bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evolution of Basic Activities of Daily Living Function in Older Patients One Year After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Authors: Bertschi Dominic , Moser André , Stortecky Stefan , Zwahlen Marcel , Windecker Stephan , Carrel Thierry , Stuck Andreas E. , Schoenenberger Andreas W. 
Published: November 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVESTo assess the course and prediction of basic activities of daily living (ADL) function in patients after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).DESIGNThis was a prospective cohort study.SETTINGThe setting was a single academic center in Switzerland.PARTICIPANTSParticipants included individuals aged ≥70 years (n = 330) undergoing TAVI.MEASUREMENTSA frailty index (based on geriatric assessment) and cardiac risk scores (EuroSCORE, Society of Thoracic Surgeons [STS] score) were determined in patients before TAVI. Basic ADL function was measured with patient or proxy interviews at baseline and 1‐year follow up. We used logistic regression models to investigate the association between baseline factors and functional decline.RESULTSAt 1‐year follow up, 229 (69.4%) of the 330 patients had stable or improved basic ADL function, 49 (14.8%) experienced a decline in basic ADL function, and 52 (15.8%) died. The frailty index, but not cardiac risk scores, significantly predicted decline in basic ADL function. Among the 34 surviving very frail patients, 12 (35.3%) experienced a functional status decline, and the remaining 22 (64.7%) had stable or improved functional status at 1‐year follow up.CONCLUSIONThis study confirms that a frailty index, and not cardiac risk scores, identifies patients at an increased risk of functional status decline after TAVI. Identifying patients with a high frailty index before TAVI is clinically relevant as these patients might benefit from targeted geriatric management and rehabilitation after TAVI. However, based on current data, it is not justified to use information on frailty status as the criterion for identifying patients in whom TAVI might be futile. Although the probability of poor outcome is high, very frail patients also have a high probability of favorable long‐term functional outcome.
Contrasting Worldviews at Bank and Securities Market Regulators
Authors: Flannery Mark J. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBank and securities regulators operate with different attitudes about the appropriate regulation of financial institutions and markets. Bank regulators’ prudential oversight protects depositors from worrying about the repayment of their bank claims. In contrast, securities market regulators tend to presume that security markets (almost) always clear quickly at prices close to the asset's fundamental value. These regulators seek to assure full disclosure of information, which facilitates active securities trading. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) investor protection duties are tailored to the financial sophistication of individual investors.
TC10, a Rho family GTPase, is required for efficient axon regeneration in a neuron‐autonomous manner
Authors: Koinuma Shingo , Negishi Ryota , Nomura Riko , Sato Kazuki , Kojima Takuya , Segi‐Nishida Eri , Goitsuka Ryo , Iwakura Yoichiro , Wada Naoyuki , Koriyama Yoshiki , Kiryu‐Seo Sumiko , Kiyama Hiroshi , Nakamura Takeshi 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIntracellular signaling pathways that promote axon regeneration are closely linked to the mechanism of neurite outgrowth. TC10, a signaling molecule that acts on neurite outgrowth through membrane transport, is a member of the Rho family G proteins. Axon injury increases the TC10 levels in motor neurons, suggesting that TC10 may be involved in axon regeneration. In this study, we tried to understand the roles of TC10 in the nervous system using TC10 knock‐out mice. In cultured hippocampal neurons, TC10 ablation significantly reduced axon elongation without affecting ordinary polarization. We determined a role of TC10 in microtubule stabilization at the growth cone neck; therefore, we assume that TC10 limits axon retraction and promotes in vitro axon outgrowth. In addition, there were no notable differences in the size and structure of brains during prenatal and postnatal development between wild‐type and TC10 knock‐out mice. In motor neurons, axon regeneration after injury was strongly suppressed in mice lacking TC10 (both in conventional and injured nerve specific deletion). In retinal ganglion cells, TC10 ablation suppressed the axon regeneration stimulated by intraocular inflammation and cAMP after optic nerve crush. These results show that TC10 plays an important role in axon regeneration in both the peripheral and central nervous systems, and the role of TC10 in peripheral axon regeneration is neuron‐intrinsic.
