bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of dichoptic video game treatment on mild amblyopia – a pilot study
Authors: Pang Peter C. K. , Lam Carly S. Y. , Hess Robert F. , Thompson Benjamin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPurposeThe effect of contrast‐balanced dichoptic video game training on distance visual acuity (DVA) and stereo acuity has been investigated in severe‐to‐moderate amblyopia, but its effect on mild amblyopia and fixation stability has not been assessed. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effect of home‐based dichoptic video game on amblyopic eye DVA, stereo acuity and fixation stability in adults with mild amblyopia.MethodsA randomized single‐masked design was adopted. The active 6‐week home‐based treatment was an anaglyphic, contrast‐balanced dichoptic video game, and the placebo was an identical non‐dichoptic game. Participants (n = 23) had mild amblyopia (amblyopic DVA ≤ 0.28 log Minimum Angle of Resolution (logMAR)). The primary outcome was change in amblyopic DVA at 6 weeks postrandomization. Near visual acuity, stereo acuity and fixation stability (bivariate contour eclipse area) were also measured. Follow‐up occurred at 12 and 24 weeks postrandomization.ResultsMean amblyopic eye DVA was 0.21 ± 0.06 and 0.18 ± 0.06 logMAR for the active (n = 12) and placebo (n = 11) group, respectively. Amblyopic DVA improved significantly more in the active group (0.09 ± 0.05) than in the placebo group (0.03 ± 0.04 logMAR; p < 0.05). The difference between groups remained at 12 weeks postrandomization (p = 0.04) but not at 24 weeks (p = 0.43). Titmus stereo acuities improved significantly more in the active group (0.40 log arcsec) than in the placebo group (0.09 log arcsec) after 6 weeks of gameplay. The between‐group difference was still present at 24 weeks postrandomization (p = 0.05). There were no differences between groups on any other secondary outcomes.ConclusionHome‐based dichoptic video gameplay may be an effective method to improve amblyopic DVA and stereo acuity in mild amblyopia.
Who is the Most Stressed During the COVID‐19 Pandemic? Data From 26 Countries and Areas
Authors: Kowal Marta , Coll‐Martín Tao , Ikizer Gözde , Rasmussen Jesper , Eichel Kristina , Studzińska Anna , Koszałkowska Karolina , Karwowski Maciej , Najmussaqib Arooj , Pankowski Daniel , Lieberoth Andreas , Ahmed Oli 
Published: September 2020

BackgroundTo limit the rapid spread of COVID‐19, countries have asked their citizens to stay at home. As a result, demographic and cultural factors related to home life have become especially relevant to predict population well‐being during isolation. This pre‐registered worldwide study analyses the relationship between the number of adults and children in a household, marital status, age, gender, education level, COVID‐19 severity, individualism–collectivism, and perceived stress.MethodsWe used the COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey data of 53,524 online participants from 26 countries and areas. The data were collected between 30 March and 6 April 2020.ResultsHigher levels of stress were associated with younger age, being a woman, lower level of education, being single, staying with more children, and living in a country or area with a more severe COVID‐19 situation.ConclusionsThe COVID‐19 pandemic revealed that certain people may be more susceptible to experience elevated levels of stress. Our findings highlight the need for public health to be attentive to both the physical and the psychological well‐being of these groups.
Reconsidering law at the edge: How and why do place‐managers balance thrill and compliance at outdoor attraction sites?
