bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of thyroplasty implant stiffness on glottal shape and voice acoustics
Authors: Cameron Brian H. , Zhang Zhaoyan , Chhetri Dinesh K. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractObjectivesVocal fold (VF) stiffness and geometry are determinant variables in voice production. Type 1 medialization thyroplasty (MT), the primary surgical treatment for glottic insufficiency, changes both of these variables. Understanding the cause and effect relationship between these variables and acoustic output might improve voice outcomes after MT. In this study, the effects of thyroplasty implants with variable stiffness on glottal shape and acoustics were investigated.MethodsIn an ex vivo human larynx phonation model, bilateral MT with implants of four stiffness levels (1386, 21.6, 9.3, and 5.5 kPa) were performed. Resulting acoustics and aerodynamics were measured across multiple airflow levels. A vertical partial hemilaryngectomy was performed and stereoscopic images of the VF medial surface taken to reconstruct its three‐dimensional (3D) surface contour. The results were compared across implants.ResultsThe effects of implant stiffness on acoustics varied by airflow. Softer implants resulted in improved acoustics, as measured by cepstral peak prominence (CPP), at lower airflow levels compared to stiffer implants but this relationship reversed at high airflow levels. Stiffer implants generally required less airflow to generate a given subglottal pressure. Stiffer implants resulted in greater medialized surface area and maximal medialization, but all implants had similar effects on overall VF medial surface contour.ConclusionSofter implants result in less medialization but better acoustics at low airflow rates. Stiffer implants provide better acoustics and more stable pressure‐flow relationships at higher airflow rates. This highlights a potential role for patient‐specific customized thyroplasty implants of various stiffness levels.Level of EvidenceNA.
Complete Lω1,ω‐sentences with maximal models in multiple cardinalities
Authors: Baldwin John , Souldatos Ioannis 
Published: December 2019

AbstractIn [5], examples of incomplete sentences are given with maximal models in more than one cardinality. The question was raised whether one can find similar examples of complete sentences. In this paper, we give examples of complete ‐sentences with maximal models in more than one cardinality. From (homogeneous) characterizability of κ we construct sentences with maximal models in κ and in one of and more. Indeed, consistently we find sentences with maximal models in uncountably many distinct cardinalities.
Supramolecular Tandem Assay for Pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate by the Reporter Pair of Guanidinocalix[5]Arene and Fluorescein
Authors: Yue Yu‐Xin , Kong Yong , Yang Fan , Zheng Zhe , Hu Xin‐Yue , Guo Dong‐Sheng 
Published: December 2019

AbstractGuanidinocalix[5]arene and fluorescein reporter pair has been chosen to set up a supramolecular tandem assay principle based on the differential recognition of pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate (the substrate of alkaline phosphatase, ALP), pyridoxal (the product of ALP) and phosphate (the product of ALP). This supramolecular tandem assay system offers an opportunity to monitor the activity of ALP in a label‐free, continuous, and real‐time manner. More importantly, a calibration curve can be given for selective and quantitative detection of pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate (biomarker for several diseases).
The stem cell inhibitor salinomycin decreases colony formation potential and tumor‐initiating population in docetaxel‐sensitive and docetaxel‐resistant prostate cancer cells
Authors: Gruber Martina , Handle Florian , Culig Zoran 
Published: December 2019

