bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A method for direct imaging of x–z cross‐sections of fluorescent samples
Authors: KATIYAR A. , ANTANI J.D. , MCKEE B.P. , GUPTA R. , LELE P.P. , LELE T.P. 
Published: October 2020

SummaryThe x–z cross‐sectional profiles of fluorescent objects can be distorted in confocal microscopy, in large part due to mismatch between the refractive index of the immersion medium of typical high numerical aperture objectives and the refractive index of the medium in which the sample is present. Here, we introduce a method to mount fluorescent samples parallel to the optical axis. This mounting allows direct imaging of what would normally be an x–z cross‐section of the object, in the x–y plane of the microscope. With this approach, the x–y cross‐sections of fluorescent beads were seen to have significantly lower shape‐distortions as compared to x–z cross‐sections reconstructed from confocal z‐stacks. We further tested the method for imaging of nuclear and cellular heights in cultured cells, and found that they are significantly flatter than previously reported. This approach allows improved imaging of the x–z cross‐section of fluorescent samples.Lay descriptionOptical distortions are common in confocal microscopy. In particular, the mismatch between the refractive index of the immersion medium of the microscope objective and the refractive index of the sample medium distorts the shapes of fluorescent objects in the x–z plane of the microscope. Here, we introduced a method to eliminate the shape‐distortion in the x–z cross‐sections. This was achieved by mounting fluorescent samples on vertical glass slides such that the cross‐sections orthogonal to the glass surface could be imaged in the x–y plane of the microscope. Our method successfully improved the imaging of nuclear and cellular heights in cultured cells and revealed that the heights were significantly flatter than previously reported with conventional approaches.
Subcutaneous tissue stiffness of cesarean incision scar by elastography as a predictor of intra‐abdominal adhesions
Authors: Seven Banu , Yorgancı Ayçağ , Alkan Mihriban , Gündüz Özlem , Keskin H. Levent , Engin‐Üstün Yaprak 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAimThis study aimed to investigate whether subcutaneous tissue stiffness of the previous cesarean section (CS) skin incision could predict the severity of the intra‐abdominal adhesions at a repeat CS.MethodsIn this prospective cross‐sectional study, pregnant women with at least one prior cesarean delivery were included. The subcutaneous tissue stiffness of the previous CS skin scar was measured by shear wave elastography (SWE) on the day of the repeat CS and the intra‐abdominal adhesions were recorded by an adhesion classification scheme specific for CS. Total adhesion score was classified as mild adhesion between 1 and 4, moderate adhesion between 5 and 12, and severe adhesion if ≥13.ResultsOf the 102 women, 41 (40.2%) had no adhesions, 18 (17.6%) had mild adhesions, 26 (25.5%) had moderate adhesions and 17 (16.7%) had severe adhesions. The mean SWE measurements were significantly higher in the moderate and severe adhesion group than the non‐adhesion and mild adhesion group (51.5 ± 25.3 vs 36.8 ± 22.6, P = 0.003). There was a statistically significant correlation between the preoperative SWE measurements and total adhesion scores (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.397, P < 0.001). In receiver–operator characteristics curve analysis, the cut‐off value for moderate or severe adhesions was found to be 36.5 (area under curve = 0.710, %95 confidence interval 0.606–0.815; P < 0.001). With the cut‐off point of ≥36.5, the sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of mild and severe adhesions were 74.4% and 40.5%, respectively.ConclusionElastographic evaluation of the subcutaneous tissue stiffness of the cesarean incision scar might show the degree of intra‐abdominal adhesions at a repeat CS.
Dietary patterns in relation to gestational depression and sleep disturbance in Chinese pregnant women
Authors: Zhan Yongle , Ma Haihui , Feng Yahui , Wang Yawen , Wu Sansan , Cai Shuya , Shi Yingjie , Chen Yunli , Ma Liangkun , Jiang Yu 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAimTo investigate the association of dietary patterns with gestational depression and sleep disturbance.MethodsWomen in early pregnancy were recruited from the Chinese Pregnant Women Cohort Study (CPWCS) through July 25th, 2017 to November 26th, 2018, and eventually 7615 participants were included in this study. The qualitative food frequency questionnaire (Q‐FFQ), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to assess dietary, depression and sleep quality during pregnancy, respectively. Dietary patterns were derived by factor analysis. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of each outcome according to quartiles of each dietary pattern.ResultsFive dietary patterns were identified. Participants with the highest quartile in plant‐based pattern had a significantly lower likelihood of mental problems (OR: 95% CI for depression: 0.66, 0.55–0.79; sleep disturbance: 0.80, 0.68–0.93); Similar results were observed in vitamin‐rich pattern (OR: 95% CI for depression: 0.46, 0.38–0.55; sleep disturbance: 0.76, 0.65–0.89); However, contrary results were found in high‐fat pattern (OR: 95% CI for depression: 2.15, 1.25–1.85; sleep disturbance: 1.43, 1.22–1.67); In animal protein‐rich pattern, participants with the highest quartile had a decreased likelihood of depression (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.67–0.96). As for bean products pattern, participants with the highest quartile had an increased risk of depression (OR: 1.28, 95% CI:1.06–1.53). Interactions of dietary patterns and lifestyles on mental disorders were observed.ConclusionDietary patterns were associated with gestational depression and sleep disturbance. Relevant departments and maternal and child health personnel should conduct health education for pregnant women and guide them to eat properly.
A workforce survey of critical care nurses in the National Health Service
Authors: Cutler Lee , Berry Andrea , Horsfield Claire 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAimTo measure key aspects of the critical care nursing workforce across the National Health Service (NHS) and compare these with recommended standards where they exist.BackgroundThe provision of high‐quality and safe critical care services is dependent on adequate numbers of highly skilled nurses. Understanding the issues and challenges within critical care services across the NHS is key to future planning and policy in this area.DesignA stakeholder‐driven consensus development approach was adopted to design a workforce survey by members of the Critical Care National Network Nurse Leads (CC3N) Forum.MethodsThe survey was conducted across all the critical care units in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Data were collated to enable presentation of descriptive statistics.ResultsData returns were received from 240 of the 272 units in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales data were excluded from analysis and reporting. Differences in the sample and data returns limited comparison with the previous survey in some aspects. Stability was seen in vacancy and sickness rates. Improvements were seen in safe nurse: patient ratios, supernumerary “nurse in charge,” critical care outreach service cover, use of national competency framework, and agency use. Dependency on overseas nurses in some units remains high. Specialist critical care training levels in many units do not meet current required standards.ConclusionClear improvements have been made. There is significant stability. Some challenges remain. Continued review of resource allocation is important in the coming years, as is policy and strategy to ensure recruitment, appropriate training, and support for staff well‐being.Relevance to clinical practiceThe reader will gain insight into the critical care nursing workforce in the NHS in England and Northern Ireland. The results are useful for nurses, nurse managers, and policymakers.
A major quantitative trait locus on chromosome A9, BnaPh1, controls homoeologous recombination in Brassica napus
Authors: Higgins Erin E. , Howell Elaine C. , Armstrong Susan J. , Parkin Isobel A. P. 
Published: October 2020

