bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Historical distribution of freshwater fishes and the reference conditions concept in a large Mediterranean basin
Authors: Ramos‐Merchante Adrián , Sáez‐Gómez Pedro , Prenda José 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

The European Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) defines the ecological status of aquatic systems as the deviation between their present biological state and that which would be expected in the absence of any major human disturbance, referred to by the WFD as the ‘reference condition’ (RC). It assumes that their biotic composition should remain balanced and constant over time. This study tested both assumptions against an analysis of the historical distribution of the fish fauna in a large and highly disturbed Mediterranean basin. If fish communities change substantially over time, it will mean that the validity of the RC concept comes into question.
Using presence/absence data for historical native fish fauna from the Guadalquivir Basin, distribution changes among sub‐basins were quantified by mapping between the nineteenth century and today.
The range of two native species (Anguilla anguilla and Salmo trutta) has changed significantly. In addition, the diadromous species assemblage has almost become locally extinct, with the exception of the eel. Finally, most Guadalquivir sub‐basins (94.7%) have suffered major changes in the composition of their fish communities, either by losing native species or by adding new non‐native species.
These results render the definition of any RC unlikely. In Mediterranean areas, the WFD objective of ‘good ecological status’ recovery based on the integrity of aquatic communities is a theoretical rather than a real goal. Nonetheless, the WFD provides an ecological guiding principle that can also be transferred to the conservation of freshwater ecosystems.
As an alternative to the RC concept in Mediterranean lotic ecosystems, specific multimetric indices can be used, based on expert criteria, the metrics of which can also relate to the conservation value of water bodies, and not only to their ecological status.
Dysfunctional Keratinocytes Increase Dermal Inflammation in Systemic Sclerosis: Results From Studies Using Tissue‐Engineered Scleroderma Epidermis
Authors: Russo Barbara , Borowczyk Julia , Boehncke Wolf‐Henning , Truchetet Marie‐Elise , Modarressi Ali , Brembilla Nicolò C. , Chizzolini Carlo 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveEvidence suggests that keratinocyte–fibroblast interactions are abnormal in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The present study was undertaken to investigate potential epidermal dysfunction in SSc and its effects on dermal homeostasis.MethodsEpidermal equivalents (EEs) were generated using keratinocytes from 6 healthy donors and 4 individuals with SSc. Skin and EE expression of markers of proliferation, differentiation, and activation was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The transcriptomic profile of SSc EEs and healthy donor EEs was identified by RNA sequencing. EE conditioned medium (CM) was used to stimulate fibroblasts, and their production of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), IL‐8, matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP‐1), type I collagen, and fibronectin was assessed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsCompared to healthy donor EEs, SSc EEs exhibited aberrant differentiation, enhanced expression of activation markers, and a lower rate of basal keratinocyte mitosis, reproducing most of the abnormalities observed in SSc epidermis. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that, compared to healthy donor EEs, SSc EEs were characterized by lower expression of homeobox gene family members and by enhanced metabolic and oxidative stress molecular pathways. EE CM enhanced fibroblast production of IL‐6, IL‐8, MMP‐1, type I collagen, and fibronectin (P < 0.05). Except for type I collagen and fibronectin, this effect was 2‐fold higher in the presence of CM generated form SSc EEs. IL‐1 was responsible, at least in part, for keratinocyte‐dependent fibroblast activation.ConclusionSSc EEs recapitulate the in vivo characteristics of SSc epidermis, demonstrating that SSc keratinocytes have an intrinsically altered differentiation program, possibly due to the dysregulation of genes from the homeobox family. The increased metabolic and oxidative stress associated with SSc epidermis may contribute to chronic inflammation and fibrosis of the dermis.
