bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sustained Improvement in Diastolic Reserve Following Percutaneous Pericardiotomy in a Porcine Model of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Authors: Jain C. Charles , Pedrotty Dawn , Araoz Philip A. , Sugrue Alan , Vaidya Vaibhav R. , Padmanabhan Deepak , Arunachalam Shivaram P. , Lerman Lilach O. , Asirvatham Samuel J. , Borlaug Barry A. 
Published: January 2021

Background:
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is increasing in prevalence, but few effective treatments are available. Elevated left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling pressures represent a key therapeutic target. Pericardial restraint contributes to elevated LV end-diastolic pressure, and acute studies have shown that pericardiotomy attenuates the rise in LV end-diastolic pressure with volume loading. However, whether these acute effects are sustained chronically remains unknown.

Methods:
Minimally invasive pericardiotomy was performed percutaneously using a novel device in a porcine model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Hemodynamics were assessed at baseline and following volume loading with pericardium intact, acutely following pericardiotomy, and then again chronically after 4 weeks. Cardiac structure was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Results:

The increase in LV end-diastolic pressure with volume loading was mitigated by 41% (95% CI, 27%–45%,
P
<0.0001; ΔLV end-diastolic pressure reduced from +9±3 mm Hg to +5±3 mm Hg,
P
=0.0003, 95% CI, −2.2 to −5.5). The effect was sustained at 4 weeks (+5±2 mm Hg,
P
=0.28 versus acute). There was no statistically significant effect of pericardiotomy on ventricular remodeling compared with age-matched controls. None of the animals developed hemodynamic or pathological indicators of pericardial constriction or frank systolic dysfunction.

Conclusions:
The acute hemodynamic benefits of pericardiotomy are sustained for at least 4 weeks in a swine model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, without excessive chamber remodeling, pericarditis, or clinically significant systolic dysfunction. These data support trials evaluating minimally invasive pericardiotomy as a novel treatment for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in humans.
The Rights of Elders in Ireland during COVID-19
Authors: Ó Cathaoir Katharina , Gundersby Rognlien Ida 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
This article reflects on COVID-19 restrictions imposed on elders in Ireland through the lens of the right to private and family life (Article 8 ECHR), focusing on stay at home orders and recommendations advising elders to avoid social contact. Furthermore, we examine restrictions on visiting nursing homes given the high death toll in that setting. In our analysis, we zero in on the principles of foreseeability and proportionality, highlighting areas of concern and aspects that we submit should be considered in a proportionality assessment. Ultimately, we argue that it is a mistake to view the COVID-19 pandemic solely as an emergency. In this manner, the solutions suggested through the law – restrictions on movement and visitation bans – are too narrow and fail to address the underlying structures, such as, issues in the healthcare system, the limited home help for elderly and poor conditions in nursing homes.
Reformed Orthodoxy and the Libertas philosophandi in the Netherlands
Authors: Krop Henri 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In Reformed lands within seventeenth-century Europe, universities were granted the ‘liberty to philosophise.’ Yet what did this mean in practice? In the first part of this paper, the notion of ‘orthodoxy’ will be outlined, and it will be explained how, according to Gisbertus Voetius, ‘Christian Freedom’ and the ‘Libertas philosophandi’ might go together. Orthodoxy, however, implied a clearly defined confession as well, circumscribing true faith. As a result, ‘academic freedom,’ though real in some ways, was necessarily limited. In the second part of this paper, the examples of Antonius Walaeus and Abraham Heidanus will show how both the new and the old philosophy might be presented as being consistent with orthodoxy in seventeenth-century Holland.
Inviting individual voice to second language academic writing
Authors: Lehman Iga Maria , Anderson Robin 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Our purpose in this paper is to present the findings of a study aimed at investigating how second language (L2) student-writers construct their identities as academic authors in tertiary education. We consider the restraints institutionalized text production can place on the constitution of writer identity, and call for pedagogical approaches to writing to take on board our findings to better help students in the process of finding their unique authorial voice. While the specific socio-cultural and institutional contexts within which people write limit possibilities for their self-representation, we argue that student writers should be encouraged to bring their own life histories and sense of the self to their texts. The study follows the notion of writer voice as proposed by Lehman (2018). She proposes categorising writer voice into three main types: individual, collective and depersonalized. As these three aspects of voice are predominantly cued through metadiscourse features we employed a three-dimensional analytic rubric designed by Lehman (2018) in order to identify and analyze the potential of individual voice in the facilitation and enhancement of academic writing in a second language (see Lehman, 2018).
Institutional perspective on writing for international publication
Authors: Wojtaszek Adam 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
The paper focuses on the institutional background of the publishing practices of Polish scholars, with special emphasis on publications in English. The University of Silesia in Katowice represents a Polish Higher Education Institution which places significant emphasis on international publications. On the basis of two data collection instruments, a report on point-winning publications (2017–2020) and a survey conducted among 197 faculty members, the author portrays the publication-related situation of the university and its most important determinants. Besides the facts pertaining to the distribution of point-winning publications among disciplines and languages, the article address such important issues as the authors’ strategies employed in the preparation of English language manuscripts, language-related issues articulated by the reviewers, and reasons for not publishing in English. A connection is made between the institutional context in which scholarly texts are composed and the strategic choices made by the authors in the process of manuscript drafting.
<p><strong><em>Encyonema oblonga</em> (Bacillariophyta, Cymbellaceae), a new species from Shanxi Province, China</strong></p>
Authors: LIU QI , LI JIAJIA , WANG QUANXI , Kociolek JOHN PATRICK KOCIOLEK Patrick , Xie Shulian 
Published: January 2021

