bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Addressing migrants’ well-being during COVID-19: An analysis of Chinese communities’ heritage language schools in Germany
Authors: Wang Zi 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing lockdown affected social life in every regard. In critical times, the well-being of vulnerable groups is often at stake. Migrants represent a case in point because language barriers and the lack of social networks impede their seeking help from public institutions and information access. In migration policy and research, current attention overwhelmingly focusses on COVID-19’s impact on travel restrictions and healthcare. This article contributes a new perspective by demonstrating how migrants’ well-being needs (understood as emotions and sense of achievement) in education during the COVID-19-induced school closure were addressed by community educational organisations. Focussing on the Chinese community in Germany, data were collected in Chinese heritage language (CHL) schools from three urban areas. This article argues that CHL schools’ reaction to public schools’ closure had a positive impact on their members’ well-being. Such organisations achieved this by expanding their educational programmes during and after the lockdown. These measures ensured continuity in migrant children’s education beyond the realm of heritage language instruction, while enabling migrant parents to seek employment as the economy reopened. Overall, the results of this study underscore the potential of community organisations’ educational programmes in maintaining migrants’ well-being, especially in trying times.
Impact of biological sex on cryptococcal meningitis mortality in Uganda and South Africa
Authors: Stadelman Anna M , Ssebambulidde Kenneth , Tugume Lillian , Pastick Katelyn A , Hullsiek Kathy Huppler , Lofgren Sarah , Nuwagira Edwin , Evans Emily E , Williams Darlisha A , Muzoora Conrad , Meya David B , Rajasingham Radha , Rhein Joshua , Boulware David R 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe role of biological sex on clinical outcomes and the pathogenesis of AIDS-related opportunistic infections is unknown. We assessed baseline biomarkers and outcomes between 577 men and 400 women in HIV-related cryptococcal meningitis cohorts in Uganda and South Africa from 2010 to 2017. We compared 10-week mortality by sex via Cox proportional hazards models. The 10-week mortality for women was 50% (198/400) and 43% (247/577) for men. Women had higher risk of death in an unadjusted model (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1.20; 95%CI, 1.00–1.45; P = .05). Women maintained a higher risk when adjusting for quantitative CSF culture, altered mental status, CSF pleocytosis, age, and antiretroviral status (HR = 1.31; 95%CI, 1.07–1.59; P &lt; .01). However, after adjusting for hemoglobin, the risk of death did not differ between women and men (HR = 1.17; 95%CI, 0.94–1.45; P = .17). Moderate to severe anemia (hemoglobin &lt; 8.5 g/dL) was present among 16% (55/355) of women and 10% (55/532) of men (P = .02). Of the 373 participants with CSF biomarkers, men had higher median pro- and anti-inflammatory, monocyte/macrophage differentiation, maturation, and migration, immune exhaustion, and cytotoxicity cytokines than women (P &lt; .05). We identified biological sex as proxy for anemia, a potentially modifiable risk factor for cryptococcal meningitis mortality. Immune response may contribute to the multifaceted underlying mechanisms for the discrepancy in mortality based on sex.Lay SummaryWe examined the role of biological sex in cryptococcal meningitis mortality in a large cohort. Our findings reveal significant differences in inflammatory markers by biological sex. Women have significantly higher mortality due to cryptococcal meningitis that is attributable to anemia at baseline.
Starspot evolution, differential rotation, and correlation between chromospheric and photospheric activities on Kepler-411
Authors: Xu Fukun , Gu Shenghong , Ioannidis Panogiotis 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACT
We present an analysis of the starspot evolution, the surface differential rotation (SDR), the correlation between chromospheric activity indicators and the spatial connection between chromospheric and photospheric activities on the active star Kepler-411, using time-series photometry over four years from Kepler, and spectroscopic data from Keck I 10-m and Lijiang 2.4-m telescopes. We constructed the light curve (LC) by re-performing photometry and reduction from the Target Pixel Files and Cotrending Basis Vectors with a manually redefined aperture using the software pyke3. An efficient program, gemc_lcm, was developed to apply a two-spots model to chosen LC segments with three spot groups at fixed latitudes (30○, 45○), (30○, 60○) and (45○, 60○). We found a periodic variation of the starspots at the period of about 660 d which independs on spot latitudes, and estimated the lower limit of SDR rate α = 0.1016(0.0023) and equatoral rotation period Peq = 9.7810(0.0169) d. Simultaneously, the relative variations of chromospheric activity indicators were derived by subtracting the overall mean spectrum from individual spectrum. It is found that Ca ii H and K emissions are strongly correlated with each other, and there also exists a correlation between Hα and Ca ii H & K emissions, with large dispersion, in accordance with previous results. Furthermore, we find the correlation between Ca ii H and K emissions is different in 2011 and 2012. The chromospheric emission variation shows a highly spatial anticorrelation with the LC, suggesting a spatial connection between the chromospheric active region and spot region.