Summary

Ensuring faithful homologous recombination in allopolyploids is essential to maintain optimal fertility of the species. Variation in the ability to control aberrant pairing between homoeologous chromosomes in Brassica napus has been identified. The current study exploited the extremes of such variation to identify genetic factors that differentiate newly resynthesised B. napus, which is inherently unstable, and established B. napus, which has adapted to largely control homoeologous recombination.

A segregating B. napus mapping population was analysed utilising both cytogenetic observations and high‐throughput genotyping to quantify the levels of homoeologous recombination.

Three quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified that contributed to the control of homoeologous recombination in the important oilseed crop B. napus. One major QTL on BnaA9 contributed between 32 and 58% of the observed variation. This study is the first to assess homoeologous recombination and map associated QTLs resulting from deviations in normal pairing in allotetraploid B. napus.

The identified QTL regions suggest candidate meiotic genes that could be manipulated in order to control this important trait and further allow the development of molecular markers to utilise this trait to exploit homoeologous recombination in a crop.
An evolutionary account of intermodality differences in statistical learning
Authors: Ordin Mikhail , Polyanskaya Leona , Samuel Arthur G. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe cognitive mechanisms underlying statistical learning are engaged for the purposes of speech processing and language acquisition. However, these mechanisms are shared by a wide variety of species that do not possess the language faculty. Moreover, statistical learning operates across domains, including nonlinguistic material. Ancient mechanisms for segmenting continuous sensory input into discrete constituents have evolved for general‐purpose segmentation of the environment and been readopted for processing linguistic input. Linguistic input provides a rich set of cues for the boundaries between sequential constituents. Such input engages a wider variety of more specialized mechanisms operating on these language‐specific cues, thus potentially reducing the role of conditional statistics in tokenizing a continuous linguistic stream. We provide an explicit within‐subject comparison of the utility of statistical learning in language versus nonlanguage domains across the visual and auditory modalities. The results showed that in the auditory modality statistical learning is more efficient with speech‐like input, while in the visual modality efficiency is higher with nonlanguage input. We suggest that the speech faculty has been important for individual fitness for an extended period, leading to the adaptation of statistical learning mechanisms for speech processing. This is not the case in the visual modality, in which linguistic material presents a less ecological type of sensory input.
What is the impact of food reformulation on individuals' behaviour, nutrient intakes and health status? A systematic review of empirical evidence
Authors: Gressier Mathilde , Swinburn Boyd , Frost Gary , Segal Alexa B. , Sassi Franco 
Published: October 2020

