bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Naturalistic smartphone keyboard typing reflects processing speed and executive function
Authors: Ross Mindy K. , Demos Alexander P. , Zulueta John , Piscitello Andrea , Langenecker Scott A. , McInnis Melvin , Ajilore Olusola , Nelson Peter C. , Ryan Kelly A. , Leow Alex
Published: October 2021

Objective

The increase in smartphone usage has enabled the possibility of more accessible ways to conduct neuropsychological evaluations. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of using smartphone typing dynamics with mood scores to supplement cognitive assessment through trail making tests.

Methods

Using a custom‐built keyboard, naturalistic keypress dynamics were unobtrusively recorded in individuals with bipolar disorder (n = 11) and nonbipolar controls (n = 8) on an Android smartphone. Keypresses were matched to digital trail making tests part B (dTMT‐B) administered daily in two periods and weekly mood assessments. Following comparison of dTMT‐Bs to the pencil‐and‐paper equivalent, longitudinal mixed‐effects models were used to analyze daily dTMT‐B performance as a function of typing and mood.

Results

Comparison of the first dTMT‐B to paper TMT‐B showed adequate reliability (intraclass correlations = 0.74). In our model, we observed that participants who typed slower took longer to complete dTMT‐B (b = 0.189, p < .001). This trend was also seen in individual fluctuations in typing speed and dTMT‐B performance (b = 0.032, p = .004). Moreover, participants who were more depressed completed the dTMT‐B slower than less depressed participants (b = 0.189, p < .001). A practice effect was observed for the dTMT‐Bs.

Conclusion

Typing speed in combination with depression scores has the potential to infer aspects of cognition (visual attention, processing speed, and task switching) in people's natural environment to complement formal in‐person neuropsychological assessments that commonly include the trail making test.
Novel human melanoma brain metastasis models in athymic nude fox1nu mice: Site‐specific metastasis patterns reflecting their clinical origin
Authors: Svendsen Henrik A. , Meling Torstein R. , Nygaard Vigdis , Waagene Stein , Russnes Hege , Juell Siri , Rogne Siril G. , Pahnke Jens , Helseth Eirik , Fodstad Øystein , Mælandsmo Gunhild M.
Published: October 2021

Background

Malignant melanomas frequently metastasize to the brain, but metastases in the cerebellum are underrepresented compared with metastases in the cerebrum.

Methods

We established animal models by injecting intracardially in athymic nude fox1nu mice two human melanoma cell lines, originating from a cerebral metastasis (HM19) and a cerebellar metastasis (HM86).

Results

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), metastases were first detected after a mean of 34.5 days. Mean survival time was 59.6 days for the mice in the HM86 group and significantly shorter (43.7 days) for HM19‐injected animals (p < 0.001). In the HM86 group, the first detectable metastasis was located in the cerebellum in 15/55 (29%) mice compared with none in the HM19 group (p < 0.001). At sacrifice, cerebellar metastases were found in 34/55 (63%) HM86‐injected mice compared with 1/53 (2%) in the HM19‐injected (p < 0.001) mice. At that time, all mice in both groups had detectable metastases in the cerebrum. Comparing macroscopic and histologic appearances of the brain metastases with their clinical counterparts, the cell line‐based tumors had kept their original morphologic characteristics.

Conclusions

The present work demonstrates that human brain‐metastatic melanoma cells injected intracardially in mice had retained inherent characteristics also in reproducing interaction with subtle microenvironmental brain tissue compartment‐specific features. The models offer new possibilities for investigating tumor‐ and host‐associated factors involved in determining tissue specificity of brain metastasis.
Social representations of the undernourished child and health‐seeking behaviour in Nepal: From othering to different types of otherness
Authors: Caillaud Sabine , Ginguené Stéphéline , Maharjan Sujen Man , Koirala Gobinda , Tonon Brigitte , Le Roch Karine
Published: October 2021

Development programmes tackling severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children tend to try to replace traditional beliefs with biomedical knowledge. However, stigmatization associated with undernutrition may be an additional impediment to seeking assistance. Drawing on the concepts of cognitive polyphasia and of othering, this study explored how different types of knowledge are used simultaneously in order to maintain a sense of otherness from the undernourished child in Nepal. A lexicometric analysis of answers to open‐ended questions in a survey of villagers (N = 376) conducted in two Nepalese districts indicated three patterns of representations of children with SAM. The analysis revealed that cognitive polyphasia can take various forms (hybridization, selective prevalence or displacement), which both shape and are shaped by different ways of establishing otherness from the undernourished child. Taken together, these results allow a better understanding of the meaning of villagers' health advice regarding undernutrition and provide new avenues for implementing nutrition‐related programmes. On a theoretical level, these results go beyond a simple statement of the plurality of knowledge, considering cognitive polyphasia as a relational outcome.
An old disease with a new twist: CNS and thyroid sarcoidosis presenting as subacute dementia
Authors: Quertermous Brooke Pace , Kavuri Sravan , Walsh David W.
Published: October 2021

Dementia in the elderly is extremely common and is often irreversible. When a patient presents with rapid cognitive decline, uncommon reversible etiologies should be investigated with the goal of restoring cognitive function.
Towards the Electrochemical Retention of CO2: Is it Worth it?
Authors: Carvela Mireya , Mena Ismael F. , Raschitor Alexandra , Lobato Justo , Rodrigo Manuel Andrés
Published: October 2021