Anti–Cytosolic 5′‐Nucleotidase 1A Autoantibodies Are Absent in Juvenile Dermatomyositis
Authors: Rietveld Anke , Wienke Judith , Visser Eline , Vree Egberts Wilma , Schlumberger Wolfgang , van Engelen Baziel , van Royen‐Kerkhof Annet , Lu Hui , Wedderburn Lucy , Saris Christiaan , Tansley Sarah , Pruijn Ger ,   the Juvenile Dermatomyositis Research Group and the Dutch Myositis Consortium
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveTo assess anti–cytosolic 5′‐nucleotidase 1A (anti–cN‐1A) autoantibodies in children with juvenile dermatomyositis (DM) and healthy controls, using 3 different methods of antibody detection, as well as verification of the results in an independent cohort.MethodsAnti–cN‐1A reactivity was assessed in 34 Dutch juvenile DM patients and 20 healthy juvenile controls using the following methods: a commercially available full‐length cN‐1A enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a synthetic peptide ELISA, and immunoblotting with a lysate from cN‐1A–expressing HEK 293 cells. Sera from juvenile DM patients with active disease and those with disease in remission were analyzed. An independent British cohort of 110 juvenile DM patients and 43 healthy juvenile controls was assessed using an in‐house full‐length cN‐1A ELISA.ResultsAnti–cN‐1A reactivity was not present in sera from juvenile DM patients or healthy controls when tested with the commercially available full‐length cN‐1A ELISA or by immunoblotting, in either active disease or disease in remission. Additionally, in the British juvenile DM cohort, anti–cN‐1A reactivity was not detected. Three Dutch juvenile DM patients had weakly positive results for 1 of 3 synthetic cN‐1A peptides measured by ELISA.ConclusionJuvenile DM patients and young healthy individuals did not show anti–cN‐1A reactivity as assessed by different antibody detection techniques.
Association of Lymphangiogenic Factors With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Systemic Sclerosis
Authors: Didriksen Henriette , Molberg Øyvind , Fretheim Håvard , Gude Einar , Jordan Suzana , Brunborg Cathrine , Palchevskiy Vyacheslav , Garen Torhild , Midtvedt Øyvind , Andreassen Arne K. , Distler Oliver , Belperio John , Hoffmann‐Vold Anna‐Maria 
Published: January 2021

ObjectivePulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a major complication in systemic sclerosis (SSc), a disease marked by vascular and lymphatic vessel abnormalities. This study was undertaken to assess the role of the lymphangiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF‐C) and angiopoietin 2 (Ang‐2) and the soluble forms of their respective cognate receptors, soluble VEGF receptor 3 (sVEGFR‐3) and soluble TIE‐2, in patients with SSc, and to evaluate their predictive ability as markers for PAH development in SSc.MethodsIn this cohort study, we used multiplex bead assays to assess serum levels of lymphangiogenic factors in 2 well‐characterized SSc cohorts: an unselected identification cohort of SSc patients from Oslo University Hospital (n = 371), and a PAH‐enriched validation cohort of SSc patients from Zurich University Hospital and Oslo University Hospital (n = 149). As controls for the identification and validation cohorts, we obtained serum samples from 100 healthy individuals and 68 healthy individuals, respectively. Patients in whom SSc‐related PAH was identified by right‐sided heart catheterization (RHC) in both cohorts were studied in prediction analyses. PAH was defined according to the European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society 2015 guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of PAH. Associations of serum levels of lymphangiogenic factors with the risk of PAH development were assessed in logistic regression and Cox regression analyses. Associations in Cox regression analyses were expressed as the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI).ResultsIn the identification cohort, SSc patients had lower mean serum levels of VEGF‐C and higher mean serum levels of Ang‐2 compared to healthy controls (for VEGF‐C, mean ± SD 2.1 ± 0.5 ng/ml in patients versus 2.5 ± 0.4 ng/ml in controls; for Ang‐2, mean ± SD 6.1 ± 7.6 ng/ml in patients versus 2.8 ± 1.8 ng/ml in controls; each P < 0.001); these same trends were observed in SSc patients with PAH compared to those without PAH. The association of serum VEGF‐C levels with SSc‐PAH was confirmed in the PAH‐enriched RHC validation cohort. For prediction analyses, we assembled all 251 cases of SSc‐PAH identified by RHC from the identification and validation cohorts. In multivariable Cox regression analyses adjusted for age and sex, the mean serum levels of VEGF‐C and sVEGFR‐3 were predictive of PAH development in patients with SSc (for VEGF‐C, HR 0.53 [95% CI 0.29–0.97], P = 0.04; for sVEGFR‐3, HR 1.21 [95% CI 1.01–1.45], P = 0.042).ConclusionThese findings support the notion that lymphangiogenesis is deregulated during PAH development in SSc, and indicate that VEGF‐C could be a promising marker for early PAH detection in patients with SSc.