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Brain Diffusion Tensor Imaging Findings in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
Authors: Gultekin Mehmet Ali , Cesme Dilek Hacer , Karaman Ozcan , Yurtsever Ismail , Tasan Ertugrul , Yilmaz Temel Fatih , Alkan Alpay 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACTBACKGROUND AND PURPOSEHashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is a type of autoimmune thyroid disease. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can evaluate microstructural brain involvement in various diseases. We aimed to investigate whether there were any DTI differences in patients with HT, and the relationship between DTI values and disease duration time and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) levels.METHODSWe prospectively included 36 patients with HT (mean age 41.6 ± 13.8 years, range 18‐64 years) and 18 age and sex‐matched healthy control subjects (mean age 41.6 ± 13.1 years, range 18‐63 years). All patients were euthyroid at the time of imaging. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) values of 15 distinct neuroanatomical locations were measured and compared.RESULTSFA values of the patients with HT were lower in cingulum, globus pallidus (GP), cerebellar white matter (CWM) than the control (P = .019, .002, and <.001, respectively). MD values of the CWM in patients were higher than the control (P = .008). AD values of patients with HT were lower in the cingulum, posterior limbs of the internal capsule, GP, and putamen (P = .038, .038, .030, and .045, respectively). RD values of cingulum and CWM in HT were higher than controls (P <.001 and P = .011, respectively). There was a negative relationship between the FA values of PLIC and a positive relationship between the MD values of the corona radiata and TPOAb levels were detected.CONCLUSIONSThe current DTI study presented microstructural changes in the neurocognitive‐related areas that may be related to accompanying neurological findings in HT.
Monofocal hepatocellular carcinoma: How much does size matter?
Authors: Pelizzaro Filippo , Penzo Barbara , Peserico Giulia , Imondi Angela , Sartori Anna , Vitale Alessandro , Cillo Umberto , Giannini Edoardo G. , Forgione Antonella , Ludovico Rapaccini Gian , Di Marco Maria , Caturelli Eugenio , Zoli Marco , Sacco Rodolfo , Cabibbo Giuseppe , Marra Fabio , Mega Andrea , Morisco Filomena , Gasbarrini Antonio , Svegliati‐Baroni Gianluca , Giuseppe Foschi Francesco , Olivani Andrea , Masotto Alberto , Nardone Gerardo , Raimondo Giovanni , Azzaroli Francesco , Vidili Gianpaolo , Oliveri Filippo , Trevisani Franco , Farinati Fabio ,   Italian Liver Cancer (ITA.LI.CA) group
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackground & AimsAccording to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system, monofocal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is classified as early (BCLC A) irrespective of its size, even though controversies still exist regarding staging and treatment of large tumours. We aimed at evaluating the appropriate staging and treatment for large (>5 cm) monofocal (HCC).MethodsFrom the Italian Liver Cancer database, we selected 924 patients with small early monofocal HCC (2‐5 cm; SEM‐HCC), 163 patients with larger tumours (>5 cm; LEM‐HCC) and 1048 intermediate stage patients (BCLC B).ResultsLEM‐HCC patients had a worse overall survival (OS) than SEM‐HCC (31.0 vs 49.0 months; P < .0001), and this was confirmed at multivariate analysis (HR 1.63, 95% CI 1.29‐2.05; P < .0001). The small difference in OS between LEM‐HCC and BCLC B patients (31.0 vs 27.0 months; P = .03) disappeared in the multivariate model (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.77‐1.25; P = .89). In all monofocal tumours, treatment was the strongest independent predictor of survival, with a progressively decreasing survival benefit moving from “curative” to “palliative” therapies. The survival of resected patients with LEM‐HCC was significantly shorter than that of SEM‐HCC (44.0 vs 78.0 months; P = .002), but liver resection provided the highest survival benefit in both groups compared to other treatments.ConclusionsMonofocal HCC larger than 5 cm should not be staged as BCLC A and either a different staging system or a different subgrouping of patients (e.g. BCLC AB) should be used. Liver resection, if feasible, remains the recommended treatment for all these patients.
