bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PNPLA3 gene polymorphism and overall and cardiovascular mortality in the United States
Authors: Wijarnpreecha Karn , Scribani Melissa , Raymond Pascale , Harnois Denise M , Keaveny Andrew P , Ahmed Aijaz , Kim Donghee 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackground and AimThe association between palatin‐like phospholipase domain‐containing 3 (PNPLA3) I148M (rs738409) polymorphism and mortality is not well understood. We investigated the impact of PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) polymorphism on overall and cardiovascular mortality based on the presence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).MethodsThe third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1991 to 1994 and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III‐linked mortality data through 31 December 2015 were utilized in this study.ResultsOf 4814 participants, 50.7% were homozygous for the C‐allele and 12.6% were homozygous for the G‐allele. During a follow up of 20 years, there were a total of 1255 deaths, 422 attributed to cardiovascular disease. There was a significant association with overall mortality among those with the PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) GG genotype (hazard ratio [HR] 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–1.77) or G‐allele (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.09–1.36) in the general population. NAFLD with homozygous PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) GG genotype had higher overall mortality after adjusting for multiple metabolic risk factors (HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.01–2.08). The PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) G‐allele had a tendency of increased cardiovascular mortality in the total population. This association was not noted in those with NAFLD.ConclusionsThe homozygous PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) GG genotype showed an increase in overall mortality in the general population and NAFLD independent of multiple metabolic risk factors.
Early antiviral treatment contributes to alleviate the severity and improve the prognosis of patients with novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19)
Authors: Wu J. , Li W. , Shi X. , Chen Z. , Jiang B. , Liu J. , Wang D. , Liu C. , Meng Y. , Cui L. , Yu J. , Cao H. , Li L. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundAt present, the severity of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has been a focal point.MethodsTo assess the factors associated with severity and prognosis of patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2, we retrospectively investigated the clinical, imaging and laboratory characteristics of confirmed 280 cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) from 20 January to 20 February 2020.ResultsThe median age of patients in the mild group was 37.55 years, whilst that in the severe group was 63.04 years. The proportion of patients aged over 65 years in the severe group was significantly higher than that of the mild group (59.04% vs. 10.15%, P < 0.05). 85.54% of severe patients had diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, which was significantly higher than that of the mild group (51.81% vs. 7.11%, P = 0.025; 33.73% vs. 3.05%, P = 0.042). Patients in the mild group experienced earlier initiation of antiviral treatment (1.19 ± 0.45 vs. 2.65 ± 1.06 days in the severe group, P < 0.001). Our study showed that comorbidity, time from illness onset to antiviral treatment and age >=65 were three major risk factors for COVID‐19 progression, whilst comorbidity and time from illness onset to antiviral treatment were two major risk factors for COVID‐19 recovery.ConclusionsThe elderly and patients with underlying diseases are more likely to experience a severe progression of COVID‐19. It is recommended that timely antiviral treatment should be initiated to slow the disease progression and improve the prognosis.
Can adipokine visfatin be a novel marker of pregnancy‐related disorders in women with obesity?
Authors: Wnuk Anna , Stangret Aleksandra , Wątroba Mateusz , Płatek Anna E. , Skoda Marta , Cendrowski Krzysztof , Sawicki Włodzimierz , Szukiewicz Dariusz 
Published: March 2020

SummaryOverweight and obesity have become a dangerous disease requiring multiple interventions, treatment and preventions. In women of reproductive age, obesity is one of the most common medical conditions. Among others, obese state is characterized by low‐grade systemic inflammation and enhanced oxidative stress. Increased maternal body mass index might amplify inflammation and reactive oxygen species production, which is associated with unfavourable clinical outcomes that affect both mother and child. Intrauterine growth retardation, preeclampsia, or gestational diabetes mellitus are examples of the hampered maternal and foetoplacental unit interactions. Visfatin is the obesity‐related adipokine produced mainly by the visceral adipose tissue. Visfatin affects glucose homeostasis, as well as the regulation of genes related to oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Here, we review visfatin interactions in pregnancy‐related disorders linked to obesity. We highlight the possible predictive and prognostic value of visfatin in diagnostic strategies on gravidas with obesity.
