bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Environmental Conditions and Gas Concentrations in Deep-Pit Finishing Cattle Facilities: A Descriptive Study
Authors: Cortus Erin L. , Hetchler Brian P. , Spiehs Mindy J. , Rusche Warren C 
Published: December 2020

HighlightsTemperature and air movement in the naturally ventilated barns correlated to ambient conditions.Manure N-P-K values related to solids distribution in the manure storage.Ammonia and combined sulfur concentrations increased with closer proximity to the manure surface.Influences of manure properties, airflow conditions, barn design, and management were evident for gas concentrations.Abstract. There is a lack of data to describe the range of environmental and air quality conditions in beef cattle confinement buildings with deep-pit manure storage. The objective of this article is to describe the environmental conditions, manure nutrient concentrations, and aerial gas concentrations for three deep-pit manure storage finishing beef cattle facilities and varying weather conditions. Measurements were collected from three barns finishing beef cattle with deep pits in Minnesota on three sampling days per barn in summer, fall, and spring weather conditions. The air temperatures throughout the barns closely mirrored the ambient temperature conditions, although significantly lower temperatures were sometimes evident at the manure surface or in the inlet opening. However, the manure and floor surfaces had 2°C and 5°C temperature increases over ambient temperatures. Air speeds through the barn openings were generally 40% of the ambient wind speed; at animal level, the average air speed was 1 to 3 m s-1. Manure nutrient distributions were not consistent between the surface and agitated (whole pit) samples, and this was likely due in part to solids distribution in the storage. Total nitrogen levels ranged from 4.5 to 6.7 g L-1, and ammonium-N was 50% to 65% of total N in agitated whole-pit samples. Phosphate and potassium oxide levels ranged from 2.8 to 4.2 g L-1 and from 3.7 to 4.5 g L-1, respectively. Aerial ammonia and combined sulfur concentrations varied by location within a barn, pen, and season. Ammonia and combined sulfur increased with proximity to the manure surface. Higher ammonia and combined sulfur concentrations at manure level and floor level for one of the three barns may have related to water quality and/or feed composition and resulting manure nutrients, in addition to warmer temperatures. At floor level, the greatest average ammonia concentration was 8.5 ppm, and 3.9 ppm at nose level. Maximum combined sulfur levels were a maximum of 270 ppb at floor level in summer conditions in one of the barns, while 52 ppb was the maximum average during spring conditions. Carbon dioxide levels also varied by location within a barn, pen, and season and were related in part to the presence of cattle in the pen. This project is the first to quantify air quality in slatted-floor cattle barns and contributes to a body of knowledge that can be used to develop process-based models for estimating air emissions from cattle facilities. Keywords: Airflow, Ammonia, Beef cattle, Confinement, Hydrogenslfide, Manure characteristics, Temperature.
An Automated Magnetic Separation Device Coupled with a Fluorescent Biosensor for Detection of Antibiotic Residues
Authors: Liang Aoming , Shen Yafang , He Yawen , Wang Jianping , Li Yanbin 
Published: December 2020

HighlightsA practical magnetic separation device was designed, fabricated, and evaluated for enrofloxacin detection.Coupled with a fluorescent biosensor, the device could automatically process a sample in 50 min.The device performed incubation and magnetic separation using a pipette method.The device has the advantages of low-cost and feasibility for on-site detection.Abstract. Antibiotic residues have been a continuing concern in food safety, raising a great issue in human health. For rapid detection of antibiotics, an automated device was developed that can capture and separate a target analyte based on immunomagnetic beads. This automated separation device is suitable for separating the magnetic beads in a preprocessing step, with liquid transfer and magnetic enrichment functions. The device was combined with a fluorescent biosensor to simplify the cumbersome pretreatment of enrofloxacin. In our experiments, enrofloxacin in water samples was used as the detection object, and the entire process could be completed in less than 50 min with automated operation. The lower limit of detection reached 54 ng mL-1 (S/N = 3). The fluorescent biosensor has been enhanced with this automated separation device for more sensitive rapid detection of antibiotic residues in the food supply chain and environment. Keywords: Antibiotic detection, Automation, Fluorescent biosensor, Immunomagnetic separation, Sample pretreatment.
Dual-polarized nanocrescent antenna designed using efficient optimization techniques
Authors: Hassan Abdel-Karim S. O. , Etman Ahmed S. , Soliman Ezzeldin A. 
Published: December 2020

