bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Instrumental variable estimation of complier causal treatment effect with interval‐censored data
Authors: Li Shuwei , Peng Limin 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAssessing causal treatment effect on a time‐to‐event outcome is of key interest in many scientific investigations. Instrumental variable (IV) is a useful tool to mitigate the impact of endogenous treatment selection to attain unbiased estimation of causal treatment effect. Existing development of IV methodology, however, has not attended to outcomes subject to interval censoring, which are ubiquitously present in studies with intermittent follow‐up but are challenging to handle in terms of both theory and computation. In this work, we fill in this important gap by studying a general class of causal semiparametric transformation models with interval‐censored data. We propose a nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator of the complier causal treatment effect. Moreover, we design a reliable and computationally stable expectation–maximization (EM) algorithm, which has a tractable objective function in the maximization step via the use of Poisson latent variables. The asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators, including the consistency, asymptotic normality, and semiparametric efficiency, are established with empirical process techniques. We conduct extensive simulation studies and an application to a colorectal cancer screening data set, showing satisfactory finite‐sample performance of the proposed method as well as its prominent advantages over naive methods.
The effect of Hurricane María on the richness and calling activity of the Eleutherodactylus assemblages of the Carite State Forest, Puerto Rico
Authors: López‐Hernández Diana , Puente‐Rolón Alberto 
Published: September 2021

AbstractHurricane María severely disturbed Puerto Rico's forests, including their vegetation and animal communities. One of the main links on the trophic chains of these forests is amphibians of the Eleutherodactylus genus. This study quantifies the effect that Hurricane María had on the Eleutherodactylus communities by using passive acoustic monitoring. Methods included species richness and calling activity comparisons of each species present in the studied sites. Because of how energetically costly vocalizing is for anurans, calling activity can be used as a measurement of how these frogs are recovering after the disturbance. Results showed that the species’ responses to the disturbance were heterogeneous and site‐dependent. Eleutherodactylus antillensis and E. brittoni were the only colonizer species increasing in both calling activity (52% and 28%) and occurrence. E. wightmanae and E. coqui appeared in the same number of sites both before and after the hurricane, but did reduce their calling activity (11% and 6%). E. richmondi and E. cochranae decreased their calling activity (7.5% and 43%) and appeared in fewer sites post‐hurricane. The only species that did not change its activity or occurrence post‐hurricane was E. portoricensis. This study shows that passive acoustic monitoring can be a useful tool to survey the effect of large‐scale disturbances on amphibian communities. This is the first study quantifying the effects of a Category 4 hurricane on the Eleutherodactylus communities of southeastern Puerto Rico.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
LncRNA BASP1‐AS1 interacts with YBX1 to regulate Notch transcription and drives the malignancy of melanoma
Authors: Li YaLing , Gao YaLi , Niu XueLi , Tang MingSui , Li JingYi , Song Bing , Guan XiuHao 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMelanoma is a fatal skin malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. We found that long noncoding RNA BASP1‐AS1 is essential for the development and prognosis of melanoma. The methylation, RNA sequencing, copy number variation, mutation data, and sample follow‐up information of melanoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed using weighted gene co‐expression network analysis and 366 samples common to the three omics were selected for multigroup clustering analysis. A four‐gene prognostic model (BASP1‐AS1, LOC100506098, ARHGAP27P1, and LINC01532) was constructed in the TCGA cohort and validated using the GSE65904 series. The expression of BASP1‐AS1 was upregulated in melanoma tissues and various melanoma cell lines. Functionally, the ectopic expression of BASP1‐AS1 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in both A375 and SK‐MEL‐2 cells. Mechanically, BASP1‐AS1 interacted with YBX1 and recruited it to the promoter of NOTCH3, initiating its transcription process. The activation of the Notch signaling then resulted in the transcription of multiple oncogenes, including c‐MYC, PCNA, and CDK4, which contributed to melanoma progression. Thus, BASP1‐AS1 could act as a potential biomarker for cutaneous malignant melanoma.
We should not necessarily expect positive relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in observational field data
Authors: Hagan James G. , Vanschoenwinkel Bram , Gamfeldt Lars 
Published: September 2021

