bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coping with stress and personality: A study in pregnancies complicated by hypertension
Authors: Chapuis‐de‐Andrade Sabrina , Moret‐Tatay Carmen , Quarti Irigaray Tatiana , Breno Costa Dalton , Antonello Ivan Carlos Ferreira , Pinheiro da Costa Bartira Ercília
Published: April 2021

Objective

The objective of this work is to investigate the role of personality in pregnancies complicated by hypertension, thru analysis of structure and associations between negative affect and coping strategies, and their role towards psychological distress.

Method

A cross‐sectional study with 343 women, where 192 pregnancies complicated by hypertension, was carried out by employing the following tools: the five‐factor model (Big Five), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐21), and Jalowiec's Coping Inventory. Two complementary strategies were carried out: an exploratory approach on the interactions between latent variables and a confirmatory technique.

Results

Coping strategies seem to be dissociated in the hypertensive group, and these participants tend to use strategies according to their personality, mostly emotion focused, extraversion, and neuroticism. The extraversion model exclusively shows an acceptable goodness‐of‐fit after a structural equation modelling. A multigroup analysis reached a full metric invariance level for extraversion.

Conclusions

These results are of interest for both clinical and research settings. Prenatal screening and associated interventions may reduce perinatal negative affective states and related pregnancy complications.
Testcross vs. randomly paired single‐cross progeny tests for genomic prediction of new inbreds and hybrids derived from multiparent maize populations
Authors: Burdo Brett , de Leon Natalia , Kaeppler Shawn M.
Published: April 2021

New maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines are commonly evaluated based on the performance of their progeny when crossed to a single tester line from a different heterotic group (testcross), making tester choice critical. An alternative progeny test is pairing new lines between heterotic groups such that every parent is observed in one hybrid combination. This approach requires half the number of hybrids to test but the general combining ability (GCA) of each parent cannot be estimated. Genomic information can be used to partition parental GCA, while potentially enabling the prediction of dominance deviations. We evaluated doubled haploid lines extracted from two six‐parent synthetic populations from the Iodent (IO) and Stiff Stalk (SS) heterotic groups using either single crosses from random pairs of inbreds or testcrosses. Hybrids were evaluated for yield and agronomic traits in 2014 and 2015 in south‐central Wisconsin. The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with each population type grown in two replicates within two environments. Coincidence of selection of the 25 top performing lines based on testcross yield and single‐cross hybrid yield was 48% for the SS and 11% for the IO doubled haploid lines, increasing to 56% for the SS and 56% for the IO with genomic prediction based on an additive genomic model. Partitioning dominance deviations with the model increased coincidence to 62% for the SS population. Genomic estimates of grain yield GCA in the single‐cross hybrids were significantly more correlated than phenotypic GCA to testcross values for the IO lines, but not SS. Natural and orthogonal interaction estimates of dominance variation were insignificant for all traits, indicating that the inability to partition dominance based on testcross performance should not be a major limitation to identification of high‐performing hybrids. Genomic information improves the prospects of using single‐cross hybrids made from random pairs of new inbreds as an efficient progeny test by allowing the recovery of parental GCA information.
Max–min fair robust beamforming design for underlay device‐to‐device communications in cellular networks
Authors: Alibeigi Maryam , Taherpour Abbas , Rahmani Mehdi
Published: April 2021

This paper investigates the robust downlink beamforming designs based on max–min fairness and base station (BS) power consumption constraint for device‐to‐device (D2D) communications underlaying cellular network, under the assumption of imperfect channel state information (CSI) at the BS. Our objective is to maximize the minimum signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio (SINR) or non‐outage probability of users while guaranteeing that the consumed power at the BS is less than a threshold. In particular, three max–min fairness scenarios are considered. In the first scenario, the worst‐case SINR of cellular users (CUs) is maximized where the D2D SINR is guaranteed to be above a specified predetermined threshold. In the second scenario, we extend the first scenario and maximized D2D SINR while maximizing CUs' SINR. In these two scenarios, it is assumed that the errors are upper bounded in their Frobenius norms. In the third scenario, the minimum non‐outage probability of users is maximized, while a probabilistic model is considered for the uncertainty of channel covariance matrices. Although such optimization problems are not convex, the semidefinite relaxation (SDR) approach is used to obtain the optimal beamforming matrix, which always complies the rank‐one constraint. Simulation results show that significant improvement in terms of minimum SINR of CUs, the minimum non‐outage probability of CUs, and the probability of feasibility and the fairness index can be achieved with our proposed algorithms in comparison with other beamforming schemes.
Computational Modelling of Two Terminal CIGS/Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells with Power Conversion Efficiency of 23.1 %
Authors: Kumar Anjan , Singh Sangeeta , Mohammed Mustafa K. A. , Shalan Ahmed Esmail
Published: April 2021