This work focuses on the use of NaOH produced cathodically by reduction of water to retain gaseous CO2 in a combined electrolyzer‐absorber device. The process deals with two relevant environmental concerns: desalination and carbon sequestering, using only electricity and heat, which can be provided using green sources. Results demonstrate that technology is feasible, and the composition of the final product depends on the operation conditions applied. Removal rates of 130 mmol CO2/h were obtained at 7.5 A with coulombic efficiency in the removal of CO2 of 47.63 %. Efficiency in the production of chlorine, hydrogen and NaOH decreases at large current densities because of the promotion in the oxidation of water and the promoted transport of protons from the anodic to the cathodic compartment of the cell. Low current densities should be used to promote the formation of NaHCO3 and avoid scaling problems (formation of deposits of Na2CO3) in the spray column. The use of heated air to evaporate the product of the absorption column produces evaporated water with higher quality (in terms of lower conductivity) from the product of the absorption column.
Dehydrogenative Double C−H Bond Activation in a Germylene‐Rhodium Complex**
Authors: Bajo Sonia , Alcaide María M. , López‐Serrano Joaquín , Campos Jesús
Published: October 2021

Transition metal tetrylene complexes offer great opportunities for molecular cooperation due to the ambiphilic character of the group 14 element. Here we focus on the coordination of germylene [(ArMes2)2Ge :] (ArMes=C6H3‐2,6‐(C6H2‐2,4,6‐Me3)2) to [RhCl(COD)]2 (COD=1,5‐cyclooctadiene), which yields a neutral germyl complex in which the rhodium center exhibits both η6‐ and η2‐coordination to two mesityl rings in an unusual pincer‐type structure. Chloride abstraction from this species triggers a singular dehydrogenative double C−H bond activation across the Ge/Rh motif. We have isolated and fully characterized three rhodium‐germyl species associated to three C−H cleavage events along this process. The reaction mechanism has been further investigated by computational means, supporting the key cooperative action of rhodium and germanium centers.
Planar Hypercoordinate Carbons in Alkali Metal Decorated CE32− and CE22− Dianions
Authors: Leyva‐Parra Luis , Diego Luz , Inostroza Diego , Yañez Osvaldo , Pumachagua‐Huertas Rodolfo , Barroso Jorge , Vásquez‐Espinal Alejandro , Merino Gabriel , Tiznado William
Published: October 2021

After exploring the potential energy surfaces of MmCE2p (E=S−Te, M=Li−Cs, m=2, 3 and p=m‐2) and MnCE3q (E=S−Te, M=Li−Cs, n=1, 2, q=n‐2) combinations, we introduce 38 new global minima containing a planar hypercoordinate carbon atom (24 with a planar tetracoordinate carbon and 14 with a planar pentacoordinate carbon). These exotic clusters result from the decoration of V‐shaped CE22− and Y‐shaped CE32− dianions, respectively, with alkali counterions. All these 38 systems fulfill the geometrical and electronic criteria to be considered as true planar hypercoordinate carbon systems. Chemical bonding analyses indicate that carbon is covalently bonded to chalcogens and ionically connected to alkali metals.
Explaining and Integrating Machine Learning Models with Rigorous Simulation
Authors: Schöneberger Jan C. , Aker Burcu , Fricke Armin
Published: October 2021

First‐principle flowsheet simulation is a reliable data resource for training machine learning (ML) models for process industry, especially when plant data is not available. Process simulators play an even more important role for evaluation and validation of ML models. In this work, we present a workflow for building and evaluating ML models based on data generated by a commercial flowsheet simulator. The resulting hybrid models, combining data‐driven predictions with mass and energy balances, have much lower calculation times than the rigorous models. The implementation of such models shows great potential for solving more complex process engineering problems on the high‐dimensional space in the future, while saving the process engineer's time in the present.
Treibhausgase verstärken Ozonabbau
Authors: Feil Sylvia
Published: October 2021

In jedem Winter bildet sich über den Polen ein relativ abgeschlossenes, stratosphärisches Tiefdruckgebiet: der Polarwirbel. Der Einfluss des Menschen auf den Ozonverlust in diesen Wirbeln ist unumstritten. So werden über der Antarktis seit den 1990er Jahren regelmäßig Ozonlöcher beobachtet. Nach dem Verbot von chlorierten Fluorkohlenwasserstoffen (FCKW), die als Kühl‐ und Treibmittel verwendet wurden, sind erste Anzeichen einer Erholung erkennbar. Auch über der Arktis beobachteten Forscher vom Alfred‐Wegener‐Institut in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten Ozonabbau, aber weniger als in der Antarktis. Nun jedoch bemerken sie hier einen Trend hin zu verstärktem Ozonabbau, der das Potenzial hat, sich fortzusetzen. Dafür werteten sie zusammen mit Kollegen aus Finnland und den USA verschiedene Klimaszenarien aus.
Von Wespen, Äpfeln und der Magna Carta
Authors: Endres Wiebke
Published: October 2021

Machen Sie es sich gemütlich! Wie wäre es mit einer Tasse Schwarztee und ganz nebenbei erfahren Sie, was Äpfel, Wespen, die Magna Carta und ihren Tee verbindet – natürlich die Chemie und zwar dokumentenecht!
Fractional exhaled nitric oxide levels in relation to work‐related respiratory burden and sensitization to wheat flour and multigrain in bakers
Authors: Olivieri Mario , Malerba Mario , Spiteri Gianluca , Torroni Lorena , Biscardo Carlo Alberto , Valenza Dario , Malinovschi Andrei
Published: October 2021

Background

Work‐related lower airway symptoms (WR‐LAS), rhinitis (WRR), and asthma (WRA) are very common among bakers, due to airborne exposure to wheat flour and multigrain. Limited data is available regarding fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in bakers in relation to respiratory burden and occupational sensitization in a real‐life situation.