AbstractBackgroundProstate cancer (PCa) is one of the most frequently diagnosed tumors in men. In general, therapies for localized PCa are curative. However, treatment of advanced PCa is considered palliative since development of therapy resistance occurs rapidly. It has been shown that tumor‐initiating cells are likely involved in therapy resistance. They are not eliminated by conventional therapies and thereby lead to tumor progression and relapse. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the known stem cell inhibitor salinomycin on this critical subpopulation of cells.MethodsExpression of the cell surface markers CD24 and CD44 was assessed by immunofluorescence and fluorescence‐activated cell sorting. Colony formation efficiency and classification of colony types with varying tumor‐initiating potential (holoclones, meroclones, and paraclones) were analyzed in an automated way by the newly developed CATCH‐colonies software in the absence or presence of salinomycin.ResultsAutomated high‐resolution colony formation analysis consistently identified the various colony types in a broad range of PCa cell lines. Serial clonogenic assays confirmed that holoclones show the highest colony formation potential and maintain their tumor‐initiating capacity over multiple rounds. Furthermore, holoclones showed high expression of CD44, while CD24 was not expressed in these clones, thus representing the well‐described tumor‐initiating CD24−/CD44high population. Salinomycin decreased the CD24−/CD44high population in both docetaxel‐sensitive PC3 and docetaxel‐resistant (DR) PC3‐DR. Moreover, treatment of PC3, DU145, PC3‐DR, and DU145‐DR with salinomycin led to a significant reduction in the colony formation potential by targeting the colonies with high tumor‐initiating potential.ConclusionsTaken together, we demonstrated that salinomycin specifically targets the tumor‐initiating cell population in docetaxel‐sensitive and docetaxel‐resistant PCa cells and may represent a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of advanced PCa.
Prediction of the initial folding sites and the entire folding processes for Ig‐like beta‐sandwich proteins
Authors: Aumpuchin Panyavut , Hamaue Shoya , Kikuchi Takeshi 
Published: December 2019

AbstractDescribing the whole story of protein folding is currently the main enigmatic problem in molecular bioinformatics study. Protein folding mechanisms have been intensively investigated with experimental as well as simulation techniques. Since a protein folds into its specific 3D structure from a unique amino acid sequence, it is interesting to extract as much information as possible from the amino acid sequence of a protein. Analyses based on inter‐residue average distance statistics and a coarse‐grained Gō‐model simulation were conducted on Ig and FN3 domains of a titin protein to decode the folding mechanisms from their sequence data and native structure data, respectively. The central region of all domains was predicted to be an initial folding unit, that is, stable in an early state of folding. This common feature coincides well with the experimental results and underscores the significance of the β‐sandwich proteins' common structure, namely, the key strands for folding and the Greek‐key motif, which is located in the central region. We confirmed that our sequence‐based techniques were able to predict the initial folding event just next to the denatured state and that a 3D‐based Gō‐model simulation can be used to investigate the whole process of protein folding.
Beneficial effects of Codonopsis lanceolata extract on systolic blood pressure levels in prehypertensive adults: A double‐blind, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Shin You Kyoung , Hsieh Yu Shan , Han A Young , Lee Kwang‐Won , Seol Geun Hee 
Published: December 2019

Codonopsis lanceolata (CL) extract was shown to have antihypertensive effects in hypertensive rats. This randomized controlled trial was designed to investigate the ability of CL extract to prevent hypertension (HTN) in prehypertensive subjects. Eighty subjects aged 19–60 years with a systolic blood pressure (BP) of 120–139 mmHg and a diastolic BP of 80–89 mmHg were recruited over 3 months. Subjects were randomized 1:1 to a CL group and a placebo (PL) group and administered CL extract and starch, respectively, for 6 weeks. (BP) was measured and blood sampled at baseline and at the end of the trial. Relative to baseline, systolic BP was significantly decreased, and catalase activity was significantly increased following CL treatment in both the elevated systolic BP and stage 1 HTN subgroups. In the elevated systolic BP subgroup, serum nitrite concentration relative to baseline was significantly increased in CL compared to PL treated subjects (p = .038). In subjects with stage 1 HTN, high sensitivity C‐reactive protein (p = .020) and malondialdehyde (p = .039) showed significantly greater reductions from baseline in the CL than in the PL group. In summary, CL was effective in preventing endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and lipid peroxidation in prehypertensive subjects, with these effects differing according to baseline systolic BP levels.
Robust nonparametric regression: A review
Authors: Čížek Pavel , Sadıkoğlu Serhan 
Published: December 2019

