bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Responses of Terrestrial Mosses to Simulated Climate Change in a Secondary Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest in Southern China
Authors: Hao Jiewei , Chu L.M. 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Tropical regions are biodiversity hotspots and are well suited to explore the potential influence of global climate change on forest ecosystems. Bryophytes have essential ecological functions in tropical forest ecosystems. Knowledge of the potential impact of global warming and possible changes in water availability patterns on terrestrial bryophytes is limited. We transplanted eight moss species from two elevations (900 and 500 m) to warmer and drier elevations (500 and 100 m) during a half-year observation period on Tai Mo Shan, southern China. The simulated climate change resulted in a marked decrease in growth and a negative effect on the health of the transplanted species. Few moss species survived six months after transplanting to the warmer and drier lowlands, and their health status deteriorated severely. Three moss species, Sematophyllum subhumile, Pseudotaxiphyllum pohliaecarpum, and Brachythecium buchananii, were highly susceptible to changes in temperature and moisture and might be used as suitable bioindicators. As the tropics are expected to become hotter and drier, terrestrial mosses might be negatively affected or even be at risk of extinction. The cascading negative effects on the forest ecosystem might be induced by the dying back or even disappearance of terrestrial moss species. Thus, conservation of bryophyte communities is important to sustain and improve the stability and resilience of tropical forest ecosystems to climate change.
No Species-level Losses of the Horizontally Transferred Genetic Element s2m Within the SARS-related Coronaviruses
Authors: Gilbert Clément , Tengs Torstein 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Horizontal transfer of genetic elements is a common phenomenon in nature. Both prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses have been shown to contain genetic elements acquired through horizontal transfer. Some of these elements may be retained over long periods of time after being integrated into the recipient genome because they offer a selective advantage. The genetic element s2m has been acquired through horizontal transfer by many distantly related viruses, including the SARS-related coronaviruses. Here we show that s2m is evolutionarily conserved within this cluster of viruses and that while several short-lived SARS-CoV-2 lineages devoid of the element have been sequenced, there do not appear to be any species-level losses. This pattern strongly suggests that s2m is essential to virus replication in SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses, and that further experiments are needed to characterize its function.
Incidence and Prediction Nomogram for Metabolic Syndrome in a Middle-aged Vietnamese Population: a 5-year Follow-up Study
Authors: Thuyen Tran Quang , Duong Dinh Hong , Nga Bui Thi Thuy , Ngoc Nguyen Anh , Linh Duong Tuan , Phuong Pham Tran , Nhung Bui Thi , Binh Tran Quang 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Purpose We aimed to determine the incidence and prediction nomogram for new-onset metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a middle-aged Vietnamese population.Methods A population-based prospective study was conducted in 1150 participants aged 40-64 years without MetS at baseline and followed-up for 5 years. Data on lifestyle factors, socioeconomic status, family diabetes history, and anthropometric measures were collected. MetS incidence was estimated in general population and subgroup of age, gender, and MetS components. A Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for MetS. A prediction nomogram was developed and checked for discrimination and calibration.Results During median follow-up of 5.14 years, the accumulate MetS incidence rate was 23.4% (95% CI: 22.2-24.7). The annual incidence rate (95%CI) was 52.9 (46.7-60.1) per 1000 person-years in general population and higher in women [56.6 (48.7-65.9)] than men [46.5 (36.9-59.3)]. The HRs (95% CI) for developing MetS were gender [females vs males: 2.04 (1.26-3.29)], advanced age [1.02 (1.01-1.04) per one year], waist circumference [1.08 (1.06-1.10) per one cm] and other obesity-related traits, and systolic blood pressure [1.02 (1.01-1.03) per one mmHg]. The prediction nomogram for MetS had a good discrimination (C-statistics = 0.742) and fit calibration (mean absolute error = 0.009) with a positive net benefit in the predicted probability thresholds between 0.13 and 0.70. Conclusions The study is the first to indicate an alarmingly high incidence of MetS in a middle-aged population in Vietnam. The nomogram with simply applicable variables would be useful to qualify individual risk of developing MetS.
Clinical, Immunological and Molecular Variability of RAG Deficiency: a Retrospective Analysis of 22 RAG Patients
Authors: Cifaldi Cristina , Rivalta Beatrice , Amodio Donato , Mattia Algeri , Pacillo Lucia , Cesare Silvia Di , Chiriaco Maria , Ursu Giorgiana Madalina , Cotugno Nicola , Giancotta Carmela , Manno Emma , Santilli Veronica , Zangari Paola , Federica Galaverna , Palumbo Giuseppe , Merli Pietro , Palma Paolo , Rossi Paolo , Matteo Gigliola Di , Locatelli Franco , Finocchi Andrea , Cancrini Caterina 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Purpose

RAG deficiency is associated with a variety of clinical phenotypes. We described clinical, immunological and molecular characterization within a cohort of 22 RAG patients focused on the possible correlation between clinical and genetic data.