SummaryFood reformulation aimed at improving the nutritional properties of food products has long been viewed as a promising public health strategy to tackle poor nutrition and obesity. This paper presents a review of the empirical evidence (i.e., modelling studies were excluded) on the impact of food reformulation on food choices, nutrient intakes and health status, based on a systematic search of Medline, Embase, Global Health and sources of grey literature. Fifty‐nine studies (in 35 papers) were included in the review. Most studies examined food choices (n = 27) and dietary intakes (n = 26). The nutrients most frequently studied were sodium (n = 32) and trans fatty acids (TFA, n = 13). Reformulated products were generally accepted and purchased by consumers, which led to improved nutrient intakes in 73% of studies. We also conducted two meta‐analyses showing, respectively, a −0.57 g/day (95%CI, −0.89 to −0.25) reduction in salt intake and an effect size for TFA intake reduction of −1.2 (95% CI, −1.79 to −0.61). Only six studies examined effects on health outcomes, with studies on TFA reformulation showing overall improvement in cardiovascular risk factors. For other nutrients, it remains unclear whether observed improvements in food choices or nutrient intakes may have led to an improvement in health outcomes.
An integrative analysis of genome‐wide methylation and expression in ameloblastoma: A pilot study
Authors: Pongpanich Monnat , Sanguansin Sirima , Kengkarn Sudaporn , Chaiwongkot Arkom , Klongnoi Boworn , Kitkumthorn Nakarin 
Published: October 2020

AbstractObjectiveDNA methylation regulates the expression of various genes involved in tumorigenesis. Ameloblastoma is a benign odontogenic jaw tumor. It is locally aggressive with a high level of recurrence. A delay in treatment can lead to severe facial disfigurement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first integrated analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression in ameloblastoma with the aim to identify genes that may be regulated by DNA methylation.Materials and MethodsWe used an Infinium MethylationEPIC array to measure genome‐wide methylation and the Illumina HiSeq platform to obtain gene expression data in ameloblastoma tissues from five patients and dental follicles from three healthy subjects. An integration analysis was performed using City of Hope CpG Island Analysis Pipeline software.ResultsWe identified 25,255 differentially methylated CpG sites and 17 differentially methylated CpG islands; six of the islands were negatively correlated with the expression of BAIAP2, DUSP6, FGFR2, FOXF2, NID2, and PAK6. Pyrosequencing and immunostaining techniques were further used to validate FGFR2, NID2, and PAK6.ConclusionsThis analysis identifies a group of novel genes that may be regulated by DNA methylation and will possibly lead to new insights into the pathology and invasion mechanism of ameloblastoma.
The use of omega‐3 fatty acids in the treatment of oral diseases
Authors: Azuma Mariane Maffei , Cardoso Carolina de Barros Morais , da Silva Cristiane Cantiga , de Oliveira Pedro Henrique Chaves , Jacinto Rogério de Castilho , Andrada Ana Cristina , Cintra Luciano Tavares Angelo 
Published: October 2020