AbstractNonparametric regression methods provide an alternative approach to parametric estimation that requires only weak identification assumptions and thus minimizes the risk of model misspecification. In this article, we survey some nonparametric regression techniques, with an emphasis on kernel‐based estimation, that are additionally robust to atypical and outlying observations. While the main focus lies on robust regression estimation, robust bandwidth selection and conditional scale estimation are discussed as well. Robust estimation in popular nonparametric models such as additive and varying‐coefficient models is summarized too. The performance of the main methods is demonstrated on a real dataset.This article is categorized under:Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Robust MethodsStatistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Nonparametric Methods
The Powerful Placebo Effect in Cough: Relevance to Treatment and Clinical Trials
Authors: Eccles Ron 
Published: December 2019

AbstractInterest in the placebo effect of medicines has developed from the use of placebo treatments as controls in clinical trials into a whole new area of research around how placebos fit into a psychosocial model of therapeutics. The large placebo effect associated with cough medicines is both a problem and an opportunity for researchers: a problem for clinical trials on new actives as the active must beat the large placebo effect, and an opportunity for harnessing the placebo effect to produce effective cough medicines without any pharmacologically active ingredient. This review discusses the mechanisms associated with the placebo effect of cough medicines and distinguishes between a ‘perceived placebo effect’ and a true ‘placebo effect’. The efficacy of sweeteners in cough syrups is discussed as well as viscosity, mucoadhesion, and flavoring. The complexity of modern cough medicines is demonstrated by an example of a medicine which contains one active ingredient, and eighteen excipients which provide a complex and intense sensory experience to enhance the placebo effect and complement the pharmacological activity of the medicine.
Academic Celebrity
Authors: Walsh Peter William , Lehmann David 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis article examines the institution of celebrity within academia. Academic celebrity has parallels with the celebrity seen in the wider world, though it is born of conditions unique to the fields of higher education and research and exhibits its own special characteristics. Whilst the scholarly prominence of academics can be based on more or less impersonal measures, especially citation statistics, academic celebrity, like popular celebrity, has emotional and subjective dimensions that call for non-subjective analysis. That challenge is met in this article by pointing to the cultural and institutional underpinnings of the phenomenon. In outlining some of academic celebrity’s defining features, we explore the critical difference between scholarly prominence, which is based on the perception of an academic’s excellence within their field, and celebrity, which incorporates adulation from colleagues and students. In reviewing the literature on the subject, we find models elaborating the ways in which modernity, in contrast to Elias’s court society (Rojek), or the world of aristocratic artistic patronage (Bourdieu), creates the conditions for the adulation of celebrities and the emergence of celebrity as an institution. We also find views critical of both the vulgarising effect of celebrity on literary and artistic taste (Coser), and its self-perpetuating character (Boorstin, Merton). Finally, we examine aspects of academic celebrity’s institutionalisation: the dynamic that drives the creation of new fields of specialisation within which academic celebrity is embedded, and the ‘managerial university’, which is said to generate and sustain it (Moran).
Plea Bargaining and the Miscarriage of Justice
Authors: Beenstock Michael , Guetzkow Josh , Kamenetsky-Yadan Shir 
Published: December 2019

AbstractObjectivesWe examine whether, on average, plea bargaining encourages guilty pleas among defendants who are factually innocent.MethodsWe develop a formal theory of plea bargaining in which defendants take into account the possibility of false convictions or acquittals when making plea-bargain decisions. We use an incidentally truncated bivariate probit model to test the theory, which predicts that if innocent defendants plead guilty, the correlation (ρ) between the unobserved heterogeneity regarding selection into trial and regarding conviction at trial should be sufficiently positive. The method does not require knowledge of whether individual defendants are factually guilty or innocent. Sinceρis also predicted to vary directly with the unobserved toughness of prosecutors, we develop a decomposition theorem to distinguish between the effects of defendants and prosecutors in plea bargain decisions.ResultsUsing data on 2012 criminal cases decided in Israeli courts from 2010 to 2011, we find thatρis large and positive. Hence, defendants who did not plea bargain were positively selected in terms of conviction. This means that defendants who accepted plea bargains had smaller counterfactual conviction probabilities than observationally similar defendants who went to trial.ConclusionsThe results indicate that, on average, factually innocent defendants in Israel during this period took plea bargains instead of going to trial. This contradicts “innocence effect” theory, which predicts that factually innocent defendants, on average, reject plea bargains. Our findings are important for research on shadow trial theory, since they show that selection into plea bargains cannot be ignored when inferring counterfactual trial outcomes for plea bargainers.
Middle School Effects of the Dating Matters® Comprehensive Teen Dating Violence Prevention Model on Physical Violence, Bullying, and Cyberbullying: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Vivolo-Kantor Alana M. , Niolon Phyllis Holditch , Estefan Lianne Fuino , Le Vi Donna , Tracy Allison J. , Latzman Natasha E. , Little Todd D. , Lang Kyle M. , DeGue Sarah , Tharp Andra Teten 
Published: December 2019