Methods

Immunological and genetic features were investigated by Multiparametric Flow Cytometry and by Sanger or Next generation sequencing (NGS) respectively.

Results

Patients represented a broad spectrum of RAG deficiencies: SCID n=8, OS n=6, LS/AS n=4 and CID n=4. Four novel mutation in RAG1 gene and one in RAG2 were reported.

The primary symptom at presentation were infections (81.8%). Infections and autoimmunity occurred together in the majority of cases (63.6%). Fifteen out of 22 (68.2%) patients presented autoimmune/hyperinflammatory manifestations. Four patients experienced severe autoimmune cytopenia refractory to different lines of therapy.

Total lymphocytes count was reduced or almost lacking in SCID group. CD4 cells count was higher in OS patients. B lymphocytes were variably detected in AS and CID groups. Eighteen patients underwent HSCT permitting definitive control of autoimmune/hyperinflammatory manifestations in twelve of them (80%).

Conclusion

RAG deficiency still represents a challenge in the tracing of effective management and follow-up, notably considering the inability to predict the disease course in atypical cases. Immune dysregulation manifestations are common features often refractory to conventional medical management. Severe and early autoimmune refractory cytopenia is frequent and could be the first symptom of onset. Prompt recognition of RAG deficiency in patients with early onset of autoimmune/hyperinflammatory manifestations could contribute to the choice of a timely and specific treatment preventing the onset of other complications.
Use of Cardiac Tomography and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance to Predict the Absence of Intracardiac Thrombus in Anticoagulated Patients Undergoing Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.
Authors: Zaraket Fatima , Deva Bas , jimenez Jesus , Casteigt Benjamin , Benito Begoña , Martí-Almor Julio , Conejo Javi , Mojón Diana , Tizón-Marcos Helena , Vallès Ermengol 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background: Pulmonary veins isolation (PVI) is a standard treatment for recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF). Uninterrupted anticoagulation for minimum 3 weeks before the ablation and exclusion of left atrial (LA) thrombus with transesophageal echography (TEE) immediately before or during the procedure minimize peri-procedural risk. We aimed to demonstrate the utility of cardiac tomography (CT) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to rule out LA thrombus prior to PVI.Methods: Patients undergoing PVI for recurrent AF were retrospectively evaluated. Only patients that started anticoagulation at least 3 weeks prior to the CT/CMR and subsequently uninterrupted until the ablation procedure were selected. An intracardiac echo (ICE) catheter was used in all patients to evaluate LA thrombus. The results of CT/CMR were compared to ICE imaging.Results: We included 272 consecutive patients averaging 54.5 years (71% male; 30% persistent AF). Average CHA2DS2VASC Score was 0.9 and mean LA diameter was 43 mm, 111 patients on Acenocumarol and 161 on direct oral anticoagulants. Anticoagulation was started 227±392 days before the CT/CMR, and 291±416 days before the ablation procedure. CT/CMR diagnosed intracardiac thrombus in 2 cases, both in the LA appendage. A new CT/CMR revealed resolution of thrombus after 6 additional months of uninterrupted anticoagulation. No macroscopic thrombus was observed in any patients with ICE (negative predictive value of 100%; p<0.01).Conclusions: CT and MRI are excellent surrogates to TEE and ICE to rule out intracardiac thrombus in patients adequately anticoagulated prior AF ablation. This is true even for delayed procedures as long as anticoagulation is uninterrupted.
Senegal Health System Analysis and Its Implications to Global Health Cooperation
Authors: Zhang Yue , Chen Jingyi , Zhang Chunfeng , Chen Lucy 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
As an active participant of global health cooperation in west Africa, the Republic of Senegal is one of the major recipients of international development assistance. Yet, funding and actions from different donors and implementing organizations are fragmented, which is one of the reasons that Senegal is failing to outstand its health performance disproportionally. This report provides an overview of Senegal’s population health status and health system performance and pinpoint areas that should be prioritized for focused global health assistance. Undernutrition and neonatal disorders were found to have posed the highest and most urgent risks on the public health of Senegal. This is intensified by the severe shortage of health human resources, vast disparity of resources between rural and urban areas, and unsatisfactory health financing mechanism. Based on the situation analysis of Senegal’s population health and health system, this report recommends (1) the Senegal MSAS to take the lead of integrating and coordinating public, private, and international health programs to reduce fragmentation with a focus on financing rural health human resources; (2) to research the root causes of undernutrition and neonatal disorders in Senegal and construct nutrition and maternal health interventions based on evidence generated; and (3) to conduct continued training of doctors, nurses, midwives, community health workers with strong focus in Kedougou and Kolda.
Numerical simulation of hydraulic fracturing in enhanced geothermal systems considering thermal stress cracks
Authors: Zhou Ziyang , MIKADA Hitoshi , TAKEKAWA Junichi , Xu Shibo 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
