bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Maternal Disrespect and Abuse by Health Care Providers among postpartum women attending Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, South West Ethiopia
Authors: Kebede Dereje Sisay , Dachew Aklilu Mamo , Abota Tafesse Lamaro 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBackgroundIn Ethiopia, only 48% of all births occur at health facilities. Maternal disrespect and abuse by health care providers during child birth is one of the main reasons that affect health care seeking behaviors from health facilities. Thus, this study aims to assess magnitude of maternal disrespect and abuse during institutional delivery among postpartum women at Mizan -Tepi University Teaching Hospital (MTUTH), Bench Sheko Zone, South west EthiopiaMethodsInstitution-based cross-sectional study design was employed. A total of 409 postpartum women were enrolled using systematic random sampling technique between Augusts to September, in 2021. Pré-tested and structured questionnaire used for face-to-face interview. Data were coded, edited, and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done. The presence and strength of association were determined using AOR with its 95% CI. Variables with P value of less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significantResultsAbout half (52.1%) of the postpartum women experienced at least one category of maternal disrespect and abuse during institutional delivery. No formal education status during labor [AOR=2.216; 95% CI:1.266, 3.879], delivery during night shifts [(AOR=2.2; 95% CI: 1.306, 3.772], living in rural area [AOR=3.014;95% CI:1.630,5.572], number of health provider 2-3[AOR=4.101; 95%CI:2.70,6.23] and number of health provider above three[AOR=8.13; 95%CI:2.12,5.62] were found to be strongly associated with reporting maternal disrespect and abuse.ConclusionsThe study highlights that large proportion of mothers are experiencing maternal disrespect and abuse during institutional delivery in this study setting. Thus, appropriate interventions should be designed, focusing on supervision during night shifts, empowering childbearing women about their rights at health facilities and providing training for health care providers about respectful maternity care need to be emphatise.
A mixed methods analysis of participation in social contact surveys
Authors: Nixon Emily , Silvonen Taru , Barreaux Antoine , Kwiatkowska Rachel , Trickey Adam , Thomas Amy , Ali Becky , Treneman-Evans Georgia , Christensen Hannah , Brooks-Pollock Ellen , Denford Sarah 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBackgroundSocial contact survey data forms a core component of modern epidemic models: however, there has been little assessment of the potential biases in such data.MethodsWe conducted focus groups with university students who had (n=13) and had not (n=14) completed a social contact survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative findings were explored quantitatively by analysing participation data.ResultsThe opportunity to contribute to COVID-19 research, to be heard and feel useful were frequently reported motivators for participating in the contact survey. Reductions in survey engagement following lifting of COVID-19 restrictions may have occurred because the research was perceived to be less critical and/ or because the participants were busier and had more contacts. Having a high number of contacts to report, uncertainty around how to report each contact, and concerns around confidentiality were identified as factors leading to inaccurate reporting. Focus groups participants thought that financial incentives or provision of study results would encourage participation.ConclusionsIncentives could improve engagement with social contact surveys. Qualitative research can inform the format, timing, and wording of surveys to optimise completion and accuracy.Graphical abstract
Comparative effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination against death and severe disease in an ongoing nationwide mass vaccination campaign
Authors: Lytras Theodore , Kontopidou Flora , Lambrou Angeliki , Tsiodras Sotirios 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBackgroundAs national COVID-19 mass vaccination campaigns are rolled out, it is important to demonstrate and measure their public health benefit. We aimed to estimate COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) against severe disease and death in the Greek population, for all vaccines in use.MethodsNationwide active surveillance and vaccination registry data during January-December 2021 were used to estimate VE via quasi-Poisson regression, as one minus the Incidence Rate Ratio, adjusted for age and calendar time. Interaction terms were included to assess VE by age group, against the “delta” SARS-CoV-2 variant and waning of VE over time.ResultsTwo doses of BNT162b2, mRNA-1273 or ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccines offered very high (>90%) VE against both intubation and death across all age groups, similar against both “delta” and previous variants, with one-dose Ad26.COV2.S slightly lower. There was some waning over time but VE remained >80% at six months, and three doses increased VE again to near 100%. Vaccination prevented an estimated 19,691 COVID-19 deaths (95% CI: 18,890-20,788) over the study period.ConclusionsAll approved vaccines were very highly effective in preventing COVID-19 severe disease and death. Every effort should be made to vaccinate the population with at least two doses, in order to reduce the mortality and morbidity impact of the pandemic.