Univariate and multivariate mixtures of exponential distributions, with applications in risk modeling
Authors: Cossette Hélène , Marceau Etienne , Mtalai Itre , Veilleux Déry 
Published: January 2021

AbstractMixed exponential distributions are frequently used in actuarial risk modeling. Distributions obtained through mixtures allow greater flexibility in the modeling of nonlife insurance loss amounts. Several research works have studied mixed exponential distributions in univariate and multivariate settings. The present article highlights the usefulness of such distributions and lays the story of the mixing technique behind them. It also explains the underlying link between all these works. We study in detail three univariate and multivariate mixed exponential distributions defined with a discrete mixing random variable (rv). For each of these three univariate (multivariate) mixed exponential distributions and using an appropriate scaling, we identify the continuous mixing rv to which converges in distribution the discrete mixing rv and the corresponding univariate (multivariate) mixed exponential distribution. In a multivariate setting, we show that these three choices of discrete mixing distributions lead us to known Archimedean copulas constructed with continuous mixing rvs. Applications in actuarial science of these distributions are presented throughout the article highlighting their many uses and useful properties.
Catalase deficiency induces reactive oxygen species mediated pexophagy and cell death in the liver during prolonged fasting
Authors: Dutta Raghbendra Kumar , Maharjan Yunash , Lee Joon No , Park Channy , Ho Ye‐Shih , Park Raekil 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPeroxisomes are dynamic organelles that participate in a diverse array of cellular processes, including β‐oxidation, which produces a considerable amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although we showed that catalase depletion induces ROS‐mediated pexophagy in cells, the effect of catalase deficiency during conditions that favor ROS generation remains elusive in mice. In this study, we reported that prolonged fasting in catalase‐knockout (KO) mice drastically increased ROS production, which induced liver‐specific pexophagy, an autophagic degradation of peroxisomes. In addition, increased ROS generation induced the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in the liver tissues of catalase‐KO mice. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the levels of aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase as well as apparent cell death in the liver of catalase‐KO mice during prolonged fasting. However, an intra‐peritoneal injection of the antioxidant N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine (NAC) and autophagy inhibitor chloroquine inhibited the inflammatory response, liver damage, and pexophagy in the liver of catalase‐KO mice during prolonged fasting. Consistently, genetic ablation of autophagy, Atg5 led to suppression of pexophagy during catalase inhibition by 3‐aminotriazole (3AT). Moreover, treatment with chloroquine also ameliorated the inflammatory response and cell death in embryonic fibroblast cells from catalase‐KO mice. Taken together, our data suggest that ROS‐mediated liver‐specific pexophagy observed during prolonged fasting in catalase‐KO mice may be responsible for the process associated with hepatic cell death.
Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for pulmonary hypertension linked to thalassemia
Authors: Izzat Mohammad Bashar , Aljasem Hazem , Izzat Ahmad Walid 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThis report supports the feasibility of pulmonary thromboendarterectomy in thalassemic patients, and highlights the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the cause of pulmonary hypertension prior to determining the likelihood of surgical cure.
A case of cystic duct syndrome
Authors: Yamashita Mampei , Hamada Takashi , Bekki Shigemune , Miura Shiro , Kuroki Tamotsu 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn the diagnosis of gallbladder induced pain without gallstones, drip‐infusion cholangiographic computed tomography, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography are useful in differentiating cystic duct syndrome.
