bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Shades of Grey: Host Phenotype Dependent Effect of Urbanization on the Bacterial Microbiome of a Wild Mammal
Authors: Stothart Mason R , Newman Amy E.M. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background
Host-associated microbiota are integral to the ecology of their host and may help wildlife species cope with rapid environmental change. Urbanization is a globally replicated form of severe environmental change which we can leverage to better understand wildlife microbiomes. Does the colonization of separate cities result in parallel changes in the intestinal microbiome of wildlife, and if so, does within-city habitat heterogeneity matter? Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we quantified the effect of urbanization on the microbiome of eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Eastern grey squirrels are ubiquitous in rural and urban environments throughout their native range, across which they display an apparent coat colour polymorphism (agouti, black, intermediate).
Results
Grey squirrel microbiomes differed between rural and city environments; however, comparable variation was explained by habitat heterogeneity within cities. Our analyses suggest that operational taxonomic unit (OTU) community structure was more strongly influenced by local environmental conditions (rural and city forests versus human built habitats) than urbanization of the broader landscape (city versus rural). The bacterial genera characterizing the microbiomes of built-environment squirrels are thought to specialize on host-derived products and have been linked in previous research to low fibre diets. However, despite an effect of urbanization at fine spatial scales, phylogenetic patterns in the microbiome were coat colour phenotype dependent. City and built environment agouti squirrels displayed greater phylogenetic beta-dispersion than those in rural or forest environments, and null modelling results indicated that the phylogenetic structure of urban agouti squirrels did not differ greatly from stochastic expectations.
Conclusions
Habitat heterogeneity at fine spatial scales affects host-associated microbiomes, however, we found little evidence that this pattern was the result of similar selective pressures acting on the microbiome within environments. Further, this result, those of phylogeny-independent analyses, and patterns of beta-dispersion lead us to suggest that microbiota dispersal and ecological drift are integral to shaping the inter-environmental differences we observed. These patterns were partly mediated by squirrel coat colour phenotype. Given a well-known urban cline in squirrel coat colour melanism, grey squirrels provide a useful free-living system with which to study how host genetics mediate environment x microbiome interactions.
Differing Benefits of Artificial Intelligence-based Computer-aided Diagnosis (AI-CAD) for Breast US According to Workflow and Experience Level
Authors: Lee Si Eun , Han Kyunghwa , Youk Ji Hyun , Lee Jee Eun , Hwang Ji-Young , Rho Miribi , Yoon Jiyoung , Kim Eun-Kyung , Yoon Jung Hyun 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background: To evaluate how artificial intelligence-based computer-assisted diagnosis (AI-CAD) for breast ultrasound (US) influences diagnostic performance and agreements between radiologists with varying experience levels in different workflows.Methods: From Apr 2017 to Jun 2018, images of 492 breast lesions (200 malignant and 292 benign masses) in 472 women were included. Six radiologists (3 inexperienced with < 1 year of experience, 3 experienced with 10-15 years of experience) individually reviewed US images with and without the aid of AI-CAD, first in sequential and then in independent reading. Diagnostic performances and interobserver agreements were calculated and compared between radiologists and AI-CAD. Results: After implementing AI-CAD, specificity, PPV and accuracy significantly improved, regardless of experience and workflow (all P<0.001, respectively). Overall area under the receiving operator characteristics curve (AUC) significantly increased in independent reading, but only for inexperienced radiologists. Agreements for BI-RADS descriptors generally increased when AI-CAD was used (κ=0.29-0.63 to 0.35-0.73). Inexperienced radiologists tended to concede to AI-CAD results more easily than experienced radiologists, especially in independent reading (P<0.001). Conversion rates for final assessment changes from BI-RADS 2 or 3 to BI-RADS higher than 4a or vice versa were also significantly higher in independent reading than sequential reading (overall: 15.8% and 6.2%, respectively, P<0.001) for both inexperienced and experienced radiologists. Conclusions: Using AI-CAD to interpret breast US improves the specificity, PPV and accuracy of radiologists regardless of experience level. AI-CAD may work better in independent reading to improve diagnostic performance and agreements between radiologists, especially for inexperienced radiologists.Trial registration: retrospectively registered
Tonic Downward Movement of Eyes and Its Eccentric Positioning in Downgaze Under General Anaesthesia&nbsp;
Authors: Chaurasia Shweta , Soni Shiv Lal , Ram Jagat , Sukhija Jaspreet , Chaurasia Swati , Takkar Aastha 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Objectives. To summarize abrupt eccentric eye positioning in downgaze following the downward movement of eyes encountered in patients undergoing ophthalmic surgeries under general anesthesia (GA) and analyze the relationship between the fluctuation in the depth of anesthesia (DOA) and eccentric eye positioning in downgaze. Subjects and Methods. Patients undergoing ophthalmic surgeries under GA without nondepolarizing muscle relaxant between January 2018-December 2019 in a tertiary-eye-care who witnessed a sudden tonic hypo-tropic movement of eyes were included in the retrospective, cross-sectional study. Results. A total of 8 patients out of 199 were enrolled in this study with an average age of 1.13±0.40years. All cases (3 pediatric cataracts, 4 strabismus, and 1 pseudophakia with posterior capsular opacification) were performed under GA with sevoflurane as an inducing agent. Downward movement was seen before the start of surgery in 4 cases and during surgery in 4 cases. Downward drift of eyes appeared tonic as the strong tug was felt in an extreme downward eccentric position. It was preceded by an eccentric upward drift of eyes following which sevoflurane concentration was increased to optimize DOA when this downward drift was encountered (mean minimal alveolar concentration/MAC 1.63±0.25). Downward movement was quick but return movement of eyes to the central position was gradual (mean 1.55±0.48minutes) when DOA was decreased (mean MAC 1.3±0.09).Conclusions. Tonic-downward movement of eyes or its eccentric positioning in downgaze is not an uncommon entity in children under GA without muscle-relaxant and fluctuations in DOA should be avoided to circumvent inadvertent complications during ocular surgery.
