bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Variation in digital breast tomosynthesis image quality at differing heights above the detector
Authors: Davidson Rob , Al Khalifah Khaled , Zhou Abel 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIntroductionThe aim of this preliminary work was to determine if image quality in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) changes when tomosynthesis image slices were obtained at differing heights above the detector and in differing breast thicknesses.MethodsA CIRS Model 020 BR3D breast imaging phantom was used to obtain the DBT images. The images were also acquired at different tube voltages, and each exposure was determined by the automatic exposure control system. Contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) and figure‐of‐merit (FOM) values were obtained and compared.ResultsAt a phantom thickness of 5 cm or greater, there was a significant reduction (P ≤ 0.05) of image CNR values obtained from the images near the top of the phantom to those obtained near the bottom of the phantom. When the phantom thickness was 4 cm, there was no significant difference in CNR values between DBT images acquired at any height in the phantom. FOM values generally showed no difference when images were obtained at differing heights above the detector.ConclusionImage quality, as measured by the CNR, was reduced when tomosynthesis slice image heights were at the top of the phantom and when the thickness of the phantom was more than 4 cm. From this preliminary work, clinicians need to be aware that DBT images obtained near the top of the breast, when breast thickness is greater than 4 cm, may have reduced image quality. Further work is needed to fully assess any DBT image quality changes when images are obtained near the top of the breast.
A large‐scale meta‐analytic atlas of mental health problems prevalence during the COVID‐19 early pandemic
Authors: Dragioti Elena , Li Han , Tsitsas George , Lee Keum Hwa , Choi Jiwoo , Kim Jiwon , Choi Young Jo , Tsamakis Konstantinos , Estradé Andrés , Agorastos Agorastos , Vancampfort Davy , Tsiptsios Dimitrios , Thompson Trevor , Mosina Anna , Vakadaris Georgios , Fusar‐Poli Paolo , Carvalho Andre F. , Correll Christoph U. , Han Young Joo , Park Seoyeon , Il Shin Jae , Solmi Marco 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic and related restrictions can impact mental health. To quantify the mental health burden of COVID‐19 pandemic, we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis, searching World Health Organization COVID‐19/PsycInfo/PubMed databases (09/29/2020), including observational studies reporting on mental health outcomes in any population affected by COVID‐19. Primary outcomes were the prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress, sleep problems, posttraumatic symptoms. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on severe mental health problems, in high‐quality studies, and in representative samples. Subgroup analyses were conducted stratified by age, sex, country income level, and COVID‐19 infection status. One‐hundred‐seventy‐three studies from February to July 2020 were included (n = 502,261, median sample = 948, age = 34.4 years, females = 63%). Ninety‐one percent were cross‐sectional studies, and 18.5%/57.2% were of high/moderate quality. The highest prevalence emerged for posttraumatic symptoms in COVID‐19 infected people (94%), followed by behavioral problems in those with prior mental disorders (77%), fear in healthcare workers (71%), anxiety in caregivers/family members of people with COVID‐19 (42%), general health/social contact/passive coping style in the general population (38%), depression in those with prior somatic disorders (37%), and fear in other‐than‐healthcare workers (29%). Females and people with COVID‐19 infection had higher rates of almost all outcomes; college students/young adults of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, suicidal ideation; adults of fear and posttraumatic symptoms. Anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic symptoms were more prevalent in low‐/middle‐income countries, sleep problems in high‐income countries. The COVID‐19 pandemic adversely impacts mental health in a unique manner across population subgroups. Our results inform tailored preventive strategies and interventions to mitigate current, future, and transgenerational adverse mental health of the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Effect of montelukast therapy on clinical course, pulmonary function, and mortality in patients with COVID‐19
