bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of QT dispersion with mortality and arrhythmic events—A meta‐analysis of observational studies
Authors: Bazoukis George , Yeung Cynthia , Wui Hang Ho Ryan , Varrias Dimitrios , Papadatos Stamatis , Lee Sharen , Ho Christien Li Ka , Sakellaropoulou Antigoni , Saplaouras Athanasios , Kitsoulis Panagiotis , Vlachos Konstantinos , Lampropoulos Konstantinos , Thomopoulos Costas , Letsas Konstantinos P. , Liu Tong , Tse Gary 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe risk stratification of coronary heart disease (CHD) and/or heart failure (HF) patients with easily measured electrocardiographic markers is of clinical importance. The aim of this meta‐analysis is to indicate whether increased QT dispersion (QTd) is associated with fatal and nonfatal outcomes in patients with CHD and/or HF.MethodsWe systematically searched MEDLINE and Cochrane databases without restrictions until August 15, 2018 using the keyword “QT dispersion”. Studies including data on the association between QTd and all‐cause mortality, sudden cardiac death (SCD) or arrhythmic events in patients with HF and/or CHD were classified as eligible.ResultsIn the analysis including patients with CHD and/or HF, we found that QTd did not differ significantly in patients with SCD compared to no SCD patients while QTd was significantly greater in the group of all‐cause mortality patients and in patients who experienced a sustained ventricular arrhythmia. Subgroup analysis showed that in myocardial infarction studies, QTd was significantly higher in patients with an arrhythmic event compared to arrhythmic event‐free patients while a nonsignificant difference was found in QTd in patients who died from any cause compared to survivors. Similarly, in HF patients, the QTd was significantly greater in patients with an arrhythmic event while a nonsignificant difference was found regarding all‐cause mortality and SCD outcomes.ConclusionsQTd has a prognostic role for stratifying myocardial infarction or HF patients who are at higher risk of arrhythmic events. However, no prognostic role was found regarding all‐cause mortality or SCD in this patient population.
Drought characteristics and its impact on changes in surface vegetation from 1981 to 2015 in the Yangtze River Basin, China
Authors: Jiang Weixia , Wang Lunche , Feng Lan , Zhang Ming , Yao Rui 
Published: November 2019

AbstractLocated in the subtropical monsoon climate area of China, the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) had been frequently affected by drought events recently. Based on standardized precipitation evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI), the characteristics of drought in the YRB and the influence of drought on vegetation in different seasons were investigated by maximum correlation (Rmax) between 1981 and 2015. The results showed that: (a) Droughts occurred frequently but had no obvious regularity in the YRB from 1981 to 2015. The drought intensity in autumn and winter were slightly higher than that in spring and summer. The autumn droughts in Sichuan Basin were the most serious, followed by the spring droughts in the middle and lower reaches of the YRB; (b) Annual SPEI series at 102 stations exhibited a downward trend and 72 stations exhibited an upward trend. There was no station showing a significant downward trend and two stations showing a significant upward trend. There was a drying trend in autumn and winter, and a wetting trend in spring and summer. The eastern area of the YRB shows a more arid trend in spring and autumn, as well as in the southwest in winter; (c) 90% of YRB showed a significant positive correlation (p < .05) between SPEI and EVI during the growing season (March–October), and the vegetation was more sensitive to short‐term and medium‐term drought. However, there were spatial and seasonal differences in the impact of drought on vegetation. Different types of land cover had different responses to droughts. Grasslands and croplands were more sensitive to droughts, grasslands at low elevation was dominated by short‐term droughts, while at high elevation was influenced by medium‐long‐ and long‐term droughts. Croplands and woodlands were more vulnerable to short‐term droughts.
Proximal–distal fall deposit correlation of VEI‐5 tephra (Towada‐Chuseri) from Towada volcano, northeast Japan
Authors: Ishimura Daisuke , Hiramine Reona 
Published: November 2019