Study of Cracking Susceptibility in Similar and Dissimilar Welds Between Carbon Steel and Austenitic Stainless Steel Through Finger Test and FE Numerical Model
Authors: Alcantar-Modragón Nereyda , Garcia Victor Garcia , Reyes-Calderon Francisco , Villalobos-Brito Julio César , Vergara-Hernández Héctor Javier 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Hot cracking susceptibility and the formation of brittle martensite phase are the main factors that limit the weldability of a dissimilar joint between carbon steel (CS) and austenitic stainless steel (SS). In this study, the self-constraint finger test was used to correlate the welding thermo-mechanical field with the crack susceptibility of a dissimilar weld between the CS ASTM A36 and SS AISI 304L. The finger test allowed to intercalate fingers (portions) of tested materials in the weld samples to produce dissimilar welds. The heat dissipation and the distortion behavior were related to the crack susceptibility, critical weld regions extension and chemical species diffusion. Four samples were welded (two similar welds and two dissimilar welds) using the filler metals ER70S-6 and EC410NiMo. Welds were analyzed through light optical microscopy (LOM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterize phases, detect cracks, microstructural changes and element diffusion. A finite element (FE) numerical model was applied to simulate the welding thermo-mechanical field. Additionally, electrochemical tests were carried out to assess the corrosion susceptibility of the dissimilar welds. The observed cracks were produced due to different factors such as residual stress distribution, the formation of brittle and untempered martensitic phase in the fusion zone (FZ) and hot cracking associated with the weld sample distortion behavior. The dilution contributed to the formation of d-ferrite in the FZ, which limited the growth of cold and hot cracks. The decarburization and sensitization were not observed in dissimilar welds due to the low element diffusion.
CpG di-nucleotide Odds Ratio Measures Drive Unsupervised Clustering to Characterize the Andes Hantavirus
Authors: Mastriani Emilio , Liu Shu-Lin 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Hantaviruses belong to the Bunyaviridae family with small mammals hosting them. Humans are infected either by inhaling virus-containing aerosols or through contact with animal droppings. Even if rodents host the pathogenic species and humans are dead-end hosts, they still get accidentally infected. The Andes Orthohantavirus (ANDV) seems to be the only species with documented person-to-person transmission. Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) are both serious syndromes associated with hantavirus infections. For both syndromes, the mortality rate is near 40%. Decades of studies have already highlighted the CpG repression in RNA viruses, and both the estimation of the CpG odds ratio and the correlation with their genome polarity were dominant factors in figuring out the CpG bias. We conducted the differential analysis of the CpG odds ratio for all the orthohantaviruses on the full segmented genomes (L, M, S). The results suggested the statistical significance of the three groups. The “Small” genomes were more informative from the CpG odd ratio point of view. We calculated the CpG odds ratio for all the Orthohantaviruses within these segments and furthermore estimated the correlation coefficient with the relative coding sequences (CDS). Preliminary results first confirmed the CpG odds ratio as the lowest among all the nucleotides. Second, the Andes virus was highlighted as the one with the highest CpG odds ratio within CDS. The use of these two measures as features for unsupervised clustering algorithms has allowed us to identify four different sub-groups within the Orthohantaviridae family. The evidence is that the Andes Hantavirus exhibits a peculiar CpG odds ratio distribution, probably linked to its unique characteristic of passing from person to person.