Authors: Kerget Buğra , Kerget Ferhan , Aydın Murat , Karaşahin Ömer 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe inflammatory/anti‐inflammatory balance has an important role in the clinical course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) (coronavirus disease [COVID‐19]) infection, which has affected over 200 million people since it first appeared in China in December 2019. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of montelukast, which has known anti‐inflammatory and bronchodilatory effects, in these patients. The prospective randomized controlled study included 180 patients who were hospitalized in the infectious diseases department of our hospital between May and July 2021 and were diagnosed with the delta variant of SARS‐CoV‐2 by real‐time polymerase chain reaction of nasopharyngeal swabs. The patients were divided into three groups and received only standard treatment according to national guidelines (Group 1) or standard treatment plus 10 mg/day montelukast (Group 2) or 20 mg/day montelukast (Group 3). Laboratory parameters and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) at admission and on Day 5 of treatment were compared. Comparison of laboratory parameters on Day 5 showed that Groups 2 and 3 had significantly lower levels of lactate dehydrogenase, fibrinogen, D‐dimer, C‐reactive protein, and procalcitonin compared with Group 1 (p = 0.04, 0.002, 0.05, 0.03, and 0.04, respectively). In the comparison between Groups 2 and 3, only fibrinogen was significantly lower in Group 3 (p = 0.02). PFT results did not differ between the groups at admission, while on Day 5, only Group 3 showed significant improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1 s, forced vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow 25–75 compared with admission (p = 0.001 for all). Montelukast may be beneficial in COVID‐19 patients to maintain the inflammatory/anti‐inflammatory balance, prevent respiratory failure through its bronchodilator activity, and reduce mortality.
L‐arginine protects cementoblasts against hypoxia‐induced apoptosis through Sirt1‐enhanced autophagy
Authors: Xu Lei , Tan Xi , Bai Siyu , Wu Hongyan , Luo Hong , Ye Yusi , Fang Lingli , Dai Hongwei , Huang Lan 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundL‐arginine (L‐arg) can reduce apoptosis in a variety of cells. Cementoblast apoptosis is related to root resorption during orthodontic treatment. In the present study, we aimed to study the regulatory effect and potential mechanism of L‐arg on cementoblast apoptosis and root resorption.MethodsThe apoptosis‐related mRNA and protein expression of murine cementoblast (OCCM‐30) was assessed after L‐arg treatment. To investigate the role of Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) and autophagy in L‐arg resistance to cementoblast apoptosis and root absorption, resveratrol, and EX527 were used to activate or inhibit Sirt1, and chloroquine (CQ) was used to inhibit autophagy.ResultsIn vitro, L‐arg inhibited hypoxia‐induced apoptosis in OCCM‐30. Further, L‐arg increased Sirt1 expression whereas Sirt1 suppression by EX527 reversed the inhibitory effect of L‐arg on cell apoptosis. Sirt1 activator resveratrol increased the ratio of microtubule‑associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) II/I and decreased the expression of SQSTM1/p62 (p62), suggesting autophagy activation. Autophagy enhancement could reduce apoptosis. Caspase‐3 and Bax expression was decreased, and Bcl‐2 expression was increased. When autophagy was inhibited by CQ, the positive effects of Sirt1 were attenuated. In vivo, L‐arg application reduced root resorption in rats, as demonstrated by decreased root absorption volume. Similarly, L‐arg upregulated Sirt1, which activated autophagy in the root resorption model, and less root resorption was observed in the Sirt1 activation group.ConclusionL‐arg reduced cementoblast apoptosis in hypoxia and reduced root resorption induced by loading force in rats, which may be partly mediated by Sirt1‐enhanced autophagy.
Enantioselective HPLC analysis of escitalopram oxalate and its impurities using a cellulose‐based chiral stationary phase under normal‐ and green reversed‐phase conditions
Authors: Cantatore Chiara , Bertocchi Paola , De Orsi Daniela , Panusa Alessia , Cirilli Roberto 
Published: December 2021

AbstractNormal‐phase and reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography methods for the separation of the active pharmaceutical ingredient escitalopram from its (R)‐enantiomer impurity have been developed on the cellulose‐based Chiralcel OJ‐H chiral stationary phase. Both methods share two features: they use ethanol as a cosolvent and are able to give a complete enantioseparation without interference from other associated chiral impurities. With the green eluent mixture ethanol–water–diethylammine 70:30:0.1 (v/v/v), the resolution between escitalopram and (R)‐enantiomer was 2.09 at 30°C. The limits of quantification for the (S) and (R) enantiomers were 4.5 and 3.8 μg mL−1, respectively.