Shock-powered radio precursors of neutron star mergers from accelerating relativistic binary winds
Authors: Sridhar Navin , Zrake Jonathan , Metzger Brian D , Sironi Lorenzo , Giannios Dimitrios 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACT
During the final stages of a compact object merger, if at least one of the binary components is a magnetized neutron star (NS), then its orbital motion substantially expands the NS’s open magnetic flux – and hence increases its wind luminosity – relative to that of an isolated pulsar. As the binary orbit shrinks due to gravitational radiation, the power and speed of this binary-induced inspiral wind may (depending on pair loading) secularly increase, leading to self-interaction and internal shocks in the outflow beyond the binary orbit. The magnetized forward shock can generate coherent radio emission via the synchrotron maser process, resulting in an observable radio precursor to binary NS merger. We perform 1D relativistic hydrodynamical simulations of shock interaction in the accelerating binary NS wind, assuming that the inspiral wind efficiently converts its Poynting flux into bulk kinetic energy prior to the shock radius. This is combined with the shock maser spectrum from particle-in-cell simulations, to generate synthetic radio light curves. The precursor burst with a fluence of ∼1 Jy·ms at ∼GHz frequencies lasts ∼1–500 ms following the merger for a source at ∼3 Gpc (Bd/1012 G)8/9, where Bd is the dipole field strength of the more strongly magnetized star. Given an outflow geometry concentrated along the binary equatorial plane, the signal may be preferentially observable for high-inclination systems, that is, those least likely to produce a detectable gamma-ray burst.
Angular power spectrum of supernova remnants: effects of structure, geometry and diffuse foreground
Authors: Choudhuri Samir , Saha Preetha , Roy Nirupam , Bharadwaj Somnath , Dey Jyotirmoy 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The study of the intensity fluctuation power spectrum of individual supernova remnants (SNRs) can reveal the structures present at sub-pc scales, and also constrain the physical process that generates those structures. There are various effects, such as the remnant shell thickness, projection of a three-dimensional structure onto a two-dimensional observational plane, and the presence of diffuse “foreground” emission, which causes the observed power spectrum to deviate from the intrinsic power spectrum of the fluctuations. Here, we report results from a systematic study of these effects, using direct numerical simulations, in the measured power spectrum. For an input power-law power spectrum, independent of the power-law index, we see a break in the observed power law at a scale which depends on the shell thickness of a shell-type SNR, and the three-dimensional turbulence changes to two-dimensional turbulence beyond that scale. We also report how the estimated power spectrum is expected to deviate from the intrinsic SNR power spectrum in the presence of additional diffuse Galactic synchrotron emission (DGSE) around the remnant shell. For a reasonable choice of the parameters, if the intrinsic SNR power spectrum is shallower than the DGSE power spectrum, the SNR contribution dominates at small angular scales of the estimated power spectra. On the other hand, if the SNR power spectrum is relatively steeper, the original power spectra is recovered only over a small window of angular scales. This study shows how detailed modeling may be used to infer the true power spectrum from the observed SNR intensity fluctuations power spectrum, which in turn can be used to constrain the nature of the turbulence that gives rise to these small scale structures.
Regional inequalities and contributions to aggregate growth in the 2000s: an EU vs US comparison based on functional regions
Authors: Garcilazo Enrique , Moreno-Monroy Ana I , Oliveira Martins Joaquim 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
This paper offers a comparative analysis of regions in the United States (US) and European Union (EU) countries before and during the aftermath of the global financial crisis. By using a regional taxonomy approaching a functional definition, we can compare in a more meaningful way the regions in EU countries and the US. We use of a newly developed OECD functional typology of TL3 (Territorial Level 3) regions, which classifies regions into five categories: two are metropolitan regions (with a very large or large city) and three are regions with accessibility to cities of different sizes. Over the period 2000–17, we assess which types of regions have been most resilient or vulnerable to the effects of the crisis. To identify structural factors, we analyse the evolution of the contributions of regions to aggregate GDP and productivity growth. Some structural patterns emerge, which are then related to the evolution of regional inequalities between 2000 and 2017. Overall, we found that regional inequalities seem mainly related to structural factors rather than macroeconomic shocks, such as the global financial crisis.
Domestic violence detection amid the COVID-19 pandemic: the value of the WHO questionnaire in emergency medicine
Authors: Di Franco M , Martines G F , Carpinteri G , Trovato G , Catalano D 
Published: December 2020

