bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Thoracoscopy versus thoracotomy for congenital lung malformations treatment: A single center experience
Authors: Ganarin Alba , Sgrò Alberto , Garcia Magne Miguel , Volpe Andrea , Tognon Costanza , Gamba Piergiorgio 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIntroductionOur aim is to compare thoracoscopy to thoracotomy in the treatment of congenital lung malformations (CLM) in children.Materials and MethodsWe report a retrospective monocentric cohort study. Patients treated at our Center for CLM (1991–2020) were divided in two groups: patients treated with video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and open thoracotomy (OT). Characteristics of the two groups were compared through statistical analysis (GraphPad Prism7). A p value less than .05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsOne hundred six patients were included: 58 in VATS group, 48 in OT group. Prenatal diagnosis was possible in 73.6%. The most frequent surgical procedures were lobectomy (43.4%) and sequestrectomy (22.6%). All VATS patients underwent lung exclusion, mostly by endobronchial blocker (69%). Mean operative time was 146.1 min (±52.04 SD) in VATS and 159.2 (±46.53 SD) in OT (p = .1973). Conversion to OT was necessary in 20.6% of VATS patients, but decreased in the last 5 years (6.2%). There were not any intraoperative complication. Respectively in VATS and OT group, length of stay (LOS) was 4.5 days ± 3.6 SD versus 7.7 ± 3.4 SD (p < .0001), chest tube duration 2.8 days ± 3.4 SD versus 3.7 ± 2.4 SD (p < .0001), antibiotic treatment duration 3.7 days ± 4.7 SD versus 5 ± 2.6 SD (p = .1196). Postoperative complications were described in 22.6%. The commonest histological diagnosis (40.6%) was congenital pulmonary airway malformation.ConclusionVATS resulted a feasible, effective and safe technique. Operative time and postoperative complications were similar in VATS and OT groups. VATS conversion rate decreased in time. VATS had a statistically significant shorter LOS and chest tube duration.
Tailored training for physiotherapists on the use of clinical practice guidelines: A mixed methods study
Authors: Stander Jessica , Grimmer Karen , Brink Yolandi 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIntroductionClinical practice guidelines (CPG) are vehicles for translating evidence into practice, but effective CPG‐uptake requires targeted training. This mixed methods research project took a staged evidence‐based approach to develop and test a tailored training programme (TTP) that addressed organisational and individual factors influencing CPG‐uptake by South African physiotherapists treating patients with low back pain in primary healthcare settings.MethodsThis multi‐stage mixed methods study reports the development, contextualisation and expert content validation of a TTP to improve CPG‐uptake. Finally, the TTP was evaluated for its feasibility and acceptability in its current format.ResultsThe TTP (delivered online and face‐to‐face) contained minimal theory, and focussing on practical activities, clinical scenarios and discussions. Pre‐TTP, physiotherapists expressed skepticism about the relevance of CPG in daily practice. However, post‐TTP they demonstrated improved knowledge, confidence, and commitment to CPG‐uptake.DiscussionThe phased‐construction of the TTP addressed South African primary healthcare physiotherapists' needs and concerns, using validated evidence‐based educational approaches. The TTP content, delivered by podcasts and face‐to‐face contact, was feasible and acceptable in terms of physiotherapists' time constraints, and it appeared to be effective in improving all outcome domains. This TTP is now ready for intervention to a wider audience.
PDB‐tools web: A user‐friendly interface for the manipulation of PDB files
Authors: Jiménez‐García Brian , Teixeira João M. C. , Trellet Mikael , Rodrigues João P. G. L. M. , Bonvin Alexandre M. J. J. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe Protein Data Bank (PDB) file format remains a popular format used and supported by many software to represent coordinates of macromolecular structures. It however suffers from drawbacks such as error‐prone manual editing. Because of that, various software toolkits have been developed to facilitate its editing and manipulation, but, to date, there is no online tool available for this purpose. Here we present PDB‐Tools Web, a flexible online service for manipulating PDB files. It offers a rich and user‐friendly graphical user interface that allows users to mix‐and‐match more than 40 individual tools from the pdb‐tools suite. Those can be combined in a few clicks to perform complex pipelines, which can be saved and uploaded. The resulting processed PDB files can be visualized online and downloaded. The web server is freely available at https://wenmr.science.uu.nl/pdbtools.