Electrocoagulation Technique for Cephalothin Sodium Removal with Effective Sludge Management
Authors: Sankar Ramya , Varsha Aiswarya , Sivasubramanian V. , Ranjitha J. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe electrocoagulation technique is applied for the treatment of hazardous cephalothin sodium antibiotic wastewater. The interaction effects of the various parameters on the maximization of removal efficiency and minimization of energy consumption are evaluated through multivariable optimization. The disposal of sludge is effectively performed by soil stabilization. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of soil fused with sludge shows an ordered arrangement with reduced void space. The improvement of soil properties is confirmed by the change in soil expansiveness from low to moderate region and by an increase in compressive strength.
Improving Lithium‐Ion Diffusion Kinetics in Nano‐Si@C Anode Materials with Hierarchical MoS2 Decoration for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Ye Xiongbiao , Gan Chuanhai , Huang Liuqing , Qiu Yiwei , Xu Ying , Huang Liuying , Luo Xuetao 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA carbon layer on a silicon anode not only acts as a structural buffer to alleviate the tremendous volume expansion of silicon, but also enhances electrical conductivity. However, the carbon layer cannot improve the diffusion kinetics of Li+. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets are introduced on the outermost layer of yolk‐shell silicon@carbon to design urchin‐like hierarchical anode materials, which is of great benefit in structural stability. By contrast with the yolk‐shell silicon@carbon structure, the diffusion coefficient of Li+ is improved, with 3.27 times greater performance during the delithiation processes and 2.04 times greater during the lithiation process with urchin‐like hierarchical structure, showing robust diffusion kinetics. Moreover, the MoS2 nanosheets are able to enhance the delithiation reversibility of Li15Si4 alloy formed during lithiation process. Because the MoS2 nanosheets promote the structural stability, delithiation reversibility, and diffusion kinetics of Li+ during lithiation/delithiation processes, the prepared hierarchical Si@C@MoS2 composites exhibit a high reversible specific capacity of 1025 mAh g−1 with a capacity retention of approximately 81 % after 400 cycles at a current density of 1000 mAh g−1, and the reversible specific capacity can reach 819 mAh g−1 even under a high rate of 5000 mA g−1.
Hospitalization deficit of in‐ and outpatient cases with cardiovascular diseases and utilization of cardiological interventions during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Insights from the German‐wide helios hospital network
Authors: König Sebastian , Ueberham Laura , Pellissier Vincent , Hohenstein Sven , Meier‐Hellmann Andreas , Thiele Holger , Ahmadli Vusal , Borger Michael A. , Kuhlen Ralf , Hindricks Gerhard , Bollmann Andreas ,   Helios hospitals, Germany
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackgroundTreatment numbers of various cardiovascular diseases were reduced throughout the early phase of the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic. Aim of this study was to (a) expand previous study periods to examine the long‐term course of hospital admission numbers, (b) provide data for in‐ and outpatient care pathways, and (c) illustrate changes of numbers of cardiovascular procedures.Methods and ResultsAdministrative data of patients with ICD‐10‐encoded primary diagnoses of cardiovascular diseases (heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease) and in‐ or outpatient treatment between March, 13th 2020 and September, 10th 2020 were analyzed and compared with 2019 data. Numbers of cardiovascular procedures were calculated using OPS‐codes. The cumulative hospital admission deficit (CumAD) was computed as the difference between expected and observed admissions for every week in 2020. In total, 80 hospitals contributed 294 361 patient cases to the database without relevant differences in baseline characteristics between the studied periods. There was a CumAD of −10% to −16% at the end of the study interval in 2020 for all disease groups driven to varying degrees by both reductions of in‐ and outpatient case numbers. The number of performed interventions was significantly reduced for all examined procedures (catheter ablations: −10%; cardiac electronic device implantations: −7%; percutaneous cardiovascular interventions: −9%; cardiovascular surgery: −15%).ConclusionsThis study provides data on the long‐term development of cardiovascular patient care during the COVID‐19 pandemic demonstrating a significant CumAD for several cardiovascular diseases and a concomitant performance deficit of cardiovascular interventions.