Summary

Background
Gender-based violence affects 35–45% of women worldwide, mostly coming from domestic violence. A good screening procedure in clinical practice is useful, but WHO does not advise universal screening, recommending further research.

Aim
(i) To report the frequency of domestic violence cases among admissions to the Emergency Room of a major Italian Hospital in 2020, including during complete ‘Lockdown’ period; (ii) to document acute and chronic health effects of domestic violence and (iii) to asses usefulness of the WHO screening as a tool for uncovering cases which would otherwise remain hidden.

Design and methods
A database containing all the information recorded for each of 19 160 patients in the Emergency Room was constructed by a keyword search (‘violence’, ‘assault’, ‘trauma’) to filter the data and retrieve cases of violence in the period between 1 January and 2 June 2020. The self-administered questionnaire of the WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women was used in women referred to the emergency room for any cause, excluding trauma.

Results
A recent history of domestic violence was disclosed by 22.67%, after completing the WHO questionnaire. Of those not participating in the survey, diagnosis of domestic violence was only 0.6% (128/19 160).

Conclusion
Power of detection of domestic violence by the WHO questionnaire is very high, while the frequency of occurrence of these events in this population was considerable. Seemingly, it elicits the responsiveness to the topic of the volunteer interviewees. Its use should be firmly recommended, reasonably, while Covid-19 pandemic is affecting health, rights and response.
Home Equity and Labor Income: The Role of Constrained Mobility
Authors: Gopalan Radhakrishnan , Hamilton Barton H , Kalda Ankit , Sovich David 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Using detailed data for U.S. homeowners, we document a negative, nonlinear relation between the loan-to-value ratio (LTV) of homeowners’ primary residence and their labor income. Consistent with high LTV individuals experiencing constrained mobility, we find stronger effects among subprime, liquidity- constrained individuals and those living in regions with limited alternative local employment opportunities and strict noncompete law enforcement. Though high LTV individuals are less likely to move across MSAs, they are more likely to change jobs without changing their residence. We find no effects among similar neighboring renters employed at the same firm and with a similar job tenure.
Low molecular weight-PAHs induced inflammation in A549 cells by activating PI3K/AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways
Authors: Guo Huizhen , Huang Yushan , Wang Huiling , Zhang Zhewen , Li Chengyun , Hu Fengjing , Zhang Wenwen , Liu Yang , Zeng Yong , Wang Junling 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Our previous study has demonstrated that two low molecular weight-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (LMW-PAHs), phenanthrene (Phe) and fluorene (Flu), alone and as a mixture could induce oxidative damage and inflammation in A549 cells. However, the associated mechanisms have not been well discussed. The aim of this study was to further investigate the roles of PI3K/AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways in the inflammatory effects in A549 cells induced by Phe, Flu and their mixture. The results indicated that Phe, Flu and their mixture significantly activated PI3K/AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways by increasing the phosphorylation levels of PI3K, AKT, IκBα and NF-κB p65. In addition, pro-inflammatory cytokine expressions of TNF-α and IL-6 induced by the binary mixture of Phe and Flu were all alleviated by co-treatment with PI3K/AKT and NF-κB specific inhibitors (LY294002 and BAY11-7082). The results suggested that PI3K/AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways played an important role in LMW-PAHs induced inflammation in A549 cells.