A dual‐bending endoscope with shape‐lockable hydraulic actuation and water‐jet propulsion for gastrointestinal tract screening
Authors: Liu Jianbin , Yin Linkun , Chandler James H. , Chen Xin , Valdastri Pietro , Zuo Siyang 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundTraditional flexible endoscopes are sophisticated medical devices that require frequent and expensive maintenance. Therefore, their implementation within low‐income and rural regions is challenging due to their high cost, complex sterilization process and poor portability.AimsThis paper aims to develop an endoscopic platform that is low‐cost, disposable and portable, with the primary goal of reducing gastric cancer‐related mortality among low‐ and middle‐income communities through wider access to regular screening programs.Materials and MethodsThe endoscope employs a custom microvalve to switch between hydraulic actuation of a spatial bending fluidic actuator and water‐jet actuation. Three alloy wires with buckle attachments are connected to a pneumatic balloon which facilitates reversible shape‐locking of the actuator, and thus supports stable scanning by water‐jet actuation. Distal tip of the device has an internal charge‐coupled device camera for inspection.ResultsExperiments demonstrated a 58% increase in the workspace after introduction of the water‐jet and more than three times the load‐locking ability variation. Phantom experiment was also conducted for performance comparison with a traditional endoscope.ConclusionBy controlling the pressure of supplied water and the inflation of locking balloon, the endoscope achieves a satisfactory workspace and a remarkable shape‐locking ability, demonstrating its potential clinical value in improving the prospects for upper gastrointestinal tract disease screening, especially gastric cancer.
Intracellular and extracellular targets as mechanisms of cancer therapy by nanomaterials in relation to their physicochemical properties
Authors: Andraos Charlene , Gulumian Mary 
Published: October 2020

AbstractCancer nanomedicine has evolved in recent years and is only expected to increase due to the ease with which nanomaterials (NMs) may be manipulated to the advantage of the cancer patient. The success of nanomedicine is dependent on the cell death mechanism, which in turn is dependent on the organelle initially targeted. The success of cancer nanomedicine is also dependent on other cellular mechanisms such as the induction of autophagy dysfunction, manipulation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and secretome or induction of host immune responses. Current cancer phototherapies for example, photothermal‐ or photodynamic therapies as well as radio enhancement also form a major part of cancer nanomedicine. In general, cancer nanomedicine may be grouped into those NMs exhibiting inherent anti‐cancer properties that is, self‐therapeutic NMs (Group 1), NMs leading to localization of phototherapies or radio‐enhancement (Group 2), and NMs as nanocarriers in the absence or presence of external radiation (Group 3). The recent advances of these three groups, together with their advantages and disadvantages as well as their cellular mechanisms and ultimate outcomes are summarized in this review. By exploiting these different intracellular mechanisms involved in initiating cell death pathways, it is possible to synthesize NMs that may have the desirable characteristics to maximize their efficacy in cancer therapy. Therefore, a summary of these important physicochemical characteristics is also presented that need to be considered for optimal cancer cell targeting and initiation of mechanisms that will lead to cancerous cell death.This article is categorized under:
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease
Toxicology and Regulatory Issues in Nanomedicine > Toxicology of Nanomaterials
Toxicology and Regulatory Issues in Nanomedicine > Regulatory and Policy Issues in Nanomedicine
A Small Remark on Hilbert’s Finitist View of Divisibility and Kanovich-Okada-Scedrov’s Logical Analysis of Real-Time Systems
Authors: Okada Mitsuhiro 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Hilbert remarked in the introductory part of his most famous finitism address (1925
[1]) that “[t]he infinite divisibility of a continuum is an operation that is present only in our thought”, which means that no natural event or matter is infinitely divisible in reality. We recall that Scedrov’s group including the author started logical analysis of real time systems with the principle similar to Hilbert’s no-infinite divisibility claim, in
[2]. The author would like to note some early history of the group’s work on logical analysis of real time system as well as some remark related to Hilbert’s claim of no-infinite divisibility.
