bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of gender on the clinical outcomes of Asian non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients: insights from the prospective multicentre COOL-AF registry
Authors: Krittayaphong Rungroj , Phrommintikul Arintaya , Winijkul Arjbordin , Methavigul Komsing , Komoltri Chulalak , Kaewkumdee Pontawee , Yindeengam Ahthit 
Published: May 2021

ObjectiveTo determine the effect of gender on clinical outcomes of Asian non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients.DesignThis is a cohort study.Setting27 university and regional hospitals in Thailand.ParticipantsPatients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.Primary and secondary outcomes measuresThe clinical outcomes were ischaemic stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA), major bleeding, intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), heart failure and death. Follow-up data were recorded every 6 months until 3 years. Differences in clinical outcomes between males and females were determined. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess the effect of gender on clinical outcomes. Survival analysis and log-rank test were performed to determine the time-dependent effect of clinical outcomes, and the difference between males and females. Effect of oral anticoagulant (OAC) on outcomes and net clinical benefit of OAC was assessed. The analysis was performed both for the whole dataset and propensity score matching with multiple imputation.ResultsA total of 3402 patients (mean age: 67.4±11.3 years; 58.2% male) were included. Average follow-up duration 25.7±10.6 months (7192.6 persons-year). Rate of ischaemic stroke/TIA, major bleeding, ICH, heart failure and death were 1.43 (1.17–1.74), 2.11 (1.79–2.48), 0.70 (0.52–0.92), 3.03 (2.64–3.46) and 3.77 (3.33–4.25) per 100 person-years. Females had increased risk for ischaemic stroke/TIA and heart failure and males had increased risk for major bleeding and ICH. Ischaemic stroke/TIA risk in females and major bleeding and ICH risk in males remained even after correction for age, comorbid conditions and anticoagulation treatment. OAC reduced the risk of ischaemic stroke/TIA in males and females, and markedly increased the risk of major bleeding and ICH in males.ConclusionsFemales had a higher risk of ischaemic stroke/TIA and heart failure, and a lower risk of major bleeding and ICH compared with males. OAC reduced risk of ischaemic stroke/TIA in females, and markedly increased risk of major bleeding and ICH in males.
Improving rib fracture management in Morriston hospital: using QI to develop an erector spinae plane catheter service
Authors: Rees Tom , Ee Arthur 
Published: May 2021

IntroductionTrauma audit research network (TARN) data for 2018 indicated that we admitted 100 patients with chest wall injuries in our District General Hospital (DGH). Our own retrospective audit of pain team referrals confirmed long length of stay (median 14 days), with 59% requiring level 2/3 care and 11% mortality risk. We noticed that Regional anaesthesia was offered to less than 25% of patients despite 63% reporting severe pain and decided to introduce an erector spinae plane (ESP) catheter service for rib fractures. Our aims were to reduce length of stay and pain scores.MethodsWe set up an email alert system, where TARN data collectors notified us when patients were admitted through the emergency department with rib fractures. Using a secure social media app (Whatsapp), we organised a group of regional anaesthetists who were willing to provide an ESP service. Process mapping and driver diagrams helped to streamline the service.ResultsMean length of hospital stay was reduced from 10 to 7 days after introduction of the service with significant reduction in variability. Mean pain scores improved from 8.9/10 to 5/10 with an average improvement of pain score of 2.78 points on a numerical scale out of 10. (n=9)ConclusionsThis service improvement relied on a team of hospital clinicians who agreed to provide an extra pain service for patients with rib fracture. The reduction in LOS may be explained by improved respiratory physiology with ESP catheter placement. The ability to deep breathe, cough and engage in physiotherapy treatment are important factors in recovering from rib fractures. The small reduction in pain scores may be explained by the presence of other injuries. Ongoing improvements in training should improve reliability of catheter placement and reduce practitioner variation.
Feasibility randomised controlled trial comparing TRAK-ACL digital rehabilitation intervention plus treatment as usual versus treatment as usual for patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Authors: Dunphy Emma , Button Kate , Hamilton Fiona , Williams Jodie , Spasic Irena , Murray Elizabeth 
Published: May 2021

