bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The perceived impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on dental undergraduate students in the Italian region of Emilia‐Romagna
Authors: Generali Luigi , Iani Cristina , Macaluso Guido Maria , Montebugnoli Lucio , Siciliani Giuseppe , Consolo Ugo 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIntroductionThe outbreak and diffusion of the novel SARS‐CoV2 coronavirus have caused an emergency status in the dental education system.Materials and methodsAn anonymous survey composed of 34 questions was delivered to students of the Master Degree Programme in Dentistry and Dental Prosthodontics of the Universities of Emilia‐Romagna, the fifth Italian region most affected by the pandemic. The psychological impact of COVID‐19 was assessed by means of the Generalised Anxiety Disorder‐7 scale (GAD‐7). Numerically recoded data were analysed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), whilst to investigate the association between quantitative variables, the Pearson correlation coefficient (R) was computed.ResultsThe questionnaire was completed by 399 students (75%) out of 532. Most students experienced difficulties in working at the thesis during the COVID‐19 emergency. For over half of them, online teaching could only partially replace traditional face‐to‐face lessons. The negative impact on the study career was judged as particularly high by sixth‐year students. Clinical training activities were considered as exposing to the risk of contracting COVID‐19 infection by the majority of the students. The level of concern of contracting COVID‐19 infections during future university activities was positively correlated to risk perception related to clinical training.ConclusionThe results of this survey could be used to train students to a correct risk assessment. Students reported experiencing concern whilst thinking of COVID‐19 and 6.5% of them showed symptoms related to high levels of anxiety. These data may guide Universities in trying to reduce students' anxiety by means of correct communication strategies.
The hematologic consequences of obesity
Authors: Purdy Johanna C. , Shatzel Joseph J. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe prevalence of obesity is increasing and progressively influencing physician‐patient interactions. While there is a sizable amount of data demonstrating that obesity is a state of low‐grade inflammation, to our knowledge, there is no single review summarizing its effects on hematologic parameters and thrombotic risk. We performed a literature search which largely surfaced observational studies, with a few systematic reviews and meta‐analyses of these studies. We took care to review the mechanisms driving an inflammatory state and obesity's effect on white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and thrombotic risk. There is an observed relative, and sometimes absolute leukocytosis driven by this inflammatory state. Obesity is also associated with increased platelet counts and an increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Lastly, the association between obesity, iron deficiency (ID), and red blood cell counts may be present but remains uncertain. Recognizing the above associations may provide clinicians with reassurance regarding otherwise unexplained hematologic abnormalities in obese individuals. We hope this review will prompt future studies to further understand the underlying mechanisms driving these abnormalities and identify modifiable risk factors and potential therapeutic targets to prevent the development of probable obesity‐associated conditions with significant morbidity and mortality, such as ID and VTE.
M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor‐mediated inhibition of GABA release from striatal medium spiny neurons onto cholinergic interneurons
Authors: Suzuki Etsuko , Momiyama Toshihiko 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAcetylcholine (ACh) modulates neurotransmitter release in the central nervous system. Although GABAergic transmission onto the striatal cholinergic interneurons (ChIN) is modulated by dopamine receptors, cholinergic modulation of the same synapse is still unknown. In the present study, modulatory roles of ACh in the GABAergic transmission from striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) onto ChIN were investigated using optogenetics and whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique in juvenile and young‐adult mice brain slices. GABAA receptor‐mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were evoked by focal electrical‐ or blue‐light stimulation. Bath application of carbachol, a muscarinic ACh receptor agonist, suppressed the amplitude of IPSCs in a concentration‐dependent manner in both age groups. A choline esterase inhibitor, physostigmine, also suppressed the amplitude of IPSCs. In the presence of a membrane permeable M1 muscarine receptor antagonist, pirenzepine, carbachol‐induced suppression of IPSCs was antagonized, whereas a M2 muscarine receptor antagonist, a M4 receptor antagonist, or a membrane impermeable M1 receptor antagonist did not antagonize carbachol‐induced suppression of IPSCs. Retrograde cannabinoid cascade via cannabinoid receptor 1 was not involved in carbachol‐induced inhibition. Furthermore, carbachol did not affect amplitude of inward currents induced by puff application of GABA, whereas coefficient of variation of IPSCs was significantly increased by carbachol. These results suggest that activation of presynaptic M1 muscarine receptors located on the GABAergic terminals including intracellular organelle of MSNs inhibits GABA release onto ChIN.
