bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of handgrip strength with patient-reported outcome measures after total hip and knee arthroplasty
Authors: Meessen Jennifer M. T. A. , Fiocco Marta , Tordoir Rutger L. , Sjer Arnout , Verdegaal Suzan H. M. , Slagboom P. Eline , Vliet Vlieland Thea P. M. , Nelissen Rob G. H. H. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractAbout 33% patients with osteoarthritis undergoing total hip/knee arthroplasty are not satisfied with the outcome, warranting the need to improve patient selection. Handgrip strength (HGS) has been suggested as a proxy for overall muscle strength and may be associated with post-arthroplasty function. This study aims to assess the association of pre-operative HGS with change in hip/knee function and quality of life in patients with arthroplasty. 226 hip (THA) and 246 knee (TKA) arthroplasty patients were included in this prospective cohort study. Pre-operative HGS was assessed by means of a dynamometer and the HOOS/KOOS and SF-36 questionnaires were collected before arthroplasty and 1 year thereafter. The association of HGS with score change on each sub-domain of the included questionnaires was assessed by linear regression models, adjusting for sex, body mass index and baseline score. Mean pre-operative HGS was 26 kg for patients undergoing THA and 24 kg for those undergoing TKA. HGS was positively associated with an increased improvement score on “function in sport and recreation”-domain in hip (β = 0.68, P = 0.005) and knee (β = 0.52, P = 0.049) and “symptoms”-domain in hip (β = 0.56, P = 0.001). For patients with THA, HGS was associated with the “quality of life” domain (β = 0.33, P = 0.033). In patients with TKA, HGS was associated with the physical component score (β = 0.31, P = 0.001). All statistically significant effects were positive, indicating that with greater pre-operative HGS, an increased gain in 1-year post-surgery score was observed. HGS can be used as a tool to inform patients with OA who are future candidates for a prosthesis about the possible improvements of certain aspects of life after arthroplasty.
Prognosis of persistent mitral regurgitation in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement
Authors: Mauri Victor , Körber Maria I. , Kuhn Elmar , Schmidt Tobias , Frerker Christian , Wahlers Thorsten , Rudolph Tanja K. , Baldus Stephan , Adam Matti , ten Freyhaus Henrik 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Objective
The objective of this study was to assess imaging predictors of mitral regurgitation (MR) improvement and to evaluate the impact of MR regression on long-term outcome in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Background
Concomitant MR is a frequent finding in patients with severe aortic stenosis but usually left untreated at the time of TAVR.

Methods
Mitral regurgitation was graded by transthoracic echocardiography before and after TAVR in 677 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis. 2-year mortality was related to the degree of baseline and discharge MR. Morphological echo analysis was performed to determine predictors of MR improvement.

Results
15.2% of patients presented with baseline MR ≥ 3 +, which was associated with a significantly decreased 2-year survival (57.7% vs. 74.4%, P < 0.001). MR improved in 50% of patients following TAVR, with 44% regressing to MR ≤ 2 +. MR improvement to ≤ 2 + was associated with significantly better survival compared to patients with persistent MR ≥ 3 +. Baseline parameters including non-severe baseline MR, the extent of mitral annular calcification and large annular dimension (≥ 32 mm) predicted the likelihood of an improvement to MR ≤ 2 +. A score based on these parameters selected groups with differing probability of MR ≤ 2 + post TAVR ranging from 10.5 to 94.4% (AUC 0.816; P < 0.001), and was predictive for 2-year mortality.

Conclusion
Unresolved severe MR is a critical determinant of long term mortality following TAVR. Persistence of severe MR following TAVR can be predicted using selected parameters derived from TTE-imaging. These data call for close follow up and additional mitral valve treatment in this subgroup.

Graphic abstract
Factors associated with MR persistence or regression after TAVR
High water intake and low urine osmolality are associated with favorable metabolic profile at a population level: low vasopressin secretion as a possible explanation
Authors: Brunkwall Louise , Ericson Ulrika , Nilsson Peter M. , Enhörning Sofia 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Elevated plasma concentration of the vasopressin marker copeptin and low water intake are associated with elevated blood glucose and diabetes risk at a population level. Moreover, in individuals with low urine volume and high urine osmolality (u-Osm), water supplementation reduced fasting plasma (fp) copeptin and fp-glucose. In this observational study, we investigated if low total water intake or high u-Osm correlated with high fp-copeptin and components of the metabolic syndrome at the population level.