One-loop corrections to the primordial tensor spectrum from massless isocurvature fields
Authors: Tan Hai Siong 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWe study one-loop corrections to the two-point correlation function of tensor perturbations in primordial cosmology induced by massless spectator matter fields. Using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism in cosmological perturbation theory, we employ dimensional regularization and cutoff regularization to study the finite quantum corrections at one-loop arising from isocurvature fields of the massless scalar, fermion and abelian gauge field which are freely propagating on the FRW spacetime. For all cases, we find a logarithmic running of the form$$ \frac{C}{q^3}\frac{H^4}{M_p^4} $$Cq3H4Mp4log$$ \left(\frac{H}{\mu}\right) $$HμwhereCis a negative constant related to the beta function,His the Hubble parameter at horizon exit andμis the renormalization scale.
Collaboration Relations in Climate Information Production and Dissemination to Subsistence Farmers in Namibia
Authors: Ofoegbu Chidiebere , New Mark 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAlthough climate information can aid farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate change, its accessibility and adoption by subsistence farmers hinge on the collaboration between farmers and climate information providers. This paper examines collaborations among actors in the process of climate information production and dissemination in the Namibian agricultural sector. The aim is to investigate the extent to which subsistence farmers are integrated into the collaboration process and the impact of the collaboration on the nature and accessibility of disseminated information. Key informant interviews and a questionnaire survey were used for data collection. Using network analysis, we estimated the networks’ density, clustering coefficient, and degree centrality. The study found that both the climate information production and dissemination networks have a high overall clustering coefficient (78% and 77%, respectively) suggesting a high rate of collaboration among the actors in the networks. However, the frequency of interactions between the actors in both the information production and dissemination networks and subsistence farmers remains very low. Nearly all surveyed farmers reported that they meet with information providers only once in a year. The effect of this poor interaction is reflected in the poor occurrence of feedback learning, which is needed to optimize channels of information dissemination to subsistence farmers and enhance the robustness of disseminated information. We recommend innovative communication means via mobile phone, promotion of peer-to-peer learning, flexible collaboration relations with more space for feedback from the users of climate information, and more attention to long-term forecasts and their implications for adaptive actions.
A model for the domestication of Panicum miliaceum (common, proso or broomcorn millet) in China
Authors: Stevens Chris J. , Shelach-Lavi Gideon , Zhang Hai , Teng Mingyu , Fuller Dorian Q. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThis paper outlines a model for the domestication ofPanicum miliaceum(broomcorn millet) in Northern China. Data from 43 archaeological sites indicate a continuous increase in average grain size between 6000 and 3300bc. After this date there is a divergence, with grain size continuing to increase in some populations, while others show no further size increase. The initial increase in grain size is attributed to selection during domestication, while later divergence after 3300bcis interpreted as resulting from post-domestication selection. Measurements of grains from two archaeological populations ofP. ruderale, showed grains were longer in length by 3300bcthan the earliest grains ofP. miliaceum. This suggests this sub-species includes many feral, weedy and/or introgressed forms ofP. miliaceumand therefore is probably not entirely representative of the true wild ancestor. It is argued that changes from shattering to non-shattering are contemporary with increasing grain size and the commencement of cultivation. The window ofP. miliaceumdomestication is therefore likely to lie between 7000 and 3300bc. However, it is probable that a lengthy period of millet harvesting and small-scale management preceded its domestication.
