bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Time to Sustained Improvement in Bowel Movement Frequency with Telotristat Ethyl: Analyses of Phase III Studies in Carcinoid Syndrome
Authors: Dillon Joseph S. , Kulke Matthew H. , Hörsch Dieter , Anthony Lowell B. , Warner Richard R. P. , Bergsland Emily , Welin Staffan , O’Dorisio Thomas M. , Kunz Pamela L. , McKee Chad , Lapuerta Pablo , Banks Phillip , Pavel Marianne 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
Telotristat ethyl is approved to treat carcinoid syndrome diarrhea in combination with somatostatin analogs. In TELESTAR and TELECAST phase III studies, patients with carcinoid syndrome received telotristat ethyl 250 or 500 mg 3 times per day (tid) or placebo tid in addition to somatostatin analogs. The aim of this prespecified analysis was to examine the time to reductions in bowel movements (BMs) in the TELESTAR and TELECAST studies using survival analysis methods.

Methods
First occurrence of sustained response was defined as the time to the first day of 2 consecutive weeks with a mean BM frequency improvement of ≥ 30% from baseline during the 12-week double-blind treatment periods. Time to first ≥ 30% worsening in BM frequency was also measured. Treatments were compared with the log-rank test; Cox regression models provided point and confidence interval estimates of the hazard ratios for each trial.

Results
In TELESTAR and TELECAST, majority of patients (69%) on telotristat ethyl experienced a sustained ≥ 30% improvement in BM frequency. The median time to sustained reduction of at least 30% in BM frequency was significantly faster (fewer days to onset) for telotristat ethyl compared with placebo in both TELESTAR (250 mg, HR = 2.3 [95% CI, 1.3–4.1, P = 0.004]; 500 mg, HR = 2.2 [95% CI, 1.2–3.9, P = 0.009]) and TELECAST (250 mg, HR = 3.9 [95% CI, 1.6–11.1, P = 0.003]; 500 mg, HR = 4.2 [95% CI, 1.7–11.7, P = 0.002]). In TELECAST, 42% of patients on placebo experienced sustained worsening in BM frequency compared with 20% on telotristat ethyl; no significant difference was observed in TELESTAR.

Conclusion
The time of onset of sustained BM frequency improvement mean and range are important when considering use of telotristat ethyl in patients with carcinoid syndrome diarrhea. Telotristat ethyl may also reduce sustained worsening in BM frequency.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT01677910, NCT02063659
Recent Progress on Carbonaceous Material Engineering for Electrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Generation
Authors: Zhang Baoshan , Xu Wenwen , Lu Zhiyi , Sun Jie 
Published: March 2020

AbstractElectrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) provides a clean and safe technology for large-scale H2O2production. The core of this project is the development of highly active and highly selective catalysts. Recent studies demonstrate that carbonaceous materials are favorable catalysts because of their low-cost and tunable surface structures. This brief review first summarizes the strategies of carbonaceous material engineering for selective two-electron O2reduction reaction and discusses potential mechanisms. In addition, several device designs using carbonaceous materials as catalysts for H2O2production are introduced. Finally, research directions are proposed for practical application and performance improvement.
Stress generation and non-intrusive measurement in virtual environments using eye tracking
Authors: Hirt Christian , Eckard Marcel , Kunz Andreas 
Published: March 2020

AbstractIn real life, it is well understood how stress can be induced and how it is measured. While virtual reality (VR) applications can resemble such stress inducers, it is still an open question if and how stress can be measured in a non-intrusive way during VR exposure. Usually, the quality of VR applications is estimated by user acceptance in the form of presence. Presence itself describes the individual’s acceptance of a virtual environment as real and is measured by specific questionnaires. Accordingly, it is expected that stress strongly affects this presence and thus also the quality assessment. Consequently, identifying the stress level of a VR user may enable content creators to engage users more immersively by adjusting the virtual environment to the measured stress. In this paper, we thus propose to use a commercially available eye tracking device to detect stress while users are exploring a virtual environment. We describe a user study in which a VR task was implemented to induce stress, while users’ pupil diameter and pulse were measured and evaluated against a self-reported stress level. The results show a statistically significant correlation between self-reported stress and users’ pupil dilation and pulse, indicating that stress measurements can indeed be conducted during the use of a head-mounted display. If this indication can be successfully proven in a larger scope, it will open up a new era of affective VR applications using individual and dynamic adjustments in the virtual environment.
Thumbs up, thumbs down: non-verbal human-robot interaction through real-time EMG classification via inductive and supervised transductive transfer learning
Authors: Kobylarz Jhonatan , Bird Jordan J. , Faria Diego R. , Ribeiro Eduardo Parente , Ekárt Anikó 
Published: March 2020

