bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Inflammatory Mediator Profiles in Sepsis Patients Reveals That Extracellular Histones Are Strongly Elevated in Nonsurvivors
Authors: Eichhorn Tanja , Linsberger Ingrid , Lauková Lucia , Tripisciano Carla , Fendl Birgit , Weiss René , König Franz , Valicek Gerhard , Miestinger Georg , Hörmann Christoph , Weber Viktoria
Published: March 2021

The timely recognition of sepsis and the prediction of its clinical course are challenging due to the complex molecular mechanisms leading to organ failure and to the heterogeneity of sepsis patients. Treatment strategies relying on a “one-fits-all” approach have failed to reduce mortality, suggesting that therapeutic targets differ between patient subgroups and highlighting the need for accurate analysis of the molecular cascades to assess the highly variable host response. Here, we characterized a panel of 44 inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, chemokines, damage-associated molecular patterns, and coagulation-related factors, as well as markers of endothelial activation in 30 patients suffering from renal failure in the course of sepsis. All patients received continuous veno-venous hemodialysis with either high cut-off filters or with standard filters, and mediators were quantified for all patients at the initiation of dialysis and after 24 h and 48 h. Mediator concentrations in individual patients ranged widely, demonstrating the heterogeneity of sepsis patients. None of the mediators correlated with SAPS III or TISS scores. The overall in-hospital mortality of the study population was 56.7% (57.1% vs. 56.3% for high cut-off vs. standard filter). The two filter groups differed regarding most of the mediator levels at baseline, prohibiting conclusions regarding the effect of standard filters versus high cut-off filters on mediator depletion. The elevation and correlation of damage-associated molecular patterns and markers of endothelial activation gave evidence of severe tissue damage. In particular, extracellular histones were strongly increased and were almost 30-fold higher in nonsurvivors as compared to survivors, indicating their diagnostic and prognostic potential.
Hyperglycemia and Correlated High Levels of Inflammation Have a Positive Relationship with the Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019
Authors: Zhang Wen , Li Chuanwei , Xu Yu , He Binfeng , Hu Mingdong , Cao Guoqiang , Li Li , Wu Shuang , Wang Xia , Zhang Chun , Zhao Jianping , Xie Jungang , Xu Zihui , Li Qi , Wang Guansong
Published: March 2021

Objective. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a considerable global public health threat. This study sought to investigate whether blood glucose (BG) levels or comorbid diabetes are associated with inflammatory status and disease severity in patients with COVID-19. Methods. In this retrospective cohort study, the clinical and biochemical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with or without diabetes were compared. The relationship among severity of COVID-19, inflammatory status, and diabetes or hyperglycemia was analyzed. The severity of COVID-19 in all patients was determined according to the diagnostic and treatment guidelines issued by the Chinese National Health Committee (7th edition). Results. Four hundred and sixty-one patients were enrolled in our study, and 71.58% of patients with diabetes and 13.03% of patients without diabetes had hyperglycemia. Compared with patients without diabetes (

n
=
366

), patients with diabetes (

n
=
95

) had a higher leucocyte count, neutrophil count, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). There was no association between severity of COVID-19 and known diabetes adjusted for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), known hypertension, and coronary heart disease. The leucocyte count, NLR, and C-reactive protein (CRP) level increased with increasing BG level. Hyperglycemia was an independent predictor of critical (OR 4.00, 95% CI 1.72-9.30) or severe (OR 3.55, 95% CI 1.47-8.58) COVID-19, and of increased inflammatory levels (high leucocyte count (OR 4.26, 95% CI 1.65-10.97), NLR (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.24-6.10), and CRP level (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.19-5.23)), after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, severity of illness, and known diabetes. Conclusion. Hyperglycemia was positively correlated with higher inflammation levels and more severe illness, and it is a risk factor for the increased severity of COVID-19. The initial measurement of plasma glucose levels after hospitalization may help identify a subset of patients who are predisposed to a worse clinical course.
A 6-Year-Old Boy with COVID-19-Positive Pleural Effusion and Kawasaki-Like Features
Authors: Yousefzadegan Sedigheh , Mahmoudabadi Ramin Zare , Gharehbaghi Golnaz
Published: March 2021

The ongoing outbreak of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has exposed many pediatric patients from around the world to coronavirus disease. Although pleural effusions are classified as atypical features of COVID-19 infection, we report a 6-year-old boy who had a positive IgG antibody ELISA test for COVID-19 and presented with respiratory distress, bilateral pleural effusions, and signs and symptoms of multisystem inflammatory syndrome. The RT-PCR test of the pleural fluid specimen was positive for novel coronavirus. To our knowledge, this is the first pediatric report of a COVID-19-positive pleural fluid.
Exosomal circEhmt1 Released from Hypoxia‐Pretreated Pericytes Regulates High Glucose‐Induced Microvascular Dysfunction via the NFIA/NLRP3 Pathway
Authors: Ye Lin , Guo Hui , Wang Yuan , Peng Yun , Zhang Yongxin , Li Shu , Yang Meina , Wang Ling
Published: March 2021