An appealing and feasible approach to develop an ultra‐high performance and price‐effective all‐thin‐film photovoltaic cell is to use a perovskite and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) in tandem configuration. In this simulation‐based study, an innovative 2‐terminal (2T) perovskite‐CIGS tandem solar cell has been proposed with extended cost savings, along with improved performance. First, a perovskite top cell with a bandgap of 1.5 eV and CIGS bottom subcell with 1.1 eV bandgap are simulated to have conversion efficiency of 16.69 and 15.98 %, respectively. The systems are tested for tandem configuration after setting the individual top and bottom subcells to correct values. To calculate the current matching point, both top and bottom absorber layer thicknesses are varied. The optimised thicknesses are 151 and 1000 nm for top and bottom subcells in the tandem cells. The top cell performance parameters are calculated by illuminating standard AM 1.5G solar spectrum keeping absorber thickness at 151 nm. While as, the bottom cell performance parameters are estimated using illumination of the filtered spectrum. The proposed tandem configuration composed of CIGS/CdS/ZnO/Spiro/Perovskite/C‐TiO2 showed a power conversion efficiency and open‐circuit voltage of 23.17 % and 1.646 volts, respectively. Consequently, we consider that the current study would deliver considerable progression in the field of CIGS/perovskite tandem photovoltaic cells, toward commercial applications.
Simultaneous Determination of Catechol and Hydroquinone on Nano‐Co/L‐Cysteine Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode
Authors: Huang Baomei , Yao Chengwei , Wang Enyang , Du Shizhang , Yang Jing , Lu Xiaoquan
Published: April 2021

In this study, a novel and highly sensitive electrochemical method for simultaneous determination of catechol (CC) and hydroquinone (HQ) was developed, which worked at GCE modified with Nano cobalt (Nano‐Co) by electrodeposition and L‐Cysteine by electrochemical polymerization. The Nano‐Co/L‐Cysteine GCE was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), SEM and EIS. The excellent conditions have been selected including supporting electrolyte, pH, accumulation time and scan rate. The calibration curves of were obtained that the linear regression equation was I=0.0734c+6×10−6 in the range of 5.8 μM to 103 μM (R2=0.9942) for CC and the linear regression equation was I=0.0566c+5×10−6 in the range of 5.8 μM to 100 μM (R2=0.9967) for HQ. The obtained detection limits of CC and HQ both were 6×10−7 M. The modified electrode was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of CC and HQ in water samples.
Trust in physicians among patients with head and neck cancer before and after treatment
Authors: Highland Julie , Aylward Alana , Do Olivia , Monroe Marcus , Buchmann Luke
Published: April 2021

Background

Little is known about physician trust in patients with head and neck cancer. This study's aim is to evaluate trust pre‐ and post‐treatment.

Methods

A study was conducted of 50 patients with head and neck cancer at a tertiary referral center. Surveys administered before and after treatment included several validated survey tools including the Trust in Oncologist Scale Short Form.

Results

There was an increase in overall trust scores (p < 0.001). Female patients (p = 0.034) and those who received chemotherapy (p = 0.001) were less trusting post‐treatment. Patients with more comorbidities (p = 0.045) and progression of disease (p = 0.029) had higher final trust than those without. Patients with high initial distress scores showed a decrease in trust (p = 0.023).

Conclusions

Patients with head and neck cancer trust their surgeon more after completion of treatment, with specific characteristics having a variable impact on trust scores.
Management of sustainable ecological water levels of endorheic salt lakes in the Inner Mongolian Plateau of China based on eco‐hydrological processes
Authors: Xing Ziqiang , Huang Huojian , Li Yuanyuan , Liu Shanshan , Wang Ding , Yuan Yong , Zhao Zhongnan , Bu Lisheng
Published: April 2021

Hydrologic regime plays an important role in maintaining aquatic ecosystem structures and biogeochemical processes of endorheic salt lakes. Due to joint influences of regional climate change, runoff regulation and water withdrawal, ecological water deficiency has been increasingly prominent in endorheic salt lakes in Northwest China, especially in the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Previous studies mainly focused on establishing and applying methods to determine ecological water levels of lakes, while much less attention was paid to a more important problem – how such water levels could be reached under changed watershed hydrological processes. Solutions of this gap were explored in this study using the Dalinuoer Lake as an example. This lake is a typical endorheic salt lake located in the Inner Mongolian Plateau. It is a critical source to provide important ecological services and economic values for locals. Its ecological water level to maintain the optimum salinity threshold was first calculated by applying a statistical analysis of relationships between the phytoplankton biomass, salinity and water level of the lake. Potential measures to preserve the ecological water level of the lake were subsequently evaluated based on a hydrological process analysis of the watershed. The results indicated that the optimum salinity threshold was 5.7 g/L. This value should be also valid for other endorheic salt lakes in this region. According to a function between the water storage and the mean water depth of this lake, the ecological water level was determined to be 10.28 m with an ecological water deficit of 2.5 × 108 m3. A basin water balance analysis using the results proposed measures to maintain a sustainable ecological water level, including controlling local water consumption and infusing ecological water. The results of this study could be extrapolated to other similar conditions to provide guidance for policy‐makers, so that better decisions could be hopefully forged to protect eco‐hydrological processes of endorheic salt lakes in the Mongolian Plateau, as well as other comparable scenarios.
Upfront transplantation may have better outcomes than pretransplant cytoreductive therapy for treating patients with MDS‐EB‐1 or MDS‐EB‐2
Authors: Chen Yili , Huang Fen , Xuan Li , Zhang Yu , Fan Zhiping , Xu Na , Zhao Ke , Xu Jun , Liu Hui , Shi Pengcheng , Wang Zhixiang , Sun Jing , Zheng Weiyang , Dai Min , Liu Qifa
Published: April 2021

