bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Privacy-preserving construction of generalized linear mixed model for biomedical computation
Authors: Zhu Rui , Jiang Chao , Wang Xiaofeng , Wang Shuang , Zheng Hao , Tang Haixu 
Published: May 2020

AbstractMotivationThe generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) is an extension of the generalized linear model (GLM) in which the linear predictor takes random effects into account. Given its power of precisely modeling the mixed effects from multiple sources of random variations, the method has been widely used in biomedical computation, for instance in the genome-wide association studies (GWASs) that aim to detect genetic variance significantly associated with phenotypes such as human diseases. Collaborative GWAS on large cohorts of patients across multiple institutions is often impeded by the privacy concerns of sharing personal genomic and other health data. To address such concerns, we present in this paper a privacy-preserving Expectation–Maximization (EM) algorithm to build GLMM collaboratively when input data are distributed to multiple participating parties and cannot be transferred to a central server. We assume that the data are horizontally partitioned among participating parties: i.e. each party holds a subset of records (including observational values of fixed effect variables and their corresponding outcome), and for all records, the outcome is regulated by the same set of known fixed effects and random effects.ResultsOur collaborative EM algorithm is mathematically equivalent to the original EM algorithm commonly used in GLMM construction. The algorithm also runs efficiently when tested on simulated and real human genomic data, and thus can be practically used for privacy-preserving GLMM construction. We implemented the algorithm for collaborative GLMM (cGLMM) construction in R. The data communication was implemented using the rsocket package.Availability and implementationThe software is released in open source at https://github.com/huthvincent/cGLMM.Supplementary informationSupplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Floral development and anatomy of two species ofAechmea(Bromeliaceae, Bromelioideae)
Authors: Santa-Rosa Sandra , Versieux Leonardo M , Rossi Monica Lanzoni , Martinelli Adriana Pinheiro 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAechmea (Bromeliaceae) is a large genus with controversial systematics and distinct flower shapes and pollinators. We explored floral anatomy and development in two Aechmea spp. belonging to different subgenera to contribute useful information on reproductive biology and taxonomy. We examined floral buds using scanning electron and light microscopy to characterize the development of septal nectaries, petal appendages, ovules, stamens and carpels. In A. gamosepala, we confirmed that the petal appendages develop late, whereas in A. correia-araujoi they develop earlier during floral development. Petal appendage formation included positional changes, possibly affecting floral attributes and visitation by insects, rather than vertebrates. Nectar is released through three basal orifices distally on the ovary, and here we document the link between the nectary region, through discrete canals, upward to the conduplicate lobes of the wet stigma. Improved understanding of the floral development and morphology of Aechmea may help to explain the existence of polymorphic flowers in this genus and may have implications for studies on interactions with pollinators and systematics.
Sex-dependent autosomal effects on clinical progression of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Fan Chun Chieh , Banks Sarah J , Thompson Wesley K , Chen Chi-Hua , McEvoy Linda K , Tan Chin Hong , Kukull Walter , Bennett David A , Farrer Lindsay A , Mayeux Richard , Schellenberg Gerard D , Andreassen Ole A , Desikan Rahul , Dale Anders M 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Sex differences in the manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease are under intense investigation. Despite the emerging importance of polygenic predictions for Alzheimer’s disease, sex-dependent polygenic effects have not been demonstrated. Here, using a sex crossover analysis, we show that sex-dependent autosomal genetic effects on Alzheimer’s disease can be revealed by characterizing disease progress via the hazard function. We first performed sex-stratified genome-wide associations, and then applied derived sex-dependent weights to two independent cohorts. Relative to sex-mismatched scores, sex-matched polygenic hazard scores showed significantly stronger associations with age-at-disease-onset, clinical progression, amyloid deposition, neurofibrillary tangles, and composite neuropathological scores, independent of apolipoprotein E. Models without using hazard weights, i.e. polygenic risk scores, showed lower predictive power than polygenic hazard scores with no evidence for sex differences. Our results indicate that revealing sex-dependent genetic architecture requires the consideration of temporal processes of Alzheimer’s disease. This has strong implications not only for the genetic underpinning of Alzheimer’s disease but also for how we estimate sex-dependent polygenic effects for clinical use.