Authors: Bennett Luke 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThis paper challenges legal geographers to go further in their claimed rejection of legal closure (the reduction of any situation to a purely legal dimension), by calling for greater exploration of how law’s command is always acting alongside and potentially subordinated to other spatio‐cultural normative influences. The insights of this advocated approach are illustrated using examples drawn from the author's fieldwork conducted across a variety of outdoor attraction settings, which have explored how place‐managers frame, arrange, and present their sites by reference to individual goals and communal interpretive practices deriving from multiple normative drivers. It is argued that this plurality of influences requires place‐managers to act as edgeworkers, developing a finely tuned understanding of how to manage the potentially hazardous co‐presence of visitors’ bodies and physical edges at their sites. This requires active balancing of their interpretation of (and compliance with) broad commandments for their sites to be “reasonably safe,” with the requirements of other pressing normativities, including those set by landscape aesthetics that demand that visitors must be presented with an appropriately thrilling experience. Recent trends in the development of contemporary legal geographic analysis, each of which are suggestive of an increasing attentiveness to law’s limits, are considered in order to develop this critique of conventional legal geographic practice and in support of the potentiality of the recommended new focus, specifically: legal geography’s “contingency orientation” (Orzeck & Hae); emerging interest in the “edge of law” (Jeffrey); and in the purposeful creation of normative atmospheres and law’s dissimulation there (Philippopoulos‐Mihalopoulos; Pavoni). Through these analytical lenses place‐manager’s active and skilful edgework becomes both more visible and more understandable as a dynamic situational balancing of compliance with safety laws and with the satisfaction of thrill and desire.
Single‐incision laparoscopic full‐thickness anterior abdominal wall repair of a Morgagni hernia using a suture‐assisting needle in a child: A case report
Authors: Goto Yudai , Mimori Kotaro , Ogata Seiya , Shimizu Hirofumi , Fukuda Yutaka , Tanaka Hideaki 
Published: September 2020

AbstractSingle‐incision laparoscopic repair of a congenital Morgagni diaphragmatic hernia using a suture‐assisting needle was performed in a 1‐year‐old boy. Three ports were inserted through a single umbilical incision to repair the 2.5 × 2.3‐cm defect. The full‐thickness muscle layer of the anterior abdominal wall and the posterior rim of the defect were penetrated with the suture‐assisting needle holding a thread, which was then released. The needle tip was pulled back over the muscle layer, shifted laterally, and again passed through the muscle layer and the posterior rim. The thread was then captured by the needle and pulled out through the anterior abdominal wall. Five mattress sutures were placed in this way and tied subcutaneously. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the cosmetic outcome was favorable. A suture‐assisting needle is useful for completing full‐thickness anterior abdominal wall repair, which is important for preventing the recurrence of a congenital Morgagni diaphragmatic hernia.
Effects of topography and climate on Neotropical mountain forests structure in the semiarid region
Authors: Diogo Ivan Jeferson Sampaio , dos Santos Karin , da Costa Itayguara Ribeiro , dos Santos Flavio Antonio Maës 
Published: September 2020

AbstractQuestionWe aimed to analyze how the topography, temperature and rainfall influence the floristic distribution in three different topographic areas and their surrounding vegetation. We addressed three main questions: (i) How is the distribution of species among the topographic areas? (ii) Which abiotic variable is driving this distribution? and (iii) What is the difference among the mountain forests and between mountain forests and the Caatinga vegetation?LocationThe Maranguape mountain forest were divided into three topographic categories: windward (600–800 m, WMA), leeward (600–800 m, LMA) and top (above 800 m, TMA). We also considered another six areas of mountain forests and four Caatinga areas in Ceará State.MethodsWe calculated different structural parameters and the floristic diversity of each category. A Principal Correspondence Analysis was performed to analyze the indirect ordination of forest sites by species abundance. A Canonical Correspondence Analysis was conducted to evaluate which variables were driving species distribution. We used non‐metric multidimensional scaling distance and the average linkage method to investigate the similarity among mountain forests and Caatinga.ResultsA total of 1,536 individuals belonging to 144 tree species distributed in 44 families and 93 genera were recorded. Myrtaceae, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae were the most species‐rich families. Myrcia splendens had the highest importance value followed by Guapira nitida and Mollinedia ovata. The leeward slope showed the highest richness and diversity index, whereas the windward showed the highest density and the top showed the highest basal area. The ordination indicated a greater similarity between TMA and WMA than LMA.ConclusionOur results suggest that temperature, precipitation and slope angle are the abiotic factors driving species distribution in Maranguape. Those mountains are heavily anthropized and continuously explored, therefore these outcomes will be useful for conservation and restoration purposes in the poorly known semiarid region of Northeast Brazil.
