bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigating association of perineural invasion on prostate biopsy with Gleason score upgrading at prostatectomy: A multi‐institutional analysis
Authors: Barsky Andrew R. , Kraus Ryan D. , Carmona Ruben , Santos Patricia M. G. , Li Carrie , Schwartz Lauren E. , Ballas Leslie K. , Vapiwala Neha 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe significance of perineural invasion (PNI) in prostate cancer (PC) is unclear. A recent report of patients with pT2N0R0 PC found that PNI at prostatectomy was independently associated with higher Gleason score and more diffuse prostatic disease. We aimed to test our hypothesis that PNI on prostate biopsy in pT2N0R0 patients is associated with increased Gleason score upgrading at prostatectomy.MethodsWe identified 2892 patients status post prostatectomy with pT2N0R0 PC from three institutions, diagnosed between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2014. Multivariable logistic regression (MVA) was used to evaluate the association between prostate biopsy PNI status and surgical Gleason upgrading, while controlling for potential confounders.ResultsOf the 2892 patients identified, 14% had PNI on biopsy, of whom 21% had surgical Gleason upgrading, while 28% without PNI on biopsy had such upgrading (P < .01). On MVA, the odds ratio (OR) of surgical Gleason upgrading for patients with biopsy PNI relative to patients without biopsy PNI was 0.69 (P < .01). The variables associated with surgical Gleason upgrading were age ≤60 years (OR 1.22, P = .02) and preoperative PSA >4 ng/mL (OR 1.26, P = .02).ConclusionsIn post‐prostatectomy patients with favorable‐risk PC, PNI on prostate biopsy was not associated with surgical Gleason score upgrading. This may be due to the association of PNI with more diffuse disease, leading to increased biopsy tumor yield and grading accuracy. These findings suggest that in this setting, biopsy PNI alone should not be a concern for more aggressive disease requiring pathologic confirmation or intervention. This may help guide treatment decision‐making for men debating active surveillance, radiation, and surgery.
The association between anxiety disorders and in‐hospital outcomes in patients with myocardial infarction
Authors: Li Pengyang , Lu Xiaojia , Kranis Mark , Wu Fangcheng , Teng Catherine , Cai Peng , Hashmath Zeba , Wang Bin 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundAnxiety disorders are prevalent in patients with myocardial infarction (MI), but the effects of anxiety disorders on in‐hospital outcomes within MI patients have not been well studied.HypothesisTo examine the effects of concurrent anxiety disorders on in‐hospital outcomes in MI patients.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study in patients with a principal diagnosis of MI with and without anxiety disorders in the National Inpatient Sample 2016. A total of 129 305 primary hospitalizations for acute MI, 35 237 with ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and 94 068 with non‐ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) were identified. Of these, 13 112 (10.1%) had anxiety (7.9% in STEMI and 11.0% in NSTEMI). We compared outcomes of anxiety and nonanxiety groups after propensity score matching for the patient and hospital demographics and relevant comorbidities.ResultsAfter propensity score matching, the anxiety group had a lower incidence of in‐hospital mortality (3.0% vs 4.4%, P < .001), cardiac arrest (2.1% vs 2.8%, P < .001), cardiogenic shock (4.9% vs 5.6%, P = .007), and ventricular arrhythmia (6.7% vs 7.9%, P < .001) than the nonanxiety group. In the NSTEMI subgroup, the anxiety group had significantly lower rates of in‐hospital mortality (2.3% vs 3.5%, P < .001), cardiac arrest (1.1% vs 1.5%, P = .008), and cardiogenic shock (2.8% vs 3.5%, P = .008). In the STEMI subgroup, we found no differences in in‐hospital outcomes (all P > .05) between the matched groups.ConclusionAlthough we found that anxiety was associated with better in‐hospital outcomes, subgroup analysis revealed that this only applied to patients admitted for NSTEMI instead of STEMI.
Echo state network‐based feature extraction for efficient color image segmentation
Authors: Souahlia Abdelkerim , Belatreche Ammar , Benyettou Abdelkader , Ahmed‐Foitih Zoubir , Benkhelifa Elhadj , Curran Kevin 
Published: March 2020

