bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Age-Dependent Reference Values for hs-Troponin T and NT-proBNP and Determining Factors in a Cohort of Healthy Children (The LIFE Child Study)
Authors: Kiess Alexandra , Green Jessica , Willenberg Anja , Ceglarek Uta , Dähnert Ingo , Jurkutat Anne , Körner Antje , Hiemisch Andreas , Kiess Wieland , Vogel Mandy
Published: March 2022

This study aimed to provide reliable pediatric reference values for N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitive Troponin T (hsTnT) obtained from a population of well children and investigate for associations with sex, pubertal status, body mass index (BMI), and serum lipid levels. We analyzed hsTnT and NT-proBNP values obtained from 4826 samples provided by 2522 children aged 0.25–18 years participating in a prospective longitudinal population-based cohort study, “LIFE child” in Leipzig, Germany (Poulain et al., Eur J Epidemiol 32:145–158, 2017). NT-proBNP values decreased throughout childhood from values over 400 ng/L at 3 months to 138 ng/L in females and 65 ng/L in males by 18 years of age. Values dropped rapidly with advancing pubertal stage. We found a strong association between lower NT-proBNP values and higher BMI or elevated serum lipids, the latter effect being more pronounced in males. For hsTnT levels, approximately half of the measurements were below the detection limit. However, 76% of those aged 3 months and 21% of those aged 6 months had values exceeding the adult cut-off limit. Females had slightly higher levels in the first 2 years of life but this was reversed during puberty. In males, there was an upward trend from pubertal stage 2 onward. We identified a positive association between hsTnT and BMI but a negative association with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride levels in boys but not in girls. Based on a large number of healthy children, we have established reliable reference values for NT-proBNP and hsTnT for use in everyday clinical practice. We have also identified important associations between certain metabolic and cardiac markers.

Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT02550236).
The radiographic outcome after plating for pubic symphysis diastasis: does it matter clinically?
Authors: Tseng Kuo-Yuan , Lin Kai-Cheng , Yang Shan-Wei
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Open reduction and internal fixation with plates is the most widespread surgery in traumatic pubic symphysis diastasis. However, implant failure or recurrent diastasis was commonly observed during follow-up. The aim of our study was to evaluate the radiologic findings and clinical outcomes.

Materials and methods

Sixty-five patients with traumatic pubic symphysis diastasis treated with plating between 2008 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The exclusion criteria were a history of malignancy and age under 20 years. Radiographic outcomes were determined by radiograph findings, including pubic symphysis distance (PSD) and implant failure. Clinical outcomes were assessed according to the Majeed score at the final follow-up.

Results

Twenty-eight patients were finally included. Nine patients (32%) experienced implant failure, including four (14%) with screw loosening and five (18%) with plate breakage. Only one patient underwent revision surgery. Postoperatively, a significant increase in PSD was observed at 3 months and 6 months. Postoperative PSD was not significantly different between patients with single plating and double plating, but it was significantly greater in the implant-failure group than in the non-failure group. The Majeed score was similar between patients with single plating and double plating or between the implant-failure group and the non-failure group. Body mass index, number of plates, age, and initial injured PSD were not significantly different between the implant-failure group and the non-failure group. Only a significant male predominance was observed in the implant-failure group.

Conclusion

A gradual increase in the symphysis distance and a high possibility of implant failure may be the distinguishing features of traumatic pubic symphysis diastasis fixation.

The postoperative symphyseal distance achieved stability after 6 months, even after implant failure. Radiographic outcomes, such as increased symphysis distance, screw loosening, and plate breakage, did not affect clinical functional outcomes.
The rights of migrants to the identification of their dead: an attempt at an identification strategy from Italy
Authors: Cattaneo Cristina , De Angelis Danilo , Mazzarelli Debora , Porta Davide , Poppa Pasquale , Caccia Giulia , D’Amico Maria Elisa , Siccardi Cecilia , Previderè Carlo , Bertoglio Barbara , Tidball-Binz Morris , Ubelaker Douglas , Piscitelli Vittorio , Riccio Silvana
Published: March 2022

Europe is turning a blind eye on a humanitarian disaster unfolding at its doorsteps, with thousands of migrants dying unidentified in Mediterranean waters. Since 2014, Italy has been struggling in an almost indifferent international scenario to identify its dead migrants. Despite the lack of sufficient resources, of the difficulties in collecting post mortem data from the disseminated bodies, and of the problems of contacting and collecting ante mortem information from relatives, it has been proven, with a series of pilot studies, that not only can these bodies be identified but that relatives are also looking for their loved ones and need death certificates. This article focuses on the administrative limbo and lack of regulations obliging single states to engage in appropriate procedures to maximise identification.
In situ simulation training for parental presence during critical situations in PICU: an observational study
Authors: Bordessoule Alice , Felice-Civitillo Cristina , Grazioli Serge , Barcos Francisca , Haddad Kevin , Rimensberger Peter C. , Polito Angelo
Published: March 2022

