bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Training and development investment and financial performance: The bidirectional relationship and the moderating effect of financial slack
Authors: Yoo Sangok , Lee Suhyung , Kim Sehoon , Jang Soebin , Cho Daeyeon
Published: June 2021

Research has not yet clearly demonstrated the relationship between training and development (TD) investment and financial performance. This study examines the bidirectional, non‐linear, one‐year‐lagged relationship between TD investment and financial performance, and the moderating effect of financial slack on the relationship based on the resource‐based view and the theory of slack resources. We analyze financial data of 174 firms in South Korea over 10 years (2009–2018) using a lagged dependent variable model. Our results demonstrate that TD investment contributes to later financial performance, and financial performance contributes to later TD investment. We find an inverted U‐shaped relationship between TD investment and financial performance in both directions. Financial slack positively moderates the bidirectional relationship, such that the inverted U‐shaped effect of TD investment on financial performance is more pronounced among those with low financial slack. In the effect of financial performance on TD investment, firms with high financial slack show a U‐shaped curve, while firms with low financial slack show an inverted U‐shaped curve. This study provides valuable information for human resource development scholars and practitioners about the relationship between TD investment and financial performance.
Numerical investigation of the flow field and heat transfer characteristics for upstream continuous and truncated ribs
Authors: Xu Zhi‐peng , Zhu Hui‐ren , Ye Lin
Published: June 2021

To verify the applicability of upstream ribs in film cooling, the present numerical study examines heat transfer characteristics and flow field for ribs located upstream of the film hole. Five ribs including bilaterally truncated ribs, centrally truncated ribs, and continuous ribs are explored with the smooth case at two blowing ratios and fixed crossflow Reynolds number. The results show that the film cooling effectiveness of cases with ribs outperforms the case without rib at a low blowing ratio. Centrally truncated ribs and continuous ribs provide superior cooling effectiveness than bilaterally truncated ribs and smooth cases. The introduction of ribs makes the distribution of the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) uneven after the hole. Among these, centrally truncated ribs increased the HTC, while bilaterally truncated ribs reduce the HTC in the far hole area at a high blowing ratio. It is found that anti‐kidney‐shaped vortex pairs are generated between two adjacent jets for centrally truncated rib cases, while they are generated in front of the jets for bilaterally truncated rib cases. For continuous rib, the impingement of the mainstream gas on the jet leads to a reduction in strength of the kidney‐shaped vortex, which allows the coolant to form a better coverage.
Only the Co-Transcriptional Activity of β-Catenin Is Required for the Local Regulatory Effects in Hypertrophic Chondrocytes on Developmental Bone Modeling
Authors: Wolff Lena I , Houben Astrid , Fabritius Christine , Angus-Hill Melinda , Basler Konrad , Hartmann Christine
Published: June 2021

In hypertrophic chondrocytes, β-catenin has two roles. First, it locally suppresses the differentiation of osteoclasts at the chondro-osseous junction by maintaining the pro-osteoclastic factor receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) at low levels. Second, it promotes the differentiation of osteoblast-precursors from chondrocytes. Yet, β-catenin is a dual-function protein, which can either participate in cell–cell adherens junctions or serve as a transcriptional co-activator in canonical Wnt signaling interacting with T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor (TCF/LEF) transcription factors. Hence, whenever studying tissue-specific requirements of β-catenin using a conventional conditional knockout approach, the functional mechanisms underlying the defects in the conditional mutants remain ambiguous. To decipher mechanistically which of the two molecular functions of β-catenin is required in hypertrophic chondrocytes, we used different approaches. We analyzed the long bones of newborn mice carrying either the null-alleles of Lef1 or Tcf7, or mice in which Tcf7l2 was conditionally deleted in the hypertrophic chondrocytes, as well as double mutants for Lef1 and Tcf7l2, and Tcf7 and Tcf7l2. Furthermore, we analyzed Ctnnb1 mutant newborns expressing a signaling-defective allele that retains the cell adhesion function in hypertrophic chondrocytes. None of the analyzed Tcf/Lef single or double mutants recapitulated the previously published phenotype upon loss of β-catenin in hypertrophic chondrocytes. However, using this particular Ctnnb1 allele, maintaining cell adhesion function, we show that it is the co-transcriptional activity of β-catenin, which is required in hypertrophic chondrocytes to suppress osteoclastogenesis and to promote chondrocyte-derived osteoblast differentiation. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Rictor Is a Novel Regulator of TRAF6/TRAF3 in Osteoclasts
Authors: Xu Song , Li Shihai , Liu Xianming , Tan Kang , Zhang Jiahuan , Li Kai , Bai Xiaochun , Zhang Yue
Published: June 2021