Methods
In the population-based Malmö Offspring Study (MOS, n = 2599), fp-copeptin and u-Osm from morning urine samples were measured, and diet and total water intake (from beverages and food moisture) was assessed by a 4-day web-based record.

Results
Increasing water intake by tertile was after adjustment for age and sex associated with low fp-triglycerides (p = 0.002) and high fp-HDL (p = 0.004), whereas there was no association with the other investigated metabolic traits (HbA1c, fp-glucose, BMI or waist circumference). Increasing u-Osm by tertile was, after adjustment for age and sex, associated with high fp-glucose (p = 0.007), and borderline significantly associated with high HbA1c (p = 0.053), but no association was observed with fp-HDL, fp-triglycerides, BMI or waist circumference. Fp-copeptin concentration correlated significantly with water intake (r = − 0.13, p < 0.001) and u-Osm (r = 0.27, p < 0.001). High copeptin was associated with all investigated metabolic traits (p < 0.001 for all).

Conclusion
Low concentrations of the vasopressin marker copeptin is linked to high water intake, low u-Osm, and a favorable metabolic profile, suggesting that vasopressin lowering lifestyle interventions, such as increased water intake, may promote metabolic health.
Experts’ opinion for improving global adolescent vaccination rates: a call to action
Authors: Azzari Chiara , Diez-Domingo Javier , Eisenstein Evelyn , Faust Saul N. , Konstantopoulos Andreas , Marshall Gary S. , Rodrigues Fernanda , Schwarz Tino F. , Weil-Olivier Catherine 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWorldwide, lifestyle and resource disparities among adolescents contribute to unmet health needs, which have crucial present and future public health implications for both adolescents and broader communities. Risk of infection among adolescents is amplified by biological, behavioral, and environmental factors; however, infectious diseases to which adolescents are susceptible are often preventable with vaccines. Beyond these concerns, there is a lack of knowledge regarding adolescent vaccination and disease risk among parents and adolescents, which can contribute to low vaccine uptake. Promising efforts have been made to improve adolescent vaccination by programs with motivational drivers and comprehensive communication with the public. In May 2017, a multidisciplinary group of experts met in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to discuss adolescent vaccine uptake, as part of an educational initiative called the Advancing Adolescent Health Spring Forum. This article presents consensus opinions resulting from the meeting, which pertain to the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases among adolescents, reasons for low vaccine uptake, and common characteristics of successful strategies for improving adolescent vaccination.Conclusion: There is an urgent “call to action,” particularly targeting healthcare providers and public health authorities, for the prioritization of adolescent vaccination as a necessary element of preventive healthcare in this age group.

What is Known:• Despite increased risk of certain infectious diseases, adolescent vaccination uptake remains low.

What is New:• Barriers to adolescent vaccine uptake include lack of information regarding vaccines and disease risk, health system inadequacies, and insufficient healthcare follow-up.• Successful efforts to improve adolescent vaccine uptake need cohesive leadership and involvement of multiple stakeholders, as well as youth-friendly messaging; healthcare providers and policymakers should prioritize adolescent vaccination and implement proven program strategies to improve adolescent health worldwide.
Timing of indocyanine green injection prior to laparoscopic colorectal surgery for tumor localization: a prospective case series
Authors: Satoyoshi Tetsuta , Okita Kenji , Ishii Masayuki , Hamabe Atsushi , Usui Akihiro , Akizuki Emi , Okuya Koichi , Nishidate Toshihiko , Yamano Hiroo , Nakase Hiroshi , Takemasa Ichiro 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Background
Accurate identification of tumor sites during laparoscopic colorectal surgery helps to optimize oncological clearance. We aimed to assess the timing of the local injection preoperatively and clarify the usefulness and limitation of tumor site marking using indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging.

