bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inter-method reliability of the modified Rankin Scale in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: Nobels-Janssen E. , Postma E. N. , Abma I. L. , van Dijk J. M. C. , Haeren R. , Schenck H. , Moojen W. A. , den Hertog M. H. , Nanda D. , Potgieser A. R. E. , Coert B. A. , Verhagen W. I. M. , Bartels R. H. M. A. , van der Wees P. J. , Verbaan D. , Boogaarts H. D. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background and objectives
The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is one of the most frequently used outcome measures in trials in patients with an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The assessment method of the mRS is often not clearly described in trials, while the method used might influence the mRS score. The aim of this study is to evaluate the inter-method reliability of different assessment methods of the mRS.

Methods
This is a prospective, randomized, multicenter study with follow-up at 6 weeks and 6 months. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with aSAH were randomized to either a structured interview or a self-assessment of the mRS. Patients were seen by a physician who assigned an mRS score, followed by either the structured interview or the self-assessment. Inter-method reliability was assessed with the quadratic weighted kappa score and percentage of agreement. Assessment of feasibility of the self-assessment was done by a feasibility questionnaire.

Results
The quadratic weighted kappa was 0.60 between the assessment of the physician and structured interview and 0.56 between assessment of the physician and self-assessment. Percentage agreement was, respectively, 50.8 and 19.6%. The assessment of the mRS through a structured interview and by self-assessment resulted in systematically higher mRS scores than the mRS scored by the physician. Self-assessment of the mRS was proven feasible.

Discussion
The mRS scores obtained with different assessment methods differ significantly. The agreement between the scores is low, although the reliability between the assessment methods is good. This should be considered when using the mRS in clinical trials.

Trial registration
www.trialregister.nl; Unique identifier: NL7859.
Assessing patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants from standard neonatal intensive care monitoring
Authors: Kotidis Charalampos , Wertheim David , Weindling Michael , Rabe Heike , Turner Mark A. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractMonitoring patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants is currently performed intermittently using echocardiography which requires considerable expertise. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate whether PDA status could be assessed from standard neonatal intensive care monitoring. Electrocardiography (ECG) and blood pressure (BP) waveforms were acquired from extremely preterm infants using standard neonatal monitors. We developed software using MATLAB to analyse ECG and BP waveforms and their interrelationships in terms of pulse transit time (PTT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV). The times from peak systolic BP to diastolic trough (BPFt) and from the diastolic trough to peak systolic BP (BPRt) were also calculated. PTT, BPFt and BPRt were normalised for heart rate (HR) termed NPTT, NBPFt and NBPRt, respectively. ECG, invasive aortic BP monitoring and echocardiography were performed in 14 preterm infants < 29 weeks’ gestation in the first 3 days after birth. The median (range) birth weight of the infants was 0.90 (0.48–1.31) kg, gestation 26.6 (24.0–28.7) weeks, PDA diameter 1.6 (0.8–3.6) mm and mean BP 32 (16–40) mmHg. We found a significant positive correlation between PDA diameter and NPTT (r = 0.69,P = 0.007) as well as NBPFt (r = 0.65,P = 0.012) and NBPRt (r = 0.71,P = 0.005). No relationship was found between PDA diameter and pulse pressure.Conclusions: Interrelationships between ECG and BP traces as well as BP waveform time analysis are straightforward to measure and associated with PDA diameter. The results of this pilot study suggest that this approach may help provide biomarkers for continuous monitoring PDA diameter and function.What is Known:• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants is associated with increased risk of developing chronic lung disease, necrotising enterocolitis and cerebral injury.• Currently PDA is assessed intermittently using echocardiography which requires considerable expertise and sometimes is not well tolerated by critically ill preterm infants.What is New:• Blood pressure (BP) and ECG waveform interrelation and BP trace time analysis, taking account of heart rate, relate to PDA diameter.• ECG and BP waveform phase difference as well as BP waveform time analysis may be useful in the continuous assessment of PDA function.
Adoption of large-scale medical equipment: the impact of competition in the German inpatient sector
Authors: Dreger Marie , Langhoff Hauke , Henschke Cornelia 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe availability of large-scale medical equipment such as computed tomography (CT), magnet resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scanners has increased rapidly worldwide over the last decades. Among OECD countries, Germany ranks high according to the number of imaging technologies and their applications per inhabitant. In contrast to other countries, there is no active governmental planning of large-scale medical equipment. We therefore investigated whether and how the adoption and distribution of CT, MRI and PET scanners in the German inpatient sector is subject to competition. Using a linear-probability model, we additionally examined the impact of regional, hospital- and population-based factors. In summary, our results indicate that the adoption rate by hospital sites decreases with the number of other sites being already equipped with the respective device and their proximity. However, the effect presumably depends on the technologies’ stage within the diffusion process. No influence regarding the amount of state subsidies could be identified. Furthermore, hospital size and university status strongly affect the adoption.
Trichomonas gallinae infections in the naïve host Montifringilla nivalis subsp. nivalis
Authors: Dirren Sebastian , Borel Stéphanie , Wolfrum Nina , Korner-Nievergelt Fränzi 
Published: November 2021