Family presence during invasive procedures or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a part of the family-centered approach in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). We established a simulation program aiming at providing communication tools to healthcare professionals. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of this program on the stress of PICU professionals and its acceptance. An observational study of a simulation program, with questionnaire, was used to measure pre- and post-simulation stress and the degree of satisfaction of the participants. PICU of Geneva Children’s Hospital, Switzerland. Forty simulations with four different simulation scenarios and various types of parental behavior, as imitated by professional actors, were completed during a 1-year period. Primary outcomes were the difference in perceived stress level before and after the simulation and the degree of satisfaction of healthcare professionals (nursing assistants, nurses, physicians). The impact of previous experience with family members during critical situations or CPR was evaluated by variation in perceived stress level. Overall, 201 questionnaires were analyzed. Perceived stress associated with parental presence decreased from a pre-simulation value of 6 (IQR, 4–7) to 4 (IQR, 2–5) post-simulation on a scale of 1–10. However, in 25.7% of cases, the individually perceived post-simulation stress level was higher than the pre-simulation one. Satisfaction of the participants was high with a median of 10 (IQR, 9–10) out of 10.

Conclusions: A simulation program helps reduce PICU team emotional stress associated with the presence of family members during critical situations or CPR, and is welcomed by PICU team members.

What is Known:• Family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or critical situations is a part of the family-centered approach in pediatric intensive care.• The benefits for the family have been already demonstrated. However, this policy is still controversy among healthcare professionals.

What is New:• A simulation program seeking to provide skills focused on family presence management in the PICU is useful to reduce stress and was well accepted by participants.• It might become an indispensable training intervention for the implementation of a PICU policy to allow family presence during CPR or other critical situations.
Autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss maps to DFNA33 (13q34) and co-segregates with splice and frameshift variants in ATP11A, a phospholipid flippase gene
Authors: Pater Justin A. , Penney Cindy , O’Rielly Darren D. , Griffin Anne , Kamal Lara , Brownstein Zippora , Vona Barbara , Vinkler Chana , Shohat Mordechai , Barel Ortal , French Curtis R. , Singh Sushma , Werdyani Salem , Burt Taylor , Abdelfatah Nelly , Houston Jim , Doucette Lance P. , Squires Jessica , Glaser Fabian , Roslin Nicole M. , Vincent Daniel , Marquis Pascale , Woodland Geoffrey , Benoukraf Touati , Hawkey-Noble Alexia , Avraham Karen B. , Stanton Susan G. , Young Terry-Lynn
Published: March 2022

Sequencing exomes/genomes have been successful for identifying recessive genes; however, discovery of dominant genes including deafness genes (DFNA) remains challenging. We report a new DFNA gene, ATP11A, in a Newfoundland family with a variable form of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Genome-wide SNP genotyping linked SNHL to DFNA33 (LOD = 4.77), a locus on 13q34 previously mapped in a German family with variable SNHL. Whole-genome sequencing identified 51 unremarkable positional variants on 13q34. Continuous clinical ascertainment identified several key recombination events and reduced the disease interval to 769 kb, excluding all but one variant. ATP11A (NC_000013.11: chr13:113534963G>A) is a novel variant predicted to be a cryptic donor splice site. RNA studies verified in silico predictions, revealing the retention of 153 bp of intron in the 3′ UTR of several ATP11A isoforms. Two unresolved families from Israel were subsequently identified with a similar, variable form of SNHL and a novel duplication (NM_032189.3:c.3322_3327+2dupGTCCAGGT) in exon 28 of ATP11A extended exon 28 by 8 bp, leading to a frameshift and premature stop codon (p.Asn1110Valfs43Ter). ATP11A is a type of P4-ATPase that transports (flip) phospholipids from the outer to inner leaflet of cell membranes to maintain asymmetry. Haploinsufficiency of ATP11A, the phospholipid flippase that specially transports phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), could leave cells with PS/PE at the extracellular side vulnerable to phagocytic degradation. Given that surface PS can be pharmaceutically targeted, hearing loss due to ATP11A could potentially be treated. It is also likely that ATP11A is the gene underlying DFNA33.
Basement membrane defects in CD151-associated glomerular disease
Authors: Naylor Richard W. , Watson Elizabeth , Williamson Samantha , Preston Rebecca , Davenport J Bernard , Thornton Nicole , Lowe Martin , Williams Maggie , Lennon Rachel
Published: March 2022

Background

CD151 is a cell-surface molecule of the tetraspanin family. Its lateral interaction with laminin-binding integrin ɑ3β1 is important for podocyte adhesion to the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). Deletion of Cd151 in mice induces glomerular dysfunction, with proteinuria and associated focal glomerulosclerosis, disorganisation of GBM and tubular cystic dilation. Despite this, CD151 is not routinely screened for in patients with nephrotic-range proteinuria. We aimed to better understand the relevance of CD151 in human kidney disease.