With the increasing attention to clean and economical energy resources, geothermal energy and enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) have gained much importance. For the efficient development of deep geothermal reservoirs, it is crucial to understand the mechanical behavior of reservoir rock and its interaction with injected fluid under high temperature and high confining pressure environments. In the present study, we develop a novel numerical scheme based on the distinct element method (DEM) to simulate the failure behavior of rock by considering the influence of thermal stress cracks and high confining pressure for EGS. We validated the proposing method by comparing our numerical results with experimental laboratory results of uniaxial compression tests under various temperatures and biaxial compression tests under different confining pressure regarding failure patterns and stress-strain curves. We then apply the developed scheme to the hydraulic fracturing simulations under various temperatures, confining pressure, and injection fluid conditions. Our numerical results indicate that the number of hydraulic cracks is proportional to the temperature. At a high temperature and low confining pressure environment, a complex crack network with large crack width can be observed, whereas the generation of the micro cracks is suppressed in high confining pressure conditions. In addition, high-viscosity injection fluid tends to induce more hydraulic fractures. Since the fracture network in the geothermal reservoir is an essential factor for the efficient production of geothermal energy, the combination of the above factors should be considered in hydraulic fracturing treatment in EGS.
From a Quantum Paradox to Counterportation
Authors: Salih Hatim 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
We uncover a new quantum paradox, where a simple question about two identical quantum systems reveals unsettlingly paradoxical answers when weak measurements are considered. Our resolution of the paradox, from within the weak measurement framework, amounts to a demonstration of exchange-free communication for the generalised protocol for sending an unknown qubit without any particles travelling between the communicating parties, i.e. counterfactually. The paradox and its resolution are reproduced from a consistent-histories viewpoint. We go on to propose a novel, experimentally feasible implementation of this counterfactual disembodied transport that we call counterportation, based on cavity quantum electrodynamics, estimating resources for beating the no-cloning fidelity limit---except that unlike teleportation no previously-shared entanglement nor classical communication are required. Our approach is several orders of magnitude more efficient in terms of physical resources than previously proposed techniques, while being remarkably tolerant to device imperfections, paving the way for an experimental demonstration. Surprisingly, while counterfactual communication is intuitively explained in terms of interaction-free measurement and the Zeno effect, we show based on our proposed scheme that neither is necessary, with implications in support of an underlying physical reality.
Inequality and water pollution in India
Authors: Ridzuan Sulhi 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIndia is notorious for high inequality and high water pollution. There is a growing body of literature that says inequality is harmful to the environment, but it does not receive strong empirical support. We discuss some econometric problems that may have caused mixed findings in the empirical literature and use appropriate tools to overcome the problems. Our empirical results using Indian time-series data show (i) that inequality leads to an increase in water pollution, (ii) that the magnitude of inequality is nearly as large as that of corruption, suggesting that reducing inequality is almost as important as curbing corruption in addressing water pollution challenges in India, and (iii) that increases in water pollution, in turn, widen inequality in India. Our results are robust to various sensitivity checks. We also find no evidence of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for water pollution in India.
Tracking Stress, Mental Health, and Resilience Factors in Medical Students Before, During, and After a Stress-Inducing Exam Period: Protocol and Proof-of-Principle Analyses for the RESIST Cohort Study
Authors: Fritz Jessica , Stochl Jan , Kievit Rogier A , van Harmelen Anne-Laura , Wilkinson Paul O 
Published: June 2021

Background
Knowledge of mental distress and resilience factors over the time span from before to after a stressor is important to be able to leverage the most promising resilience factors and promote mental health at the right time. To shed light on this topic, we designed the RESIST (Resilience Study) study, in which we assessed medical students before, during, and after their yearly exam period. Exam time is generally a period of notable stress among medical students, and it has been suggested that exam time triggers mental distress.

Objective
In this paper, we aim to describe the study protocol and to examine whether the exam period indeed induces higher perceived stress and mental distress. We also aim to explore whether perceived stress and mental distress coevolve in response to exams.

Methods
RESIST is a cohort study in which exam stress functions as a within-subject natural stress manipulation. In this paper, we outline the sample (N=451), procedure, assessed measures (including demographics, perceived stress, mental distress, 13 resilience factors, and adversity), and ethical considerations. Moreover, we conducted a series of latent growth models and bivariate latent change score models to analyze perceived stress and mental distress changes over the 3 time points.