AbstractInfectious diseases bear a great risk for populations of naïve host species. In the present article we inform about the first microscopic and molecular detection of the bird pathogen Trichomonas gallinae in the White-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis subsp. nivalis). The emergence of trichomonosis in this highly specialised alpine bird species may pose a serious threat to its already declining population. Interspecies transmission of T. gallinae most likely occurred at a bird feeder in a Swiss mountain village. Monitoring of the disease and immediate measures to prevent its spread are urgently needed.
Justice, Transparency and the Guiding Principles of the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
Authors: Charlton Victoria 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the UK’s primary healthcare priority-setting body, responsible for advising the National Health Service in England on which technologies to fund and which to reject. Until recently, the normative approach underlying this advice was described in a 2008 document entitled ‘Social value judgements: Principles for the development of NICE guidance’ (SVJ). In January 2020, however, NICE replaced SVJ with a new articulation of its guiding principles. Given the significant evolution of NICE’s methods between 2008 and 2020, this study examines whether this new document (‘Principles’) offers a transparent account of NICE’s current normative approach. It finds that it does not, deriving much of its content directly from SVJ and failing to fully acknowledge or explain how and why NICE’s approach has since changed. In particular, Principles is found to offer a largely procedural account of NICE decision-making, despite evidence of the increasing reliance of NICE’s methods on substantive decision-rules and ‘modifiers’ that cannot be justified in purely procedural terms. Thus, while Principles tells NICE’s stakeholders much about how the organisation goes about the process of decision-making, it tells them little about the substantive grounds on which its decisions are now based. It is therefore argued that Principles does not offer a transparent account of NICE’s normative approach (either alone, or alongside other documents) and that, given NICE’s reliance on transparency as a requirement of procedural justice, NICE does not in this respect satisfy its own specification of a just decision-maker.
Thermal stability of polymeric carbon nitride (PCN)-Al2O3–ZrO2 nanocomposites used in photocatalysis
Authors: Koltsov Iwona 
Published: November 2021

AbstractPolymeric carbon nitride (PCN) was recently found to have extensive applications in the field of photocatalysis. Knowledge about thermal stability of PCN nanocomposites is crucial for this application and designing the final product. In this work, the thermal stability of PCN-Al2O3–ZrO2 nanocomposites was investigated. PCN nanocomposites were obtained in two steps: (1) microwave hydrothermal synthesis of co-precipitated AlOOH and ZrO2 precursors, followed by drying; (2) mixing the nanopowders with melamine powder and annealing in air in a tube furnace at 400, and 450 °C. The PCN nanocomposites were examined by attenuated total reflection technique of Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. Also, the evolved gas analysis was performed combining differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectroscopy and FTIR. The results show that only PCN-Al2O3–ZrO2 nanocomposite obtained at 400 °C is stable from room temperature up to 490 °C and during thermal decomposition, in one step releases ammonia (NH3), cyanic acid (HNCO), water (H2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2). The limitation of the PCN-Al2O3–ZrO2 thermal stability and performance is AlOOH–ZrO2 used as a nanocomposite component.
Photovoice-Studie CORONA
Authors: Redlof Saskia , Götz Madlen , Niederberger Marlen 
Published: November 2021