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a frequently occurring microvascular complication induced by long‐term hyperglycemia. Pericyte‐endothelial cell crosstalk is critical for maintaining vascular homeostasis and remodeling; however, the molecular mechanism underlying that crosstalk remains unknown. In this study, we explored the crosstalk that occurs between endothelial cells and pericytes in response to diabetic retinopathy. Pericytes were stimulated with cobalt chloride (CoCl2) to activate the HIF pathway. Hypoxia‐stimulated pericytes were cocultured with high glucose‐ (HG‐) induced endotheliocytes. Cell viability was determined using the CCK‐8 assay. Western blot studies were performed to detect the expression of proteins associated with apoptosis, hypoxia, and inflammation. ELISA assays were conducted to analyze the release of IL‐1β and IL‐18. We performed a circRNA microarray analysis of exosomal RNAs expressed under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. A FISH assay was performed to identify the location of circEhmt1 in pericytes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) was used to identify the specific DNA‐binding site on the NFIA‐NLRP3 complex. We found that pericyte survival was negatively correlated with the angiogenesis activity of endotheliocytes. We also found that hypoxia upregulated circEhmt1 expression in pericytes, and circEhmt1 could be transferred from pericytes to endotheliocytes via exosomes. Moreover, circEhmt1 overexpression protected endotheliocytes against HG‐induced injury in vitro. Mechanistically, circEhmt1 was highly expressed in the nucleus of pericytes and could upregulate the levels of NFIA (a transcription factor) to suppress NLRP3‐mediated inflammasome formation. Our study revealed a critical role for circEhmt1‐mediated NFIA/NLRP3 signaling in retinal microvascular dysfunction and suggests that signaling pathway as a target for treating DR.
Balwin-Teaching-Learning-Based Artificial Raindrop Algorithm for UAV Route Planning
Authors: Xin Bin , Wang Fan , Zhai Zhibo
Published: March 2021

The prominent shortcoming of the basic artificial raindrop algorithm in UAV route planning is easily trapped into local optimal solution. In the present work, the original artificial raindrop algorithm is improved. A Balwin-teaching-learning-based artificial raindrop algorithm (BTLARA) is proposed, whereby each raindrop updates itself by using the combination of its own unique mode and Balwin-teaching-learning-based optimization pattern operator. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of this algorithm, the UAV route planning is utilized for simulation. According to the results, the algorithm proposed in this paper significantly enhances the convergence and can obtain higher-quality navigation trace and convergence, which enables it to better avoid threat paths.
Application of Extreme Gradient Boosting Based on Grey Relation Analysis for Prediction of Compressive Strength of Concrete
Authors: Cui Liyun , Chen Peiyuan , Wang Liang , Li Jin , Ling Hao
Published: March 2021

The prediction of concrete strength is an interesting point of investigation and could be realized well, especially for the concrete with the complex system, with the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Therefore, an excellent algorithm should put emphasis to receiving increased attention from researchers. This study presents a novel predictive system as follows: extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) based on grey relation analysis (GRA) for predicting the compressive strength of concrete containing slag and metakaolin. One of its highlights is a feature selection methodology, i.e., GRA, which was used to determine the main input variables. Another highlight is that its performance was compared with the frequently used artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic algorithm‐artificial neural network (GA‐ANN) by using random dataset and the same testing datasets. For three same testing datasets, the average R2 values of ANN, GA‐ANN, and XGBoost are 0.674, 0.829, and 0.880, respectively, indicating that XGBoost has the highest absolute fraction of variance (R2). XGBoost can provide best result by testing the root mean squared error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The average RMSE values of ANN, GA‐ANN, and XGBoost are 15.569 MPa, 10.530 MPa, and 9.532 MPa, respectively, and those of MAPE of ANN, GA‐ANN, and XGBoost are 11.224%, 9.140%, and 8.718%, respectively. Thus, the XGBoost definitely performed better than the ANN and GA‐ANN. Finally, a type of application software based on XGBoost was developed for practical applications. This vivid software interfaces could help users in prediction and easy and efficient analysis.
LncRNA SAMMSON Mediates Adaptive Resistance to RAF Inhibition in BRAF-Mutant Melanoma Cells
Authors: Han Shujun , Yan Yuwei , Ren Yibo , Hu Yiming , Wang Yan , Chen Lei , Zhi Zhe , Zheng Yan , Shao Yongping , Liu Jiankang
Published: March 2021

The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) SAMMSON is required for human melanoma cell growth and survival. However, whether SAMMSON regulates the response of mutant BRAF melanoma cells to RAF inhibitors remains unknown. In this work, we showed that SAMMSON is rapidly induced upon inhibition of ERK signaling, and SAMMSON overexpression conferred resistance to vemurafenib-induced cytotoxicity in melanoma cells. SOX10 mediated transcriptional induction of SAMMSON by vemurafenib, and SOX10 sumoylation at K55 was essential for this function. In addition, depletion of SAMMSON activated p53 signaling, which is dependent on the SAMMSON-interacting protein CARF. Depletion of SAMMSON sensitized mutant BRAF melanoma cells to RAF inhibitors in vitro and in vivo, while CARF knockdown reversed the enhanced sensitivity. In summary, these findings suggest that SAMMSON may function as a new mediator of adaptive resistance to RAF inhibitors in melanoma by modulating CARF-p53 signaling.