Objective

To analyze FeNO levels in relation to WRR, WR‐LAS, and WRA with regard to allergic sensitization to occupational allergen in bakers.

Methods

Cross‐sectional, observational study of 174 bakers employed in traditional small bakeries in the Verona District. Subjects did FeNO measurements, spirometry, methacholine challenge, and skin prick test to common inhalant aeroallergens and bakeries occupational allergens.

Results

FeNO levels were higher in subjects sensitized to occupational allergens compared with bakers not sensitized to occupational allergens (22.8 ppb (18.9, 27.6) vs. 12.0 ppb (9.9, 14.5), p < 0.05). FeNO levels were higher in bakers with WRR and occupational sensitization (25.4 (20.6, 31.3)) than in bakers with WRR without occupational sensitization compared and bakers without respiratory burden (13.4 (9.6, 18.6) and 11.9 (9.8, 14.5), both p < 0.001). Similar findings were found for WR‐LAS with regard to the same categories (31.2 (24.1, 40.4) vs 13.3 (11.4, 15.6) and 15.3 (8.5, 27.5), p < 0.001 and p = 0.005). Bakers with WRA, with or without occupational allergic sensitization, had higher levels of FeNO than bakers without respiratory burden (both p ≤ 0.001). These findings were consistent after adjustments for gender, age, height, weight, smoking, and sensitization to common inhalant aeroallergens and lung function.

Conclusions

WRR and lower airway symptoms in bakers sensitized to occupational allergens relate to increased FeNO. Our study suggests that FeNO is associated with work‐related allergic inflammation in occupational sensitized bakers, but future studies are needed to assess how FeNO should be integrated in the diagnostic work‐up of occupational disease in bakers.
Fatigue and endocrine symptoms among women with early breast cancer randomized to endocrine versus chemoendocrine therapy: Results from the TAILORx patient‐reported outcomes substudy
Authors: Garcia Sofia F. , Gray Robert J. , Sparano Joseph A. , Tevaarwerk Amye J. , Carlos Ruth C. , Yanez Betina , Gareen Ilana F. , Whelan Timothy J. , Sledge George W. , Cella David , Wagner Lynne I.
Published: October 2021

Background

TAILORx (Trial Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment) prospectively assessed fatigue and endocrine symptoms among women with early‐stage hormone receptor–positive breast cancer and a midrange risk of recurrence who were randomized to endocrine therapy (E) or chemotherapy followed by endocrine therapy (CT+E).

Methods

Participants completed the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Fatigue, the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System–Fatigue Short Form, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Endocrine Symptoms at the baseline and at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Linear regression was used to model outcomes on baseline symptoms, treatment, and other factors.

Results

Participants (n = 458) in both treatment arms reported greater fatigue and endocrine symptoms at early follow‐up in comparison with the baseline. The magnitude of change in fatigue was significantly greater for the CT+E arm than the E arm at 3 and 6 months but not at 12, 24, or 36 months. The CT+E arm reported significantly greater changes in endocrine symptoms from the baseline to 3 months in comparison with the E arm; change scores were not significantly different at later time points. Endocrine symptom trajectories by treatment differed by menopausal status, with the effect larger and increasing for postmenopausal patients.

Conclusions

Adjuvant CT+E was associated with greater increases in fatigue and endocrine symptoms at early time points in comparison with E. These differences lessened over time, and this demonstrated early chemotherapy effects more than long‐term ones. Treatment arm differences in endocrine symptoms were more evident in postmenopausal patients.

Lay Summary

Participants in TAILORx (Trial Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment) with early‐stage hormone receptor–positive breast cancer and an intermediate risk of recurrence were randomly assigned to endocrine or chemoendocrine therapy.

Four hundred fifty‐eight women reported fatigue and endocrine symptoms at the baseline and at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months.

Both groups reported greater symptoms at early follow‐up versus the baseline.

Increases in fatigue were greater for the chemoendocrine group than the endocrine group at 3 and 6 months but not later.

The chemoendocrine group reported greater changes in endocrine symptoms in comparison with the endocrine group at 3 months but not later.
Feature extraction and enhancement for real‐time semantic segmentation
Authors: Tan Sixiang , Yang Wenzhong , Lin JianZhuang , Yu Weijie
Published: October 2021

Most of the semantic segmentation real‐time networks improve the segmentation speed by reducing the spatial resolution, leading to the accuracy being significantly reduced as a result. To solve this problem, we propose feature enhancement module (FEM), feature extraction and fusion module (FEFM). By extracting and enhancing the future map before the image down‐sample on the backbone and fusing the low‐level features with rich details and the high‐level features with more semantic information. Based on the FEM and FEFM, we introduce a real‐time semantic segmentation network feature extraction and enhancement network. In the experiment, using Cityscapes and CamVid datasets, the proposed network achieves a balance between computing speed and accuracy. Without additional processing and pretraining, it achieves 75.47% Mean IoU on the Cityscapes test dataset with only 29.96G Flops and a speed of 94 frames per second on a single RTX 2080Ti card. Code is available at https://github.com/favoMJ/FEENet.
Mitigation of stretch type vampire attack using probabilistic variable fuzzy rough set in wireless sensor networks
Authors: A. Rajesh , P. Esther Rani
Published: October 2021