ZusammenfassungHintergrundPersonen, die der Hockrisikogruppe angehören, sind einem deutlich erhöhten Risiko ausgesetzt bei einer Infektion mit COVID-19 („coronavirus disease 2019“) einen erschwerten Krankheitsverlauf zu entwickeln und daran zu sterben. Um die Verbreitung von COVID-19 in der Bevölkerung einzudämmen, werden situationsangepasste Maßnahmen durchgesetzt, die Änderungen der Alltagsgestaltung bewirken.Ziel der ArbeitDie Auseinandersetzung der Hochrisikogruppe mit den Auswirkungen der Coronapandemie, die partizipative Erforschung ihrer Alltagsgestaltung, Sorgen und Gesundheitsressourcen stehen im Zentrum dieser Studie.Material und MethodenZur Analyse der Lebenswelt der Hochrisikogruppe wurde die Photovoice-Methode im Online-Format mit drei Workshops eingesetzt. Sieben Hochrisikopatient:innen mit unterschiedlichen Grunderkrankungen schildern, was Corona für sie im Alltag bedeutet und wofür sie dennoch dankbar sind. Die Rekrutierung erfolgte über persönliche Kontakte des Forschungsteams.ErgebnisseDie Co-Forschenden haben neun Geschichten formuliert, anhand derer ihre Dankbarkeit gegenüber des Gesundheitssystems und sozialen Umfelds zum Ausdruck kommt. Die Frage einer gesellschaftlichen Stigmatisierung von Personen mit Grunderkrankungen wird kritisch reflektiert. Die Geschichten zeigen, dass sie gesundheitskompetent handeln und persönliche Gesundheitsressourcen bewusst einsetzen, um negative Folgen auf ihre Gesundheit zu vermeiden und ihr Wohlbefinden zu steigern.DiskussionDie Co-Forschenden erweisen sich als gesundheitskompetent und in der Lage, ihr Wohlbefinden positiv zu beeinflussen. Es deutet sich jedoch an, dass der gesellschaftliche Umgang mit vulnerablen Gemeinschaften weiter zu erforschen ist, insbesondere mit Blick auf Diskriminierungsprozesse und einer bedarfsgerechten Gesundheitsversorgung.
Generalization of prime ideals in $$M_n(N)$$-group $$N^{n}$$
Authors: Tapatee S. , Kedukodi B. S. , Juglal S. , Harikrishnan P. K. , Kuncham S. P. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe notion of a matrix nearring over an arbitrary nearring was introduced by (Meldrum and Walt Arch. Math. 47(4): 312–319, 1986). In this paper, we define the notions such as weakly $$\tau$$
τ
-prime $$(\tau =0,c,3,e)$$

(
τ
=
0
,
c
,
3
,
e
)

ideals of an N-group G, which are the generalization of the classes of $$\tau$$
τ
-prime ideals of G, and provide suitable examples to distinguish between the two classes. We extend the concept to obtain the one-one correspondence between weakly $$\tau$$
τ
-prime ideals $$(\tau =0,c,3,e)$$

(
τ
=
0
,
c
,
3
,
e
)

of N-group (over itself) and those of $$M_n(N)$$

M
n

(
N
)

-group $$N^{n}$$

N
n

, where $$M_n(N)$$

M
n

(
N
)

is the matrix nearring over the nearring N. Further, we prove the correspondence between weakly 2-absorbing ideals of these classes.
The value of immunotherapy in pediatric leukemia and lymphoma
Authors: Salzer Elisabeth , Attarbaschi Andishe 
Published: November 2021