Significance:

This study highlights the role of a SAMMSON/CARF/p53 signaling axis in modulating the adaptive resistance of mutant BRAF melanoma to RAF inhibitors.
Prediagnostic Antibody Responses to Fusobacterium nucleatum Proteins Are Not Associated with Risk of Colorectal Cancer in a Large U.S. Consortium
Authors: Lo Chun-Han , Blot William J. , Teras Lauren R. , Visvanathan Kala , Le Marchand Loïc , Haiman Christopher A. , Chen Yu , Sesso Howard D. , Wassertheil-Smoller Sylvia , Tinker Lesley F. , Peek Richard M. , Potter John D. , Cover Timothy L. , Zeleniuch-Jacquotte Anne , Berndt Sonja I. , Waterboer Tim , Epplein Meira , Butt Julia , Song Mingyang
Published: March 2021

Background:

The association between prediagnostic antibody responses to Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) and subsequent risk of colorectal cancer is not established.

Methods:

We conducted a nested case–control study of 8,126 participants in a consortium of 10 prospective cohorts in the United States.

Results:

Higher seroprevalence of any F. nucleatum antibody was observed among non-White participants (51.1%) compared with White participants (31.2%). We did not find any statistically significant association between seropositivity to any of the eight F. nucleatum proteins and colorectal cancer risk.

Conclusions:

Prediagnostic antibody responses to F. nucleatum proteins were not associated with the risk of colorectal cancer.

Impact:

Future studies may consider a more specific detection of the immunoglobulin isotypes or focus on examining F. nucleatum in stool or tissue samples.
A Data Collection on Secondary School Students' STEM
Performance and Reading Practices in an Emerging Country
Authors: Vuong Quan-Hoang , La Viet-Phuong , Ho Manh-Toan , Pham Thanh-Hang , Vuong Thu-Trang , Vuong Ha-My , Nguyen Minh-Hoang
Published: March 2021

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become a critical factor in promoting sustainable development. Meanwhile, book reading is still an essential method for cognitive development and knowledge acquisition. In developing countries where STEM teaching and learning resources are limited, book reading is an important educational tool to promote STEM. Nevertheless, public data sets about STEM education and book reading behaviors in emerging countries are scarce. This article, therefore, aims to present a data set of 4,966 secondary school students from a school-based data collection in Vietnam. The data set comprises of five major categories: 1) students' personal information (including STEM performance), 2) family-related information, 3) book reading preferences, 4) book reading frequency/habits, and 5) classroom activities. By introducing the designing principles, the data collection method, and the variables in the data set, we aim to provide researchers, policymakers, and educators with well-validated resources and guidelines to conduct low-cost research, pedagogical programs in emerging countries.
Distractors Selectively Modulate Electrophysiological Markers of Perceptual Decisions
Authors: Zhou Shou-Han , Loughnane Gerard , O'Connell Redmond , Bellgrove Mark A. , Chong Trevor T.-J.
Published: March 2021

Current models of perceptual decision-making assume that choices are made after evidence in favor of an alternative accumulates to a given threshold. This process has recently been revealed in human EEG recordings, but an unresolved issue is how these neural mechanisms are modulated by competing, yet task-irrelevant, stimuli. In this study, we tested 20 healthy participants on a motion direction discrimination task. Participants monitored two patches of random dot motion simultaneously presented on either side of fixation for periodic changes in an upward or downward motion, which could occur equiprobably in either patch. On a random 50% of trials, these periods of coherent vertical motion were accompanied by simultaneous task-irrelevant, horizontal motion in the contralateral patch. Our data showed that these distractors selectively increased the amplitude of early target selection responses over scalp sites contralateral to the distractor stimulus, without impacting on responses ipsilateral to the distractor. Importantly, this modulation mediated a decrement in the subsequent buildup rate of a neural signature of evidence accumulation and accounted for a slowing of RTs. These data offer new insights into the functional interactions between target selection and evidence accumulation signals, and their susceptibility to task-irrelevant distractors. More broadly, these data neurally inform future models of perceptual decision-making by highlighting the influence of early processing of competing stimuli on the accumulation of perceptual evidence.
Ensemble Statistics Can Be Available before Individual Item Properties: Electroencephalography Evidence Using the Oddball Paradigm
Authors: Epstein Michael L. , Emmanouil Tatiana A.
Published: March 2021

Behavioral studies have shown that statistical properties of object groups are perceived accurately with brief exposure durations. This finding motivated the hypothesis that ensemble perception occurs rapidly in vision. However, the precise timing of ensemble perception remains unclear. Here, we used the superior temporal resolution of electroencephalography to directly compare the timing of ensemble processing to that of individual object processing. The P3b was chosen as a particular component of interest, as it is thought to measure the latency of stimulus evaluation. Participants performed a simple “oddball” task in which sets of 51 lines with varied orientations sequentially flashed briefly on the display. In these sequences, there was a 20% chance of an individual oddball, wherein one marked object tilted clockwise, and a 20% chance of an ensemble oddball, wherein the average orientation of the set tilted clockwise. In counterbalanced blocks, participants were instructed to respond to either individual or ensemble oddballs. ERP analysis was performed to test the timing of this processing. At parietal electrodes, P3b components were found for both individual and ensemble oddballs. Ensemble P3b components were found to occur significantly earlier than individual P3b components, as measured with both 50% area latency and 50% onset latency. Using multivariate pattern analysis, ensemble oddball trials were classifiable from standard trials significantly earlier in their timecourse than individual oddball trials. Altogether, these results provide compelling evidence that ensemble perception occurs rapidly and that ensemble properties can be available earlier than individual object properties.
Patients with Ventromedial Prefrontal Lesions Show an Implicit Approach Bias to Angry Faces
Authors: Buades-Rotger Macià , Solbakk Anne-Kristin , Liebrand Matthias , Endestad Tor , Funderud Ingrid , Siegwardt Paul , Enter Dorien , Roelofs Karin , Krämer Ulrike M.
Published: March 2021