Whether patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT) benefit from pretransplant cytoreductive therapy remains controversial. Our study compared the outcomes of upfront transplantation with those of pretransplant cytoreductive therapy in the patients who received transplantation and those who dropped out due to cytoreductive therapy‐related adverse effects. Patients with MDS‐EB‐1 or MDS‐EB‐2 were enrolled and divided into three groups based on therapy pretransplantation: upfront transplantation (upfront, n = 54), induction chemotherapy (CT, n = 66) and hypomethylating agents (HMA, n = 37) alone. One hundred fifty‐seven patients were enrolled and 124 received allo‐HSCT, with 5.6%, 28.8% and 29.7% of drop‐out rate of transplantation in upfront, CT and HMA groups (P = .030), respectively. Overall therapy‐related mortality (TRM), cytoreductive therapy and transplant‐related mortality was 13.0%, 32.4% and 28.4% (P = .028), and 5‐year overall survival (OS) was 73.6%, 43.4% and 46.9% (P = .033). Multivariate analysis showed that CT and HMA were risk factors for TRM and OS, and transplantation was a protective factor for OS. In transplant patients, 3‐year cumulative incidence of relapse was 10.6%, 20.4% and 20.3% (P = .033), 5‐year TRM was 14.5%, 20.0% and 17.6% (P = .651), OS was 77.3%, 64.3% and 68.8% (P = .047) and DFS was 74.0%, 63.0% and 65.8% (P = .042). Multivariate analysis showed that CT was a risk factor for DFS, while CT, HMA and poor karyotype were risk factors for relapse. Results suggested that pretransplant cytoreductive therapy was not associated with better outcomes in the patients who had undergone transplantation. Therefore, upfront transplantation may be preferable for MDS patients.
TaxiBJ21: An open crowd flow dataset based on Beijing taxi GPS trajectories
Authors: Jiang Weiwei
Published: April 2021

Crowd flow prediction has been a significant problem in smart cities. Real‐world datasets are the basis of designing data‐driven models, for example, machine learning and deep learning models. However, some well‐known datasets, for example, TaxiBJ, become unavailable when the original sharing links are deleted as the data providers move to new jobs. As an alternative choice, TaxiBJ21 is proposed in this letter for future crowd flow prediction studies. This new open dataset contains the taxi inflow and outflow matrices in Beijing for 3 months, with the same data format as TaxiBJ and can be used in the current literature seamlessly. In this letter, the process of constructing TaxiBJ21 is introduced and three baselines including two simple historical models and a multilayer perceptron neural network are evaluated on this new dataset as benchmarks. Both the data and baselines are publicly available in a Github repository.
The effect of time outdoors on veterans receiving treatment for PTSD
Authors: Bettmann Joanna E. , Prince Kort C. , Ganesh Kamala , Rugo Kelsi F. , Bryan AnnaBelle O. , Bryan Craig J. , Rozek David C. , Leifker Feea R.
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Duration, frequency, and intensity of nature exposure link to different physical and psychological benefits. The present study aimed to determine how time outdoors affected military veterans’ posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology during PTSD treatment.

Method

Hypotheses regarding time outdoors and the effect of program duration on PTSD symptoms were examined using multilevel models. The authors hypothesized that hours outdoors, both within‐ and between‐persons, would predict reduced PTSD symptomology, program duration would predict reduced PTSD symptomology, and that hours outdoors and program duration would be significant when accounting for the other.

Results

The present study found that time outdoors correlated with participants’ decreased PTSD symptomology: the more time participants spent outdoors, the greater the reduction in their PTSD symptoms.

Conclusion

The effect of time outdoors was significant within‐person, not between persons, suggesting that nature exposure may be used as an adjunct to traditional mental health treatment where exposure or dosage should be person‐specific.
Long noncoding RNAs in intestinal homeostasis, regeneration, and cancer
Authors: Yadav Vipin K. , Kumar Amit , Tripathi Prem P. , Gupta Jalaj
Published: April 2021

Signaling pathways that regulate homeostasis and regeneration are found to be deregulated in various human malignancies. Accordingly, attempts have been made to target them at the protein level with little success. However, studies using high‐throughput sequencing technologies suggest that only about 2% of the genome translates into proteins, whereas about 75% of the genome is transcribed into noncoding RNAs. Among noncoding RNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have received tremendous attention in recent years as a crucial player in the regulation of almost all cellular processes involved in tissue homeostasis as well as in the development of various malignancies, including intestinal cancer. Emerging evidence suggests that lncRNAs play an instrumental role in the regulation of intestinal stem cells, injury‐induced regeneration, and initiation and progression of intestinal tumors. Here, we summarize the recently discovered lncRNAs during intestinal homeostasis, regeneration, and tumorigenesis. We further present lncRNAs as diagnostic and therapeutic markers in intestinal pathologies.
Propofol attenuates renal ischemia/reperfusion injury by regulating the MALAT1/miR‐126‐5p axis
Authors: Li Xuyang , Zhang Zhan , Li Aipeng , Hu Yubo
Published: April 2021

Background

Propofol (PPF) plays a protective role in ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) in multiple organs, including renal ischemia–reperfusion injury (RIRI). The present study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms by which PPF exerts its protective functions in RIRI.