SummaryImage segmentation plays a crucial role in many image processing and understanding applications. Despite the huge number of proposed image segmentation techniques, accurate segmentation remains a significant challenge in image analysis. This article investigates the viability of using echo state network (ESN), a biologically inspired recurrent neural network, as features extractor for efficient color image segmentation. First, an ensemble of initial pixel features is extracted from the original images and injected into the ESN reservoir. Second, the internal activations of the reservoir neurons are used as new pixel features. Third, the new features are classified using a feed forward neural network as a readout layer for the ESN. The quality of the pixel features produced by the ESN is evaluated through extensive series of experiments conducted on real world image datasets. The optimal operating range of different ESN setup parameters for producing competitive quality features is identified. The performance of the proposed ESN‐based framework is also evaluated on a domain‐specific application, namely, blood vessel segmentation in retinal images where experiments are conducted on the widely used digital retinal images for vessel extraction (DRIVE) dataset. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms state‐of‐the‐art general segmentation techniques in terms of performance with an F‐score of 0.92 ± 0.003 on the segmentation evaluation dataset. In addition, the proposed method achieves a comparable segmentation accuracy (0.9470) comparing with reported techniques of segmentation of blood vessels in images of retina and outperform them in terms of processing time. The average time required by our technique to segment one retinal image from DRIVE dataset is 8 seconds. Furthermore, empirically derived guidelines are proposed for adequately setting the ESN parameters for effective color image segmentation.
Predictive breeding for maize: Making use of molecular phenotypes, machine learning, and physiological crop models
Authors: Washburn Jacob D. , Burch Merritt B. , Franco José A. Valdes 
Published: March 2020

AbstractMaize (Zea mays L.) has been a focus of scientific research and breeding for over a century. It is also one of the most economically important crops in the world, with a value of approximately US$50 billion per year in the United States alone. Additionally, maize has long been the model species of choice for the study and exploitation of hybrid vigor, and it continues to be one of the world's most efficient converters of photosynthetic energy into starch. This review discusses the history and future of maize predictive breeding in the context of both genotype centric methods, and those focusing on genotype × environment × management interactions. Current prediction challenges are highlighted, as well as important advances in technology, methods, datasets, interdisciplinary collaborations, and scientific culture that will enable accelerated progress in predictive maize (and other crop species) breeding for years to come.
Temporal water use by two maize lines differing in leaf osmotic potential
Authors: Beseli Amber L. , Shekoofa Avat , Ali Mujahid , Sinclair Thomas R. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractTwo lines of maize which had different levels of expressions of leaf osmotic potential (OP) under water‐deficit conditions in the field were previously found to differ in leaf area duration and water extraction at soil depths greater than 0.80 m. In the current study, the hypothesis was explored that the difference in leaf OP between the two lines was associated with differences in transpiration rate which in turn had a major effect on the temporal dynamics of soil water use. The line with the lowest (most negative) OP in the early stages of the soil drying cycle was found to have the greatest transpiration rate and delayed wilting which was consistent with the original field observations. However, with further soil drying, the line with higher OP was able to sustain transpiration over a longer time period and actually reached the end point of transpirable soil water at a later date. The results of these experiments highlighted the necessity of accounting for temporal dynamics when interpreting crop water use in response to soil drying, particularly when comparing genotypes with differing OP.
Estimating occupancy of Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) in a protected and non‐protected area of Nepal
Authors: Sharma Sandhya , Sharma Hari P. , Chaulagain Chanda , Katuwal Hem B. , Belant Jerrold L. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractChinese pangolin is the world's most heavily trafficked small mammal for luxury food and traditional medicine. Although their populations are declining worldwide, it is difficult to monitor their population status because of its rarity and nocturnal behavior. We used site occupancy (presence/absence) sampling of pangolin sign (i.e., active burrows) in a protected (Gaurishankar Conservation Area) and non‐protected area (Ramechhap District) of central Nepal with multiple environmental covariates to understand factors that may influence occupancy of Chinese pangolin. The average Chinese pangolin occupancy and detection probabilities were