Singlet Oxygen Luminescence Image in Blood Vessels During Vascular‐Targeted Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Lin Lisheng , Lin Huiyun , Shen Yi , Chen Defu , Gu Ying , Wilson Brian C. , Li Buhong 
Published: March 2020

AbstractSinglet oxygen (1O2) is widely regarded as the main cytotoxic substance that induces the biological damage for photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this study, the previously developed near‐infrared (NIR) optical imaging system was optimized for fast imaging of 1O2 luminescence. The optical imaging system enables direct imaging of 1O2 luminescence in blood vessels within 2 s during vascular‐targeted PDT (V‐PDT), which makes this system extremely practical for in vivo studies. The dependence of RB concentration on 1O2 luminescence image was investigated for V‐PDT, and the data imply that 1270 nm signal is attributed to 1O2 luminescence. The imaging system operates with a field of view of 9.60 × 7.68 mm2 and a spatial resolution of 30 μm, which holds the potential to elucidate the correlation between cumulative 1O2 luminescence and vasoconstriction for V‐PDT.
Equal Employment Opportunity: Women Bureaucrats in Male‐Dominated Professions
Authors: Bishu Sebawit G. , Headley Andrea M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe public sector prides itself on being a place where women and other marginalized groups can find shelter from workplace discrimination. Still, gender inequities are evident in the public sector workforce. In this article, interview data from city managers and police officers highlight the gendered internal organizational processes, arrangements, and interactions that impact women's experiences in male‐dominated roles. Despite seemingly equal opportunities to access and engagement in these bureaucratic roles, the findings suggest that women constantly face gendered barriers and boundaries that directly impact their experiences on the job and their work‐related outcomes. Legislative and administrative remedies are not sufficient to eliminate gendered experiences of women in male‐dominated roles. Rather, a cultural change from within the workplace is vital to realize the efforts of civil rights laws established more than 50 years ago.
Understanding the Ecological Validity of Relying Practice as a Basis for Risk Identification
Authors: Anderson T. , Busby J. S. , Rouncefield M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractUnderstanding the reliability of hazardous organizations and their protective systems is central to understanding the risk they produce. Work on “high reliability organization” has done much to illuminate the conditions in which social organization becomes reliable in highly demanding conditions. But risk depends just as much on how relying entities do their relying as it does on the reliability of the entities they rely on. Patterns of relying are often opaque in sociotechnical systems, and processes of relying and being relied on are mutually influencing in complex ways, so the relationship between relying and risk may not be at all obvious. This study was an attempt to study relying as a social practice, in particular analyzing how it had ecological validity in a social organization—how practice was responsive to the conditions in which it took place. This involved observational fieldwork and inductive, qualitative analysis on an offshore oil and gas production platform that was nearing the end of its design life and undergoing refurbishment. The analysis produced four main categories of ecological validity: responsiveness to formal organization, responsiveness to situational contingency, responsiveness to information asymmetry, and responsiveness to sociomateriality. This ecological validity of relying practice should be a primary focus of risk identification, assessing how relying can become mismatched to reliability in certain ways, both when relying practice is responsive to circumstances and when it is not.
The relationship between mental health conditions and hearing loss in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Authors: Jiang Fan , Kubwimana Chris , Eaton Julian , Kuper Hannah , Bright Tess 
Published: March 2020

AbstractObjectiveHearing loss can have far‐reaching effects on social, emotional and cognitive development, but few studies have addressed the link with mental health conditions. We conducted a systematic review of the association between hearing loss and mental health conditions in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs).MethodsWe searched six electronic databases using predetermined criteria to retrieve original research reporting mental health in people with hearing loss. We considered quantitative studies measuring any type of mental health conditions according to the ICD10 classifications of ‘Mental and behavioural disorders’ in relation to any measure of hearing loss. We assessed risk of bias using a set of criteria according to the SIGN50 guidelines.ResultsWe included 12 studies evaluating 35 604 people with hearing loss in 10 countries. Poorer mental health (measured as stress and anxiety, depression, and/or behavioural and emotional disorders) was more common among people with hearing loss compared to those without in 10 studies. One study found no difference in mental health outcomes between people with hearing, visual and no impairment. Another study reported that after hearing aids, those with severe hearing loss had significant improvement in psychosocial function, compared to no change among those without hearing loss. Overall, one study was judged to be high quality, seven medium quality and four low quality.ConclusionsIncluded studies showed a trend towards poorer mental health outcomes for people with hearing loss than for those without. However, our findings indicate that very few high‐quality studies have been conducted in LMICs.
