bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Elovl4 Spinocerebellar Ataxia-34 Mutation 736T>G (p.W246G) Impairs Retinal Function in the Absence of Photoreceptor Degeneration
Authors: Agbaga Martin-Paul , Stiles Megan A. , Brush Richard S. , Sullivan Michael T. , Machalinski Adeline , Jones Kenneth L. , Anderson Robert E. , Sherry David M. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractElongation of very long chain fatty acids-4 (ELOVL4) is essential for synthesis of very long chain polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFA and VLC-SFA, respectively) of chain length greater than 26 carbons. Mutations in the ELOVL4 gene cause several distinct neurodegenerative diseases including Stargardt-like macular dystrophy (STGD3), spinocerebellar ataxia 34 (SCA34), and a neuro-ichthyotic syndrome with severe seizures and spasticity, as well as erythrokeratitis variabilis (EKV), a skin disorder. However, the relationship between ELOVL4 mutations, its VLC-PUFA and VLC-SFA products, and specific neurological symptoms remains unclear. We generated a knock-in rat line (SCA34-KI) that expresses the 736T>G (p.W246G) form of ELOVL4 that causes human SCA34. Lipids were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Retinal function was assessed using electroretinography. Retinal integrity was assessed by histology, optical coherence tomography, and immunolabeling. Analysis of retina and skin lipids showed that the W246G mutation selectively impaired synthesis of VLC-SFA, but not VLC-PUFA. Homozygous SCA34-KI rats showed reduced ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes by 90 days of age, particularly for scotopic responses. Anatomical analyses revealed no indication of neurodegeneration in heterozygote or homozygote SCA34-KI rats out to 6–7 months of age. These studies reveal a previously unrecognized role for VLC-SFA in regulating retinal function, particularly transmission from photoreceptors to the inner retina, in the absence of neurodegeneration. Furthermore, these findings suggest that the tissue specificity and symptoms associated with disease-causing ELOVL4 mutations likely arise from selective differences in the ability of the mutant ELOVL4 enzymes to support synthesis of VLC-PUFA and/or VLC-SFA.
Therapeutic options for patients with advanced atrial fibrillation: from lifestyle and medication to catheter and surgical ablation
Authors: Boersma L. , Rienstra M. , de Groot J. R. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractAtrial fibrillation (AF) is part of a vicious cycle that includes multiple cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidity which can promote atrial remodelling and AF progression. Most AF-related risk factors—hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnoea, obesity and sedentary lifestyle—are in essence modifiable which may prevent AF development. Treatment of associated cardiovascular conditions may prevent both symptoms and future cardiovascular events. For advanced forms of symptomatic AF refractory to lifestyle management and optimal medication, invasive ablation therapies have become a cornerstone. Although electrical trigger isolation from the pulmonary veins is reasonably effective and safe, more potent energy sources including high output-short duration radiofrequency, ultra-low cryo-energy, and electroporation, as well as more sophisticated arrays, balloons, and lattice-tipped catheter tools, are on their way to eliminate existing pitfalls and simplify the procedure. Electroanatomical navigation and mapping systems are becoming available to provide real-time information on ablation lesion quality and the critical pathways of AF in the individual patient to guide more extensive ablation strategies that may enhance long-term outcome for freedom of advanced AF. Surgical techniques, either stand-alone or concomitant to structural cardiac repair, hybrid, or convergent, with novel less invasive access options are developing and can be helpful in situations unsuitable for catheter ablation.
The scientific basis for secondary prevention of coronary artery disease: recent contributions from the Netherlands
Authors: Jørstad H. T. , Snaterse M. , ter Hoeve N. , Sunamura M. , Brouwers R. , Kemps H. , Scholte op Reimer W. J. M. , Peters R. J. G. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractWhile the beneficial effects of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease are undisputed, implementation remains challenging. A gap between guideline-mandated risk factor targets and clinical reality was documented as early as the 1990s. To address this issue, research groups in the Netherlands have performed several major projects. These projects address innovative, multidisciplinary strategies to improve medication adherence and to stimulate healthy lifestyles, both in the setting of cardiac rehabilitation and at dedicated outpatient clinics. The findings of these projects have led to changes in prevention and rehabilitation guidelines.
