bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of transrectal ultrasound in assessing endometrium of postmenopausal women with axial uterus
Authors: Wong M. , Amin T. , Thanatsis N. , Foo X. , Jurkovic D. 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo evaluate the acceptance and efficacy of transrectal ultrasound (TRS) in assessing the endometrium in postmenopausal women with an axial uterus.MethodsThis was a prospective cross‐sectional study conducted between October 2015 and October 2018 of consecutive postmenopausal women with an axial uterus on transvaginal ultrasound (TVS). Women with a known diagnosis of gynecological malignancy were excluded. TRS was offered immediately after TVS without prior bowel preparation. A single operator determined subjectively whether the endometrium was visualized satisfactorily on TVS and TRS. In women with postmenopausal bleeding (PMB), endometrial thickness (ET) was measured and endometrial morphology was categorized as atrophic, uniformly thickened, benign endometrial polyp or endometrial cancer, based on subjective pattern recognition. All women with PMB and a non‐atrophic endometrium underwent outpatient endometrial biopsy, hysteroscopy or hysterectomy. The success rate of TRS in assessing satisfactorily the endometrium was compared with that of TVS. In patients with PMB, ET measurements and subjective diagnosis of endometrial cancer on TVS vs TRS were compared.ResultsOf the 1553 women who underwent TVS examination, 103 (6.6%) had an axial uterus, of whom 76 (73.8%) presented with PMB. TRS was accepted by 66/103 (64.1%) women with an axial uterus. TRS assessed satisfactorily a significantly higher proportion of endometria compared with TVS (90.9% vs 62.1%; χ2 = 14.1, P < 0.001). In 50 women with PMB and an axial uterus who underwent both TVS and TRS, TVS failed to visualize the endometrium satisfactorily in 15 (30.0%) women, whilst TRS provided satisfactory images in all cases. Among the 35 women with PMB and a satisfactory endometrial assessment on TVS and TRS, measurements of ET on TRS were significantly lower compared to those on TVS (median difference, −1.2 (interquartile range, −3.0 to −0.4) mm). The overall agreement of TVS and TRS on the presence or absence of endometrial cancer using subjective pattern recognition was 30/35 (85.7%; 95% CI, 74.1–97.3%). While all seven cases of histologically confirmed endometrial cancer were diagnosed correctly on TRS, four were misdiagnosed on TVS as benign polyps or uniformly thickened endometrium.ConclusionsTRS is an acceptable and effective way to assess the endometrium in postmenopausal women with an axial uterus. Among women presenting additionally with PMB, TRS is associated with a higher proportion of satisfactory endometrial assessments and fewer misdiagnoses of endometrial cancer by subjective pattern recognition compared with TVS. © 2021 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Pneumothorax and extensive subcutaneous emphysema in a French bulldog, following removal of a silicone tracheal stoma stent used for a temporary tracheostomy
Authors: Motta Claudio , Felisberto Ricardo , Ryan Tony 
Published: December 2021

AbstractA 3‐year‐old French bulldog was presented with a 2‐year history of a progressively worsening stertor and exercise intolerance. Clinical examination was suggestive of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). Routine laryngeal examination and computed tomography confirmed changes consistent with BOAS. A folded flap palatoplasty and vertical wedge resection alarplasty were performed. Severe dyspnea and cyanosis developed during recovery necessitating emergency intubation, and temporary tracheostomy was performed. A silicone tracheal stoma stent was placed instead of a tracheostomy tube. The silicone stoma stent was removed after 48 hours, and the patient remained hospitalised for observation for further 8 hours. Before discharge, the patient became severely distressed during IV canula removal. Rapid onset of severe subcutaneous emphysema and dyspnea necessitated emergency induction and intubation. Thoracic radiographs revealed a left‐sided pneumothorax. Following thoracostomy tube placement and drainage, a permanent tracheostomy was performed and the dog was discharged from hospital the following day.
Complication with re‐sedation in southern ground hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri) following partial reversal of two orally administered sedation protocols
Authors: Laubscher Liesel L. , Koeppel Katja , Campbell Robert , Chabangu Sarah , Kemp Lucy V. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe combination of midazolam, medetomidine and azaperone (MMA) was compared with the combination of butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine (BAM) for the sedation of southern ground hornbills when administered orally in a bait. The BAM combination (30 mg butorphanol, 12 mg azaperone and 12 mg medetomidine per ml of solution) at a dose of 0.14 ml/kg was the only combination that did not result in re‐sedation after reversal. However, induction of sedation was long, and sedation was only deep enough for capture, handling, and minor non‐invasive procedures. The MMA combination and higher doses of the BAM combination resulted in quicker inductions although individuals showed mild to severe signs of re‐sedation, starting at 4 hours after reversal and continuing for as long as 17 hours after reversal. Care should therefore be taken when administering these combinations orally to southern ground hornbills as it appears that absorption, metabolism and excretion are unpredictable in this species.