Energy consumptions of intermediate nodes play an anchor role in achieving maximum cooperation for reliable dissemination of data in wireless sensor network (WSNs). WSN is considered a highly challenging issue due to its ad hoc node's organization in the network. In specific, vampire attack weakens the sensor nodes by draining energy slowly resulting in network performance deterioration ending up in network failure. The vampire attack needs to be detected and isolated for improving the sensor nodes life span to the maximum extent. In this article, mitigation of stretch type vampire attack using probabilistic variable fuzzy rough set (MVA‐PVFRS) is proposed with the merits of fuzzy membership ranks to sustain network lifetime. This MVA‐PVFRS scheme derives the benefits of fuzzy information system by including the method of approximation concept that decides upon the mitigation of vampire nodes through the formulation of lower and upper cooperation thresholds. Furthermore, it is proposed to handle the degree of uncertainty, missingness, and vagueness of data disseminated between the sensor nodes during the monitoring process in the network. The simulation results of the proposed MVA‐PVFRS scheme is attained through ns‐2 simulations with different number of sensor nodes, number of vampire nodes, pause time of simulation, number of packets, and packet sizes. The results of the proposed MVA‐PVFRS scheme with the different number of packets confirmed an excellent performance in packet delivery rate by 15.84% and throughput by 16.94%, compared to the baseline schemes.
Acetylation Rather than H50Q Mutation Impacts the Kinetics of Cu(II) Binding to α‐Synuclein
Authors: Teng Xiangyu , Sheveleva Alena , Tuna Floriana , Willison Keith R. , Ying Liming
Published: October 2021

The interaction between α‐synuclein (αSyn) and Cu2+ has been suggested to be closely linked to brain copper homeostasis. Disruption of copper levels could induce misfolding and aggregation of αSyn, and thus contribute to the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). Understanding the molecular mechanism of αSyn‐Cu2+ interaction is important and controversies in Cu2+ coordination geometry with αSyn still exists. Herein, we find that the pathological H50Q mutation has no impact on the kinetics of Cu2+ binding to the high‐affinity site of wild type αSyn (WT‐αSyn), indicating the non‐involvement of His50 in high‐affinity Cu2+ binding to WT‐αSyn. In contrast, the physiological N‐terminally acetylated αSyn (NAc‐αSyn) displays several orders of magnitude weaker Cu2+ binding affinity than WT‐αSyn. Cu2+ coordination mode to NAc‐αSyn has also been proposed based on EPR spectrum. In addition, we find that Cu2+ coordinated WT‐αSyn is reduction‐active in the presence of GSH, but essentially inactive towards ascorbate. Our work provides new insights into αSyn‐Cu2+ interaction, which may help understand the multifaceted normal functions of αSyn as well as pathological consequences of αSyn aggregation.
The fulminant index: A method of rapidly differentiating fulminant type 1 diabetes from diabetic ketoacidosis
Authors: Qiu Junlin , Li Xia , Chen Wen , Ma Xiaoxi , Xie Zhiguo , Huang Gan , Luo Shuoming , Zhou Zhiguang
Published: October 2021

Aims and Objectives

Fulminant type 1 diabetes (FT1D) could present diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) at early onset. It is crucial to identify FT1D from DKA manifestations in time at clinical practice. This study was aimed at investigating whether the fulminant index (FI), encompassing plasma glucose (PG) to glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ratio (PG/HbA1c), serum potassium ion (K+) to HbA1c ratio (K+/HbA1c) and serum sodium ion (Na+) multiplied by HbA1c (Na+*HbA1c), is a feasible indicator for early FT1D diagnosis.

Materials and Methods

A total of 78 subjects were enroled, including 40 FT1D patients and 38 non‐FT1D patients with DKA. We utilised receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine the FI cut‐off values between FT1D and non‐FT1D groups and examined efficacies of FI based on statistics.

Results

ROC curve analyses showed that the maximum Youden's index for PG/HbA1c bonding to a cut‐off value of 4.389, with the sensitivity of 75.0% and specificity of 81.6% in identifying FT1D from DKA. And optimal K+/HbA1c cut‐off value was 0.728 with a sensitivity of 90.0% and specificity of 84.2%. For Na+*HbA1c, the best cut‐off value was 923.65, and its sensitivity and specificity were 85% and 73.7%, respectively.