A new species, Encyonema oblonga Liu & Xie, is collected during a survey of the freshwater diatom flora of Manghe River, Shanxi, China. The valves of this new species are oblong with rounded apices and have the features typical of Encyonema, including complex areolae. We compare the new species with the most similar taxa, E. leei, E. leei var. sinensis and E. appalachianum and consider that E. leei var. sinensis is the valid name. The morphology of E. oblonga is documented with light and scanning electron microscopy.
Improved Climatology of Tropical Cyclone Precipitation from Satellite Passive Microwave Measurements
Authors: Yang Song , Lao Vincent , Bankert Richard , Whitcomb Timothy R. , Cossuth Joshua 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAccurate precipitation climatology is presented for tropical depression (TD), tropical storm (TS), and tropical cyclone (TC) over oceans using the recently-released, consistent and high quality precipitation datasets from all passive microwave sensors covering 1998-2012 along with the Automated Rotational Center Hurricane Eye Retrieval (ARCHER)-based TC center positions. Impacts with respect to the direction of both TC movement and the 200-850 hPa wind shear on the spatial distributions of TC precipitation are analyzed. The TC eyewall contraction process during its intensification is noted by a decrease in the radius of maximum rainrate with an increase in TC intensity. For global TCs, the maximum rainrate with respect to the direction of TC movement is located in the down-motion quadrants for TD, TS, and Cat 1-3 TCs, and in a concentric pattern for Cat 4-5 TCs. A consistent maximum TC precipitation with respect to the direction of the 200-850 hPa wind shear is shown in the down shear left quadrant (DSLQ). With respect to direction of TC movement, spatial patterns of TC precipitation vary with basins and show different features for weak and strong storms. The maximum rainrate is always located in DSLQ for all TC categories and basins, except the Southern Hemisphere basin where it is in the down shear right quadrant (DSRQ). This study not only confirms previously published results on TC precipitation distributions relative to vertical wind shear direction, but also provides a detailed distribution for each TC category and TS, while TD storms display an enhanced rainfall rate ahead of the down shear quadrants.
A Closer Look at Power-Law Scaling Applied to Sea Surface Temperature from Scripps Pier Using Empirical Mode Decomposition
Authors: Breaker Laurence C. , Carroll Dustin 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to extract more information about the scaling exponents we obtain from sea surface temperature (SST) because their information content is limited to a single value. We examine the application of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to power-law scaling using SST from Scripps Pier, California. The daily observations we employ extend from 1920 to 2009, a period of 90 years. The annual cycle and the long-term trend were first removed. The decomposition produced a total of 15 modes. The scaling exponents were then calculated separately for each mode from the EMD. We have examined the distribution of scaling exponents with respect to the ensemble, and then with respect to the individual modes for the oceanic processes that we may infer from them. The first three modes are antipersistent and contain about one-quarter of the total variance. The pattern of modes that was obtained is continuous and relatively smooth beyond mode 3 with increasing values up to mode 8 and generally decreasing values thereafter. The pattern exhibits intramodal correlation, as expected, and intermodal correlation as well. Intermodal correlation is likely due, for the most part, to long-range persistence. The annual cycle in SST at Scripps Pier is a dominant feature in the record and contains almost 70% of the variance. A method for removing the annual cycle that is not based on removing the mean value is introduced and is recommended for future use.
Analysing Opportunities for India in Global Value Chains in Post COVID-19 Era
Authors: Bagaria Nidhi 
Published: January 2021

