bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The prognostic relevance of HER2-positivity gain in metastatic breast cancer in the ChangeHER trial
Authors: Pizzuti Laura , Barba Maddalena , Mazzotta Marco , Krasniqi Eriseld , Maugeri-Saccà Marcello , Gamucci Teresa , Berardi Rossana , Livi Lorenzo , Ficorella Corrado , Natoli Clara , Cortesi Enrico , Generali Daniele , La Verde Nicla , Cassano Alessandra , Bria Emilio , Moscetti Luca , Michelotti Andrea , Adamo Vincenzo , Zamagni Claudio , Tonini Giuseppe , Sergi Domenico , Marinelli Daniele , Paoletti Giancarlo , Tomao Silverio , Botticelli Andrea , Marchetti Paolo , Tinari Nicola , Grassadonia Antonino , Valerio Maria Rosaria , Mirabelli Rosanna , Fabbri Maria Agnese , D’Ostilio Nicola , Veltri Enzo , Corsi Domenico , Garrone Ornella , Paris Ida , Sarobba Giuseppina , Meattini Icro , Pistelli Mirco , Giotta Francesco , Lorusso Vito , Garufi Carlo , Russo Antonio , Cazzaniga Marina , Del Medico Pietro , Roselli Mario , Vaccaro Angela , Perracchio Letizia , di Benedetto Anna , Daralioti Theodora , Sperduti Isabella , De Maria Ruggero , Di Leo Angelo , Sanguineti Giuseppe , Ciliberto Gennaro , Vici Patrizia 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn metastatic breast cancer (mBC), the change of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status between primary and metastatic lesions is widely recognized, however clinical implications are unknown. Our study address the question if relevant differences exist between subjects who preserve the HER2 status and those who gain the HER2 positivity when relapsed. Data of patients affected by HER2-positive mBC, treated with pertuzumab and/or trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1) in a real-world setting at 45 Italian cancer centers were retrospectively collected and analyzed. From 2003 to 2017, 491 HER2‐positive mBC patients were included. Of these, 102 (20.7%) had been initially diagnosed as HER2-negative early BC. Estrogen and/or progesterone receptor were more expressed in patients with HER2-discordance compared to patients with HER2-concordant status (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.006, respectively). HER2-discordant tumors were characterized also by a lower rate of brain metastases (p = 0.01) and a longer disease free interval (p < 0.0001). Median overall survival was longer, although not statistically significant, in the subgroup of patients with HER2-discordant cancer with respect to patients with HER2-concordant status (140 vs 78 months, p = 0.07). Our findings suggest that patients with HER2-positive mBC with discordant HER2 status in early BC may have different clinical, biological and prognostic behavior compared to HER2-concordant patients.
An empirical investigation of deviations from the Beer–Lambert law in optical estimation of lactate
Authors: Mamouei M. , Budidha K. , Baishya N. , Qassem M. , Kyriacou P. A. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe linear relationship between optical absorbance and the concentration of analytes—as postulated by the Beer-Lambert law—is one of the fundamental assumptions that much of the optical spectroscopy literature is explicitly or implicitly based upon. The common use of linear regression models such as principal component regression and partial least squares exemplifies how the linearity assumption is upheld in practical applications. However, the literature also establishes that deviations from the Beer-Lambert law can be expected when (a) the light source is far from monochromatic, (b) the concentrations of analytes are very high and (c) the medium is highly scattering. The lack of a quantitative understanding of when such nonlinearities can become predominant, along with the mainstream use of nonlinear machine learning models in different fields, have given rise to the use of methods such as random forests, support vector regression, and neural networks in spectroscopic applications. This raises the question that, given the small number of samples and the high number of variables in many spectroscopic datasets, are nonlinear effects significant enough to justify the additional model complexity? In the present study, we empirically investigate this question in relation to lactate, an important biomarker. Particularly, to analyze the effects of scattering matrices, three datasets were generated by varying the concentration of lactate in phosphate buffer solution, human serum, and sheep blood. Additionally, the fourth dataset pertained to invivo, transcutaneous spectra obtained from healthy volunteers in an exercise study. Linear and nonlinear models were fitted to each dataset and measures of model performance were compared to attest the assumption of linearity. To isolate the effects of high concentrations, the phosphate buffer solution dataset was augmented with six samples with very high concentrations of lactate between (100–600 mmol/L). Subsequently, three partly overlapping datasets were extracted with lactate concentrations varying between 0–11, 0–20 and 0–600 mmol/L. Similarly, the performance of linear and nonlinear models were compared in each dataset. This analysis did not provide any evidence of substantial nonlinearities due high concentrations. However, the results suggest that nonlinearities may be present in scattering media, justifying the use of complex, nonlinear models.
The measurement, evolution, and neural representation of action grammars of human behavior
Authors: Stout Dietrich , Chaminade Thierry , Apel Jan , Shafti Ali , Faisal A. Aldo 
Published: July 2021