Methods

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to detect the variant in CD151. Electron and light microscopy were used to visualise the filtration barrier in the patient kidney biopsy, and immunoreactivity of patient red blood cells to anti-CD151/MER2 antibodies was performed. Further validation of the CD151 variant as disease-causing was performed in zebrafish using CRISPR-Cas9.

Results

We report a young child with nail dystrophy and persistent urinary tract infections who was incidentally found to have nephrotic-range proteinuria. Through targeted NGS, a novel, homozygous truncating variant was identified in CD151, a gene rarely reported in patients with nephrotic syndrome. Electron microscopy imaging of patient kidney tissue showed thickening of GBM and podocyte effacement. Immunofluorescence of patient kidney tissue demonstrated that CD151 was significantly reduced, and we did not detect immunoreactivity to CD151/MER2 on patient red blood cells. CRISPR-Cas9 depletion of cd151 in zebrafish caused proteinuria, which was rescued by injection of wild-type CD151 mRNA, but not CD151 mRNA containing the variant sequence.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that a novel variant in CD151 is associated with nephrotic-range proteinuria and microscopic haematuria and provides further evidence for a role of CD151 in glomerular disease. Our work highlights a functional testing pipeline for future analysis of patient genetic variants.

Graphical abstract

A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information
Disparities in quality of life, social distress and employment outcomes in Australian cancer survivors
Authors: White Victoria M. , Lisy Karolina , Ward Andrew , Ristevski Eli , Clode Melanie , Webber Kate , Emery Jon , Ijzerman Maarten J. , Afshar Nina , Millar Jeremy , Gibbs Peter , Evans Sue , Jefford Michael
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To examine how socio-demographic, comorbidities and information needs influence quality of life (QoL) outcomes of survivors of breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma or melanoma.

Methods

Cross-sectional postal survey with eligible participants identified through a population-based cancer registry. QoL outcomes were assessed by EQ-5D-5L, social difficulties index (SDI) and, for those employed at diagnosis, current employment. Regression analyses explored associations between outcome variables and cancer type, age, time since diagnosis, residential location, socio-economic disadvantage, comorbidities and unmet information needs. Mediation analyses examined whether comorbidities and information needs explained relationships between outcome variables and socio-economic disadvantage.

Results

2115 survivors participated. Mean EQ-5D-5L scores (mean = 0.84) were similar to population averages and SDI scores were low for the entire sample (mean = 3.80). In multivariate analyses, being aged over 80, greater socio-economic disadvantage, comorbidities and unmet information needs decreased EQ-5D-5L scores. Higher SDI scores were associated with socio-economic disadvantage, comorbidities and unmet information needs. Not being employed was associated with being aged over 50, more comorbidities and socio-economic disadvantage. Comorbidities but not information needs partially mediated the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on EQ-5D-5L and SDI accounting for 17% and 14% of the total effect of socio-economic disadvantage respectively. Neither comorbidities nor information needs mediated the association between socio-economic disadvantage and employment outcomes.

Conclusions

To improve quality of life, survivorship care should be better tailored to address the needs of individuals given their overall health and impact of comorbidities, their age and type of cancer and not simply time since diagnosis.
Tooth extractions prior to chemoradiation or bioradiation are associated with weight loss during treatment for locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer
Authors: Buurman Doke J. M. , Willemsen Anna C. H. , Speksnijder Caroline M. , Baijens Laura W. J. , Hoeben Ann , Hoebers Frank J. P. , Kessler Peter , Schols Annemie M. W. J.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Prior to radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy (CRT) or biotherapy (BRT) for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), teeth with poor prognosis that pose a risk for post-RT osteoradionecrosis (ORN) are removed. The effect of tooth loss on body weight loss and tube feeding (TF) dependency during CRT/BRT is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of incomplete dentition, tooth extractions prior to CRT/BRT, and the subsequent loss of functional units on (1) weight loss during CRT/BRT and (2) the need for TF during CRT/BRT for OPSCC.

Methods

OPSCC patients treated with CRT/BRT between 2013 and 2016 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Dental status was determined during the dental assessment at first visit and after tooth extractions prior to the start of CRT/BRT. Weight loss during CRT/BRT was scored dichotomously, comparing weight loss > 5% to stable or increased weight. Potential factors associated with weight loss were identified, including patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics.

Results

Seventy-seven OPSCC patients were included. Forty patients (52%) experienced weight loss > 5% during CRT/BRT. Extractions were performed in 66% of the OPSCC patients. The mean number of extracted teeth was 4.1 ± 5.6 per patient. Tooth extractions prior to CRT/BRT were associated with weight loss > 5% during CRT/BRT (HR 1.130 (95% CI 1.011–1.262), p = 0.031). None of the dental status-related parameters showed any significant associative value for TF during CRT/BRT.