Alanine metabolism in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Sidiq Karzan R. , Chow Man W. , Zhao Zhao , Daniel Richard A. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBoth isomeric forms of alanine play a crucial role in bacterial growth and viability; the L‐isomer of this amino acid is one of the building blocks for protein synthesis, and the D‐isomer is incorporated into the bacterial cell wall. Despite a long history of genetic manipulation of Bacillus subtilis using auxotrophic markers, the genes involved in alanine metabolism have not been characterized fully. In this work, we genetically characterized the major enzymes involved in B. subtilis alanine biosynthesis and identified an alanine permease, AlaP (YtnA), which we show has a major role in the assimilation of D‐alanine from the environment. Our results provide explanations for the puzzling fact that growth of B. subtilis does not result in the significant accumulation of extracellular D‐alanine. Interestingly, we find that in B. subtilis, unlike E. coli where multiple enzymes have a biochemical activity that can generate alanine, the primary synthetic enzyme for alanine is encoded by alaT, although a second gene, dat, can support slow growth of an L‐alanine auxotroph. However, our results also show that Dat mediates the synthesis of D‐alanine and its activity is influenced by the abundance of L‐alanine. This work provides valuable insights into alanine metabolism that suggests that the relative abundance of D‐ and L‐alanine might be linked with cytosolic pool of D and L‐glutamate, thereby coupling protein and cell envelope synthesis with the metabolic status of the cell. The results also suggest that, although some of the purified enzymes involved in alanine biosynthesis have been shown to catalyze reversible reactions in vitro, most of them function unidirectionally in vivo.
Pandemic diseases preparedness and response in the age of COVID‐19—a symposium report
Authors: Cable Jennifer , Heymann David L. , Uzicanin Amra , Tomori Oyewale , Marinissen Maria Julia , Katz Rebecca , Kerr Larry , Lurie Nicole , Parker Gerald W. , Madad Syra , Maldin Morgenthau Beth , Osterholm Michael T. , Borio Luciana 
Published: November 2020

AbstractFor years, experts have warned that a global pandemic was only a matter of time. Indeed, over the past two decades, several outbreaks and pandemics, from SARS to Ebola, have tested our ability to respond to a disease threat and provided the opportunity to refine our preparedness systems. However, when a novel coronavirus with human‐to‐human transmissibility emerged in China in 2019, many of these systems were found lacking. From international disputes over data and resources to individual disagreements over the effectiveness of facemasks, the COVID‐19 pandemic has revealed several vulnerabilities. As of early November 2020, the WHO has confirmed over 46 million cases and 1.2 million deaths worldwide. While the world will likely be reeling from the effects of COVID‐19 for months, and perhaps years, to come, one key question must be asked, How can we do better next time? This report summarizes views of experts from around the world on how lessons from past pandemics have shaped our current disease preparedness and response efforts, and how the COVID‐19 pandemic may offer an opportunity to reinvent public health and healthcare systems to be more robust the next time a major challenge appears.
Secondary chronic osteomyelitis of the mandible: A resistant disease successfully treated with bisphosphonate therapy
Authors: Cheng Hilary , Wali Rana , Sproat Chris , Patel Vinod 
Published: November 2020

AbstractManagement of secondary chronic osteomyelitis (SCO) of the mandible is complex and challenging condition. Antibiotics are often first line treatment but have difficulty penetrating the infected bone and surgical intervention can be extensive, disfiguring and may not provide cure. With increasing reports of successful management of primary chronic osteomyelitis with bisphosphonate therapy, it was considered a viable last line trial medication in a refractory SCO patient for whom surgery was not appropriate. The current case is the first in the literature to report successful management of SCO with oral bisphosphonates.