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) are crucial for receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) activation in osteoclasts. However, the upstream mechanisms of TRAF members in the osteoclastic lineage remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that Rictor, a key component of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2), was crucial for TRAF6/TRAF3 expression in osteoclasts. Our ex vivo and in vivo studies showed that Rictor ablation from the osteoclastic lineage reduced osteoclast numbers and increased bone mass in mice. Mechanistically, we found that Rictor ablation restricted osteoclast formation, which disrupted TRAF6 stability and caused autophagy block in a manner distinct from mTORC1, resulting in reduced TRAF3 degradation. Boosting TRAF6 expression or knockdown of TRAF3 levels in Rictor-deficient cells could both overcome the defect. Moreover, Rictor could interact with TRAF6 upon RANK ligand (RANKL) stimulation and loss of Rictor impaired TRAF6 stability and promoted its ubiquitinated degradation. These findings established an innovative link between Rictor, TRAF protein levels, and autophagic block. More importantly, mTOR complexes in the osteoclastic lineage are likely switches for coordinating TRAF6 and TRAF3 protein levels, and Rictor may function as an essential upstream regulator of TRAF6/TRAF3 that is partially independent of mTORC1 activity. Inhibitors targeting Rictor may therefore be valuable for preventing or treating osteoclast-related diseases. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Measurement invariance of the Brief Sense of Community Scale across non‐Hispanic, Black and Hispanic college students
Authors: Cardenas Iris , Steiner Jordan J. , Peterson N. Andrew
Published: June 2021

Ethnic‐racial background may influence college students' psychological sense of community (PSOC). Thus, it is critical to examine whether this construct is conceptualized similarly between non‐Hispanic, Black and Hispanic students. This study tested the measurement invariance of the Brief Sense of Community Scale (BSCS) across the two groups. We used data from a self‐administered online survey provided to college students in 2016 in a Northeastern urban university (non‐Hispanic, Black = 307; Hispanic = 409). We tested the measurement invariance of the BSCS using a series of nested multigroup confirmatory factor analyses with increasingly restrictive sets of parameters. Measurement invariance of the BSCS across non‐Hispanic, Black and Hispanic college students was achieved. The BSCS successfully measures the multidimensionality of PSOC across the two groups in a college setting. Students' score on the BSCS is not biased by measurement invariance related to cultural influences. When using the BSCS, community psychologists and researchers can have confidence that the observed differences in PSOC across non‐Hispanic, Black and Hispanic college students are attributable to true differences rather than a cultural understanding of the construct.
Acetaminophen use during pregnancy and offspring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – a longitudinal sibling control study
Authors: Gustavson Kristin , Ystrom Eivind , Ask Helga , Ask Torvik Fartein , Hornig Mady , Susser Ezra , Lipkin W. Ian , Lupattelli Angela , Stoltenberg Camilla , Magnus Per , Mjaaland Siri , Askeland Ragna Bugge , Walle Kjersti Mæhlum , Bresnahan Michaeline , Nordeng Hedvig , Reichborn‐Kjennerud Ted
Published: June 2021

Background

Maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of ADHD in the child. This could reflect causal influence of acetaminophen on fetal neurodevelopment or could be due to confounding factors. The aim of the current study was to examine unmeasured familial confounding factors of this association.

Methods

We used data from 26,613 children from 12,902 families participating in the prospective Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). The MoBa was linked to the Norwegian Medical Birth Register and the Norwegian Patient Registry. Siblings discordant for prenatal acetaminophen exposure were compared regarding risk of having an ADHD diagnosis.

Results

Children exposed to acetaminophen up to 28 days during pregnancy did not have increased risk of receiving an ADHD diagnosis compared to unexposed children. The adjusted Hazard ratio (aHR) was 0.87 (95% C.I. = 0.70‐1.08) for exposure 1 to 7 days, and 1.13 (95% C.I. = 0.82–1.49) for 8–28 days. Long‐term exposure (29 days or more) was associated with a two‐fold increase in risk of ADHD diagnosis (aHR = 2.02, 95% C.I = 1.17–3.25). In the sibling control model, the association between long‐term acetaminophen use and ADHD in the child was aHR = 2.77 (95% C.I. = 1.48–5.05) at the between‐family level, and aHR = 1.06 (95% C.I. = 0.51–2.05) at the within‐family level.

Conclusions

Both the exposed and the unexposed children of mothers with long‐term use of acetaminophen in one of the pregnancies had increased risk of receiving an ADHD diagnosis. This indicates that the observed association between long‐term acetaminophen use during pregnancy and ADHD in the child may at least partly be confounded by unobserved family factors.
High powers of Hamiltonian cycles in randomly augmented graphs
Authors: Antoniuk Sylwia , Dudek Andrzej , Reiher Christian , Ruciński Andrzej , Schacht Mathias
Published: June 2021

We investigate the existence of powers of Hamiltonian cycles in graphs with large minimum degree to which some additional edges have been added in a random manner. For all integers , and , and for any we show that adding random edges to an ‐vertex graph with minimum degree at least yields, with probability close to one, the existence of the ‐th power of a Hamiltonian cycle. In particular, for and this implies that adding random edges to such a graph already ensures the ‐st power of a Hamiltonian cycle (proved independently by Nenadov and Trujić). In this instance and for several other choices of , and we can show that our result is asymptotically optimal.
Psychosocial factors 3‐months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction predict 6‐month subjective and objective knee outcomes
Authors: Erickson Lauren N. , Jacobs Cale A. , Johnson Darren L. , Ireland Mary L. , Noehren Brian
Published: June 2021