Conclusions

Pre-CRT/BRT tooth extractions intended to reduce the risk of ORN, are a risk factor for weight loss during CRT/BRT for OPSCC.

Trial registration number

This study was approved by the medical ethics committee of the MUMC + (METC 2020–1589) on July 28, 2020.
Electroanalytical point-of-care detection of gold standard and emerging cardiac biomarkers for stratification and monitoring in intensive care medicine - a review
Authors: Crapnell Robert D. , Dempsey Nina C. , Sigley Evelyn , Tridente Ascanio , Banks Craig E.
Published: March 2022

Determination of specific cardiac biomarkers (CBs) during the diagnosis and management of adverse cardiovascular events such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has become commonplace in emergency department (ED), cardiology and many other ward settings. Cardiac troponins (cTnT and cTnI) and natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT-pro-BNP) are the preferred biomarkers in clinical practice for the diagnostic workup of AMI, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and other types of myocardial ischaemia and heart failure (HF), while the roles and possible clinical applications of several other potential biomarkers continue to be evaluated and are the subject of several comprehensive reviews. The requirement for rapid, repeated testing of a small number of CBs in ED and cardiology patients has led to the development of point-of-care (PoC) technology to circumvent the need for remote and lengthy testing procedures in the hospital pathology laboratories. Electroanalytical sensing platforms have the potential to meet these requirements. This review aims firstly to reflect on the potential benefits of rapid CB testing in critically ill patients, a very distinct cohort of patients with deranged baseline levels of CBs. We summarise their source and clinical relevance and are the first to report the required analytical ranges for such technology to be of value in this patient cohort. Secondly, we review the current electrochemical approaches, including its sub-variants such as photoelectrochemical and electrochemiluminescence, for the determination  of important CBs highlighting the various strategies used, namely the use of micro- and nanomaterials, to maximise the sensitivities and selectivities of such approaches. Finally, we consider the challenges that must be overcome to allow for the commercialisation of this technology and transition into intensive care medicine.

Graphical abstract
In silico prediction models for thyroid peroxidase inhibitors and their application to synthetic flavors
Authors: Seo Mihyun , Lim Changwon , Kwon Hoonjeong
Published: March 2022

Systematic toxicity tests are often waived for the synthetic flavors as they are added in a very small amount in foods. However, their safety for some endpoints such as endocrine disruption should be concerned as they are likely to be active in low levels. In this case, structure–activity-relationship (SAR) models are good alternatives. In this study, therefore, binary, ternary, and quaternary prediction models were designed using simple or complex machine-learning methods. Overall, hard-voting classifiers outperformed other methods. The test scores for the best binary, ternary, and quaternary models were 0.6635, 0.5083, and 0.5217, respectively. Along with model development, some substructures including primary aromatic amine, (enol)ether, phenol, heterocyclic sulfur, and heterocyclic nitrogen, dominantly occurred in the most highly active compounds. The best predicting models were applied to synthetic flavors, and 22 agents appeared to have a strong inhibitory potential towards TPO activities.
Limited text speech synthesis with electroglottograph based on Bi-LSTM and modified Tacotron-2
Authors: Chen Lijiang , Ren Jie , Chen Pengfei , Mao Xia , Zhao Qi
Published: March 2022

This paper proposes a framework of applying only the EGG signal for speech synthesis in the limited categories of contents scenario. EGG is a sort of physiological signal which can reflect the trends of the vocal cord movement. Note that EGG’s different acquisition method contrasted with speech signals, we exploit its application in speech synthesis under the following two scenarios. (1) To synthesize speeches under high noise circumstances, where clean speech signals are unavailable. (2) To enable dumb people who retain vocal cord vibration to speak again. Our study consists of two stages, EGG to text and text to speech. The first is a text content recognition model based on Bi-LSTM, which converts each EGG signal sample into the corresponding text with a limited class of contents. This model achieves 91.12% accuracy on the validation set in a 20-class content recognition experiment. Then the second step synthesizes speeches with the corresponding text and the EGG signal. Based on modified Tacotron-2, our model gains the Mel cepstral distortion (MCD) of 5.877 and the mean opinion score (MOS) of 3.87, which is comparable with the state-of-the-art performance and achieves an improvement by 0.42 and a relatively smaller model size than the origin Tacotron-2. Considering to introduce the characteristics of speakers contained in EGG to the final synthesized speech, we put forward a fine-grained fundamental frequency modification method, which adjusts the fundamental frequency according to EGG signals and achieves a lower MCD of 5.781 and a higher MOS of 3.94 than that without modification.
A new insight into a thermoplastic microfluidic device aimed at improvement of oxygenation process and avoidance of shear stress during cell culture
Authors: Sheidaei Zohreh , Akbarzadeh Pooria , Nguyen Nam-Trung , Kashaninejad Navid
Published: March 2022