Persistence of Clinically Significant Portal Hypertension After Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus in Patients With Advanced Cirrhosis
Authors: Díez Cristina , Berenguer Juan , Ibañez-Samaniego Luis , Llop Elba , Pérez-Latorre Leire , Catalina María V , Hontañón Víctor , Jiménez-Sousa María A , Aldámiz-Echevarría Teresa , Martínez Javier , Calleja José Luis , Albillos Agustín , Bellón José M , Resino Salvador , González-García Juan , Bañares Rafael 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
This prospective study of 34 patients with HCV cirrhosis (17 HIV positive) with baseline clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH; HVPG ≥10 mmHg) and SVR after DAA therapy showed that disappearance of CSPH (primary endpoint) is a rare event (6/18 patients; 18%), indicating a persistent risk of clinical progression or death.
Towards Rivalry or Concert? A China–US Financial Competition Triumvirate
Authors: Zhang Falin 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Given the pivotal role of finance in interstate relations as a prominent source of international power, China–US financial competition, or even confrontation, could be more intense and devastating than trade conflict. It hence merits greater policy and academic attention and communication between the two states. This article takes stock of a triumvirate of Chinese views regarding China’s financial rise and potential China–US financial competition that has empirical and epistemological dimensions. Empirically, it signifies three major issue areas: Renminbi (RMB) strategies and dollar hegemony; the China–US financial imbalance and debt relations; and US dominance of global financial governance and ‘Zhongguo Fangan’—Chinese Solutions. RMB strategies to break dollar hegemony include a further three areas: International Monetary System reform; RMB internationalisation; and financial opening-up. Epistemologically, the empirical analyses present a triumvirate of embedded and interweaved angles: normative and universal; technical and micro level; and power and nationalist. Based on a triumvirate of perspectives, it argues that China’s financial rise is variously limited in relevant fields, and that China–US financial competition also varies according to different issue areas associated with different financial powers, and thus calls for a reductionist, field-specific, and pluralistic approach to managing China–US financial competition.
EmailDetective: An Email Authorship Identification And Verification Model
Authors: Fang Yong , Yang Yue , Huang Cheng 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Emails are often used to illegal cybercrime today, so it is important to verify the identity of the email author. This paper proposes a general model for solving the problem of anonymous email author attribution, which can be used in email authorship identification and email authorship verification. The first situation is to find the author of an anonymous email among the many suspected targets. Another situation is to verify if an email was written by the sender. This paper extracts features from the email header and email body and analyzes the writing style and other behaviors of email authors. The behaviors of email authors are extracted through a statistical algorithm from email headers. Moreover, the author’s writing style in the email body is extracted by a sequence-to-sequence bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) algorithm. This model combines multiple factors to solve the problem of anonymous email author attribution. The experiments proved that the accuracy and other indicators of proposed model are better than other methods. In email authorship verification experiment, our average accuracy, average recall and average F1-score reached 89.9%. In email authorship identification experiment, our model’s accuracy rate is 98.9% for 10 authors, 92.9% for 25 authors and 89.5% for 50 authors.
The prognostic value of soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 and galectin-3 for sinus rhythm maintenance after cardioversion due to persistent atrial fibrillation in patients with normal left ventricular systolic function
Authors: Wałek Paweł , Gorczyca Iwona , Grabowska Urszula , Spałek Michał , Wożakowska-Kapłon Beata 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Aims
Soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2 (sST2) and galectin-3 are involved in cardiac fibrosis, inflammation, and remodelling. However, the place of sST2 and galectin-3 in predicting the outcomes of electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) is uncertain. We evaluated whether these biomarkers could predict sinus rhythm (SR) maintenance after cardioversion of persistent AF in patients with normal left ventricular systolic function.