AbstractOur current, empirical understanding of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function is based on two information sources. First, controlled experiments which show generally positive relationships. Second, observational field data which show variable relationships. This latter source coupled with a lack of observed declines in local biodiversity has led to the argument that biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning relationships may be uninformative for conservation and management. We review ecological theory and re‐analyse several biodiversity datasets to argue that ecosystem function correlations with local diversity in observational field data are often difficult to interpret in the context of biodiversity‐ecosystem function research. This occurs because biotic interactions filter species during community assembly which means that there can be a high biodiversity effect on functioning even with low observed local diversity. Our review indicates that we should not necessarily expect any specific relationship between local biodiversity and ecosystem function in observational field data. Rather, linking predictions from biodiversity‐ecosystem function theory and experiments to observational field data requires considering the pool of species available during colonisation: the local species pool. We suggest that, even without local biodiversity declines, biodiversity loss at regional scales—which determines local species pools—may still negatively affect ecosystem functioning.
Spatial and temporal patterns in native and invasive crayfishes during a 19‐year whole‐lake invasive crayfish removal experiment
Authors: Perales K. Martin , Hansen Gretchen J. A. , Hein Catherine L. , Mrnak Joseph T. , Roth Brian M. , Walsh Jake R. , Vander Zanden M. Jake 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Understanding where, when, and how native species persist in the face of invasive species‐driven ecosystem change is critical for invasive species management and native species conservation. In some cases, ecological interactions among native and invasive species are spatially structured, and spatial segregation can be a key coexistence mechanism for ecologically similar taxa.

We evaluated 19‐years of spatially explicit crayfish community data from a long‐term whole‐lake experiment, which includes 8 years of invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) removal followed by 11 years of post‐removal data collection. We quantified the within lake spatiotemporal patterns of virile crayfish (F. virilis) and rusty crayfish, and relate their dynamics to site‐level habitat conditions.

In response to removal efforts, rusty crayfish catch rates declined by >95%, and native virile crayfish catch rates increased by more than 20‐fold. Ten years after ceasing removals, rusty crayfish have stayed at this relatively low abundance, and the virile crayfish population has remained stable. During removal, rusty crayfish abundances decreased non‐uniformly throughout the lake. Only after rusty crayfish populations were at their lowest levels did the native virile crayfish population begin to show signs of a recovery.

Virile crayfish recovery was highly localized within the lake, and likely influenced by habitat and rusty crayfish abundance. Initially, virile crayfish made the most substantial resurgence in an area of the lake with rocky habitat conditions, but through time their distribution shifted into adjacent suboptimal macrophyte and muck habitats as rusty crayfish became more abundant in nearby areas. In general, when the two species overlapped in space, virile crayfish abundance stayed low, or the population shifted to adjacent areas with fewer competitively dominant rusty crayfish.

Our results suggest that habitat heterogeneity allowed virile crayfish to maintain a foothold despite high rusty crayfish densities. Removal efforts led to the recovery of virile crayfish, and spatial segregation facilitated both species coexisting at comparable abundances for a decade. Our results highlight that invasive species control, even in the absence of complete eradication, can benefit native species and that spatially structured interactions can promote coexistence.
Driving cessation and physical frailty in community‐dwelling older adults: A longitudinal study
Authors: Ishii Hideaki , Doi Takehiko , Tsutsumimoto Kota , Nakakubo Sho , Kurita Satoshi , Shimada Hiroyuki 
Published: September 2021

