bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gut microbiota‐derived synbiotic formula (SIM01) as a novel adjuvant therapy for COVID‐19: An open‐label pilot study
Authors: Zhang Lin , Xu Zhilu , Mak Joyce W Y , Chow Kai Ming , Lui Grace , Li Timothy C M , Wong Chun Kwok , Chan Paul K S , Ching Jessica Y L , Fujiwara Yasuhiro , Chan Francis K L , Ng Siew C 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackground and AimGut dysbiosis is associated with immune dysfunction and severity of COVID‐19. Whether targeting dysbiosis will improve outcomes of COVID‐19 is unknown. This study aimed to assess the effects of a novel gut microbiota‐derived synbiotic formula (SIM01) as an adjuvant therapy on immunological responses and changes in gut microbiota of hospitalized COVID‐19 patients.MethodsThis was an open‐label, proof‐of‐concept study. Consecutive COVID‐19 patients admitted to an infectious disease referral center in Hong Kong were given a novel formula of Bifidobacteria strains, galactooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharide, and resistant dextrin (SIM01). The latter was derived from metagenomic databases of COVID‐19 patients and healthy population. COVID‐19 patients who were admitted under another independent infectious disease team during the same period without receiving SIM01 acted as controls. All patients received standard treatments for COVID‐19 according to the hospital protocol. We assessed antibody response, plasma proinflammatory markers, nasopharyngeal SARS‐CoV‐2 viral load, and fecal microbiota profile from admission up to week 5.ResultsTwenty‐five consecutive COVID‐19 patients received SIM01 for 28 days; 30 patients who did not receive the formula acted as controls. Significantly more patients receiving SIM01 than controls developed SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibody (88% vs 63.3%; P = 0.037) by Day 16. One (4%) and 8 patients (26.7%) in the SIM01 and control group, respectively, failed to develop positive IgG antibody upon discharge. At week 5, plasma levels of interleukin (IL)‐6, monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF‐α), and IL‐1RA reduced significantly in the SIM01 but not in the control group. There was a significant negative correlation of nasopharyngeal SARS‐CoV‐2 viral load and SIM01 intervention. Metagenomic analysis showed that bacterial species in SIM01 formula were found in greater abundance leading to enrichment of commensal bacteria and suppression of opportunistic pathogens in COVID‐19 patients by week 4 and week 5.ConclusionsThis proof‐of‐concept study suggested that the use of a novel gut microbiota‐derived synbiotic formula, SIM01, hastened antibody formation against SARS‐CoV‐2, reduced nasopharyngeal viral load, reduced pro‐inflammatory immune markers, and restored gut dysbiosis in hospitalised COVID‐19 patients.
Endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Wassélius Johan , Arnberg Fabian , von Euler Mia , Wester Per , Ullberg Teresa 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis review describes the evolution of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke, current state of the art, and the challenges for the next decade. The rapid development of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), from the first attempts into standard of care on a global scale, is one of the major achievements in modern medicine. It was possible thanks to the establishment of a scientific framework for patient selection, assessment of stroke severity and outcome, technical development by dedicated physicians and the MedTech industry, including noninvasive imaging for patient selection, and radiological outcome evaluation. A series of randomized controlled trials on EVT in addition to intravenous thrombolytics, with overwhelmingly positive results for anterior circulation stroke within 6 h of onset regardless of patient characteristics with a number needed to treat of less than 3 for any positive shift in outcome, paved the way for a rapid introduction of EVT into clinical practice. Within the “extended” time window of 6–24 h, the effect has been even greater for patients with salvageable brain tissue according to perfusion imaging with a number needed to treat below 2. Even so, EVT is only available for a small portion of stroke patients, and successfully recanalized EVT patients do not always achieve excellent functional outcome. The major challenges in the years to come include rapid prehospital detection of stroke symptoms, adequate clinical and radiological diagnosis of severe ischemic stroke cases, enabling effective recanalization by EVT in dedicated angiosuites, followed by personalized post‐EVT stroke care.
