bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of dryland vegetation patterns to storm characteristics
Authors: Crompton Octavia V. , Thompson Sally E. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractEcohydrological phenomena are o ften multiscale in nature, with behavioTur that emerges from the interaction of tightly coupled systems having characteristic timescales that differ by orders of magnitude. Models address these differences using timescale separation methods, where each system is held in psuedo‐steady state while the other evolves. When the computational demands of solving the ‘fast’ system are large, this strategy can become numerically intractable. Here, we use emulation modelling to accelerate the simulation of a computationally intensive ‘fast’ system: overland flow. We focus on dryland ecosystems in which storms generate overland flow, on timescales of 101 − 2 s. In these ecosystems, overland flow delivers crucial water inputs to vegetation, which grows and disperses ‘slowly’, on timescales of 107 − 9 s. Emulation allows for a physically realistic treatment of flow, advancing on phenomenological descriptions used in previous studies. Resolving the within‐storm processes reveals novel dynamics, including new transition pathways from patchy vegetation to desertification, that are specifically controlled by storm processes.
Myocardial injury in severe COVID‐19 is similar to pneumonias of other origin: results from a multicentre study
Authors: Jirak Peter , Larbig Robert , Shomanova Zornitsa , Fröb Elisabeth J. , Dankl Daniel , Torgersen Christian , Frank Nino , Mahringer Magdalena , Butkiene Dominyka , Haake Hendrik , Salzer Helmut J.F. , Tschoellitsch Thomas , Lichtenauer Michael , Egle Alexander , Lamprecht Bernd , Reinecke Holger , Hoppe Uta C. , Pistulli Rudin , Motloch Lukas J. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAimsCOVID‐19, a respiratory viral disease causing severe pneumonia, also affects the heart and other organs. Whether its cardiac involvement is a specific feature consisting of myocarditis, or simply due to microvascular injury and systemic inflammation, is yet unclear and presently debated. Because myocardial injury is also common in other kinds of pneumonias, we investigated and compared such occurrence in severe pneumonias due to COVID‐19 and other causes.Methods and resultsWe analysed data from 156 critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation in four European tertiary hospitals, including all n = 76 COVID‐19 patients with severe disease course requiring at least ventilatory support, matched to n = 76 from a retrospective consecutive patient cohort of severe pneumonias of other origin (matched for age, gender, and type of ventilator therapy). When compared to the non‐COVID‐19, mortality (COVID‐19 = 38.2% vs. non‐COVID‐19 = 51.3%, P = 0.142) and impairment of systolic function were not significantly different. Surprisingly, myocardial injury was even more frequent in non‐COVID‐19 (96.4% vs. 78.1% P = 0.004). Although inflammatory activity [C‐reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin‐6] was indifferent, d‐dimer and thromboembolic incidence (COVID‐19 = 23.7% vs. non‐COVID‐19 = 5.3%, P = 0.002) driven by pulmonary embolism rates (COVID‐19 = 17.1% vs. non‐COVID‐19 = 2.6%, P = 0.005) were higher.ConclusionsMyocardial injury was frequent in severe COVID‐19 requiring mechanical ventilation, but still less frequent than in similarly severe pneumonias of other origin, indicating that cardiac involvement may not be a specific feature of COVID‐19. While mortality was also similar, COVID‐19 is characterized with increased thrombogenicity and high pulmonary embolism rates.
Muscular changes in animal models of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: what comes closest to the patient?