AbstractIn this study, we present a transfer learning method for gesture classification via an inductive and supervised transductive approach with an electromyographic dataset gathered via the Myo armband. A ternary gesture classification problem is presented by states of ’thumbs up’, ’thumbs down’, and ’relax’ in order to communicate in the affirmative or negative in a non-verbal fashion to a machine. Of the nine statistical learning paradigms benchmarked over 10-fold cross validation (with three methods of feature selection), an ensemble of Random Forest and Support Vector Machine through voting achieves the best score of 91.74% with a rule-based feature selection method. When new subjects are considered, this machine learning approach fails to generalise new data, and thus the processes of Inductive and Supervised Transductive Transfer Learning are introduced with a short calibration exercise (15 s). Failure of generalisation shows that 5 s of data per-class is the strongest for classification (versus one through seven seconds) with only an accuracy of 55%, but when a short 5 s per class calibration task is introduced via the suggested transfer method, a Random Forest can then classify unseen data from the calibrated subject at an accuracy of around 97%, outperforming the 83% accuracy boasted by the proprietary Myo system. Finally, a preliminary application is presented through social interaction with a humanoid Pepper robot, where the use of our approach and a most-common-class metaclassifier achieves 100% accuracy for all trials of a ‘20 Questions’ game.
What is epistemically wrong with research affected by sponsorship bias? The evidential account
Authors: Reutlinger Alexander 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBiased research occurs frequently in the sciences. In this paper, I will focus on one particular kind of biased research: research that is subject to sponsorship bias. I will address the following epistemological question: what precisely is epistemically wrong (that is, unjustified) with biased research of this kind? I will defend the evidential account of epistemic wrongness: that is, research affected by sponsorship bias is epistemically wrong if and only if the researchers in question make false claims about the (degree of) evidential support of some hypothesis H by data E. I will argue that the evidential account captures the epistemic wrongness of three paradigmatic types of sponsorship bias.
Performance of wastewater treatment during variable temperature
Authors: Alisawi Hussein Abed Obaid 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe general aims of the biological treatment of wastewater (BTW) are to convert (i.e., oxidizes) dissolved and particulate decomposable elements into satisfactory end products. Biological process produces huge quantity of biological wastewater sludge composed of water, microorganisms, and organic and inorganic constituents, for example, phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N2) as well as many contaminants such as substantial metals, organic pollutants and pathogen in waste sludge. BTW is affected by various factors, among which temperature is the major one. In coldest and hottest regions, there are enormous challenges, and it is difficult to understand what the optimal treatment of wastewater is, particularly if the temperature is changed from less than 4 °C and more than 70 °C. This article presents an exhaustive review of previous studies and suggests a direction for future developments. It is expected that this study will make understanding of behavior of the biological treatment during extreme circumstances.
Groundwater vulnerability assessment of Hoshangabad and Budni industrial area, Madhya Pradesh, India, using geospatial techniques
Authors: Ahirwar Rakesh , Malik Mohammad Subzar , Shukla Jai Prakash 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe quality of groundwater can be determined by hydrogeological formations which vary geographically. Subsurface geology has significant role in governing the movement and quality of groundwater. The present study aims assessment of groundwater contamination vulnerability in Hoshangabad and Budni industrial area using the DRASTIC model approach. The model is hybridization of the seven parameters that provides input to the model. In the model, rating and weightage to each parameter were assigned as per the relative significance of the parameter in groundwater contamination. Groundwater contamination vulnerability index (GWVI) has been computed by integrating of these data layers in ArcGIS environment. The obtained GWVI in the area varies from 66 to 170, which was further divided into five zones, i.e. (1) very low GW contamination zone, (2) low GW contamination zone, (3) moderate GW contamination zone, (4) high GW contamination zone and (5) very high GW contamination zone. Further, the model has been validated by analysing the sulphide concentration in groundwater of the delineated GW contamination vulnerable zones. The model has been found effective for the prevailing hydrogeological settings of the area. The model can serve as an effective tool for the concerned authority, social workers and government/non-organizations for the management of groundwater resources in the area. Further, application of the GIS technique has been found useful in preparing the database of each variable of the model.
How to report educational videos in robotic surgery: an international multidisciplinary consensus statement
Authors: Celentano Valerio , Smart Neil , McGrath John , Cahill Ronan A. , Spinelli Antonino , Challacombe Ben , Belyansky Igor , Hasegawa Hirotoshi , Munikrishnan Venkatesh , Pellino Gianluca , Ahmed Jamil , Muysoms Filip , Saklani Avanish , Khan Jim , Popowich Daniel , Ballecer Conrad , Coleman Mark G. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe swift endorsement of the robotic surgical platform indicates that it might prevail as the preferred technique for many complex abdominal and pelvic operations. Nonetheless, use of the surgical robotic system introduces further layers of complexity into the operating theatre necessitating new training models. Instructive videos with relevant exposition could be optimal for early training in robotic surgery and the aim of this study was to develop consensus guidelines on how to report a robotic surgery video for educational purposes to achieve high quality educational video outputs that could enhance surgical training. A steering group prepared a Delphi survey of 46 statements, which was distributed and voted on utilising an electronic survey tool. The selection of committee members was designed to include representative surgical trainers worldwide across different specialties, including lower and upper gastrointestinal surgery, general surgery, gynaecology and urology. 36 consensus statements were approved and classified in seven categories: author’s information and video introduction, case presentation, demonstration of the surgical procedure, outcomes of the procedure, associated educational content, review of surgical videos quality and use of surgical videos in educational curricula. Consensus guidelines on how to report robotic surgery videos for educational purposes have been elaborated utilising Delphi methodology. We recommend that adherence to the guidelines presented could support advancing the educational quality of video outputs when designed for training.
Testosterone increases apoptotic cell death and decreases mitophagy in Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy cells
Authors: Jankauskaitė Elona , Ambroziak Anna Maria , Hajieva Parvana , Ołdak Monika , Tońska Katarzyna , Korwin Magdalena , Bartnik Ewa , Kodroń Agata 
Published: March 2020