Results
We found that perceived stress and mental distress increased from the time before the exams to the exam period and decreased after the exams to a lower level than before the exams. Our findings further suggest that higher mental distress before exams increased the risk of developing more perceived stress during exams. Higher perceived stress during exams, in turn, increased the risk of experiencing a less successful (or quick) recovery of mental distress after exams.

Conclusions
As expected, the exam period caused a temporary increase in perceived stress and mental distress. Therefore, the RESIST study lends itself well to exploring resilience factors in response to naturally occurring exam stress. Such knowledge will eventually help researchers to find out which resilience factors lend themselves best as prevention targets and which lend themselves best as treatment targets for the mitigation of mental health problems that are triggered or accelerated by natural exam stress. The findings from the RESIST study may therefore inform student support services, mental health services, and resilience theory.
Machine Learning–Based Analysis of Encrypted Medical Data in the Cloud: Qualitative Study of Expert Stakeholders’ Perspectives
Authors: Alaqra Ala Sarah , Kane Bridget , Fischer-Hübner Simone 
Published: June 2021

Background
Third-party cloud-based data analysis applications are proliferating in electronic health (eHealth) because of the expertise offered and their monetary advantage. However, privacy and security are critical concerns when handling sensitive medical data in the cloud. Technical advances based on “crypto magic” in privacy-preserving machine learning (ML) enable data analysis in encrypted form for maintaining confidentiality. Such privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) could be counterintuitive to relevant stakeholders in eHealth, which could in turn hinder adoption; thus, more attention is needed on human factors for establishing trust and transparency.

Objective
The aim of this study was to analyze eHealth expert stakeholders’ perspectives and the perceived tradeoffs in regard to data analysis on encrypted medical data in the cloud, and to derive user requirements for development of a privacy-preserving data analysis tool.

Methods
We used semistructured interviews and report on 14 interviews with individuals having medical, technical, or research expertise in eHealth. We used thematic analysis for analyzing interview data. In addition, we conducted a workshop for eliciting requirements.

Results
Our results show differences in the understanding of and in trusting the technology; caution is advised by technical experts, whereas patient safety assurances are required by medical experts. Themes were identified with general perspectives on data privacy and practices (eg, acceptance of using external services), as well as themes highlighting specific perspectives (eg, data protection drawbacks and concerns of the data analysis on encrypted data). The latter themes result in requiring assurances and conformance testing for trusting tools such as the proposed ML-based tool. Communicating privacy, and utility benefits and tradeoffs with stakeholders is essential for trust. Furthermore, stakeholders and their organizations share accountability of patient data. Finally, stakeholders stressed the importance of informing patients about the privacy of their data.

Conclusions
Understanding the benefits and risks of using eHealth PETs is crucial, and collaboration among diverse stakeholders is essential. Assurances of the tool’s privacy, accuracy, and patient safety should be in place for establishing trust of ML-based PETs, especially if used in the cloud.
Smartphone Delivery of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Postintensive Care Syndrome-Family: Protocol for a Pilot Study
Authors: Petrinec Amy B , Hughes Joel W , Zullo Melissa D , Wilk Cindy , George Richard L 
Published: June 2021

Background
Family members of critically ill patients experience symptoms of postintensive care syndrome-family (PICS-F), including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Postintensive care syndrome-family reduces the quality of life of the families of critically ill patients and may impede the recovery of such patients. Cognitive behavioral therapy has become a first-line nonpharmacological treatment of many psychological symptoms and disorders, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress. With regard to managing mild-to-moderate symptoms, the delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy via mobile technology without input from a clinician has been found to be feasible and well accepted, and its efficacy rivals that of face-to-face therapy.

Objective
The purpose of our pilot study is to examine the efficacy of using a smartphone mobile health (mHealth) app to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy and diminish the severity and prevalence of PICS-F symptoms in family members of critically ill patients.

Methods
For our pilot study, 60 family members of critically ill patients will be recruited. A repeated-measures longitudinal study design that involves the randomization of participants to 2 groups (the control and intervention groups) will be used. The intervention group will receive cognitive behavioral therapy, which will be delivered via a smartphone mHealth app. Bandura’s social cognitive theory and an emphasis on mental health self-efficacy form the theoretical framework of the study.

Results
Recruitment for the study began in August 2020. Data collection and analysis are expected to be completed by March 2022.

Conclusions
The proposed study represents a novel approach to the treatment of PICS-F symptoms and is an extension of previous work conducted by the research team. The study will be used to plan a fully powered randomized controlled trial.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04316767; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04316767

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
DERR1-10.2196/30813