AimPhysical frailty is a critical health problem that can increase the risk of adverse health outcomes in older adults. Driving cessation has been associated with negative outcomes such as disability. However, the relationship between physical frailty and driving cessation remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to examine whether driving cessation is associated with physical frailty transition in community‐dwelling older adults.MethodsThis prospective cohort study was performed in a community setting in Japan. Participants were 2934 older Japanese adults, classified into two groups according to their driving status: a driving group (drivers at baseline who continued driving at a 4‐year follow‐up) and a driving cessation group (drivers at baseline who ceased driving by 4‐year follow‐up). We examined the association between physical frailty transition and driving cessation over a 4‐year period, using logistic regression analysis before and after imputation.ResultsIn total, 3.9% of community‐dwelling older adults had ceased driving by the 4‐year follow‐up. Rates for physical frailty transition in the driving and driving cessation groups were 4.6% and 17.1%, respectively (P < 0.001). In fully adjusted logistic regression analysis, when compared with driving, driving cessation independently affected physical frailty transition. The results were similar after multiple imputations.ConclusionsOur findings indicated driving cessation was an independent risk factor associated with physical frailty transition in older adults. As physical frailty in older adults can contribute to negative health outcomes, including increased disability and mortality, preventing frailty has important public health implications. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 1047–1052.
Sericite instead of feldspar in porcelain stoneware: Effect on sintering and phase evolution
Authors: Tavares Brasileiro Camila , de Almeida Filho Humberto Dias , Santana Geovana Lira , Lot Ana Virgínia , Conte Sonia , Zanelli Chiara , Dondi Michele , Ortega Boschi Anselmo 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe growing demand for fluxes, dictated by the shift toward porcelain stoneware, is urging the ceramic tile industry to find a viable alternative to feldspathic materials. Sericite, a microcrystalline form of muscovite, is present in many ceramic raw materials. It melts during firing and can be a suitable substitute for potassic feldspar. The aim of this study is to understand in depth the effects of replacing feldspar with sericite in porcelain stoneware batches with nearly the same chemical composition. Characterization includes phase composition (X‐ray powder diffraction, XRPD Rietveld), melt chemical composition (calculated), sintering behavior (optical thermo‐dilatometry), and microstructure (scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicate a different vitrification path, mostly in the early stage of sintering, related to the different mineralogical composition and particle size distribution of sericite for K‐feldspar. Nevertheless, at temperatures higher than 1150°C, the bodies have similar phase composition, microstructure, melt chemical composition, and physical properties. Densification kinetics is faster in the batch with sericite, while the body with feldspar is able to reach a higher bulk density.
V‐ATPase subunit a is required for survival and midgut development of Locusta migratoria
Authors: Liu X.‐J. , Liang X.‐Y. , Guo J. , Shi X.‐K. , Merzendorfer H. , Zhu K. Y. , Zhang J.‐Z. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe vacuolar‐type H+‐ATPase (V‐ATPase) is an ATP‐dependent proton pump, which regulates various cellular processes. To date, most functional studies on V‐ATPases of insects have focused on subunits of the V1 complex, and there is little information on the VO genes. In this study, two cDNA sequences of LmV‐ATPase a were identified in Locusta migratoria. RT‐qPCR analysis revealed that LmV‐ATPase a1 and LmV‐ATPase a2 are differentially expressed in various tissues and developmental stages. Injection of dsRNA for the common region of LmV‐ATPase a1 and LmV‐ATPase a2 into third‐instar nymphs resulted in a significant suppression of LmV‐ATPase a. The injected nymphs ceased feeding, lost body weight and finally died at a mortality of 98.6%. Furthermore, aberrations of midgut epithelial cells, the accumulation of electron‐lucent vesicles in the cytoplasm, and a partially damaged brush border were observed in dsLmV‐ATPase a‐injected nymphs using transmission electron microscopy. Especially, the mRNA level of wingles, and notch genes were dramatically down‐regulated in the dsLmV‐ATPase a‐injected nymphs. Taken together, our results suggest that LmV‐ATPase a is required for survival and midgut development of L. migratoria. Hence, this gene could be a good target for RNAi‐based control against locusts.
Diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma: a consensus practice statement from the Australasian Lymphoma Alliance
Authors: Wight Joel , Hamad Nada , Campbell Belinda A. , Ku Matthew , Lee Kenneth , Rose Hannah , Armytage Tasman , Latimer Maya , Lee Hui‐Peng , Lee Sze‐Ting , Dickinson Michael , Khor Richard , Verner Emma 
Published: September 2021

AbstractDiffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common lymphoma subtype, accounting for 30–40% of lymphoma diagnoses. Although aggressive, cure is achievable in approximately 60% of cases with primary chemoimmunotherapy, and in a further substantial minority by salvage therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. Despite promising activity in early phase clinical trials, no intensified or novel treatment regimen has improved outcomes over R‐CHOP21 in randomised studies. However, there remain several areas of controversy including the most appropriate prognostic markers, central nervous system prophylaxis and the optimal treatment for patients with high‐risk disease. This position statement presents an evidence‐based synthesis of the literature for application in Australasian practice.
Psychological distress and perceived job stressors among hospital nurses and physicians during the COVID‐19 outbreak
Authors: Hamama Liat , Marey‐Sarwan Ibtisam , Hamama‐Raz Yaira , Nakad Bothaina , Asadi Ahamd 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAimsThe study examined self‐reported job‐related stressors induced by the COVID‐19 pandemic and psychological distress among hospital nurses and physicians. In addition, we explored the role of negative affect (NA) and background variables in relation to COVID‐19‐related job stressors and psychological distress.BackgroundDuring COVID‐19 pandemic, hospital nurses and physicians were exposed to highly enduring occupational stress, that stem from subjective appraisal of inadequate job resources (i.e., personal protection equipment, information on how to manage safely in the ongoing work and organizational attention to the needs arising from the ongoing work).DesignCross‐sectional design.MethodsBetween May and July 2020, 172 nurses and physicians working at a medical centre in Israel filled in self‐report questionnaires about sociodemographic data, COVID‐19‐related job stressors, psychological distress and NA.ResultsOur results confirmed the positive direct link between perceived COVID‐19‐related job stressors and psychological distress among hospital nurses and physicians. NA was found to serve as a mediator in this association (indirect link). Furthermore, nurses and physicians' seniority was related positively to psychological distress and also played a moderator role in the indirect link.ConclusionWe recommend to monitor the mental health of hospital nurses and physicians and to provide a platform to address their job stressor concerns related to COVID‐19, and share helpful coping strategies.Impact statementDuring the abrupt COVID‐19 outbreak, hospital nurses and physicians face challenges that might raise NA and psychological distress. Our study revealed that among hospital nurses and physicians, COVID‐19‐related perceived job stressors and psychological distress were positively linked, and NA plays a mediating role in this association. Among nurses and physicians with moderate or high years of seniority (>11 years), higher COVID‐19‐related perceived job stressors associated with higher NA, which in turn was associated with greater psychological distress. Policymakers would be wise to provide a platform to address hospital nurses and physicians' mental health.
Streaming platform and strategic recommendation bias
Authors: Bourreau Marc , Gaudin Germain 
Published: September 2021