The spectrum of rare central nervous system (CNS) tumors with EWSR1‐non‐ETS fusions: experience from three pediatric institutions with review of the literature
Authors: Lopez‐Nunez Oscar , Cafferata Barbara , Santi Mariarita , Ranganathan Sarangarajan , Pearce Thomas M. , Kulich Scott M. , Bailey Kelly M. , Broniscer Alberto , Rossi Sabrina , Zin Angelica , Nasrallah MacLean P. , Li Marilyn M. , Zhong Yiming , Miele Evelina , Alaggio Rita , Surrey Lea F. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe group of CNS mesenchymal (non‐meningothelial) and primary glial/neuronal tumors in association with EWSR1‐non‐ETS rearrangements comprises a growing spectrum of entities, mostly reported in isolation with incomplete molecular profiling. Archival files from three pediatric institutions were queried for unusual cases of pediatric (≤21 years) CNS EWSR1‐rearranged tumors confirmed by at least one molecular technique. Extra‐axial tumors and cases with a diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma (EWSR1‐ETS family fusions) were excluded. Additional studies, including anchored multiplex‐PCR with next‐generation sequencing and DNA methylation profiling, were performed as needed to determine fusion partner status and brain tumor methylation class, respectively. Five cases (median 17 years) were identified (M:F of 3:2). Location was parenchymal (n = 3) and undetermined (n = 2) with topographic distributions including posterior fossa (n = 1), frontal (n = 1), temporal (n = 1), parietal (n = 1) and occipital (n = 1) lobes. Final designation with fusion findings included desmoplastic small round cell tumor (EWSR1‐WT1; n = 1) and tumors of uncertain histogenesis (EWSR1‐CREM, n = 1; EWSR1‐CREB1, n = 1; EWSR1‐PLAGL1, n = 1; and EWSR1‐PATZ1, n = 1). Tumors showed a wide spectrum of morphology and biologic behavior. For EWSR1‐CREM, EWSR1‐PLAGL1 and EWSR1‐PATZ1 tumors, no significant methylation scores were reached in the known brain tumor classes. Available outcome (4/5) was reported as favorable (n = 2) and unfavorable (n = 2) with a median follow‐up of 30 months. In conclusion, we describe five primary EWSR1‐non‐ETS fused CNS tumors exhibiting morphologic and biologic heterogeneity and we highlight the clinical importance of determining specific fusion partners to improve diagnostic accuracy, treatment and monitoring. Larger prospective clinicopathological and molecular studies are needed to determine the prognostic implications of histotypes, anatomical location, fusion partners, breakpoints and methylation profiles in patients with these rare tumors.
Meaningfulness Beats Frequency in Multiword Chunk Processing
Authors: Jolsvai Hajnal , McCauley Stewart M. , Christiansen Morten H. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWhereas a growing bulk of work has demonstrated that both adults and children are sensitive to frequently occurring word sequences, little is known about the potential role of meaning in the processing of such multiword chunks. Here, we take a first step toward assessing the contribution of meaningfulness in the processing of multiword sequences, using items that varied in chunk meaningfulness. In a phrasal‐decision study, we compared reaction times for triads of three‐word sequences, corresponding to idiomatic expressions, compositional phrases, and phrasal fragments, while controlling for phrase and substring frequencies. Chunk meaningfulness, as assessed by a separate subjective rating study, was found to speed up decision times for all three types of strings: The more meaningful a multiword sequence was judged to be, the faster it was processed, independently of whether it was idiomatic, compositional in nature, or a phrasal fragment. These results highlight the importance of taking meaning into account when considering the processing of multiword chunks, consistent with predictions of construction‐based approaches to language.