Cerebro-cerebellar networks facilitate learning through feedback decoupling
Authors: Boven Ellen , Pemberton Joseph , Chadderton Paul , Apps Richard , Costa Rui Ponte 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBehavioural feedback is critical for learning in the cerebral cortex. However, such feedback is often not readily available. How the cerebral cortex learns efficiently despite the sparse nature of feedback remains unclear. Inspired by recent deep learning algorithms, we introduce a systems-level computational model of cerebro-cerebellar interactions. In this model a cerebral recurrent network receives feedback predictions from a cerebellar network, thereby decoupling learning in cerebral networks from future feedback. When trained in a simple sensorimotor task the model shows faster learning and reduced dysmetria-like behaviours, in line with the widely observed functional impact of the cerebellum. Next, we demonstrate that these results generalise to more complex motor and cognitive tasks. Finally, the model makes several experimentally testable predictions regarding (1) cerebro-cerebellar task-specific representations over learning, (2) task-specific benefits of cerebellar predictions and (3) the differential impact of cerebellar and inferior olive lesions. Overall, our work offers a theoretical framework of cerebro-cerebellar networks as feedback decoupling machines.
Extending Bayesian Elo-rating to quantify the steepness of dominance hierarchies
Authors: Neumann Christof , Fischer Julia 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe steepness of dominance hierarchies provides information about the degree of competition within animal social groups and is thus an important concept in socioecology. The currently most widely-used metrics to quantify steepness are based on David’s scores (DS) derived from dominance interaction networks. One serious drawback of these DS-based metrics is that they are biased, i.e., network density systematically decreases steepness values. Here, we provide a novel approach to estimate steepness based on Elo-ratings, implemented in a Bayesian framework (STEER: Steepness estimation with Elo-rating). Our new metric has two key advantages. First, STEER is unbiased, precise and more robust to data density than DS-based steepness. Second, it provides explicit probability distributions of the estimated steepness coefficient, which allows uncertainty assessment. In addition, it relies on the same underlying concept and is on the same scale as the original measure, and thus allows comparison to existing published results. We evaluate and validate performance of STEER by means of experimentation on empirical and artificial data sets and compare its performance to that of several other steepness estimators. Our results suggest that STEER provides a considerable improvement over existing methods to estimate dominance hierarchy steepness. We provide an R packageEloSteepnessto calculate the new steepness measure, and also show an example of using steepness in a comparative analysis.
Decline in Environmental Quality and Spatial Dynamics of New City Area Development Metropolitan Mamminasata, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: Surya Batara , Salim Agus , Sariman Syahrul , Hernita Hernita , Saleh Haeruddin , Suriani Seri , Nasrullah Nasrullah , Rasyidi Emil Salim 
Published: January 2022

AbstractsThe expansion of urban areas towards the development of new urban areas has an impact on changes in land use, socio-economic dynamics and a decrease in environmental quality. This study aims to analyze land use change as a determinant of environmental degradation and the spatial dynamics of metropolitan urban areas, the effect of land use change, housing development, infrastructure development, and land reclamation on the environmental degradation of the new city area, and control strategies environmental pollution and sustainable development of the new city area. This study uses a quantitative-qualitative concurrent triangulation design approach. Elaboration of data through observation, in-depth interviews, surveys, and documentation is used to describe the socio-economic community, and the decline in the environmental quality of new city area development in relation to the spatial dynamics of metropolitan urban areas. The results of the study show that the intensity of land use change coupled with an increase in socio-economic activities in the development of new city areas is positively associated with a decrease in environmental quality and segregation towards the spatial dynamics of metropolitan urban areas. Changes in land use, housing development, infrastructure development, and land reclamation simultaneously affect environmental quality degradation with a coefficient of determination of 64.96%. This study recommends strategies for controlling environmental pollution and sustainable development of new city areas for the needs of formulating urban development policies for Mamminasata Metropolitan South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Does a single exposure to social defeat render rats more vulnerable to chemically induced colitis than brief inescapable foot-shocks?
Authors: Milde Anne Marita , Rød Anne Marie Kinn , Brekke Silvia , Gjøen Hedda , Mesfin Ghenet , Murison Robert 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAll social species are to different degrees exposed to stressors being physical or social environmental, which may affect health and well-being. Stressful and traumatic situations have direct effect on immune responses that may underlie susceptibility of developing somatic illness. In animal research, different types of stressors have been investigated in studying the effect on bowel disorders, some stressor being more or less of environmental origin. We aimed therefore to explore whether a more natural stressor would differ from a stressor of more unnatural characteristics on dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) induced colitis in adult rats. Specifically, if social stress within a single social defeat (SD) paradigm would be a more potent stressor than brief inescapable foot-shocks (IFS) in causing elevated faecal granulocyte marker protein (GMP), crypt- and inflammation score in colon tissue. Three groups of male Wistar rats were used; socially defeated rats; inescapable foot-shock rats; and comparison rats. Main findings showed no difference between the groups on GMP levels, however, there was a significant difference on inflammation and crypt score for the distal part of colon, detected through histology, where socially defeated rats were more susceptible. A single SD seems to be more adverse for these animals, but further studies are recommended to validate a broader range of different outcomes comparing two such different rodent stress models.