Damage to the ventromedial PFC (VMPFC) can cause maladaptive social behavior, but the cognitive processes underlying these behavioral changes are still uncertain. Here, we tested whether patients with acquired VMPFC lesions show altered approach–avoidance tendencies to emotional facial expressions. Thirteen patients with focal VMPFC lesions and 31 age- and gender-matched healthy controls performed an implicit approach–avoidance task in which they either pushed or pulled a joystick depending on stimulus color. Whereas controls avoided angry faces, VMPFC patients displayed an incongruent response pattern characterized by both increased approach and reduced avoidance of angry facial expressions. The approach bias was stronger in patients with higher self-reported impulsivity and disinhibition and in those with larger lesions. We further used linear ballistic accumulator modeling to investigate latent parameters underlying approach–avoidance decisions. Controls displayed negative drift rates when approaching angry faces, whereas VMPFC lesions abolished this pattern. In addition, VMPFC patients had weaker response drifts than controls during avoidance. Finally, patients showed reduced drift rate variability and shorter nondecision times, indicating impulsive and rigid decision-making. Our findings thus suggest that VMPFC damage alters the pace of evidence accumulation in response to social signals, eliminating a default, protective avoidant bias and facilitating a dysfunctional approach behavior.
Deep Predictive Learning in Neocortex and Pulvinar
Authors: O'Reilly Randall C. , Russin Jacob L. , Zolfaghar Maryam , Rohrlich John
Published: March 2021

How do humans learn from raw sensory experience? Throughout life, but most obviously in infancy, we learn without explicit instruction. We propose a detailed biological mechanism for the widely embraced idea that learning is driven by the differences between predictions and actual outcomes (i.e., predictive error-driven learning). Specifically, numerous weak projections into the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus generate top–down predictions, and sparse driver inputs from lower areas supply the actual outcome, originating in Layer 5 intrinsic bursting neurons. Thus, the outcome representation is only briefly activated, roughly every 100 msec (i.e., 10 Hz, alpha), resulting in a temporal difference error signal, which drives local synaptic changes throughout the neocortex. This results in a biologically plausible form of error backpropagation learning. We implemented these mechanisms in a large-scale model of the visual system and found that the simulated inferotemporal pathway learns to systematically categorize 3-D objects according to invariant shape properties, based solely on predictive learning from raw visual inputs. These categories match human judgments on the same stimuli and are consistent with neural representations in inferotemporal cortex in primates.
Inferring the causal effect of journals on citations
Authors: Traag V. A.
Published: March 2021

Articles in high-impact journals are, on average, more frequently cited. But are they cited more often because those articles are somehow more “citable”? Or are they cited more often simply because they are published in a high-impact journal? Although some evidence suggests the latter, the causal relationship is not clear. We here compare citations of preprints to citations of the published version to uncover the causal mechanism. We build on an earlier model of citation dynamics to infer the causal effect of journals on citations. We find that high-impact journals select articles that tend to attract more citations. At the same time, we find that high-impact journals augment the citation rate of published articles. Our results yield a deeper understanding of the role of journals in the research system. The use of journal metrics in research evaluation has been increasingly criticized in recent years and article-level citations are sometimes suggested as an alternative. Our results show that removing impact factors from evaluation does not negate the influence of journals. This insight has important implications for changing practices of research evaluation.
Matthew effects in science and the serial diffusion of ideas: Testing old ideas with new methods
Authors: Farys Rudolf , Wolbring Tobias
Published: March 2021

The Matthew effect has become a standard concept in science studies and beyond to describe processes of cumulative advantage. Despite its wide success, a rigorous quantitative analysis for Merton’s original case for Matthew effects—the Nobel Prize—is still missing. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring the causal effect of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (hereafter the Nobel Prize in Economics). Furthermore, we test another of Merton’s ideas: successful papers can draw attention to cited references, leading to a serial diffusion of ideas. Based on the complete Web of Science 1900–2011, we estimate the causal effects of Nobel Prizes compared to a synthetic control group which we constructed by combining different matching techniques. We find clear evidence for a Matthew effect upon citation impacts, especially for papers published within 5 years before the award. Further, scholars from the focal field of the award are particularly receptive to the award signal. In contrast to that, we find no evidence that the Nobel Prize causes a serial diffusion of ideas. Papers cited by future Nobel laureates do not gain in citation impact after the award.
First record of female pleasing lacewings of Berothellinae (Neuroptera: Dilaridae) with a description of two new species of Berothella Banks from China
Authors: Zheng Yuchen , Liu Xingyue
Published: March 2021