A novel nanocrescent antenna with polarization diversity is introduced. It is formed from a crescent-shaped patch fed with a coupled strip transmission line. The antenna is located on top of a

S
i
O

2

thin film with a shielding ground layer underneath. The structure is supported by an arbitrary substrate. Polarization of the radiated field can be adjusted to be along either one of the two orthogonal polarizations based on which one of the two crescent patch modes is going to be excited. The excitation of either one of these two modes of the patch is achieved by switching between the two propagating modes of the feeding coupled strip transmission line. Using a dual-polarized antenna allows doubling the optical communication system’s capacity via frequency reuse. The new crescent antenna dimensions are optimized to satisfy several goals, such as minimizing the losses, the deviation of the main beam direction away from broadside, and maximizing the radiation efficiency and axial ratio. Through the optimization process, simple surrogate kriging models replace the detailed electromagnetic simulation. The optimal response is achieved by applying two different optimizers. The first optimizer employs the design-centering technique using normed distances. The multiobjective particle swarm with the preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations is used by the second optimizer. In order to identify the critical dimensions to which the nanoantenna is most sensitive, a sensitivity analysis is used. The optimized antenna is capable of switching its radiation between two orthogonal pure linear polarizations with maximum radiation along the broadside direction. The size of the proposed antenna is about

500

n
m

×

500

n
m

. Its impedance-matching bandwidth is higher than 30 THz centered around 193 THz (1550 nm). Its gain and radiation efficiency are higher than 5.2 dBi and 85%, respectively, all over the working frequency band.
Shape analysis of rectus extraocular muscles with age and axial length using anterior segment optical coherence tomography
Authors: Shibata Kiyo , Fujiwara Atsushi , Hamasaki Ichiro , Shimizu Takehiro , Kono Reika , Kanenaga Keisuke , Nakazawa Masanori , Morizane Yuki 
Published: December 2020

Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate the shape of the extraocular muscles (EOMs) in normal subjects using the en-face images of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). The EOM insertion and the direction of the muscle fibers were investigated.

Subjects and methods
A total of 97 healthy normal subjects (194 eyes) at Okayama University Hospital (age, 47.1±21.5 years; range, 8–79 years) participated in the study. A series of 256 tomographic images of the rectus EOMs were captured using the C-scan function of the AS-OCT (CASIA2, TOMEY Co., Japan), and the images were converted to en-face images in multi-TIFF format. The anterior chamber angle to EOM insertion distance (AID) and the angle of the muscle fibers from the insertion site (angle of muscles) were measured from the images. The correlations of AID and angle of muscles with age and axial length were investigated and evaluated.

Results
AID and angle of muscles were significantly correlated with age or axial length in some EOMs. The AIDs of medial rectus (MR) (P = 0.000) and superior rectus (SR) (P = 0.005) shortened with age. The AIDs of MR (P = 0.001) and inferior rectus (IR) (P = 0.035) elongated with axial length, whereas lateral rectus (LR) (P = 0.013) shortened. The angles of MR (P = 0.001) and LR (P = 0.000) were found to have a more downward direction toward the posterior in older subjects.

Conclusion
En-face images can be created by AS-OCT, and the shape of the EOMs in normal subjects using these image measurements was available. With the ability to assess the EOMs, AID and angle of muscles are expected give useful information for treating and diagnosing strabismus-related diseases.
Assessment of the sublingual microcirculation with the GlycoCheck system: Reproducibility and examination conditions
Authors: Eickhoff Mie Klessen , Winther Signe Abitz , Hansen Tine Willum , Diaz Lars Jorge , Persson Frederik , Rossing Peter , Frimodt-Møller Marie 
Published: December 2020

Background
The glycocalyx is an extracellular layer lining the lumen of the vascular endothelium, protecting the endothelium from shear stress and atherosclerosis and contributes to coagulation, immune response and microvascular perfusion. The GlycoCheck system estimates glycocalyx’ thickness in vessels under the tongue from perfused boundary region (PBR) and microvascular perfusion (red blood cell (RBC) filling) via a camera and dedicated software.

Objectives
Evaluating reproducibility and influence of examination conditions on measurements with the GlycoCheck system.

Methods
Open, randomised, controlled study including 42 healthy smokers investigating day-to-day, side-of-tongue, inter-investigator variance, intraclass-correlation (ICC) and influence of examination conditions at intervals from 0–180 minutes on PBR and RBC filling.