Keeping the oxygen concentration at the desired physiological limits is a challenging task in cellular microfluidic devices. A good knowledge of affecting parameters would be helpful to control the oxygen delivery to cells. This study aims to provide a fundamental understanding of oxygenation process within a hydrogel-based microfluidic device considering simultaneous mass transfer, medium flow, and cellular consumption. For this purpose, the role of geometrical and hydrodynamic properties was numerically investigated. The results are in good agreement with both numerical and experimental data in the literature. The obtained results reveal that increasing the microchannel height delays the oxygen depletion in the absence of media flow. We also observed that increasing the medium flow rate increases the oxygen concentration in the device; however, it leads to high maximum shear stress. A novel pulsatile medium flow injection pattern is introduced to reduce detrimental effect of the applied shear stress on the cells.
Understanding the drivers of dispersal evolution in range expansions and their ecological consequences
Authors: Weiss-Lehman Christopher , Shaw Allison K.
Published: March 2022

Research has conclusively demonstrated the potential for dispersal evolution in range expansions and shifts, however the degree of dispersal evolution observed has varied substantially among organisms. Further, it is unknown how the factors influencing dispersal evolution might impact other ecological processes at play. We use an individual-based model to investigate the effects of the underlying genetics of dispersal and mode of reproduction in range expansions and shifts. Consistent with predictions from stationary populations, dispersal evolution increases with sexual reproduction and loci number. Contrary to our predictions, however, increased dispersal does not always improve a population’s ability to track changing conditions. The mate finding Allee effect inherent to sexual reproduction increases extinction risk during range shifts, counteracting the beneficial effect of increased dispersal evolution. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering both ecological and evolutionary processes for understanding range expansions and shifts.
Study progression and degree completion of autistic students in higher education: a longitudinal study
Authors: Bakker Theo , Krabbendam Lydia , Bhulai Sandjai , Meeter Martijn , Begeer Sander
Published: March 2022

Individuals with autism increasingly enroll in universities, but researchers know little about how their study progresses over time towards degree completion. This exploratory population study uses structural equation modeling to examine patterns in study progression and degree completion of bachelor’s students with autism spectrum disorder (n = 101) in comparison to students with other recorded conditions (n = 2,465) and students with no recorded conditions (n = 25,077) at a major Dutch university. Propensity score weighting is applied to balance outcomes. The research shows that most outcomes (grade point average, dropout rates, resits, credits, and degree completion) were similar across the three groups. Students with autism had more no-shows in the second year than their peers, which affected degree completion after 3 years. The overall performance of autistic students appeared to be adequate and comparable to their peers. However, addressing participation and inclusivity is vital to improve academic support for students with autism. These insights can enable universities to develop appropriate and timely support for all talented students to progress in their studies and complete their degrees.
On Reconstructing Parts of Quantum Theory from Two Related Maximal Conceptual Variables
Authors: Helland Inge S.
Published: March 2022

In the book Helland (2021) the general problem of reconstructing the Hilbert space formulation in quantum theory is discussed from the point of view of what I called conceptual variables, any variables defined by a person or by a group of persons. These variables may be inaccessible, i.e., impossible to assign numerical value to by experiments or by measurements, or accessible. One basic assumption in Helland (2021) and here is that group actions g ∈ G are defined on a space where some maximally accessible variable varies, and then accessible functions of these maximal variables are introduced. By using group representation theory the basic Hilbert space formalism is restored under the assumption that the observator or the set of observators has two related maximally accessible variables in his (their) mind(s). The notion of relationship is precisely defined here. Symmetric (self-adjoint) operators are connected to each variable, and in the discrete case the possible values of the variables are given by the eigenvalues of the operators. In this paper the main results from Helland (2021) are made more precise and more general. It turns out that the conditions of the main theorem there can be weakened in two essential ways: 1) No measurements need to be assumed, so the result is also applicable to general decision situations; 2) States can have arbitrary phase factors. Some consequences of this approach towards quantum theory are also discussed here.
Epoxy resin reinforced with graphene derivatives: physical and dielectric properties
Authors: Rehim Mona Abdel , Turky Gamal
Published: March 2022

Epoxy resins are important industrial polymers due to their versatile properties and ease of preparation. They are used on a large scale in coating and adhesives applications. Epoxy resins are prepared by photo-curing technique or thermal curing method in presence of different hardeners. The first method is used for small areas while the latter is utilized mainly for coating applications. Graphene and its oxide have proved themselves as good fillers for epoxy resin since the formed composites demonstrated enhanced mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. This article gives insight view for synthesis techniques and properties of these composites with a deep discussion for electrical and dielectric investigations of epoxy resins loaded with threshold concentration of graphene oxide. A case study of dielectric properties of epoxy resin/modified graphene oxide composite, is presented in which effect of curing technique on dielectric behavior is explored. Although the amount of filler was kept at the threshold concentration (1% by weight) obvious change in the dielectric properties could be observed unlike the rest of properties.
The impact of pre-freezing storage time and temperature on gene expression of blood collected in EDTA tubes
Authors: Martire Serena , Valentino Paola , Marnetto Fabiana , Mirabile Luca , Capobianco Marco , Bertolotto Antonio
Published: March 2022