RNA nucleotide methylation: 2021 update
Authors: Motorin Yuri , Helm Mark 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAmong RNA modifications, transfer of methylgroups from the typical cofactor S‐adenosyl‐l‐methionine by methyltransferases (MTases) to RNA is by far the most common reaction. Since our last review about a decade ago, the field has witnessed the re‐emergence of mRNA methylation as an important mechanism in gene regulation. Attention has then spread to many other RNA species; all being included into the newly coined concept of the “epitranscriptome.” The focus moved from prokaryotes and single cell eukaryotes as model organisms to higher eukaryotes, in particular to mammals. The perception of the field has dramatically changed over the past decade. A previous lack of phenotypes in knockouts in single cell organisms has been replaced by the apparition of MTases in numerous disease models and clinical investigations. Major driving forces of the field include methylation mapping techniques, as well as the characterization of the various MTases, termed “writers.” The latter term has spilled over from DNA modification in the neighboring epigenetics field, along with the designations “readers,” applied to mediators of biological effects upon specific binding to a methylated RNA. Furthermore “eraser” enzymes effect the newly discovered oxidative removal of methylgroups. A sense of reversibility and dynamics has replaced the older perception of RNA modification as a concrete‐cast, irreversible part of RNA maturation. A related concept concerns incompletely methylated residues, which, through permutation of each site, lead to inhomogeneous populations of numerous modivariants. This review recapitulates the major developments of the past decade outlined above, and attempts a prediction of upcoming trends.This article is categorized under:
RNA Processing > RNA Editing and Modification
Identification of uncharacterized proteins potentially localized to mitochondria (UPMs) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a fluorescent protein unstable in the cytoplasm
Authors: Horiuchi Satoshi , Namba Shotaro , Saeki Nozomu , Satoh Ayano , Moriya Hisao 
Published: December 2021

AbstractEukaryotic cells are composed of organelles, and each organelle contains proteins that play a role in its function. Therefore, the localization of a protein, especially to organelles, is a clue to infer the function of that protein. In this study, we attempted to identify novel mitochondrially localized proteins in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a fluorescent protein (GFPdeg) that is rapidly degraded in the cytoplasm. Of the budding yeast proteins predicted to localize to mitochondria by the prediction tool Deeploc‐1.0, those with known mitochondrial localization or functional relevance were eliminated, and 95 proteins of unknown function were selected as candidates for analysis. By forced expression of GFPdeg fusion proteins with these proteins and observation of their localization, we identified 35 uncharacterized proteins potentially localized to mitochondria (UPMs) including 8 previously identified proteins that localize to mitochondria. Most of these had no N‐terminal mitochondrial localization signal and were evolutionarily young “emerging genes” that exist only in S. cerevisiae. Some of these genes were found to be upregulated during the postdiauxic shift phase when mitochondria are being developed, suggesting that they are actually involved in some mitochondrial function.
Key Theoretical, Policy, and Implementation Experience Considerations for the Mexican ETS: Toward an Equitable and Cost-Effective Compliance Phase
Authors: Pérez Henríquez Blas L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter presents a brief overview of the policy design and theoretical environmental economic principles that underpin the concept of emissions trading systems (ETS) as a policy approach to address climate change. It discusses basic environmental economic principles pertinent to the development of market-based solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) and co-pollutants. The chapter serves as the technical basis for the broader discussion that this book as a whole presents on the launch of the pilot phase of the Mexican ETS on January 1, 2020. Understanding international program design experiences, theoretical principles, and implementing best practices is key to ensuring Mexico’s success in the transition from the pilot or learning phase to an operational ETS compliance system. This will ensure Mexico fulfills its national climate policy goals and nationally determined contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement in a cost-effective manner, while also providing compliance flexibility to the industrial sectors covered under the program. A well-designed ETS ultimately provides the right incentives for industrial carbon emission reductions to drive cost-effective abatement and clean innovation. Secondly, this chapter presents a more in-depth review of policy developments focusing specifically on key implementation lessons from the two most advanced ETS systems in operation to date: (1) the European Union ETS and (2) California’s cap-and-trade program. In short, this chapter outlines a set of key policy lessons and design parameters to support the transition from the pilot Mexican ETS to an operational compliance phase in a socially just, environmentally sound, and cost-effective manner.