AbstractWe consider a platform that carries content from two upstream content providers and presents personalized recommendations to participating customers. We focus on streaming platforms in media markets, where users pay a subscription fee to join the platform but no usage fee, and consume a mix of content originating from each provider. We characterize the bias in the user‐specific recommendations offered by the platform when one content provider charges lower royalties than the other. We establish that if consumers are sufficiently insensitive to bias, the recommendation system allows the platform to credibly threaten upstream providers to steer consumers away from their content, which reduces their market power. We also investigate the effects of vertical integration by the platform and show the robustness of our results to nonlinear (personalized) streaming services.
Artificial intelligence for detecting superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma under multiple endoscopic imaging modalities: A multicenter study
Authors: Yuan Xiang‐Lei , Guo Lin‐Jie , Liu Wei , Zeng Xian‐Hui , Mou Yi , Bai Shuai , Pan Zhen‐Guo , Zhang Tao , Pu Wen‐Feng , Wen Chun , Wang Jun , Zhou Zheng‐Duan , Feng Jing , Hu Bing 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackground and AimDiagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is complicated and requires substantial expertise and experience. This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) system for detecting superficial ESCC under multiple endoscopic imaging modalities.MethodsEndoscopic images were retrospectively collected from West China Hospital, Sichuan University as a training dataset and an independent internal validation dataset. Images from other four hospitals were used as an external validation dataset. The AI system was compared with 11 experienced endoscopists. Furthermore, videos were collected to assess the performance of the AI system.ResultsA total of 53 933 images from 2621 patients and 142 videos from 19 patients were used to develop and validate the AI system. In the internal and external validation datasets, the performance of the AI system under all or different endoscopic imaging modalities was satisfactory, with sensitivity of 92.5–99.7%, specificity of 78.5–89.0%, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.906–0.989. The AI system achieved comparable performance with experienced endoscopists. Regarding superficial ESCC confined to the epithelium, the AI system was more sensitive than experienced endoscopists on white‐light imaging (90.8% vs 82.5%, P = 0.022). Moreover, the AI system exhibited good performance in videos, with sensitivity of 89.5–100% and specificity of 73.7–89.5%.ConclusionsWe developed an AI system that showed comparable performance with experienced endoscopists in detecting superficial ESCC under multiple endoscopic imaging modalities and might provide valuable support for inexperienced endoscopists, despite requiring further evaluation.
High heritability of telomere length and low heritability of telomere shortening in wild birds
Authors: Bauch Christina , Boonekamp Jelle J. , Korsten Peter , Mulder Ellis , Verhulst Simon 
Published: September 2021

AbstractTelomere length and telomere shortening predict survival in many organisms. This raises the question of the contribution of genetic and environmental effects to variation in these traits, which is still poorly known, particularly for telomere shortening. We used experimental (cross‐fostering) and statistical (quantitative genetic “animal models”) means to disentangle and estimate genetic and environmental contributions to telomere length variation in pedigreed free‐living jackdaws (Corvus monedula). Telomere length was measured twice in nestlings, at ages 4 (n = 715) and 29 days (n = 474), using telomere restriction fragment (TRF) analysis, adapted to exclude interstitial telomeric sequences. Telomere length shortened significantly over the nestling period (10.4 ± 0.3 bp day–1) and was highly phenotypically (rP = 0.95 ± 0.01) and genetically (rG > 0.99 ± 0.01) correlated within individuals. Additive genetic effects explained a major part of telomere length variation among individuals, with its heritability estimated at h2 = 0.74 on average. We note that TRF‐based studies reported higher heritabilities than qPCR‐based studies, and we discuss possible explanations. Parent–offspring regressions yielded similar heritability estimates for mothers and fathers when accounting for changes in paternal telomere length over life. Year effects explained a small but significant part of telomere length variation. Heritable variation for telomere shortening was low (h2 = 0.09 ± 0.11). The difference in heritability between telomere length (high) and telomere shortening (low) agrees with evolutionary theory, in that telomere shortening has stronger fitness consequences in this population. Despite the high heritability of telomere length, its evolvability, which scales the additive genetic variance by mean telomere length, was on average 0.48%. Hence, evolutionary change of telomere length due to selection is likely to be slow.