Testosterone use and shorter electrocardiographic QT interval duration in men living with and without HIV
Authors: Hiremath PG , Bhondoekhan F , Haberlen SA , Ashikaga H , Palella FJ , D’Souza G , Budoff MJ , Kingsley LA , Dobs AS , Post WS , Soliman EZ , Brown TT , Wu KC 
Published: December 2020

ObjectivesTestosterone usage (T‐use) may alter risk factors for sudden cardiac death in men living with HIV (MLWH). Electrocardiographic QT interval prolongation, which could potentiate ventricular arrhythmias, has previously been associated with HIV infection and, separately, with low testosterone levels. We investigated whether T‐use shortens the QT interval duration in MLWH and HIV‐uninfected men.MethodsWe utilized data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, a prospective, longitudinal study of HIV infection among men who have sex with men. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between T‐use and corrected QT interval (QTc) duration.ResultsTestosterone usage was more common in MLWH compared with HIV‐uninfected men (19% vs. 9%). In a multivariable regression analysis, T‐use was associated with a 5.7 ms shorter QT interval [95% confidence interval (CI): −9.5 to −1.9; P = 0.003). Furthermore, stronger associations were observed for prolonged duration of T‐use and recent timing of T‐use.ConclusionsThis study is the first known analysis of T‐use and QTc interval in MLWH. Overall, our data demonstrate that recent T‐use is associated with a shorter QTc interval. Increased T‐use duration above a threshold of ≥ 50% of visits in the preceding 5 years was associated with a shorter QTc interval while lesser T‐use duration was not.
Correlative chemical and structural nanocharacterization of a pseudo‐binary 0.75Bi(Fe0.97Ti0.03)O3‐0.25BaTiO3 ceramic
Authors: McCartan Shane J. , Calisir Ilkan , Paterson Gary W. , Webster Robert W. H. , Macgregor Thomas A. , Hall David A. , MacLaren Ian 
Published: December 2020

AbstractFast cooling after sintering or annealing of BiFeO3‐BaTiO3 mixed‐oxide ceramics yields core‐shell structures that give excellent functional properties, but their precise phase assemblage and nanostructure remains an open question. By comparing conventional electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) with scanning precession electron diffraction (SPED) mapping using a direct electron detector, we correlate chemical composition with the presence or absence of octahedral tilting and with changes in lattice parameters. This reveals that some grains have a three‐phase assemblage of a BaTiO3‐rich pseudocubic shell; a BiFeO3‐rich outer core with octahedral tilting consistent with an R3c structure; and an inner core richer in Ba and even poorer in Ti, which seems to show a pseudocubic structure of slightly smaller lattice parameter than the shell region. This last structure has not been previously identified in these materials, but the composition and structure fit with previous studies. These inner cores are likely to be non‐polar and play no part in the ferroelectric properties. Nevertheless, the combination of EELS and SPED clearly provides a novel way to examine heterogeneous microstructures with high spatial resolution, thus revealing the presence of phases that may be too subtle to detect with more conventional techniques.
Lattice distortion in high‐entropy carbide ceramics from first‐principles calculations
Authors: Zhao Shijun 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe idea of high‐entropy alloys (HEAs) has profoundly stimulated the recent development of novel entropy‐stabilized ceramics. Herein we explore the local lattice distortion, one of the core effects in HEAs responsible for their extraordinary properties, in typical high‐entropy ceramic (HEC) carbides with single‐phase rock salt structures. We first quantify the local distortions based on first‐principles calculations, and then investigate their influences on the structural properties, lattice stability, electronic structures, mechanical deformation, defect energetics, and thermodynamic properties. Our results show that carbon generally exhibits the most substantial distortion. On average, large local distortion is found in (NbTiVZr)C and (MoNbTaVW)C. Such distortion plays a crucial role in stabilizing HECs by lowering their enthalpy of formation. The electronic structure of HECs depends strongly on the local distortion, which can enhance charge transfer between transition metals and carbon atoms. We further show that distortion makes HECs soft and ductile due to the delocalization of electronic charges. The formation energies of C vacancies decrease significantly due to local distortion, resulting in high concentrations of C vacancies. The presence of high‐concentration C vacancies release distortion and helps to retain the high strength of HECs. Finally, we show that lattice distortion has a great impact on the thermodynamic quantities of HECs, such as thermal expansion coefficient and Debye temperature.