Exploring Baselines for Combining Full Plots into Multiple-plot Stories
Authors: Concepción Eugenio , Gervás Pablo , Méndez Gonzalo 
Published: October 2020

AbstractMany of the stories at the core of narrative entertainment involve a number of plot lines that combine to give them interest. The present paper sets out to solve the problem of how several different plot lines, each one of them complete in its own sense, can be combined into a single linear sequence that works reasonably well as a plot. Starting from a brief review of how existing storytelling systems address the task, a representation for plots and plot templates is proposed that allows the combination of several subplots into a single-plot line. Four strategies for weaving plots are proposed, two taken from literary studies and two computational baselines, and a formative evaluation of a set of stories produced by these solutions is presented. Finally, open issues, promising avenues of future work and the relation to previous work, are discussed.
Pruning trees in C-fuzzy random forest
Authors: Gadomer Łukasz , Sosnowski Zenon A. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPruning decision trees is the way to decrease their size in order to reduce classification time and improve (or at least maintain) classification accuracy. In this paper, the idea of applying different pruning methods to C-fuzzy decision trees and Cluster–context fuzzy decision trees in C-fuzzy random forest is presented. C-fuzzy random forest is a classifier which we created and we are improving. This solution is based on fuzzy random forest and uses C-fuzzy decision trees or Cluster–context fuzzy decision trees—depending on the variant. Five pruning methods were adjusted to mentioned kind of trees and examined: Reduced Error Pruning (REP), Pessimistic Error Pruning (PEP), Minimum Error Pruning (MEP), Critical Value Pruning (CVP) and Cost-Complexity Pruning. C-fuzzy random forests with unpruned trees and trees constructed using each of these pruning methods were created. The evaluation of created forests was performed on eleven discrete decision class datasets (forest with C-fuzzy decision trees) and two continuous decision class datasets (forest with Cluster–context fuzzy decision trees). The experiments on eleven different discrete decision class datasets and two continuous decision class datasets were performed to evaluate five implemented pruning methods. Our experiments show that pruning trees in C-fuzzy random forest in general reduce computation time and improve classification accuracy. Generalizing, the best classification accuracy improvement was achieved using CVP for discrete decision class problems and REP for continuous decision class datasets, but for each dataset different pruning methods work well. The method which pruned trees the most was PEP and the fastest one was MEP. However, there is no pruning method which fits the best for all datasets—the pruning method should be chosen individually according to the given problem. There are also situations where it is better to remain trees unpruned.
The impact of homocysteine on the risk of coronary artery diseases in individuals with diabetes: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Xu Tian , Chen Songzan , Yang Fangkun , Wang Yao , Zhang Kaijie , Fu Guosheng , Zhang Wenbin 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Aims
Observational studies have reported that homocysteine (Hcy) is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in individuals with diabetes, though controversy remains. The present study aimed to investigate the causal association between Hcy and CAD in individuals with diabetes.

Methods
A 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was designed to infer causality. Genetic summary data on the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with Hcy were extracted from the hitherto largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) of up to 44,147 individuals of European ancestry. SNP-CAD data were obtained from another recently published GWAS which included 15,666 individuals with diabetes (3,968 CAD cases, 11,696 controls). The fixed-effects inverse variance-weighted method was employed to calculate the effect estimates. Other robust methods and leave-one-out analyses were used in the follow-up sensitivity analyses. Potential pleiotropy was assessed with the MR-Egger intercept test.

Results
The 2-sample MR analysis suggested no evidence of an association between genetically predicted plasma Hcy levels and CAD risk in individuals with diabetes (odds ratio = 1.14, 95% confidence interval: 0.82–1.58, p = 0.43) using 9 SNPs as instrumental variables. Similar results were observed in the follow-up sensitivity analyses. The MR-Egger intercept test indicated no evidence of directional pleiotropy (intercept = 0.03, 95% confidence interval: − 0.08–0.03, p = 0.35).

Conclusion
This 2-sample MR analysis found no evidence of a causal association between plasma Hcy levels and CAD risk in individuals with diabetes.
