bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Drug‐Drug Interaction Studies With Oral Contraceptives: Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic and Study Design Considerations
Authors: Sun Haiying , Sivasubramanian Rama , Vaidya Soniya , Barve Avantika , Jarugula Venkateswar 
Published: December 2020

AbstractOral contraceptives (OCs) are the most widely used form of birth control among women of childbearing potential. Knowledge of potential drug‐drug interactions (DDIs) with OCs becomes imperative to provide information on the medication to women of childbearing potential and enable their inclusion in clinical trials, especially if the new molecular entity is a teratogen. Although a number of DDI guidance documents are available, they do not provide recommendations for the design and conduct of OC DDI studies. The evaluation of DDI potential of a new molecular entity and OCs is particularly challenging because of the availability of a wide variety of combinations of hormonal contraceptives, different doses of the ethinyl estradiol, and different metabolic profiles of the progestin component. The aim of this review is to comprehensively discuss factors to be considered such as pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), choice of OC, and study population for the conduct of in vivo OC DDI studies. In this context, metabolic pathways of OCs, the effect of enzyme inhibitors and inducers, the role of sex hormone–binding globulin in the PK of progestins, current evidence on OC DDIs, and the interpretation of PD end points are reviewed. With the emergence of new tools like physiologically based PK modeling, the decision to conduct an in vivo study can be made with much more confidence. This review provides a comprehensive overview of various factors that need to be considered in designing OC DDI studies and recommends PK‐based DDI studies with PK end points as adequate measures to establish clinical drug interaction and measurement of PD end points when there is basis for PD interaction.
Acalabrutinib‐related second primary malignancies and nonmelanoma skin cancers in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL): A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs)
Authors: Htut Thura W. , Han Myat M. , Thein Kyaw Z. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAcalabrutinib is a second generation Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor and was recently approved in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. We undertook a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials to determine the risks of acalabrutinib‐related second primary malignancies (SPM) and nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC). The incidence of SPM was 4.7% higher in the acalabrutinib arm compared to control arm with risk ratio (RR) of 1.76 (5.32 vs 3.2 per 100 person‐years). Notably, NMSC was the most common SPM, and the incidence was 2.56 per 100 person‐years in the acalabrutinib group versus 1.12 per 100 person‐years in the control group (RR 2.43). Long‐term follow‐up and future studies are necessary to define the actual relationship and their risk factors.
Pairwise‐rotated EOFs of global cloud cover and their linkages to sea surface temperature
Authors: Li Yanrong , Ge Jinming , Dong Zixiang , Hu Xiaoyu , Yang Xuan , Wang Meihua , Han Zihang 
Published: December 2020

AbstractSea surface temperature (SST) could significantly affect the dynamic and thermodynamic conditions of the atmospheric circulation and consequently the cloud variations. Here we use several different satellite records to extract the spatial‐time modes of total cloud cover (TCC) by employing a pairwise rotation of Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis. The results show that the first two principal oscillation modes of TCC are closely associated with the Central Pacific El Niño Southern Oscillation (CP ENSO) and Eastern Pacific (EP) ENSO during the 1980s–2000s, while the ENSO‐like mode of TCC can provide an evident contribution to the TCC change during the 2000s–2010s. In CP El Niño, the cloud vertical structure decomposed from CloudSat observations shows an increase of cloud occurrence frequency near the equator and around 40°, and a decrease around 10° in both hemispheres, suggesting a symmetric tightening of Hadley cell (HC). In addition, cloud occurrence frequency increases around 180°, which is accompanied by an eastward shift of Walker circulation (WC). In EP El Niño, TCC increases (decreases) over the Equatorial Eastern Pacific (Western Pacific warm pool), and decreases asymmetrically over the subtropical Pacific Ocean, indicating a weakening of WC and an asymmetric tightening of HC, respectively. The different responses of circulation and clouds to CP and EP El Niño highlight the nonlinearity of El Niño SST forcing. We also construct a trend mode of TCC to investigate cloud long‐term responses to SST warming by transferring the linear trends of the rest modes to a specific mode. The principal components (PCs) of TCC trend modes are strongly correlated with global‐mean SST (GSST) with correlation a coefficient of about 0.60 during the 1980s–2000s and 0.45 during the 2000s–2010s, suggesting a continued influence of global SST warming on TCC. The global TCC change is mainly influenced by the combined effects of Atlantic Multi‐decadal Oscillation (AMO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). The variation about the trend mode of TCC is closely associated with PDO and IOD.