Methods

BALB/c mice were employed for the construction of RIRI animal model. PPF pre‐treatment was carried out before I/R. An in vitro I/R model was established with HK‐2 cells after hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) culture, and PPF was utilized to treat the cells before H/R. A quantitative‐polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was conducted to detect long non‐coding RNA metastasis‐associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) and miR‐126‐5p expression levels. Flow cytometry was adopted to detect the apoptosis of HK‐2 cells. Bioinformatics analysis, qPCR, a luciferase reporter gene experiment and a RNA immunoprecipitation experiment were used to determine the regulatory relationship between MALAT1 and miR‐126‐5p. The expression level of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) was examined by western blotting.

Results

MALAT1 expression was augmented and miR‐126‐5p was decreased in RIRI models. PPF pre‐treatment remarkably reduced creatinine and urea nitrogen levels in the serum of BALB/c mice with RIRI, and diminished the apoptosis of HK‐2 cells treated with H/R. In addition, PPF pre‐treatment markedly restrained the expression of MALAT1 in both in vivo and in vitro models and up‐regulated miR‐126‐5p expression. MALAT1 could adsorb miR‐126‐5p to repress it and up‐regulate VEGFA. MALAT1 overexpression reversed the protective effects of PPF on RIRI.

Conclusions

PPF protects the kidney against RIRI by inhibiting MALAT1 and up‐regulating miR‐126‐5p expression, as well as indirectly inhibiting the expression of VEGFA.
Dysbiosis revisited: Understanding the role of the oral microbiome in the pathogenesis of gingivitis and periodontitis: A critical assessment
Authors: Scannapieco Frank A. , Dongari‐Bagtzoglou Anna
Published: April 2021

This commentary provides background, historical context, and a critical assessment of the concept that microbial dysbiosis drives the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. It is long known that periodontal pathogenesis is dependent on tooth‐borne microbial biofilms (dental plaque) that trigger host inflammation resulting in periodontal destruction and tooth loss in some patients. Ecological principles governing plaque biofilm development, along with localized host responses, are both rooted in evolution. Interpretation of available evidence suggests that, in most patients, alveolar bone loss results from interactions of a highly diverse commensal microbiota with the host, and not from “overgrowth” of a few “pathobionts” that results in a “dysbiosis.” Most previously described dysbiotic chronic diseases, for example, inflammatory bowel diseases and dermatitis, are characterized by decreased microbial diversity (likely due to frank overgrowth of one or a few microbial taxa). Most common forms of periodontitis do not appear to conform to this general principle, and the associated microbiome in fact almost always shows increased bacterial diversity compared with periodontal health. This diversity is driven by interactions of genetic and environmental factors working in concert within specific windows of time. Periodontal pathogenesis is likely the result of “personalized pathology,” insofar as each patient likely has a variable constellation of microbes and host risk factors influencing specific tissue sites where disease activity occurs, and during a limited window of time (a tissue‐destructive “burst”). The concept of cooperative virulence of higher abundance commensals in periodontal pathogenesis, which does not conform to the model of dysbiosis observed for other diseases, is discussed.
Intra‐interstadial environmental changes in Last Glacial loess revealed by molluscan assemblages from the Upper Palaeolithic site of Amiens‐Renancourt 1 (Somme, France)
Authors: Moine Olivier , Antoine Pierre , Coutard Sylvie , Guérin Gilles , Hatté Christine , Paris Clément , Saulnier‐Copard Ségolène
Published: April 2021

The Amiens‐Renancourt 1 site recently yielded one of the most important Upper Palaeolithic human occupations of northern France by the number of flint artefacts and especially by the presence of Venus figurines. All the material comes from a single archaeological layer located in a tundra gley bracketed by loess units. A multi‐proxy study combining a detailed stratigraphy, luminescence and radiocarbon datings and high‐resolution (5 cm per sample) grain size and molluscan analyses was therefore carried out to reconstruct and date the associated environmental changes and to determine the exact context of the human occupation. The chronological frame thus established supports the correlations of the archaeology‐bearing tundra gley and of an underlying arctic brown soil with Greenland interstadials GI‐4 and GI‐3. Composition changes in the molluscan population enabled the identification of transitional and optimum phases and sub‐phases within these two pedogenetic horizons. A conceptual correlation model linking molluscan phases with millennial‐scale variations of Greenland ice‐core and Sieben Hengste speleothem climate records is proposed. The Human occupation appears contemporaneous to the end of the stadial–interstadial transition of GI‐3. Synchronous in Amiens‐Renancourt 1 and Nussloch, subsequent micro‐gleys may also result from a regional/global forcing. Such a level of detail is unprecedented in a loess sequence.
Volcanic ash and tsunami record of the Minoan Late Bronze Age Eruption (Santorini) in a distal setting, southwestern Turkey
Authors: Aydar Erkan , ÇİNer Attila , Ersoy Orkun , ÉCochard Emilie , Fouache Eric G.
Published: April 2021