Authors: Goto Keita , Schauer Antje , Augstein Antje , Methawasin Mei , Granzier Henk , Halle Martin , Craenenbroeck Emeline M Van , Rolim Natale , Gielen Stephan , Pieske Burkert , Winzer Ephraim B. , Linke Axel , Adams Volker 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAimsHeart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is associated with reduced exercise capacity elicited by skeletal muscle (SM) alterations. Up to now, no clear medical treatment advice for HFpEF is available. Identification of the ideal animal model mimicking the human condition is a critical step in developing and testing treatment strategies. Several HFpEF animals have been described, but the most suitable in terms of comparability with SM alterations in HFpEF patients is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate molecular changes in SM of three different animal models and to compare them with alterations of muscle biopsies obtained from human HFpEF patients.Methods and resultsSkeletal muscle tissue was obtained from HFpEF and control patients and from three different animal models including the respective controls—ZSF1 rat, Dahl salt‐sensitive rat, and transverse aortic constriction surgery/deoxycorticosterone mouse. The development of HFpEF was verified by echocardiography. Protein expression and enzyme activity of selected markers were assessed in SM tissue homogenates. Protein expression between SM tissue obtained from HFpEF patients and the ZSF1 rats revealed similarities for protein markers involved in muscle atrophy (MuRF1 expression, protein ubiquitinylation, and LC3) and mitochondrial metabolism (succinate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase activity, porin expression). The other two animal models exhibited far less similarities to the human samples.ConclusionsNone of the three tested animal models mimics the condition in HFpEF patients completely, but among the animal models tested, the ZSF1 rat (ZSF1‐lean vs. ZSF1‐obese) shows the highest overlap to the human condition. Therefore, when studying therapeutic interventions to treat HFpEF and especially alterations in the SM, we suggest that the ZSF1 rat is a suitable model.
User activity detection for massive Internet of things with an improved residual convolutional neural network
Authors: Wu Xiaojiang , Li Guobing , Zhang Guomei 
Published: December 2020

AbstractMassive user activity detection is a challenging task for massive Internet of things (mIoT). In this paper, we propose a new deep neural network, named concentrated layers convolutional neural network (CLCNN), for user activity detection in mIoT. We firstly propose three basic rules in the design of residual network specifically for mIoT scenarios. Secondly, with the rules above we develop a new improved residual network block which includes integrated convolutional layers with activation functions, by which the residual convolutional network is constructed. Moreover, the regularization and its corresponding hyperparameter for the proposed network are also investigated against overfitting. Simulation results show that the proposed CLCNN network outperforms the existing deep learning algorithm and conventional compressive sensing solutions in user activity detection and corresponding channel estimation.
Analysis of microbial diversity and functional differences in different types of high‐temperature Daqu
Authors: Wang Yurong , Cai Wenchao , Wang Wenping , Shu Na , Zhang Zhendong , Hou Qiangchuan , Shan Chunhui , Guo Zhuang 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBacterial communities that enrich in high‐temperature Daqu are important for the Chinese maotai‐flavor liquor brewing process. However, the bacterial communities in three different types of high‐temperature Daqu (white Daqu, black Daqu, and yellow Daqu) are still undercharacterized. In this study, the bacterial diversity of three different types of high‐temperature Daqu was investigated using Illumina MiSeq high‐throughput sequencing. The bacterial community of high‐temperature Daqu is mainly composed of thermophilic bacteria, and seven bacterial phyla along with 262 bacterial genera were identified in all 30 high‐temperature Daqu samples. Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria were the dominant bacterial phyla in high‐temperature Daqu samples, while Thermoactinomyces, Staphylococcus, Lentibacillus, Bacillus, Kroppenstedtia, Saccharopolyspora, Streptomyces, and Brevibacterium were the dominant bacterial genera. The bacterial community structure of three different types of high‐temperature Daqu was significantly different (p < .05). In addition, the results of microbiome phenotype prediction by BugBase and bacterial functional potential prediction using PICRUSt show that bacteria from different types of high‐temperature Daqu have similar functions as well as phenotypes, and bacteria in high‐temperature Daqu have vigorous metabolism in the transport and decomposition of amino acids and carbohydrates. These results offer a reference for the comprehensive understanding of bacterial diversity of high‐temperature Daqu.