The International Influence of the Emissions Trading System in Mexico
Authors: Gutierrez González Alicia 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis article aims to give an overview of the international influence of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) in Mexico. It is divided into three parts. First, it briefly examines both the international Climate Change regime through the description of such instruments as the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the 2015 Paris Agreement, and the national regime by reviewing as the 2012 General Law on Climate Change (LGCC), the National Emissions Registry (RENE) and its Regulations, as well as other instruments regarding mitigation from carbon tax and clean energy. Second, it analyzes the legal framework of the pilot phase of the ETS in Mexico (under the cap and trade principle) which seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) only in the energy and industry sectors whose emissions are greater than 100 thousand direct tonnes of CO2. In doing so, it also explains the relevance of implementing an ETS as a cost-effective mitigation measure to achieve the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in order to reduce 22% greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 (increasing to 36% if there is international support and financing) and 50% by 2050 as a developing country. Third, it focuses on the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) experience and shows that all its phases must be done gradually by adopting the learning-by-doing approach.
Carbon Finance and Emission Trading in Mexico: Building Lessons from the CDM Experience and FOMECAR (Mexican Carbon Fund)
Authors: Lucatello Simone , Flores José Eduardo Tovar 
Published: December 2021

AbstractA more general lesson from the past decade is that climate policy and carbon initiatives such as ETS and carbon pricing are not static concepts, but are instead constantly evolving and building upon previous experiences. The vision of a single, top-down global trading system has shifted toward the reality of various single and regional trading system programmes. Building a national emission trading system in Mexico will surely pass through processes and experiences that the country has somehow undertaken from the Kyoto Protocol (KP) in 2005, particularly with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the Mexican Carbon Fund (FOMECAR) and their legacy. Additional design elements or provisions must be prepared under the new ETS in Mexico: regulation will possibly include definitions, scope, compliance obligation, legal procedures and other necessary provisions such as the allocation of permits. However, in order to start the process, important questions on financing the initiative and accompanying the development of an ETS will go through a finance support scenario. Thus, who is going to finance the starting process for allocating emissions, financing bonds and other design issues for the implementation of the Mexican ETS? Who will be financing and offering technical cooperation to follow up on eligible projects for the ETS and who will be supporting education and information activities about ETS implementation? Those and other questions will be addressed in this article, in the light of international and regional experiences.
Emission Trading System and Forest: Learning from the Experience of New Zealand
Authors: Rontard Benjamin , Hernandez Humberto Reyes 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn the area of international policy to mitigate climate change, the forest has been important in achieving the objectives of liable countries. The Emissions Trading System in New Zealand (NZ ETS) is the only case of an ETS integrating forestry as a mandatory actor. This is the result of prolonged political discussions and the characteristics of New Zealand forestry. Forest landowners are liable to surrender allowances for deforestation and can potentially receive allowances for the level of carbon sequestered. This scheme created new opportunities for forestry activities and impacted the decision-making trade-offs related to land-use changes. In Mexico, the implementation of an Emissions Trading System in 2020 is evidence of the country’s commitment to controlling domestic emissions under the Paris Agreement. Nevertheless, for now, the forestry sector is not involved as a liable actor. It is possible to envision the integration of the forest sector because of the extensive forest cover in the country, which provides a livelihood for a large part of the population. Mexico has the experience and institutional framework to integrate forestry into national emission accounting and carbon forest projects in the voluntary market. The potential impacts of this integration are both positive and negative. Environmental impacts are positive because forest areas can help mitigate emissions, but intensive carbon farming disrupts native forests and biodiversity. The economic impacts would be highly favorable for forest landowners if market volatility were controlled, but there is a potential loss of public revenue for the State. Finally, carbon forestry has the potential to cause conflict between economic sectors involved in land use and among participating communities.
Caring in the in-between: a proposal to introduce responsible AI and robotics to healthcare
Authors: Vallès-Peris Núria , Domènech Miquel 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn the scenario of growing polarization of promises and dangers that surround artificial intelligence (AI), how to introduce responsible AI and robotics in healthcare? In this paper, we develop an ethical–political approach to introduce democratic mechanisms to technological development, what we call “Caring in the In-Between”. Focusing on the multiple possibilities for action that emerge in the realm of uncertainty, we propose an ethical and responsible framework focused on care actions in between fears and hopes. Using the theoretical perspective of Science and Technology Studies and empirical research, “Caring in the In-Between” is based on three movements: the first is a change of focus from the world of promises and dangers to the world of uncertainties; the second is a conceptual shift from assuming a relationship with robotics based on a Human–Robot Interaction to another focused on the network in which the robot is embedded (the “Robot Embedded in a Network”); and the last is an ethical shift from a general normative framework to a discussion on the context of use. Based on these suggestions, “Caring in the In-Between” implies institutional challenges, as well as new practices in healthcare systems. It is articulated around three simultaneous processes, each of them related to practical actions in the “in-between” dimensions considered: monitoring relations and caring processes, through public engagement and institutional changes; including concerns and priorities of stakeholders, with the organization of participatory processes and alternative forms of representation; and making fears and hopes commensurable, through the choice of progressive and reversible actions.