Evaluation of chemical properties of intact green coffee beans using near‐infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Levate Macedo Leandro , da Silva Araújo Cintia , Costa Vimercati Wallaf , Gherardi Hein Paulo Ricardo , Pimenta Carlos José , Henriques Saraiva Sérgio 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe chemical compounds in coffee are important indicators of quality. Its composition varies according to several factors related to the planting and processing of coffee. Thus, this study proposed to use near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIR) associated with partial least squares (PLS) regression to estimate quickly some chemical properties (moisture content, soluble solids, and total and reducing sugars) in intact green coffee samples. For this, 250 samples produced in Brazil were analyzed in the laboratory by the standard method and also had their spectra recorded.RESULTSThe calibration models were developed using PLS regression with cross‐validation and tested in a validation set. The models were elaborated using original spectra and preprocessed by five different mathematical methods. These models were compared in relation to the coefficient of determination, root mean square error of cross‐validation (RMSECV), root mean square error of test set validation (RMSEP), and ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) and demonstrated different predictive capabilities for the chemical properties of coffee. The best model was obtained to predict grain moisture and the worst performance was observed for the soluble solids model. The highest determination coefficients obtained for the samples in the validation set were equal to 0.810, 0.516, 0.694 and 0.781 for moisture, soluble solids, total sugar, and reducing sugars, respectively.CONCLUSIONThe statistics associated with these models indicate that NIR technology has the potential to be applied routinely to predict the chemical properties of green coffee, and in particular, for moisture analysis. However, the soluble solid and total sugar content did not show high correlations with the spectroscopic data and need to be improved. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Lipidomic Analysis of Plasma from Healthy Men and Women Shows Phospholipid Class and Molecular Species Differences between Sexes
Authors: West Annette L. , Michaelson Louise V. , Miles Elizabeth A. , Haslam Richard P. , Lillycrop Karen A. , Georgescu Ramona , Han Lihua , Napier Johnathan A. , Calder Philip C. , Burdge Graham C. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe phospholipid composition of lipoproteins is determined by the specificity of hepatic phospholipid biosynthesis. Plasma phospholipid 20:4n‐6 and 22:6n‐3 concentrations are higher in women than in men. We used this sex difference in a lipidomics analysis of the impact of endocrine factors on the phospholipid class and molecular species composition of fasting plasma from young men and women. Diester species predominated in all lipid classes measured. 20/54 Phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) species were alkyl ester, 15/48 phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) species were alkyl ester, and 12/48 PtdEtn species were alkenyl ester. There were no significant differences between sexes in the proportions of alkyl PtdCho species. The proportion of alkyl ester PtdEtn species was greater in women than men, while the proportion of alkenyl ester PtdEtn species was greater in men than women. None of the phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) or phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) molecular species contained ether‐linked fatty acids. The proportion of PtdCho16:0_22:6, and the proportions of PtdEtn O‐16:0_20:4 and PtdEtn O‐18:2_20:4 were greater in women than men. There were no sex differences in PtdIns and PtdSer molecular species compositions. These findings show that plasma phospholipids can be modified by sex. Such differences in lipoprotein phospholipid composition could contribute to sexual dimorphism in patterns of health and disease.