AbstractFew comprehensive primary prevention approaches for youth have been evaluated for effects on multiple types of violence. Dating Matters®: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships (Dating Matters) is a comprehensive teen dating violence (TDV) prevention model designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and evaluated using a longitudinal stratified cluster-randomized controlled trial to determine effectiveness for preventing TDV and promoting healthy relationship behaviors among middle school students. In this study, we examine the prevention effects on secondary outcomes, including victimization and perpetration of physical violence, bullying, and cyberbullying. This study examined the effectiveness of Dating Matters compared to a standard-of-care TDV prevention program in 46 middle schools in four high-risk urban communities across the USA. The analytic sample (N = 3301; 53% female; 50% Black, non-Hispanic; and 31% Hispanic) consisted of 6th–8th grade students who had an opportunity for exposure to Dating Matters in all three grades or the standard-of-care in 8th grade only. Results demonstrated that both male and female students attending schools implementing Dating Matters reported 11% less bullying perpetration and 11% less physical violence perpetration than students in comparison schools. Female Dating Matters students reported 9% less cyberbullying victimization and 10% less cyberbullying perpetration relative to the standard-of-care. When compared to an existing evidence-based intervention for TDV, Dating Matters demonstrated protective effects on physical violence, bullying, and cyberbullying for most groups of students. The Dating Matters comprehensive prevention model holds promise for reducing multiple forms of violence among middle school-aged youth. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01672541
Automated measurement of bone scan index from a whole-body bone scintigram
Authors: Shimizu Akinobu , Wakabayashi Hayato , Kanamori Takumi , Saito Atsushi , Nishikawa Kazuhiro , Daisaki Hiromitsu , Higashiyama Shigeaki , Kawabe Joji 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Purpose
We propose a deep learning-based image interpretation system for skeleton segmentation and extraction of hot spots of bone metastatic lesion from a whole-body bone scintigram followed by automated measurement of a bone scan index (BSI), which will be clinically useful.

Methods
The proposed system employs butterfly-type networks (BtrflyNets) for skeleton segmentation and extraction of hot spots of bone metastatic lesions, in which a pair of anterior and posterior images are processed simultaneously. BSI is then measured using the segmented bones and extracted hot spots. To further improve the networks, deep supervision (DSV) and residual learning technologies were introduced.

Results
We evaluated the performance of the proposed system using 246 bone scintigrams of prostate cancer in terms of accuracy of skeleton segmentation, hot spot extraction, and BSI measurement, as well as computational cost. In a threefold cross-validation experiment, the best performance was achieved by BtrflyNet with DSV for skeleton segmentation and BtrflyNet with residual blocks. The cross-correlation between the measured and true BSI was 0.9337, and the computational time for a case was 112.0 s.

Conclusion
We proposed a deep learning-based BSI measurement system for a whole-body bone scintigram and proved its effectiveness by threefold cross-validation study using 246 whole-body bone scintigrams. The automatically measured BSI and computational time for a case are deemed clinically acceptable and reliable.
A Comprehensive Comparison of LRYGB and LSG in Obese Patients Including the Effects on QoL, Comorbidities, Weight Loss, and Complications: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hu Zhihao , Sun Junfeng , Li Ruixin , Wang Zhuoyin , Ding Hengxuan , Zhu Tianyu , Wang Guojun 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Purpose
To systematically and comprehensively evaluate the differences between laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) versus sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in obese patients.