Methods and results
The study included 80 patients with persistent AF, who underwent cardioversion from February 2016 to August 2018. The blood concentrations of sST-2 and galectin-3 were measured with ELISA and the ASPECT-PLUS assays. Clinical and electrocardiographic follow-up was performed at months 1, 6, and 12. Patients who maintained SR at 12 months had significantly lower concentrations of sST2, measured by ELISA and ASPECT-PLUS assays, than the remaining patients (16.9 ± 9.8 vs. 28 ± 22.9 ng/mL; P &lt; 0.001; 28.7 ± 13.4 vs. 40 ± 25.1 ng/mL; P = 0.003); the concentration of galectin-3 did not differ between these patients. Multivariable logistic regression showed that log-transformed sST2 ELISA was a significant predictor of SR maintenance at 12 months [odds ratio 0.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.03–0.58; P = 0.006]. On receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the areas under the curve for the concentration of sST2 was 0.752 (95% CI 0.634–0.870; P &lt; 0.001). The concentrations of sST2 measured with the two assays were strongly correlated (rho = 0.8; CI 95% 0.7–0.87; P = 0.001).

Conclusion
Soluble suppression of tumourigenicity 2, but not galectin-3, can be used to predict SR maintenance after cardioversion of AF in patients with normal left ventricular systolic function. The measurements of sST2 concentrations with the rapid lateral flow and enzyme-linked immunoassays were consistent.
A comparison of self-reported to cotinine-detected smoking status among adults in Georgia
Authors: Williams Julianne , Rakovac Ivo , Loyola Enrique , Sturua Lela , Maglakelidze Nino , Gamkrelidze Amiran , Mauer-Stender Kristina , Mikkelsen Bente , Breda João 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Background
Self-reported measures of tobacco use may have limited validity, particularly among some populations. This study aims to validate self-reported smoking measures among Georgian adults participating in the 2016 STEPS survey using cotinine biomarker measurements, and to explore potential differences according to sociodemographic characteristics. Additionally, this paper examines how the estimated prevalence of smoking in the population varies according to measurement type.

Methods
Using the WHO standardized STEPS methodology, adults self-reported their smoking status. In a later stage of the survey, a subset of participants provided a urine sample, which was tested for cotinine. Using each participant’s objective cotinine measurement and their self-reported smoking status, we calculated the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of self-reported smoking. Next, we calculated the estimated prevalence of smokers according to the type of measurement.

Results
Results indicated high sensitivity (83.37%, 95% CI: 76.79–88.37%) among males and relatively low sensitivity (38.60% CI: 29.23–48.90%) among females. According to self-report, the prevalence of smokers was 26.44% (23.61–29.48%), while according to cotinine detection, the prevalence of smokers was 32.27% (29.16–35.55%). Among all subgroups, the self-reported prevalence of smoking was significantly lower than the cotinine-detected prevalence.

Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the validity of the STEPS self-reported tobacco indicator has been tested. Self-reported measures of smoking status may lead to an under-estimation of smoking prevalence among Georgian adults, especially women. These findings suggest that integration of biochemical measures of smoking into tobacco use studies may be an important investment.
The extent of continental material in oceans: C-Blocks and the Laxmi Basin example
Authors: Geoffroy L , Guan H , Gernigon L , Foulger G R , Werner P 
Published: May 2020

SUMMARYWe propose a tectonic interpretation for the outer-SDRs (SDRs: Seaward-Dipping Reflectors) and Pannikar central ridge in the aborted Laxmi Basin west of India from wide-angle seismic reflection data. The outer-SDRs comprise syn-tectonic extrusives (lavas and/or volcaniclastics) emplaced above passively exhumed mid-to-lower mafic crust of continental origin. They erupted following sudden lithosphere weakening associated with isolation of a continental block (a ‘C-Block’). Continuous magmatic addition during crustal extension allowed stretching of the lower crust whilst maintaining constant or even increasing thickness. A similar process occurred at both conjugate margins allowing bulk, pure-shear plate separation and formation of linear magnetic anomalies. The Laxmi example can explain enigmatic features observed in mature oceans such as presence of distal buoyant plateaus of thick continental crust away from the margins.
Coding in medically assisted reproduction: the status of the implementation of the Single European Code for reproductive cells and tissues†
Authors:   The ESHRE Special Interest Group Safety and Quality in ART, Alteri Alessandra, , Vermeulen Nathalie , Rugescu Ioana Adina , Nogueira Daniela , Veleva Zdravka , D’Angelo Arianna , Tilleman Kelly 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

STUDY QUESTION
To evaluate the implementation of the coding systems in medically assisted reproduction (MAR) centres in the European Union (EU).

SUMMARY ANSWER
Our data show that a significant number of MAR centres use the Single European Code (SEC), but it also shows certain limitations to the coding.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
Traceability and identification of tissue and cells used for clinical application are extremely important as it is one of the key aspects of quality and safety both for the donors and the recipients. Patients as well as tissues and cells move across the European continent and far beyond, hence a uniform coding system was very much needed. The coding of tissues and cells from human origin was already embedded in the EU directives 2004/23/EC. The use of the Single European Code (SEC) on tissues and cells was enforced in 2017 for tissues and cells distributed within the EU or exported from the EU. The SEC ensures standardization within the EU, allowing the integration of the two existing codes (ISBT-128 and Eurocode) within the SEC structure. Likewise, in the MAR field, the SEC was launched in order to ensure the traceability of reproductive tissues and cells. Gametes and embryos from partner donation as well as reproductive cells and tissues of allogeneic donation were excluded from the SEC as long as they remain in the centre of origin.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
A cross-sectional survey aimed to gain insight into the use of SEC by MAR centres was conducted between 5 November and 15 December 2018.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
The online survey was distributed among the ESHRE members.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
The survey results highlight the strengths and weaknesses in the practical use of the SEC. The data from the survey showed that the SEC code is something that is known in the MAR field. Our data showed that over half of the respondents were using the SEC in their centre. On the other hand, there is also criticism about the use of SEC in MAR, especially that the added value for traceability and identification in ART is found to be rather limited.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
The survey response rate was rather low (4.84%). The view of the use of SEC discussed in this paper still provides insight into the use of the SEC in several MAR centres.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
The survey highlights some knowledge gaps concerning coding. This information can be used to develop tools to increase knowledge of the SEC.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
There was no external funding for this study. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
N/A.
Data protection and law enforcement access to digital evidence: resolving the reciprocal conflicts between EU and US law
Authors: Shurson Jessica 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
The rise in cloud computing has highlighted two separate, and often conflicting, needs for states—the need to protect the data of their citizens and the need of law enforcement authorities (LEAs) to access this data as evidence, often stored by service providers across borders. Both the US and European Union (EU) Member States have asserted that their domestic legal processes are adequate to require disclosure of data that may be held overseas or controlled by a foreign service provider. Yet, both the US and the EU have data protection statutes that will potentially block the transfer of data to foreign LEAs pursuant to these domestic legal processes. This article explores these reciprocal conflicts, considers how they may be resolved, and raises new questions about potential conflicts for UK LEAs in light of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU in 2020.
Leadership Selection in United Nations Peacekeeping
Authors: Oksamytna Kseniya , Bove Vincenzo , Lundgren Magnus 
Published: May 2020