Pleasing lacewings (Neuroptera: Dilaridae) are a group of Neuroptera well known for the sexually dimorphic antennae (unipectinate in male, filiform in female). However, in the dilarid genus, Berothella Banks, 1934, the male antennae are not pectinate but thickly filiform. The genus is the sole representative of the recently established subfamily Berothellinae Liu, U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 2017, and includes three species from the Oriental region. So far each of the three species is known by a single male specimen. Here we describe two new species of Berothella, i.e., B. falcata sp. n. and B. wenii sp. n. from China based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. Moreover, we report on the first female of Berothellinae based on specimens of the newly discovered species. The female genital characters of Berothellinae are compared in detail with those of the other dilarid subfamilies. The distribution data of Berothellinae is updated.
‘Onesimus to Philemon’: Runaway Slaves and Religious Conversion in Colonial ‘Kerala’, India, 1816–1855
Authors: Paul Vinil Baby
Published: March 2021

Several theories emerged, based on the Christian conversion of lower caste communities in colonial India. The social and economic aspects predominate the study of religious conversion among the lower castes in Kerala. Most of these studies only explored the lower caste conversion after the legal abolition of slavery in Kerala (1855). The existing literature followed the mass movement phenomena. These studies ignore the slave lifeworld and conversion history before the abolition period, and they argued, through religious conversion, the former slave castes began breaking social and caste hierarchy with the help of Protestant Christianity. The dominant Dalit Christian historiography does not open the complexity of slave Christian past. Against this background, this paper explores the history of slave caste conversion before the abolition period. From the colonial period, the missionary writings bear out that the slaves were hostile to and suspicious of new religions. They accepted Christianity only cautiously. It was a conscious choice, even as many Dalits refused Christian teachings.
Preparation and Characterization of Hollow Zinc Oxide Nanofibers and Investigation of Its Photocatalytic Properties
Authors: Shang Jiaxin , Zou Wei , Wang Pengbo , Li Aowen , Zhou Meimei , Luo Pingping , Li Jiahui
Published: March 2021

Hollow inorganic nanofibers have great potential application in the field of photocatalysis due to their special three-dimensional structure. In our work, we have fabricated ZnO hollow nanofibers (ZnO-HNF) by simple single-spinneret electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/zinc acetate precursor solution, followed by stepwise annealing at 300–500 °C. The results show that long and continuous ZnO-HNF with shell consisting of uniform compacted ZnO nanoparticles are successfully fabricated, and the shell thickness is approximately 30 nm. The formation mechanism of ZnO-HNF is speculated to be consequence of the different rate of mass diffusion during the annealing process (Kirkendall effect). The prepared Zn-HNF exhibits good performance in photocatalysis. The photocatalytic removal efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) under ultraviolet light irradiation can reach 94.08% in 1 hour, and the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) is 94.49% in 2 hours. This work provides new ideas for the development of ZnO in the field of photocatalysis, and provides new possibilities for more types of subsequent photocatalytic materials.
Aridity Changes and Related Climatic Drivers in the Drylands of China during 1960–2019
Authors: Xu Jinqin , Zeng Yan , Qiu Xinfa , He Yongjian , Shi Guoping , Zhu Xiaochen
Published: March 2021

Drylands cover about one-half of the land surface in China and are highly sensitive to climate change. Understanding climate change and its impact drivers on dryland is essential for supporting dryland planning and sustainable development. Using meteorological observations for 1960–2019, the aridity changes in drylands of China were evaluated using aridity index (AI), and the impact of various climatic factors [i.e., precipitation P; sunshine duration (SSD); relative humidity (RH); maximum temperature (Tmax); minimum temperature (Tmin); wind speed (WS)] on the aridity changes was decomposed and quantified. Results of trend analysis based on Sen’s slope estimator and Mann–Kendall test indicated that the aridity trends were very weak when averaged over the whole drylands in China during 1960–2019 but exhibited a significant wetting trend in hyperarid and arid regions of drylands. The AI was most sensitive to changes in water factors (i.e., P and RH), followed by SSD, Tmax, and WS, but the sensitivity of AI to Tmin was very small and negligible. Interestingly, the dominant climatic driver to AI change varied in the four dryland subtypes. The significantly increased P dominated the increase in AI in the hyperarid and arid regions. The significantly reduced WS and the significantly increased Tmax contributed more to AI changes than the P in the semiarid and dry subhumid regions of drylands. Previous studies emphasized the impact of precipitation and temperature on the global or regional dry–wet changes; however, the findings of this study suggest that, beyond precipitation and temperature, the impact of wind speed on aridity changes of drylands in China should be given equal attention.
Implementation of Snowpack Treatment in the CPC Water Balance Model and Its Impact on Drought Assessment
Authors: Arevalo Jorge , Welty Josh , Fan Yun , Zeng Xubin
Published: March 2021

Droughts are a worldwide concern, thus assessment efforts are conducted by many centers around the world, mainly through simple drought indices which usually neglect important hydrometeorological processes or require variables available only from complex Land Surface Models (LSMs). The U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC) uses the Leaky Bucket (LB) water-balance model to post-process temperature and precipitation, providing soil moisture (SM) anomalies to assess drought conditions. However, despite its crucial role in the water cycle, snowpack has been neglected by LB and most drought indices.

