bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intermittent Fasting Improves Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Alters Gut Microbiota in Metabolic Syndrome Patients
Authors: Guo Yi , Luo Shiyun , Ye Yongxin , Yin Songping , Fan Jiahua , Xia Min 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Context
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an effective strategy to improve cardiometabolic health.

Objective
The objective of this work is to examine the effects of IF on cardiometabolic risk factors and the gut microbiota in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS).

Design and Setting
A randomized clinical trial was conducted at a community health service center.

Patients
Participants included adults with MS, age 30 to 50 years.

Intervention
Intervention consisted of 8 weeks of “2-day” modified IF.

Main Outcome Measure
Cardiometabolic risk factors including body composition, oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines, and endothelial function were assessed at baseline and at 8 weeks. The diversity, composition, and functional pathways of the gut microbiota, as well as circulating gut-derived metabolites, were measured.

Results
Thirty-nine patients with MS were included: 21 in the IF group and 18 in the control group. On fasting days, participants in the IF group reduced 69% of their calorie intake compared to nonfasting days. The 8-week IF significantly reduced fat mass, ameliorated oxidative stress, modulated inflammatory cytokines, and improved vasodilatory parameters. Furthermore, IF induced significant changes in gut microbiota communities, increased the production of short-chain fatty acids, and decreased the circulating levels of lipopolysaccharides. The gut microbiota alteration attributed to the IF was significantly associated with cardiovascular risk factors and resulted in distinct genetic shifts of carbohydrate metabolism in the gut community.

Conclusion
IF induces a significant alteration of the gut microbial community and functional pathways in a manner closely associated with the mitigation of cardiometabolic risk factors. The study provides potential mechanistic insights into the prevention of adverse outcomes associated with MS.
Regioselective 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Nitriles with Nitrile Imines Generated from Tetrazoles
Authors: Miura Tomoya , Hagiwara Kohei , Nakamuro Takayuki , Nagata Yuuya , Oku Naoki , Murakami Masahiro 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
A synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted-1,2,4-triazoles from nitriles and 5-aryltetrazoles is reported. When 5-aryltetrazoles are triflylated in the presence of nitriles, the resulting 5-aryl-2-triflyltetrazoles thermally generate N-triflyl-nitrile imines through a sequence of ring-chain tautomerization and denitrogenation. The N-triflyl-nitrile imines immediately undergo 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with nitriles in a regioselective manner, forming the corresponding 1,2,4-triazoles.
Lipidomics reveal the protective effects of a vegetable-derived isothiocyanate against retinal degeneration
Authors: Kwa Faith A. , Dulull Nabeela K. , Roessner Ute , Dias Daniel A. , Rupasinghe Thusitha W. 
Published: October 2020

Background:Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in the ageing population. Without effective treatment strategies that can prevent disease progression, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic interventions to reduce the burden of vision loss and improve patients’ quality of life. Dysfunctional innate immune responses to oxidative stress observed in AMD can be caused by the formation of oxidised lipids, whilst polyunsaturated fatty acids have shown to increase the risk of AMD and disease progression in affected individuals. Previously, our laboratory has shown that the vegetable-derived isothiocyanate, L-sulforaphane (LSF), can protect human adult pigment epithelial cells from oxidative damage by upregulating gene expression of the oxidative stress enzyme Glutathione-S-Transferase µ1. This study aims to validate the protective effects of LSF on human retinal cells under oxidative stress conditions and to reveal the key players in fatty acid and lipid metabolism that may facilitate this protection.Methods:Thein vitrooxidative stress model of AMD was based on the exposure of an adult retinal pigment epithelium-19 cell line to 200µM hydrogen peroxide. Percentage cell proliferation following LSF treatment was measured using tetrazolium salt-based assays. Untargeted fatty acid profiling was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Untargeted lipid profiling was performed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.Results:Under hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress conditions, LSF treatment induced dose-dependent cell proliferation. The key fatty acids that were increased by LSF treatment of the retinal cells include oleic acid and eicosatrienoic acid. LSF treatment also increased levels of the lipid classes phosphatidylcholine, cholesteryl ester and oxo-phytodienoic acid but decreased levels of phosphatidylethanolamine lipids.Conclusions:We propose that retinal cells at risk of oxidative damage and apoptosis can be pre-conditioned with LSF to regulate levels of selected fatty acids and lipids known to be implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of AMD.
The impact of liver disease on mortality in cystic fibrosis - a systematic review protocol
Authors: Sasame Ao , Connolly Lucy , Fitzpatrick Emer , Stokes Diarmuid , Bourke Billy , Rowland Marion 
Published: October 2020

Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multiorgan disease affecting the lungs pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. Pulmonary complications are the most common manifestation of the disease. Recent advances in the treatment of pulmonary complications have resulted in substantial improvement in life expectancy. Less than 10% of persons with CF (PWCF) develop liver disease (CFLD). There is conflicting evidence about impact of liver disease on mortality in CF, with evidence suggesting that CFLD contributes to increased mortality in CF, while other studies suggest that the impact on mortality is limited. Understanding the contribution of liver disease to mortality in CF is essential if further improvements in life expectancy are to be achieved. Objective: To document the impact of liver disease on life expectancy for PWCF. Methods: This systematic review will be conducted in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P 2015). PubMed, Medline and Embase will be searched for English language publications (1949-2020). Studies reporting the outcome for CFLD will be included where the definition of CFLD is outlined clearly in a CF population. Studies with and without a comparator will be evaluated. Clinical trials of ursodeoxycholic acid will be excluded as well as organ transplantation outcome studies. We will examine all-cause and specific causes of mortality.We will include transplantation in our estimates of all-cause mortality. The Axis Risk of Bias tool for observational will be used to evaluate the quality of studies. We will provide a narrative synthesis of our findings using tabular formats to highlight any impact of liver disease on mortality in CF. Conclusion: It is anticipated that this review will bring clarity to the question of whether CFLD shortens life expectancy in PWCF and stimulate new approaches to the management of CFLD.
Cost and cost-effectiveness analysis of treatment for child undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
Authors: Njuguna Rebecca G , Berkley James A , Jemutai Julie 
Published: October 2020

Background: Undernutrition remains highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, with sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia accounting for majority of the cases. Apart from the health and human capacity impacts on children affected by malnutrition, there are significant economic impacts to households and service providers. The aim of this study was to determine the current state of knowledge on costs and cost-effectiveness of child undernutrition treatment to households, health providers, organizations and governments in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).Methods: We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies in LMICs up to September 2019. We searched online databases including PubMed-Medline, Embase, Popline, Econlit and Web of Science. We identified additional articles through bibliographic citation searches. Only articles including costs of child undernutrition treatment were included.Results:We identified a total of 6436 articles, and only 50 met the eligibility criteria. Most included studies adopted institutional/program (45%) and health provider (38%) perspectives. The studies varied in the interventions studied and costing methods used with treatment costs reported ranging between US$0.44 and US$1344 per child. The main cost drivers were personnel, therapeutic food and productivity loss. We also assessed the cost effectiveness of community-based management of malnutrition programs (CMAM). Cost per disability adjusted life year (DALY) averted for a CMAM program integrated into existing health services in Malawi was $42. Overall, cost per DALY averted for CMAM ranged between US$26 and US$53, which was much lower than facility-based management (US$1344).Conclusion: There is a need to assess the burden of direct and indirect costs of child undernutrition to households and communities in order to plan, identify cost-effective solutions and address issues of cost that may limit delivery, uptake and effectiveness. Standardized methods and reporting in economic evaluations would facilitate interpretation and provide a means for comparing costs and cost-effectiveness of interventions.
A Theory of Dissimilarity Between Stochastic Discount Factors
Authors: Bakshi Gurdip , Gao Xiaohui , Panayotov George 
Published: October 2020

This paper proposes a measure of dissimilarity between stochastic discount factors (SDFs) in different economies. The SDFs are made comparable using the respective bond prices as the numeraire. The measure is dimensionless, synthesizes features of the risk-neutral moments of excess currency returns, and can be extracted from currency option prices. Linking theory to data, we provide evidence gathered from (i) the cross section of 45 currency option prices, (ii) the time series of currency returns, (iii) estimated SDFs using model-free restrictions, and (iv) structural models in international finance.This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, finance.
Multiplayer Allocations in the Presence of Diminishing Marginal Contributions: Cooperative Game Analysis and Applications in Management Science
Authors: Leng Mingming , Luo Chunlin , Liang Liping 
Published: October 2020