Application of a new percutaneous multi-function pedicle locator in minimally invasive spine surgery
Authors: Liu Xiaojian , Liu Hairun , Wang Yushan 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
A new percutaneous multi-function pedicle locator was designed to be used for personalized three-dimensional positioning of a pedicle in minimally invasive spine surgery without computer-assisted navigation technology. This article instructed the method and advantages of using a new percutaneous multi-function pedicle locator in minimally invasive surgery of the spine. Based on the position of a pedicles suggested by CT and X-ray images of a patient, 6 lines and 2 distances were used to determine the puncture point of a pedicle screw, while 2 angles were used to determine the inserting direction of a pedicle guide needle from the patient's body surface. The result of application of the locator was roughly compared with that of the conventional freehand technique. The potential benefits of using the locator included enhancing surgical accuracy, reducing the operation time, mitigating the harmful intra-operative radiation exposure, saving the costs and shortening the learning curve of young orthopedists. It was hoped that more doctors and patients will benefit from it.
A Novel Implementation of Machine Learning for the Efficient, Explainable Diagnosis of COVID-19 from Chest CT
Authors: Liu Justin 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background: In a worldwide health crisis as severe as COVID-19, there has become a pressing need for rapid, reliable diagnostics. Currently, popular testing methods such as reversetranscription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) can have high false negative rates. Consequently, COVID-19 patients are not accurately identified nor treated quickly enough to prevent transmission of the virus. However, the recent rise of medical CT data has presented promising avenues, since CT manifestations contain key characteristics indicative of COVID-19. Findings: This study aimed to take a novel approach in the machine learning-based detection of COVID-19 from chest CT scans. First, the dataset utilized in this study was derived from three major sources, comprising a total of 17,698 chest CT slices across 923 patient cases. Additionally, image preprocessing algorithms were developed to reduce noise by excluding irrelevant features. Transfer learning was also implemented with the EfficientNetB7 pre-trained model to provide a backbone architecture and save computational resources. Lastly, several explainability techniques were leveraged to qualitatively validate model performance by localizing infected regions and highlighting fine-grained pixel details. The proposed model attained an overall accuracy of 92.71% and a sensitivity of 95.79%. Explainability measures showed that the model correctly distinguished between relevant, critical features pertaining to COVID-19 chest CT images and normal controls.Conclusions: Deep learning frameworks provide efficient, human-interpretable COVID-19 diagnostics that could complement a radiologist’s decision or serve as an alternative screening tool. Future endeavors could provide insight into infection severity, patient risk stratification, and more precise visualizations
Size-Controlled Facile Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by Chemical Reduction Method and Their Antibacterial Performance Against Staphylococcus Aureus and Escherichia Coli
Authors: Halder Sanjoy , Ahmed Aninda Nafis , Gafur M A , Seong Gimyeong , Hossain Muhammad Zamir 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
This article describes the size-controlled one-pot facile synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and their antibacterial response against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. AgNPs coated with and without trisodium citrate (TSC) were synthesized using silver nitrate aqueous precursor and hydrazine as a reducing agent. The appearance of yellowish color with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with maximum absorbance (λmax) at 416 nm from the ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectrum of the product indicated primarily the formation of the desired product. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirmed the crystallinity of those products. Field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicated only spherical AgNPs formation. The existence of a functional group of chemically bonded surface capping agents is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and the themogravimetric analysis (TGA) weight loss assessment proved the attachment of good amount of capping agents. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopic analysis of products revealed the existence of high percentage (96.36%) of silver. Exposing the synthesized AgNPs to Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli bacteria, the zone inhibition was found to be 8 mm and 6 mm at a concentration of 50 mgL− 1, respectively. These results imply that TSC capped AgNPs can be considered as effective human pathogens for S. aureus and E. coli which is very inspiring.