AbstractHuman behaviors from toolmaking to language are thought to rely on a uniquely evolved capacity for hierarchical action sequencing. Testing this idea will require objective, generalizable methods for measuring the structural complexity of real-world behavior. Here we present a data-driven approach for extracting action grammars from basic ethograms, exemplified with respect to the evolutionarily relevant behavior of stone toolmaking. We analyzed sequences from the experimental replication of ~ 2.5 Mya Oldowan vs. ~ 0.5 Mya Acheulean tools, finding that, while using the same “alphabet” of elementary actions, Acheulean sequences are quantifiably more complex and Oldowan grammars are a subset of Acheulean grammars. We illustrate the utility of our complexity measures by re-analyzing data from an fMRI study of stone toolmaking to identify brain responses to structural complexity. Beyond specific implications regarding the co-evolution of language and technology, this exercise illustrates the general applicability of our method to investigate naturalistic human behavior and cognition.
Multipartite uncertainty relation with quantum memory
Authors: Haddadi Saeed , Pourkarimi Mohammad Reza , Haseli Soroush 
Published: July 2021

AbstractWe present a new quantum-memory-assisted entropic uncertainty relation for multipartite systems which shows the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics. Notably, our results recover some well-known entropic uncertainty relations for two arbitrary incompatible observables that demonstrate the uncertainties about the results of two measurements. This uncertainty relation might play a critical role in the foundations of quantum theory.
New evidence for supplementary crop production, foddering and fuel use by Bronze Age transhumant pastoralists in the Tianshan Mountains
Authors: Tian Duo , Festa Marcella , Cong Dexin , Zhao Zhijun , Jia Peter Weiming , Betts Alison 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe nature of economies and the movement of agricultural crops across Eurasia in the Bronze Age have been the subject of significant research interest in recent years. This study presents and discusses new results of flotation, radiocarbon and carbon stable isotope analyses from the seed assemblage at the Adunqiaolu site (northwestern Xinjiang), in combination with archaeological evidence. Archaeobotanical evidence, including carbonized foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, and naked barley, documents the diversity of local cereal consumption during the mid-second millennium BC. Our results suggest that crops were not grown locally, however, but in the lower Boertala Valley, supporting the argument that Adunqiaolu was a winter camp. These new sets of data constitute an important contribution to the discussion on cereal dispersal across the Tianshan Mountains in the Bronze Age.
OpenHSV: an open platform for laryngeal high-speed videoendoscopy
Authors: Kist Andreas M. , Dürr Stephan , Schützenberger Anne , Döllinger Michael 
Published: July 2021