Stiffness of photocrosslinkable gelatin hydrogel influences nucleus pulposus cell propertiesin vitro
Authors: Xu Panpan , Guan Jingjing , Chen Yu , Xiao Hui , Yang Tianhao , Sun Hengheng , Wu Nan , Zhang Changchun , Mao Yingji 
Published: December 2020

AbstractA key early sign of degenerative disc disease (DDD) is the loss of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells (NPCs). Accordingly, NPC transplantation is a treatment strategy for intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. However, in advanced DDD, due to structural damage of the IVD and scaffold mechanical properties, the transplanted cells are less viable and secrete less extracellular matrix, and thus, are unable to efficiently promote NP regeneration. In this study, we evaluated the encapsulation of NPCs in a photosensitive hydrogel made of collagen hydrolysate gelatin and methacrylate (GelMA) to improve NP regeneration. By adjusting the concentration of GelMA, we prepared hydrogels with different mechanical properties. After examining the mechanical properties, cell compatibility and tissue engineering indices of the GelMA‐based hydrogels, we determined the optimal hydrogel concentration of the NPC‐encapsulating GelMA hydrogel for NP regeneration as 5%. NPCs effectively combined with GelMA and proliferated. As the concentration of the GelMA hydrogel increased, the survival, proliferation and matrix deposition of the encapsulated NPCs gradually decreased, which is the opposite of NPCs grown on the surface of the hydrogel. The controllability of the GelMA hydrogels suggests that these NPC‐encapsulating hydrogels are promising candidates to aid in NP tissue engineering and repairing endogenous NPCs.
Phenotype, genotype and pathogenicity of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from cultured tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) in Taiwan
Authors: Sudpraseart Chiranan , Wang Pei‐Chi , Chen Shih‐Chu 
Published: December 2020

AbstractTilapia (Oreochromis spp.) is globally used as an aquaculture fish species due to its high growth rate and disease resistance. However, it faces an increased risk of streptococcosis. Streptococcus agalactiae, also known as group B streptococcus (GBS), is the most important tilapia pathogen in Asia. Studies of Str. agalactiae infection in Taiwan are still unclear. Thus, this study aimed to explore the phenotype, genotype and pathogenicity of Str. agalactiae isolated from cultured tilapia in Taiwan in 2016–2018. The analysis revealed that 85% of the strains displayed β‐haemolysis and 15% showed γ‐haemolysis, with the same capsule level, and were positive for the CAMP test. The Rapid ID 32 Strep test showed a similarity of Rapid ID 32 Strep is more than 99.5% to GBS. Genotypic distribution by molecular serotyping detected only serotype Ia from all isolates, despite the regional differences. Pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was categorized into 3 and 10 clusters by restriction enzymes SmaI and ApaI, respectively. Virulence genes and antimicrobial resistance genes presented the same profile in all isolates. The challenge test with 106 CFU/fish (LD50), administered intraperitoneally, showed that the β‐haemolysis strains had a higher mortality rate than γ‐haemolysis, although they were from the same cluster from PFGE, year and region.