TGF‐β/Smad2 signalling regulates enchondral bone formation of Gli1+ periosteal cells during fracture healing
Authors: Xia Chenjie , Ge Qinwen , Fang Liang , Yu Huan , Zou Zhen , Zhang Peng , Lv Shuaijie , Tong Peijian , Xiao Luwei , Chen Di , Wang Ping‐er , Jin Hongting 
Published: September 2020

AbstractObjectivesMost bone fracture heals through enchondral bone formation that relies on the involvement of periosteal progenitor cells. However, the identity of periosteal progenitor cells and the regulatory mechanism of their proliferation and differentiation remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Gli1‐CreERT2 can identify a population of murine periosteal progenitor cells and the role of TGF‐β signalling in periosteal progenitor cells on fracture healing.Materials and methodsDouble heterozygous Gli1‐CreERT2;Rosa26‐tdTomatoflox/wt mice were sacrificed at different time points for tracing the fate of Gli1+ cells in both intact and fracture bone. Gli1‐CreERT2‐mediated Tgfbr2 knockout (Gli1‐CreERT2;Tgfbr2flox/flox) mice were subjected to fracture surgery. At 4, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days post‐surgery, tibia samples were harvested for tissue analyses including μCT, histology, real‐time PCR and immunofluorescence staining.ResultsThrough cell lineage‐tracing experiments, we have revealed that Gli1‐CreERT2 can be used to identify a subpopulation of periosteal progenitor cells in vivo that persistently reside in periosteum and contribute to osteochondral elements during fracture repair. During the healing process, TGF‐β signalling is continually activated in the reparative Gli1+ periosteal cells. Conditional knockout of Tgfbr2 in these cells leads to a delayed and impaired enchondral bone formation, at least partially due to the reduced proliferation and chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation of Gli1+ periosteal cells.ConclusionsTGF‐β signalling plays an essential role on fracture repair via regulating enchondral bone formation process of Gli1+ periosteal cells.
Open or laparoscopic mesh repair of incisional hernia in patients that underwent liver transplantation: A systematic review and proportional meta‐analysis
Authors: Frountzas Maximos , Nikolaou Christina , Maris Spyridon , Stavrou Effrosyni , Giannopoulos Panagiotis , Schizas Dimitrios , Stergios Konstantinos , Toutouzas Konstantinos 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundIncisional hernias, that significantly affect the quality of life of patients, are common complications especially after major surgery, such as liver transplantation. The purpose of this meta‐analysis is to outline the available evidence on the complications occurring after mesh implantation as a treatment of ventral incisional hernias (VIH) in liver transplant patients.MethodsMEDLINE, SCOPUS, Clinicaltrials.gov, CENTRAL and Google Scholar databases were searched for articles that reported the complications after mesh repair in patients that had undergone liver transplantation.ResultsEighteen studies, that involved 640 liver transplant patients who developed incisional hernia, were included. 546 of them underwent surgical repair with mesh implantation. 144 (26%) patients developed postoperative complications, and the most common was surgical site infection (17%). The pooled complication rate of open mesh repair of incisional hernia after liver transplantation was 23% (95% CI = 11%‐37%), whereas the pooled complication rate of laparoscopic mesh repair was 20% (95% CI = 12%‐29%).ConclusionLaparoscopic VIH repair with the implantation of mesh showed promising results, since the percentage of patients with postoperative complications was lower compared to the available data of those who underwent open VIH repair with mesh.
The structural conundrum of parolees and kidney transplantation
Authors: Ahmad Mahwish U. , Eves Margot M. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIn the United States, there are a large number of incarcerated individuals, resulting in high numbers of previously incarcerated individuals out on parole undergoing reentry into society. An aging prison population translates to an older parolee population and increased incidence of kidney disease requiring either long‐term dialysis or transplantation. This paper argues that due to challenges specific to the parolee population as well as societal biases and priorities, Transplant Centers and healthcare professionals face an ethical imperative to attend to the needs of parolees as a class and take steps to address challenges related to access to Centers for renal transplantation evaluation for this disadvantaged group. It will first review the regulatory context of kidney transplantation and highlight the specific ways it effects parolees. The paper will then discuss the broader social context of parolee reentry into society and barriers faced by parolees in this process. This ethical analysis examines the complexity of these issues, and deliberates on ways to balance the competing priorities of justice, respect for this patient population as individuals and as a disadvantaged class, and the societal interests regarding organ allocation and considerable economic burdens of end‐stage renal disease on parolees, the justice system, and the public.
The Second Demographic Dividend as a Driver of China's Growth
Authors: Cai Fang 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAs China's demographic transition enters a new stage, the “first demographic dividend” – the economic advantage resulting from demographic changes in recent decades – is bound to disappear permanently. China's future development will be characterized by an aging population. The “second demographic dividend” refers to new sources of economic growth derived from this later population change. This paper reveals major constraints caused by aging in China, which is characterized by a tendency to grow old before becoming rich. As the population ages, human capital improvement slows, labor force participation declines and consumption power reduces. This paper suggests taking advantage of a population “echo effect” to improve human capital at all ages, to enhance workers’ ability to benefit from employment, and to improve the labor participation rate of the elderly, which in turn would increase the income and social security of the aged. These measures are conducive to future economic growth and to the cultivation of the second demographic dividend.