Ultrasonographic patterns, clinical findings, and prognostic variables in dogs from Asia with gallbladder mucocele
Authors: Jaffey Jared A. , Kreisler Rachael , Shumway Kate , Lee Yan‐Jane , Lin Chung‐Hui , Durocher‐Babek Lawren L. , Seo Kyoung‐Won , Choi Hojung , Nakashima Ko , Harada Hiromi , Kanemoto Hideyuki , Lin Lee‐Shuan 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundGallbladder mucocele (GBM) is a common biliary disorder in dogs that can be categorized into 6 types, but the value of this classification scheme remains unknown. Cholecystectomy is associated with high death rates and warrants additional interrogation.ObjectivesInvestigate the clinical value of ultrasonographic diagnosis of type of GBM and identify prognostic factors in dogs with GBM undergoing cholecystectomy.AnimalsTwo hundred sixteen dogs.MethodsRetrospective cohort study. Dogs with GBM diagnosed from 2014 to 2019 at 6 veterinary referral hospitals in Asia. Ultrasonogram images were reviewed and a GBM type (ie, types I‐VI) assigned.ResultsDogs with GBM type V as compared to I (OR, 8.6; 95% CI, 2.6‐27.8; P < .001) and III (OR, 10.0; 95% CI, 2.5‐40.8; P = .001), and dogs with type VI compared to I (OR, 10.5; 95% CI, 1.8‐61.2; P = .009) and III (OR, 12.3; 95% CI, 1.8‐83.9; P = .01) were more likely to exhibit signs of biliary tract disease. Independent predictors of death after cholecystectomy included age (OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.41‐5.59; P = .003) and intraoperative systolic blood pressure (SBP) nadir. There was an interaction between SBP nadir and gallbladder rupture; SBP nadir in dogs with (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89‐0.94; P < .001) and without (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82‐0.93; P < .001) gallbladder rupture.Conclusion and Clinical ImportanceIncreasing developmental stage of GBM could be associated with an increased likelihood of biliary tract related clinical signs. Nadir SBP deserves further investigation as a prognostic or potentially modifiable variable, particularly in the presence of gallbladder rupture.
Technological progress in the US catfish industry
Authors: Hegde Shraddha , Kumar Ganesh , Engle Carole , Hanson Terry , Roy Luke A. , Cheatham Morgan , Avery Jimmy , Aarattuthodiyil Suja , van Senten Jonathan , Johnson Jeff , Wise David , Dahl Sunni , Dorman Larry , Peterman Mark 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe US catfish industry has undergone significant technological advancements in an attempt to achieve cost efficiencies. This study monitored the progress of the adoption of alternative and complementary technologies in the US catfish industry. A 2019–2020 multi‐state in‐person survey in Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi (n = 68), revealed increased adoption of intensively aerated ponds (6,315 ha) and split ponds (1,176 ha). The adoption of alternative, more intensive, production practices has been accompanied by increased adoption of complementary technologies of fixed‐paddlewheel aeration, automated oxygen monitors, and hybrid catfish. As a result, the average aeration rate in the tristate region has increased to 7.8 kW/ha with 97% of catfish farms adopting automated oxygen monitors. About 53% of the water surface area in the tristate region was used for hybrid catfish production. Fingerling producers have also adopted a feed‐based, oral vaccine against Enteric Septicemia of Catfish, with 83% of the fingerling farms and 73% of the fingerling production area vaccinated against ESC in 2020. Increased adoption of productivity‐enhancing technologies in the US catfish industry explains the 59% increase in foodfish productivity from 2010 to 2019. Monitoring the progress of adoption of productivity‐enhancing technologies will guide researchers and Extension personnel involved in the refinement and dissemination of these technologies.