ObjectivesTo evaluate the feasibility of trialling taxonomy for the rehabilitation of knee conditions—ACL (TRAK-ACL), a digital health intervention that provides health information, personalised exercise plans and remote clinical support combined with treatment as usual (TAU), for people following ACL reconstruction.MethodsThe study design was a two-arm parallel randomised controlled trial (RCT). Eligible participants were English-speaking adults who had undergone ACL reconstruction within the last 12 weeks, had access to the internet and could provide informed consent. Recruitment took place at three sites in the UK. TRAK-ACL intervention was an interactive website informed by behaviour change technique combined with TAU. The comparator was TAU. Outcomes were: recruitment and retention; completeness of outcome measures at follow-up; fidelity of intervention delivery and engagement with the intervention. Individuals were randomised using a computer-generated random number sequence. Blinded assessors allocated groups and collected outcome measures.ResultsFifty-nine people were assessed for eligibility at two of the participating sites, and 51 were randomised; 26 were allocated to TRAK-ACL and 25 to TAU. Follow-up data were collected on 44 and 40 participants at 3 and 6 months, respectively. All outcome measures were completed fully at 6 months except the Client Service Receipt Inventory. Two patients in each arm did not receive the treatment they were randomised to. Engagement with TRAK-ACL intervention was a median of 5 logins (IQR 3–13 logins), over 18 weeks (SD 12.2 weeks).ConclusionTRAK-ACL would be suitable for evaluation of effectiveness in a fully powered RCT.
Progesterone promotes immunomodulation and tumor development in the murine mammary gland
Authors: Werner Lauryn R , Gibson Katelin A , Goodman Merit L , Helm Dominika E , Walter Katherine R , Holloran Sean M , Trinca Gloria M , Hastings Richard C , Yang Howard H , Hu Ying , Wei Junping , Lei Gangjun , Yang Xiao-Yi , Madan Rashna , Molinolo Alfredo A , Markiewicz Mary A , Chalise Prabhakar , Axelrod Margaret L , Balko Justin M , Hunter Kent W , Hartman Zachary C , Lange Carol A , Hagan Christy R 
Published: May 2021

BackgroundClinical studies have linked usage of progestins (synthetic progesterone [P4]) to breast cancer risk. However, little is understood regarding the role of native P4, signaling through the progesterone receptor (PR), in breast tumor formation. Recently, we reported a link between PR and immune signaling pathways, showing that P4/PR can repress type I interferon signaling pathways. Given these findings, we sought to investigate whether P4/PR drive immunomodulation in the mammary gland and promote tumor formation.MethodsTo determine the effect of P4 on immune cell populations in the murine mammary gland, mice were treated with P4 or placebo pellets for 21 days. Immune cell populations in the mammary gland, spleen, and inguinal lymph nodes were subsequently analyzed by flow cytometry. To assess the effect of PR overexpression on mammary gland tumor development as well as immune cell populations in the mammary gland, a transgenic mouse model was used in which PR was overexpressed throughout the entire mouse. Immune cell populations were assessed in the mammary glands, spleens, and inguinal lymph nodes of 6-month-old transgenic and control mice by flow cytometry. Transgenic mice were also monitored for mammary gland tumor development over a 2-year time span. Following development of mammary gland tumors, immune cell populations in the tumors and spleens of transgenic and control mice were analyzed by flow cytometry.ResultsWe found that mice treated with P4 exhibited changes in the mammary gland indicative of an inhibited immune response compared with placebo-treated mice. Furthermore, transgenic mice with PR overexpression demonstrated decreased numbers of immune cell populations in their mammary glands, lymph nodes, and spleens. On long-term monitoring, we determined that multiparous PR-overexpressing mice developed significantly more mammary gland tumors than control mice. Additionally, tumors from PR-overexpressing mice contained fewer infiltrating immune cells. Finally, RNA sequencing analysis of tumor samples revealed that immune-related gene signatures were lower in tumors from PR-overexpressing mice as compared with control mice.ConclusionTogether, these findings offer a novel mechanism of P4-driven mammary gland tumor development and provide rationale in investigating the usage of antiprogestin therapies to promote immune-mediated elimination of mammary gland tumors.
Tofacitinib versus tocilizumab in the treatment of biological-naïve or previous biological-failure patients with methotrexate-refractory active rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Mori Shunsuke , Urata Yukitomo , Yoshitama Tamami , Ueki Yukitaka 
Published: May 2021