Modeling upstream socioeconomic inequities and syndemic conditions among mothers over time
Authors: Caiola Courtney , McCoy Thomas P. , Kneipp Shawn M. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractObjectivesMothers in lower social locations are particularly vulnerable to the syndemic conditions of substance abuse, violence, and HIV/AIDS (SAVA), yet few studies have examined the impact of upstream socioeconomic inequities as salient determinants of syndemic conditions in their lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) receipt, TANF sanctions, and economic hardship (EH) on SAVA syndemic conditions that included indicators of substance use, HIV risk‐taking behaviors, and intimate partner violence among mothers over time.MethodsUsing data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 4,898), we investigated the longitudinal measurement invariance of a proposed measure of syndemic conditions among mothers over five waves and performed path analysis to investigate the relationships between TANF use, TANF sanctions, and EH with syndemic conditions.ResultsAnalyses revealed the presence of SAVA syndemic conditions and EH predicted increased SAVA in subsequent waves. Relationships between reported race of the mother and the sanctioning of TANF benefits and increased SAVA were also noted.ConclusionsThis study has implications regarding race, welfare policy and sanctioning practices, and the socioeconomic determinants of health that drive syndemic conditions among mothers in the United States.
SNP‐based genotyping and whole‐genome sequencing reveal previously unknown genetic diversity in Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum, causal agent of banana xanthomonas wilt, in its presumed Ethiopian origin
Authors: Nakato Gloria V. , Studholme David J. , Blomme Guy , Grant Murray , Coutinho Teresa A. , Were Evans M. , Wicker Emmanuel , Mahuku George 
Published: November 2020

AbstractFor decades, Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum (Xvm) has been an economically important bacterial pathogen on enset in Ethiopia. Since 2001, Xvm has also been responsible for significant losses to banana crops in several East and Central African countries, with devastating consequences for smallholder farmers. Understanding the genetic diversity within Xvm populations is essential for the smart design of transnationally reasoned, durable, and effective management practices. Previous studies have revealed limited genetic diversity in Xvm, with East African isolates from banana each falling into one of two closely related clades previously designated as sublineages SL 1 and SL 2, the former of which had also been detected on banana and enset in Ethiopia. Given the presumed origin of Xvm in Ethiopia, we hypothesized that both clades might be found in that country, along with additional genotypes not seen in Central and East African bananas. Genotyping of 97 isolates and whole‐genome sequencing of 15 isolates revealed not only the presence of SL 2 in Ethiopia, but additional diversity beyond SL 1 and SL 2 in four new clades. Moreover, SL 2 was detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where previously SL 1 was the only clade reported. These results demonstrate a greater range of genetic diversity among Xvm isolates than previously reported, especially in Ethiopia, and further support the hypothesis that the East/Central Africa xanthomonas wilt epidemic has been caused by a restricted set of genotypes drawn from a highly diverse pathogen pool in Ethiopia.
Dynamic Model-Based Identification of Cavitation Compliance and Mass Flow Gain Factor in Rocket Engine Turbopump Inducers
Authors: Wan Y. , Manfredi M. , Pasini A. , Spakovszky Z. 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Cavitation dynamics continue to pose a significant risk in the development and operation of launch vehicle (LV) propulsion systems. In addition to generating unsteady loads that can directly damage turbopump hardware, cavitation dynamics often couple with LV fluid feed systems, producing system wide POGO instability that can cause catastrophic failures. Despite its importance, the current understanding of cavitation dynamics, and especially pump transfer matrices, is limited. Given the relatively sparse amount of inducer transfer matrix data available, there is a critical need for more in-depth characterization of the cavitation dynamics in turbopump inducers to avoid POGO instability. This paper defines and validates a new reduced-order approach to infer key parameters such as cavitation compliance, K, and mass flow gain factor, M, from simple, single sensor unsteady pressure measurements during inducer inlet pressure ramps. The utility of this approach is demonstrated for a range of inducer geometries reported in the literature. The results are in agreement with experimental data and the paper provides a new capability supporting the assessment of LV POGO instability.