AbstractOmega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω‐3 PUFAs) have been reported to exert important roles in the inflammatory response. There are many inflammatory diseases in dentistry which support the administration of ω‐3 PUFAs as an adjunct therapy during the treatment of these diseases. The aim of this review was to evaluate the use of ω‐3 PUFAs as an adjuvant therapy during the treatment of buccal diseases. The review showed that supplementation with ω‐3 PUFAs was used for treatment of gingivitis, periodontal diseases, apical periodontitis, stomatitis, and orthodontic tooth movement. The results indicate that ω‐3 PUFAs decreased the number of pro‐inflammatory mediators in the gingival tissues of individuals with gingivitis and periodontitis. In apical periodontitis, the supplementation suppressed bone resorption and promoted bone formation in the periapical area of rats. During orthodontic movement, the supplementation showed a decrease of bone resorption in rats. It also showed that painful symptoms of recurrent aphthous stomatitis were alleviated in supplemented patients. In conclusion, the ω‐3 PUFAs may be used as an adjuvant therapy in the treatment of inflammatory diseases that affect the oral cavity. However, more studies are required to elucidate the role of ω‐3 PUFAs in decreasing oral cavity inflammatory processes.
Treadmill exercise testing improves diagnostic accuracy in children with concealed congenital long QT syndrome
Authors: Patel Trisha M. , Kamande Stanley M. , Jarosz Elizabeth , Bost James E. , Hanumanthaiah Sridhar , Berul Charles I. , Sherwin Elizabeth D. , Moak Jeffrey P. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundResting electrocardiogram (ECG) identification of long QT syndrome (LQTS) has limitations. Uncertainty exists on how to classify patients with borderline prolonged QT intervals. We tested if exercise testing could help serve to guide which children with borderline prolonged QT intervals may be gene positive for LQTS.MethodsPediatric patients (n = 139) were divided into three groups: Controls (n = 76), gene positive LQTS with borderline QTc (n = 21), and gene negative patients with borderline QTc (n = 42). Borderline QTc was defined between 440‐470 (male) and 440‐480 (female) ms. ECGs were recorded supine, sitting, and standing. Patients then underwent treadmill stress testing with Bruce protocol followed by a 9‐minute recovery phase.ResultsSupine resting QTc, age, and Schwartz score for the three groups were: (a) gene positive: 446 ± 23 ms, 12.4 ± 3.4 years old, 3.2 ± 1.8; (b) gene negative: 445 ± 20 ms, 12.1 ± 2 years old, 2.0 ± 1.2; and (c) control: 400 ± 24 ms, 15.0 ± 3 years old. The three groups could be differentiated by their QTc response at two time points: standing and recovery phase at 6 minutes. Standing QTc ≥460 ms differentiated borderline prolonged QTc patients (gene positive and gene negative) from controls. Late recovery QTc ≥480 ms distinguished gene positive from gene negative patients.ConclusionExercise stress testing can be useful to identify children who are gene positive borderline LQTS from a normal population and gene negative borderline QTc children, allowing for selective gene testing in a higher risk group of patients with borderline QTc intervals and intermediate Schwartz scores.
Sovereign default, political instability and political fragmentation
Authors: Cusato Novelli Antonio 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThis paper studies sovereign borrowing and default in an economy in which self‐interested political parties bargain over the budget and there is political turnover. The model generates an endogenous distribution of resources that depends on borrowing decisions, and policymakers become short‐sighted. The party in power, as well as the coalition members, obtain a higher share of aggregate consumption as leverage increases. Very small changes in these shares generate non‐negligible shifts in the default/repayment sets. This mechanism provides an explanation for why governments increase their leverage and default more frequently, in comparison to a model with a constant distribution of resources.
Business Cycles Synchronisation and Symmetries in the Transition to East African Monetary Union
Authors: Garang Aweng Peter Majok , Erkekoglu Hatice 
Published: October 2020

AbstractOur paper explores the prospects for the proposed East African Monetary Union (EAMU) by employing rigorous empirical tools to analyse business cycles synchronisation, structural cross‐correlations, spectral decomposition and regional clusters to identify different cyclical episodes, periodicities and characterise the economic cycles of East African countries. We find that cyclical movements reflect various idiosyncratic, common, historical and external shocks in the region. Secondly, all countries appear to be structurally correlated with each other except for South Sudan and Burundi. Our results also observe that the contemporaneous co‐movements of East African Community (EAC) cycles with those of Kenya and Tanzaniaare procyclical with coincidental path shift, while the same EAC cycles appear to be acyclical with those of Burundi. Additionally, from the spectral decomposition, Kenyan cycles take 10 years to complete, while those of Tanzania and Rwanda take 8 years. Ugandan and Burundian cycles take approximately 5 years, while the cyclical frequency for South Sudan corresponds to 3.3 years. Finally, the cluster characterisation of countries reveals that South Sudan, Burundi and Rwanda form a group, while Kenya and Tanzania from a group distinct from the rest. We urge the member countries to prioritise policies on regional risk‐sharing and adjustment mechanisms, in addition to establishing credible institutional infrastructure that ensures surveillance and enforcement of convergence conditions adopted in EAMU protocol.
A points of interest matching method using a multivariate weighting function with gradient descent optimization
Authors: Zhou Yang , Wang Mingjun , Zhang Chen , Ren Fu , Ma Xiangyuan , Du Qingyun 
Published: October 2020

AbstractVolunteered geographic information contains abundant valuable data, which can be applied to various spatiotemporal geographical analyses. While the useful information may be distributed in different, low‐quality data sources, this issue can be solved by data integration. Generally, the primary task of integration is data matching. Unfortunately, due to the complexity and irregularities of multi‐source data, existing studies have found it difficult to efficiently establish the correspondence between different sources. Therefore, we present a multi‐stage method to match multi‐source data using points of interest. A spatial filter is constructed to obtain candidate sets for geographical entities. The weights of non‐spatial characteristics are examined by a machine learning‐related algorithm with artificially labeled random samples. A case study on Fuzhou reveals that an average of 95% of instances are accurately matched. Thus, our study provides a novel solution for researchers who are engaged in data mining and related work to accurately match multi‐source data via knowledge obtained by the idea and methods of machine learning.