Cerebrospinal Tau Levels Predict Early Disability in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Virgilio Eleonora , Vecchio Domizia , Crespi Ilaria , Serino Roberto , Cantello Roberto , Dianzani Umberto , Comi Cristoforo 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease, displaying inflammation and neurodegeneration as neuropathological hallmarks. Nonetheless, the exact mechanisms underlying axonal and neuronal loss remain unclear. Several biomarkers have been investigated, with serum neurofilaments light chain (NFLs) being the most promising. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of Tau and Beta-amyloid (Abeta) are currently used as biomarkers in other neurodegenerative diseases. Conversely in MS, investigation of CSF Tau and Abeta levels so far were reported to provide information on disease prognosis, but these results have not been replicated. Aim of this work was to assess whether CSF Tau and Abeta levels could predict early disability accumulation in MS patients at diagnosis. Methods: 100 MS patients underwent CSF analysis during their diagnostic work-up. Demographic, clinical, radiological features, and CSF were collected at baseline. MS severity score (MSSS) and age-related MSSS (ARMSS) were calculated at last follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed with the Mann–Whitney test for comparisons between groups, Spearman’s coefficient and multiple regression analysis for significant predictors.Results: Baseline CSF Tau levels correlated with MSSS (p=0.0001) and ARMSS (p=0.0176) after a mean two years follow-up. Predictors of early disability evaluated with MSSS and ARMSS were CSF Tau (p=0.009 and p=0.01), spinal cord involvement (p=0.029 and p=0.008), age at MS diagnosis (p=0.001), and high brain lesion load (p=0.02) at baseline. Conclusion: CSF Tau levels showed a predictive value comparable to MRI features and age at diagnosis. We hypothesize that CSF Tau levels express chronic axonal damage, contributing to early MS disability.
Emergence of Phenotypic and Genotypic Resistance in the Intestinal Microbiota of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) Exposed Long-term to Sub-inhibitory Concentrations of Sulfamethoxazole
Authors: Labitt Rachael N. , Ren Jennifer , Marquis Helene 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Natural waters are contaminated globally with pharmaceuticals including many antibiotics. In this study, we assessed the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance in the culturable intestinal microbiota of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed for six-months to sub-inhibitory concentrations of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), one of the most prevalent antibiotics in natural waters. SMX was tested at three concentrations: 3000 µg/L, a concentration that had no observed effect (NOEC) on the in vitro growth of fish intestinal microbiota; 3 µg/L, a theoretical predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) for long-term studies in natural environments; and 0.3 µg/L, a concentration detected in many surveys of surface waters from various countries including the USA. In two independent experiments, the emergence of phenotypic resistance and an increased prevalence of bacteria carrying a sulfonamide-resistance gene (sul1) were observed in SMX-exposed fish. The emergence of phenotypic resistance to1000 mg/L SMX was significant in fish exposed to 3 µg/L SMX and was in large part independent of sul resistance genes. The prevalence of bacteria carrying the sul1 resistance gene increased significantly in the culturable intestinal microbiota of SMX-exposed fish, but the sul1-positive population was in large part susceptible to 1000 mg/L SMX, suggesting that the gene confers a lower resistance level or a growth advantage. The increased prevalence of sul1 bacteria was observed in all groups of SMX-exposed fish. Overall, this study suggests that fish exposed long-term to waters contaminated with low levels of antibiotics serve as reservoir of antimicrobial resistant genes and of resistant bacteria, a potential threat to public health.
A systematic review of patient baseline characteristics, procedural details and outcomes of combined transcatheter valvular interventions.
Authors: Muhyieddeen Amer , Asaodurian Miro , Sadhale Ashwini , Amini Mehdia , Balla Sujana , Fang Min-Lin , Saba Sheeda , Rathod Ankit 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background Valvular heart pathologies remain amongst the most encountered conditions surgeons and interventionists face today. Multi-valve procedures exhibit higher operative mortality than do single valve procedures, with a mortality rate that is double its counterpart. Up until recently, surgical repair was the gold standard for most diseased valves. With the advent of new percutaneous and transcatheter technologies for valve replacement, many patients deemed inoperable due to prohibitively high surgical risk have been able to benefit from these new lesser invasive techniques. Currently, one systematic review article exists by Ando et al which included 37 studies and 60 patients and demonstrated reasonable clinical outcomes in patients undergoing combined transcatheter aortic and mitral valve intervention (CTAMVI). Since that original article, many new papers and studies have been published. We purpose an updated systematic review of all cases of combined percutaneous/transcatheter multi-valvular repairs.Methods An electronic search will be performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane through September 2020 to identify eligible observation studies and RCTs. A complete electronic search will be conducted from January 1st 2000 to September 1st 2020 with Pubmed, EMBASE and Cochrane. All search results will be uploaded to COVIDENCE and screened by title or abstract and included for full manuscript review when it’s deemed relevant to the systematic review. All data will be abstracted into a dedicated excel spreadsheet and used for further data analysis. Demographic information such as patient’s age, sex and location will be extracted. Further information such as performed procedure, surgical risk, whether procedures were done simultaneously or staged, deployed device and clinical outcomes will be extracted as well. Discussion Within the medical literature, there is limited data available regarding combined transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valve intervention. This is an attractive alternative in high-surgical risk patients with combined valvular disease. However, its procedural details and clinical outcomes have not been well described in any current medical guidelines. Through our systematic review we will be able to better elucidate and a establish strategies for undergoing transcatheter interventions in high risk patients who require multi-valvular repair.