The objective of the study was to determine if psychological readiness for sport and knee self‐efficacy assessed early (3 months) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are predictive of self‐reported functional outcomes, quadriceps strength, and knee mechanics while running at the time of return to sport training (6 months). Thirty athletes with unilateral ACLR completed the ACL Return to Sport after Injury (ACL‐RSI) and Knee Self‐Efficacy Scale (K‐SES) 3 months after ACLR and completed self‐reported functional outcomes, isometric quadriceps strength testing, and three‐dimensional running gait analysis 6 months after ACLR. The 3‐month ACL‐RSI significantly correlated with the 6‐month International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC; r = 0.565, p = 0.001), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) sport/recreational activities (KOOSSport; r = 0.548, p = 0.002) and quality of life (KOOSQoL; r = 0.431, p = 0.017), and quadriceps strength (r = 0.528, p = 0.003). The 3‐month K‐SES significantly correlated with the 6‐month IKDC (r = 0.528, p = 0.003), KOOSSport (r = 0.430, p = 0.018), KOOSQoL (r = 0.411, p = 0.024), quadriceps strength (r = 0.465, p = 0.010), and knee flexion excursion (r = 0.472, p = 0.008). With multivariate modeling, both the ACL‐RSI and K‐SES were predictive of the IKDC (R2 = 0.411; p = 0.001). Only the ACL‐RSI was predictive of the KOOSSport (R2 = 0.300; p = 0.002), KOOSQoL (R2 = 0.186; p = 0.017), and quadriceps strength (R2 = 0.279; p = 0.003), whereas only the K‐SES was predictive of knee flexion excursion (R2 = 0.173; p = 0.022). Athletes with greater psychological readiness for sport and knee self‐efficacy at 3 months demonstrated higher scores on self‐reported functional outcomes, greater quadriceps strength, and greater knee flexion excursion at 6 months after ACLR. This study indicates that psychosocial measures may be important to include into early post‐surgical evaluations to help guide and facilitate interventions to restore subjective and objective knee function.
Lesser Prairie‐Chicken Survival in Varying Densities of Energy Development
Authors: LAWRENCE Andrew J. , Carleton Scott A. , Gould William R. , Nichols Clay T.
Published: June 2021

Anthropogenic features increasingly affect ecological processes with increasing human demand for natural resources. Such effects also have the potential to vary depending on the sex and age of an individual because of inherent behavioral and life experience differences. For the lesser prairie‐chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), studies on male survival are limited because most previous research has been focused on females. To better understand patterns of lesser prairie‐chicken survival in habitat with varying levels of anthropogenic infrastructure associated with oil and natural gas development, we monitored survival of 178 radio‐tagged male and female lesser prairie‐chickens in eastern New Mexico, USA, from 2013 to 2015. We examined the relationships of shrub cover, proximity to and density of anthropogenic features (i.e., utility poles), displacement of natural vegetation by anthropogenic features (i.e., area of roads and well pads), and individual demographics (i.e., sex, age) with lesser prairie‐chicken survival. Furthermore, we categorized the probable cause of mortality and examined its relationship with oil and gas development intensity (indexed by utility pole density) within 1,425 m of an individual's mortality site or final observed location. We predicted that survival would be lower for individuals exposed to greater levels of anthropogenic features, and that males and subadults would be more negatively affected than females and adults because of increased exposure to predators during the lekking season and naiveté. Relationships between survival and utility pole density, sex, and age were supported in our top‐ranked models, whereas models including other anthropogenic and natural features (i.e., roads, well pads, shrub cover) received little support. We predicted a substantial decrease in adult and subadult male survival with increasing densities of utility poles. The relationship between survival and utility pole density for females was weaker and not as clearly supported as for males. We did not find a detectable difference in utility pole counts among probable mortality causes. Our findings highlight the importance of including male lesser prairie‐chickens in research and conservation planning, and the negative effect that high densities of anthropogenic features can have on lesser prairie‐chicken survival. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.
Closure of a free osteofasciocutaneous fibula flap donor site using local skin grafts or flaps: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Shimbo Keisuke , Okuhara Yukako , Yokota Kazunori
Published: June 2021

Background

In free osteofasciocutaneous fibula flaps, secondary donor sites are avoided using one of three local closure methods: full‐thickness skin grafts (FTSGs), split‐thickness skin grafts (STSGs), or flaps. This systemic review aimed to evaluate the differences in outcomes among the three groups of closure methods used for free fibula flap defects.

Methods

In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically searched the PubMed and Web of Science medical databases from inception to January 2021 for articles focused on closure of the free fibula flap donor site using the lower leg area—local skin graft or flap—that mentioned the free fibula flap defect size, and/or complications of the donor site. Study characteristics, free fibula flap size, and short‐term complication rates were extracted for analysis. The pooled complication rates and confidence intervals were calculated based on the random‐effects model.