In recent years, trade in intermediate goods has increased manifold with the emergence of global value chains (GVCs). China has emerged as one of the leading countries in the whole GVC network; many countries, including the USA, are heavily dependent on China for the intermediates in the manufacturing sector. The outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns in many countries, including China, have disrupted the supply in GVCs. This situation has led to the search for alternative markets for intermediates for the sustainable-production process. This study looks at how India can be an alternative avenue for the USA in place of China in the GVC network. It investigates the extent of participation of the countries under study in the GVCs and the gains resulting from it. The main focus of the research is to determine the emerging opportunities for India in GVCs, through correlating the USA industries which are vulnerable to disruption in GVCs as caused by China to those industries of India in which India enjoys a comparative advantage. The analysis reveals that in the ‘textiles, wearing apparel, leather and related products’ and ‘chemicals and non-metallic mineral products’ industries, India could be a replacement of China for the USA. JEL Codes: F10, F13, F15
Differences among institutions in the prevalence of and indications for urinary catheterization of advanced cancer patients at palliative care units: A multicenter prospective cohort study (EASED)
Authors: Higashibata Takahiro , Hisanaga Takayuki , Hagiwara Shingo , Shimokawa Miho , Yabuki Ritsuko , Odagiri Takuya , Ito Tetsuya , Kamura Rena , Maeda Isseki , Kosugi Kazuhiro , Mori Masanori , Morita Tatsuya , Tsuneto Satoru , Hamano Jun 
Published: January 2021

Background: Studies on the appropriate use of urinary catheters for cancer patients at the end of life are limited. Aim: To clarify the differences among institutions in the prevalence of and indications for urinary catheterization of advanced cancer patients at palliative care units. Design: Pre-planned secondary analysis of a multicenter, prospective cohort study; East-Asian collaborative cross-cultural Study to Elucidate the Dying process (EASED). Setting/participants: This study enrolled consecutive advanced cancer patients admitted to palliative care units between January and December 2017. The final study group comprised 1212 patients from 21 institutions throughout Japan. Results: Out of the 1212 patients, 380 (31.4%; 95% confidence interval, 28.7%–34.0%) underwent urinary catheterization during their palliative care unit stay, and the prevalence of urinary catheterization in patients who died at palliative care units by institution ranged from 0.0% to 55.4%. When the 21 participating institutions were equally divided into three groups according to the institutional prevalence of catheterization, patients with difficulty in moving safely, exhaustion on movement, and restlessness or agitation were more likely to be catheterized in institutions with a high prevalence of catheterization than in those with a low or moderate prevalence ( p < 0.008, p = 0.008, and p < 0.008, respectively). Conclusion: This study revealed that the institutional prevalence of urinary catheterization in advanced cancer patients at palliative care units widely varied. Further studies are needed to establish the appropriate use of urinary catheters, especially in patients with difficulty in moving safely, exhaustion on movement, and restlessness or agitation.
Prenatal diagnosis of fetal right ventricular diverticulum with massive pericardial effusion in one of monochorionic diamniotic twins: a case report with a favorable outcome following in utero pericardiocentesis
Authors: Wang Yunan , Liu Chang , Yin Aihua , Zhao Xin , He Wei , Xiong Ying , Fang Liyuan , Wu Jing 
Published: January 2021