Methods
Consecutive patients who underwent primary colorectal cancer surgery from September 2017 to January 2019 were included. Preoperatively, lower endoscopy was used to inject the ICG solution into the submucosal layer near the tumor. During laparoscopic surgery, ICG fluorescence marking as the tumor site marking was detected using a laparoscopic near-infrared camera system. The detection rate and factors associated with successful intraoperative ICG fluorescence visualization including the interval between local injection and surgery were evaluated.

Results
One hundred sixty-five patients were enrolled. Using the laparoscopic near-infrared system, the intraoperative detection rates of ICG marking were 100% for ICG injection within 6 days preoperatively, 60% for injection between 7 and 9 days preoperatively, and 0% for injection earlier than 10 days preoperatively. There were no complications associated with ICG marking. Additionally, this method did not disturb the progress of the surgical procedure because injected ICG in the submucosal layer did not cause any tissue inflammation, and if ICG spilled into the serosa, it was invisible by white light.

Conclusion
Advantages of ICG fluorescence tumor site marking were high visibility of infrared imaging during laparoscopic colorectal surgery and minimal adverse events of surgery. One of the most important findings regarding practical use was a rapid decrease in fluorescence marking visibility if one week passed from the time of ICG local injection.
Semigroups for which every right congruence of finite index is finitely generated
Authors: Miller Craig 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWe call a semigroupSf-noetherian if every right congruence of finite index onSis finitely generated. We prove that every finitely generated semigroup is f-noetherian, and investigate whether the properties of being f-noetherian and being finitely generated coincide for various semigroup classes.
Important roles of dietary taurine, creatine, carnosine, anserine and 4-hydroxyproline in human nutrition and health
Authors: Wu Guoyao 
Published: February 2020

AbstractTaurine (a sulfur-containing β-amino acid), creatine (a metabolite of arginine, glycine and methionine), carnosine (a dipeptide; β-alanyl-l-histidine), and 4-hydroxyproline (an imino acid; also often referred to as an amino acid) were discovered in cattle, and the discovery of anserine (a methylated product of carnosine; β-alanyl-1-methyl-l-histidine) also originated with cattle. These five nutrients are highly abundant in beef, and have important physiological roles in anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory reactions, as well as neurological, muscular, retinal, immunological and cardiovascular function. Of particular note, taurine, carnosine, anserine, and creatine are absent from plants, and hydroxyproline is negligible in many plant-source foods. Consumption of 30 g dry beef can fully meet daily physiological needs of the healthy 70-kg adult human for taurine and carnosine, and can also provide large amounts of creatine, anserine and 4-hydroxyproline to improve human nutrition and health, including metabolic, retinal, immunological, muscular, cartilage, neurological, and cardiovascular health. The present review provides the public with the much-needed knowledge of nutritionally and physiologically significant amino acids, dipeptides and creatine in animal-source foods (including beef). Dietary taurine, creatine, carnosine, anserine and 4-hydroxyproline are beneficial for preventing and treating obesity, cardiovascular dysfunction, and ageing-related disorders, as well as inhibiting tumorigenesis, improving skin and bone health, ameliorating neurological abnormalities, and promoting well being in infants, children and adults. Furthermore, these nutrients may promote the immunological defense of humans against infections by bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses (including coronavirus) through enhancing the metabolism and functions of monocytes, macrophages, and other cells of the immune system. Red meat (including beef) is a functional food for optimizing human growth, development and health.
Versorgung des abdominellen Aortenaneurysmas (AAA) 2018
Authors: Schmitz-Rixen T. , Steffen M. , Böckler D. , Grundmann R. T. 
Published: February 2020

Zusammenfassung
Zielsetzung
Die Daten für das Jahr 2018 des Registers „Abdominelles Aortenaneurysma“ (AAA) des Deutschen Instituts für Gefäßmedizinische Gesundheitsforschung (DIGG) der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Gefäßchirurgie und Gefäßmedizin werden vorgestellt.

