bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of atrial mechanical function on age‐dependent presentation of neurocardiogenic syncope
Authors: Sotiriadou Melani , Papadopoulos Christodoulos E. , Antoniadis Antonios P. , Roumelis Panagiotis , Vergopoulos Stavros , Konstantinidis Periklis , Pagourelias Efstathios D. , Tzikas Stergios , Fragakis Nikolaos , Vassilikos Vassilios 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe contribution of atrial and ventricular function in neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS) pathophysiology is elusive.HypothesisWe assessed the influence of echocardiographic properties to the age of presentation and NCS recurrences.MethodsWe assigned 124 patients with symptoms suggesting NCS, to those with syncope initiation at age <35 (group A, n = 56) and >35 years (group B, n = 68). Echocardiographic indices were measured before head‐up tilt test (HUTT).ResultsA total of 55 had positive HUTT (44%) with a trend favoring group A (p = .08). Group A exhibited lower left atrial (LA) volume index (17 ± 6 vs. 22 ± 11 ml/m2, p = .015), higher LA ejection fraction (69 ± 10 vs. 63 ± 11%, p = .008), LA peak strain (reservoir phase 41 ± 13 vs. 31 ± 14%, p = .001, contraction phase 27 ± 11 vs. 15 ± 10%, p < .001) and LA peak strain rate (reservoir phase 1.83 ± 1.04 vs. 1.36 ± 0.96 1/s, p = .012, conduit phase 2.36 ± 1.25 vs. 1.36 ± 0.78 1/s, p = .001). Group A showed smaller minimum right atrial (RA) volume, better RA systolic function, superior left ventricular diastolic indices, and lower filling pressures. Group A patients were more likely to have >3 recurrences (82.0% vs. 50.1%, p < .05).ConclusionsPatients with younger age of NCS onset and more syncopal recurrences manifest smaller LA and RA dimensions with distinct patterns of systolic and diastolic function and better LA reservoir and contraction properties. These findings may indicate an increased susceptibility to preload reduction, thereby triggering the NCS mechanism.
Expansion of CD45RA−FOXP3++ regulatory T cells is associated with immune tolerance in patients with combined kidney and bone marrow transplantation
Authors: Kwon Yeongbeen , Lee Kyo Won , Kim You Min , Park Hyojun , Jung Min Kyung , Choi Young Joon , Son Jin Kyung , Hong JuHee , Park Su‐Hyung , Kwon Ghee Young , Yoo Heejin , Kim Kyunga , Kim Sung Joo , Park Jae Berm , Shin Eui‐Cheol 
Published: August 2021

AbstractObjectivesSimultaneous transplantation of a solid organ and bone marrow from the same donor is a possible means of achieving transplant tolerance. Here, we attempted to identify biomarkers that indicate transplant tolerance for discontinuation of immunosuppressants in combined kidney and bone marrow transplantation (CKBMT).MethodsConventional kidney transplant (KT) recipients (n = 20) and CKBMT recipients (n = 6) were included in this study. We examined various immunological parameters by flow cytometry using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), including the frequency and phenotype of regulatory T (Treg) cell subpopulations. We also examined the suppressive activity of the Treg cell population in the setting of mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) with or without Treg cell depletion.ResultsAmong six CKBMT recipients, three successfully discontinued immunosuppressants (tolerant group) and three could not (non‐tolerant group). The CD45RA−FOXP3++ Treg cell subpopulation was expanded in CKBMT recipients compared to conventional kidney transplant patients, and this was more obvious in the tolerant group than the non‐tolerant group. In addition, high suppressive activity of the Treg cell population was observed in the tolerant group. The ratio of CD45RA−FOXP3++ Treg cells to CD45RA−FOXP3+ cells indicated good discrimination between the tolerant and non‐tolerant groups.ConclusionThus, our findings propose a biomarker that can distinguish CKBMT patients who achieve transplant tolerance and are eligible for discontinuation of immunosuppressants and may provide insight into tolerance mechanisms in CKBMT.
Individual traffic prediction in cellular networks based on tensor completion
Authors: Liu Chunsheng , Wu Tao , Li Zhifei , Wang Bin 
Published: August 2021

SummaryAccurate individual (per‐user) traffic prediction in cellular networks is considered a critical capability for the system performance improvement in terms of dynamic bandwidth allocation and network optimization. However, existing methods have limitations in capturing the characteristics of individual traffic, because the observed traffic data are usually incomplete and traffic consumption patterns significantly differ among users. In this paper, to fully exploit the inherent temporal‐spatial correlations of individual traffic data, this work models the traffic data as a three‐dimensional traffic tensor. Different from the “three‐step” strategies (i.e., “data processing + decomposition + prediction”) in the existing methods, we propose a novel tensor completion (TC)‐based “two‐step” strategy, that is, “data processing & decomposition + prediction” for individual traffic prediction, which can recover and decompose the traffic data simultaneously. Furthermore, an efficient algorithm based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) framework is proposed to solve the resulting model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to apply the TC‐based “two‐step” strategy for individual traffic prediction in cellular networks. Experiments conducted on a real cellular traffic dataset empirically validate the superiority of the proposed method.
Canopy reflectance models illustrate varying NDVI responses to change in high latitude ecosystems
Authors: Huemmrich Karl Fred , Vargas Zesati Sergio , Campbell Petya , Tweedie Craig 
Published: August 2021