Fabrication of Hydrophobic Multilayered Fabric for Passive Daytime Radiative Cooling
Authors: Ji Yating , Sun Yilan , Muhammad Javed , Li Xiaoyan , Liu Ziqiang , Tu Pengpeng , Wang Youquan , Cai Zaisheng , Xu Bi 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPassive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) has attracted great attention recently due to its high potential for reducing global energy consumption. However, PDRC materials are easily contaminated in practical applications, which will seriously attenuate their long‐term cooling performance. In this work, a multilayered PDRC fabric that is composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and cotton is shown. This multilayered fabric displays a high solar reflectivity (0.94) and an appropriate atmospheric window emissivity (0.79). A practical application test demonstrates the glass covered by this PDRC fabric can lower the temperature up to 7.8 °C under a solar intensity of ≈495 W m−2. Meanwhile, the multilayered PDRC fabric exhibits self‐cleaning property due to its high water contact angle of 118°. Rolling water can effectively remove the contaminants on the fabric surface. It is believed that this multilayered fabric is a promising material to alleviate the energy crisis and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Linear and Nonlinear Viscoelasticity of Polypropylene Containing Cross‐Linked Gels
Authors: Tsai Chia‐Ying , Laux Kevin , Chang Chao‐Shun , Sue Hung‐Jue 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe dynamic viscoelastic and elongational flow behaviors of polypropylene (PP) with increased loading of micron‐sized gelled particles have been investigated. The results reveal that incorporating gel particles can significantly enhance the PP melt storage and loss modulus, complex viscosity, and degree of strain hardening. The gel particle, acting as a soft, deformable filler, exhibits a core–corona structure. The core is made of cross‐linked PP, with the corona region consisting of chain loops, dangling chains, and strongly constrained PP matrix chains. The matrix chains bridge globally between the adjacent gel particles once the interparticle distance is shorter than the PP random coil size. This, in turn, results in a gel‐like behavior of the entire PP matrix. The present findings serve to advance fundamental understanding on the rheological behavior of polymeric systems containing self‐similar soft particles for improving melt strength.
Sobolev embeddings in grand Morrey spaces
Authors: Mizuta Yoshihiro , Ohno Takao , Shimomura Tetsu 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe aim in this paper is to show that the Riesz potential operator embeds from grand Morrey spaces to grand Campanato–Morrey spaces. We are also concerned with Sobolev type inequalities for Riesz potentials in grand Morrey spaces.
“Some things are even worse than telling a child he is going to die”: Pediatric oncology healthcare professionals perspectives on communicating with children about cancer and end of life
Authors: Laronne Anat , Granek Leeat , Wiener Lori , Feder‐Bubis Paula , Golan Hana 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIntroductionThis study explored pediatric oncology healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) perspectives on direct communication with children with advanced disease about their disease, palliative care, and end‐of‐life (EOL) communication.MethodsForty‐six pediatric oncologists, nurses, psychosocial team members, and other HCPs from six hospital centers in Israel participated in semi‐structured interviews. The Grounded Theory method was used. Data were analyzed line‐by‐line with codes and categories developed inductively from participants’ narratives.ResultsHCPs viewed communication about disease progression and EOL as vital because children were often aware of their prognosis, because lack of communication could lead to emotional distress, and because communication is a prerequisite for shared decision‐making. HCPs identified several barriers for communication including HCP barriers (such as emotional strains, lack of training), parental barriers, guardianship law, and language and culture. HCPs also described strategies to promote EOL communication. Direct strategies include tailoring communication, allowing for silence, echoing children's questions, giving information gradually, and answering direct questions honestly. Indirect strategies included encouraging parents to talk to their children and teamwork with colleagues.ConclusionsOpen communication with children who have cancer is essential. Nevertheless, multiple barriers persist. The rising accessibility of online information calls for urgent training of HCPs in communication so that children will not turn to unmediated and potentially misleading information online in the absence of HCP communication. Evidence‐based effective communication training modules and emotional support should be offered to HCPs. Knowledge about children's development, age‐appropriate communication, and cultural sensitivity should be included in this training.