Conclusions

These results suggested FI could work as a valid and convenient indicator for differentiating FT1D from initial DKA patients. FI (K+/HbA1c) presented the best efficacy as an independent index.
Metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases: Going beyond traditional risk factors
Authors: Silveira Rossi João Leonardo , Barbalho Sandra Maria , Reverete de Araujo Renan , Bechara Marcelo Dib , Sloan Kátia Portero , Sloan Lance Alan
Published: October 2021

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a chronic non‐infective syndrome characterised clinically by a set of vascular risk factors that include insulin resistance, hypertension, abdominal obesity, impaired glucose metabolism, and dyslipidaemia. These risk factors are due to a pro‐inflammatory state, oxidative stress, haemodynamic dysfunction, and ischaemia, which overlap in ‘dysmetabolic’ patients. This review aimed to evaluate the relationship between the traditional components of MS with cardiovascular disease (CVD), inflammation, and oxidative stress. MEDLINE‐PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched. Chronic low‐grade inflammatory states and metaflammation are often accompanied by metabolic changes directly related to CVD incidence, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity. Moreover, the metaflammation is characterised by an increase in the serum concentration of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, mainly interleukin‐1 β (IL‐1β), IL‐6, and tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), originating from the chronically inflamed adipose tissue and associated with oxidative stress. The increase of reactive oxygen species overloads the antioxidant systems causing post‐translational alterations of proteins, lipids, and DNA leading to oxidative stress. Hyperglycaemia contributes to the increase in oxidative stress and the production of advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) which are related to cellular and molecular dysfunction. Oxidative stress and inflammation are associated with cellular senescence and CVD. CVD should not be seen only as being triggered by classical MS risk factors. Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial pathological process with several triggering and aetiopathogenic mechanisms. Its medium and long‐term repercussions, however, invariably constitute a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Implementing preventive and therapeutic measures against oxy‐reductive imbalances and metaflammation states has unquestionable potential for favourable clinical outcomes in cardiovascular medicine.
Air temperatures over‐predict changes to stream fish assemblages with climate warming compared with water temperatures
Authors: Kirk Mark A. , Rahel Frank J.
Published: October 2021

Studies predicting how the distribution of aquatic organisms will shift with climate change often use projected increases in air temperature or water temperature. However, the assumed correlations between water temperature change and air temperature change can be problematic, especially for mountainous, high elevation streams. Using stream fish assemblage data from 1,442 surveys across a mountain–plains gradient (Wyoming, USA; 1990–2018), we compared the responsiveness of thermal guilds, native status groups, and assemblage structure to projected climate warming from generalized air temperature models and stream‐specific water temperature models. Air temperature models consistently predicted greater range shift differences between warm‐water and cold‐water species, with air temperatures predicting greater increases in occurrence and greater range expansions for warm‐water species. The “over‐prediction” of warm‐water species expansions resulted in air temperature models predicting higher rates of novel species combinations, greater increases in local species richness, and higher magnitudes of biotic homogenization compared with water temperature models. Despite differences in model predictions for warm‐water species, both air and water temperature models predicted that three cold‐water species would exhibit similar decreases in occurrence (decline of 1.0% and 1.8% of sites per 1°C warming, respectively) and similar range contractions (16.6 and 21.5 m elevation loss per 1°C warming, respectively). The “over‐prediction” for warm‐water species is partially attributable to water temperatures warming at slower rates than air temperatures because local, stream‐scale factors (e.g., riparian cover, groundwater inputs) buffer high elevation streams from rising air temperatures. Our study provides the first comparison of how inferences about climate‐induced biotic change at the species‐ and assemblage‐levels differ when modeling with generalized air temperatures versus stream‐specific water temperatures. We recommend that future studies use stream‐specific water temperature models, especially for mountainous, high elevation streams, to avoid the “over‐prediction” of biotic changes observed from air temperature variables.
Clinician practices assessing hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis suppression in adolescents with an eating disorder
Authors: Nelson Lance R. , Halpern‐Felsher Bonnie L. , Nagata Jason M. , Carlson Jennifer L.
Published: October 2021

Objective

Although extensive literature exists on hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis suppression in females with an eating disorder, there are few studies in males. Our study aimed to determine clinician practices for the assessment of HPG axis suppression and to identify differences in practice based on the sex of the patient.

Method

Our 31‐item survey queried clinicians about confidence level and practices for assessing HPG suppression in male compared to female patients.

Results

Findings showed that clinicians (n = 104) were less likely to evaluate HPG suppression in males compared to females, including assessment of sexual maturity rating (p < .050), screening of decreased libido compared to amenorrhea (p < .001) and lab assessment (luteinizing hormone and follicular‐stimulating hormone: p < .001; estradiol/testosterone: p < .010; TSH: p < .050). Participants also felt less confident evaluating male patients (p < .001) and requested better screening tools for males (p < .001).

Discussion

Our data suggest that clinician practices differ based on patient sex and that clinicians request tools for HPG suppression assessment in males. This is the first study examining specific practices and comfort levels of clinicians when assessing HPG axis suppression. Findings suggest that more guidance on the management of male patients may be needed to standardize care and to prevent short and long‐term sequela of malnutrition.
Predictive performance of presence‐only species distribution models: a benchmark study with reproducible code
Authors: Valavi Roozbeh , Guillera‐Arroita Gurutzeta , Lahoz‐Monfort José J. , Elith Jane
Published: October 2021