Results
Mean (SD) age was 24.9 (6.1) years, 52% were male. There was no significant intra- or inter-investigator variation for PBR or RBC filling nor for PBR for side-of-tongue. A small day-to-day variance was found for PBR (0.012μm, p = 0.007) and RBC filling (0.003%, p = 0.005) and side-of-tongue, RBC filling (0.025%, p = 0.009). ICC was modest but highly improved by increasing measurements. Small significant influence of cigarette smoking (from 40–180 minutes), high calorie meal intake and coffee consumption was found. The latter two peaking immediately and tapering off but remained significant up to 180 minutes, highest PBR changes for the three being 0.042μm (p<0.05), 0.183μm (p<0.001) and 0.160μm (p<0.05) respectively.

Conclusions
Measurements with the GlycoCheck system have a moderate reproducibility, but highly increases with multiple measurements and a small day-to-day variability. Smoking, meal and coffee intake had effects up to 180 minutes, abstinence is recommended at least 180 minutes before GlycoCheck measurements. Future studies should standardise conditions during measurements.
Nosocomial infections in in-hospital cardiac arrest patients who undergo extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Authors: Ko Ryoung-Eun , Huh Kyungmin , Kim Dong-Hoon , Na Soo Jin , Chung Chi Ryang , Cho Yang Hyun , Jeon Kyeongman , Suh Gee Young , Yang Jeong Hoon 
Published: December 2020

BackgroundLittle is known of nosocomial infections (NI) in patients who suffer from in-hospital cardiac arrest who undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This study aimed to investigate clinical pictures of NI, and the association of NIs with clinical outcomes in in-hospital cardiac arrest patients who undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.MethodsTo evaluate the incidence and clinical characteristics of NI in patients who undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a retrospective cohort study was conducted in a single tertiary referral center between January 2010 and December 2018. We included adult patients who undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for in-hospital cardiac arrest and excluded patients who were out-of-hospital cardiac arrest or failed ECMO implantation. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared between NI and Non-NI patients, or multidrug-resistant (MDR) and non-MDR. The independent risk factors associated with NIs were also analyzed using multivariable logistic regression model.ResultsThirty-five (23.3%) patients developed a NI. These cases included 21 patients with a gram negative (G-) infection, 12 patients with a gram positive (G+) bacterial infection, and two patients with fungal infection. Pneumonia was the most common type of NIs, followed by catheter-related infection. The in-hospital mortality and neurologic outcomes at discharge were not different between the NI and non-NI groups. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens were detected in 10 cases (28.6%). The MDR NI patients had a higher ICU mortality than did those with non-MDR NI (80% vs. 32%, p = 0.028). Following multivariable adjustment, body mass index (adjusted OR 0.87, 95% CI, 0.77–0.97, p = 0.016) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to pump on time (adjusted OR 1.04, 95% CI, 1.01–1.06, p = 0.001) were independent predictors of NI development.ConclusionsIn patients who received extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, NIs were not associated with an increase in in-hospital mortality. However, NIs with MDR organisms do increase the risk of in-hospital mortality. Lower body mass index and longer low flow time were significant predictors of NI development.
Calcification of the thoracic aorta on low-dose chest CT predicts severe COVID-19
Authors: Fervers Philipp , Kottlors Jonathan , Zopfs David , Bremm Johannes , Maintz David , Safarov Orkhan , Tritt Stephanie , Abdullayev Nuran , Persigehl Thorsten 
Published: December 2020

Background
Cardiovascular comorbidity anticipates poor prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) and correlates with the systemic atherosclerotic transformation of the arterial vessels. The amount of aortic wall calcification (AWC) can be estimated on low-dose chest CT. We suggest quantification of AWC on the low-dose chest CT, which is initially performed for the diagnosis of COVID-19, to screen for patients at risk of severe COVID-19.

Methods
Seventy consecutive patients (46 in center 1, 24 in center 2) with parallel low-dose chest CT and positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were included in our multi-center, multi-vendor study. The outcome was rated moderate (no hospitalization, hospitalization) and severe (ICU, tracheal intubation, death), the latter implying a requirement for intensive care treatment. The amount of AWC was quantified with the CT vendor's software.