Data sources for drug utilization research in Latin American countries—A cross‐national study: DASDUR‐LATAM study
Authors: Lopes Luciane C. , Salas Maribel , Osorio‐de‐Castro Claudia Garcia Serpa , Leal Lisiane Freitas , Doubova Svetlana V. , Cañás Martín , Dreser Anahi , Acosta Angela , Baldoni Andre Oliveira , de Cássia Bergamaschi Cristiane , Mota Daniel Marques , Gómez‐Galicia Diana L. , Sepúlveda‐Viveros Dino , Delgado Edgard Narvaez , da Costa Lima Elisangela , Chandia Felipe Vera , Ferre Felipe , Marin Gustavo H. , Olmos Ismael , Zimmermann Ivan R. , Fulone Izabela , Roldán‐Saelzer Juan , Sánchez‐Salgado Juan Carlos , Castro‐Pastrana Lucila I. , de Souza Luiz Jupiter Carneiro , Beltrán Manuel Machado , Silva Marcus Tolentino , Mena María Belén , de França Fonteles Marta Maria , Urtasun Martín A. , Tarapués Mónica , Hernández Patricia Granja , Medero Natalia , Herrera‐Comoglio Raquel , Barberato‐Filho Silvio , Galvão Taís Freire , Luiza Vera Lucia , Santa‐Ana‐Tellez Yared , Rodríguez ‐ Tanta Yesenia , Elseviers Monique 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPurposeDrug utilization research (DUR) contributes to inform policymaking and to strengthen health systems. The availability of data sources is the first step for conducting DUR. However, documents that systematize these data sources in Latin American (LatAm) countries are not known. We compiled the potential data sources for DUR in the LatAm region.MethodsA network of DUR experts from nine LatAm countries was assembled and experts conducted: (i) a website search of the government, academic, and private health institutions; (ii) screening of eligible data sources, and (iii) liaising with national experts in pharmacoepidemiology (via an online survey). The data sources were characterized by accessibility, geographic granularity, setting, sector of the data, sources and type of the data. Descriptive analyses were performed.ResultsWe identified 125 data sources for DUR in nine LatAm countries. Thirty‐eight (30%) of them were publicly and conveniently available; 89 (71%) were accessible with limitations, and 18 (14%) were not accessible or lacked clear rules for data access. From the 125 data sources, 76 (61%) were from the public sector only; 46 (37%) were from pharmacy records; 43 (34%) came from ambulatory settings and; 85 (68%) gave access to individual patient‐level data.ConclusionsAlthough multiple sources for DUR are available in LatAm countries, the accessibility is a major challenge. The procedures for accessing DUR data should be transparent, feasible, affordable, and protocol‐driven. This inventory could permit a comparison of drug utilization between countries identifying potential medication‐related problems that need further exploration.
Empirical likelihood confidence interval for sensitivity to the early disease stage
Authors: Rahman Husneara , Zhao Yichuan ,   for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: December 2021

AbstractDisease status can naturally be classified into three or more ordinal stages rather than just being binary stages. Many works have been done for the estimation and inference procedure regarding three ordinal disease stages, which are non‐disease, early disease, and full disease stages. The early disease stage can be very important for therapeutic intervention and prevention potentiality. As a diagnostic measure, sensitivity to the early disease stage is often used. In this article, we propose confidence intervals for the sensitivity to early disease stage based on given target specificity for non‐disease stage and target sensitivity to full disease stage using both empirical likelihood (EL) and adjusted EL procedures. We compare the performance of the proposed EL confidence intervals with other procedures in our simulation study. The proposed procedures are further applied to Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative data set.