We present the volcanic ash and tsunami record of the Minoan Late Bronze Age Eruption of Santorini (LBAES) in a distal setting in southwestern Turkey. In one of the drilled cores at the Letoon Hellenic antique site on Eşençay Delta, we encountered a 4 cm thick tephra deposit underlain by 46 cm thick tsunami‐deposited sand (tsunamite), and an organic‐rich layer that we 14C dated to 3295 ± 30 bp or 1633 bc. The relationship between Santorini distal volcanic ash and underlying tsunamite is described and interpreted. LBAES occurred in four main phases: (1) plinian; (2) phreatomagmatic; (3) phreatomagmatic with mudflows; and (4) ignimbritic flows and co‐ignimbrite tephra falls. In this study, we aim to understand which eruptive phases generate distal ash during the Minoan eruptive sequence by examining the 3D surface morphology of ash formed by different fragmentation processes. To that end, we used numerous statistical multivariates, 3D fractal dimension of roughness, and a new textural parameter of surface area‐3D/plotted area‐2D to characterise the eruption dynamics. Based on ash surface morphologies and the calculated statistical parameters, we propose that that distal ash is represented by a single layer composed of well‐mixed (coarse to fine) magmatic and phreatomagmatic ash.
Comparison of Locus Coeruleus Pathology with Nigral and Forebrain Pathology in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Huynh Benjamin , Fu Yuhong , Kirik Deniz , Shine James M. , Halliday Glenda M.
Published: April 2021

Background

Pathology in the noradrenergic A6 locus coeruleus has not been compared with more rostral dopaminergic A9 substantia nigra and A10 ventral tegmental area, and cholinergic Ch4 basal nucleus and Ch1/2 septal regions in the same cases of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective

To determine whether there is a gradient of caudal to rostral cell loss in PD.

Methods

Postmortem brains were collected from longitudinally followed donors with PD (n = 14) and aged‐matched healthy donors (n = 13), six with restricted brainstem Lewy pathology (RLP), fixed in formalin and serial tissue slabs processed for cell and pathological quantitation. Noradrenergic A6 neurons were assessed and compared with previously published midbrain and basal forebrain data. From these data, regression estimates of pathological onset and progression were determined.

Results

Restricted Lewy pathology (RLP) cases had high pathological variability but no significant reduction in neurons. Pathology containing A6 neuron loss started at PD diagnosis and progressed faster (2.4% p.a) than the loss of dopaminergic A9 neurons (2% loss p.a.). Cases with dementia had significantly more pathology in noradrenergic and cholinergic neurons, had greater noradrenergic A6 neuron loss (29% more, progressing at 3.2% p.a.), and a selective loss of lateral A10 nonmelanized dopamine‐producing neurons (starting a decade following diagnosis).

Conclusions

These findings show that in the same Parkinson's disease cases cell loss in these neurotransmitter systems does not follow a strict caudal to rostral trajectory and suggests symptom onset may relate to substantial pathology in the noradrenergic A6 locus coeruleus neurons in people with reduced dopamine‐producing A9 substantia nigra neurons. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Reduced Synaptic Density in Patients with Lewy Body Dementia: An [11C]UCB‐J PET Imaging Study
Authors: Andersen Katrine B. , Hansen Allan K. , Damholdt Malene F. , Horsager Jacob , Skjærbæk Casper , Gottrup Hanne , Klit Henriette , Schacht Anna Christina , Danielsen Erik H. , Brooks David J. , Borghammer Per
Published: April 2021

Background

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often develop dementia, but the underlying substrate is incompletely understood. Generalized synaptic degeneration may contribute to dysfunction and cognitive decline in Lewy body dementias, but in vivo evidence is lacking.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the density of synapses in non‐demented PD (nPD) subjects (N = 21), patients with PD‐dementia or Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) (N = 13), and age‐matched healthy controls (N = 15).

Method

Using in vivo PET imaging and the novel synaptic‐vesicle‐glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) radioligand [11C]UCB‐J, SUVR‐1 values were obtained for 12 pre‐defined regions. Volumes‐of‐interest were defined on MRI T1 scans. Voxel‐level between‐group comparisons of [11C]UCB‐J SUVR‐1 were performed. All subjects underwent neuropsychological assessment. Correlations between [11C]UCB‐ J PET and domain‐specific cognitive functioning were examined.

Results

nPD patients only demonstrated significantly reduced SUVR‐1 values in the substantia nigra (SN) compared to HC. DLB/PDD patients demonstrated reduced SUVR‐1 values in SN and all cortical VOIs except for the hippocampus and amygdala. The voxel‐based analysis supported the VOI results. Significant correlation was seen between middle frontal gyrus [11C]UCB‐J SUVR‐1 and performance on tests of executive function.

Conclusion

Widespread cortical reduction of synaptic density was documented in a cohort of DLB/PDD subjects using in vivo [11C]UCB‐J PET. Our study confirms previously reported synaptic loss in SN of nPD patients. [11C]UCB‐J binding in selected cortical VOIs of the DLB/PDD patients correlated with their levels of cognitive function across relevant neuropsychological domains. These findings suggest that the loss of synaptic density contributes to cognitive impairment in nPD and DLB/PDD. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Preoperative immunonutrition and carbohydrate loading associated with improved bowel function after radical cystectomy
Authors: Patel Sephalie Y. , Trona Nathaniel , Alford Brandon , Laborde Jose M. , Kim Youngchul , Li Roger , Manley Brandon J. , Gilbert Scott M. , Sexton Wade J. , Spiess Philippe E. , Poch Michael A.
Published: April 2021

Background

Preoperative malnourishment has been consistently associated with poor outcomes after radical cystectomy and other major abdominal surgeries. Most enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) studies have examined preoperative nutrition and its relationship to outcomes after gastrointestinal surgery. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of using an ERAS protocol, this study in unique in comparing 2 ERAS protocols, with and without a nutrition component.