We use cooperative game theory to investigate multiplayer allocation problems under the almost diminishing marginal contributions (ADMC) property. This property indicates that a player’s marginal contribution to a non-empty coalition decreases as the size of the coalition increases. We develop ADMC games for such problems and derive a necessary and sufficient condition for the non-emptiness of the core. When the core is non-empty, at least one extreme point exists, and the maximum number of extreme points is the total number of players. The Shapley value may not be in the core, which depends on the gap of each coalition. A player can receive a higher allocation based on the Shapley value in the core than based on the nucleolus, if the gap of the player is no greater than the gap of the complementary coalition. We also investigate the least core value for ADMC games with an empty core. To illustrate the applications of our results, we analyze a code-sharing game, a group buying game, and a scheduling profit game. This paper was accepted by Chung Piaw Teo, optimization.
Validation of OMI-DOAS total ozone column amounts against ground-based measurements at an African equatorial belt site
Authors: Ssenyonga Taddeo , Muyimbwa Dennis , Dahlback Arne , Stamnes Jakob J. , Hamre Børge , Ssebiyonga Nicolausi , Frette Øyvind 
Published: October 2020

The total ozone column amount (TOCA) values from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) derived from OMI/Aura ozone (O3) differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) V003 (OMDOAO3) have been validated against the ground-based TOCA values derived from Dobson and the Norwegian Institute for Air Research UV measurements in Kampala (0.31º N, 32.58º E, 1200 m), Uganda, for the period between 2005 and 2018. Under all-sky conditions, the OMI retrieval algorithm was found to underestimate the TOCA values with mean bias (MnB), root mean square error (RMSE), and correlation coefficient (

r

) values ranging from about

−

3.4

%

to

−

1.7

%

, 2.4% to 4.9%, and 0.73 to 0.90, respectively. When only days with a radiation modification factor greater than or equal to 65% were considered, the MnB, RMSE, and

r

values between TOCA values derived from ground-based and OMI measurements improved, and they ranged from

−

2.5

%

to

−

1.3

%

, 1.4% to 3.8%, and 0.8 to 0.91, respectively. A good agreement was found between TOCA values derived from Dobson measurements and those derived from OMI satellite measurements with MnB, RMSE, and

r

values of about

−

1.8

%

, 1.4%, and 0.91, respectively. This was due to the fact that Dobson measurements were taken only when the sky was perceived clear. The underestimation of TOCA values by the OMI retrieval algorithm was found to be due mainly to clouds and aerosols.
Broadband omnidirectional near-infrared reflector based on an angle-insensitive photonic band gap
Authors: Wu Feng , Chen Mingyuan , Liu Dejun , Chen Ying , Long Yang 
Published: October 2020

Owing to the Bragg interference mechanism, band gap in all-dielectric one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPC) is strongly sensitive to the incident angle, which limits the width of omnidirectional band gap. Based on the angle-insensitive Bragg band gap in 1DPC composed of alternating dielectric and hyperbolic metamaterial layers, we design a broadband omnidirectional near-infrared mirror with the bandwidth of 943 nm (52.3% relative bandwidth) without using the conventional cascade method. In addition, we show that the angle-insensitive property of the band gap is robust against the layer thickness disturbance. This multilayer-based broadband omnidirectional reflector will possess potential applications for omnidirectional filters within broad stopbands and photonic crystal fibers with broad operating bandwidths.
Internações por câncer de próstata em uma regional de saúde do estado de Pernambuco e as relações com as possibilidades de prevenção na atenção primária
Authors: Dos Santos Ângelo Sávio Ferreira , Da Silva Filipe Santana , Da Silva Joseilda Alves , Dos Santos Erlene Roberta Ribeiro , Leal Eliane Maria Medeiros 
Published: October 2020