Background

Blood is a common source of RNA for gene expression studies. However, it is known to be vulnerable to pre-analytical variables. Although RNA stabilization systems have been shown to reduce such influence, traditional EDTA tubes are still widely used since they are less expensive and enable to study specific leukocyte populations. This study aimed to assess the influence of storage time and temperature between blood sampling and handling on RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Methods and results

Nine blood samples were collected in EDTA tubes from 10 healthy donors. One tube from each donor was immediately processed for PBMC isolation, while the others were first incubated at either 4 degrees Celsius (°C) or room temperature for 2, 4, 6 and 24 h. RNA yield and quality and the expression level of fourt housekeeping (B2M, CASC3, GAPDH, HPRT1) and 8 target genes (CD14, CD19, CD20, IL10, MxA, TNF, TNFAIP3, NR4A2) were compared between samples.

RNA yield, quality and integrity did not vary significantly with time and temperature. B2M was the most stable housekeeping gene, while the others were increasingly influenced by storing time, especially at 4 °C. Even when normalized to B2M, the expression level of some target genes, particularly TNFAIP3 and NR4A2, was highly affected by delays in blood processing at either temperature, already from 2 h.

Conclusion

Pre-analytical processing has a great impact on transcript expression from blood collected in EDTA tubes, especially on genes related to inflammation. Standardized procedure of blood handling are needed to obtain reliable results.
Sexual reproduction trait expressions of grassland species along a gradient of nitrogen: phosphorus stoichiometry
Authors: Wang Shuqiong , van Dijk Jerry , Wassen Martin J.
Published: March 2022

Aims

Plant investment in sexual reproduction is affected by nitrogen (N): phosphorus (P) stoichiometry. It has been suggested that an important adaptation to strong P limitation is reduced investment in sexual reproduction. We aim to investigate the specific influence of N:P on sexual reproduction performance within and between grassland species.

Methods

Eleven grassland species were selected in ten plots covering N limitation, co-limitation and P limitation. Nutrients in soil and above-ground biomass were determined, plus soil pH and soil moisture. A range of sexual reproduction traits were measured as a proxy for investment in sexual reproduction.

Results

At the intraspecific level: compared with N-limited plots, in P-limited/co-limited plots, flowering time was later, flowering period in individuals was shorter, and number of flowers (inflorescences) per individual was smaller. At the interspecific level, in P-limited/co-limited plots, species had a significantly earlier flowering time and a longer seed stalk and seed panicle, than those in N-limited plots. However, flowering period was shorter and number of flowers (inflorescences) per individual was smaller under P limitation/co-limitation. Moreover, significant correlations between soil pH and soil moisture, and sexual reproduction performance of the selected grassland species were also found.

Conclusions

P limitation/co-limitation restrict the sexual reproduction of grassland species, which may hamper their dispersal capacity. We recommend future studies further analyze the relationship between soil pH and N:P stoichiometry and the influence of soil pH, as well as soil moisture on sexual reproduction performance of grassland species in addition to analyzing N:P stoichiometry.
A loss function to evaluate agricultural decision-making under uncertainty: a case study of soil spectroscopy
Authors: Breure T. S. , Haefele S. M. , Hannam J. A. , Corstanje R. , Webster R. , Moreno-Rojas S. , Milne A. E.
Published: March 2022

Modern sensor technologies can provide detailed information about soil variation which allows for more precise application of fertiliser to minimise environmental harm imposed by agriculture. However, growers should lose neither income nor yield from associated uncertainties of predicted nutrient concentrations and thus one must acknowledge and account for uncertainties. A framework is presented that accounts for the uncertainty and determines the cost–benefit of data on available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in the soil determined from sensors. For four fields, the uncertainty associated with variation in soil P and K predicted from sensors was determined. Using published fertiliser dose–yield response curves for a horticultural crop the effect of estimation errors from sensor data on expected financial losses was quantified. The expected losses from optimal precise application were compared with the losses expected from uniform fertiliser application (equivalent to little or no knowledge on soil variation). The asymmetry of the loss function meant that underestimation of P and K generally led to greater losses than the losses from overestimation. This study shows that substantial financial gains can be obtained from sensor-based precise application of P and K fertiliser, with savings of up to £121 ha−1for P and up to £81 ha−1for K, with concurrent environmental benefits due to a reduction of 4–17 kg ha−1applied P fertiliser when compared with uniform application.
Processing of remote sensing information to retrieve leaf area index in barley: a comparison of methods
Authors: Rosso Pablo , Nendel Claas , Gilardi Nicolas , Udroiu Cosmin , Chlebowski Florent
Published: March 2022