ABSTRACTA tephra layer offers an isochronous surface in sediments, thus serving as a key bed and/or an age marker. Recent high‐resolution sediment research (e.g. varved sediments) has revealed optically invisible tephra fingerprints and provided high‐precision tephra ages. However, a tephra‐based correlation cannot succeed without detailed knowledge of the tephra characteristics in a proximal area to correlate with tephra in high‐resolution sediments in remote areas. Here we documented the detailed characteristics of Towada‐Chuseri (To‐Cu) tephra, which is associated with the Middle Holocene volcanic explosivity index 5 eruption of Towada volcano, northeast Japan. We used To‐Cu tephra samples to achieve the proximal–distal correlation of three members: Chuseri pumice (Cu), Kanegasawa pumice (Kn) and Utarube ash (Ut). These distal occurrences correlate with proximal To‐Cu tephra based on volcanic glass morphology and refractive index, as well as on major element composition of volcanic glass shards. Refractive indices allow the preliminary correlation of each member, and major element composition helps in distinguishing Ut from the other members. Glass morphology provides additional support. These correlations reveal that To‐Cu, especially Cu, covered central to northeast Japan while confirming that To‐Cu is the representative tephra in the Middle Holocene of the Tohoku region.
The 532‐nm‐excited hyper‐Raman spectroscopy of globular protein and aromatic amino acids
Authors: Wen Chun‐I , Hiramatsu Hirotsugu 
Published: November 2019

AbstractHyper‐Raman (HR) spectroscopy reveals unique information about molecular structures, because of its different selection rule, compared with that of the infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy. The application of HR spectroscopy on biomolecules' research has been expected for a long time. Herein, we report the HR spectra of the amino acids tryptophan (Trp), tyrosine (Tyr), histidine, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in aqueous solution, obtained at an excitation wavelength of 532 nm. The HR bands of BSA were mostly assigned to those of the aromatic amino acids. The predominance of the aromatic amino acids was explained by considering the resonance effect of the excitation beam to the electronic absorption around 266 nm, the double frequency of 532 nm (e.g. La of Trp, Lb of Tyr). Besides the Raman bands observed in the 266‐nm‐excited ultraviolet resonance Raman spectrum, some of the IR‐active bands of Tyr were also detected. Hence, the HR spectroscopy serves as a new tool toward the investigation of proteins as well as of biomolecules and more complicated biological structures with the 532‐nm excitation.
Noncontrast Magnetic Resonance Angiography Clinical Application in Pre–Liver Transplant Recipients With Impaired Renal Function
Authors: Huang Po‐Hsun , Liao Chien‐Chang , Chen Meng‐Hsiang , Huang Tung‐Liang , Chen Chao‐Long , Ou Hsin‐You , Cheng Yu‐Fan 
Published: November 2019