Results
Of 70 included patients, 38 developed a moderate, and 32 a severe COVID-19. The average volume of AWC was significantly higher throughout the subgroup with severe COVID-19, when compared to moderate cases (771.7 mm3 (Q1 = 49.8 mm3, Q3 = 3065.5 mm3) vs. 0 mm3 (Q1 = 0 mm3, Q3 = 57.3 mm3)). Within multivariate regression analysis, including AWC, patient age and sex, as well as a cardiovascular comorbidity score, the volume of AWC was the only significant regressor for severe COVID-19 (p = 0.004). For AWC > 3000 mm3, the logistic regression predicts risk for a severe progression of 0.78. If there are no visually detectable AWC risk for severe progression is 0.13, only.

Conclusion
AWC seems to be an independent biomarker for the prediction of severe progression and intensive care treatment of COVID-19 already at the time of patient admission to the hospital; verification in a larger multi-center, multi-vendor study is desired.
Therapeutic response monitoring after targeted therapy in an orthotopic rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma using contrast-enhanced ultrasound: Focusing on inter-scanner, and inter-operator reproducibility
Authors: Ryu Hwaseong , Kim Jung Hoon , Lee Seunghyun , Han Joon Koo 
Published: December 2020

Purpose
To assess therapeutic response monitoring after targeted therapy in an orthotopic rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using CEUS with focusing on inter-scanner and inter-operator reproducibility.

Materials and methods
For reproducibility, CEUS was performed using two different US scanners by two operators in sixteen rat models of HCC. Using perfusion analysis software (VueBox ®), eleven parameters were collected, and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to analyze reproducibility. Then seventeen rat models of HCC were divided into treatment group (n = 8, 30 mg/kg/day sorafenib for five days) and control group (n = 9). CEUS was performed at baseline and 14 days after first treatment, and changes of perfusion parameters were analyzed.

Results
In treatment group, CEUS perfusion parameters showed a significant change. The peak enhancement (PE, 2.50 x103±1.68 x103 vs 5.55x102±4.65x102, p = 0.010) and wash-in and wash out AUC (WiWoAUC, 1.07x105±6.48 x104 vs 2.65x104±2.25x104, p = 0.009) had significantly decreased two weeks after treatment. On the contrary, control group did not show a significant change, including PE (1.15 x103±7.53x102 vs 9.43x102± 7.81 x102, p = 0.632) and WiWoAUC (5.09 x104±3.25x104 vs 5.92 x104±3.20x104, p = 0.646). For reproducibility, the various degrees of inter-scanner reproducibility were from poor to good (ICC: <0.01–0.63). However, inter-operator reproducibility of important perfusion parameters, including WiAUC, WoAUC, and WiWoAUC, ranged from fair to excellent (ICC: 0.59–0.93) in a different scanner.

Conclusion
Our results suggest that CEUS is useful for assessment of the treatment response after targeted therapy and with fair to excellent inter-operator reproducibility.
Serum Gastrin Predicts Hydrogen-Producing Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth in Patients With Abdominal Surgery: A Prospective Study
Authors: Kim Yeon-Ji , Paik Chang-Nyol , Jo Ik Hyun , Kim Dae Bum , Lee Ji Min 
Published: December 2020

OBJECTIVES:
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) might be associated with a history of abdominal surgery. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of SIBO and to investigate serum gastrin and pepsinogen as predictors of SIBO in patients with a history of hysterectomy, gastrectomy, or cholecystectomy.

METHODS:
This prospective study surveyed 146 patients with a history of hysterectomy, gastrectomy, or cholecystectomy, and 30 healthy controls, who underwent a hydrogen (H2)-methane (CH4) glucose breath test (GBT) for SIBO. Serum pepsinogen I and II and gastrin levels were reviewed.

RESULTS:
GBT positivity (+) was significantly higher in patients with histories of abdominal surgery than that in in controls (37.6% vs 13.3%, P < 0.01). Among GBT+ patients, 36.0% (18/50), 96.2% (25/26), and 17.1% (12/70) were in the hysterectomy, gastrectomy, and cholecystectomy groups, respectively. Among the GBT subtypes, 43.6% (24/55), 10.9% (6/55), and 45.5% (25/55) of patients were in the GBT(H2)+, GBT(CH4)+, and GBT(mixed)+ groups, respectively. The gastrectomy group had significantly more GBT+ or GBT(H2)+ patients than the other surgical groups. Gastrin levels were higher in GBT(H2)+ patients and lower in GBT(CH4)+ patients than those in GBT− patients. Previous gastrectomy and elevated gastrin levels were independent predictive factors of GBT(H2)+.