Design and Optimization of Control Strategy to Reduce Pumping Power in Dynamic Liquid Cooling
Authors: Kasukurthy Rajesh , Rachakonda Amruthavalli , Agonafer Dereje 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Data centers are a large group of networked servers used by organizations for computational and storage purposes. In 2014, data centers consumed an estimated 70 billion kWh in the United States alone. It is incumbent on thermal engineers to develop efficient methods in order to minimize the expenditure at least toward cooling considering the limited available power resources. One of the key areas where electronic cooling research has been focusing, is addressing the issue of nonuniform power distribution at the rack, server and even at package levels. Nonuniform heating at the chip level creates hotspots and temperature gradients across the chip which in turn significantly increases the cost of cooling, as cooling cost is a function of the maximum junction temperature. This challenge has increased the use of temperature sensing mechanisms to help in finding ways to mitigate the gradients. A very effective way to conserve pumping power and address hotspots on the single or multichip modules is by targeted delivery of liquid coolant. One way to enable such targeted delivery of coolant is by using dynamic cold plates coupled with self-regulating flow control device that can control flow rate based on temperature. This novel technology will have more effective implementation coupled with a good control strategy. This paper addresses the development and testing of such control strategy with minimal sensors along with less latency and optimization of the same.
How Should We Measure Creativity in Engineering Design? A Comparison Between Social Science and Engineering Approaches
Authors: Miller Scarlett R. , Hunter Samuel T. , Starkey Elizabeth , Ramachandran Sharath , Ahmed Faez , Fuge Mark 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDesign researchers have long sought to understand the mechanisms that support creative idea development. However, one of the key challenges faced by the design community is how to effectively measure the nebulous construct of creativity. The social science and engineering communities have adopted two vastly different approaches to solving this problem, both of which have been deployed throughout engineering design research. The goal of this paper was to compare and contrast these two approaches using design ratings of nearly 1000 engineering design ideas. The results of this study identify that while these two methods provide similar ratings of idea quality, there was a statistically significant negative relationship between these methods for ratings of idea novelty. In addition, the results show discrepancies in the reliability and consistency of global ratings of creativity. The results of this study guide the deployment of idea ratings in engineering design research and evidence.
The 6-m Timed Hop Is Not a Suitable Clinical Assessment Tool for Use Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Read Paul J. , Palli Theodosia , Oliver Jon L. 
Published: November 2020

Context: Single-leg hop tests are used to assess functional performance following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Recording 6-m timed hop scores using a stopwatch increases the potential for misclassification of patient status due to the number of error sources present. Objective: To examine the consistency of pass/fail (>90% limb symmetry index [LSI]) decisions in athletes tested at discharge following ACL reconstruction during the 6-m timed hop and the agreement between different human raters using a stopwatch and an electronic timing system. Setting: Clinic, rehabilitation. Participants: A total of 20 professional soccer players (age 24.6 [4.2] y; height 175.3 [10.2] cm; mass 73.6 [14.5] kg; 36 [10.5] wk following ACL reconstruction) volunteered to take part in this study. Main Outcome Measures: Two individual raters recorded each trial of the 6-m timed hop test on each limb with a stopwatch and an electronic timing system acted as the criterion measure. LSI scores were also computed with a pass score >90% LSI. Results: No significant differences were observed between limbs for any scoring method (P > .05). Mean differences indicated the electronic timing system was slower than both human raters (P < .05). Five participants failed the test (<90% LSI) but on each occasion this was only recorded by one method of rating. Kappa statistics showed no agreement in LSI scores across all 3 methods of scoring (κ = −.13) and no agreement when comparing the light gates to individual raters and rater 1 versus 2 (κ < 0). 95% limits of agreement in LSI scores recorded values of approximately ±20%. Conclusions: The 6-m timed hop test recorded using a stopwatch is not a valid measure to make clinical decisions following ACL reconstruction. Systematic bias between methods also suggests that a stopwatch and electronic timing system cannot be used interchangeably.