Image evaluation of the vascular architecture is essential before living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). However, the use of contrast‐enhanced study in recipients with impaired renal function is limited due to the risk of acute kidney injury and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. Therefore, a contrast medium–free method is both valuable and necessary for preoperative vascular evaluation. Recent literature reported inflow‐sensitive inversion recovery (IFIR) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) without the use of a contrast medium to be a reproducible and noninvasive tool to assess hepatic vasculature with adequate‐to‐good image quality. The purpose of this study is to clinically apply IFIR MRA preoperatively in LDLT recipients. We retrospectively reviewed 31 LDLT recipients with renal function impairment from March 2013 to August 2018 who received IFIR MRA as a pretransplant vascular architecture evaluation and who underwent a subsequent LDLT. The image findings were assessed for subjective image quality and were compared with intraoperative findings. Our results showed that the pretransplant vascular anatomy was well correlated with intraoperative findings in all recipients. Successful ratings with image quality scores ≥2 for proper hepatic arteries (PHAs), portal veins, and inferior vena cavas (IVCs) were 100.0%, 96.8%, and 93.5%, respectively. Readable ratings with imaging quality score ≥1 for left and right hepatic arteries and gastroepiploic arteries were 83.9%, 96.7%, and 22.6%, respectively. We also found that recipients with higher Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease scores (>23) had lower image quality scores for PHAs (P = 0.003) and IVCs (P = 0.046). However, images were still satisfactory for pre–liver transplantation (LT) vascular evaluation. In conclusion, in pre‐LT recipients with impaired renal function, IFIR MRA is a feasible and reproducible image modality.
Novel genetic variants in HDAC2 and PPARGC1A of the CREB‐binding protein pathway predict survival of non‐small‐cell lung cancer
Authors: Tang Dongfang , Zhao Yu Chen , Qian Danwen , Liu Hongliang , Luo Sheng , Patz Edward F. , Moorman Patricia G. , Su Li , Shen Sipeng , Christiani David C. , Glass Carolyn , Gao Wen , Wei Qingyi 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe CREB‐binding protein (CBP) pathway plays an important role in transcription and activity of acetyltransferase that acetylates lysine residues of histones and nonhistone proteins. In the present study, we hypothesized that genetic variants in the CBP pathway genes played a role in survival of non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We tested this hypothesis using the genotyping data from the genome‐wide association study (GWAS) dataset from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. In the single‐locus analysis, we evaluated associations between 13 176 (1107 genotyped and 12 069 imputed) single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 72 genes and survival of 1185 patients with NSCLC. The identified 106 significant SNPs in the discovery were further validated in additional genotyping data from another GWAS dataset of 984 patients with NSCLC in the Harvard Lung Cancer Susceptibility Study. The combined results of two datasets showed that two independent, potentially functional SNPs (i.e., HDAC2 rs13213007G>A and PPARGC1A rs60571065T>A) were significantly associated with NSCLC overall survival, with a combined hazards ratio (HR) of 1.26 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.09‐1.45; P = .002) and 1.23 (1.04‐1.47; P = .017), respectively. Furthermore, we performed an expression quantitative trait loci analysis and found that the survival‐associated HDAC2 rs13213007A allele (GA+AA), but not PPARGC1A rs60571065A allele (TA+AA), was significantly associated with increased messenger RNA expression levels of HDAC2 in 373 lymphoblastoid cell lines. These results indicate that the HDAC2 rs13213007A allele is a potential predictor of NSCLC survival, likely by altering the HDAC2 expression.
FSIP1 is correlated with estrogen receptor status and poor prognosis
Authors: Li Xuelu , Song Xiaoqing , Ma Jing , Zhao Yu , Jiang Qinyan , Zhao Zuowei , Li Man 
Published: November 2019

AbstractFibrous sheath interacting protein 1 (FSIP1) is frequently activated in a variety of tumors including breast cancer. However, the clinical significance of FSIP1 in hormone receptor (HR)‐positive breast cancer is unclear. We analyzed the expression and clinical significance of FSIP1 in human breast cancer databases. A comprehensive analysis of 1094 gene expression profiles of breast cancer in The Cancer Genome Atlas revealed that FSIP1 overexpression correlated with decreased overall survival in HR‐positive breast cancer patients. We also showed that knockdown of FSIP1 in T47D and BT474 cell lines resulted in decreased cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Furthermore, we retrospectively examined the expression and prognostic value of FSIP1 in 129 breast cancer patients to examine the expression of FSIP1 by the immunohistochemical method and got the similar results that high expression of FSIP1 predicts poor prognosis. Therefore, FSIP1 has a crucial role in HR‐positive breast cancer and represents an attractive therapeutic target for HR‐positive breast cancer.
Spinal neurofibromatosis with NF1 mutation in a classic neurofibromatosis type 1 family: A case report and literature review
Authors: Ning Zeqian , Yang Zhiqian , Chen Gaofei , Wu Wenjiao , He Longshuang , Sun Yesheng , Cai Dongpeng , Zhang Wei 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBackgroundSpinal neurofibromatosis (SNF) is a related form of Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) with a low incidence. Here, we report a SNF patient with NF1 (OMIM *613113) mutation in a classic NF1 family to enrich the case data.MethodsWe presented the clinical data of a 27‐year‐old female suffered from SNF. Two NF1 individuals (the mother and the brother) in the patient's family were also described. In the SNF patient, tumors in cervical were removed by surgical operation after the spinal MRI evaluation. Hematoxylin‐eosin staining and immunohistochemistry were performed to better characterize the excised tumors. NF1 exons of the patient and her NF1 families were further sequenced by the next‐generation sequencing technology.ResultsThe patient developed irregular café‐au‐lait macules, multi‐subcutaneous nodules, recurrent numbness, and weakness of both lower extremities. Multiple neurofibromas were found in the whole spine by spinal MRI. Tumor‐like cells and hyperplasia of ganglion cells were found in the excised tissue by H&E staining and immunohistochemistry, respectively. One‐year follow‐up on the SNF patient showed that after the surgery lower limb pain, numbness and convulsion were completely relieved. A common germ‐line pathogenic mutation (NM_000267.3:c.1721 + 3A>G) was found in both the SNF patient and her classic NF1 families.ConclusionA case of SNF with classic NF1 mutation in a classic NF1 family was identified for the first time, indicating that SNF may share the same gene mutation with NF1, while the different manifestation of NF1 and SNF may be related to gene modification.
Preoperative vascular mapping for anterolateral thigh flap surgeries: A clinical trial of photoacoustic tomography imaging
Authors: Tsuge Itaru , Saito Susumu , Yamamoto Goshiro , Sekiguchi Hiroyuki , Yoshikawa Aya , Matsumoto Yoshiaki , Suzuki Shigehiko , Toi Masakazu 
Published: November 2019