Results

Eleven studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, and ten studies were included in the quantitative synthesis (meta‐analysis). The FTSG (n = 79, 52.3%) was the most widely used method, while both STSG (n = 36, 23.8%) and flap (n = 36, 23.8%) were the least commonly used methods. The mean free fibula flap length and width were largest for the flap method (11.5 ± 2.5 cm and 6.0 ± 1.8 cm), and all closure methods were used for free fibula flap widths ≥3 cm. Rates of partial and complete necrosis were highest for the FTSG method (20.3%, p = .95, I2 = 0%) and lowest for the flap method (12.7%, p = .95, I2 = 0%).

Conclusion

This systemic review indicated that any closure method could be adapted for a free fibula flap width ranging from 3 to 9 cm, and the flap method was associated with the lowest rate of short‐term complications.
Existence of solutions to a Kirchhoff ψ‐Hilfer fractional p‐Laplacian equations
Authors: Ezati Roozbeh , Nyamoradi Nemat
Published: June 2021

In this paper, using the genus properties in critical point theory, we study the existence and multiplicity of solutions to the following Kirchhoff ψ‐Hilfer fractional p‐Laplacian:

where
and
are ψ‐Hilfer fractional derivatives left‐sided and right‐sided of order 1/p < α < 1, a, b > 0 are constants, 0 ≤ β ≤ 1 and
and
are ψ‐Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals left‐sided and right‐sided, and
is a continuous function.
OpenKBP: The open‐access knowledge‐based planning grand challenge and dataset
Authors: Babier Aaron , Zhang Binghao , Mahmood Rafid , Moore Kevin L. , Purdie Thomas G. , McNiven Andrea L. , Chan Timothy C. Y.
Published: June 2021

Purpose

To advance fair and consistent comparisons of dose prediction methods for knowledge‐based planning (KBP) in radiation therapy research.

Methods

We hosted OpenKBP, a 2020 AAPM Grand Challenge, and challenged participants to develop the best method for predicting the dose of contoured computed tomography (CT) images. The models were evaluated according to two separate scores: (a) dose score, which evaluates the full three‐dimensional (3D) dose distributions, and (b) dose‐volume histogram (DVH) score, which evaluates a set DVH metrics. We used these scores to quantify the quality of the models based on their out‐of‐sample predictions. To develop and test their models, participants were given the data of 340 patients who were treated for head‐and‐neck cancer with radiation therapy. The data were partitioned into training (), validation (), and testing () datasets. All participants performed training and validation with the corresponding datasets during the first (validation) phase of the Challenge. In the second (testing) phase, the participants used their model on the testing data to quantify the out‐of‐sample performance, which was hidden from participants and used to determine the final competition ranking. Participants also responded to a survey to summarize their models.

Results

The Challenge attracted 195 participants from 28 countries, and 73 of those participants formed 44 teams in the validation phase, which received a total of 1750 submissions. The testing phase garnered submissions from 28 of those teams, which represents 28 unique prediction methods. On average, over the course of the validation phase, participants improved the dose and DVH scores of their models by a factor of 2.7 and 5.7, respectively. In the testing phase one model achieved the best dose score (2.429) and DVH score (1.478), which were both significantly better than the dose score (2.564) and the DVH score (1.529) that was achieved by the runner‐up models. Lastly, many of the top performing teams reported that they used generalizable techniques (e.g., ensembles) to achieve higher performance than their competition.

Conclusion

OpenKBP is the first competition for knowledge‐based planning research. The Challenge helped launch the first platform that enables researchers to compare KBP prediction methods fairly and consistently using a large open‐source dataset and standardized metrics. OpenKBP has also democratized KBP research by making it accessible to everyone, which should help accelerate the progress of KBP research. The OpenKBP datasets are available publicly to help benchmark future KBP research.
Neurocognitive Impairment After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant for Hematologic Malignancies: Phenotype and Mechanisms
Authors: Harrison Rebecca A. , Sharafeldin Noha , Rexer Jennie L. , Streck Brennan , Petersen Melissa , Henneghan Ashley M. , Kesler Shelli R.
Published: June 2021

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) plays a central role in the treatment of hematologic cancers. With the increasing survival of patients after HSCT, survivorship issues experienced by this population have become an important outcome. Cognitive impairment is an established sequela of HSCT, with studies to date establishing its presence, associated risk factors, and clinical phenotype. There are multiple potential contributors to cognitive impairment after HSCT. Efforts are ongoing to further characterize its clinical phenotype, associated biomarkers, and biologic underpinnings. A fundamental knowledge of post-HSCT cognitive impairment is of value for all clinicians who interface with this population, and further academic efforts are needed to more fully understand the impact of this cancer treatment on brain health.

Implications for Practice

As survival outcomes after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) improve, an awareness of the post-treatment challenges faced by this population has become central to its care. HSCT can have a sustained and broad impact on brain health, causing cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, disturbed mood, and sleep. In affected patients, autonomy, return to work, relationships, and quality of life may all be affected. A fundamental fluency in this area is important for clinicians interfacing with HSCT survivors, facilitating the identification and management of cognitive dysfunction and concurrent symptom clusters, and stimulating interest in these sequelae as areas for future clinical research.
Ocean health in the Northeast United States from 2005 to 2017
Authors: Montgomery Jamie , Scarborough Courtney , Shumchenia Emily , Verstaen Juliette , Napoli Nick , Halpern Benjamin
Published: June 2021

People in the Northeast United States have a long history of benefitting from the ocean in many ways, exemplified by the region's important cod and lobster fisheries, coastal tourism and recent expansion of offshore energy. Over the past few decades, the region has become one of the fastest warming spots on the planet, has seen significant growth in coastal populations, and expansion of new sectors into the marine environment, resulting in ecosystem shifts and changes to the supply and distribution of these benefits. With these changes comes a need for measuring ocean health to understand how engagement with the ocean may be affected, and how regional management may need to adapt.