Relationship between device displacement distance toward the caudal side during standing and pocket position laterality
Authors: Miyamoto Taro , Oginosawa Yasushi , Fujino Yoshihisa , Kuwata Koichi , Yagyu Keishiro , Yamagishi Yasunobu , Tsukahara Keita , Ohe Hisaharu , Kohno Ritsuko , Kataoka Masaharu 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe displacement of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) toward the caudal side during standing after CIED implantation could cause lead dislodgement. This study investigated the relationship between supine pocket position and standing CIEDs’ displacement distance after the implantation.MethodsAfter CIED surgeries performed at 2 hospitals between 2012 and 2020, 134 patients underwent postoperative chest x‐rays in the supine and standing positions during hospitalization. To measure the displacement distance of CIEDs from the supine to the standing position, we identified the first thoracic vertebrae (Th1) in the supine position using the first rib as an index, drew a horizontal line at the lower edge of the Th1, and calculated the distance from that point to the upper edge of the CIED. The difference between measures for the two positions was compared. At the position of the pocket in the thorax in the supine position, the ratio of the distance between the thorax and the device is defined as the device thorax ratio (DTR). We examined the relationship between DTR and CIED displacement distance.ResultsIn this study, we included 134 patients (53% men; median age, 79 years, body mass index, 22.3 ± 3.4; pacemaker 93%, left implantation 96%). We found that the more lateral the position of the CIED pocket, the more the CIED fell when standing (confidence interval = 0.34–0.60, P < .001).ConclusionsThe farther the CIED was implanted outside the thorax in the supine position, the more significantly the CIED was displaced in the standing position.
Prescribed medicine use and extent of off‐label use according to age in a nationwide sample of Australian children
Authors: Schaffer Andrea L. , Bruno Claudia , Buckley Nicholas A. , Cairns Rose , Litchfield Melisa , Paget Simon , Zoega Helga , Nassar Natasha , Pearson Sallie‐Anne 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundMedicine prescribing for children is impacted by a lack of paediatric‐specific dosing, efficacy and safety data for many medicines.ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of medicine use among children and the rate of ‘off‐label’ prescribing according to age at dispensing.MethodsWe used population‐wide primarily outpatient dispensing claims data for 15% of Australian children (0–17 years), 2013–2017 (n = 840,190). We estimated prescribed medicine use and ‘off‐label’ medicine use according to the child's age (<1 year, 1–5 years, 6–11 years, 12–17 years) defined as medicines without age‐appropriate dose recommendations in regulator‐approved product information. Within off‐label medicines, we also identified medicines with and without age‐specific dose recommendations in a national prescribing guide, the Australian Medicines Handbook Children's Dosing Companion (AMH CDC).ResultsThe overall dispensing rate was 2.0 dispensings per child per year. The medicines with the highest average yearly prevalence were systemic antibiotics (435.3 per 1000 children), greatest in children 1–5 years (546.9 per 1000). Other common medicine classes were systemic corticosteroids (92.7 per 1000), respiratory medicines (91.2 per 1000), acid‐suppressing medicines in children <1 year (47.2 per 1000), antidepressants in children 12–17 years (40.3 per 1000) and psychostimulants in children 6–11 years (27.0 per 1000). We identified 12.2% of dispensings as off‐label based on age, but 66.3% of these had age‐specific dosing recommendations in the AMH CDC. Among children <1 year, off‐label dispensings were commonly acid‐suppressing medicines (35.5%) and topical hydrocortisone (33.1%); in children 6–11 years, off‐label prescribing of clonidine (16.0%) and risperidone (13.1%) was common. Off‐label dispensings were more likely to be prescribed by a specialist (21.7%) than on‐label dispensings (7.5%).ConclusionsPrescribed medicine use is common in children, with off‐label dispensings for medicines without paediatric‐specific dosing guidelines concentrated in classes such as acid‐suppressing medicines and psychotropics. Our findings highlight a need for better evidence to support best‐practice prescribing.