Recent developments in diagnosis and risk stratification of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Aarts G. W. A. , Mol J. Q. , Camaro C. , Lemkes J. , van Royen N. , Damman P. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn the past year, a number of important papers have been published on non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome, highlighting progress in clinical care. The current review focuses on early diagnosis and risk stratification using biomarkers and advances in intracoronary imaging.
Invasive coronary physiology: a Dutch tradition
Authors: van de Hoef T. P. , de Waard G. A. , Meuwissen M. , Voskuil M. , Chamuleau S. A. J. , van Royen N. , Piek J. J. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractInvasive coronary physiology has been applied since the early days of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, and has become a rapidly emerging field of research. Many physiology indices have been developed, tested in clinical studies, and are now applied in daily clinical practice. Recent clinical practice guidelines further support the use of advanced invasive physiology methods to optimise the diagnosis and treatment of patients with acute and chronic coronary syndromes. This article provides a succinct review of the history of invasive coronary physiology, the basic concepts of currently available physiological parameters, and will particularly highlight the Dutch contribution to this field of invasive coronary physiology.
An investigation into the roles of chlorides and sulphate salts on the performance of low-salinity injection in sandstone reservoirs: experimental approach
Authors: Al-Otaibi Athari 
Published: August 2020

AbstractNumerous studies have been carried out to ascertain the mechanisms of low-salinity and smart water flooding technique for improved oil recovery. Focus was often on brine composition and, specifically, the cationic content in sandstone reservoirs. Given the importance of the salt composition and concentration, tweaking the active ions which are responsible for the fluids–rock equilibrium will bring into effect numerous mechanisms of displacement which have been extensively debated. This experimental study, however, was carried out to evaluate the extent of the roles of chloride- and sulphate-based brines in improved oil recovery. To carry this out, 70,000 ppm sulphates- and chloride-based brines were prepared to simulate formation water and 5000 ppm brines of the same species as low-salinity displacement fluids. Core flooding process was used to simulate the displacement of oil by using four (4) native sandstones core samples, obtained from Burgan oil field in Kuwait, at operating conditions of 1500 psig and 50 °C. The core samples were injected with 70,000 ppm chloride and sulphates and subsequently flooded with the 5000 ppm counterparts in a forced imbibition process. Separate evaluations of chloride- and sulphate-based brines were carried out to investigate the displacement efficiencies of each brine species. The results showed that in both high- and low-salinity displacement tests, the SO4 brine presented better recovery of up to 89% of the initial oil saturation (Soi). Several mechanisms of displacement were observed to be responsible for improved recovery during SO4 brine displacement. IFT measurement experiments also confirmed that there was reduction in IFT at test conditions between SO4 brine and oil and visual inspection of the effluent showed a degree emulsification of oil and brines. Changes in pH were observed in the low-salinity flooding, and negligible changes were noticed in the high-salinity floods. These results provide an insight into the roles of chloride and sulphate ions in the design of smart “designer” water and low-salinity injection scenarios.
Simulation-based investigation of tar formation in after-treatment systems for biomass gasification
Authors: Boiger G. , Buff V. , Sharman D. , Boldrini M. , Lienhard V. , Drew D. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractEven though biomass gasification remains a promising technology regarding de-centralized sustainable energy supply, its main limitations, namely the issues of unsteady operation, tar formation in after-treatment systems, and consequential high maintenance requirements, have never been fully overcome. In order to tackle the latter two deficiencies and to increase the understanding of thermodynamic and thermokinetic producer gas phase phenomena within the after-treatment zones, a numerical system dynamic model has been created. Thereby, naphthalene has been chosen to represent the behavior of tars. The model has been validated against a wide variety of measured and simulated producer gas compositions. This work particularly focuses on the investigation and minimization of tar formation within after-treatment systems at low pressures and decreasing temperatures. Model-based analysis has led to a range of recommended measures, which could reduce the formation tendency and thus the condensation of tars in those zones. These recommendations are (i) to decrease gas residence time within pipes and producer gas purification devices, (ii) to increase temperatures in low-pressure zones, (iii) to increase hydrogen to carbon ratio, and (iv) to increase oxygen to carbon ratio in the producer gas. Furthermore, the numerical model has been included in the cloud-computing platform KaleidoSim. Thus, a wider range of process parameter combinations could be investigated in reasonable time. Consequentially, a simulation-based sensitivity analysis of producer gas composition with respect to process parameter changes was conducted and the validity basis of the above recommendations was enlarged.