Taking advantage of the high-quality snow water equivalent (SWE) data from the University of Arizona (UA), a single-layer snow scheme, forced by daily temperature and precipitation only, is developed for LB implementation and tested with two independent forcing datasets. Compared against the UA and SNOTEL SWE data over CONUS, LB outperforms a sophisticated LSM (Noah/NLDAS-2), with the median LB vs SNOTEL correlation (RMSE) about 40% (26%) higher (lower) than that from Noah/NLDAS-2, with only slight differences due to different forcing datasets.

The changes in the temporal variability of SM due to the snowpack treatment lead to improved temporal and spatial distribution of drought conditions in the LB simulations compared to the reference U.S. Drought Monitor maps, highlighting the importance of snowpack inclusion in drought assessment. The simplicity but reasonable reliability of the LB with snowpack treatment makes it suitable for drought monitoring and forecasting in both snow-covered and snow-free areas, while only requiring precipitation and temperature data (markedly less than other water-balance-based indices).
Closing the Knowledge Gap: How Issue Priming Before Presidential Debate Viewing Encourages Learning and Opinion Articulation
Authors: Jennings Freddie J. , Wicks Robert H. , McKinney Mitchell S. , Kenski Kate
Published: March 2021

One mechanism by which citizens learn about candidates and issues is through watching presidential debates. Some scholars have raised concerns that these events, however, disproportionately benefit those already high in political knowledge more so than others with lesser knowledge levels. We hypothesize that knowledge begets knowledge because it prompts a constructive cognitive process that results from elaboration and reflection. We test this hypothesis in an experiment that also considers whether issue priming could help mitigate the deficit that those lower in political sophistication have when viewing campaign events. Participants ( N = 543) watched a 9-minute segment focusing on economic issues drawn from the first 2020 presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joseph Biden. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to an issue priming condition and viewed the debate segment after reading a narrative text on economic policy, and the other half read an unrelated text. The study presents a model that reveals the following: (a) cognitive elaboration mediates the relationship between prior political knowledge and learning from a campaign event, (b) providing citizens with background issue–related knowledge produces a similar elaborative effect as did preexisting political knowledge, and (c) participants demonstrate greater political opinion articulation following this enhanced elaboration leading to more learning. The implications for cultivating a knowledgeable democratic electorate are discussed.
Patience, Cognitive Abilities, and Cognitive Effort: Survey and Experimental Evidence From a Developing Country
Authors: Bortolotti Stefania , Dohmen Thomas , Lehmann Hartmut , Meyer Frauke , Pignatti Norberto , Torosyan Karine
Published: March 2021

This study sheds light on the relationship between cognition and patience by documenting that the correlation between cognitive abilities and delay discounting is weaker for the same group of individuals if choices are incentivized. This study conjectures that higher cognitive effort, which induces higher involvement of the cognitive system, moderates the relationship between patience and cognition. For 107 participants drawn from the adult population in Tbilisi, this study examines the relationship between various measures of cognitive ability and that of patience. Specifically, we consider the relationship between the Cognitive Reflection Test, a numeracy test, self-reported math ability measure, enumerators’ assessments, and incentivized and hypothetical trade-offs between smaller-sooner and larger-later payments.
Aerosol and Droplet Risk of Common Otolaryngology Clinic Procedures
Authors: Boorgu Devi Sai Sri Kavya , Dharmarajan Harish , Sim Edward S. , Goyal Lindsey , Freiser Monika E. , Weinstock Michael , Whelan Rachel , Corcoran Timothy E. , Jabbour Noel , Wang Eric , Chi David H.
Published: March 2021

Objectives:

Define aerosol and droplet risks associated with routine otolaryngology clinic procedures during the COVID-19 era.

Methods:

Clinical procedures were simulated in cadaveric heads whose oral and nasal cavities were coated with fluorescent tracer (vitamin B2) and breathing was manually simulated through retrograde intubation. A cascade impactor placed adjacent to the nares collected generated particles with aerodynamic diameters ≤14.1 µm. The 3D printed models and syringes were used to simulate middle and external ear suctioning as well as open suctioning, respectively. Provider’s personal protective equipment (PPE) and procedural field contamination were also recorded for all trials using vitamin B2 fluorescent tracer.

Results:

The positive controls of nebulized vitamin B2 produced aerosol particles ≤3.30 µm and endonasal drilling of a 3D model generated particles ≤14.1 µm. As compared with positive controls, aerosols and small droplets with aerodynamic diameter ≤14.1 µm were not detected during rigid nasal endoscopy, flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy, and rigid nasal suction of cadavers with simulated breathing. There was minimal to no field contamination in all 3 scenarios. Middle and external ear suctioning and open container suctioning did not result in any detectable droplet contamination. The clinic suction unit contained all fluorescent material without surrounding environmental contamination.