Campylobacter jejuni induces differentiation of human neutrophils to the CD16hi/CD62Llo subtype which possess cancer promoting activities
Authors: Dolislager Carolina G. , Callahan Sean M. , Donohoe Dallas R. , Johnson Jeremiah G. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe discovery of neutrophil subtypes has expanded what is known about neutrophil functions, yet there is still much to learn about the role of these subtypes during bacterial infection. We investigated whether Campylobacter jejuni induced differentiation of human neutrophils into the hypersegmented, CD16hi/CD62Llo subtype. In addition, we investigated whether C. jejuni-dependent differentiation of this neutrophil subtype induced cancer promoting activities of human T cells and colonocytes, which were observed in other studies of hypersegmented, CD16hi/CD62Llo neutrophils. We found that C. jejuni causes a significant shift in human neutrophil populations to the hypersegmented, CD16hi/CD62Llo subtype and that those populations exhibit delayed apoptosis, elevated arginase-1 expression, and increased reactive oxygen species production. Furthermore, incubation of C. jejuni-infected neutrophils with human T cells resulted in decreased expression of the ζ-chain of the T cell receptor (TCRζ), which was restored upon supplementation with exogenous L-arginine. In addition, incubation of C. jejuni-infected neutrophils with human colonocytes resulted in increased HIF-1α stabilization and NF-κB activation in those colonocytes, which may result in the upregulation of pro-tumorigenic genes. This response, coupled with the ability of C. jejuni-infected neutrophils to suppress TCRζ expression in T cells, could result in the promotion of colorectal tumorigenesis during infection with C. jejuni.
In vivo correction of cystic fibrosis mediated by PNA nanoparticles
Authors: Piotrowski-Daspit Alexandra S. , Barone Christina , Lin Chun-Yu , Deng Yanxiang , Wu Douglas , Binns Thomas C. , Xu Emily , Ricciardi Adele S. , Putman Rachael , Nguyen Richard , Gupta Anisha , Fan Rong , Glazer Peter M. , Saltzman W. Mark , Egan Marie. E. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractCystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. We sought to correct the multiple organ dysfunction of the F508del CF-causing mutation using systemic delivery of peptide nucleic acid gene editing technology mediated by biocompatible polymeric nanoparticles. We confirmed phenotypic and genotypic modification in vitro in primary nasal epithelial cells from F508del mice grown at air-liquid interface and in vivo in F508del mice following intravenous delivery. In vivo treatment resulted in a partial gain of CFTR function in epithelia as measured by in situ potential differences and Ussing chamber assays and correction of CFTR in both airway and GI tissues with no off-target effects above background. This is the first report of systemic gene editing for CF. Our data suggest that systemic delivery of PNA NPs designed to correct CF-causing mutations is a viable option to ameliorate the disease in multiple affected organs.
Hsp78-interaction proteome highlights chaperone role during protein aggregation in mitochondria under heat stress
Authors: Jaworek Witold , Sylvester Marc , Cenini Giovanna , Voos Wolfgang 
Published: January 2022

AbstractProteins of the Hsp100 chaperone family support protein homeostasis, the maintenance of protein activity under stress, by refolding aggregated proteins or targeting them for degradation. Hsp78, the ClpB-type mitochondrial member of the Hsp100 family, can be found in lower eukaryotes like yeast. Although Hsp78 has been shown to contribute to protection against elevated temperatures in yeast, the biochemical mechanisms underlying this mitochondria-specific thermotolerance are still largely unclear. To identify endogenous chaperone substrate proteins, we generated an Hsp78-ATPase mutant with a stabilized substrate binding behaviour. We used two SILAC-based quantitative mass spectrometry approaches to analyze the role of Hsp78 during heat stress-induced mitochondrial protein aggregation and disaggregation processes on a proteomic level. In the first setup, Hsp78-interacting polypeptides were identified to reveal the endogenous substrate spectrum of the chaperone. Our analysis revealed that Hsp78 is interacting with a wide variety of proteins related to metabolic functions including energy production and protein synthesis, as well as other chaperones, thus maintaining crucial functions for mitochondrial stress resistance. We compared these interaction data with a second experimental setup that focussed on the on overall aggregation and disaggregation processes in mitochondria under heat stress on a proteomic level. This revealed specific aggregation-prone protein populations and demonstrated the direct quantitative impact of Hsp78 on stress-dependent protein solubility under different conditions. We conclude that Hsp78 together with its cofactors represents a recovery system that protects major mitochondrial metabolic functions during heat stress as well restores protein biogenesis capacity after return to normal conditions.