Species distribution modeling (SDM) is widely used in ecology and conservation. Currently, the most available data for SDM are species presence‐only records (available through digital databases). There have been many studies comparing the performance of alternative algorithms for modeling presence‐only data. Among these, a 2006 paper from Elith and colleagues has been particularly influential in the field, partly because they used several novel methods (at the time) on a global data set that included independent presence–absence records for model evaluation. Since its publication, some of the algorithms have been further developed and new ones have emerged. In this paper, we explore patterns in predictive performance across methods, by reanalyzing the same data set (225 species from six different regions) using updated modeling knowledge and practices. We apply well‐established methods such as generalized additive models and MaxEnt, alongside others that have received attention more recently, including regularized regressions, point‐process weighted regressions, random forests, XGBoost, support vector machines, and the ensemble modeling framework biomod. All the methods we use include background samples (a sample of environments in the landscape) for model fitting. We explore impacts of using weights on the presence and background points in model fitting. We introduce new ways of evaluating models fitted to these data, using the area under the precision‐recall gain curve, and focusing on the rank of results. We find that the way models are fitted matters. The top method was an ensemble of tuned individual models. In contrast, ensembles built using the biomod framework with default parameters performed no better than single moderate performing models. Similarly, the second top performing method was a random forest parameterized to deal with many background samples (contrasted to relatively few presence records), which substantially outperformed other random forest implementations. We find that, in general, nonparametric techniques with the capability of controlling for model complexity outperformed traditional regression methods, with MaxEnt and boosted regression trees still among the top performing models. All the data and code with working examples are provided to make this study fully reproducible.
Distribution of the boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) in an urban environment using environmental DNA
Authors: Dubois‐Gagnon Marie‐Pier , Bernatchez Louis , Bélisle Marc , Dubois Yohann , Mazerolle Marc J.
Published: October 2021

The boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) is at risk of extinction in parts of its range in Canada. Our objectives were to quantify the influence of local and landscape characteristics on the occurrence of the species in wetlands in southern Québec. We hypothesized that site occupancy depends on local characteristics and landscape characteristics contributing to site connectivity. We developed an environmental DNA (eDNA) method to detect the species and compared the detection probability of this method to traditional call surveys. We collected water samples from a total of 180 sites (90 in 2017, 110 in 2018), whereas we surveyed a subset of 63 sites using both eDNA and call surveys in 2018. Site occupancy varied across years, but was higher in sites where the species had been previously detected during the last 12 years by other studies. Site occupancy did not vary with other local and landscape characteristics, in part due to an apparent decrease in the number of sites occupied by the species since the last 12 years. Detection probability via eDNA (0.81; 95% CI: [0.31; 0.98]) did not differ from that of call surveys (0.62; 95% CI: [0.25; 0.89]). To identify the optimal sampling period for the boreal chorus frog, future studies should estimate the detection probability of eDNA during the breeding season and the larval development period of the species.
Dimethylsulfide Adducts of the Beryllium Halides
Authors: Buchner Magnus R. , Thomas‐Hargreaves Lewis R. , Kreuzer Lukas K. , Spang Nils , Ivlev Sergei I.
Published: October 2021

The thioether diadducts [(SMe2)2BeCl2], [(SMe2)2BeBr2] and [(SMe2)2BeI2] have been prepared and converted to the corresponding μ2‐halido bridged monoadducts [(SMe2)BeCl2]2, [(SMe2)BeBr2]2 and [(SMe2)BeI2]2. These complexes have been characterized with IR and NMR spectroscopy as well as X‐ray crystallography. Furthermore, their long term stability in chlorinated solvents was tested, which yielded beryllate salts containing the [SMe3]+ cation.
Effect of (E,E)‐2,4‐decadienal on Side‐Chain Modification, Conformation Change, and Aggregation of Bovine Serum Albumin
Authors: Li Wenjuan , Wu Yan , Li Conghu , Zhu Liangliang
Published: October 2021

Protein modification by active aldehydes is associated with ageing and some chronic diseases, and it is closely related to food quality and safety. In this study, the modification of bovine serum albumin (BSA) using trans,trans‐2,4‐decadienal at various concentrations (0–10 mm) is investigated. The results show that the changes in the number of free amino groups and arginine residues, carbonyl formation, aggregation characteristics, and fluorescent lipofuscin‐like pigments (LFLP) fluorescence are more severe at (E,E)‐2,4‐decadienal concentrations of 4–10 mm, whereas the conformational changes are more significant at low concentrations (0.1–2 mm). In the BSA modified by 1–10 mm (E,E)‐2,4‐decadienal, the microenvironment of tryptophan residues to become more hydrophobic, the structure became compact, hydrophobic binding sites decreases, molecular weight and particle size increases, and covalently cross‐linked heterogeneous aggregates increases. At the same time, the relationship between the oxidation parameters and samples is explained using principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis.

Practical Applications: (E,E)‐2,4‐decadienal is highly electrophilically active with biomacromolecules. However, compared to the widely studied malonaldehyde (MDA), acrolein (ACR), 4‐hydroxynonenal (HNE), and 4‐oxo‐trans‐2‐nonenal (ONE)‐protein adducts, research on the modification of a protein by (E,E)‐2,4‐decadienal is insufficient, and the chemical nature of (E,E)‐2,4‐decadienal‐protein adducts is not clear. This study may be useful for extending our understanding of the specific role of (E,E)‐2,4‐decadienal in the formation of modified proteins during the occurrence of chronic diseases and provides a theoretical reference for food quality and safety problems caused by protein carbonylation during processing and storage.
Synthesis of Dibenzylic Diselenides from Elemental Selenium and Benzylic Quaternary Ammonium Salts
Authors: Chen Feng , Li Fuhai , Zeng Qingle
Published: October 2021