Development of whey protein isolate/chitosan/microcrystalline cellulose‐based bilayer films using surface‐pretreated polyethylene terephthalate substrate
Authors: Hu Yue , Wang Zichun , Zhang Xia , Bai Xue , Li Xue , Ren Di‐Feng 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPolyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been widely used in food packaging due to its excellent comprehensive properties, but has relatively low barrier properties towards small molecules. In this study, whey protein isolate (WPI)/chitosan (CS)/microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) solution was sprayed evenly on PET which pretreated by corona discharge (CD) and uniform glow discharge (UGD) plasma to prepare WPI/CS/MCC/PET bilayer film, and the properties, structure, and morphology of films were characterized. The water contact angle of UGD treated PET was significantly decreased by 79.01% due to increased polar functional groups. After coated with WPI/CS/MCC film, the reduced oxygen and carbon dioxide transmission rates of untreated and pretreated PET was in the range of 71.74–94.64%, and UGD pretreatment was more efficient to improve gas barrier properties than CD, but the mechanical and water vapor barrier properties of pretreated bilayer film weakened a little. There was a high intermolecular interaction between hydroxyl and amino groups of WPI/CS/MCC film and polar groups, such as COC and CH bonds, carbonyl, and methyl groups, of UGD‐pretreated PET, as verified by Fourier transform infrared with attenuated total reflection. In conclusion, UGD‐pretreated WPI/CS/MCC/PET bilayer film was significantly efficient to enhance the gas barrier properties of single‐layer PET.Practical ApplicationsPolyethylene terephthalate (PET) has relatively low barrier properties and its application has been limited in food high air tightness packaging. The present study aimed to develop biopolymer‐based high barrier bilayer film using surface‐pretreated PET substrate. The thermogravimetric analysis, mechanical, and barrier properties were investigated, and the structural characterization and morphology of bilayer films were investigated by Fourier transform infrared with attenuated total reflection analysis, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscope. This work provides a foundation for enhancing the gas barrier properties of single‐layer PET using the combination of biopolymer‐based coating and surface pretreatment.
An efficient tea quality classification algorithm based on near infrared spectroscopy and random Forest
Authors: Chen Guikun , Zhang Xiangchen , Wu Zebiao , Su Jinhe , Cai Guorong 
Published: December 2020

AbstractTraditional tea quality evaluation methods are based on chemical testing, such as gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GCMS) and high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). However, the process of extracting chemical components is generally time‐consuming and expensive, which makes it unsuitable for wide range of applications. Therefore, this paper presents a new approach to evaluate tea quality based on Near‐infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) devices. In our method, factor analysis compression algorithm is first applied to initially compress the input NIRS vectors, which are acquired from tea samples with high dimensional data. Then, random forest algorithm is employed to construct a voting strategy. More precisely speaking, we proposed a low‐cost and convenient tea quality estimation scheme that can be widely used in tea industry. The proposed approach has been verified using tea NIRS datasets which were acquired from Fujian Province. Experiments show that the proposed NIRS‐based approach significantly outperforms the GCMS‐based and HPLC‐based methods. Specially, we achieved a highly competitive performance (AP = 0.989) on the comprehensive data set that contains 869 annotated Chinese tea samples, which means that tea quality can be estimated in a convenient and cheaper way.Practical ApplicationsThe proposed tea classification approach based on artificial intelligence which lend new perspectives to tea merchants and consumers insight and decision‐making. The approach can perform preference adjustments in various conditions such as regions, crowd habits, seasons, etc.
The NPR1‐WRKY46‐WRKY6 signaling cascade mediates probenazole/salicylic acid‐elicited leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Zhang Dingyu , Zhu Zheng , Gao Jiong , Zhou Xin , Zhu Shuai , Wang Xiaoyan , Wang Xiaolei , Ren Guodong , Kuai Benke 
Published: December 2020

AbstractEndogenous salicylic acid (SA) regulates leaf senescence, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unexplored. The exogenous application of SA to living plants is not efficient for inducing leaf senescence. By taking advantage of probenazole (PBZ)‐induced biosynthesis of endogenous SA, we previously established a chemical inducible leaf senescence system that depends on SA biosynthesis and its core signaling receptor NPR1 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, using this system, we identified WRKY46 and WRKY6 as key components of the transcriptional machinery downstream of NPR1 signaling. Upon PBZ treatment, the wrky46 mutant exhibited significantly delayed leaf senescence. We demonstrate that NPR1 is essential for PBZ/SA‐induced WRKY46 activation, whereas WRKY46 in turn enhances NPR1 expression. WRKY46 interacts with NPR1 in the nucleus, binding to the W‐box of the WRKY6 promoter to induce its expression in response to SA signaling. Dysfunction of WRKY6 abolished PBZ‐induced leaf senescence, while overexpression of WRKY6 was sufficient to accelerate leaf senescence even under normal growth conditions, suggesting that WRKY6 may serve as an integration node of multiple leaf senescence signaling pathways. Taken together, these findings reveal that the NPR1‐WRKY46‐WRKY6 signaling cascade plays a critical role in PBZ/SA‐mediated leaf senescence in Arabidopsis.