Background Congenital ventricular diverticulum is a rare abnormality that may occur as an isolated malformation. Most cases are accompanied by pericardial effusion. Prenatal counseling can be difficult because the prognosis is uncertain and there is no consensus approach to prenatal management. Case presentation: We describe a case of congenital cardiac diverticulum complicated by large pericardial effusion in one of monochorionic diamniotic twins. The case was diagnosed by ultrasonography at 21 weeks of gestation. Therapeutic pericardiocentesis at 22 weeks resulted in complete resolution of the effusion and led to a favorable fetal outcome. We summarize the interventions and pregnancy outcomes in cases of cardiac diverticula reported in the literature. Conclusions Better awareness of clinical features, in utero therapies, and pregnancy outcomes could help define and improve prenatal management of congenital ventricular diverticula.
A modular framework for early-phase seamless oncology trials
Authors: Boonstra Philip S , Braun Thomas M , Chase Elizabeth C 
Published: January 2021

Background: As our understanding of the etiology and mechanisms of cancer becomes more sophisticated and the number of therapeutic options increases, phase I oncology trials today have multiple primary objectives. Many such designs are now “seamless,” meaning that the trial estimates both the maximum tolerated dose and the efficacy at this dose level. Sponsors often proceed with further study only with this additional efficacy evidence. However, with this increasing complexity in trial design, it becomes challenging to articulate fundamental operating characteristics of these trials, such as (1) what is the probability that the design will identify an acceptable, that is., safe and efficacious, dose level? or (2) how many patients will be assigned to an acceptable dose level on average? Methods: In this manuscript, we propose a new modular framework for designing and evaluating seamless oncology trials. Each module is comprised of either a dose assignment step or a dose-response evaluation, and multiple such modules can be implemented sequentially. We develop modules from existing phase I/II designs as well as a novel module for evaluating dose-response using a Bayesian isotonic regression scheme. Results: We also demonstrate a freely available R package called seamlesssim to numerically estimate, by means of simulation, the operating characteristics of these modular trials. Conclusions: Together, this design framework and its accompanying simulator allow the clinical trialist to compare multiple different candidate designs, more rigorously assess performance, better justify sample sizes, and ultimately select a higher quality design.
A phase II study of cisplatin plus vinorelbine combined with atezolizumab as adjuvant therapy for completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer with EGFR mutation (West Japan Oncology Group 11719L/ADJUST study)
Authors: Shibaki Ryota , Akamatsu Hiroaki , Kato Terufumi , Nishino Kazumi , Okada Morihito , Mitsudomi Tetsuya , Wakuda Kazushige , Yoshimura Kenichi , Yamamoto Nobuyuki , Nakagawa Kazuhiko 
Published: January 2021

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) is a standard treatment in EGFR-mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, previous data have suggested that EGFR-TKI has limited potential as adjuvant therapy. On the contrary, based on subset analysis with the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC with EGFR mutation, we hypothesized that this combination was worth testing as adjuvant therapy in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Methods: Herein, we introduce our phase II study of cisplatin plus vinorelbine combined with atezolizumab as adjuvant therapy for completely resected NSCLC with EGFR mutation. Accrued patients will be pathological stage II–IIIA with completely resected NSCLC and whose tumors have EGFR mutation. Treatment comprises four cycles of cisplatin plus vinorelbine combined with atezolizumab followed by maintenance with atezolizumab. The primary endpoint is the disease-free survival (DFS) rate at 2 years. Secondary endpoints are DFS, overall survival, and safety. In total, 18 patients will be enrolled in this study. Discussion: Ongoing phase III trials of adjuvant ICI allow the inclusion of patients with EGFR mutation, but our current trial will provide the earliest clinical data on the efficacy of platinum-doublet chemotherapy with atezolizumab.
The Impact of Exogenous Insulin Input on Calculating Hepatic Clearance Parameters
Authors: McHugh Alexander D. , Chase J. Geoffrey , Knopp Jennifer L. , Ormsbee Jennifer J. , Kulawiec Diana G. , Merry Troy L. , Murphy Rinki , Shepherd Peter R. , Burden Hannah J. , Docherty Paul D. 
Published: January 2021