AbstractHigh-speed videoendoscopy is an important tool to study laryngeal dynamics, to quantify vocal fold oscillations, to diagnose voice impairments at laryngeal level and to monitor treatment progress. However, there is a significant lack of an open source, expandable research tool that features latest hardware and data analysis. In this work, we propose an open research platform termed OpenHSV that is based on state-of-the-art, commercially available equipment and features a fully automatic data analysis pipeline. A publicly available, user-friendly graphical user interface implemented in Python is used to interface the hardware. Video and audio data are recorded in synchrony and are subsequently fully automatically analyzed. Video segmentation of the glottal area is performed using efficient deep neural networks to derive glottal area waveform and glottal midline. Established quantitative, clinically relevant video and audio parameters were implemented and computed. In a preliminary clinical study, we recorded video and audio data from 28 healthy subjects. Analyzing these data in terms of image quality and derived quantitative parameters, we show the applicability, performance and usefulness of OpenHSV. Therefore, OpenHSV provides a valid, standardized access to high-speed videoendoscopy data acquisition and analysis for voice scientists, highlighting its use as a valuable research tool in understanding voice physiology. We envision that OpenHSV serves as basis for the next generation of clinical HSV systems.
A pseudohomogeneous nanocarrier based on carbon quantum dots decorated with arginine as an efficient gene delivery vehicle
Authors: Rezaei Aram , Hashemi Ehsan 
Published: July 2021

AbstractA pseudohomogeneous carrier as an emerging term refers to subnanometric carbon-based vehicle with a high ability to interact with genetic materials to form stable carboplex and successfully transfer them into the cell which will result in inhibiting or expressing of therapeutic genes. Chitosan is a non-toxic polyaminosaccharide used as a precursor in the presence of citric acid to produce carbon quantum dots (CQDs), which decorated with arginine as a surface passivation agent with high amine density in hydrothermal methodology. The Arginine-CQDs are comprehensively characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping, fluorescence, High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), zeta potential and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). In this regard, for the first time, carboplex are formed by electrostatic conjugating of Arginine-CQDs with DNA to protect it from enzymatic degradation. Moreover, the carboplex, like the chitosan precursor, has not shown toxicity against AGS cell line. Interestingly, the Arginine-CQDs have exhibited an excellent ability to overcome cell barriers to deliver into cells compared to chitosan at the same weight ratio. The Arginine-CQDs/pEGFP (W/W) nanocomplex, not only lead to transfection with a relatively higher efficiency than PEI polymer, which is the “golden standard”, but carboplex also demonstrates no significant toxicity. Indeed, the EGFP expression level has reached to 2.4 ± 0.2 via Arginine-CQDs carboplex at W/W 50 weight ratio. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report includes chitosan-based CQDs functionalized by arginine which is applied to serve as a pseudohomogeneous vehicle for gene transfection.
Early and long term antibody kinetics of asymptomatic and mild disease COVID-19 patients
Authors: Efrati Shai , Catalogna Merav , Abu Hamed Ramzia , Hadanny Amir , Bar-Chaim Adina , Benveniste-Levkovitz Patricia , Strugo Refael , Levtzion-korach Osnat 
Published: July 2021

AbstractMost patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. However, the early and late antibody kinetics, and the association between antibody levels, clinical symptoms, and disease phase in these patients have not yet been fully defined. Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patients and their household contacts were evaluated over a period four months. The evaluation procedure included symptom monitoring, viral load and serology analysis every ten days. A total of 1334 serum samples were collected from 135 patients and analyzed using three assays for IgG-N, IgG-S and IgM antibodies. Of the study participants, 97% were seropositive during the study, and two distinct clusters were identified. These clusters were significantly different in their inflammatory related symptoms. Peak IgG-S was 40.0 AU/ml for the non-inflammatory cluster and 71.5 AU/ml for the inflammatory cluster (P = 0.006), whereas IgG-N peaks were 4.3 and 5.87 (P = 0.023) respectively. Finally, a decision tree model was designed to predict the disease phase based on the serological titer levels, and had an overall accuracy of 80.7%. The specific profile of seroconversion and decay of serum antibodies can be used to predict the time-course from the acute infection.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor and type 2 diabetes and glycemic profile
Authors: Davarpanah Milad , Shokri-mashhadi Nafiseh , Ziaei Rahele , Saneei Parvane 
Published: July 2021