Multiscale Evaporation Rate Measurement Using Microlaser-Induced Fluorescence
Authors: Suh Youngjoon , Lin Cheng-Hui , Gowda Hamsa , Won Yoonjin 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
As the heat generation at device footprint continuously increases in modern high-tech electronics, there is an urgent need to develop new cooling devices that balance the increasing power demands. To meet this need, cutting-edge cooling devices often utilize microscale structures that facilitate two-phase heat transfer. However, it has been difficult to understand how microstructures enhance evaporation performances through traditional experimental methods due to low spatial resolution. The previous methods can only provide coarse interpretations on how physical properties such as permeability, thermal conduction, and effective surface areas interact at the microscale to effectively dissipate heat. This motivates researchers to develop new methods to observe and analyze local evaporation phenomena at the microscale. Herein, we present techniques to characterize submicron to macroscale evaporative phenomena of microscale structures by using microlaser-induced fluorescence (μLIF). We corroborate the use of unsealed temperature-sensitive dyes by systematically investigating the effects of temperature, concentration, and liquid thickness on the fluorescence intensity. Considering these factors, we analyze the evaporative performances of microstructures using two approaches. The first approach characterizes the overall and local evaporation rates by measuring the solution drying time. The second approach employs an intensity-to-temperature calibration curve to convert temperature-sensitive fluorescence signals to surface temperatures, which calculates the submicron-level evaporation rates. Using these methods, we reveal that the local evaporation rate between microstructures is high but is balanced with a large capillary-feeding. This study will enable engineers to decompose the key thermofluidic parameters contributing to the evaporative performance of microscale structures.
Multiscale Modeling of Power Plant Performance Enhancement Utilizing Asynchronous Cooling With Thermal Energy Storage
Authors: Gagnon Lauren , Helmns Dre , Carey Van P. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
This study links a model of thermal energy storage (TES) performance to a subsystem model with heat exchangers that cool down the storage at night; this cool storage is used to precool the air flow for a power plant air-cooled condenser during peak day temperatures. The subsystem model is also computationally linked to a model of Rankine cycle power plant performance to predict additional power the plant could generate due to the additional cooling. The model was used to explore the effects of varying phase change material (PCM) melt temperature and the energy input and rejection control settings with the goal of maximizing efficiency for a 50 MW power plant operating in the desert regions of Nevada for an average summer day. The results suggest that the kWh output of the modeled plant can be increased by up to 3.25% during the heat input/cold extraction period, and a cost analysis estimates that the TES system has the potential to provide additional revenue of up to $686,000 per year, depending on electricity cost and parameter choices.
Modeling and Simulation of Perching With a Quadrotor Aerial Robot With Passive Bio-inspired Legs and Feet
Authors: Dunlop David J. , Minor Mark A. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Perching in unmanned aerial vehicles is appealing for reconnaissance, monitoring, communications, and charging. This paper focuses on modeling, simulation, and control of bioinspired perching in unmanned aerial vehicles on cylindrical objects, which will be used for future planning and control research. A modular approach is taken where the quadrotor, legs, feet, and toes are modeled separately and then integrated to form a complete simulation system. New models of these components consider kinematics and dynamics of each element and their coupling through tendons that provide actuation. The integrated model is assembled to simulate a physical prototype and then validated based upon physical experiments to provide calibration. Simulation results evaluate the validated model performing perching with different gripper-perch alignments. The simulation environment developed in this research provides a foundation to research control approaches for use with the discussed passive perching mechanism. The simulation was validated to capture the dynamics of the real perching mechanism. This platform will be used in future work to develop a control approach that will be implemented in a quadrotor system to land and take-off from a perch in a reliable manner.