ObjectivesTo compare effectiveness between tofacitinib and tocilizumab treatments for biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD)-naïve patients or previous bDMARD-failure patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) refractory to methotrexate (MTX).MethodsWe used two ongoing real-world registries of patients with RA who had first started tofacitinib or tocilizumab between August 2013 and February 2019 at our institutions. Clinical disease activity index (CDAI)-based improvements at 12 months were used for comparisons between tofacitinib and tocilizumab treatments, separately for bDMARD-naïve and previous bDMARD-failure patients.ResultsA total of 464 patients with RA with high or moderate CDAI were enrolled (247 with tofacitinib and 217 with tocilizumab). After adjustments for treatment-selection bias by propensity score matching, we showed that tofacitinib was more likely to induce and maintain ≥85% improvement in CDAI (CDAI85), CDAI70 and remission at 12 months compared with tocilizumab in bDMARD-naïve patients. After adjusting for concurrent use of MTX and prednisolone, the ORs of tofacitinib versus tocilizumab were 3.88 (95% CI 1.87 to 8.03) for CDAI85, 2.89 (95% CI 1.43 to 5.84) for CDAI70 and 3.31 (95% CI 1.69 to 6.48) for remission. These effects were not observed in bDMARD-failure patients. In tofacitinib treatment for bDMARD-failure patients, the number of previously failed bDMARD classes was not associated with CDAI-based improvements. The rate of overall adverse events was similar between both treatments. Similar ORs were obtained from patients adjusted by inverse probability of treatment weighting.ConclusionsCompared with tocilizumab, tofacitinib can induce greater improvements during the first 12-month treatment in bDMARD-naïve patients, but this difference was not observed in previous bDMARD-failure patients.
Cross-sectional assessment of determinants of STIs among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Kigali, Rwanda
Authors: Twahirwa Rwema Jean Olivier , Herbst Sara , Hamill Matthew M , Liestman Benjamin , Nyombayire Julien , Lyons Carrie E , Mugwaneza Placidie , Makuza Jean Damascène , Sullivan Patrick Sean , Allen Susan , Karita Etienne , Baral Stefan 
Published: May 2021

BackgroundSTIs among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) continue to increase. In Rwanda, STI management relies on syndromic management with limited empirical data characterising the burden of specific STIs among MSM/TGW. This study evaluated the prevalence of syphilis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and associated factors among MSM/TGW in Kigali.MethodsFrom March to August 2018, 737 MSM/TGW >18 years were enrolled using respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Structured interviews and HIV/STI screening were conducted. Syphilis was screened with rapid plasma reagin confirmed by Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay. CT/NG were tested by Cepheid GeneXpert. RDS-adjusted multivariable Poisson regression models with robust variance estimation were used to evaluate factors associated with any STI, and determinants of urethral and rectal STIs separately.ResultsPrevalence of any STI was 20% (RDS adjusted: 16.7% (95% CI: 13.2% to 20.2%)). Syphilis was 5.7% (RDS adjusted: 6.8% (95% CI: 4.3% to 9.4%)). CT was 9.1% (RDS adjusted: 6.1% (95% CI: 3.9% to 8.4%)) and NG was 8.8% (RDS adjusted: 7.1% (95% CI: 4.9% to 9.2%)). STIs were more common among older MSM and those with HIV (p<0.05). Of CT infections, 67% were urethral, 27% rectal and 6% were dual site. For NG infections, 52% were rectal, 29% urethral and 19% were dual site. Overall, 25.8% (23 of 89) of those with confirmed STI and returned for their results were symptomatic at time of testing.STI symptoms in the previous year (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR): 1.94 (95% CI: 1.26 to 2.98)) were positively associated with any STI. Being circumcised was negatively associated with any STI (aPR: 0.47 (95% CI: 0.31 to 0.73)). HIV was positively associated with rectal STIs (aPR: 3.50 (95% CI: 1.09 to 11.21)) but negatively associated with urethral STIs.ConclusionMSM/TGW, especially those living with HIV, are at high risk of STIs in Rwanda with the vast majority being asymptomatic. These data suggest the potential utility of active STI surveillance strategies using highly sensitive laboratory methods among those at high risk given the anatomical distribution and limited symptomatology of STIs observed among Rwandan MSM/TGW.
Constraint on primordial magnetic fields in the light of ARCADE 2 and EDGES observations
Authors: Natwariya Pravin Kumar 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe study the constraints on primordial magnetic fields (PMFs) in the light of the Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch of Reionization Signature (EDGES) low-band observation and Absolute Radiometer for Cosmology, Astrophysics and Diffuse Emission (ARCADE 2). ARCADE 2 observation detected extra-galactic excess radio radiation in the frequency range 3–90 GHz. The enhancement in the radio radiation is also supported by the first station of the Long Wavelength Array (LWA1) in the frequency range 40–80 MHz. The presence of early radiation excess over the cosmic microwave background can not be completely ruled out, and it may explain the EDGES anomaly. In the presence of decaying PMFs, 21 cm differential brightness temperature can modify due to the heating of the gas by decaying magnetic fields, and we can constraint the magnetic fields. For excess radiation fraction ($$A_r$$