Patients With High Chronic Postoperative Knee Pain 5 Years After Total Knee Replacement Demonstrate Low-grad Inflammation, Impairment of Function, and High Levels of Pain Catastrophizing
Authors: Skrejborg Peter , Petersen Kristian K. , Kold Søren , Kappel Andreas , Pedersen Christian , Østgaard Svend E. , Simonsen Ole , Arendt-Nielsen Lars 
Published: December 2020

Objectives:
Total knee replacement (TKR) normally provides improvements of physical function and reduces pain. However, ∼20% of the patients report chronic postoperative knee pain. The aims of the present study were to assess the pain, physical function, and physiological characteristics 5 years after TKR surgery.

Materials and Methods:
Eighty patients were recruited 5 years after TKR and divided into 2 groups based on their average 24-hour knee pain intensity assessed on a visual analog scale (VAS 0 to 10) (“high pain group”: VAS≥3; “low pain group”: VAS<3). The patients completed the PainDETECT Questionnaire (PDQ), Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and Forgotten Joint Score-12. Furthermore, the patients underwent a clinical examination of the knees and high-sensitivity serum C-reactive protein was measured as an inflammatory marker.

Results:
A total of 53% of the patients in the high pain group were not satisfied with the outcome, while only 11% of the patients in the low pain group was not satisfied, and the pain intensities in the 2 groups were 5.1 (4.6 to 5 to 6) and 1.1 (0.6 to 1.5) (P<0.001), respectively. Furthermore, the high pain group demonstrates worse scores in: Forgotten Joint Score-12 (P=0.001), OKS function (P<0.001), OKS pain (P<0.001), and Pain Catastrophizing Scale (P<0.001).
The high pain group demonstrated increased level of high-sensitivity serum C-reactive protein (4.3 mg/L [3.2 to 5.5] vs. 1.7 mg/L [1.2 to 2.2], P<0.001), and decreased range of motion in the knee (110 vs. 119-degree range of motion, P=0.013).

Discussion:
Patients with high chronic postoperative knee pain 5 years after TKR demonstrate decreased physical function, higher levels of catastrophizing thoughts, and increased levels of inflammation.
The Minimum Clinically Important Difference for Patient Health Questionnaire-9 in Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Interbody Fusion
Authors: Lynch Conor P. , Cha Elliot D.K. , Jenkins Nathaniel W. , Parrish James M. , Mohan Shruthi , Jadczak Caroline N. , Geoghegan Cara E. , Singh Kern 
Published: December 2020

Study Design.
Retrospective cohort.

Objective.
To investigate and establish minimum clinically important differences (MCID) for Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) among patients undergoing minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF).

Summary of Background.
Spine surgery is linked to postoperative improvements in anxiety, depression, and mental health. These improvements have been documented using patient-reported outcome measures such as PHQ-9. Few studies evaluated the clinical significance of PHQ-9 for lumbar spine surgery.