± SE = 0.77 ± 0.08;

± SE = 0.27 ± 0.05, respectively. The detection probabilities of Chinese pangolin were higher in PA (

± SE = 0.33 ± 0.03) than compared to non‐PA (

± SE = 0.25 ± 0.04). The most important covariates for Chinese pangolin detectability were red soil (97%), food source (97.6%), distance to road (97.9%), and protected area (97%) and with respect to occupancy was elevation (97.9%). We recommended use of remote cameras and potentially GPS collar surveys to further investigate habitat use and site occupancy at regular intervals to provide more reliable conservation assessments.
Host plant resistance promotes a secondary pest population
Authors: Straub Cory S. , Faselt Jamie A. , Keyser Erich S. , Traugott Michael 
Published: March 2020

AbstractInsecticides can cause secondary pest outbreaks that weaken the benefit of chemical pest control. These detrimental nontarget effects motivate the use of alternative pest management strategies such as host plant resistance and intercropping. However, when alternative pest management strategies effectively suppress primary pests, they also have the potential to promote secondary pest populations via competitive release. The potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) is a key pest of alfalfa, and leafhopper‐resistant cultivars are being widely adopted by growers in the Midwest and Northeast United States. We conducted a field experiment comparing leafhopper‐susceptible alfalfa, leafhopper‐resistant alfalfa, and leafhopper‐resistant alfalfa intercropped with orchardgrass. Leafhopper‐resistant alfalfa reduced potato leafhopper abundance and protected the crop from protein loss, but there was no benefit of intercropping leafhopper‐resistant alfalfa with orchardgrass. Importantly, the abundance of a secondary pest, the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), was twice as high in the leafhopper‐resistant plant treatments compared to the leafhopper‐susceptible treatment. Field sampling and microcosm experiments confirmed that the increase in pea aphids was caused, at least in part, by release from competition with leafhoppers. These results suggest that, when host plant resistance against insects is employed, efforts to monitor and manage secondary pest populations are warranted.
Analysis of atmospheric circulation situation and source areas for brown planthopper immigration to Korea: a case study
Authors: Yang Shi‐Jun , Bao Yun‐Xuan , Chen Can , Lu Ming‐Hong , Liu Wan‐Cai , Hong Sung‐Jun 
Published: March 2020