A
r

) to be LWA1 limit, we show that the upper bound on the present-day magnetic field strength, $$B_0$$

B
0

, on the scale of 1 Mpc is $$\lesssim 3.7$$

≲
3.7

nG for spectral index $$n_B=-2.99$$

n
B

=
-
2.99

. While for $$n_B=-1$$

n
B

=
-
1

, we get $$B_0\lesssim 1.1\times 10^{-3}$$

B
0

≲
1.1
×

10

-
3

nG. We also discuss the effects of first stars on IGM gas evolution and the allowed value of $$B_0$$

B
0

. For $$A_r$$

A
r

to be LWA1 limit, we get the upper constraint on magnetic field to be $$B_0(n_B=-2.99)\lesssim 4.9\times 10^{-1}$$

B
0

(

n
B

=
-
2.99
)

≲
4.9
×

10

-
1

nG and $$B_0(n_B=-1)\lesssim 3.7\times 10^{-5}$$

B
0

(

n
B

=
-
1
)

≲
3.7
×

10

-
5

nG. By decreasing excess radiation fraction below the LWA1 limit, we get a more stringent bound on $$B_0$$

B
0

.
Probing ultrastrong light–matter coupling in open quantum systems
Authors: Ridolfo A. , Rajendran J. , Giannelli L. , Paladino E. , Falci G. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractDynamically probing systems of ultrastrongly coupled light and matter by advanced coherent control have been recently proposed as a unique tool for detecting peculiar quantum features of this regime. Coherence allows in principle on-demand conversion of virtual photons dressing the entangled eigenstates of the system to real ones, with unitary efficiency and remarkable robustness. Here, we study this effect in the presence of decoherence, showing that also in far from ideal regimes is it possible to probe such peculiar features.
Platinum group elements in lamprophyre, picrobasalt, gabbro and basalts of the Phenai Mata and nearby areas: implications for Fe–Ni–Cu–PGE mineralization in the Deccan Large Igneous Province
Authors: Kumar Jami Vijaya , Randive Kirtikumar 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Among the basaltic large igneous provinces (LIPs) world over, the Deccan Large Igneous Province (DLIP) is considered barren of metalliferous sulfide deposits, and especially platinum group minerals (PGMs). The tholeiitic basaltic magmas of the DLIP were found to lack sulfur saturation at all stages of its evolution. However, we found some incidences of Fe–Ni–platinum group element (PGE) mineralization in the cumulate gabbros of the Phenai Mata Igneous Complex (PMIC), as well as intrusive dykes of lamprophyre, picrobasalt and basalt in adjoining areas. To examine the metal potential of the gabbros, we adopted the following approach: (a) whole-rock PGE analysis of selected rocks; (b) preconcentration of the samples by communition, sieving and gravity-magnetic separation, followed by froth floatation, Ni-sulfide fire assay and geochemical analysis of the concentrates; and (c) direct scanning of samples using an electron probe microanalyser (EPMA). The geochemical proxies – namely, Pd/Ir, Cu/Ir, Ni/Pd and Ni/Cu – indicate that PMIC has distinct geochemical signatures compared to other parts of the DLIP. The results have further indicated an interesting suite of minerals comprising metal sulfides of Fe–Cu–Zn–Pb–Co–Ni. This metal-rich suite in the otherwise ‘barren’ Deccan Trap tholeiites is a result of accidental fertilization of metals into their sulfides due to the mixing of crustal sulfur.
Dirty Pixels: Towards End-to-end Image Processing and Perception
Authors: Diamond Steven , Sitzmann Vincent , Julca-Aguilar Frank , Boyd Stephen , Wetzstein Gordon , Heide Felix 
Published: May 2021