Methods

A formalized preoperative nutrition protocol (PNP) recommending use of preoperative immunonutrition and carbohydrate drink was introduced in June 2018. A total of 78 consecutive patients who drank both beverages were compared with 92 historical controls. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were sequentially performed to determine if preoperative nutrition was associated with binary outcome variables (30‐day complication, infectious complication, and readmission within 30 days).

Results

The preoperative nutrition group and control group were statistically similar in distribution of age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, clinical stage, and body mass index. Return of bowel function was found to occur earlier in the preoperative nutrition group than in the control group (3.12 vs 3.74 days; relative risk, 0.82; CI, 0.73–0.93; P = .0029). Complications within 30 days were similar in both groups (63.6% vs 55.4%; P = 0.36). Infectious complications (42.9% vs 37%; P = .53) and readmission within 30 days (22.1% vs 15.2%; P = .34) were also similar in both groups.

Conclusions

Use of a PNP including immunonutrition and carbohydrate drink may be associated with earlier return of bowel function after radical cystectomy.
Different Indicators of Adiposity and Fat Distribution and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Ding Li , Fan Yuxin , He Jing , Wang Ruodan , He Qing , Cui Jingqiu , Ma Zhongshu , Zheng Fangqiu , Gao Hua , Dai Chenlin , Wei Hongyan , Li Jun , Cao Yuming , Hu Gang , Liu Ming
Published: April 2021

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adiposity and fat distribution on the odds of elevated cardiovascular risk factors among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

The present cross‐sectional study included 2,427 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Body fat was assessed by dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry. Multivariate‐adjusted logistic regression was used to estimate effects of adiposity parameters on elevated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, ≥7.0%), hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg), and elevated low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (≥2.6 mmol/L).

Results

The multivariable‐adjusted odds ratio (OR) for elevated HbA1c was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.70‐0.96) for each SD increase in leg fat mass. The multivariable‐adjusted OR for hypertension was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.00‐1.32) for each SD increase in android fat mass. Multivariable‐adjusted ORs for elevated LDL cholesterol ranged from 1.16 (95% CI: 1.00‐1.35) to 1.27 (95% CI: 1.06‐1.51) for each SD increase in arm and android fat mass and percentage of total, truncal, arm, and android fat. Each SD increase in BMI, truncal‐to‐leg fat ratio, and android‐to‐gynoid fat ratio was significantly associated with increased risks of elevated HbA1c, hypertension, and elevated LDL cholesterol.

Conclusions

Subcutaneous fat in the lower body was associated with a more favorable glycemic profile, but not blood pressure or lipid profile, whereas central adiposity was associated with poor control of cardiovascular risk factors among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
IFT‐A deficiency in juvenile mice impairs biliary development and exacerbates ADPKD liver disease
Authors: Wang Wei , Pottorf Tana S , Wang Henry H , Dong Ruochen , Kavanaugh Matthew A , Cornelius Joseph T , Dennis Katie L , Apte Udayan , Pritchard Michele T , Sharma Madhulika , Tran Pamela V
Published: April 2021

Polycystic liver disease (PLD) is characterized by the growth of numerous biliary cysts and presents in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), causing significant morbidity. Interestingly, deletion of intraflagellar transport‐B (IFT‐B) complex genes in adult mouse models of ADPKD attenuates the severity of PKD and PLD. Here we examine the role of deletion of an IFT‐A gene, Thm1, in PLD of juvenile and adult Pkd2 conditional knockout mice. Perinatal deletion of Thm1 resulted in disorganized and expanded biliary regions, biliary fibrosis, increased serum bile acids, and a shortened primary cilium on cytokeratin 19+ (CK19+) epithelial cells. In contrast, perinatal deletion of Pkd2 caused PLD, with multiple CK19+ epithelial cell‐lined cysts, fibrosis, lengthened primary cilia, and increased Notch and ERK signaling. Perinatal deletion of Thm1 in Pkd2 conditional knockout mice increased hepatomegaly, liver necrosis, as well as serum bilirubin and bile acid levels, indicating enhanced liver disease severity. In contrast to effects in the developing liver, deletion of Thm1 alone in adult mice did not cause a biliary phenotype. Combined deletion of Pkd2 and Thm1 caused variable hepatic cystogenesis at 4 months of age, but differences in hepatic cystogenesis between Pkd2‐ and Pkd2;Thm1 knockout mice were not observed by 6 months of age. Similar to juvenile PLD, Notch and ERK signaling were increased in adult Pkd2 conditional knockout cyst‐lining epithelial cells. Taken together, Thm1 is required for biliary tract development, and proper biliary development restricts PLD severity. Unlike IFT‐B genes, Thm1 does not markedly attenuate hepatic cystogenesis, suggesting differences in regulation of signaling and cystogenic processes in the liver by IFT‐B and ‐A. Notably, increased Notch signaling in cyst‐lining epithelial cells may indicate that aberrant activation of this pathway promotes hepatic cystogenesis, presenting as a novel potential therapeutic target. © 2021 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of computed tomography (CT) findings with RT‐PCR in the diagnosis of COVID‐19 in children
Authors: Bağcı Zafer , Keçeli Avni Merter
Published: April 2021

Aim

This study aimed to compare chest computed tomography (CT) findings with reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) test results in children with probable or definitive diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19).