Abstract: Substituted dibenzyl diselenides are synthesized in good yields (74–91 %) by SN2 nucleophilic substitution of benzylic trimethylammonium salts and diselenide dianion (Se2−), in situ generated from elemental selenium, under basic conditions. Highly enantiopure dibenzylic diselenides (95–98 % ee) with reverse configurations to their enantioenriched quaternary ammonium salts are obtained, if benzylic quaternary ammonium salts, synthesized from enantiomerically enriched amines, are used.
Mesoionic Carbene Cobalt Complexes as Multipurpose Catalyst Precursors for Hydrosilylation and Dihydropyrimidinone Synthesis
Authors: Bertini Simone , Albrecht Martin
Published: October 2021

Metalation of CH2OH‐substituted triazolium salts with CoCl2 under basic conditions affords C,O‐bidentate chelating carbene Co(III) complexes (3a, 3b), while analogous phenyl‐substituted triazolium salts produce monodentate carbene Co(II) complexes (3c, 3d). The distinct substituent‐induced properties of the metal centers were demonstrated by electrochemical measurements and catalytic activities in two specific processes. The complexes showed appreciable activity in the reduction of C=O bonds through hydrosilylation, with methoxybenzene‐functionalized triazolylidene Co(III) complex 3a achieving a high selectivity towards aldehydes vs. ketones with turnover frequencies (TOFs) up to 200 h−1. The C,O‐chelate systems were also active catalysts in the Biginelli process, a one‐step three‐component reaction for efficient dihydropyrimidinone synthesis. Optimization of reaction conditions provides high activity with complex 3a, reaching TOFs of 800 h−1, the highest activity known for cobalt NHC complexes to date.
Improving primary health care through partnerships: Key insights from a cross‐case analysis of multi‐stakeholder partnerships in two Canadian provinces
Authors: Loban Ekaterina , Scott Catherine , Lewis Virginia , Law Susan , Haggerty Jeannie
Published: October 2021

Background and Aims

Multi‐stakeholder partnerships offer strategic advantages in addressing multi‐faceted issues in complex, fast‐paced, and rapidly‐evolving community health contexts. Synergistic partnerships mobilize partners' complementary financial and nonfinancial resources, resulting in improved outcomes beyond that achievable through individual efforts. Our objectives were to explore the manifestations of synergy in partnerships involving stakeholders from different organizations with an interest in implementing organizational solutions that enhance access to primary health care (PHC) for vulnerable populations, and to describe structures and processes that facilitated the work of these partnerships.

Methods

This was a longitudinal case study in two Canadian provinces of two collaborative partnerships involving decision makers, academic representatives, clinicians, health system administrators, patient partners, and representatives of health and social service organizations providing services to vulnerable populations. Document review, nonparticipant observation of partnerships' meetings (n = 14) and semi‐structured in‐depth interviews (n = 16) were conducted between 2016 and 2018. Data analysis involved a cross‐case synthesis to compare the cases and framework analysis to identify prominent themes.

Results

Four major themes emerged from the data. Partnership synergy manifested itself in the following: (a) the integration of resources, (b) partnership atmosphere, (c) perceived stakeholder benefits, and (d) capacity for adaptation to context. Synergy developed before the intended PHC access outcomes could be assessed and acted both as a dynamic indicator of the health of the partnership and a source of energy fuelling partnership improvement and vitality. Synergistic action among multiple stakeholders was achieved through enabling processes at interpersonal, operational, and system levels.

Conclusions

The partnership synergy framework is useful in assessing the intermediate outcomes of ongoing partnerships when it is too early to evaluate the achievement of long‐term intended outcomes. Enabling processes require attention as part of routine partnership assessment.
Changes in received quality of care for knee osteoarthritis after a multicomponent intervention in a general practice in Denmark
Authors: Baumbach Linda , Roos Ewa M. , Ankerst Donna , Nyberg Lillemor A. , Cottrell Elizabeth , Lykkegaard Jesper
Published: October 2021

Objective

First‐line treatment for patients with knee osteoarthritis should ideally prescribe patient education, exercise, and if needed, weight loss. In practice, however, adjunctive treatments, including painkillers and referrals to specialists, are typically introduced before these measures. This study evaluated interventions to sustainably improve general practitioner delivered care for patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Design

Comparison of impacts of knee osteoarthritis care during four half‐year periods: before, 6, 12, and 18 months after primary intervention based on electronic medical records (EMR) and patient questionnaires.

Setting

Danish general practitioners (GPs) treating 6240 patients.

Participants

Four GPs, two GP trainees, and six staff members.

Interventions

Six pre‐planned primary interventions: patient leaflet, GP and staff educational session, knee osteoarthritis consultation, two functional tests monitoring patient function, EMR phrase aiding consultation, and waiting room advertisement and three supportive follow‐up interventions.

Main outcome measures

Usage of first‐line and adjunctive treatment elements, the functional tests, and the EMR phrase.

Results

Approximately 50 knee osteoarthritis cases participated in each of the four half‐year periods. Primary interventions had only transient effects lasting <12 months on the knee osteoarthritis care. Functional tests and EMR phrases were used predominantly during the first 6 months, where a transient drop in the referral rate to orthopedics was observed. Use of educational elements was moderate and without significant change during follow‐up.