Valiron’s Interpolation Formula and a Derivative Sampling Formula in the Mellin Setting Acquired via Polar-Analytic Functions
Authors: Bardaro Carlo , Butzer Paul L. , Mantellini Ilaria , Schmeisser Gerhard 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we first recall some recent results on polar-analytic functions. Then we establish Mellin analogues of a classical interpolation of Valiron and of a derivative sampling formula. As consequences a new differentiation formula and an identity theorem in Mellin–Bernstein spaces are obtained. The main tool in the proofs is a residue theorem for polar-analytic functions.
Shared jurisdiction between veterinarians and aqua medicine biologists in fish health—a Norwegian model for inter-professional and cross-sectoral collaboration
Authors: Kjæmpenes Wenche M. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis article investigates, using a sociology of profession approach, why veterinarians and aqua medicine biologists share jurisdiction in fish health in Norway. I use a five-actor framework to highlight key events in the development of the Norwegian model for inter-professional and cross-sectoral collaboration in fish health. Veterinarians were initially the only profession involved in fish health. However, in the late 1980s, the Norwegian aquaculture industry suffered great losses due to significant disease outbreaks. Lack of scientific knowledge about the disease causing the outbreaks, Hitra disease, and lack of veterinary capacity to cope with the problem resulted in a situation in which veterinarians continued, as an early response to the disease, to use antibiotic-based therapies. The marine science milieu, with support from the aquaculture industry, instituted a vaccine solution to the endemic Hitra disease in 1987. This scientific breakthrough had major impacts on combatting fish diseases and on the further development of vaccines. New vaccine solutions for other diseases, such as furunculosis, were developed by international and multidisciplinary collaboration. Over a 7-year period, the use of antibiotic-based therapy was dramatically reduced. The control of fish diseases is aquaculture’s X factor, and without these vaccine solutions and regulation regimes, the story of Norwegian aquaculture could have been different. The successful development of the Hitra disease vaccine enabled the marine science milieu at the University of Bergen and the University of Tromsø to establish a new programme of education for aqua medicine biologists based on their own scientific knowledge base. However, their struggle for shared jurisdiction, including the right to prescribe veterinary medicine, lasted nearly 20 years. In 2005, veterinary legislation was amended, and in addition to medical doctors, dentists and veterinarians, aqua medicine biologists, as the fourth profession in Norway, gained the right to prescribe medical products. I argue that the experience in Norway, where professionals from two different sectors share jurisdiction and work side by side in fish health, is worth examining as a model for organizing inter-professional and cross-sectoral collaboration.
Experimental validation of computational fluid dynamics for solving isothermal and incompressible viscous fluid flow
Authors: Abali Bilen Emek , Savaş Ömer 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn order to validate a computational method for solving viscous fluid flows, experiments are carried out in an eccentric cylindrical cavity showing various flow formations over a range of Reynoldsnumbers. Especially, in numerical solution approaches for isothermal and incompressible flows, we search for simple experimental data for evaluating accuracy as well as performance of the computational method. Verification of different computational methods is arduous, and analytic solutions are only obtained for simple geometries like a channel flow. Clearly, a method is expected to predict different flow patterns within a cavity. Thus, we propose a configuration generating different flow formations depending on the Reynoldsnumber and make the experimental results freely available in order to be used as an assessment criterion to demonstrate the reliability of a new computational approach.