Health care insurance policies When the provider and patient may collude
Authors: Wu Yaping , Bardey David , Chen Yijuan , Li Sanxi 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis article explores a three‐party contracting problem when the patient and the provider possess private information that is unobservable to the insurer. We show that for an insurance mechanism to be collusion‐proof, it suffices for the insurer to rely on the incentive for one side of the patient‐provider coalition. If the risk premium for the patient is smaller than the provider's informational rent, placing the incentive on the patient generates a lower social cost than placing the incentive on the provider. We show that if the provider's effort is highly valued by the patient, the insurer should rely on the patient's incentive to implement a collusion‐proof second‐best insurance. Interestingly, an altruistic provider may lead to a higher social cost than a self‐interested provider. However, even if the insurer does not know the degree of provider altruism, it may still achieve the second‐best outcome by assuming that the provider is self‐interested. The model can be further extended to allow for different objective of the insurer, provider's informational advantage over patient, and auditing.
Predicting polytomous career choices in healthcare using probabilistic expectations data
Authors: Schweri Juerg 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis paper compares career expectations and career outcomes of Swiss healthcare assistants (HCA), an occupation created to increase the supply of nurses. We investigate whether HCAs can predict their own professional careers two years ahead by eliciting their expectations for a range of career alternatives, including nursing and other studies. Polytomous choice situations have rarely been analyzed using numerical probabilities in the expectations literature. Our results show that almost all respondents give informative answers to the probabilistic online survey question. Individuals express considerable uncertainty about their future careers, with over 60% attaching positive probabilities to more than one career alternative. The analyses reveal that individuals' numerical expectations have substantial predictive value for their future careers, even after controlling for many variables. This finding confirms that individuals have private information not directly available to researchers, and that eliciting choice probabilities for polytomous choice situations is a viable approach in surveys. However, the mean shares for career alternatives implied by individual probabilities do not fully coincide with actual shares and are more accurate over 4 than over 2 years. The information conveyed in expectations and their deviations from outcomes enables us to derive policy recommendations to increase transitions to nursing.
Upregulated hypoxia inducible factor 1α signaling pathway in high risk myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia patients is associated with better response to 5‐azacytidine—data from the Hellenic myelodysplastic syndrome study group
Authors: Mpakou Vassiliki , Spathis Aris , Bouchla Anthi , Tsakiraki Zoi , Kontsioti Frieda , Papageorgiou Sotirios , Bazani Efthymia , Gkontopoulos Konstantinos , Thomopoulos Thomas , Glezou Irene , Galanopoulos Athanasios , Symeonidis Argiris , Diamantopoulos Panagiotis T. , Viniou Nora‐Athina , Kontandreopoulou Christina‐Nefeli , Zafeiropoulou Kalliopi , Kotsianidis Ioannis , Lamprianidou Eleftheria , Foukas Periklis , Mpamias Aristoteles , Pappa Vasiliki 
Published: December 2020

Abstract5‐azacytidine (5‐AZA) is considered the standard of care for patients with high‐risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) not candidate for intensive chemotherapy. However, even after an initial favorable response, almost all patients relapse, with the exact mechanisms underlying primary or secondary 5‐AZA resistance remaining largely unknown. Several reports have previously demonstrated the significance of hypoxia in the regulation of both physiological and malignant hematopoiesis. In MDS, high hypoxia inducible factor 1α (Hif‐1α) expression has been correlated with poor overall survival and disease progression, while its involvement in the disease's pathogenesis was recently reported. We herein investigated the possible association of the Hif‐1α signaling pathway with response to 5‐AZA therapy in MDS/AML patients. Our data demonstrated that 5‐AZA‐responders present with higher Hif‐1α mRNA and protein expression compared to 5‐AZA‐non‐responders/stable disease patients, before the initiation of therapy, while, interestingly, no significant differences in Hif‐1α mRNA expression at the 6‐month follow‐up were observed. Moreover, we found that 5‐AZA‐responders exhibited elevated mRNA levels of the Hif‐1α downstream targets lactate dehydrogenase a (LDHa) and BCL2 interacting protein 3 like (BNIP3L), a further indication of an overactivated Hif‐1a signaling pathway in these patients. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed a significant correlation between high Hif‐1α mRNA expression and better survival rates, while logistic regression analysis showed that Hif‐1α mRNA expression is an independent predictor of response to 5‐AZA therapy. From the clinical point of view, apart from proposing Hif‐1α mRNA expression as a significant predictive factor for response to 5‐AZA, our data offer new perspectives on MDS combinational therapies, suggesting a potential synergistic activity of 5‐AZA and Hif‐1α inducers, such as propyl hydroxylases inhibitors (PHDi).