To address this need, we tailored the Ocean Health Index framework to the U.S. Northeast region, scoring eight distinct goals for ocean health on a scale of 0 to 100 for 11 sub‐regions over 13 years (2005–2017).

All goal scores were averaged resulting in an Ocean Health Index score of 83 for the Northeast in 2017. This score fluctuated by 1 point in either direction (82–84) in the previous 12 years.

The lowest scoring goals in 2017 also exhibited the highest volatility since 2005, Food Provision (64) and Resource Access Opportunities (71).

The region's highest goal scores came from Livelihoods & Economies (99) and Biodiversity (90) and remained stable during the study period.

Clean Waters scores had a steady, significant downward trend since 2005, while Resource Access Opportunities and Aquaculture show the largest improvements.

This synthesis of over 50 datasets to create annual aggregate scores provides the public, government and non‐government agencies with an easily digestible summary of how the region is faring in regards to ocean health. Perhaps even more importantly, this synthesis allows for the tracking of trends over time and the ability to quickly identify and prioritize low‐scoring components of ocean health that could benefit from dedicated resources for improvement.

As managers plan for the future in a changing Northeast marine region, the ability to track annual changes in ocean health and its respective components is key to making decisions that benefit the entire social‐ecological system.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Tick‐over‐mediated complement activation is sufficient to cause basal deposit formation in cell‐based models of macular degeneration
Authors: Chinchilla Blanca , Foltopoulou Parthena , Fernandez‐Godino Rosario
Published: June 2021

Despite numerous unsuccessful clinical trials for anti‐complement drugs to treat age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), the complement system has not been fully explored as a target to stop drusen growth in patients with dry AMD. We propose that the resilient autoactivation of C3 by hydrolysis of its internal thioester (tick‐over), which cannot be prevented by existing drugs, plays a critical role in the formation of drusenoid deposits underneath the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). We have combined gene editing tools with stem cell technology to generate cell‐based models that allow the role of the tick‐over in sub‐RPE deposit formation to be studied. The results demonstrate that structurally or genetically driven pathological events affecting the RPE and Bruch's membrane can lead to dysregulation of the tick‐over, which is sufficient to stimulate the formation of sub‐RPE deposits. This can be prevented with therapies that downregulate C3 expression. © 2021 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Psychological problems among cancer patients in relation to healthcare and societal costs: A systematic review
Authors: Van Beek Florie E. , Wijnhoven Lonneke M. A. , Holtmaat Karen , Custers José A. E. , Prins Judith B. , Verdonck‐de Leeuw Irma M. , Jansen Femke
Published: June 2021

Objective

This study systematically reviewed the association of psychological problems among cancer patients with healthcare and societal resource use and costs.

Methods

PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase were searched (until 31 January 2021) for studies on psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, distress, fear of recurrence) or psychiatric disorders (anxiety, depression, adjustment) and healthcare use (e.g., mental, inpatient healthcare), economic losses by patients and family, economic losses in other sectors (e.g., absence from work), and costs. The search, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed by two authors.

Results

Of the 4157 identified records, 49 articles were included (psychological symptoms (n = 34), psychiatric disorders (n = 14), both (n = 1)) which focused on healthcare use (n = 36), economic losses by patients and family (n = 5), economic losses in other sectors (n = 8) and/or costs (n = 13). In total, for 12 of the 94 associations strong evidence was found. Psychological symptoms and psychiatric disorders were positively associated with increased healthcare use (mental, primary, inpatient, outpatient healthcare), losses in other sectors (absence from work), and costs (inpatient, outpatient, total healthcare costs). Moderate evidence was found for a positive association between (any) psychiatric disorder and depression disorder with inpatient healthcare and medication use, respectively.

Conclusions

Psychological problems in cancer patients are associated with increased healthcare use, healthcare costs and economic losses. Further research is needed on psychological problems in relation to understudied healthcare use or costs categories, productivity losses, and informal care costs.
Long‐term course of bronchial inflammation and pulmonary function testing in children with postinfectious bronchiolitis obliterans
Authors: Jerkic Silvija P. , Koc‐Günel Sinem , Herrmann Eva , Kriszeleit Lia , Eckrich Jonas , Schubert Ralf , Zielen Stefan
Published: June 2021

Rationale

Postinfectious bronchiolitis obliterans (PIBO) is a rare, chronic respiratory condition, which follows an acute insult due to a severe infection of the lower airways.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to investigate the long‐term course of bronchial inflammation and pulmonary function testing in children with PIBO.