Exploiting Ultralow Loss Multimode Waveguides for Broadband Frequency Combs
Authors: Ji Xingchen , Jang Jae K. , Dave Utsav D. , Corato‐Zanarella Mateus , Joshi Chaitanya , Gaeta Alexander L. , Lipson Michal 
Published: December 2020

AbstractLow propagation loss in high confinement waveguides is critical for chip‐based nonlinear photonics applications. Sophisticated fabrication processes which yield sub‐nm roughness are generally needed to reduce scattering points at the waveguide interfaces to achieve ultralow propagation loss. Here, ultralow propagation loss is shown by shaping the mode using a highly multimode structure to reduce its overlap with the waveguide interfaces, thus relaxing the fabrication processing requirements. Microresonators with intrinsic quality factors (Q) of 31.8 ± 4.4 million are experimentally demonstrated. Although the microresonators support ten transverse modes only the fundamental mode is excited and no higher order modes are observed when using nonlinear adiabatic bends. A record‐low threshold pump power of 73 µW for parametric oscillation is measured and a broadband, almost octave spanning single‐soliton frequency comb without any signatures of higher order modes in the spectrum spanning from 1097 to 2040 nm (126 THz) is generated in the multimode microresonator. This work provides a design method that can be applied to different material platforms to achieve and use ultrahigh‐Q multimode microresonators.
Spin Hall Effect of Light with Near‐Unity Efficiency in the Microwave
Authors: Kim Minkyung , Lee Dasol , Cho Hyukjoon , Min Bumki , Rho Junsuk 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe spin Hall effect of light (SHEL) refers to a transverse and spin‐dependent shift of light in real space at an optical interface. Previous studies of enhancing the SHEL have involved extremely low efficiency, and achieving a large SHEL and high efficiency simultaneously has never been reported. Here, an approach using anisotropic impedance mismatching to attain a large SHEL with near‐unity efficiency in the microwave spectrum is proposed. A wire medium that has a near‐unity transmission for one polarization and low transmission for the other is used to achieve high efficiency. The spin‐dependent splitting is experimentally confirmed by measuring transmission coefficients and the spatial profile of Stokes parameters. The large SHEL with near‐unity efficiency will enable highly efficient devices with spin‐selective functionalities.
Overcoming the Necessity of a Lateral Aggregation in the Formation of Supramolecular Polymer Bottlebrushes in Water
Authors: Klein Tobias , Ulrich Hans F. , Gruschwitz Franka V. , Kuchenbrod Maren T. , Takahashi Rintaro , Hoeppener Stephanie , Nischang Ivo , Sakurai Kazuo , Brendel Johannes C. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe assembly of supramolecular polymer bottlebrushes in aqueous systems is, in most cases, associated with a lateral aggregation of the supramolecular building blocks in addition to their axial stacking. Here, it is demonstrated that this limitation can be overcome by attaching three polymer chains to a central supramolecular unit that possesses a sufficiently high number of hydrogen bonding units to compensate for the increased steric strain. Therefore, a 1,3,5‐benzenetrisurea‐polyethylene oxide conjugate is modified with different peptide units located next to the urea groups which should facilitate self‐assembly in water. For a single amino acid per arm, spherical micelles are obtained for all three tested amino acids (alanine, leucine, and phenylalanine) featuring different hydrophobicities. Only a slight increase in size and solution stability of spherical micelles is observed with increasing hydrophobicity of amino acid unit. In contrast, introducing two amino acid units per arm and thus increasing the number of hydrogen bonds per unimer molecule results in the formation of cylindrical structures, that is, supramolecular polymer bottlebrushes, despite a suppressed lateral aggregation. Consequently, it can be concluded that the number of hydrogen bonds has a more profound impact on the resulting solution morphology than the hydrophobicity of the amino acid unit.
The Presence of a Wall Enhances the Probability for Ring‐Closing Metathesis: Insights from Classical Polymer Theory and Atomistic Simulations
Authors: Tischler Ingo , Schlaich Alexander , Holm Christian 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe probability distribution of chain ends meeting when one end of the polymer is fixed to a certain distance to a reflecting wall is investigated. For an ideal polymer chain the probability distribution can be evaluated analytically via classic polymer theory. These analytical predictions are compared to atomistic MD simulations of one tethered alkane chain close to the wall. The results demonstrate that a confining wall can lead to a significant increase in the return probability for the chain ends, and thus, can increase the occurrence of ring‐closing reactions. It is further demonstrated that the excess return probability shows a maximum at a certain distance, thereby yielding an optimal catalyst position in the ring‐closing reaction.