BackgroundPhotoacoustic tomography (PAT) is a noninvasive vascular imaging modality that uses near‐infrared pulse laser beams and ultrasound (US) to visualize vessels. We previously demonstrated the utility of PAT for visualizing anterolateral thigh (ALT) perforators in a clinical study of 10 thighs in 5 healthy adults. Evaluation of the correlation between PAT and US findings showed that PAT had comparable diagnostic potential but was superior in visualizing subcutaneous microvessels; however, there was no comparison with intraoperative findings. In this study, we used a newly developed technique to transfer a PAT image to a body‐attachable transparent sheet to compare PAT and intraoperative findings.MethodsEight patients were recruited in this prospective study. Patient age ranged from 32 to 79 years (average 60). Seven ALT flaps were applied in head and neck reconstruction. One flap was elevated in chest wall reconstruction. Each PAT scan of an 18 cm × 13.5 cm region took approximately 5 min. Acquired data were processed three‐dimensionally using a novel imaging software program. Perforator vessel data from PAT imaging were traced and corrected for projection onto medical film sheets. The correlation between the perforator stem portions predicted by PAT and the intraoperative findings at the level of the fascia‐penetrating points was evaluated, and distal branching patterns were analyzed.ResultsPAT imaging showed 16 perforators in 8 thighs. Intraoperative surgical findings revealed that all the perforator penetrating points at the deep fascia level matched the PAT findings within 10 mm. None of the eight ALT flaps demonstrated postoperative complications. The perforator complexes were classified as type I in three cases (19%), type II in eight cases (50%), and type III in five cases (31%).ConclusionsPAT imaging matched the intraoperative findings within 10 mm. Preoperative vascular evaluation allows for the creation of a vascular map for facilitating ALT flap surgeries.
Local aromaticity in polyacenes manifested by individual proton and carbon shieldings: DFT mapping of aromaticity
Authors: Gajda Magdalena , Gajda Łukasz , Kupka Teobald , Kar Tapas 
Published: November 2019

AbstractExponential dependencies between locally calculated geometric and magnetic indexes of aromaticity, harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA) and nucleus independent chemical shifts (NICS)(0), NICS(1) and NICS(1)zz, and the number of conjugated benzene rings in linear acenes, from benzene to decacene were observed at B3LYP/6‐311+G** level of theory. Correlations between HOMA and NICS indexes showed exponential dependencies and were fitted with simple three‐parameter function. Similar correlations between both indexes of aromaticity and proton and carbon nuclear isotropic shieldings of individual acene rings were observed. Contrary to proton data, the predicted 13C nuclear isotropic shieldings of carbon atoms belonging to inner rings in polyacenes were less shielded, indicating lower aromaticity and therefore, higher reactivity.
Palaeodiet reconstruction inferred by stable isotopes analysis of faunal and human remains at Bronze Age Punta di Zambrone (Calabria, Italy)
Authors: Rumolo Annalisa , Forstenpointner Gerhard , Rumolo Paola , Jung Reinhard 
Published: November 2019