Outcomes of wound care nurses’ practice in patients with pressure ulcers: An integrative review
Authors: Monaco Dario , Iovino Paolo , Lommi Marzia , Marano Giulia , Zaghini Francesco , Vellone Ercole , Alvaro Rosaria , Sili Alessandro 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundWound care nurses are recognised as a key element for improving health outcomes. However, there is still fragmented knowledge of the outcomes associated with their practice in individuals with pressure ulcers.Aims and objectivesTo identify, summarise and map all available evidence related to the outcomes of wound care nurses’ practice in individuals with pressure ulcers.DesignIntegrative literature review.Review methodTo report the review, we followed the modified version of Cooper's five‐step methodology, and the PRISMA guidelines.MethodsThe search was carried out on CINAHL, PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Scopus, with a time frame ranging from each database inception to December 21, 2019. We included observational or experimental studies of adult individuals affected by (or at risk of) developing pressure ulcers who were also cared for by wound care nurses.ResultsOf the 439 peer‐reviewed publications, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. The most frequent outcomes were pressure ulcer incidence, healing rate and time taken for complete healing. Less frequent outcomes were changes in pressure ulcers’ stage, number of completely healed wounds, treatment costs and physical discomfort. No patient‐reported outcomes were assessed.ConclusionThis review indicates that clinical‐related outcomes were by far the most reported. Future studies should broaden the spectrum of outcomes to include more subjective parameters (e.g. pain, quality of life, stress, etc.), in order to gain a better understanding of the global impact of wound care practice on patients with pressure ulcers.Relevance to clinical practiceThere is promising evidence of a positive impact of wound care nurses’ practice on health and economic outcomes. Nonetheless, more robust and rigorous research is needed to provide stronger evidence in the field and support investment in these practitioners.
SS‐Detect: Development and Validation of a New Strategy for Source‐Based Morphometry in Multiscanner Studies
Authors: Ge Ruiyang , Ding Shiqing , Keeling Tyler , Honer William G. , Frangou Sophia , Vila‐Rodriguez Fidel 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTBackground and PurposeSource‐based morphometry(SBM) has been used in multicenter studies pooling magnetic resonance imaging data across different scanners to advance the reproducibility of neuroscience research. In the present study, we developed an analysis strategy for Scanner‐Specific Detection (SS‐Detect) of SBPs in multiscanner studies, and evaluated its performance relative to a conventional strategy.MethodsIn the first experiment, the SimTB toolbox was used to generate simulated datasets mimicking 20 different scanners with common and scanner‐specific SBPs. In the second experiment, we generated one simulated SBP from empirical gray matter volume (GMV) datasets from two different scanners. Moreover, we applied two strategies to compare SBPs between schizophrenia patients’ and healthy controls’ GMV from two scanners.ResultsThe outputs of the conventional strategy were limited to whole‐sample‐level results across all scanners; the outputs of SS‐Detect included whole‐sample‐level and scanner‐specific results. In the first simulation experiment, SS‐Detect successfully estimated all simulated SBPs, including the common and scanner‐specific SBPs, whereas the conventional strategy detected only some of the whole‐sample SBPs. The second simulation experiment showed that both strategies could detect the simulated SBP. Quantitative evaluations of both experiments demonstrated greater accuracy of the SS‐Detect in estimating spatial SBPs and subject‐specific loading parameters. In the third experiment, SS‐Detect detected more significant between‐group SBPs, and these SBPs corresponded with the results from voxel‐based morphometry analysis, suggesting that SS‐Detect has higher sensitivity in detecting between‐group differences.ConclusionsSS‐Detect outperformed the conventional strategy and can be considered advantageous when SBM is applied to a multiscanner study.