AbstractStates covet leadership and staff positions in international organizations. The posts of civilian leaders and force commanders of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations are attractive to member states. In selecting peacekeeping leaders, the UN Secretariat balances three considerations: satisfying powerful member states by appointing their nationals; recognizing member states’ contribution to the work of the organization; and ensuring that leaders have the necessary skill set. We investigate appointments of more than 200 civilian and military leaders in 24 UN missions, 1990–2017. We find that contributing troops to a specific mission increases the chances of securing a peacekeeping leadership position. Geographic proximity between the leaders’ country and the conflict country is also a favorable factor whose importance has increased over time. Civilian leaders of UN peacekeeping operations tend to hail from institutionally powerful countries, while military commanders come from major, long-standing troop contributing countries. Despite some role that skills play in the appointment process, the UN's dependence on troop contributors, together with its reliance on institutionally powerful states, can be a source of dysfunction if it prevents the organization from selecting effective peacekeeping leaders. This dynamic affects other international organizations that have significant power disparities among members or rely on voluntary contributions.
A fresh look at the biodiversity lexicon for fiddler crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Ocypodidae). Part 2: Biogeography
Authors: Rosenberg Michael S 
Published: May 2020

AbstractFiddler crabs (Ocypodidae Rafinesque, 1815) occupy most tropical and semitropical coastlines worldwide where they are keystone species and ecosystem engineers. I present updated ranges for all 105 species and explore both global and local patterns to establish a baseline distribution as species ranges begin to shift with climate change. Globally, the average number of species per occupied coastline is five, with only limited allopatry observed within the group. Cohesive species assemblages were used to define four zoogeographic fiddler realms containing 24 provinces and transitional zones. These regions can serve as units of study when trying to explore which factors influence the distribution of coastal species.
Silencing of Cytochrome P450 in Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) by RNA Interference Enhances Susceptibility to Chlorantraniliprole
Authors: Bai-Zhong Zhang , Xu Su , Cong-Ai Zhen , Liu-Yang Lu , Ya-She Li , Xing Ge , Dong-Mei Chen , Zhang Pei , MIng-Wang Shi , Xi-Ling Chen 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), has caused significant losses for crop production in China. The fall armyworm is mainly controlled by the chemical insecticides, whereas the frequent application of insecticides would result in the resistance development. Insect cytochrome P450 monooxygenases play an essential part in the detoxification of insecticides. In this study, five P450 genes were selected to determine the role in response to insecticides by RNA interference (RNAi). Developmental expression pattern analysis revealed that S. frugiperda CYP321A8, CYP321A9, and CYP321B1 were highest in second-instar larvae among developmental stages, with 2.04-, 3.39-, and 8.58-fold compared with eggs, whereas CYP337B5 and CYP6AE44 were highest in adult stage, with 16.3- and 10.6-fold in comparison of eggs, respectively. Tissue-specific expression pattern analysis exhibited that CYP321A8, CYP321B1, and CYP6AE44 were highest in the midguts, with 3.56-, 3.33-, and 3.04-fold compared with heads, whereas CYP321A9 and CYP337B5 were highest in wings, with 3.07- and 3.36-fold compared with heads, respectively. RNAi was also conducted to explore detoxification effects of the five P450 genes on chlorantraniliprole. The second-instar larvae became more sensitive to chlorantraniliprole with a higher mortality rate than the control, after silencing CYP321A8, CYP321A9, and CYP321B1, respectively. These findings strongly supported our viewpoint that CYP321A8, CYP321A9, and CYP321B1 may play a critical role in insecticide detoxification. It will provide a basis for further study on regulation of P450 genes and the management of S. frugiperda.