AbstractSeveral epidemiologic studies have evaluated the relation between serum/plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and glycemic parameters, but the findings were conflicting. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare circulating BDNF levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) or other glycemic disorders with healthy controls and to evaluate correlation between BDNF concentrations with glycemic profile. A systematic search up to July 2020 was conducted in reliable electronic databases (MEDLINE (Pubmed), EMBASE, Scopus) and Google scholar. Sixteen observational studies compared serum/plasma BDNF levels in diabetic patients (or individuals with glycemic disorders) vs. healthy controls or reported correlations between serum BDNF levels and glycemic parameters in adults were included in the review. Overall weighted mean difference (WMD) of circulating BDNF levels in 1306 patients with T2D (or other glycemic disorders) was 1.12 ng/mL lower than 1250 healthy subjects (WMD: − 1.12; 95%CI − 1.37, − 0.88, I2 = 98.7%, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that both diabetic patients and subjects with other glycemic disorders had lower serum/plasma BDNF levels than healthy controls (WMD: − 1.74; 95%CI − 2.15, − 1.33 and WMD: − 0.49; 95%CI − 0.82, − 0.16, respectively). No significant correlation was found between BDNF levels and glycemic parameters [fasting blood glucose (FBG) (Fisher’s Z = 0.05; 95%CI − 0.21, 0.11; n = 1400), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (Fisher’s Z = 0.12; 95%CI − 0.20, 0.44; n = 732) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (Fisher’s Z = 0.04; 95%CI − 0.05, 0.12; n = 2222)]. We found that diabetic patients and subjects with glycemic disorders had lower circulating BDNF levels than healthy controls. However, there was no significant correlation between BDNF concentrations and glycemic parameters including FBG, HOMA-IR and HbA1c. Further prospective investigations are required to confirm these findings.
Flutamide treatment reveals a relationship between steroidogenic activity of Leydig cells and ultrastructure of their mitochondria
Authors: Brzoskwinia Malgorzata , Pardyak Laura , Kaminska Alicja , Tworzydlo Wacław , Hejmej Anna , Marek Sylwia , Bilinski Szczepan M. , Bilinska Barbara 
Published: July 2021

AbstractOur present knowledge on interrelation between morphology/ultrastructure of mitochondria of the Leydig cell and its steroidogenic function is far from satisfactory and needs additional studies. Here, we analyzed the effects of blockade of androgen receptor, triggered by exposure to flutamide, on the expression of steroidogenic proteins (1) and ultrastructure of Leydig cells’ constituents (2). We demonstrated that increase in the expression level of steroidogenic (StAR, CYP11A1, 3β-HSD, and CYP19A1) proteins (and respective mRNAs) in rat testicular tissue as well as elevation of intratesticular sex steroid hormone (testosterone and estradiol) levels observed in treated animals correspond well to morphological alterations of the Leydig cell ultrastructure. Most importantly, up-regulation of steroidogenic proteins’ expression apparently correlates with considerable multiplication of Leydig cell mitochondria and subsequent formation of local mitochondrial networks. Interestingly, we showed also that the above-mentioned processes were associated with elevated transcription of Drp1 and Mfn2 genes, encoding proteins implicated in mitochondrial dynamics. Collectively, our studies emphasize the importance of mitochondrial homeostasis to the steroidogenic function of Leydig cells.
Warfarin maintenance dose prediction for Chinese after heart valve replacement by a feedforward neural network with equal stratified sampling
Authors: Ma Weijie , Li Hongying , Dong Li , Zhou Qin , Fu Bo , Hou Jiang-long , Wang Jing , Qin Wenzhe , Chen Jin 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPatients requiring low-dose warfarin are more likely to suffer bleeding due to overdose. The goal of this work is to improve the feedforward neural network model's precision in predicting the low maintenance dose for Chinese in the aspect of training data construction. We built the model from a resampled dataset created by equal stratified sampling (maintaining the same sample number in three dose-groups with a total of 3639) and performed internal and external validations. Comparing to the model trained from the raw dataset of 19,060 eligible cases, we improved the low-dose group's ideal prediction percentage from 0.7 to 9.6% and maintained the overall performance (76.4% vs. 75.6%) in external validation. We further built neural network models on single-dose subsets to invest whether the subsets samples were sufficient and whether the selected factors were appropriate. The training set sizes were 1340 and 1478 for the low and high dose subsets; the corresponding ideal prediction percentages were 70.2% and 75.1%. The training set size for the intermediate dose varied and was 1553, 6214, and 12,429; the corresponding ideal prediction percentages were 95.6, 95.1%, and 95.3%. Our conclusion is that equal stratified sampling can be a considerable alternative approach in training data construction to build drug dosing models in the clinic.
Assessment of vegetation growth and drought conditions using satellite-based vegetation health indices in Jing-Jin-Ji region of China
Authors: Jiang Rengui , Liang Jichao , Zhao Yong , Wang Hao , Xie Jiancang , Lu Xixi , Li Fawen 
Published: July 2021