Leaf area index (LAI) is a key variable in understanding and modeling crop-environment interactions. With the advent of increasingly higher spatial resolution satellites and sensors mounted on remotely piloted aircrafts (RPAs), the use of remote sensing in precision agriculture is becoming more common. Since also the availability of methods to retrieve LAI from image data have also drastically expanded, it is necessary to test simultaneously as many methods as possible to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Ground-based LAI data from three years of barley experiments were related to remote sensing information using vegetation indices (VI), machine learning (ML) and radiative transfer models (RTM), to assess the relative accuracy and efficacy of these methods. The optimized soil adjusted vegetation index and a modified version of the Weighted Difference Vegetation Index performed slightly better than any other retrieval method. However, all methods yielded coefficients of determination of around 0.7 to 0.9. The best performing machine learning algorithms achieved higher accuracies when four Sentinel-2 bands instead of 12 were used. Also, the good performance of VIs and the satisfactory performance of the 4-band RTM, strongly support the synergistic use of satellites and RPAs in precision agriculture. One of the methods used, Sen2-Agri, an open source ML-RTM-based operational system, was also able to accurately retrieve LAI, although it is restricted to Sentinel-2 and Landsat data. This study shows the benefits of testing simultaneously a broad range of retrieval methods to monitor crops for precision agriculture.
From indexation policies through citation networks to normalized citation impacts: Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions as varying resonance chambers
Authors: Stahlschmidt Stephan , Stephen Dimity
Published: March 2022

Dimensions was introduced as an alternative bibliometric database to the well-established Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus, however all three databases have fundamental differences in coverage and content, resultant from their owners’ indexation philosophies. In light of these differences, we explore here, using a citation network analysis and assessment of normalized citation impact of overlapping publications indexed in all three databases, whether the three databases offer structurally different perspectives of the bibliometric landscape or if they are essentially homogenous substitutes. Our citation network analysis of core and exclusive 2016–2018 publications revealed a large set of core publications indexed in all three databases that are highly self-referential. In comparison, each database selected a set of exclusive publications that appeared to hold similarly low levels of relevance to the core set and to one another, with slightly more internal communication between exclusive publications in Scopus and Dimensions than WoS. Our comparison of normalized citations for 41,848 publications indexed in all three databases found that German sectors were valuated as more impactful in Scopus and Dimensions compared to WoS, particularly for sectors with an applied research focus. We conclude that the databases do present structurally different perspectives, although Scopus and Dimensions with their additional circle of applied research vary more from the more base research-focused WoS than they do from one another.
Impact of model settings on the text-based Rao diversity index
Authors: Zielinski Andrea
Published: March 2022

Policymakers and funding agencies tend to support scientific work across disciplines, thereby relying on indicators for interdisciplinarity. Recently, text-based quantitative methods have been proposed for the computation of interdisciplinarity that hold promise to have several advantages over the bibliometric approach. In this paper, we provide a systematic analysis of the computation of the text-based Rao index, based on probabilistic topic models, comparing a classical LDA model versus a neural network topic model. We provide a systematic analysis of model parameters that affect the diversity scores and make the interaction between its different components explicit. We present an empirical study on a real data set, upon which we quantify the diversity of the research within several departments of Fraunhofer and Max Planck Society by means of scientific abstracts published in Scopus between 2008 and 2018. Our experiments show that parameter variations, i.e. the choice of the Number of topics, hyper-parameters, and size and balance of the underlying data used for training the model, have a strong effect on the topic model-based Rao metrics. In particular, we could observe that the quality of the topic models impacts on the downstream task of computing the Rao index. Topic models that yield semantically cohesive topics are less affected by fluctuations when varying over the number of topics, and result in more stable measurements of the Rao index.
Citation of retracted research: a case-controlled, ten-year follow-up scientometric analysis of Scott S. Reuben’s malpractice
Authors: Szilagyi Istvan-Szilard , Schittek Gregor A. , Klivinyi Christoph , Simonis Holger , Ulrich Torsten , Bornemann-Cimenti Helmar
Published: March 2022

A major problem in scientific literature is the citation of retracted research. Until now, no long-term follow-up of the course of citations of such articles has been published. In the present study, we determined the development of citations of retracted articles based on the case of anaesthesiologist and pain researcher Scott S. Reuben, over a period of 10 years and compared them to matched controls. We screened four databases to find retracted publications by Scott S. Ruben and reviewed full publications for indications of retraction status. To obtain a case-controlled analysis, all Reuben’s retracted articles were compared with the respective citations of the preceeding and subsequent neighbouring articles within the same journal. There were 420 citations between 2009 and 2019, of which only 40% indicated the publication being retracted. Over a 10-year period, an increasing linear trend is observed in citations of retracted articles by Scott S. Ruben that are not reported as retracted (R2 = 0.3647). Reuben’s retracted articles were cited 92% more often than the neighbouring non-retracted articles. This study highlights a major scientific problem. Invented or falsified data are still being cited after more than a decade, leading to a distortion of the evidence and scientometric parameters.
Four problems of the h-index for assessing the research productivity and impact of individual authors
Authors: Bi Henry H.
Published: March 2022