An efficient and novel data clustering and run length encoding approach to image compression
Authors: Oswald C. , Haritha E. , Akash Raja A. , Sivaselvan B. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe paper explores the domain of lossy compression, specifically incorporating data mining techniques in the process of image encoding. Clustering is employed to group similar pixels in the image and henceforth use cluster labels in compressing the image. The proposed approach replaces the Discrete Cosine Transform phase of Conventional JPEG with a combination of clustering and Run Length Encoding so as to handle redundant data in the image effectively. Simulation with respect to benchmark data indicates improved compression (42.5%) in relation to existing solutions. Image quality metrices such as PSNR, structural similarity have also been tested and it is observed that the proposed approach achieves significant compression ratio with negligible loss in visual quality.
An emotion analysis scheme based on Gray Wolf optimization and deep learning
Authors: Uçan Alaettin , Dörterler Murat , Akçapınar Sezer Ebru 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAutomatic detection of emotions in textual data masses provides priceless opportunities for researchers and also it is inevitable for practitioners. The unfavorable factors involved in text data cause ambiguity and adversely affect the performances of emotion classifiers. Although deep learning approaches spark off significantly successive results, the obtained performances of the classifiers in the literature are commonly evaluated as the overall accuracy. This incomplete evaluation ignores inner class performance and overall accuracy can behave as a hopeful evaluator. In this study, we employed deep learning and meta‐heuristic optimization methods together in order to resolve the ambiguity issue. Moreover, the decision mechanism of a conventional deep learning model is equipped with optimal emotion vectors obtained by optimization processes for each emotion class. Experimental results show that the proposed approach improves the inner class performance by maintaining the overall accuracy scores.
The contrasting short‐term effects of COVID‐19 on dental care practices in the United States
Authors: Diab Zeid , Shara Nawar , Chou Jiling , Libin Alexander , Kuhn Alexander , Farmer‐Dixon Cherae , Jackson Andrea , Hughes Bertram , Laurence Brian 
Published: January 2021

AbstractObjectivesThe study utilized a cross‐sectional survey to determine the short‐term effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on dental care practices. The authors hypothesized that the effects of the pandemic would indicate differences based on the ethnicity of the participating dentist.Materials and MethodsThe survey was available online between June 1, 2020 and July 10, 2020, a period when many dental offices remained closed, and for the most part, unable to provide non‐emergency dental care. The link to the survey was made available to dentists through outreach to several national dental organizations. Descriptive statistics summarized the characteristics of the entire sample and Fisher's exact test was used to examine respondents' answers stratified by ethnicity using frequencies and percentages.ResultsAll ethnic groups reported decreased revenue and African American dentists were the least likely to report a decrease in revenue compared to White and Other ethnic groups (84.2%, 87.2% and 92.9%). African American dentists were the most likely to report willingness to contribute to a task force to address the new challenges resulting from COVID‐19 when compared to White and Other ethnic groups (46.4%, 18.8%, and 29.6%, respectively). African American dentists were more likely to indicate a need for a stronger connection to academic programs as compared to White or Other dentists in order to address current and future challenges (12.3%, 0.0%, and 9.1%).ConclusionThe COVID‐19 pandemic has affected dental practices differently, highlighting racial disparities, and strategies that factor in the race or ethnicity of the dentist and the communities in which they practice need to be considered to ensure that underserved communities receive needed resources.
Improved Redox Reaction of Lithium Polysulfides on the Interfacial Boundary of Polar CoC2O4 as a Polysulfide Catenator for a High‐Capacity Lithium‐Sulfur Battery
Authors: Kim Jin Won , Seo Gyuwon , Bong Sungyool , Lee Jaeyoung 
Published: January 2021

AbstractInvited for this month's cover is the group of Jaeyoung Lee at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology. The cover shows how the cobalt oxalates faced on the conductive carbon can act as an electrocatalyst to facilitate the redox reaction of lithium polysulfide at the cathode interface in lithium–sulfur batteries. The facilitated electrochemical redox reaction of lithium polysulfides was proved by a series of catenation reactions formed on the interfacial boundary area. The electrochemical performance was enhanced in terms of the specific capacity and long‐term cycle performance from the facilitated electrochemical activity. The Full Paper itself is available at 10.1002/cssc.202002140.