The Effectiveness of Daily and Alternate Day Oral Iron Supplementation in Athletes With Suboptimal Iron Status (Part 2)
Authors: McCormick Rachel , Dreyer Alex , Dawson Brian , Sim Marc , Lester Leanne , Goodman Carmel , Peeling Peter 
Published: March 2020

The authors compared the effectiveness of daily (DAY) versus alternate day (ALT) oral iron supplementation in athletes with suboptimal iron. Endurance-trained runners (nine males and 22 females), with serum ferritin (sFer) concentrations <50 μg/L, supplemented with oral iron either DAY or ALT for 8 weeks. Serum ferritin was measured at baseline and at fortnightly intervals. Hemoglobin mass (Hbmass) was measured pre- and postintervention in a participant subset (n = 10). Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the effectiveness of the two strategies on sFer and Hbmass. There were no sFer treatment (p = .928) or interaction (p = .877) effects; however, sFer did increase (19.7 μg/L; p < .001) over the 8-week intervention in both groups. In addition, sFer was 21.2 μg/L higher (p < .001) in males than females. No Hbmass treatment (p = .146) or interaction (p = .249) effects existed; however, a significant effect for sex indicated that Hbmass was 140.85 g higher (p = .004) in males compared with females. Training load (p = .001) and dietary iron intake (p = .015) also affected Hbmass. Finally, there were six complaints of severe gastrointestinal side effects in DAY, but only one in ALT. In summary, both supplement strategies increased sFer in athletes with suboptimal iron status; however, the ALT approach was associated with lower incidence of gastrointestinal upset.
Cooling and uplift history of the Chiapas Massif and its influence on sedimentation and deformation in the adjacent Sierra de Chiapas Basin
Authors: Villagómez* Diego , Pindell James 
Published: March 2020

ABSTRACT
We generated low-temperature thermochronological data on crystalline rocks from the Chiapas Massif in southern Mexico to constrain the complex relationship among tectonics, exhumation, and sedimentation in the region. Our data show that the first recorded cooling event occurred at ca. 40–25 Ma due to denudation of the sedimentary cover of the Chiapas Massif at slow rates of ~0.1 km/m.y. This was followed by a period of tectonic quiescence from ca. 25 to 14 Ma. Between ca. 14 and 7 Ma, cooling implying exhumation of the massif at rates of up to ~0.7 km/m.y. was renewed, and this was associated with, and possibly responsible for, the Miocene “Chiapanecan” deformational event observed in the Chiapas fold-and-thrust belt to the northeast of the massif. This younger uplift was also accompanied by the onset of arc-related magmatism beneath the massif, between ca. 13 and 9 Ma, along the Tonalá shear zone at the Pacific coast. Since ca. 7 Ma, additional but slower cooling and exhumation are indicated along the length of the Chiapas Massif, and arc magmatism has jumped north by ~125 km from the Tonalá shear zone into the Chiapas fold-and-thrust belt. Concurrently, subsidence and sedimentation have persisted along the offshore Tehuantepec Shelf to the south, suggesting that the Tonalá shear zone has been recently active (despite no magnitude 4 or larger earthquakes), with up-to-the-north vertical displacement. We interpret the exhumation at ca. 40–25 Ma to pertain to displacement of the Chortis block along the paleo–Motagua fault zone, either as a northward propagation of a basement thrust beneath the massif within a regional transpressional setting, or as a deep, ductile crustal thickening and attendant isostatic uplift of the southern flank of the massif during the transpressional passage of the Chortis block. The ensuing quiescence (25–14 Ma) coincided, we believe, with the passage of the “western tail” of Chortis, which is internally deformed and perhaps transferred compressive stress less effectively than had the central, continental core of the Chortis block earlier. Renewed uplift and exhumation of the region began by ca. 14–10 Ma. An onset at ca. 10 Ma is probably the best estimate for the beginning of exhumation of the northwestern and central portions of the Chiapas Massif, whereas the present-day southeastern tip of the massif (potentially an allochthonous sliver belonging to the Chortis block) started to exhume earlier, at ca. 14 Ma. By ca. 13 Ma, arc magmatism had moved into the western Tehuantepec area, marking the onset of subduction of the Cocos plate beneath the Chiapas Massif. Hence, we interpret the main period of uplift of the Chiapas Massif and primary shortening of the Chiapas fold-and-thrust belt (ca. 14–7 Ma) as being driven by the establishment of Cocos subduction beneath the area.