Methods
A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from inception to December 2018. The meta-analysis was performed by the RevMan 5.3 software.

Results
Twenty-three articles with 7443 patients were included. In short term (< 3 years), LRYGB was superior to LSG in terms of improving comorbidities (T2D, odds ratio (OR) 1.93, 1.06–3.52, P < 0.05, hypertension, OR 1.59, 1.08–2.34, P < 0.05, dyslipidemia, OR 1.61, 1.05–2.46, P < 0.05), but there were no differences in the midterm and long term. Quality of life (QoL) after bariatric surgery was included, but no differences were observed in the QoL after LRYGB or LSG (gastrointestinal quality of life index (GIQLI) and Moorehead–Ardelt quality of life questionnaire (M-A-Q), P > 0.05). LRYGB achieved a higher EWL% than LSG (after 3 years, WMD 5.48, 0.13–10.84. P < 0.05; after 5 years, WMD 4.55, 1.04–8.05, P < 0.05) in long term, but no significant differences were found during 0.25- to 2.0-year follow-up. The rate of early and late complications was much higher in LRYGB than in LSG (early complications, OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.53–2.91, P < 0.001; late complications, OR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.93–3.49, P < 0.001).

Conclusions
This meta-analysis showed that LRYGB was more effective than LSG in comorbidities’ resolution or improvement in short term. For weight loss, LRYGB had better long-term effects than LSG. In addition, no differences were observed in the quality of life after LRYGB or LSG. LRYGB was associated with more complications than LSG.
Teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in teaching word problem solving strategies
Authors: Csíkos Csaba , Szitányi Judit 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis research addressed Hungarian pre-service and in-service (both elementary and lower secondary) teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge concerning the teaching of word problem solving strategies. By means of a standardized interview protocol, participants (N = 30) were asked about their judgement on the difficulty of teaching word problems, the factors they find difficult, and their current teaching practice. Furthermore, based on a comparative analysis of Eastern European textbooks, we tested how teachers’ current beliefs and views relate to the word problem solving algorithm described in elementary textbooks. The results suggest that in the teachers’ opinion, explicit teaching of a step-by-step algorithm is feasible and desirable as early as in the 1st school grade. According to our results, two approaches (namely, paradigmatic- and narrative-oriented) concerning how to teach the process of word problems solving, originally revealed by Chapman, were found. Furthermore, teachers in general agreed with the approach taken in the textbooks on the subject of what kinds of word problems should be used, and that explicit teaching of word problem solving strategies should be introduced by using simple, routine word problems as examples.
Mechanisms of change in psychological interventions for posttraumatic stress symptoms: A systematic review with recommendations
Authors: Kangaslampi Samuli , Peltonen Kirsi 
Published: December 2019

AbstractPsychological interventions can alleviate posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, further development of treatment approaches calls for understanding the mechanisms of change through which diverse interventions affect PTSS. We systematically searched the literature for controlled studies of mechanisms of change in psychological interventions for PTSS. We aimed to detect all empirically studied mechanisms and evaluate the level of evidence for their role in the alleviation of PTSS. We identified 34 studies, of which nine were among children. We found evidence for improvements in maladaptive posttraumatic cognitions as a general mechanism of change involved in diverse interventions, among both adults and children. We also found some preliminary evidence for increases in mindfulness as a mechanism of change in mindfulness- and spiritually-oriented interventions among adults. We found scant, mixed empirical evidence for other mechanisms of change. Notably, studies on changes in traumatic memories as a mechanism of change were lacking, despite clinical emphasis on their importance. A major limitation across reviewed studies was that most could not establish temporal order of changes in mechanisms and PTSS. Including thorough analyses of mechanisms of change beyond cognitions in all future trials and improving the reporting of findings would aid the development and implementation of even more effective interventions.