SummaryLeukemia and lymphoma are a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in children and the prognosis for patients with relapsed or refractory disease remains poor. Standard therapies are associated with a wide array of acute and long-term toxicities. Immunotherapy is changing the treatment landscape for pediatric leukemia and lymphoma patients and has advanced at a tremendous pace over the last decade. Immunotherapies are thought to exhibit fewer long-term toxicities than chemotherapy and radiation, which makes it very appealing in the field of pediatrics. These novel therapeutic concepts may overcome resistance to and decrease side effects of standard therapy. Many therapies are currently being investigated, from immunomodulatory agents to adoptive cell therapy, bispecific T‑cell engagers, oncolytic virotherapy, and checkpoint inhibition. A critical challenge that must be overcome is the identification of biomarker(s) to identify patients who would benefit from immunotherapy.
Creep behavior of cemented sand investigated under cyclic loading
Authors: Chang Kuang-Tsung , Lee Kevin Zeh-Zon , Yeh Po-Tsun , Chang Chia-Ming , Yu Jin-Yi 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe influence of stress state on the creep behavior of an artificial cemented sand resembling soft rocks was evaluated. The stress state was characterized by a mean stress and a stress ratio. The cyclic stress-induced creep test was adopted in this study, where the cyclic loading involved a constant deviator stress and a cyclic mean stress (or confining pressure) of the same amplitude and period; the test indicated similar trends as the conventional creep test with a shorter time to creep failure at less creep strain. Results showed that when the creep strain is large enough, the greater the creep strain accumulates, the smaller is the post-creep strength. Under the same number of cyclic loads, with the same stress ratio, the creep strain and the steady-state strain rate in the secondary creep stage increase with increasing mean stress; with the same mean stress, the two said parameters also increase with increasing stress ratio. It was also found that the time to reach creep failure decreases with decreasing mean stress and increasing stress ratio. The stress ratio is proposed to account for the tendency of a stress state to cause failure, and the cyclic variation of mean stress, which is equivalent to the effective mean stress with pore water pressure being zero in the tests conducted, reflects the effective stress state of a geomaterial under fluctuations of groundwater table. Under a fixed deviator stress, a soft porous geomaterial subjected to cyclic variation of effective mean stress may yield contraction and could lead to failure if the stress ratio is high. The findings can help explain the mechanism of ground subsidence or slope failure subjected to cyclic fluctuations of groundwater table.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of lung cancer brain metastasis and primary tumor receptor expression discordance
Authors: Tonse Raees , Rubens Muni , Appel Haley , Tom Martin C. , Hall Matthew D. , Odia Yazmin , McDermott Michael W. , Ahluwalia Manmeet S. , Mehta Minesh P. , Kotecha Rupesh 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Background
Treatment paradigms for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer are increasingly based on biomarker-driven therapies, with the most common alteration being mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Change in expression of such biomarkers could have a profound impact on the choice and efficacy of a selected targeted therapeutic, and hence the objective of this study was to analyze discordance in EGFR status in patients with lung cancer brain metastasis (LCBM).

Methods
Using PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was performed of series in the Medline database of biopsied or resected LCBM published before May, 2020. Key words included “lung cancer” and “brain metastasis” combined with “epidermal growth factor receptor/EGFR,” and “receptor conversion/discordance or concordance.” Weighted random effects models were used to calculate pooled estimates.

Results
We identified 501 patients from 19 full-text articles for inclusion in this study. All patients underwent biopsy or resection of at least one intracranial lesion to compare to the primary tumor. On primary/LCBM comparison, the weighted pooled estimate for overall EGFR receptor discordance was 10% (95% CI 5–17%). The weighted effects model estimated a gain of an EGFR mutation in a brain metastases in patients with negative primary tumors was 7% (95% CI 4–12%). Alternatively, the weighted effects model estimate of loss of an EGFR mutation in patients with detected mutations in the primary tumor was also 7% (95% CI 4–10%). KRAS testing was also performed on both primary tumors and LCBM in a subset of 148 patients. The weighted effects estimate of KRAS-mutation discordance among LCBM compared to primary tumors was 13% (95% CI 5–27%). The weighted effects estimated of KRAS gain and loss in LCBM was 10% (95% CI 6–18%) and 8% (95% CI 4–15%), respectively. Meta-regression analysis did not find any association with any factors that could be associated with discordances.