Real-world, imaging systems acquire measurements that are degraded by noise, optical aberrations, and other imperfections that make image processing for human viewing and higher-level perception tasks challenging. Conventional cameras address this problem by compartmentalizing imaging from high-level task processing. As such, conventional imaging involves processing the RAW sensor measurements in a sequential pipeline of steps, such as demosaicking, denoising, deblurring, tone-mapping, and compression. This pipeline is optimized to obtain a visually pleasing image. High-level processing, however, involves steps such as feature extraction, classification, tracking, and fusion. While this silo-ed design approach allows for efficient development, it also dictates compartmentalized performance metrics without knowledge of the higher-level task of the camera system. For example, today’s demosaicking and denoising algorithms are designed using perceptual image quality metrics but not with domain-specific tasks such as object detection in mind. We propose an end-to-end differentiable architecture that jointly performs demosaicking, denoising, deblurring, tone-mapping, and classification (see Figure 1). The architecture does not require any intermediate losses based on perceived image quality and learns processing pipelines whose outputs differ from those of existing ISPs optimized for perceptual quality, preserving fine detail at the cost of increased noise and artifacts. We show that state-of-the-art ISPs discard information that is essential in corner cases, such as extremely low-light conditions, where conventional imaging and perception stacks fail. We demonstrate on captured and simulated data that our model substantially improves perception in low light and other challenging conditions, which is imperative for real-world applications such as autonomous driving, robotics, and surveillance. Finally, we found that the proposed model also achieves state-of-the-art accuracy when optimized for image reconstruction in low-light conditions, validating the architecture itself as a potentially useful drop-in network for reconstruction and analysis tasks beyond the applications demonstrated in this work. Our proposed models, datasets, and calibration data are available at
https://github.com/princeton-computational-imaging/DirtyPixels
.
Vid2Player: Controllable Video Sprites That Behave and Appear Like Professional Tennis Players
Authors: Zhang Haotian , Sciutto Cristobal , Agrawala Maneesh , Fatahalian Kayvon 
Published: May 2021

We present a system that converts annotated broadcast video of tennis matches into interactively controllable video sprites that behave and appear like professional tennis players. Our approach is based on controllable video textures and utilizes domain knowledge of the cyclic structure of tennis rallies to place clip transitions and accept control inputs at key decision-making moments of point play. Most importantly, we use points from the video collection to model a player’s court positioning and shot selection decisions during points. We use these behavioral models to select video clips that reflect actions the real-life player is likely to take in a given match-play situation, yielding sprites that behave realistically at the macro level of full points, not just individual tennis motions. Our system can generate novel points between professional tennis players that resemble Wimbledon broadcasts, enabling new experiences, such as the creation of matchups between players that have not competed in real life or interactive control of players in the Wimbledon final. According to expert tennis players, the rallies generated using our approach are significantly more realistic in terms of player behavior than video sprite methods that only consider the quality of motion transitions during video synthesis.
The supplementary material/video are available at our https://cs.stanford.edu/~haotianz/research/vid2player/ project website.