Modeling the association between socioeconomic features and risk of flood damage: A local‐scale case study in Sri Lanka
Authors: De Silva M. M. G. T. , Kawasaki Akiyuki 
Published: February 2022

AbstractFloods cause severe damage to people as well as to properties. The same flood can cause different levels of damage to different households, but investigations into floods tend to be conducted on regional and national scales, thereby missing these local variations. It is therefore necessary to understand individual experiences of flood damage to implement effective flood management strategies on a local scale. The main objectives of this study were to develop a model that represents the relationship between socioeconomic conditions and flood damage at a local scale, and to understand the socioeconomic factors most closely tied to flood damage. The analysis is novel in that it considers not only the impact of flood characteristics, but also the impact of social, economic, and geographic factors on flood damage. This analysis derives from a quantitative modeling approach based on community responses, with the responses obtained through questionnaire surveys that consider four consecutive floods of differing severity. Path analysis was used to develop a model to represent the relationships between these factors. A randomly selected sample of 150 data points was used for model development, and nine random samples of 150 data points were used to validate the model. Results suggest that poor households, located in vulnerable, low‐lying areas near rivers, suffer the most from being exposed to frequent, severe floods. Further, the results show that the socioeconomic factors with the most significant bearing on flood damage are per capita income and geographic location of the household. The results can be represented as a cycle, showing that social, economic, geographic, and flood characteristics are interrelated in ways that influence flood damage. This empirical analysis highlights a need for local‐scale flood damage assessments, as offered in this article but seldom seen in other relevant literature. Our assessment was achieved by analyzing the impact of socioeconomic and geographic conditions and considering the relationship between flood characteristics and flood damage.
Leveraging risk assessment for foodborne outbreak investigations: The Quantitative Risk Assessment‐Epidemic Curve Prediction Model
Authors: Mokhtari Amir , Pang Hao , Santillana Farakos Sofia , McKenna Crystal , Crowley Cecilia , Cranford Vanessa , Bowen April , Phillips Sheena , Madad Asma , Obenhuber Donald , Van Doren Jane M. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractRoot cause analysis can be used in foodborne illness outbreak investigations to determine the underlying causes of an outbreak and to help identify actions that could be taken to prevent future outbreaks. We developed a new tool, the Quantitative Risk Assessment‐Epidemic Curve Prediction Model (QRA‐EC), to assist with these goals and applied it to a case study to investigate and illustrate the utility of leveraging quantitative risk assessment to provide unique insights for foodborne illness outbreak root cause analysis. We used a 2019 Salmonella outbreak linked to melons as a case study to demonstrate the utility of this model (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019). The model was used to evaluate the impact of various root cause hypotheses (representing different contamination sources and food safety system failures in the melon supply chain) on the predicted number and timeline of illnesses. The predicted number of illnesses varied by contamination source and was strongly impacted by the prevalence and level of Salmonella contamination on the surface/inside of whole melons and inside contamination niches on equipment surfaces. The timeline of illnesses was most strongly impacted by equipment sanitation efficacy for contamination niches. Evaluations of a wide range of scenarios representing various potential root causes enabled us to identify which hypotheses, were likely to result in an outbreak of similar size and illness timeline to the 2019 Salmonella melon outbreak. The QRA‐EC framework can be adapted to accommodate any food–pathogen pairs to provide insights for foodborne outbreak investigations.
On the Absence of Propositional Negation from Hungarian Polare‐Interrogatives*
Authors: Gärtner Hans‐Martin , Gyuris Beáta 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIt is argued that the ban on propositional “inside” negation in Hungarian polare‐interrogatives can be derived as a syntactic intervention effect. An Agree‐based formalization is sketched that crucially relies on a diachronically motivated negative formal feature on the interrogative particle ‐e. A putative counterexample is taken to be echoic. We indicate a way to capture the echoic licensing of propositional negation within an extended formalism.
Ex vivoultrasonographic and histological morphometry of small intestinal wall layers in horses
Authors: Diana Alessia , Freccero Francesca , Giancola Fiorella , Linta Nikolina , Pietra Marco , Luca Valeria , Salamanca Giulia , Cipone Mario , Chiocchetti Roberto 
Published: February 2022

AbstractUltrasonographic morphometry of wall layers is commonly used in veterinary patients with suspected small intestinal disease, however published studies comparing this method with histopathology in horses are limited. This prospective, methods comparison study compared the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of small intestinal wall layers using ex vivo high‐frequency ultrasound versus histopathology in a sample of 16 horses. Transverse section images of duodenum, distal jejunum, and ileum were acquired with a high‐frequency linear transducer (7–15 MHz). Transverse histological cryosections were obtained at the same level. Appearance and measurements of the intestinal wall layers were assessed on the ultrasonographic and histological images. High‐frequency scanning with the probe in close contact with the serosal surface of the equine intestinal wall allowed a clear and detailed definition of wall layers. A hyperechoic line was consistently detected within thetunica muscularisin all the intestinal tracts, corresponding histologically to the interface between its longitudinal and circular muscle layers. The overall trend of the values for wall layers thickness was comparable between ex vivo ultrasonography and histology. However, a poor agreement was found between the two methods for all layers. The ultrasonographic measurements were thicker compared to histological measurements, with the exception of the total wall and the muscular layer thicknesses. These layers were thinner on ultrasonography in the duodenum and in all the intestinal segments, respectively. Findings from the current study can be used as background for future ultrasonographic investigations of small intestinal diseases in horses.