Methods

In this retrospective archive study, pediatric patients who were followed up in the hospital with a possible or definitive diagnosis of COVID‐19 and who had chest CT at presentation were included. CT scan images of the patients were reinterpreted by a pediatric radiologist and compared with their RT‐PCR test results.

Results

Of the total of 89 patients, 33 had negative and 56 had positive RT‐PCR tests. The presence of pulmonary lesions and consolidation was statistically significantly higher in the RT‐PCR negative group than in the RT‐PCR positive group (p = 0.037 and 0.001, respectively). Lobe involvement of 0%–25% was higher in the RT‐PCR positive group (p = 0.001), and lobe involvements of 25%–50% and 50%–75% were significantly higher in the RT‐PCR negative group (p = 0.001 and 0.005, respectively). Central and perihilar involvement was found to be statistically significant in the RT‐PCR negative group (p = 0.008 and 0.005, respectively).

Conclusion

Chest CT findings may provide some clues in predicting RT‐PCR positivity in children with a probable diagnosis of COVID‐19. Lobe involvement percentage of up to 25% is a finding in favor of patients with positive RT‐PCR test, whereas 25%–75% lobe involvement, central and perihilar involvement, and consolidation can be interpreted in favor of patients with negative RT‐PCR test.
Effects of delta‐tocotrienol supplementation on Glycemic Control, oxidative stress, inflammatory biomarkers and miRNA expression in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized control trial
Authors: Mahjabeen Wajiha , Khan Dilshad Ahmed , Mirza Shakeel Ahmed , Pervez Muhammad Amjad
Published: April 2021

The study aimed to ascertain the effects of delta‐tocotrienol (δT3) supplementation on glycemic control, oxidative stress, inflammation and related micro‐ribonucleic acid (miRNA) expression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Total 110 patients of T2DM on oral hypoglycemic agents, were randomly divided into tocotrienol and placebo groups and given 250 mg δT3 or cellulose soft gel capsule once daily respectively for 24 weeks. Glycemic control, oxidative stress, inflammatory biomarkers, and miRNAs expression were measured in serum at baseline and end of the intervention by using standard laboratory methods. Compared to the placebo, δT3 supplementation resulted in a significant (p ≤ .05) reduction [mean difference (95% confidence interval)] in plasma glucose [−0.48 (−0.65, −0.30)], insulin [−1.19 (−1.51, −0.87)], homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance [−0.67 (−0.86, −0.49)], glycosylated hemoglobin [−0.53 (−0.79, −0.28)], malondialdehyde [−0.34 (−0.45, −0.22)], high sensitive‐C‐reactive protein[−0.35 (−0.54, −0.16)], tumor necrosis factor‐alpha [−1.22 (−1.62, −0.83)], and interleukin‐6[−2.30 (−2.91, −1.68)]. More than twofold downregulation in miRNA‐375, miRNA‐34a, miRNA‐21, and upregulation in miRNA‐126, miRNA‐132 expression was observed in the δT3 group compared to the placebo. The study demonstrated that δT3 supplementation in addition to oral hypoglycemic agents, improved glycemic control, inflammation, oxidative stress, and miRNA expression in T2DM without any adverse effect. Thus, δT3 might be considered as an effective dietary supplement to prevent long‐term diabetic complications.
Sidereal: Statistical adaptive generation of robust locators for web testing
Authors: Leotta Maurizio , Ricca Filippo , Tonella Paolo
Published: April 2021

By ensuring adequate functional coverage, End‐to‐End (E2E) testing is a key enabling factor of continuous integration. This is even more true for web applications, where automated E2E testing is the only way to exercise the full stack used to create a modern application. The test code used for web testing usually relies on DOM locators, often expressed as XPath expressions, to identify the web elements and to extract the data checked in assertions. When applications evolve, the most dominant cost for the evolution of test code is due to broken locators, which fail to locate the target element in the novel versions and must be repaired. In this paper, we formulate the robust XPath locator generation problem as a graph exploration problem, instead of relying on ad‐hoc heuristics as the one implemented by the state of the art tool robula+. Our approach is based on a statistical adaptive algorithm implemented by the tool sidereal, which outperforms robula+'s heuristics in terms of robustness by learning the potential fragility of HTML properties from previous versions of the application under test. sidereal was applied to six applications and to a total of 611 locators and was compared against two baseline algorithms, robula+ and Montoto. The adoption of sidereal results in a significant reduction of the number of broken locators (respectively ‐55% and ‐70%). The time for generating such robust locators was deemed acceptable being in the order of hundredths of second.
testar – scriptless testing through graphical user interface
Authors: Vos Tanja E. J. , Aho Pekka , Pastor Ricos Fernando , Rodriguez‐Valdes Olivia , Mulders Ad
Published: April 2021

Covering all the possible paths of the graphical user interface (GUI) with test scripts would take too much effort and result in serious maintenance issues. We propose complementing scripted testing with scriptless test automation using the open‐source testar tool. This paper gives a comprehensive overview of testar and its latest extensions together with the ongoing and future research. With this paper, we hope we can help and encourage other researchers to use testar for their GUI testing‐related research and pave the way for an international research agenda in GUI testing built upon stable and open‐source infrastructure.
Experimental Study on a Compressed Arc Extinguishing Device for Power Distribution Network
Authors: Huang Ping , Liu Peng , Leng Dapeng , Xie Zhuoyue
Published: April 2021