AbstractRice planthoppers and related viral diseases have become one of the most important factors affecting rice production in Asian countries, and the resulting abuse of pesticides is laying a hidden danger for future food security. As the most economically devastating species, the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), moves from the tropical Indochina Peninsula to temperate regions where it cannot overwinter annually with the feature of long‐range migration, and eventually appears in paddy fields of most East Asian countries. Compared with the overland migration that has been studied in more detail, there is relatively less understanding of N. lugens’ performance in transnational movement, especially in the representative overseas migration between China and Northeast Asia. Based on the light‐trap data from China and Korea and the matched meteorological data of East Asia in 2016, a typical overseas migration event was basically analyzed. The results are as follows. First, the source area of the N. lugens population in this migration was in southeastern Jiangsu and eastern Shanghai. They took off at dusk on 1 August, flying at the altitude of 1700–2200 m, and landed in southwestern Korea at 02:00–11:00 UTC on 3 August. Second, a southerly airflow belt was the main weather factor for population's overseas migration, and the confrontation between the western Pacific subtropical high and a northern high pressure in southern Korea was the main reason for population to land. Besides, we discussed the one‐off feature of overseas migration compared to overland migration. These results show the close relation between weather systems and the migration dynamics of N. lugens and may extend the perception for N. lugens’ behavioral chain in the long‐range migration between China and Northeast Asia, thus allowing a sufficient time for reasonable and effective control measures.
Time‐traveling larvae ensure survival in small, synchronously fluctuating populations
Authors: Solbreck Christer , Widenfalk Olof 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPopulation structure is an important aspect of patchily distributed organisms. Small local populations, large temporal fluctuations, synchronized dynamics, and low migration rates should all lead to lowered rates of patch occupancy and increased extinction risks. These effects can, however, be counteracted if there is a pool of hidden, dormant individuals bridging unfavorable periods. Prolonged diapause—a dormancy that extends over two or more years—provides such a temporal bridge among insects, but its role in structuring patchy populations is poorly known. Based upon a long‐term study, we explore the landscape scale population structure of a galling insect, the larva of which has an unusually long diapause spent hidden in the soil. Gall populations in patches fluctuated synchronously in a long wave with a tenfold amplitude. Abundances were very low with a median of less than twenty galls per patch. Although only a third of the patches had galls in all years, local populations persisted thanks to the pool of diapausing larvae. Colonizations of two new plant patches were very slow. The combination of small, synchronously fluctuating gall populations and high occupancy rates can be maintained because of the very low extinction rates imposed by the time‐traveling diapausing larvae.
Strong opioid consumption and its correlation with pain intensity and inpatient complexity. A 6‐year analysis in a tertiary hospital
Authors: Monge‐Escartín Inés , Montes Antonio , Comas Merce , Grau Santiago 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundAn increasing trend in opioid consumption has been observed worldwide in last decades. However, data related to opioid utilization in hospital settings are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the evolution of use of strong opioids and pain intensity in a tertiary hospital during 6 years.MethodsConsumption of strong opioid analgesics used at the hospital at any time between 2012 and 2017 was collected. Data were expressed on oral morphine equivalents (OMEs) per 100 bed‐days. Pain intensity was measured by the numerical rating scale (NRS) and the percentage of patients who experienced a NRS value ≥3 and ≥7 were calculated. Case mix index (CMI) was also collected. Data were quantified in medical and surgical area separately.ResultsConsumption of opioids varied from 812.4 to 1,038.8 OMEs/100 bed‐days and from 967.3 to 1,023.7 in medical and surgical area. The percentage of patients that experienced a value of NRS ≥ 3 and ≥7 in medical area increased from 24.2% and 5.5% to 31.7% and 7.5%, (p = .038, p = .040). It was observed a correlation between the percentage of patients that experienced a NRS ≥ 7 in two consecutive determinations and opioid prescription in medical area (p = .039).The CMI increased from 1.05 and 0.91 to 1.18 and 1.04 in medical and surgical area (p = .020, p = .004).ConclusionsConsumption of strong opioids has remained stable, both in medical and surgical area, during last years. A correlation between prescription of opioids and pain intensity is observed in case of repeated and severe pain in medical departments.SignificanceThis study shows a stable consumption of strong opioid analgesics in a hospital setting in contrast to what appears to be the extrahospitalary trend during last years. The association between consumption of opioids and pain intensity seems to indicate a good control of pain in the clinical setting, showing a significant correlation between the consumption of opioids and repeated and severe pain in medical departments.
Electrochemical Detection of Three Monohydroxylated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Using Electroreduced Graphene Oxide Modified Screen‐printed Electrode
Authors: Pang Yue‐Hong , Huang Yu‐Ying , Li Wan‐Yu , Yang Nian‐Ci , Shen Xiao‐Fang 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAn electrochemical sensor for detection of three monohydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH−PAHs) was fabricated by electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide (E‐rGO) on screen‐printed electrode (SPE). The E‐rGO film presents typical wrinkled structure with porous and cavity‐like nanostructure, providing large surface area, effective π‐electron system and high electrical conductivity. The developed E‐rGO/SPE sensor exhibits outstanding sensing performance for the target OH−PAHs, 2‐hydroxynaphthalene, 3‐hydroxyphenanthrene, and 1‐hydroxypyrene, within a linear range varying from 50–800 nM, 50–1150 nM, and 100–1000 nM, and with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10.1 nM, 15.3 nM, and 20.4 nM (S/N=3), respectively. The electrochemical sensor possesses excellent stability, acceptable reproducibility, and good anti‐interference ability. Additionally, the proposed sensor can be applied to the analysis of OH−PAHs in the urine samples with recoveries of 98.1–105.9 %.
Lycium ruthenicum Murr. alleviates nonalcoholic fatty liver in mice
Authors: Lu Keke , Wang Jing , Yu Yueyuan , Wu Yikuan , He Zhao 
Published: March 2020