AbstractRecent research has shown that the Bronze Age is a crucial period of dietary changes in Italy. Following this line of enquiry, the paper reports the results of stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of faunal bone collagen as well as of collagen extracted from a few human bones dated to the Recent Bronze Age (13th/12th century BCE) and excavated at the coastal settlement of Punta di Zambrone (PdZ) in Calabria, southern Italy. They constitute the first such data on that period from the Italian south and can be used to determine an isotopic baseline of human food sources providing new insights on the diet of humans inhabiting Calabria.Overall, isotopic data of the faunal samples are fairly uniform, and there is no significant discrepancy to be observed between exclusively herbivorous animals (sheep/goats, bovine, and red deer) and those having a mixed diet, such as dogs and pigs. All the animals have similar δ15N values with only slightly higher values for dog (6.5‰ ± 1.1), and the average of δ15N for both domestic and wild animals fits well with published results for herbivorous mammals. Enriched δ13C values (range between −19.3‰ and −14.9‰) in most of the faunal samples suggest a terrestrial diet dominated by a mixing of C3 and C4 plants (e.g.. millet). The human diet also reflects an impact of C4 plants in accordance with the archaeobotanic remains. In an interregional comparison, PdZ stands out in this respect among the sites of the Italian south. Human remains from northern Italian sites suggest a much stronger intake of C4 plants than at PdZ.
Output feedback preview tracking control for time‐varying polytopic descriptor systems
Authors: Li Li , Dong Yan , Li Qian 
Published: November 2019

SummaryThis paper focuses on the problem of static output feedback preview tracking control for discrete‐time descriptor systems with time‐varying parameters subject to a previewable reference signal. First, an augmented error system including the information of the future reference signal is constructed based on the error system approach. Second, a preview control policy is constructed by integrating output feedback, preview action, and integral operation. Relying on the augmentation modeling technique, a linear preview control design problem is transformed into an equivalent augmented output‐feedback control design problem. New design conditions guaranteeing the existence of a stabilizing controller are recast as an LMI‐based feasibility problem. The proposed preview controller design method requires neither special constraints on the state‐space system matrices nor a high‐dimensional augmented error system. Finally, a numerical example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Load Optimisation for Air Bending in the Context of Damage Reduction
Authors: Guhr Fabian , Barthold Franz-Joseph , Meya Rickmer , Tekkaya A. Erman 
Published: November 2019

AbstractLoad optimisation applied to air bending is used to optimise the damage state in the formed component. In [1], elastomer bending is presented, where superposed stresses due to the reaction forces of the elastomer cushion lead to reduced damage growth. Replacing the elastomer cushion with compressive loads allows for optimisation of these loads such that the damage, estimated with the stress triaxiality, is reduced. The optimisation is accomplished with the commercial FEM‐Software Abaqus as the solver for the mechanical problem where Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) is used within Matlab to generate improved loads.
Coulomb dry friction contact in a non‐material shell finite element model for axially moving endless steel belts
Authors: Scheidl Jakob , Vetyukov Yury 
Published: November 2019

AbstractHaving developed a mixed, quasistatic Eulerian–Lagrangian shell finite element model for the simulation of axially moving, endless steel belts, we focus on how to efficiently treat the Coulomb contact between belt and drums. The proposed method relies on the penalty regularization for normal contact and on an augmented Lagrangian strategy for tangential contact. The presented results demonstrate the robustness of the applied scheme.
Coupled phase‐field modeling of domain and fracture evolution in anisotropic ferroelectric ceramics
Authors: Keip Marc-André , Sridhar Ashish 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe contribution presents a material model for the simulation of domain and fracture evolution in ferroelectric ceramics. Ferroelectric domains and cracks are modeled by using a phase field. While for the modeling of the ferroelectric domains we consider the vectorial electric polarization as order parameter, the modeling of cracks is based on a scalar damage variable. In the present contribution, we discuss the evolution of domains and cracks in an anisotropic ferroelectric solid.