Conclusion:

While patients’ coughing and sneezing may create a baseline risk for providers, this study demonstrates that nasal endoscopy, flexible laryngoscopy, and suctioning inherently do not pose an additional risk in terms of aerosol and small droplet generation. An overarching generalization cannot be made about endoscopy or suctioning being an aerosol generating procedure.

Level of Evidence:

3
The Effect of the Mother’s Participation in Therapy on Children with Vocal Fold Nodules
Authors: Sonbay Yılmaz Nevreste Didem , Afyoncu Cansu , Ensari Nuray , Yıldız Muhammet , Gür Özer Erdem
Published: March 2021

Objectives:

Vocal fold nodules (VFN) are a bilateral epithelial thickening of the membranous vocal folds. In this study, children with VFN and their mothers took part in voice therapy. We then compared acoustic analyzes and subjective evaluations to those in previous literature to determine whether voice therapy is more effective for children with VFN when their mothers also take part in therapy.

Methods:

Children aged eight to 12 years who were diagnosed with bilateral VFN between January 2018 and January 2020 were included in this study. Participating children diagnosed with bilateral VFN were divided into two groups based on the wishes and cooperation of their families. Group 1 consisted of 16 patients; Group 2 included 17 patients. The children in Group 1 received voice therapy alone; children in Group 2 took part in therapy with their mothers. For all participants, the average fundemental frequency (F0), jitter percentages, shimmer percentages, maximum phonation time (MPT) and s/z ratios were measured. Pediatric voice handicap index (p-VHI) values were calculated as well.

Results:

The two groups’ measures pre-treatment and post-treatment were compared. Except for p-VHI, no significant difference was observed between the two groups. However, p-VHI post-treatment was significantly lower in Group 2 than in Group 1.

Conclusions:

Involving the families and even teachers of children with VFN in voice therapy can increase the effectiveness of therapy. The family’s involvement increases the child’s motivation in therapy. The mother’s presence during therapy, supporting the child or even doing the work with the child, can be a very important source of motivation for the child, who may already be tired from school and other activities. Thus, the mother’s involvement increases the child’s compliance with and interest in therapy.
Reference values for C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at term pregnancy and in the early postnatal period
Authors: Joyce Caroline M , Deasy Shane , Abu Hala , Lim Yoke Yin , O’Shea Paula M , O’Donoghue Keelin
Published: March 2021

Background

Early recognition of sepsis and prompt treatment improves patient outcome. C-reactive protein is a sensitive marker for tissue damage and inflammation, but procalcitonin has greater specificity for bacterial infection. Limited research exists regarding the use of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at term pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period.

Aim

This study sought to define reference values for C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at term and the early postnatal period.

Methods

A prospective cross-sectional study was performed in a university teaching hospital. Venous blood was collected from healthy women ( n = 196), aged between 19 and 45 years with an uncomplicated singleton pregnancy, at term (37–40 weeks’ gestation) and on day 1 and day 3 postpartum for the measurement of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin.

Results

The reference population comprised of 189 participants: term pregnancy ( n = 51), postpartum day 1 vaginal delivery ( n = 70) and caesarean section ( n = 38) and day 3 (caesarean section, n = 30). The maximum procalcitonin value at term pregnancy was 0.1 μg/L. On day 1 postpartum, 90% and 86.8% of procalcitonin results for vaginal delivery and caesarean section, respectively, were below the decision-threshold of 0.25 μg/L. The specificity of procalcitonin to rule out infection in the reference population was 91.5%.

Conclusions

Reference values for procalcitonin were established in a well-characterized population of healthy pregnant women at term and immediately postpartum. The variability of C-reactive protein limits its clinical utility in the assessment of systemic sepsis. Application of the procalcitonin cut-off of 0.25 μg/L in this population will be a valuable adjunct to clinicians ruling out infection in pregnancy and postpartum.
Clinical laboratory medicine measurements correlation analysis under uncertainty
Authors: Aslam Muhammad
Published: March 2021

Background

The Spearman rank correlation test under classical statistics cannot be applied when the paired data is in interval or indeterminacy is presented in the paired data.

Methods

In this paper, the Spearman rank correlation test under neutrosophic statistics will be introduced. The proposed Spearman rank correlation test will be a generalization of the existing Spearman rank correlation test.

Results

The proposed test is supposed to be more informative, flexible, and adequate to apply for the analysis of the measurement data. The application of the proposed test is given using the measurement of luteotropichormone data obtained from the clinical laboratory. Based on the information, the probability of accepting the null hypothesis [Formula: see text] is 0.95, the chance of committing a type-I error is 0.05 and the chance of indeterminacy about the acceptance of [Formula: see text] is 69%.

Conclusions

From the analysis, it is noted that the proposed test is more efficient in terms of the measure of indeterminacy as compared with the existing test. From the study, it is concluded that the proposed test is more informative, applicable and useable under an indeterminate environment as compared with the existing test under classical statistics. Therefore, it is recommended to apply the proposed test in clinical laboratories for testing the correlation between instruments.
Assessment of humoral responses in COVID-19 using various quantitative antibody tests
Authors: Wakui Masatoshi , Uwamino Yoshifumi , Kurafuji Toshinobu , Noguchi Masayo , Ohno Akemi , Yokota Hiromitsu , Kikuchi Haruhito , Hasegawa Naoki , Saya Hideyuki , Murata Mitsuru
Published: March 2021

Background

Quantitative antibody tests are expected to be useful in diagnostics of COVID-19 and investigation of herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2. To make it proper to perform them, understanding of the immunological aspects is critically important. The present study aimed to assess humoral responses in COVID-19 using various quantitative antibody tests.