DISCUSSION:
SIBO is not uncommon in patients with histories of abdominal surgeries, but it is more common in patients who have undergone gastrectomy. Serum gastrin level could be a serologic predictor of H2-producing SIBO. The relationship between serum gastrin and SIBO requires further research.
Numéro 158 - décembre 2020
Authors: Ginsburgh Victor , Moreno-Ternero Juan 
Published: December 2020

La Commission européenne est très prudente et discrète dans ses communications sur le budget et l’utilisation des langues dans l’Union européenne (UE). Ce que l’on sait, c’est que ce budget s’élève «à peu près» à un milliard d’euros. Comme le disait le britannique Neil Kinnock du temps de sa Vice-Présidence de la Commission européenne à ceux qui, sans doute, l’ennuyaient par leurs questions sur l’importance du budget langues : «C’est le prix d’une tasse de café par habitant dans l’UE».
Dans ce numéro de Regards économiques, nous examinons comment évaluer la part dans le budget langues de l’UE de chacune des 24 langues, y compris de l’anglais qui, suite au Brexit, sera la langue maternelle d’un pourcent seulement de la population de l’UE tout en produisant, lors de ces dernières années, plus de 70 % des documents officiels qui doivent, selon leur importance, être traduits dans le 23 autres langues.
Notre analyse montre que le coût de l’anglais s’élève à près d’un tiers de budget, soit 290 millions d’euros. Ce montant est aussi le prix à payer par l’UE post-Brexit qui a conservé, dans son répertoire de langues, l’anglais comme langue officielle et procédurale (c’est-à-dire de travail). Pour les européens post-Brexit, la tasse de café s’est transformée en cappuccino au goût un peu amer.
Il est sans aucun doute efficace, aussi bien pour l’UE que pour le Royaume-Uni, de préserver l’anglais comme langue officielle et procédurale. Mais on peut se demander pourquoi il irait de soi que les britanniques puissent profiter gratuitement de cette aubaine. Bien avant les velléités de quitter l’UE, on peut arguer que le Royaume-Uni a bénéficié, depuis son adhésion en 1973, du statut de sa langue dans l’UE, en détrônant très largement le rôle du français et de l’allemand, ce qui n’a enchanté et continuera de ne pas enchanter ni la France ni l’Allemagne. Il sera intéressant de suivre l’affaire dans les prochaines années.
Interpreting Small Quantities of DNA: the Hierarchy of Propositions and the Use of Bayesian Networks
Authors: Evett IW , Gill PD , Jackson G , Whitaker J , Champod C 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The dramatic increase in the sensitivity of DNA profiling systems that has occurred over recent years has led to the need to address a wider range of interpretational problems in forensic science. The issues surrounding questions of the kind “whose DNA is this?” have been the subject of considerable controversy but now it is clear that the emphasis is shifting to questions of the kind “how did this DNA get here?” Such issues are discussed in this paper and new insights are provided by two particular recent developments. First, the notion of the “hierarchy of propositions” that has arisen from a project called Case Assessment and Interpretation (CAI) that has been running in the British Forensic Science Service (FSS). Second, a technique for drawing inferences in the face of many interacting considerations, known as “Bayesian networks”— or “Bayes' nets“ for short—that has been the subject of an earlier paper in this journal (1). The discussion is carried out by means of case studies, based on actual cases. It is clear that, whereas the inference in relation to the source of the DNA in a crime sample might be overwhelmingly strong, the inference in relation to the propositions that a jury must consider relating to the identity of the actual offender may be much more tentative.
Sudden Death due to Undiagnosed Wilms' Tumor in an Adult
Authors: Oeberst JL , Barnard JJ , Prahlow JA 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Sudden unexpected deaths due to natural causes constitute a large number of cases encountered by the forensic pathologist. In a majority of such cases, heart disease is responsible for sudden death. Rare disease entities resulting in sudden death are occasionally encountered and may not fit the classic epidemiological profile. We present a case of sudden death due to a previously undiagnosed Wilms' tumor (WT) in an adult. The pathology of WT is discussed, as is the topic of sudden death due to previously unrecognized malignancy.
Distribution of HLA-DQA1 and Amplitype PM Locus Alleles in Aegean Region of Turkey
Authors: Çakir AH , Şimşek F , AltunbaŞ FS 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The samples were collected from unrelated individuals randomly selected from criminal cases. The DNA was extracted from fresh blood leucocytes, bloodstains, and single hairs by Chelex 100 method (1).