Team engagement in an executive human resource development program: A closed cohort model perspective
Authors: Waight Consuelo L. , Edwards Malaika T. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis study explored team engagement of two cohorts who had different team experiences in an Executive HRD program. Despite the widespread use of the closed cohort model (CCM) in executive programs and the recognition that a CCM is a type of team, there is a dearth of research on team engagement in cohorts. For ease of reference, the cohorts have been dubbed Team X and Team Y. Two research questions guided the study:
What factors facilitated team engagement in a closed cohort model?
What factors hindered team engagement in a closed cohort model?
The findings showed that the CCM is only a formation tactic, narratives influence interactions and interdependence. Team X's engagement was impacted by cognitive bias, in and out team formation, and depersonalization. The findings showed that beliefs and the language used to describe the cohorts' goals and purpose initiated an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mindset at the start of the program. The divergence led to the creation of an ‘in’ team and an ‘out’ team. The divisiveness between the in and out teams led to depersonalization. On the contrary, Team Y categorized itself on the principle of ‘becoming’, which meant that members would undergo a transformation unique to their experiences versus meeting a preset standard. Team Y celebrated the strengths of its members, which became a precursor for success. As a result, four factors influenced engagement, namely, the transactive memory system, task cohesion, social cohesion, and subgroups. Overall, dialogic, cognitive, and affective factors influenced engagement.
Credit information sharing and non‐performing loans: The moderating role of creditor rights protection
Authors: Adusei Michael , Adeleye Ngozi 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis study uses data from 132 countries to investigate the effect of credit information sharing on non‐performing loans (NPLs) as well as whether the effect is sensitive to creditor rights protection. The results show that credit information sharing improves NPLs, while creditor rights protection worsens NPLs. Generally, we observe that in the presence of creditor rights protection, the positive impact of credit information sharing on NPLs is higher. We also observe that in the presence of credit information sharing, creditor rights protection reduces NPLs. We, therefore, argue that there is complementary effect of credit information sharing and creditor rights protection on NPLs in the study countries. Further analysis involving breaking the data into income groups shows that credit information sharing slows down NPLs in high income, upper‐middle income and lower‐middle income countries. It does not significantly impact NPLs in low‐income countries.
Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative fetal fibronectin to predict spontaneous preterm birth: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Chen Jingning , Gong Guoliang , Zheng Wenhua , Xu Jingyun , Luo Xiaowei , Zhang Yuanxin 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundUse of quantitative fetal fibronectin (fFN) testing to predict spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) is gaining attention owing to its absolute measurement of fFN concentration and increased positive predictive value compared with qualitative testing.ObjectiveTo assess the predictive values of quantitative fFN for sPTB in different predefined thresholds using systematic review and meta‐analysis.Search strategyFive major databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane library) were searched for eligible studies.Selection criteriaObservational studies of the diagnostic accuracy of different quantitative fFN thresholds on delivery outcomes were included.Data collection and extractionArticles were reviewed independently by two authors and data were extracted. Sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio, and summary receiver operating characteristic curves were extracted and calculated.Main resultsFifteen studies were included. To detect sPTB at less than 34 weeks of gestation, pooled sensitivities for thresholds of 10, 50, 200, and 500 ng/ml were 0.78, 0.56, 0.33, and 0.11, respectively. Pooled specificities were 0.63, 0.84, 0.96, and 0.99, respectively.ConclusionsBased on the results of the meta‐analysis, the threshold of 10 ng/ml fFN may be a new choice for the prediction of sPTB. The improved diagnostic accuracy of quantitative testing over qualitative testing can provide additional discriminatory information for clinical practice.