Objective: Model-based metabolic tests require accurate identification of subject-specific parameters from measured assays. Insulin assays are used to identify insulin kinetics parameters, such as general and first-pass hepatic clearances. This study assesses the impact of intravenous insulin boluses on parameter identification precision. Method: Insulin and C-peptide data from two intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) trials of healthy adults ( N = 10 × 2; denoted A and B), with (A) and without (B) insulin modification, were used to identify insulin kinetics parameters using a grid search. Monte Carlo analysis ( N = 1000) quantifies variation in simulation error for insulin assay errors of 5%. A region of parameter values around the optimum was identified whose errors are within variation due to assay error. A smaller optimal region indicates more precise practical identifiability. Trial results were compared to assess identifiability and precision. Results: Trial B, without insulin modification, has optimal parameter regions 4.7 times larger on average than Trial A, with 1-U insulin bolus modification. Ranges of optimal parameter values between trials A and B increase from 0.04 to 0.12 min-1 for hepatic clearance and from 0.07 to 0.14 for first-pass clearance on average. Trial B’s optimal values frequently lie outside physiological ranges, further indicating lack of distinct identifiability. Conclusions: A small 1-U insulin bolus improves identification of hepatic clearance parameters by providing a smaller region of optimal parameter values. Adding an insulin bolus in metabolic tests can significantly improve identifiability and outcome test precision. Assay errors necessitate insulin modification in clinical tests to ensure identifiability and precision.
Epi-Bowman keratectomy versus alcohol-assisted photorefractive keratectomy: wound healing and complications
Authors: Taneri Suphi , Kießler Saskia , Rost Anika , Schultz Tim , Dick H. Burkhard 
Published: January 2021

Purpose: In Epi-Bowman Keratectomy™ (EBK), a new dynamic multi-blade single-use device (Epi-Clear™, Orca Surgical, Israel) is utilized to remove the epithelium by sweeping movements across the corneal surface. Epithelial cells are discarded. Alcohol or other chemical agents are not utilized. We wanted to compare clinical results of Epi-Clear photorefractive kertectomy (PRK) to alcohol-assisted PRK. Study design: Retrospective, comparative study. Methods: Consecutive case series: Adult patients seeking laser vision correction of myopia or myopic astigmatism without ocular diseases or prior surgery were included. The Epi-Clear PRK group comprised 50 consecutive eyes of 27 patients and the PRK group 50 eyes of 25 patients. Results: No intraoperative complications occurred. Epi-Clear PRK: At day 1, day 4, and 3 months, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) was 0.41/0.47/0.93 (decimal scale); epithelial defect diameter was 4.7/0.2/0 (mm); pain level was 3.8/0.3/0 (visual analogue scale, 0–10), respectively. At 3 months, efficacy index was 0.86 and spherical aberrations were unchanged. Three eyes (6%) showed (presumably sterile) infiltrates. PRK: At day 1, day 4, and 3 months, UDVA was 0.56/0.46/1.15; epithelial defect diameter was 6.3/0.2/0 (mm); pain level was 5.0/0.3/0, respectively. At 3 months, efficacy index was 1.1 and spherical aberrations were unchanged. Conclusion: The new method of epithelial debridement with Epi-Clear before laser ablation seems to offer fast epithelial removal without nicking Bowman’s layer (as observed with the laser microscope). However, we found significantly inferior results of Epi-Clear PRK compared to alcohol-assisted PRK. Furthermore, after Epi-Clear PRK corneal infiltrates as a new type of postoperative complication were observed.