Methods

Medical charts of 21 children with PIBO were analyzed retrospectively at the Children's University Hospital Frankfurt/Main Germany. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) with an interval of at least 1 month were studied between 2002 and 2019. A total of 382 PFTs were analyzed retrospectively and per year, the two best PFTs, in total 217, were evaluated. Additionally, 56 sputum analysis were assessed and the sputum neutrophils were evaluated.

Results

The evaluation of the 217 PFTs showed a decrease in FEV1 with a loss of 1.07% and a loss in z score of −0.075 per year. FEV1/FVC decreased by 1.44 per year. FVC remained stable, showing a nonsignificant increase by 0.006 in z score per year. However, FEV1 and FVC in L increased significantly with FEV1 0.032 L per cm and FVC 0.048 L/cm in height. Sputum neutrophils showed a significant increase of 2.12% per year.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrated that in patients with PIBO pulmonary function decreased significantly showing persistent obstruction over an average follow‐up period of 8 years. However, persistent lung growth was revealed. In addition, pulmonary inflammation persisted clearly showing an increasing amount of neutrophils in induced sputum. Patients did not present with a general susceptibility to respiratory infections.
Effects of Antisite Defect Density on Crystal and Electronic Structures of Monolayer Hexagonal Boron Nitride
Authors: Ding Yifan , Yang Junkai , Wang Huaixiang , Ji Yu , Guo Qinwen , Wang Weipeng , Shen Xi , Yao Yuan , Yu Richeng
Published: June 2021

The effect of antisite defects and their density on monolayer hexagonal boron nitride is discussed in detail. Different supercell sizes to simulate different defect densities are set up. All structures containing antisites are fully optimized. It is indicated that the high density of antisite defects leads to the instability of the BB bond. The influence of supercell size on lattice structure is also summarized. Like vacancies and dopant atoms, the antisite defects also lead to the appearance of the defect energy band. Different antisite defect densities have different effects on different orbitals. Electron energy‐loss spectroscopy theoretical simulation is conducted on a single atom to analyze the influence of antisite defect density on the electronic structure of a single atom. It is shown that the high density of antisite defects makes the σ* transition of B atoms that are far away from the defect more preferred than π* transition, while it has less influence on the transition of central N atoms of the antisite defect NB because of the influence of neighboring atoms. The concentration of antisite defects plays a key role in manipulating the physical properties of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride and is helpful in expanding potential application scenarios.
Bayesian variable selection with a pleiotropic loss function in Mendelian randomization
Authors: Gkatzionis Apostolos , Burgess Stephen , Conti David V. , Newcombe Paul J.
Published: June 2021

Mendelian randomization is the use of genetic variants as instruments to assess the existence of a causal relationship between a risk factor and an outcome. A Mendelian randomization analysis requires a set of genetic variants that are strongly associated with the risk factor and only associated with the outcome through their effect on the risk factor. We describe a novel variable selection algorithm for Mendelian randomization that can identify sets of genetic variants which are suitable in both these respects. Our algorithm is applicable in the context of two‐sample summary‐data Mendelian randomization and employs a recently proposed theoretical extension of the traditional Bayesian statistics framework, including a loss function to penalize genetic variants that exhibit pleiotropic effects. The algorithm offers robust inference through the use of model averaging, as we illustrate by running it on a range of simulation scenarios and comparing it against established pleiotropy‐robust Mendelian randomization methods. In a real‐data application, we study the effect of systolic and diastolic blood pressure on the risk of suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD). Based on a recent large‐scale GWAS for blood pressure, we use 395 genetic variants for systolic and 391 variants for diastolic blood pressure. Both traits are shown to have significant risk‐increasing effects on CHD risk.
Toxicity of malathion during Senegalese sole,Solea senegalensislarval development and metamorphosis: Histopathological disorders and effects on type B esterases andCYP1Aenzymatic systems
Authors: Ortiz‐Delgado Juan Bosco , Funes Victoria , Albendín Gemma , Scala Emanuele , Sarasquete Carmen
Published: June 2021

The toxicity of malathion toSolea senegalensiswas studied in a static renewal bioassay during its first month of larval life (between 4 and 30 dph). Through the use of different biomarkers and biochemical, cellular and molecular approaches (inhibition of cholinesterases [ChEs], changes in cytochrome P450‐1A [CYP1A] and the study of histopathological alterations), the effects of three concentrations of malathion (1.56, 3.12, and 6.25 μg/L) have been analyzed. In subacute exposure, malathion inhibited cholinesterase activities (AChE, BChE, CbE) in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner, ranging the inhibition percentage from 20% to 90%. However, the expression levels of CYP1A and AChE transcripts or proteins were not modified. Additionally, exposure to malathion provoked histopathological alterations in several organ systems of Senegalese sole in a time‐ and dose dependent way, namely disruption of parenchymal architecture in the liver, epithelial desquamation, pyknotic nuclei and steatosis in the intestine, disorganization of supporting cartilage, and sings of hyperplasia and hypertrophy in the gills and degeneration of the epithelial cells from the renal tubules. Malathion exposure also provoked strong disorganization of cardiac fibers from the heart. The findings provide evidence that exposure to sublethal concentrations of malathion that provoked serious injury to the fishS.senegalensis, were below the expected environmental concentrations reported in many other ecosystems and different fish species,revealing a higher sensitivity for Solea senegalensis to malathion exposure, thus reinforcing its use as sentinel species for environmental pollution in coastal and estuarine environments.
Effects of lead exposure on the activation of microglia in mice fed with high‐fat diets
Authors: Wu Lei , Li Shuang , Pang Shulan , Zhang Bo , Wang Jierui , He Bin , Lv Linyi , Wang Weixuan , Zhao Na , Zhang Yanshu
Published: June 2021