Methods.
Patients who underwent single-level, primary MIS TLIF from 2015 to 2017 were retrospectively reviewed in a prospective database. Patients with incomplete preoperative and 2-year postoperative PHQ-9 surveys were excluded. Demographic and perioperative characteristics were recorded. PHQ-9, 12-Item Short Form (SF-12), and Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) Mental Component Summary (MCS) were collected at preoperative, 6-week, 12-week, 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year intervals. MCID was calculated using anchor and distribution-based methods. SF-12 served as an anchor. MCID was assessed using mean change methodology, four receiver operating characteristic curve assessments, and standard error measurement. Cutoff values were selected from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. MCID achievement rates for all patient-reported outcome measures were calculated.

Results.
A total of 139 patients met inclusion criteria, with a mean age of 55 years and 39% females. The most common spinal pathology was radiculopathy (92%). MCID analysis revealed the following ranges of values: 2.0 to 4.8 (PHQ-9), 6.7 to 12.1 (SF-12 MCS), and 7.5 to 15.9 (VR-12 MCS). Final MCID thresholds were 3.0 (PHQ-9), 9.1 (SF-12 MCS), and 8.1 (VR-12 MCS). MCID achievement at 2-years for PHQ-9, SF-12 MCS, and VR-12 MCS was 89.2%, 85.6%, and 84.9% respectively.

Conclusion.
Our 2-year postoperative MCID analysis is the first mental health calculation from an MIS TLIF cohort. We report a 2-year MCID value for PHQ-9 of 3.0 (2.0–4.8). MCID values for mental health instruments are important for determining overall success of lumbar spine surgery.

Level of Evidence: 3
In-hospital Course and Complications of Laminectomy Alone Versus Laminectomy Plus Instrumented Posterolateral Fusion for Lumbar Degenerative Spondylolisthesis
Authors: Badhiwala Jetan H. , Leung Sean N. , Jiang Fan , Wilson Jamie R.F. , Akbar Muhammad A. , Nassiri Farshad , Witiw Christopher D. , Wilson Jefferson R. , Fehlings Michael G. 
Published: December 2020

Study Design.
Retrospective analysis of data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP).

Objective.
We sought to compare the short-term outcomes of laminectomy with/without fusion for single-level lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS).

Summary of Background Data.
Lumbar DS is a common cause of low back and radicular pain. Controversy remains over the safety and efficacy of fusion in addition to standard decompressive surgery.

Methods.
Patients with lumbar DS who underwent laminectomy alone or laminectomy plus posterolateral fusion at a single level were identified from the 2012–2017 NSQIP database. Outcomes included 30-day mortality, major complication, reoperation, readmission, as well as operative duration, need for blood transfusion, length of stay (LOS), and discharge destination. Outcomes were compared between treatment groups by multivariable regression, adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities (modified Frailty Index). Effect sizes were reported by adjusted odds ratio (aOR) or mean difference (aMD).

Results.
The study cohort consisted of 1804 patients; of these, 802 underwent laminectomy alone and 1002 laminectomy plus fusion. On both unadjusted and adjusted analyses, there was no difference in 30-day mortality, major complications, reoperation, or readmission. However, laminectomy plus fusion was associated with longer operative time (170.0 vs. 152.7 minutes; aMD 16.00 minutes, P < 0.001), longer hospital LOS (3.2 vs. 2.5 days; aMD 0.68, P < 0.001), more frequent need for intra- or postoperative blood transfusion (6.8% vs. 3.1%; aOR 2.24, P = 0.001), and less frequent discharge home (80.7% vs. 89.2%; aOR 0.46, P < 0.001).

Conclusion.
We found single-level laminectomy plus fusion for lumbar DS to have a comparable short-term safety profile to laminectomy alone. However, fusion was associated with longer operative time and LOS, higher risk of blood transfusion, and greater need for inpatient rehabilitation. These factors should be recognized by clinicians and discussed with patients in the context of their values when weighing surgical treatment of lumbar DS.

Level of Evidence: 3