Computer‐assisted beam modeling for particle therapy
Authors: Fuchs Hermann , Elia Alessio , Resch Andreas F. , Kuess Peter , Lühr Armin , Vidal Marie , Grevillot Loïc , Georg Dietmar 
Published: December 2020

PurposeTo develop a computer‐driven and thus less user‐dependent method, allowing for a simple and straightforward generation of a Monte Carlo (MC) beam model of a scanned proton and carbon ion beam delivery system.MethodsIn a first step, experimental measurements were performed for proton and carbon ion energies in the available energy ranges. Data included depth dose profiles measured in water and spot sizes in air at various isocenter distances. Using an automated regularization‐based optimization process (AUTO‐BEAM), GATE/Geant4 beam models of the respective beam lines were generated. These were obtained sequentially by using least square weighting functions with and without regularization, to iteratively tune the beam parameters energy, energy spread, beam sigma, divergence, and emittance until a user‐defined agreement was reached. Based on the parameter tuning for a set of energies, a beam model was semi‐automatically generated. The resulting beam models were validated for all centers comparing to independent measurements of laterally integrated depth dose curves and spot sizes in air. For one representative center, three‐dimensional dose cubes were measured and compared to simulations. The method was applied on one research as well as four different clinical beam lines for proton and carbon ions of three different particle therapy centers using synchrotron or cyclotron accelerator systems: (a) MedAustron ion therapy center, (b) University Proton Therapy Dresden, and (c) Center Antoine Lacassagne Nice.ResultsParticle beam ranges in the MC beam models agreed on average within 0.2 mm compared to measurements for all energies and beam lines. Spot sizes in air (full‐width at half maximum) at all positions differed by less than 0.4% from the measurements. Dose calculation with the beam model for the clinical beam line at MedAustron agreed better than 1.7% in absolute dose for a representative clinical case treated with protons. For protons, beam model generation, including geometry creation, data conversion, and validation, was possible within three working days. The number of iterations required for the optimization process to converge, was found to be similar for all beam line geometries and particle types.ConclusionThe presented method was demonstrated to work independently of the beam optics behavior of the different beam lines, particle types, and geometries. Furthermore, it is suitable for non‐expert users and requires only limited user interaction. Beam model validation for different beam lines based on different beam delivery systems, showed good agreement.
Development and psychometric evaluation of postgraduate nursing student academic satisfaction scale
Authors: Rahmatpour Pardis , Peyrovi Hamid , Sharif Nia Hamid 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAimTo develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of postgraduate nursing student academic satisfaction scale (PNSASS).DesignThe mixed‐method study was carried out in two phases; (a) item generation by hybrid concept analysis and (b) item reduction by psychometric evaluation of the developed scale.MethodsThe initial item pool (N = 209) was prepared based on concept analysis results and similar instruments. A total of 402 postgraduate nursing students willingly participated in online data gathering from August 2019 to May 2020. The validity (face, content and construct) and reliability (stability and internal consistency) of the scale were assessed.ResultsExploratory factor analysis identified that the scale had four factors which explained 64.80% of the total extracted variance. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed a good model fit. The reliability of scale was strong to excellent. The results showed that the PNSASS has suitable validity and reliability properties, which can be used to measure the academic satisfaction of postgraduate nursing students.
A tour of wood product manufacturing facilities in British Columbia as an example of experiential learning
Authors: Cool Julie , Ellis Simon , Jiang Feng 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe provision of meaningful experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students in natural resources‐based programs is particularly important. In 2017, the Department of Wood Science at the University of British Columbia reintroduced a dormant, 1‐week tour of manufacturing operations for students in the Wood Products Processing undergraduate program. This article describes the background to the reinstatement of the tour and some of the important logistical factors involved, including the timing of the tour in the academic calendar, the scheduling of manufacturing facilities visited, transport and accommodation considerations, and planning time at an outdoor education camp. The desired learning outcomes are discussed together with some of the challenges developing and enacting appropriate evaluations connected to them. An initial single, written technical report was later supplemented by evaluation components better connected to the desired experiential learning outcomes. Aspects of safety, participation, and punctuality were added, as were daily quizzes. The daily quizzes have evolved from paper‐based questions requiring statement responses to online, objective quizzes, which provided more timely feedback to students. The pros and cons of additional overview and/or summary sessions are discussed in relation to encouraging greater student engagement in achieving the desired learning outcomes.