Lead (Pb) exposure can cause central nervous system (CNS) damage. The process of Pb neurotoxicity is accompanied by the microglia activation. In addition, microglia activation was observed under the intervention of high‐fat diets (HFD). This study was designed to investigate the effect of Pb on the cognitive function of mice with HFD, with focus on the microglia activation in brain. Male C57BL/6J mice, 8 weeks of age, were randomly divided into control, HFD, Pb, and HFD + Pb groups. The results showed that HFD following Pb exposure could exacerbate the learning and memory impairment in mice. Pb exposure could promote microglia activation and increase the expression of M1 microglia marker and decrease the expression of M2 microglia marker in the hippocampus of mice with HFD. Our finding suggested that Pb exposure may aggravate CNS damage by promoting M1 polarization and inhibiting M2 polarization of hippocampal microglia in HFD mice.
Volatility and dynamic dependence modeling: Review, applications, and financial risk management
Authors: So Mike K. P. , Chu Amanda M. Y. , Lo Cliff C. Y. , Ip Chun Yin
Published: June 2021

Since the introduction of ARCH models close to 40 years ago, a wide range of models for volatility estimation and prediction have been developed and integrated into asset allocation, financial derivative pricing, and financial risk management. Research has also been very active in extending volatility modeling to dependence modeling and in developing our understanding of risk and uncertainty in financial systems. This paper presents a review on the statistical modeling on volatility and dynamic dependence of financial returns. In addition, we present a real data example using a time‐varying copula model to estimate the dynamic dependence of stock returns. Research on volatility and dynamic dependence modeling will continue to encounter statistical and computational challenges; it is necessary to persist in dealing with the 3H (high dimension, high frequency, high complexity) paradigm in modeling.

This article is categorized under:

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Modeling Methods

Statistical Models > Nonlinear Models

Data: Types and Structure > Time Series, Stochastic Processes, and Functional Data
PageRank: A
Authors: Walrand Jean
Published: June 2021

Application:Ranking the most relevant pages in web search

Topics:Finite Discrete Time Markov Chains, SLLN
Speech Recognition: B
Authors: Walrand Jean
Published: June 2021

Online learning algorithms update their estimates as additional observations are made. Section 12.1 explains a simple example: online linear regression. The stochastic gradient projection algorithm is a general technique to update estimates based on additional observations; it is widely used in machine learning. Section 12.2 presents the theory behind that algorithm. When analyzing large amounts of data, one faces the problems of identifying the most relevant data and of how to use efficiently the available data. Section 12.3 explains three examples of how these questions are addressed: the LASSO algorithm, compressed sensing, and the matrix completion problem. Section 12.4 discusses deep neural networks for which the stochastic gradient projection algorithm is easy to implement.
Route Planning: A
Authors: Walrand Jean
Published: June 2021

This chapter is concerned with making successive decisions in the presence of uncertainty. The decisions affect the cost at each step but also the “state” of the system. We start with a simple example: choosing a route with uncertain travel times. We then examine a more general model: controlling a Markov chain.

Section 13.1 presents a model of route section when the travel times are random. Section 13.2 shows one formulation where one plans the trip long in advance. Section 13.3 explains how the problem changes if one is able to adjust the route based on real-time information. That section introduces the main ideas of stochastic dynamic programming. Section 13.4 discusses a generalization of the route planning problem: a Markov decision problem. Section 13.5 solves the problem when the horizon is infinite.
Digital Link—B
Authors: Walrand Jean
Published: June 2021

Chapter 7 explained the detection and hypothesis testing problems, Huffman codes and the situation where errors are independent and Gaussian. In this chapter, we prove the optimality of the Huffman code in Sect. 8.1 and the Neyman–Pearson Theorem in Sect. 8.2. Section 8.3 discusses the theory of jointly Gaussian random variables that is used to analyze the modulation schemes of Sect. 7.5 . Section 8.4 uses the results on jointly Gaussian random variables to explain hypothesis tests that arise when analyzing data. That section discusses the chi-squared test and the F-test. Section 8.5 is devoted to the LDPC codes that are widely used in high-speed communication links. These codes augment a group of bits to be transmitted over a noisy channel with additional bits computed from those in the group. When it receives the bits, when the augmented bits are not consistent, the receiver attempts to determine the bits that are most likely to have been corrupted by noise.
Tracking—A
Authors: Walrand Jean
Published: June 2021