Conclusions
EGFR and KRAS mutation status discordance between primary tumor and LCBM occurs in approximately 10% and 13% of patients, respectively. Evaluation of LCBM receptor status is key to biomarker-driven targeted therapy for intracranial disease and awareness of subtype switching is critical for those patients treated with systemic therapy alone for intracranial disease.
Design method and application of accurate adjustment scheme for water injection wells around adjustment wells
Authors: Hao Tongchun , Zhong Liguo , Liu Jianbin , Han Xiaodong , Zhu Tianyin , Zhang Xiaocheng , Wang Xiaopeng , Zhang Lei 
Published: November 2021

AbstractAffected by the surrounding injection and production wells, the formation near the infill adjustment well is in an abnormal pressure state, and drilling and completion operations are prone to complex situations and accidents such as leakage and overflow. The conventional shut-in method is to close all water injection wells around the adjustment well to ensure the safety of the operation, but at the same time reduce the oil field production. This paper proposes a design method for shut-in of water injection wells around adjustment wells based on injection-production data mining. This method uses water injection index and liquid productivity index as target parameters to analyze the correlation between injection and production wells. Select water injection wells with a high correlation and combine other parameters such as wellhead pressure and pressure recovery speed to design accurate adjustment schemes. Low-correlation wells do not take shut-in measures. This method was applied to 20 infill adjustment wells in the Penglai Oilfield. The correlation between injection and production wells was calculated using the data more than 500 injection wells and production wells. After a single adjustment well is drilled, the surrounding injection wells can increase the water injection volume by more than 5000 m3. This method achieves accurate adjustment for water injection wells that are high correlated with the adjustment well. Under the premise of ensuring the safety of drilling operations, the impact of drilling and completion on oilfield development is minimized, and oilfield production efficiency is improved. It has good application and promotion value.
Influence of reservoir lithology on porous flow resistance of gas-bearing tight oil reservoirs and production forecast
Authors: Rao Yuan , Yang Zhengming , Chang Lijing , Zhang Yapu , Wu Zhenkai , Li Haibo 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe release of dissolved gas during the development of gas-bearing tight oil reservoirs has a great influence on the effect of development. In this article, the high-pressure mercury intrusion experiment was carried out in cores from different regions and lithologies of the Ordos Basin and the Sichuan Basin. The objectives are to study the microscopic characteristics of the porous throat structure of these reservoirs and to analyze the porous flow resistance laws of different lithology by conducting a resistance gradient test experiment. A mathematical model is established and the oil production index is corrected according to the experiment results to predict the oil production. The experimental results show that for tight reservoirs in the same area and lithology, the lower the permeability under the same back pressure, the greater the resistance gradient. And for sandstone reservoirs in different areas, the resistance gradients have little difference and the changes in the resistance coefficients are similar. However, limestone under the same conditions supports a much higher resistance gradient than sandstone reservoirs. Furthermore, the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical analysis indicating that the PVT (pressure–volume-temperature) characteristics in the nanoscale pores are different from those measured in the high-temperature, high-pressure sampler. Only when the pressure is less than a certain value of the bubble point pressure, the dissolved gas will begin to separate and generate resistance. This pressure is lower than the bubble point pressure measured in the high-temperature and pressure sampler. The calculation results show that the heterogeneity of limestone reservoirs and the mismatch of fluid storage and flow space will make the resistance, generated by the separation of dissolved gas, have a greater impact on oil production.
Determination of nanoparticles concentration in solution based on Pickering emulsion destabilization analyses
Authors: Błaszczyk Mariola M. , Przybysz Łukasz 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe
dynamic development of nanotechnology research has contributed to the fact that various types of nanoparticles are increasingly used on a large scale both for medical and biological purposes, but above all in many industrial fields. Such a wide application of nanoparticles is often connected with the need to estimate their characteristic parameters, such as size, size distribution or concentration. Existing instruments are usually quite expensive and not always available. Therefore, other cheaper and simpler methods based on analytical techniques are sought. In this paper, we have proposed a method to estimate the concentration of nanoparticles in solutions based on destabilization analyses of Pickering emulsions produced with their use. The fact of mutual relationship between emulsion concentration, nanoparticle concentration and emulsion stability was used here. The study was carried out using silica nanoparticles. It was presented how to apply the method and what are its limitations. Moreover, an example of its application for the determination of nanoparticle concentration in an unknown sample, obtained after analysis of the permeability of membranes in diffusion chambers, has been presented. The method can become a useful alternative for the determination of nanoparticle concentration in solution in places where no specialized equipment is available.