O câncer de próstata é a neoplasia maligna de maior incidência entre os homens no Brasil. No curso da doença, surgem diversas possibilidades clínicas, levando à necessidade de internações hospitalares. ­ O objetivo deste trabalho é caracterizar as internações por câncer de próstata (CAP) na 1a Regional de Saúde do estado de Pernambuco, no período de 2012 a 2016. Foi realizado um estudo epidemiológico do tipo quantitativo descritivo de caráter transversal. Os dados são do tipo secundário, coletados a partir do Sistema de Informação Hospitalar – SIH, através da interface de consulta Tabnet/PE. A população estudada foram todos os homens que se internaram por CAP na 1a Regional de Saúde de Pernambuco, no período de estudo. Entre 2012 e 2016, ocorreram 3.985 internações por CAP. Homens pardos (44,6%) e faixa etária de 50 a 79 anos (85%) foram os que mais internaram. A 1a Regional de Saúde foi responsável pela maior quantidade de internação (70,5%). A taxa de mortalidade no período foi de 8,5 (395 mortes). O valor total gasto foi de R$ 8.569.339,80 e o valor médio de internação foi de R$ 2.175,51. O Hospital do Câncer de Pernambuco – HCP e o Instituto Materno Infantil de Pernambuco – IMIP são os estabelecimentos que mais internaram pacientes no período (54,2%) juntos. A quantidade de internação e de óbitos se encontram em tendência de crescimento, assim como os gastos anuais. A busca tardia pelo diagnóstico e pelo tratamento são possíveis causas dessa elevação e pode ainda mais agravar esses números, se não houver nenhuma intervenção maior e mais institucionalizada em relação a prevenção do câncer de próstata no Estado.
Archive Fever and British Romanticism: Blake, Byron, and Keats
Authors: Kerler David 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe article explores the interrelation of archives, melancholia, and their (de)constructive features in British Romantic poetry. It will argue that the proliferation of archives and archival practices from the late eighteenth century on had a strong influence on the literary‑cultural output of the British Romantics.This shall be scrutinised by drawing on an extended reading of Jacques Derrida’s “Archive Fever” (1995) and Julia Kristeva’sBlack Sun,focusing on two basal, closely related aspects: (1) the subject’s feverish desire to archive, and (2) the archive’s (self‑)destructive tendencies. A close reading of paradigmatic writers and their poems (William Blake, Lord Byron, and John Keats) shall illustrate that the notion of “archive fever” turns out to be especially determinant for Romantic subjectivity, aesthetics, and itssujets.
The Document as Epistemic Object: Notes on Archival Knowledge Cultures
Authors: Starre Alexander 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThis article strategically resituates scholarly engagement with archival documents within the media ecology and the epistemic culture that sustains literary and cultural studies, noting affinities between historical and contemporary configurations as well as between theoretical and medial-material dimensions of archives. Based on current debates on the growing relevance of archival documents in American Studies and adjacent fields, it stakes out a framework that leans on recent work in a small branch of contemporary literary theory focused on historical epistemology, especially with regard to the notion of ‘epistemic objects’. Engaging these theoretical concerns, the article discusses concrete archival collections and documents, including letters by the novelist Willa Cather and items from a capacious archive documenting the emergence and evolution of Andrew Carnegie’s public library philanthropy. I outline several ways in which the shape and the aesthetics of such archives embody the information economies and epistemic situations of the past – in this case, the formative period around 1900. Finally, the article addresses the digital document overload that confronts the contemporary researcher and comments on the emerging archival knowledge culture of today’s humanities.
Plasma metanephrines and prospective prediction of tumor location, size and mutation type in patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma
Authors: Eisenhofer Graeme , Deutschbein Timo , Constantinescu Georgiana , Langton Katharina , Pamporaki Christina , Calsina Bruna , Monteagudo Maria , Peitzsch Mirko , Fliedner Stephanie , Timmers Henri J. L. M. , Bechmann Nicole , Fankhauser Maria , Nölting Svenja , Beuschlein Felix , Stell Anthony , Fassnacht Martin , Prejbisz Aleksander , Lenders Jacques W. M. , Robledo Mercedes 
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Objectives
Plasma free metanephrines are commonly used for diagnosis of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGLs), but can also provide other information. This multicenter study prospectively examined whether tumor size, location, and mutations could be predicted by these metabolites.

Methods
Predictions of tumor location, size, and mutation type, based on measurements of plasma normetanephrine, metanephrine, and methoxytyramine were made without knowledge of disease in 267 patients subsequently determined to have PPGLs.