Conclusion

More routine use of the primary or inclusion of novel increased‐adherence interventions is needed to sustainably improve care for knee osteoarthritis patients in Danish general practice.
Perceived Conflicts of Systems Engineering in Early‐Stage Research and Development1
Authors: DiMario Michael , Mastin Gary , Hahn Heidi , Hodges Ann , Lombardo Nick
Published: October 2021

Early Systems Research and Development (ESR&D) is one of the most crucial phases in the product development process. It both blends and blurs the lines between science and engineering, and requires a risk‐based, disciplined, and graded approach to effectively manage scope, cost, and complexity of the final product. Many leaders, program managers, and scientists are unwilling to involve systems engineering because of the perception that systems engineering is heavily process oriented, adds unnecessary costs, and should be applied only to mature technologies. The value of systems engineering as applied to ESR&D is unclear to these key individuals. The unfortunate result is that system engineering is not applied to ESR&D. This results in R&D efforts that may have solved the wrong problem, selected the wrong architecture, require technical rework, have difficulty transitioning later maturity levels, and result in higher R&D costs and extended development timelines. This article discusses the difficulty of introducing systems engineering to the research and early development process and their inclination perspectives of researchers, engineers, and managers. The article shall offer potential means to manage the cultural transformation of early adoption of right‐sized systems engineering in ESR&D and reverse the attitudinal positions.
To Get Systems Engineers Interested in Social Dimensions, Give Them a Social Optimization Problem
Authors: McDermott Tom , Nadolski Molly
Published: October 2021

Systems engineering provides methods and tools to model and design the engineered system jointly with the external context of the system, specifically including social, economic and policy models. This article provides an example approach to formally model the system to optimize around social constructs (recognized social variables). In an educational program, this challenges engineering students to work through an optimization problem that considers social, economic, and technical requirements and conduct trades equally across all dimensions. We present a case study on student‐led implementation trades for urban electrical microgrids that optimize community sustainability and resilience. In this case study, the students used formal models of non‐traditional socioeconomic variables such as availability, energy burden on residents, and local jobs created. The case study presents a straightforward process that considers social requirements and metrics in systems engineering design that are typically overlooked. We present this as both an example learning framework and a broader call to define and standardize systems engineering methods, processes, and tools for increased integration of social dimensions as functional requirements in future systems.
Applying Behavioral Science to Agile Practice Evolution
Authors: Rosser Larri , Ganus Brian
Published: October 2021

Early agile practices developed by trial and error and are retained “because they work.” The fact that certain approaches work well in agile realization of products and services is not accidental – it is rooted in the study of psychology, sociology, and human performance. For example, the “ideal agile team size” of 7 plus or minus 2 not only works but is supported by psycho‐social theories such as the Ringleman effect, social channel capacity and short‐term memory limitations. Examples of similar relations between behavioral science and agile patterns abound – preferred planning horizons, methods of estimating effort and approaches to scaling agile all relate to our understanding of human behavior individually and in groups. This article will explore such relationships with the intent to provide agile practitioners with information about the underpinning of practices, and social scientists with examples of how their work contributes to the improvement of agile practices.
A Pilot Study of a Trauma‐Informed Yoga and Mindfulness Intervention With Young Women Incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System
Authors: Nicotera Nicole , Viggiano Erica
Published: October 2021

This pilot study examined an 8‐week yoga‐mindfulness intervention with girls in the juvenile justice system. Pre‐ and posttest data were collected via the Mindful Awareness and Attention Scale for Adolescents (MAAS‐A). Paired t tests demonstrated a significant increase in mean MAAS‐A scores.
The DNMT1‐associated lncRNA UCA1 was upregulated in TK6 cells transformed by long‐term exposure to hydroquinone and benzene‐exposed workers via DNA hypomethylation
Authors: Pan Zhijie , Zhong Bohuan , Ling Xiaoxuan , Zhang Haiqiao , Tan Qiang , Huang Dongsheng , Chen Jialong , Zhang He , Zheng Dongyan , Li Huifang , Chen Xiaobing , Liu Linhua
Published: October 2021

Exposure to benzene or its metabolite hydroquinone (HQ) is a risk factor for a series of myeloid malignancies, and long noncoding RNAs play an important role in the process of pathogenesis. Urothelial cancer‐associated 1 (UCA1) functions as an oncogene in the development of acute myeloid leukemia. However, the association between DNMT1 and UCA1 with benzene or HQ exposure has not been explored. We characterized UCA1 expression in cells briefly exposed to HQ (HQ‐ST cells) and HQ‐induced malignantly transformed (TK6‐HT cells) treated with 5‐aza‐2ʹ‐deoxycytidine (5‐AzaC) or trichostatin A (TSA). Compared to that in control cells, UCA1 expression was increased, whereas DNMT1 was decreased in HQ‐ST cells and TK6‐HT cells treated with 5‐AzaC or TSA. Moreover, UCA1 expression was also upregulated and positively correlated with benzene exposure time in benzene‐exposed workers. Furthermore, the expression of UCA1 was negatively associated with the DNA methylation level of its promoter in benzene‐exposed workers. DNMT1 rather than DNMT3b knockout in TK6‐HT cells activated the expression of UCA1 by inducing its promoter hypomethylation. These results suggest that benzene or HQ exposure leads to UCA1 upregulation via DNA hypomethylation in the UCA1 promoter, which is mediated by DNMT1.