Modelling decay in effectiveness for evaluation of behaviour change interventions: a tutorial for public health economists
Authors: Candio Paolo , Pouwels Koen B. , Meads David , Hill Andrew J. , Bojke Laura , Williams Claire 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackground and purposeRecent methodological reviews of evaluations of behaviour change interventions in public health have highlighted that the decay in effectiveness over time has been mostly overlooked, potentially leading to suboptimal decision-making. While, in principle, discrete-time Markov chains—the most commonly used modelling approach—can be adapted to account for decay in effectiveness, this framework inherently lends itself to strong model simplifications. The application of formal and more appropriate modelling approaches has been supported, but limited progress has been made to date. The purpose of this paper is to encourage this shift by offering a practical guide on how to model decay in effectiveness using a continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC)-based approach.MethodsA CTMC approach is demonstrated, with a contextualized tutorial being presented to facilitate learning and uptake. A worked example based on the stylized case study in physical activity promotion is illustrated with accompanying R code.DiscussionThe proposed framework presents a relatively small incremental change from the current modelling practice. CTMC represents a technical solution which, in absence of relevant data, allows for formally testing the sensitivity of results to assumptions regarding the long-term sustainability of intervention effects and improving model transparency.ConclusionsThe use of CTMC should be considered in evaluations where decay in effectiveness is likely to be a key factor to consider. This would enable more robust model-based evaluations of population-level programmes to promote behaviour change and reduce the uncertainty surrounding the decision to invest in these public health interventions.
The contribution of deadwood to soil carbon dynamics in contrasting temperate forest ecosystems
Authors: Shannon V. L. , Vanguelova E. I. , Morison J. I. L. , Shaw L. J. , Clark J. M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractDeadwood forms a significant carbon pool in forest systems and is a potential source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) input to soil, yet little is known about how deadwood effects forest soil carbon cycling. Deadwood DOC inputs to soil may be retained through sorption or may prime microbial decomposition of existing organic matter to produce additional DOC. To determine impacts of deadwood on soil C cycling, we analysed surface soil from beneath deadwood or leaf litter only, along chronosequences of stands of lowland oak and upland Sitka spruce. The concentration and quality (by optical indices) of water-extracted soil DOC (water-extractable organic carbon; WEOC), in situ decomposition ‘tea bag index’ (TBI) parameters and enzymatic potential assays (β-D-cellubiosidase, β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, leucine aminopeptidase, phosphatase, phenol oxidase) were determined. Presence of deadwood significantly (p < 0.05) increased WEOC concentration (~ 1.5 to ~ 1.75 times) in the mineral oak soil but had no effect on WEOC in spruce soils, potentially because spruce deadwood DOC inputs were masked by a high background of WEOC (1168 mg kg−1 soil) and/or were not retained through mineral sorption in the highly organic (~ 90% SOM) soil. TBI and enzyme evidence suggested that deadwood-derived DOC did not impact existing forest carbon pools via microbial priming, possibly due to the more humified/aromatic quality of DOC produced (humification index of 0.75 and 0.65 for deadwood and leaf litter WEOC, respectively). Forest carbon budgets, particularly those for mineral soils, may underestimate the quantity of DOC if derived from soil monitoring that does not include a deadwood component.
Variability of diatom community composition and structure in mountain streams
Authors: González-Paz Lorena , Comesaña María , Pardo Isabel , Barquín José , Goldenberg-Vilar Alejandra , Delgado Cristina 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSmall rivers support high levels of biodiversity, being especially sensitive to the effects of global change. Temporal records of community composition in minimally impaired streams can be used to explore trends in biodiversity in response to climate change and natural temporal variation. We approached the comparison of two time periods (2003–2008 and 2016–2020) to study whether the composition of diatom assemblages changed over time in twenty-three streams of the mountain range of Picos de Europa (Northern Spain). The stream’s water chemistry indicated significant decreases in N_NO3−and P_PO43−content over time. In these minimally disturbed streams, the specific diatom community was dominated byAchnanthidium pyrenaicum,Achnanthidium minutissimumandCocconeis euglypta. PERMANOVA analyses did not identify significant changes in diatom assemblage composition between periods or river types. Diatom indices (e.g. IPS, NORTIdiat) indicated high or good ecological status and relatively high alpha diversity values were found in these mountain rivers during the studied years. Although diversity and evenness showed a significant decrease over time, the temporal stability of the river-type diatom reference community between the two periods should be considered as an indicator of biodiversity persistence of high importance when monitoring the ecological status following the reference condition approach.