Regeneration of native woody species following artificial gap formation in an early‐successional forest in New Zealand
Authors: Tulod Adrian M. , Norton David A. 
Published: September 2020

SummaryGap creation in recovering rainforests may reduce the intensity of competition and provide opportunities for later successional species to co‐occur with predominant earlier successional species. This study examined the potential of artificial gaps to facilitate the natural regeneration and establishment of woody species in dense regenerating stands of Kānuka (Kunzea robusta) that have developed following the removal of degrading factors especially clearing and grazing in many parts of New Zealand. Artificial gaps were created through selective felling of Kānuka canopy trees and the species composition, density, growth and survival of native woody species regenerating in the canopy gaps and under paired intact Kānuka canopies were monitored for 28 months. Gap creation resulted in a significant increase in the number of species and density of woody regeneration including a wider range of woody species, although no mature phase species (including podocarps) were found, potentially due to seed limitations. There was no significant effect detected with respect to the interaction of time and gap creation on species recruitment. Survival and growth of woody regeneration were significantly greater in canopy gaps than beneath the intact canopy despite the higher proportions of herbaceous ground vegetation and browsing incidence in gap treatments. The tendency of woody seedlings to grow taller in canopy gaps may have permitted them more rapid recovery from browsing. The duration of the study was too short to fully capture the potential of canopy intervention, but woody regeneration within the artificial gaps is likely to accelerate as the regeneration proceeds, especially if browsing is controlled, and the results presented here provide useful insight into the early stages of this process.
Topical doxycycline monohydrate hydrogel 1% targeting proteases/PAR2 pathway is a novel therapeutic for atopic dermatitis
Authors: Bohannon Mary , Liu Mingjin , Nadeau Peter , Talton Judy , Gibson Daniel , Datta Susmita , Schultz Gregory , Talton James , De Benedetto Anna 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAtopic Dermatitis (AD) is characterized by skin barrier disruption and an aberrant immune response. Doxycycline is tetracycline antibiotics broadly used systemically to treat inflammatory dermatologic conditions. Several studies have shown doxycycline has anti‐inflammatory and pro‐healing properties, mainly by blocking tissue proteolytic activity. It is our hypothesis that daily application of a novel doxycycline topical formulation in AD subjects will reduce severity of the disease, by blocking cutaneous proteases activity and restoring skin barrier function and inflammation. To test this hypothesis, we performed a proof of concept, open‐label clinical study. Subjects enrolled in the study (n = 15) applied NanoDOX® Hydrogel 1% daily for 4 weeks on a chosen eczematous area. Investigational drug was well tolerated, and no local or systemic adverse events due to investigational drug were reported. Notably, a significant clinical improvement was observed based on a modified Eczema Area & Severity Index (EASI) score of the treated area from start of treatment to 14 and 28 days post‐treatment (P < .001). A significant improvement of pruritus was also observed (P = .02). This proof of concept clinical trial is first to explore the impact of a non‐systemic doxycycline treatment on AD patients. Our results provide evidence to investigate novel AD treatment strategies targeting cutaneous proteases activity.
PRICE SEARCH, CONSUMPTION INEQUALITY AND EXPENDITURE INEQUALITY OVER THE LIFE ‐CYCLE
Authors: Arslan Yavuz , Guler Bulent , Taskin Temel 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWe differentiate consumption from expenditure by incorporating price search decision into an otherwise standard life‐cycle model. We first analytically show that, under very general conditions, poorer households search more and pay lower prices compared to wealthier ones. As a result, consumption inequality is smaller than expenditure inequality, and the gap between them increases over the life‐cycle. Next, using a plausibly calibrated model, we find that life‐cycle increase in consumption inequality is about 30% lower than the increase in expenditure inequality. Price search provides an insurance mechanism against income shocks and increases the welfare of a newborn by 3.9%.