Channel narrowing by inset floodplain formation of the lower Green River in the Canyonlands region, Utah
Authors: Walker Alexander E. , Moore Johnnie N. , Grams Paul E. , Dean David J. , Schmidt John C. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe lower Green River episodically narrowed between the mid-1930s and present day through deposition of new floodplains within a wider channel that had been established and/or maintained during the early twentieth century pluvial period. Comparison of air photos spanning a 74-yr period (1940–2014) and covering a 61 km study area shows that the channel narrowed by 12% from 138 ± 3.4 m to 122 ± 2.1 m. Stratigraphic and sedimentologic analysis and tree ring dating of a floodplain trench corroborates the air photo analysis and suggests that the initial phase of floodplain formation began by the mid-1930s, approximately the same time that the flow regime decreased in total annual and peak annual flow. Tamarisk, a nonnative shrub, began to establish in the 1930s as well. Narrowing from the 1940s to the mid-1980s was insignificant, because floodplain formation was approximately matched by bank erosion. Air photo analysis demonstrates that the most significant episode of narrowing was underway by the late 1980s, and analysis of the trench shows that floodplain formation had begun in the mid-1980s during a multi-year period of low peak annual flow. Air photo analysis shows that mean channel width decreased by ∼7% between 1993 and 2009. A new phase of narrowing may have begun in 2003, based on evidence in the trench. Comparison of field surveys made in 1998 and 2015 in an 8.5 km reach near Fort Bottom suggests that narrowing continues and demonstrates that new floodplain formation has been a very small proportion of the total annual fine sediment flux of the Green River. Vertical accretion of new floodplains near Fort Bottom averaged 2.4 m between 1998 and 2015 but only accounted for ∼1.5% of the estimated fine sediment flux during that period. Flood control by Flaming Gorge Dam after 1962 significantly influenced flow regime, reducing the magnitude of the annual snowmelt flood and increasing the magnitude of base flows. Though narrowing was initiated by changes in flow regime, native and nonnative riparian vegetation promoted floodplain formation and channel narrowing especially through establishment on channel bars and incipient floodplains during years of small annual floods.
Origin of non-cotectic cumulates: A novel approach
Authors: Latypov R.M. , Chistyakova S.Yu. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Plutonic mafic complexes are composed of cumulates in which minerals mostly occur in cotectic proportions. This is consistent with a concept that basaltic magma chambers predominantly crystallize in situ from margins inward. However, cumulates with two (or more) minerals in proportions that are at odds with those expected from liquidus phase equilibria also locally occur in these complexes. Such non-cotectic cumulates are commonly attributed to either mechanical separation of minerals crystallizing from the same parental magma or mechanical mixing of minerals originating from different parental magmas. Here we introduce a novel concept that does not require any of these processes to produce non-cotectic cumulates. The model involves melts that start crystallizing upon their cooling, while ascending along feeder conduits from deep staging reservoirs toward the Earth’s surface. Depending on the degree of cooling, the melts become successively saturated in one, two, and more liquidus phases. Given that most crystals are kept in suspension, the resulting magmas would contain a cargo of equilibrium phenocrysts in notably non-cotectic proportions. The replenishment of basaltic chambers developing through in situ crystallization by such magmas is likely responsible for the occasional formation of non-cotectic cumulates in plutonic mafic complexes.