Potential COVID‐19 therapeutic approaches targeting angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2; An updated review
Authors: Zanganeh Saba , Goodarzi Nima , Doroudian Mohammad , Movahed Elaheh 
Published: December 2021

SummaryCOVID‐19 has spread swiftly throughout the world posing a global health emergency. The significant numbers of deaths attributed to this pandemic have researchers battling to understand this new, dangerous virus. Researchers are looking to find possible treatment regimens and develop effective therapies. This study aims to provide an overview of published scientific information on potential treatments, emphasizing angiotensin‐converting enzyme II (ACE2) inhibitors as one of the most important drug targets. SARS‐CoV‐2 receptor‐binding domain (RBD); as a viral attachment or entry inhibitor against SARS‐CoV‐2, human recombinant soluble ACE2; as a genetically modified soluble form of ACE2 to compete with membrane‐bound ACE2, and microRNAs (miRNAs); as a negative regulator of the expression of ACE2/TMPRSS2 to inhibit SARS‐CoV2 entry into cells, are the potential therapeutic approaches discussed thoroughly in this article. This review provides the groundwork for the ongoing development of therapeutic agents and effective treatments against SARS‐COV‐2.
The athletic heart syndrome in web service evolution
Authors: Zarras Apostolos V. , Dinos Ioannis , Vassiliadis Panos 
Published: December 2021

AbstractDespite the particular standards, technologies, and trends (W3C, RESTful, microservices, etc.) that a team decides to follow for the development of a service‐oriented system, most likely the team members will have to use one or more services that solve general‐purpose problems like cloud computing, networking and content delivery, storage and database, management and governance, and application integration. Typically, general‐purpose services are long‐lived, they have several responsibilities, their interfaces are complex, and they grow over time. The way that these services evolve also affects the evolution of any system that will depend on them. Consequently, the selection of the particular services that will be used is a main concern for the team. In this paper, we report a pattern, calledthe athletic heart syndrome, which facilitates the selection of services that evolve properly. Patterns specify best practices that emerge from multiple real‐world cases. In our context,the athletic heart syndromecomes out from a study that concerns the evolution of a set of popular, long‐lived Amazon services that cover different domains. According tothe athletic heart syndrome, the developers should select services whose heartbeat of changes looks like the heartbeat of an athlete when he is at rest. Specifically, the heartbeat of changes should consist mostly of calm periods, interrupted by few spikes of change. Similarly, the incremental growth of the services should involve mainly calm periods of maintenance, separated by spikes of growth. Selecting services that adhere to the pattern signifies high chances that the services evolve to deal with changing requirements. The pattern further guarantees that the service evolution involves both the expansion of the services with new functionalities and the maintenance of existing ones. The pattern also assures that the complexity increase in the service interfaces will be smooth and tolerable. Finally, conformance with the pattern implies that the growth of the services will be predictable.
Experiment for validation of numerical models of coupled heat and mass transfer around energy cables
Authors: Verschaffel‐Drefke Christoph , Balzer Constantin , Schedel Markus , Hinrichsen Volker , Sass Ingo 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe increasing decentralization of electrical energy production as well as an increasing number of fluctuating regenerative energy sources require significant investments in grid expansion. Among other assessments, an exact prediction of the thermal behavior of the cable environment is necessary to be able to design cable routes both technically and economically sufficient. To investigate the coupled thermal and hydraulic processes around a cable‐like heat source with high temporal and spatial resolution under controlled boundary conditions, a cylindrical laboratory test was designed and experiments with two soils conducted. The data collected can be used to validate models of coupled heat and mass transfer around power cables. Within this study, the experimental data was compared with a modified model approach that is based on experimentally determined input data for the thermal and hydraulic properties of the examined soils. Although overall good agreement in the temperature field around the central heat source was observed, differences in the spatial distribution of the dry‐out zone near the heat source led to some shift between the measured and simulated temperatures.