AbstractTerrestrial vegetation growth activity plays pivotal roles on regional development, which has attracted wide attention especially in water resources shortage areas. The paper investigated the spatiotemporal change characteristics of vegetation growth activity using satellite-based Vegetation Health Indices (VHIs) including smoothed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (SMN), smoothed Brightness Temperature (SMT), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI) and VHI, based on 7-day composite temporal resolution and 16 km spatial resolution gridded data, and also estimated the drought conditions for the period of 1982–2016 in Jing-Jin-Ji region of China. The Niño 3.4 was used as a substitution of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to reveal vegetation sensitivity to ENSO using correlation and wavelet analysis. Results indicated that monthly SMN has increased throughout the year especially during growing season, starts at approximate April and ends at about October. The correlation analysis between SMN and SMT, SMN and precipitation indicated that the vegetation growth was affected by joint effects of temperature and precipitation. The VCI during growing season was positive trends dominated and vice versa for TCI. The relationships between VHIs and drought make it possible to identify and quantify drought intensity, duration and affected area using different ranges of VHIs. Generally, the intensity and affected area of drought had mainly decreased, but the trends varied for different drought intensities, regions and time periods. Large-scale global climate anomalies such as Niño 3.4 exerted obvious impacts on the VHIs. The Niño 3.4 was mainly negatively correlated to VCI and positively correlated to TCI, and the spatial distributions of areas with positive (negative) correlation coefficients were mainly opposite. The linear relationships between Niño 3.4 and VHIs were in accordance with results of nonlinear relationships revealed using wavelet analysis. The results are of great importance to assess the vegetation growth activity, to monitor and quantify drought using satellite-based VHIs in Jing-Jin-Ji region.
Statistical learning of target selection and distractor suppression shape attentional priority according to different timeframes
Authors: Di Caro Valeria , Della Libera Chiara 
Published: July 2021

AbstractRecent findings suggest that attentional and oculomotor control is heavily affected by past experience, giving rise to selection and suppression history effects, so that target selection is facilitated if they appear at frequently attended locations, and distractor filtering is facilitated at frequently ignored locations. While selection history effects once instantiated seem to be long-lasting, whether suppression history is similarly durable is still debated. We assessed the permanence of these effects in a unique experimental setting investigating eye-movements, where the locations associated with statistical unbalances were exclusively linked with either target selection or distractor suppression. Experiment 1 and 2 explored the survival of suppression history in the long and in the short term, respectively, revealing that its lingering traces are relatively short lived. Experiment 3 showed that in the very same experimental context, selection history effects were long lasting. These results seem to suggest that different mechanisms support the learning-induced plasticity triggered by selection and suppression history. Specifically, while selection history may depend on lasting changes within stored representations of the visual space, suppression history effects hinge instead on a functional plasticity which is transient in nature, and involves spatial representations which are constantly updated and adaptively sustain ongoing oculomotor control.