This paper reveals that when the h-index is used to assess the research productivity and impact of individual authors, four major problems exist because the h-index does not take into account the number of authors in each publication. This paper shows that the fractional h-index (or the individual hi-index in this paper), which distributes each publication’s received citations among its authors, can solve these problems effectively. This paper recommends that websites (such as scholar.google.com and researchgate.net) should add the hi-index for the sake of building a fairer and more ethical research community.
Introducing CARESSER: A framework for in situ learning robot social assistance from expert knowledge and demonstrations
Authors: Andriella Antonio , Torras Carme , Abdelnour Carla , Alenyà Guillem
Published: March 2022

Socially assistive robots have the potential to augment and enhance therapist’s effectiveness in repetitive tasks such as cognitive therapies. However, their contribution has generally been limited as domain experts have not been fully involved in the entire pipeline of the design process as well as in the automatisation of the robots’ behaviour. In this article, we present aCtive leARning agEnt aSsiStive bEhaviouR (CARESSER), a novel framework that actively learns robotic assistive behaviour by leveraging the therapist’s expertise (knowledge-driven approach) and their demonstrations (data-driven approach). By exploiting that hybrid approach, the presented method enables in situ fast learning, in a fully autonomous fashion, of personalised patient-specific policies. With the purpose of evaluating our framework, we conducted two user studies in a daily care centre in which older adults affected by mild dementia and mild cognitive impairment (N = 22) were requested to solve cognitive exercises with the support of a therapist and later on of a robot endowed with CARESSER. Results showed that: (i) the robot managed to keep the patients’ performance stable during the sessions even more so than the therapist; (ii) the assistance offered by the robot during the sessions eventually matched the therapist’s preferences. We conclude that CARESSER, with its stakeholder-centric design, can pave the way to new AI approaches that learn by leveraging human–human interactions along with human expertise, which has the benefits of speeding up the learning process, eliminating the need for the design of complex reward functions, and finally avoiding undesired states.
MinerAlert: an hybrid approach for web mining detection
Authors: Tommasi Franco , Catalano Christian , Corvaglia Umberto , Taurino Ivan
Published: March 2022

The introduction of new memory-based crypto-mining techniques and the rise of new web technologies like WebAssembly, made the use of browsers for crypto-currencies mining more and more convenient and popular. That, in turn, originated a new form of computer piracy, called cryptojacking, which is rapidly gaining ground on the web. A cryptojacking site exploits its visitors’ hardware resources to secretly mine crypto-currencies. This paper analyzes current web-based cryptojacking detection methods in order to propose a novel hybrid strategy. Current detection methods are found to require either considerable computer administration skills or execution privileges usually not available to common users. In this view, a method, named MinerAlert, has been designed and proposed, aiming at detecting in real-time sites performing cryptojacking. To address the limitations of current methods, the method implementation has been achieved through a browser extension. The present paper describes the method’s details and its implementation. It also reports the experimental results of its utilization, showing its positive performances in terms of ease of use, successful detections and speed.
Self-calibration of C-arm imaging system using interventional instruments during an intracranial biplane angiography
Authors: Chabi Negar , Iuso Domenico , Beuing Oliver , Preim Bernhard , Saalfeld Sylvia
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To create an accurate 3D reconstruction of the vascular trees, it is necessary to know the exact geometrical parameters of the angiographic imaging system. Many previous studies used vascular structures to estimate the system’s exact geometry. However, utilizing interventional devices and their relative features may be less challenging, as they are unique in different views. We present a semi-automatic self-calibration approach considering the markers attached to the interventional instruments to estimate the accurate geometry of a biplane X-ray angiography system for neuroradiologic use.

Methods

A novel approach is proposed to detect and segment the markers using machine learning classification, a combination of support vector machine and boosted tree. Then, these markers are considered as reference points to optimize the acquisition geometry iteratively.

Results

The method is evaluated on four clinical datasets and three pairs of phantom angiograms. The mean and standard deviation of backprojection error for the catheter or guidewire before and after self-calibration are $$7.13\pm 6.47$$

7.13
±
6.47

 mm and $$0.10\pm 0.06$$

0.10
±
0.06

 mm, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the 3D root-mean-square error (RMSE) for some markers in the phantom reduced from $$0.51\pm 0.11$$

0.51
±
0.11

to $$0.31\pm 0.08$$

0.31
±
0.08

 mm.

Conclusion

A semi-automatic approach to estimate the accurate geometry of the C-arm system was presented. Results show the reduction in the 2D backprojection error as well as the 3D RMSE after using our proposed self-calibration technique. This approach is essential for 3D reconstruction of the vascular trees or post-processing techniques of angiography systems that rely on accurate geometry parameters.