AbstractLeber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is one of the most common mitochondrial diseases caused by point mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The majority of diagnosed LHON cases are caused by a point mutation at position 11,778 in the mitochondrial genome. LHON mainly affects young men in their 20s and 30s with usually poor visual prognosis. It remains unexplained why men are more likely to develop the disease and why only retinal ganglion cells are affected. In this study, a cell model was used for the first time to investigate the influence of testosterone on the cell death mechanism apoptosis and on an autophagy/mitophagy. Cells with m.11778G > A were found to be significantly more susceptible to nucleosome formation and effector caspase activation that serve as hallmarks of apoptotic cell death. Cells having this mutation expressed higher levels of mitophagic receptors BNIP3 and BNIP3L/Nix in a medium with testosterone. Moreover, cells having the mutation exhibited greater mitochondrial mass, which suggests these cells have a decreased cell survival. The observed decrease in cell survival was supported by the observed increase in apoptotic cell death. Autophagy was analyzed after inhibition with Bafilomycin A1 (Baf A1). The results indicate impairment in autophagy in LHON cells due to lower autophagic flux supported by observed lower levels of autophagosome marker LC3-II. The observed impaired lower autophagic flux in mutant cells correlated with increased levels of BNIP3 and BNIP3L/Nix in mutant cells.
Update on the “Choosing Wisely” initiative in infectious diseases in Germany
Authors:   the Choosing Wisely (Klug entscheiden) DGI Working Group, Draenert Rika , Jung Norma 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Purpose
The Choosing Wisely® initiative is an international campaign addressing over- and underuse of diagnostic and therapeutic measures in infectious diseases among others. Since 2016, the German Society for Infectious Diseases (DGI) has constantly designed new items in this regard. Here we report the most recent recommendations.

Methods
The recommendations of the DGI are part of the “Klug entscheiden” initiative of the German Society of Internal Medicine (DGIM). Topics for the new items were suggested by members of the DGI, checked for scientific evidence and consented within the DGI and the DGIM before publication.

Results
The new recommendations are: (1) individuals with immune-suppression, advanced liver cirrhosis or renal insufficiency should receive a dual pneumococcal vaccination. (2) In case of positive blood cultures with Candida spp. thorough diagnostics and treatment should be initiated. (3) In case of suspected meningitis, adult patients should receive dexamethasone and antibiotics immediately after venipuncture for blood cultures and before potential imaging. (4) In case of suspected meningitis a CT scan before lumbar puncture should not be ordered—except for symptoms indicating high CSF pressure or focal brain pathology or in cases of severe immune-suppression. (5) In patients with suspected severe infections, a minimum of two pairs of blood cultures should be drawn using separate venipunctures prior to antibiotic therapy—regardless of body temperature. There is no need of a minimum time interval in between the blood draws.