Methodik
Im Jahr 2018 beteiligten sich an dem Register insgesamt 135 Kliniken. Für die offene Versorgung (OR) des intakten AAA (iAAA) gaben 118 (87,4 %) Kliniken, für die endovaskuläre Versorgung (EVAR) des iAAA 133 (98,5 %) Kliniken Daten ein. Für das rupturierte AAA (rAAA) wurden von 80 Kliniken (59,3 %) (EVAR) bzw. 65 (48,1 %) Kliniken (OR) Patienten gemeldet. Ausgewertet wurden die Daten von 4051 stationär behandelten Patienten.

Ergebnisse
2800 iAAA (75,8 %) wurden endovaskulär und 895 (24,2 %) offen versorgt. Bei den endovaskulär versorgten Patienten mit iAAA verlief der Eingriff in 86,4 % der Fälle komplikationslos. Es verstarben insgesamt 32 Patienten (1,1 %) bis zur Entlassung. Bei den offen versorgten Patienten wiesen 73,4 % der Patienten keine Komplikationen auf. Verstorben sind insgesamt 42 Patienten (4,7 %). Von den 356 Patienten mit rAAA wurden 192 (53,9 %) endovaskulär und 164 (46,1 %) offen versorgt. Nur 11,0 % der mit OR versorgten Patienten, aber 23,4 % bei EVAR wiesen freies Blut in der Bauchhöhle auf. Bei EVAR sind 30,7 % der Patienten während des stationären Aufenthalts verstorben, bei OR 20,1 %.

Schlussfolgerung
Die Ergebnisse des Jahres 2018 zu Klinikletalität und Morbidität bei endovaskulärer und offener Versorgung des iAAA bestätigen weitestgehend die publizierten Ergebnisse für die Jahre 2013 bis 2017. Beim rAAA wurde 2018 erstmals über mehr endovaskuläre als offene Versorgungen berichtet – mit Ergebnissen, die denen der Vorjahre diametral entgegengesetzt waren. Patienten mit EVAR wiesen die höhere Komorbidität als Patienten mit OR auf und die Klinikletalität war höher. Es bleiben die Ergebnisse der Folgejahre abzuwarten, um diesen Trend genauer bewerten zu können.
Habits and Narrative Agency
Authors: Wagner Nils-Frederic 
Published: February 2020

AbstractSome habits are vital to who we are in that they shape both our self-perception and how we are seen by others. This is so, I argue, because there is a constitutive link between what I shall call ‘identity-shaping habits’ and narrative agency. Identity-shaping habits are paradigmatically acquired and performed by persons. The ontology of personhood involves both synchronic and diachronic dimensions which are structurally analogous to the synchronic acquisition and the diachronic performance of habits, and makes persons distinctly suitable to being shaped by habits. Since habits differ vastly in their scope, I develop a conceptualization that carves out defining features of identity-shaping habits. Such habits, I venture, fundamentally alter a person’s embodiment such that the alterations to their psychological and physiological make-up vitally inform their persistence—if not metaphysically (as in constituting necessary and jointly sufficient conditions of personal identity over time), then at least practically by crucially shaping one’s narrative agency.
“Ethics When You Least Expect It”: A Modular Approach to Short Course Data Ethics Instruction
Authors: Bezuidenhout Louise , Quick Robert , Shanahan Hugh 
Published: February 2020

AbstractData science skills are rapidly becoming a necessity in modern science. In response to this need, institutions and organizations around the world are developing research data science curricula to teach the programming and computational skills that are needed to build and maintain data infrastructures and maximize the use of available data. To date, however, few of these courses have included an explicit ethics component, and developing such components can be challenging. This paper describes a novel approach to teaching data ethics on short courses developed for the CODATA-RDA Schools for Research Data Science. The ethics content of these schools is centred on the concept of open and responsible (data) science citizenship that draws on virtue ethics to promote ethics of practice. Despite having little formal teaching time, this concept of citizenship is made central to the course by distributing ethics content across technical modules. Ethics instruction consists of a wide range of techniques, including stand-alone lectures, group discussions and mini-exercises linked to technical modules. This multi-level approach enables students to develop an understanding both of “responsible and open (data) science citizenship”, and of how such responsibilities are implemented in daily research practices within their home environment. This approach successfully locates ethics within daily data science practice, and allows students to see how small actions build into larger ethical concerns. This emphasises that ethics are not something “removed from daily research” or the remit of data generators/end users, but rather are a vital concern for all data scientists.
A prototype filter design based on channel estimation for OQAM/OFDM systems
Authors: Liu Yongjin , Chen Xihong 
Published: February 2020