EFFICIENT DYNAMIC HEDGING FOR LARGE VARIABLE ANNUITY PORTFOLIOS WITH MULTIPLE UNDERLYING ASSETS
Authors: Lin X. Sheldon , Yang Shuai 
Published: August 2020

AbstractA variable annuity (VA) is an equity-linked annuity that provides investment guarantees to its policyholder and its contributions are normally invested in multiple underlying assets (e.g., mutual funds), which exposes VA liability to significant market risks. Hedging the market risks is therefore crucial in risk managing a VA portfolio as the VA guarantees are long-dated liabilities that may span decades. In order to hedge the VA liability, the issuing insurance company would need to construct a hedging portfolio consisting of the underlying assets whose positions are often determined by the liability Greeks such as partial dollar Deltas. Usually, these quantities are calculated via nested simulation approach. For insurance companies that manage large VA portfolios (e.g., 100k+ policies), calculating those quantities is extremely time-consuming or even prohibitive due to the complexity of the guarantee payoffs and the stochastic-on-stochastic nature of the nested simulation algorithm. In this paper, we extend the surrogate model-assisted nest simulation approach in Lin and Yang [(2020) Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, 91, 85–103] to efficiently calculate the total VA liability and the partial dollar Deltas for large VA portfolios with multiple underlying assets. In our proposed algorithm, the nested simulation is run using small sets of selected representative policies and representative outer loops. As a result, the computing time is substantially reduced. The computational advantage of the proposed algorithm and the importance of dynamic hedging are further illustrated through a profit and loss (P&L) analysis for a large synthetic VA portfolio. Moreover, the robustness of the performance of the proposed algorithm is tested with multiple simulation runs. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm is able to accurately approximate different quantities of interest and the performance is robust with respect to different sets of parameter inputs. Finally, we show how our approach could be extended to potentially incorporate stochastic interest rates and estimate other Greeks such as Rho.
Public acceptability of nudges targeting parents and children to improve children's health outcomes: results from an online experiment
Authors: DROUIN OLIVIER 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThere is great potential for nudges to make gains in child health through improvement of lifestyle behaviors. In this study, I use an online sample of adults to test the acceptability of two nudges (one to address teenage smoking and the other to address pediatric obesity) when targeting one of three populations: adults, parents or children. The study shows that a majority of adult respondents would accept the use of nudges aimed at parents and children. The findings show that nudging parents or children directly has the same acceptability as nudging adults. These results suggest that when the objective of a nudge is to improve children's health, it is acceptable to target parents or children themselves. These results open the door to testing the efficacy of nudges in pediatric public health.
Killing in ‘the good old Irish fashion’? Irish revolutionary violence in context
Authors: Dolan Anne 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn comparison to many parts of post-war Europe, Ireland's wars between 1919 and 1923 were not as lethal as they might have been. This article addresses some of the possible reasons why, reasons that were quite specific to the immediate Anglo-Irish context but reasons that may also have been due to broader transnational understandings of what it was to be a soldier, what it was to fight at that time. But while comparative fatality rates may leave Ireland somewhat overshadowed, this article considers what Ireland's wars still share with other conflicts and looks at some of the dimensions of Irish violence that were, irrespective of numbers killed, still fundamentally the same as violence experienced in other periods and places. Tackling some of the challenges of contemporary comparisons, the article suggests other possible comparisons ranging far beyond the inter-war period that may prove more fruitful, and asks whether the nature of violence shapes our perceptions of a conflict far more than fatality rates do.