AbstractOxidative stress and inflammation contribute to hypertriglyceridemia‐induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Cholesterol‐enriched diets increase the risk of NAFLD. Lycium ruthenium Murr. (LRM) contains water‐soluble antioxidant proanthocyanidins. Whether Lycium ruthenium Murr. improves NAFLD remains elusive. In this study, we established a model of NAFLD‐induced by cholesterol‐enriched high‐fat diet (western diet) in ApoE−/− mice; oxidative stress and inflammation were examined and intervened by supplement of Lycium ruthenium Murr. (LRM) extracts. LRM supplement did not influence body weight gain, food intake, and lipotoxicity of mice. LRM supplement significantly alleviated triglyceride accumulation in liver, with reduced inflammation, elevated GSH‐Px activity, and reduced MDA levels. The expression of fatty acids oxidative gene Scd1 was significantly increased, and fatty acids synthesis‐related gene Pparγ was dramatically downregulated on mRNA level in liver of mice with LRM supplement. These data demonstrated that LRM supplement decreased ROS production and inflammation, increased fatty acids oxidation, and reduced fatty acids synthesis in liver, leading to ameliorate the development of NAFLD induced by high western diet. Thus, oxidative stress and inflammation also are involved in the pathogenesis of western diet‐induced NAFLD, which is independent of obesity.
A Wearable Capacitive Sensor Based on Ring/Disk‐Shaped Electrode and Porous Dielectric for Noncontact Healthcare Monitoring
Authors: Zheng Ya‐Nan , Yu Zhe , Mao Guoyong , Li Yunyao , Pravarthana Dhanapal , Asghar Waqas , Liu Yiwei , Qu Shaoxing , Shang Jie , Li Run‐Wei 
Published: March 2020

AbstractWearable sensors are gradually enabling decentralized healthcare systems. However, these sensors need to be closely attached to skin, which is unsuitable for long‐term dynamic health monitoring of the patients, such as infants or persons with burn injuries. Here, a wearable capacitive sensor based on the capacitively coupled effect for healthcare monitoring in noncontact mode is reported. It consists of a ring‐shaped top electrode, a disk‐shaped bottom electrode, and a porous dielectric layer with low permittivity. This unique design enhanced the capacitively coupled effect of the sensor, which enables a high noncontact detectivity of capacitance change. When an object approaches the sensor, its capacitance change (ΔC/Ci = −38.7%) is 3–5 times higher than that of previously reported sensors. Meanwhile, the sensor is insensitive to the stretching strain and pressure (ΔC/Ci < 5%) due to the unique ring‐shaped electrode and the incompressible closed cells of the porous dielectric material, respectively. Finally, various human physiological signals (pulse and respiratory) are recorded in noncontact mode, where a person wears loose and soft clothes implanted with the sensor. Thus, it is promising to build smart healthcare clothes based on it to develop wearable decentralized healthcare systems.
Patient choice, entry, and the quality of primary care: Evidence from Swedish reforms
Authors: Dietrichson Jens , Ellegård Lina Maria , Kjellsson Gustav 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPolicies aiming to spur quality competition among health care providers are ubiquitous, but their impact on quality is ex ante ambiguous, and credible empirical evidence is lacking in many contexts. This study contributes to the sparse literature on competition and primary care quality by examining recent competition enhancing reforms in Sweden. The reforms aimed to stimulate patient choice and entry of private providers across the country but affected markets differently depending on the initial market structure. We exploit the heterogeneous impact of the reforms in a difference‐in‐differences strategy, contrasting more and less exposed markets over the period 2005–2013. Although the reforms led to substantially more entry of new providers in more exposed markets, the effects on primary care quality were modest: We find small improvements of patients' overall satisfaction with care, but no consistently significant effects on avoidable hospitalisation rates or satisfaction with access to care. We find no evidence of economically meaningful quality reductions on any outcome measure.