AbstractA prototype filter design for offset quadrature amplitude–modulation based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OQAM/OFDM) systems is proposed in this study. The influence of channel estimation is considered, with the object to minimize stop-band energy. An efficient preamble structure is proposed to improve the channel estimation and save the frequency spectral efficiency. The reciprocal of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (RSINR) is derived to measure the influence of the prototype for channel estimation. After that, the problem of prototype filter design is formulated as an optimization problem with constraints on the RSINR. To accelerate the convergence and obtain a global optimal solution, the box-based branch and bound algorithm is utilized to solve the optimization problem. Simulation results demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the prototype filter designed in this study.
New perennial grains in African smallholder agriculture from a farming systems perspective. A review
Authors: Isgren Ellinor , Andersson Elina , Carton Wim 
Published: February 2020

AbstractPerennial grain crops are gaining increased attention from researchers as one possible solution to agriculture’s many sustainability challenges. In the Sub-Saharan African context, perennial varieties of crops such as sorghum, rice, and pigeon pea have potential to provide numerous benefits for smallholder farmers. The introduction and adoption of new crops and practices is however a complex process that needs to be approached from an interdisciplinary and participatory perspective. We here review the small but growing body of knowledge about on-farm adoption and the use of perennial grains around the world, as well as the more extensive literature of farming systems research. We conclude that a farming systems approach offers a fruitful entry point for informing the emerging research agenda around perennial grains in African smallholder agriculture. Yet, a comprehensive understanding of the potentials and challenges of perennial grains also requires cross-scalar analysis capable of looking beyond the farming system. We thus outline five key considerations for developing and studying new perennial grains in smallholder contexts, i.e., (1) smallholder farming systems are complex, diverse, and locally adapted; (2) decision-making is shaped by various resource constraints; (3) farming is often “semi-subsistence” and forms part of broader livelihood strategies, wherein risk is an important factor; (4) gender relations and roles influence many aspects of smallholder farming systems; and (5) analyses of farmers’ production systems, decision-making, and livelihood strategies must be embedded within a broader political-economic context. Based on these considerations, we suggest directions and examples of key questions for future research and derive methodological implications for how such research could be approached.
Surrogate Measures to Assess Mobility of People as a Resilience Indicator in Disaster Management: An Exploratory Study in Southeastern Sri Lanka
Authors: Saja A. M. Aslam , Teo Melissa , Goonetilleke Ashantha , Ziyath Abdul M. , Nianthi K. W. G. Rekha 
Published: February 2020

AbstractUnderstanding social resilience can assist in the formulation of disaster management policies to help communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. However, direct social resilience measurement methods such as household surveys are not always a practical option as they are a time- and resource-exhaustive process. Existing measures mainly utilize publicly available census data, which often provide a poor and outdated assessment of current social resilience status. Another limitation includes a failure to capture multiple facets of indicators that are process-oriented and dynamic in nature such as mobility of people. These challenges can be addressed by employing a surrogate approach. Surrogates are alternative measures to depict the target indicator. The surrogate approach can capture key facets of a target indicator, which can be used as potential measures for the target indicator. A framework to conceptualize the surrogate approach is presented, and operationalized using a case study approach on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka to identify surrogates to measure mobility of people as a resilience indicator. Six higher-order themes were identified as potential surrogates to measure mobility of people in a disaster context. The approach proposed to methodically identify potential surrogates and their measurement protocols can help to improve the current knowledge base and understanding of complex interrelationships of social resilience.
On a Differential Inclusion Involving Dirichlet–Laplace Operators of Fractional Orders
Authors: Kamocki Rafał 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate a nonlinear differential inclusion with Dirichlet boundary conditions containing a weak Laplace operator of fractional orders (defined via the spectral decomposition of the Laplace operator $$-{\varDelta }$$

-
Δ

under Dirichlet boundary conditions). Using variational methods, we characterize solutions of such a problem. Our approach is based on tools from convex analysis (properties of a Legendre–Fenchel transform).