Fast preconditioned iterative methods for fractional Sturm–Liouville equations
Authors: Zhang Lei , Zhang Guo‐Feng , Liang Zhao‐Zheng 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we have considered fast solutions of the linear system arising from the fractional Sturm–Liouville problem, whose coefficient matrix contains the product of Toeplitz‐like matrices. Based on suitable circulant approximations of the related coefficient matrix, we establish a matching preconditioner of matrix‐free form. In theory, the spectrum of the preconditioned matrix is shown to cluster around [1/2, 1), which suggests the fast convergence speed of the proposed preconditioner within Krylov subspace acceleration. In addition, to reduce the computation time and storage, we consider an all‐at‐once discretized system and explore its low‐rank tensor structure and alternating iterative tensor algorithms. Numerical experiments are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed solution techniques compared with some existing methods.
Fatigue perception in a cohort of children with chronic immune thrombocytopenia and their caregivers using the PedsQL MFS: Real‐life multicenter experience of the Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (AIEOP)
Authors: Lassandro Giuseppe , Palmieri Viviana Valeria , Barone Angelica , Farruggia Piero , Giona Fiorina , Licciardello Maria , Marinoni Maddalena , Marzollo Antonio , Notarangelo Lucia Dora , Palumbo Giuseppe , Ramenghi Ugo , Russo Giovanna , Saracco Paola , Spinelli Marco , Tolva Alessandra , Tornesello Assunta , Palladino Valentina , Noviello Domenico , Giordano Paola 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundFatigue is an important clinical and psychological aspect for a significant number of children affected by immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). To date, few studies have explored fatigue and its relationship with chronic ITP in pediatric age. The aim of the present multicentric pilot study is to determine fatigue perception in a large group of children with chronic ITP and their caregivers using the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (PedsQL MFS), and to compare the results with those of healthy control subjects.ProcedureChildren with chronic ITP aged 5‐18 years and/or caregivers of children aged 2‐18 years were enrolled. Child/adolescent self‐report was used for patients aged 5‐18 years, and parent proxy‐report for patients aged 2‐18 years. The questionnaire was offered as online survey. PedsQL MFS is composed of 18 items covering three dimensions: General Fatigue Scale, Sleep/Rest Fatigue Scale, and Cognitive Fatigue Scale.ResultsOne hundred ninety‐one patients affected by chronic ITP and 248 caregivers answered the PedsQL MFS. We have highlighted that lower values of PedsQL MFS scores are obtained in the 13‐18 age group. Moreover, sleep/rest fatigue domain appears to be more compromised in all age groups. For all PedsQL MFS scores, pediatric patients with chronic ITP and their caregivers reported statistically significant worse fatigue than healthy children.ConclusionsThis study suggests that fatigue is relevant among children and adolescents affected by chronic ITP. The PedsQL MFS represents an adequate instrument for measuring fatigue in patients with chronic ITP. Therefore, symptoms of fatigue should be routinely assessed in clinical practice.
Registration of ‘UC Sunrise’ heirloom‐like orange and white mottled bean
Authors: Parker Travis , Palkovic Antonia , Brummer E. Charles , Gepts Paul 
Published: December 2020

Abstract‘UC Sunrise’ (Reg. no. CV‐333, PI 693474) is a new cultivar of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) developed by crossing the heirloom type ‘Zuni Gold’ with UCD 9634 pink bean. UC Sunrise has a seed type similar to heirloom cultivars such as Zuni Gold but is resistant to Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and has yields 50% higher than its heirloom parent. Tastings have also demonstrated that it maintains culinary quality similar to its heirloom parent. All evaluations were conducted on certified organic farms. UC Sunrise will help fill a growing interest in heirloom‐like dry bean with improved agronomic performance.