Where Honey Bee Vitellogenin may Bind Zn2+-Ions
Authors: Leipart Vilde , Enger Øyvind , Turcu Diana Cornelia , Dobrovolska Olena , Drabløs Finn , Halskau Øyvind , Amdam Gro V. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe protein Vitellogenin (Vg) plays a central role in lipid transportation in most egg-laying animals. High Vg levels correlate with stress resistance and lifespan potential in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Vg is the primary circulating zinc-carrying protein in honey bees. Zinc is an essential metal ion in numerous biological processes, including the function and structure of many proteins. Measurements of Zn2+ suggest a variable number of ions per Vg molecule in different animal species, but the molecular implications of zinc-binding by this protein are not well understood. We used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine that, on average, each honey bee Vg molecule binds 3 Zn2+-ions. Our full-length protein structure and sequence analysis revealed seven potential zinc-binding sites. These are located in the β-barrel and α-helical subdomains of the N-terminal domain, the lipid binding site, and the cysteine-rich C-terminal region of unknown function. Interestingly, two potential zinc-binding sites in the β-barrel can support a proposed role for this structure in DNA-binding. Overall, our findings illustrate the capacity of honey bee Vg to bind zinc at several functional regions, indicating that Zn2+-ions are important for many of the activities of this protein. In addition to being potentially relevant for other egg-laying species, these insights provide a platform for studies of metal ions in bee health, which is of global interest due to recent declines in pollinator numbers.
Water-Only Look-Locker Inversion recovery (WOLLI) T1 mapping
Authors: Garrison Liam D. , Levick Christina , Pavlides Michael , Marjot Thomas , Mozes Ferenc , Hodson Leanne , Neubauer Stefan , Robson Matthew D. , Rodgers Christopher T. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractPurposeModified Look-Locker Inversion recovery (MOLLI) and Shortened MOLLI (ShMOLLI) T1 values can deviate substantially from the water T1 in voxels containing large amounts of water and fat. We introduce Water-Only Look-Locker Inversion recovery (WOLLI) to map water T1 in tissue containing fat.TheoryWOLLI comprises adiabatic water-selective inversion and several balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) readouts, followed immediately by adiabatic fat-selective inversion and bSSFP readout(s). Data are fitted pixel-wise and an adapted Deichmann-Haase saturation-correction gives the water T1.MethodsWe compared two WOLLI protocols (WOLLI-w7f1 and WOLLI-w7f2f1), ShMOLLI and single-voxel spectroscopy at 3T in: simulations, fat/water phantoms, and 12 subjects’ livers.ResultsIn simulations with 0-40% fat fraction, T1 varied by: <0.5% (WOLLI-w7f1), <12% (WOLLI-w7f2f1), and >100% (MOLLI). In phantoms, the accuracy of the methods (i.e. worst-case T1w difference vs spectroscopy) was: WOLLI-w7f1 (best, maximum difference of 10.2%), WOLLI-w7f2f1 (max. 10.5%), and ShMOLLI (max. 81.5%). In the liver, the root-mean-squared deviations vs spectroscopy were: 374ms (WOLLI-w7f1), 645ms (WOLLI-w7f2f1), and 700ms (ShMOLLI).ConclusionCompared to ShMOLLI, WOLLI is less influenced by fat, but more by B0-inhomogeneity. WOLLI was a clear improvement in phantoms but less so in vivo. WOLLI may be suited to scan organs with high fat content such as the liver.
Tardigrade community microbiomes in North American orchards include putative endosymbionts and plant pathogens
Authors: Tibbs-Cortes Laura E. , Tibbs-Cortes Bienvenido W. , Schmitz-Esser Stephan 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe microbiome of tardigrades, a phylum of microscopic animals best known for their ability to survive extreme conditions, is poorly studied worldwide and completely unknown in North America. An improved understanding of tardigrade-associated bacteria is particularly important because tardigrades have been shown to act as vectors of the plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris in the laboratory. However, the potential role of tardigrades as reservoirs and vectors of phytopathogens has not been investigated further. This study analyzed the microbiota of tardigrades from six apple orchards in central Iowa, USA, and is the first analysis of the microbiota of North American tardigrades. It is also the first ever study of the tardigrade microbiome in an agricultural setting. We utilized 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the tardigrade community microbiome across four contrasts: location, substrate type (moss or lichen), collection year, and tardigrades versus their substrate. Alpha diversity of the tardigrade community microbiome differed significantly by location and year of collection but not by substrate type. Our work also corroborated earlier findings, demonstrating that tardigrades harbor a distinct microbiota from their environment. We also identified tardigrade-associated taxa that belong to genera known to contain phytopathogens (Pseudomonas, Ralstonia, and the Pantoea/Erwinia complex). Finally, we observed members of the genera Rickettsia and Wolbachia in the tardigrade microbiome; because these are obligate intracellular genera, we consider these taxa to be putative endosymbionts of tardigrades. These results suggest the presence of putative endosymbionts and phytopathogens in the microbiota of wild tardigrades in North America.