‘Sinn Féin permits … in the heels of their shoes’: Cumann na mBan emigrants and transatlantic revolutionary exchange
Authors: Aiken Síobhra 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe emigration of female revolutionary activists has largely eluded historical studies; their global movements transcend dominant national and regional conceptions of the Irish Revolution and challenge established narratives of political exile which are often cast in masculine terms. Drawing on Cumann na mBan nominal rolls and U.S. immigration records, this article investigates the scale of post-Civil War Cumann na mBan emigration and evaluates the geographical origins, timing and push-pull factors that defined their migration. Focusing on the United States in particular, it also measures the impact of the emigration and return migration of female revolutionaries – during the revolutionary period and in its immediate aftermath – on both the republican movement in Ireland and the fractured political landscapes of Irish America. Ultimately, this article argues that the cooperative transatlantic exchange networks of Cumann na mBan, and the consciously gendered revolutionary discourse they assisted in propagating in the diaspora, were integral to supporting the Irish Revolution at home and abroad.
Seroepidemiological evidence for Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis in three Venezuelan rural communities
Authors: Cortez A M.M. , Rojas G. , Aguilar C.M. , Ferrer E. , Alviarez Y. , Méndez C. , Medina-Freites C. , Parkhouse R.M.E. 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Taenia solium is the most common parasite infection of the brain, causing neurocysticercosis and typically found in rural communities with free-ranging pigs. Identification of transmission in rural areas is essential for its control. Risk factors and transmission of the parasite were evaluated in three rural Venezuelan communities (Valle del Rio and Potrero Largo, Cojedes state; and Palmarito, Portuguesa state) by a questionnaire (112 households) and coprological (492 samples) and serological (433 human and 230 porcine sera) analysis, respectively. Typical risk factors were found in all three communities: free-foraging pig husbandry, deficient sanitary conditions, high open defecation and ignorance of the parasite life cycle. Coprological examinations revealed a high level of soil-transmitted parasites. Importantly, two T. solium adult worm carriers were identified in each of the three communities. Anti-metacestode antibodies and the HP10 secreted metacestode glycoprotein were detected at significant levels in human and porcine sera in Valle del Rio, Potrero Largo and Palmarito. In conclusion, these communities may be considered to be endemic for taeniasis/cysticercosis, and the instigation of an appropriate control programme is recommended.
‘Too many BeEPs in our teens!’ Behavioral and emotional problems in a large group of Italian adolescents
Authors: Lisi Giulia , Rossi Rodolfo , Ribolsi Michele , Di Lorenzo Giorgio , Parisi Carla , Siracusano Martina , Morciano Laura , De Stefano Alberto , Pesaresi Alessia , Niolu Cinzia , Palombi Leonardo , Siracusano Alberto 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundOne in six adolescents suffers from mental health problems. Despite the presence of general information on Italian adolescents' mental health, researches conducted with standardized assessment tools are scarce in the literature. We evaluated the prevalence of self-reported behavioral and emotional problems in a group of Italian adolescents and examined their relation to socio-demographical variables.MethodsThis population-based sampling survey was conducted on high school students aged 14–18 from urban areas of Rome and Latina. Participants completed Youth Self-Report (YSR) and a socio-demographic schedule to collect information on age, gender, type of school attended, socio-economic status, urbanicity.ResultsFinal sample consisted of 1400 adolescents (38.61% male, mean age 16 years,s.d.1.42). Prevalence of Internalizing Problems, Externalizing Problems and Total Problems was 29.55%, 18.34% and 24.13%. In our multivariable model, Internalizing Symptoms were not explained by sociodemographic variables while Externalizing Symptoms were explained by Male Gender [OR = 1.53 (1.14–2.06)], older age [OR = 2.06 (1.52–2.79)] and attending a Technical and Professional Institute [OR = 2.15 (1.53–3.02)], with an adjustedR2= 4.32%. Total Problems were explained by School Type [Technical and Professional Institutes and Art and Humanitiesv.Grammar and Science School; OR respectively 1.93 (1.40–2.67) and 1.64 (1.08–2.47)], adjustedR2= 1.94.ConclusionsThe study provides, for the first time, evidence of a great prevalence of self-reported behavioral and emotional problems in a large sample of Italian adolescents, highlighting the role of different socio-demographic variables as risk factors for externalizing behaviors. Our results emphasize the urgent need for implementing prevention programs on mental health in adolescence.