cells but with varying levels of differentiation success and producing organoids of variable size. Commercial ultra-low attachment (ULA) V-bottom well plates are frequently used to generate EBs. These plates are relatively expensive and not as widely available as standard concave well plates. Here, we describe a cost-effective and low labor-intensive method that creates homogeneous EBs at high yield in standard V- and U-bottom well plates by applying an antiadherence solution to reduce surface attachment, followed by centrifugation to enhance cellular aggregation. We also explore the effect of different seeding densities, in the range of 1 to 11 ×103 cells per well, for the fabrication of neuroepithelial EBs. Our results show that the use of V-bottom well plates briefly treated with anti-adherent solution (for 5 min at room temperature) consistently yields functional neural EBs in the range of seeding densities from 5 to 11×103 cells per well. A brief post-seeding centrifugation step further enhances EB establishment. EBs fabricated using centrifugation exhibited lower variability in their final size than their noncentrifuged counterparts, and centrifugation also improved EB yield. The span of conditions for reliable EB production is narrower in U-bottom wells than in V-bottom wells (i.e., seeding densities between 7×103 and 11×103 and using a centrifugation step). We show that EBs generated by the protocols introduced here successfully developed into neural organoids and expressed the relevant markers associated with their lineages.We anticipate that the cost-effective and easily implemented protocols presented here will greatly facilitate the generation of EBs, thereby further democratizing the worldwide ability to conduct organoid-based research.
Health perception among the elderly in India: A gender perspective
Authors: Akhtar Saddaf Naaz , Saikia Nandita 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThere is an urgent need to understand and study the gender-based comprehensive own-perception approaches about health status. Our primary interest is to elucidate and capture whether and what determinants of gender disparity exist in own-perception about current and change in health status in Indian settings among the elderly. Therefore, we intended to examine the gender disparity in own-perception and their differences among the elderly in India. We used cross-sectional data from the 75th National Sample Survey Organizations (NSSO), collected from July 2017 to June 2018. The analytical sample constitutes 42759 cases of the elderly (eliminating two points of transgender). Thus, 21902 older men and 20857 older women have been considered. Two different measurements of own-perception about health status among the elderly have been used. We have calculated absolute gaps in the prevalence of current self-perception and change in health status by background characteristics. We carried out an ordered logistic regression model (or proportional odds model) to determine the predictors of health perception among the elderly. There is a clear gap between men and women in terms of rating poor perception about health; men generally have reported higher perception about their current health status when it comes to rating them excellent in terms of socio-economic outcomes like income, place of residence, and household structure. Despite numerous limitations, this study addressed the significant public health concern, which is crucial to address the challenge of the elderly health and their perception of well-being.
Vaccine efficacy for COVID-19 outbreak in New York City
Authors: Demongeot J. , Griette Q. , Magal P. , Webb G. F. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis article aims to study the COVID-19 data for New York City. We use both the daily number of second does vaccination and the daily number of reported cases for New York City. This article provides a method to combine an epidemic model and such data. We explore the influence of vaccine efficacy on our results.
New goal-oriented requirements extraction framework for e-health services: a case study of diagnostic testing during the COVID-19 outbreak
Authors: Alotaibi Youseef , Subahi Ahmad F. 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThis paper aims to introduce the goal-oriented requirements extraction approach (GOREA). It is an elicitation approach that uses, specifically, healthcare business goals to derive the requirements of e-health system to be developed.Design/methodology/approachGOREA consists of two major phases: (1) modelling e-health business requirements phase and (2) modelling e-health information technology (IT) and systems requirements phase. The modelling e-health business requirements phase is divided into two main stages: (1) model e-health business strategy stage and (2) model e-health business environment stage. The modelling e-health IT and systems requirements phase illustrates the process of obtaining requirements of e-health system from the organizational goals that are determined in the previous phase. It consists of four main steps that deal with business goals of e-health system: (1) modelling e-health business process (BP) step; (2) modelling e-health business goals step; (3) analysing e-health business goals step; and (4) eliciting e-health system requirements step. A case study based on the basic operations and services in hospital emergency unit for checking patient against COVID-19 virus and taking its diagnostic testing has been set and used to examine the validity of the proposed approach by achieving the conformance of the developed system to the business goals.FindingsThe results indicate that (1) the proposed GOREA has a positive influence on the system implementation according to e-health business expectations; and (2) it can successfully fulfil the need of e-health business in order to save the citizens life by checking them against COVID-19 virus.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed approach has some limitations. For example, it is only validated using one e-health business goal and thus it has to be authenticated with different e-health business goals in order to address different e-health problems.Originality/valueMany e-health projects and innovations are not established based on robust system requirements engineering phase. In order to ensure the success delivery of e-health services, all characteristics of e-health systems and applications must be understood in terms of technological perspectives as well as the all system requirements.
Will contractors pursue unsustainable practices following environmental recovery? A highway case in China
Authors: Shang Ting , Hu Xin , Ye Kunhui , Tam Vivian W. Y. 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThis study aims to map out contractors' thoughts on construction-related environmental recovery as an excuse for deliberately carrying on unsustainable construction.Design/methodology/approachA typical highway construction project in China was investigated. Textual materials were collected through semistructured interviews. Content analysis was conducted to derive qualitative data from the textual materials.FindingsThe research findings reveal a trend of environmental recovery associated with construction activities. It is found that contractors utilize this trend to maintain unsustainable construction. Furthermore, the effects of environmental recovery equip local governments with a tolerance for environmental degradation, and the environmental tolerance allows contractors to continue unsustainable construction without being discovered.Originality/valueThis paper presents an environmental recovery-based perspective on unsustainable construction and sheds some light on the promotion of sustainable construction.