On the Interpretation and Scope of the V&V 20 Standard for Verification and Validation in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer
Authors: Eca Luis , Dowding Kevin , Roache Patrick J. 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
The goal of this paper is to summarize and clarify the scope and interpretation of the validation procedure presented in the V&V20-2009 ASME Standard. In V&V20-2009, validation is an assessment of the model error, without regard to the assessment satisfying validation requirements. Therefore, validation is not considered as a pass/fail exercise. The purpose of the validation procedure is the estimation of the accuracy of a mathematical model for specified validation variables (also known as quantities of interest, system responses or figures of merit) at a specified validation point for cases in which the conditions of the actual experiment are simulated. The procedure proposed in V&V20-2009 can be applied to variables defined by a scalar. For the sake of clarity, the paper reiterates the development and assumptions behind the V&V20-2009 procedure that requires the knowledge of the experimental D and simulation S values at the set point and an estimate of the experimental, numerical and parameter uncertainties. The difference E between S and D is the centre of the interval that should contain the model error (with a certain degree of confidence) and the width of the interval is obtained from the validation uncertainty that is a consequence of the combination of the experimental, numerical and parameter uncertainties. The paper presents the alternatives to address parameter uncertainty and expands upon the interpretation of the final result. The paper also includes two examples demonstrating the application of the V&V20-2009 validation procedure.
A High Performance Pneumatically Actuated Soft Gripper Based on Layer Jamming
Authors: Zeng Xianpai , Su Hai-Jun 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
This article presents a novel soft robotic gripper with a high payload capacity based on the layer jamming technology. Soft robots have a high adaptability, however suffer a low payload capacity. To overcome these conflicting challenges, here we introduce a 3D printed multi-material gripper that integrates jamming layers for enhancing payload capacity. By inflating the internal air chamber with positive pressure, the finger can be actuated to a large bending angle for adapting complex shapes. Layers of jamming sheets are bounded on the finger structure and are then sealed inside a vacuum bag. When a high payload is desired, air inside the vacuum bag is drawn out and a negative air pressure is applied to the jamming layers, which leads to the gripper locked at the actuated shape. To evaluate the performance of the gripper, we conducted extensive tests including actuation, stiffness variation, typical payload capacity, and adaptability. The results show that our gripper is not only highly adaptable just like most soft grippers but also more importantly capable of grasping heavy (about 6–10 kg) objects comparable to rigid-body counterparts.
The Tradeoff Power Distribution Strategy Based on the Genetic -Pareto Algorithm for a Dual-Motor Coupling-Propulsion Electric Vehicle
Authors: Lin Xinyou , Wei Shenshen , Wu Jiayun 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
The dual-motor coupling-propulsion electric vehicle (DMCP-EV) has the merit of favorable energy efficiency due to its multiple operation modes. In the driving process, the performance of the DMCP-EV depends greatly on the power distribution to meet various driving requests. A power distribution coefficient is optimized by using the genetic-Pareto algorithm (GA-Pareto) algorithm. In addition to this effort, a power distribution strategy based on tradeoff optimization with comprehensive consideration of energy efficiency and ride comfort is proposed. Then, the sensitive analysis of optimized performance is conducted to obtain the three appropriate GA-Pareto algorithm parameters. The benchmark strategies are conducted to validate the proposed tradeoff power distribution strategy and the comparisons of three preference strategies with the hardware-in-loop (HIL) validation are performed. Results of the simulation and HIL experiments demonstrate that the proposed control strategies can address the tradeoff between energy-efficient and ride comfort for DMCP-EV.