Results
Predictions of adrenal vs. extra-adrenal locations according to increased plasma concentrations of metanephrine and methoxytyramine were correct in 93 and 97% of the respective 136 and 33 patients in who these predictions were possible. Predicted mean tumor diameters correlated positively (p<0.0001) with measured diameters; predictions agreed well for pheochromocytomas but were overestimated for paragangliomas. Considering only patients with mutations, 51 of the 54 (94%) patients with NF1 or RET mutations were correctly predicted with those mutations according to increased plasma metanephrine, whereas no or minimal increase in metanephrine correctly predicted all 71 patients with either VHL or SDHx mutations; furthermore, among the latter group increases in methoxytyramine correctly predicted SDHx mutations in 93% of the 29 cases for this specific prediction.

Conclusions
Extents and patterns of increased plasma O-methylated catecholamine metabolites among patients with PPGLs allow predictions of tumor size, adrenal vs. extra-adrenal locations and general types of mutations. Predictions of tumor location are, however, only possible for patients with clearly increased plasma methoxytyramine or metanephrine. Where possible or clinically relevant the predictions are potentially useful for subsequent clinical decision-making.
Dependence uncertainty bounds for the energy score and the multivariate Gini mean difference
Authors: Bernard Carole , Müller Alfred 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
The energy distance and energy scores became important tools in multivariate statistics and multivariate probabilistic forecasting in recent years. They are both based on the expected distance of two independent samples. In this paper we study dependence uncertainty bounds for these quantities under the assumption that we know the marginals but do not know the dependence structure. We find some interesting sharp analytic bounds, where one of them is obtained for an unusual spherically symmetric copula. These results should help to better understand the sensitivity of these measures to misspecifications in the copula.
Das Ende des weströmischen Kaisertums – ein Ereignis der chinesischen Geschichte? Auswirkungen von Mobilität in eurasischer Perspektive
Authors: Meier Mischa 
Published: October 2020

Zusammenfassung
In dem Beitrag wird versucht, Geschehnisse der spätrömischen Geschichte im 5./6. Jahrhundert n. Chr. stärker in einen eurasischen Verflechtungszusammenhang einzubetten. Am konkreten Beispiel des Untergangs des Attila-Reiches (453) wird nach regionalen und weiträumigen Konsequenzen politischer Großereignisse gefragt. Dabei wird aufgezeigt, wie es nach dem Ende der hunnischen Machtbildung zunächst im Donauraum zu gravierenden ethnisch-politischen Neukompositionsprozessen kam (in die Ostrom immerhin noch gestaltend eingreifen konnte). Gleichzeitig lässt sich eine beträchtlicher Kriegerdrift nach Westen nachweisen, die den Untergang des weströmischen Kaisertums beschleunigt haben dürfte. Da ein größerer Teil ehemals unter hunnischer Kontrolle stehender Kriegerverbände sich zudem in den nordpontisch-kaukasischen Raum bewegte, kam es auch dort zu Unruhen. Diese wirkten sich direkt auf das Sāsānidenreich aus, das insbesondere in Armenien Aufstände und Unruhen zu gewärtigen hatte, die durch den Druck herandrängender Krieger aus den Kaukasusgebieten verschärft wurden. Sie zwangen die persischen Großkönige mehrfach in Zweifrontenkriege, da gleichzeitig an der Nordostflanke des Reiches Kidariten und vor allem Hephthaliten herandrängten. Die katastrophale Niederlage des Perozes 484 gegen die Hephthaliten ist in diesem geopolitischen Zusammenhang zu sehen; sie war keineswegs Folge eines unüberlegten militärischen Abenteuers, sondern sollte offenbar Zusammenschlüsse nordpontischer, ehemals hunnischer Kriegergruppen mit den Hephthaliten verhindern. Nach der Niederlage verloren die Sāsāniden jedoch für mehrere Jahrzehnte ihre Vormachtstellung in Zentralasien an die Hephthaliten, die sich Sogdiens und der dortigen Handelsnetzwerke bemächtigten, dadurch den Seidenstraßenhandel kontrollierten und in der Folge auch verstärkt mit den nordchinesischen Herrscherhöfen interagierten, die möglicherweise das türkisch-sāsānidische Bündnis, dem das Hephthalitenreich 560 nicht mehr standzuhalten vermochte, unterstützten.