A compressed arc extinguishing device for power distribution network is developed to solve the problem of existing anti‐lightning of power distribution network transmission lines. This paper first introduces the arc extinguishing principle of the arc extinguishing device, and then designs the lightning impulse voltage test around the 10 kV transmission line. The test results show that the U50% Lightning impulse voltage of the arc extinguishing device is 112.4 kV considering the atmospheric correction factor. In order to verify the feasibility of the arc extinguishing device, the power frequency continuous current interruption test is designed. The test shows that the arc extinguishing device can extinguish the arc with a peak value of 1.131 kA in 2 ms and does not reignite in the following time. Finally, the device is applied to a 10 kV power distribution network transmission line of China Southern Power Grid. The lightning trip‐out rate of the transmission line per 100 km is reduced from 12.5 (times/year) to 1.1 (times/year), which fully verifies the feasibility of the arc extinguishing device. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
The Effect of Remote Donor Substituents on the Properties of Alkoxy and Amino Fischer Carbene Complexes of Tungsten
Authors: Weststrate Nora‐ann , Hassenrück Christopher , Linseis Michael , Liles David C. , Lotz Simon , Görls Helmar , Winter Rainer F.
Published: April 2021

Tungsten Fischer ethoxy‐ and dimethylaminocarbene complexes [W{C(X)(C6H4‐4‐R}(CO)5] (X=OEt: series a; or X=NMe2: series b) are synthesized from phenyl substrates containing remote tertiary amino substituents R’2N with R’=Me (2), Ph (3) or C6H4Br‐4 (4). The π‐delocalization and carbene‐stabilizing effects of the distant tertiary amine donor substituent are investigated by NMR and IR spectroscopy, electrochemistry and quantum chemical calculations. A significant transfer of electron density from the remote 4‐R’2N substituent to the carbene C atom in the ethoxycarbene complexes is supported by NMR data and the solid‐state structure of 2 a. This is strongly attenuated in the amino‐substituted carbene complex 2 c and irrelevant in the dimethylaminocarbene complexes of series b, where the electron demand of the electrophilic carbene center is satisfied by the directly attached dimethylamino substituent. Quantum chemical calculations and IR spectroelectrochemistry on complexes 1 a‐‐4 a verify carbene‐centered reductions and a ligand based oxidation of complex 2 b.
Information and Market Engineering at KIT: Quo Vadis?
Authors: Dann David , Knierim Michael Thomas , Peukert Christian , Staudt Philipp , Straub Tim
Published: April 2021

Information systems (IS) are nowadays at the core of many personal and institutional activities and influence daily life more than ever before. To understand, evaluate and envision the forms of how we interact with IS, interdisciplinary and multifaceted research efforts are required. At the Information and Market Engineering chair at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, this task is taken head-on via research that stretches from user experiences to system design. In this review, the present research foci at the department are outlined, together with a brief description of its origins and the global developments that underly the necessity of conducting these particular IS studies.
On the Potency of Online User Representation: Insights from the Sharing Economy
Authors: Teubner Timm , P. Adam Marc T. , Hawlitschek Florian
Published: April 2021

Online user representation (UR) is a cornerstone of platform-mediated interactions within the sharing economy. While the general usefulness of UR artifacts for facilitating online and offline interactions is widely acknowledged and understood, the underlying mechanisms and operating principles often require a more detailed analysis. In this chapter, we thus introduce a systematic framework grounded in signaling and social presence theory for analyzing UR artifacts for online platforms in general—and the sharing economy in particular. We apply our framework as a structural lens in a case study on user profiles on Airbnb, unveiling structural similarities and differences between the opposing market sides. We discuss our findings against the backdrop of emerging information systems research directions and suggest paths for future work on the sharing economy.
Legal Tech and Lawtech: Towards a Framework for Technological Trends in the Legal Services Industry
Authors: Harper Ciaran M. , Zhang S. Sarah
Published: April 2021

The use of legal technology (legal tech) and the lawtech ecosystem of legal start-ups has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. To provide a structured approach of analysing IT innovations in the legal sector, we propose a framework for lawtech applications, classifying them into three groups: internal, B2C and B2B applications. In the context of this framework, we examine technological trends in lawtech and their potential to support and transform processes in specific areas of business or personal law. We acknowledge that within lawtech there is a gap between the areas of interest of legal practitioners, IT professionals and academic researchers, and that some areas have received considerable attention by these groups, while other areas have been left relatively unexplored by one or more of these groups. However, the growing interest by legal practitioners in advanced technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) is further closing the gap between academic research, IT professionals and legal practice.
The Socialoid: A Computational Model of a City
Authors: Hall Margeret , Haas Christian , Schacht Johanna , Kimbrough Steven O.
Published: April 2021

A socialoid (our term) is an integrated collection of data and models about a society. As such, and accepting that it can never be complete, it is a computational model of a society. We are in the early stages of building a socialoid for Philadelphia, PA. We call it the Philadelphioid. The Philadelphioid is a diachronic (temporal), mashed, geographic information system (GIS) with an extensive integrated library of integrated analytics tools. The purpose of this chapter is to articulate our design rationale for the Philadelphioid and to illustrate its underlying concepts and premises. Central among these concepts is the principle of solution pluralism, which enjoins us to use analytics and visualization to create and explore multiple solutions to decision problems. We illustrate an application of this philosophy by discussing analysis pertaining to food deserts carried out with the Philadelphioid.