This chapter explains how to estimate an unobserved random variable or vector from available observations. This problem arises in many examples, as illustrated in Sect. 9.1. The basic problem is defined in Sect. 9.2. One commonly used approach is the linear least squares estimate explained in Sect. 9.3. A related notion is the linear regression covered in Sect. 9.4. Section 9.5 comments on the problem of overfitting. Sections 9.6 and 9.7 explain the minimum means squares estimate that may be a nonlinear function of the observations and the remarkable fact that it is linear for jointly Gaussian random variables. Section 9.8 is devoted to the Kalman filter, which is a recursive algorithm for calculating the linear least squares estimate of the state of a system given previous observations.
Searching for elusive dark sectors with terrestrial and celestial observations
Authors: Contino Roberto , Max Kevin , Mishra Rashmish K.
Published: June 2021

Abstract

We consider the possible existence of a SM-neutral and light dark sector coupled to the visible sector through irrelevant portal interactions. Scenarios of this kind are motivated by dark matter and arise in various extensions of the Standard Model. We characterize the dark dynamics in terms of one ultraviolet scale Λuv, at which the exchange of heavy mediator fields generates the portal operators, and by one infrared scale ΛIR, setting the mass gap. At energies ΛIR « E « Λuv the dark sector behaves like a conformal field theory and its phenomenology can be studied model independently. We derive the constraints set on this scenario by high- and low-energy laboratory experiments and by astrophysical observations. Our results are conservative and serve as a minimum requirement that must be fulfilled by the broad class of models satisfying our assumptions, of which we give several examples. The experimental constraints are derived in a manner consistent with the validity of the effective field theory used to define the portal interactions. We find that high-energy colliders give the strongest bounds and exclude UV scales up to a few TeV, but only in specific ranges of the IR scale. The picture emerging from current searches can be taken as a starting point to design a future experimental strategy with broader sensitivity.
Double layered solutions to the extended Fisher–Kolmogorov P.D.E.
Authors: Smyrnelis Panayotis
Published: June 2021

We construct double layered solutions to the extended Fisher–Kolmogorov P.D.E., under the assumption that the set of minimal heteroclinics of the corresponding O.D.E. satisfies a separation condition. The aim of our work is to provide for the extended Fisher–Kolmogorov equation, the first examples of two-dimensional minimal solutions, since these solutions play a crucial role in phase transition models, and are closely related to the De Giorgi conjecture.
Root formation and metallurgical challenges in laser beam and laser-arc hybrid welding of thick structural steel
Authors: Bunaziv Ivan , Dørum Cato , Nielsen Steen Erik , Suikkanen Pasi , Ren Xiaobo , Nyhus Bård , Eriksson Magnus , Akselsen Odd M.
Published: June 2021

Single-pass laser beam welding (LBW) of steel components with wall thickness of > 10 mm is of high interest due to enhanced productivity. Deep penetration LBW provides excessive hardness and certain quality issues such as root humping in flat position, which is associated with disability of surface tension to sustain melt dropout. High hardness is associated with fast cooling rates and shortage of filler wire transportation to the root of the fusion zone. Use of laser-arc hybrid welding (LAHW) can promote acicular ferrite by adding filler metal and additional heat input from the arc. However, LAHW may promote humping and adjustment of many parameters is required hindering its application. In this work, a 16 kW disk laser was used in butt welding of 12 mm and 15 mm thick plates with different bevelling geometries. Root humping occurred within a wide range of process parameters providing narrow process window. Twelve millimeter thick plates were successfully welded with a single-pass technique providing good quality of root by using zero air gap regardless bevelling geometry. Welding of 15 mm plates was more challenging, and the process was sensitive even with a slight parameter change. Improved results were achieved with application of small air gap. Acceptable hardness in both weld metal and heat affected zone (< 290 HV) was achieved for both plate thicknesses providing good toughness of minimum 27 J at −50°C.
Some conditional reliability properties of k-out-of-n system composed of different types of components with discrete independent lifetimes
Authors: Jasiński Krzysztof
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we study reliability properties of k-out-of-n system consisting of l$$(1\le l\le n)$$

(
1
≤
l
≤
n
)

different types of components with discrete, independent lifetimes. We obtain some conditional survival functions of lifetime of a used system. Next, we use them to calculate two conditional failure probabilities of k-out-of-n systems and show that they are equal to unconditional failure probability of a k-out-of-$$(n-r)$$

(
n
-
r
)

system, $$r<n-k+1$$

r
<
n
-
k
+
1

. These results are extended versions of the respective ones existing in the literature.
Dominant and global dimension of blocks of quantised Schur algebras
Authors: Fang Ming , Hu Wei , Koenig Steffen
Published: June 2021

Group algebras of symmetric groups and their Hecke algebras are in Schur-Weyl duality with classical and quantised Schur algebras, respectively. Two homological dimensions, the dominant dimension and the global dimension, of the indecomposable summands (blocks) of these Schur algebras S(n, r) and $$S_q(n,r)$$

S
q

(
n
,
r
)

with $$n \geqslant r$$

n
⩾
r

are determined explicitly, using a result on derived invariance in Fang, Hu and Koenig (J Reine Angew Math 770:59–85, 2021).