Conclusion
Applying these new Choosing Wisely® recommendations will increase patient safety and the value of health care.
Towards robotic steel construction through adaptive incremental point welding
Authors: Heimig T. , Kerber E. , Stumm S. , Mann S. , Reisgen U. , Brell-Cokcan S. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAdditive manufacturing enables industries with a new production typology. For the metal manufacturing industry, this new means of production extends the spectrum of achievable building parts that can be fabricated and integrated into architectural designs. Consequently, this process is becoming increasingly relevant for construction industries. The application of additive manufacturing in metal fabrication industries requires high performance technology and extensive knowledge of material and process. Within this paper, we focus on the implementation of incremental point welding as a metal additive arc welding strategy. The goal is the realization and optimization of a manufacturing method which implements adaptive strategies in the control of this production process. In this research, incremental point welding is used for the production of branching structures. Incremental point welding is a type of metal arc additive manufacturing which deposits material by adding individual welding points rather than layering welding seams. This process is interesting for a number of reasons. The incremental application of individual metal drops simplifies the analysis and forecast of residual stress and temperature developments. Consistent arc initialization within point welding is hard to control and, therefore, requires further exploration. This led to the following research in developing an adaptive process. Furthermore, the potential of the process is increased by the possibility of tool-path adaptivity for a robotic system enabling the robot to produce welds at complex approach angles. This research developed a novel approach, able to manufacture complex branching structures while compensating for inaccuracies caused by the welding process using image processing and an adaptive strategy. First experiments showed the possibility to work at a range of overhang angle in addition to multiple approach angles up to 50°. This adaptive process increases the potential application of this technology for the extensions of existing structures as well as repair of metal structures through incremental point welding.
Physical functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes for enhanced dispersibility in aqueous medium
Authors: Youssry Mohamed , Al-Ruwaidhi Maisa , Zakeri Mahdiyeh , Zakeri Mohadese 
Published: March 2020

AbstractNoncovalent functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by anionic surfactants (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate; SDBS and sodium cholate; SC) results in stable aqueous dispersions. SDBS showed better dispersing efficiency at lower concentration than that of SC due to the stabilizing π-π stacking induced by the presence of benzene ring in the tail of SBDS. The hemimicelle formation on the surface of nanotubes is likely to be the dominant dispersion mechanism that imparts higher colloidal stability for the MWCNTs in aqueous medium.
The realization of fertility intentions in the context of childbearing postponement: comparison of transitional and post-transitional populations
Authors: Kocourková Jiřina , Šťastná Anna 
Published: March 2020

AbstractChildbearing postponement is a key demographic change that has been experienced by most European countries. It leads to a late-fertility pattern, with women realizing their reproductive plans preferentially after the age of 30. This may result in a lower fertility level. Since the ideal family size has not changed in most European countries, it has been argued that the end of the postponement transition further depends on the extent to which the lower fertility of younger women is compensated for by an increase in that of older women. Thus, the completion of the transition depends not only on the formation of a late childbearing pattern, but also on the capability of women to realize their reproductive plans if they commence childbearing later in their lives. This study employed a new approach to assess postponement transition based on analysis of the realization of the fertility intentions of women at later childbearing ages using survey panel data. A method that enables the differentiation between transitional and post-transitional cohorts was applied. The investigation was based on a comparison of the postponement transition in Czechia and France, the former being a post-communist and the latter a Western European country. It was found that despite having a similar pattern of fertility timing, Czechia and France underwent differing phases of postponement transition. The Czech population was identified as being transitional since only the ‘transition’ cohorts had completed their fertility during the period under study. These cohorts did not show a significant increase in realization of fertility intentions in later age. In contrast, the post-transitional French population is characterized by higher completed cohort fertility rates amongst women who entered motherhood at the age of 30 and over and by the significantly higher realization of fertility intentions for women aged 30–34 years.
From Trees to Ecosystems: Spatiotemporal Scaling of Climatic Impacts on Montane Landscapes Using Dendrochronological, Isotopic, and Remotely Sensed Data
Authors: Correa‐Díaz A. , Silva L. C. R. , Horwath W. R. , Gómez‐Guerrero A. , Vargas‐Hernández J. , Villanueva‐Díaz J. , Suárez‐Espinoza J. , Velázquez‐Martínez A. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAn interdisciplinary approach is needed for understanding tree physiology and forest biogeochemical cycles undergoing climate change and rising atmospheric CO2. We combined tree ring time series, wood isotope signatures, remotely sensed variables, and climatic data to perform a spatiotemporal scaling analysis of tree physiology and high‐elevation forest responses to rising CO2. The main question addressed is how tree physiological performance of dominant trees can be combined with satellite‐derived information of stand‐level productivity to understand how the landscape shapes the relationship between forest structure and function. Annually resolved tree ring carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios (δ13C and δ18O), carbon isotope discrimination from CO2 to wood (Δ13C), and intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE) of dominant Pinus hartwegii Lindl. trees were sampled and compared against stand‐level normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series from 2000 to 2016. Linear mixed‐effects models tested the effects of elevation, aspect, and time. Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios were correlated with NDVI mainly for the previous fall‐winter season and for the beginning of the growing season. Wood δ13C decreased over time regardless of spatial position, whereas wood δ18O varied as a function of altitude and time. Although Δ13C did not vary with elevation, aspect, or time, a notable decline in Δ13C and peak in iWUE during a severe drought event was evident. Results highlight the link between remotely sensed data, tree ring isotopic composition, and tree physiology as the determining factors to determine spatiotemporal variability in dendroecological studies.