Psychosocial and biological risk factors of anxiety disorders in adolescents: a TRAILS report
Authors: Narmandakh Altanzul , Roest Annelieke M. , de Jonge Peter , Oldehinkel Albertine J. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAnxiety disorders are a common problem in adolescent mental health. Previous studies have investigated only a limited number of risk factors for the development of anxiety disorders concurrently. By investigating multiple factors simultaneously, a more complete understanding of the etiology of anxiety disorders can be reached. Therefore, we assessed preadolescent socio-demographic, familial, psychosocial, and biological factors and their association with the onset of anxiety disorders in adolescence. This study was conducted among 1584 Dutch participants of the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Potential risk factors were assessed at baseline (age 10–12), and included socio-demographic (sex, socioeconomic status), familial (parental anxiety and depression), psychosocial (childhood adversity, temperament), and biological (body mass index, heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol) variables. Anxiety disorders were assessed at about age 19 years through the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with onset of anxiety disorder as a dependent variable and the above-mentioned putative risk factors as predictors. Of the total sample, 25.7% had a lifetime diagnosis of anxiety disorder at age 19 years. Anxiety disorders were twice as prevalent in girls as in boys. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that being female (OR = 2.38, p < .01), parental depression and anxiety (OR = 1.34, p = .04), temperamental frustration (OR = 1.31, p = .02) and low effortful control (OR = 0.76, p = .01) independently predicted anxiety disorders. We found no associations between biological factors and anxiety disorder. After exclusion of adolescents with an onset of anxiety disorder before age 12 years, being female was the only significant predictor of anxiety disorder. Being female was the strongest predictor for the onset of anxiety disorder. Psychological and parental psychopathology factors increased the risk of diagnosis of anxiety, but to a lesser extent. Biological factors (heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol, and BMI), at least as measured in the present study, are unlikely to be useful tools for anxiety prevention and intervention strategies.
Plasma skimming efficiency of human blood in the spiral groove bearing of a centrifugal blood pump
Authors: Sakota Daisuke , Kondo Kazuki , Kosaka Ryo , Nishida Masahiro , Maruyama Osamu 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThis work investigates the plasma skimming effect in a spiral groove bearing within a hydrodynamically levitated centrifugal blood pump when working with human blood having a hematocrit value from 0 to 40%. The present study assessed the evaluation based on a method that clarified the limitations associated with such assessments. Human blood was circulated in a closed-loop circuit via a pump operating at 4000 rpm at a flow rate of 5 L/min. Red blood cells flowing through a ridge area of the bearing were directly observed using a high-speed microscope. The hematocrit value in the ridge area was calculated using the mean corpuscular volume, the bearing gap, the cross-sectional area of a red blood cell, and the occupancy of red blood cells. The latter value was obtained from photographic images by dividing the number of pixels showing red blood cells in the evaluation area by the total number of pixels in this area. The plasma skimming efficiency was calculated as the extent to which the hematocrit of the working blood was reduced in the ridge area. For the hematocrit in the circuit from 0 to 40%, the plasma skimming efficiency was approximately 90%, meaning that the hematocrit in the ridge area became 10% as compared to that in the circuit. For a hematocrit of 20% and over, red blood cells almost completely occupied the ridge. Thus, a valid assessment of plasma skimming was only possible when the hematocrit was less than 20%.
Is it the right time for an infant screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy?
Authors: Vita Gian Luca , Vita Giuseppe 
Published: October 2020

AbstractNewborn screening (NBS) is an essential, preventive public health programme for early identification of disorders whose early treatment can lead to significant reduction in morbidity and mortality. NBS for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) has been a controversial matter for many years, because of false positives, the lack of effective drugs and the need of more data about screening efficacy. The still high diagnostic delay of DMD and the current availability of drugs such as steroid, ataluren, eteplirsen, golodirsen and forthcoming new drugs, improving the clinical conditions if early started, make appropriate to begin a concrete discussion between stakeholders to identify best practice for DMD screening. A two-step system CK/DNA screening programme is presented to be performed in male infants aged between 6 months and 42 months involving more than 30,000 male infants. Five to eight DMD subjects are believed to be diagnosed. The pilot project would give the opportunity to test in a small population the feasibility of an infant screening programme, which in the near future could be applicable to an entire country.