Analysis of N‐acetyl cysteine modified polydimethylsiloxane shunt for improved treatment of hydrocephalus
Authors: Al‐Saloum Saja , Zaranek Mira , Horbatiuk Jeff , Gopalakrishnan Pranav , Dumitrescu Andrea , McAllister James P. , Harris Carolyn A 
Published: December 2020

AbstractA major cause of hydrocephalus shunt failure is cell adhesion and obstruction of shunt catheter holes. An estimated 50% of pediatric shunts fail in the first 2 years of insertion, decreasing cell attachment and catheter obstruction can prolong the lifetime and effectiveness of the device. From previous studies, it was shown that treatment of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface of a standard catheter with an N‐acetyl‐cysteine (NAC/1‐ethyl‐3‐(3‐dimethylanimopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride/N‐hydroxysuccinimide) layer increases the wettability of the surface and has been shown to decrease cell adhesion. Other studies indicate that NAC's antioxidant behavior induces glutathione and in turn modulates cell inflammatory pathways. The current study explores the longevity of the NAC coating from the surface of the catheter over time and shows its effect on valve function. Using SEM imaging, contact angle testing, and nanodrop spectrophotometry, this release was quantified for shunt samples incubated for 0, 10, 30, 60, and 90 days. Contact angle showed a significant increase in wettability of the surface when shunts were treated with NAC, confirming successful surface modification. Pressure assays determined that if the coating is release it had no detrimental downstream effects, such as on the shunt valve mechanism. SEM imaging revealed slight deformations in surface coating indicative of salt deposition on the modified shunt samples, while nanodrop spectrophotometry and contact angle data trends suggested some discharge of the NAC coating from the catheter surfaces. The effects of NAC on cell activity may transform the way hydrocephalus is treated in the future by increasing the longevity of the shunt to protect from obstruction.
Early Exposure of Fosphenytoin, Levetiracetam, and Valproic Acid After High‐Dose Intravenous Administration in Young Children With Benzodiazepine‐Refractory Status Epilepticus
Authors: Sathe Abhishek G. , Mishra Usha , Ivaturi Vijay , Brundage Richard C. , Cloyd James C. , Elm Jordan J. , Chamberlain James M. , Silbergleit Robert , Kapur Jaideep , Lowenstein Daniel H. , Shinnar Shlomo , Cock Hannah R. , Fountain Nathan B. , Babcock Lynn , Coles Lisa D. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractFosphenytoin (FOS) and its active form, phenytoin (PHT), levetiracetam (LEV), and valproic acid (VPA) are commonly used second‐line treatments of status epilepticus. However, limited information is available regarding LEV and VPA concentrations following high intravenous doses, particularly in young children. The Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial, a blinded, comparative effectiveness study of FOS, LEV, and VPA for benzodiazepine‐refractory status epilepticus provided an opportunity to investigate early drug concentrations. Patients aged ≥2 years who continued to seizure despite receiving adequate doses of benzodiazepines were randomly assigned to FOS, LEV, or VPA infused over 10 minutes. A sparse blood‐sampling approach was used, with up to 2 samples collected per patient within 2 hours following drug administration. The objective of this work was to report early drug exposure of PHT, LEV, and VPA and plasma protein binding of PHT and VPA. Twenty‐seven children with median (interquartile range) age of 4 (2.5‐6.5) years were enrolled. The total plasma concentrations ranged from 69 to 151.3 μg/mL for LEV, 11.3 to 26.7 μg/mL for PHT and 126 to 223 μg/mL for VPA. Free fraction ranged from 4% to 19% for PHT and 17% to 51% for VPA. This is the first report in young children of LEV concentrations with convulsive status epilepticus as well as VPA concentrations after a 40 mg/kg dose. Several challenges limited patient enrollment and blood sampling. Additional studies with a larger sample size are required to evaluate the exposure‐response relationships in this emergent condition.