Methods

Four quantitative antibody tests that are different in targeted antigens, detectable immunoglobulin classes and avidity were used. Diagnosis was confirmed by RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Antibody titres of 117 samples collected from 24 COVID-19 patients and 23 non-COVID-19 patients were measured to evaluate correlations between different tests. For 24 COVID-19 patients, antibody titres measured at various time points after the onset or the RT-PCR diagnosis were subjected to assessment of humoral responses.

Results

Correlations between tests were observed to some degree, although there were discrepancies putatively due to differences in measurement principle. Seronegative COVID-19 was diagnosed for some patients, in whom antibody titres were less than the cut-off value in each test throughout the time courses. IgG seroconversion without prior IgM seroconversion most frequently occurred, while predominance of IgM responses over IgG responses was observed in some severe cases. Viral burdens estimated according to threshold cycle values at the RT-PCR seemed to impact antibody responses.

Conclusions

The results provide insights into the nature of humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 and diagnostic performance of antibody tests.
Relationship between perceived social support and self stigma in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Karaçar Yeliz , Bademli Kerime
Published: March 2021

Background:

The study was conducted to determine the relationship between self-stigmatization and perceived social support in caregivers of schizophrenia with patient.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study design was used. The study sample consisted of 84 participants who cared for schizophrenic patients registered in a community mental health center. In the data collection, the ‘Self-stigmatizing Scale for Families’ and ‘Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale’ were used. The data were analyzed via frequency, mean, standard deviation, Cronbach’s alpha analysis, linear regression, Pearson correlation analysis, independent samples t-test, and ANOVA test.

Results:

Self-stigmatization (32.48 ± 15.15) and perceived social support (44.36 ± 22.88) were found to be moderate in caregivers. Self-stigmatization was found to be higher in caregivers who do not work; have a spouse, mother, or father; have a disease; do not receive support from their family and have not received any education about schizophrenia ( p < .05). It was determined that, with increasing age, perceived social support decreases, and the perception of social support increases in caregivers who are high school graduates, working, having children, have no illness, and are educated about schizophrenia ( p < .05). It was determined that, as the level of perceived social support increases in caregivers, self-stigmatization decreases ( p < .05).

Conclusion:

It was determined that, as the perceived social support increases in caregivers, self-stigmatization decreases. We recommend providing informative support about schizophrenia, to increase hope and social-skill training, and to implement interventions that include caregivers in the fight against stigma.
Correlation between bone mineral density and endometrial thickness over time in women with breast cancer history
Authors: Lee Ji Han , Kim Yong Jin , Kim Sung Woo , Kim Hoon , Han Wonshik , Ku Seung-Yup
Published: March 2021

As the efficacy of chemotherapy and adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer increase, the quality-of-life to cancer survivors could be more important issue in strategies of breast cancer treatment. Bone health has become more compelling in care of breast cancer survivor than ever before. This retrospective study was aimed to evaluate factors relating to the change in BMD and to ascertain the correlation between changes in BMD and EMT of women with breast cancer in follow-up. Records of 164 women who underwent surgery for breast cancer were reviewed in this study. The basal characteristics included parity, menopausal state, medication with vitamin D, bisphosphonate, selective estrogen modulator (SERM), aromatase inhibitor (AI), gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa), chemotherapy, radiotherapy, cancer type including positivity of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER2, combined the other gynecologic disease or the other origin cancer. At initial and follow-up visit, all subjective were checked with BMD, endometrial thickness (EMT). The mean age was 52.1 ± 8.5 years old and overall interval between initial and follow-up visits were 17.6 ± 7.5 month in this study. The BMDs of L1–4 (1.040 ± 0.166 g/cm2 vs 1.070 ± 0.181 g/cm2, p < 0.001), femur neck (0.850 ± 0.121 g/cm2 vs 0.870 ± 0.136 g/cm2, p < 0.001), and femur total (0.902 ± 0.132 g/cm2 vs 0.915 ± 0.138 g/cm2, p < 0.001) at follow-up visit were significantly lower than those at initial visit. The change in BMDs of L1–4 ( ΔBMDL1–4, r = 0.353, p < 0.001, and r = 0.228, p = 0.003), femur neck ( ΔBMDNeck, r = 0.198, p = 0.011, and r = 0.282, p < 0.001), femur total ( ΔBMDTotal, r = 0.294, p < 0.001, and r = 0.327, p < 0.001) had positive correlation with age and the change in EMT ( ΔEMT). After age correction, ΔEMT had positive correlation with ΔBMDNeck ( r = 0.245, p = 0.002) and ΔBMDTotal ( r = 0.273, p < 0.001). ΔBMDL1–4 and ΔBMDNeck differed according to menopausal state ( p < 0.001 and p = 0.035), bisphosphonate ( p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), and GnRHa ( p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). In follow-up of women with history of breast cancer, ΔEMT could be an alternative screening marker for BMD decrease.