AbstractMultiyear trends in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) have been used as metrics of high latitude ecosystem change based on the assumption that NDVI change is associated with ecological change, generally as changes in green vegetation amount (green leaf area index [LAI] or plant cover). Further, no change in NDVI is often interpreted as no change in these variables. Three canopy reflectance models including linear mixture model, the SAIL (Scattering from Arbitrarily Inclined Leaves) model, and the GeoSail model were used to simulate scenarios representing high latitude landscape NDVI responses to changes in LAI and plant cover. The simulations showed inconsistent NDVI responses. Clear increases in NDVI are generally associated with increases in LAI and plant cover. At higher values of LAI, the change in NDVI per unit change in LAI decreases, with very little change in spruce forest NDVI where crown cover is >50% and at the tundra–taiga ecotone with transitions from shrub tundra to spruce woodland. These lower responses may bias the interpretation of greening/browning trends in boreal forests. Variations in water or snow coverage were shown to produce outsized nonbiological NDVI responses. Inconsistencies in NDVI responses exemplify the need for care in the interpretation of NDVI change as a metric of high latitude ecosystem change, and that landscape characteristics in terms of the type of cover and its characteristics, such as the initial plant cover, must be taken into account in evaluating the significance of any observed NDVI trends.
Snapshot Wisconsin: networking community scientists and remote sensing to improve ecological monitoring and management
Authors: Townsend Philip A. , Clare John D. J. , Liu Nanfeng , Stenglein Jennifer L. , Anhalt‐Depies Christine , Van Deelen Timothy R. , Gilbert Neil A. , Singh Aditya , Martin Karl J. , Zuckerberg Benjamin 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBiological data collection is entering a new era. Community science, satellite remote sensing (SRS), and local forms of remote sensing (e.g., camera traps and acoustic recordings) have enabled biological data to be collected at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales and resolution. There is growing interest in developing observation networks to collect and synthesize data to improve broad‐scale ecological monitoring, but no examples of such networks have emerged to inform decision‐making by agencies. Here, we present the implementation of one such jurisdictional observation network (JON), Snapshot Wisconsin, which links synoptic environmental data derived from SRS to biodiversity observations collected continuously from a trail camera network to support management decision‐making. We use several examples to illustrate that Snapshot Wisconsin improves the spatial, temporal, and biological resolution and extent of information available to support management, filling gaps associated with traditional monitoring and enabling consideration of new management strategies. JONs like Snapshot Wisconsin further strengthen monitoring inference by contributing novel lines of evidence useful for corroboration or integration. SRS provides environmental context that facilitates inference, prediction, and forecasting, and ultimately helps managers formulate, test, and refine conceptual models for the monitored systems. Although these approaches pose challenges, Snapshot Wisconsin demonstrates that expansive observation networks can be tractably managed by agencies to support decision making, providing a powerful new tool for agencies to better achieve their missions and reshape the nature of environmental decision‐making.
Monitoring spatial and temporal soundscape features within ecologically significant U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries
Authors: Stanley Jenni A. , Van Parijs Sofie M. , Davis Genevieve E. , Sullivan Megan , Hatch Leila T. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries manages a system of marine protected areas encompassing more than 2,000,000 km2. U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS) have been designated to provide protection for their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archaeological, educational, or aesthetic qualities. Due to the large variability of attributes among NMS, designing coordinated system‐wide monitoring to support diverse resource protection goals can be challenging. Underwater sound monitoring is seeing increasing application to marine protected area management because it is able to support this wide variety of information needs. Passive acoustics are providing invaluable autonomous information regarding habitat associations, identifying species spatial and temporal use, and highlighting patterns in conditions that are otherwise difficult to survey. Using standardized equipment and analysis methods this study collected ambient underwater sound data and derived measurements to investigate temporal changes in sound pressure levels and power spectral density, identify presence of select species of importance and support within and among site comparison of ambient underwater sound among eight sites within four U.S. NMS. Broadband sound pressure levels of ambient sound (10–24,000 Hz) varied as much as 24 dB re 1 µPa (max difference 100–124 dB re 1 µPa) among the recording sites, sanctuaries, and seasons. Biotic signals, such as snapping shrimp snaps and vocalizations of fishes, exhibited distinct diel and seasonal patterns and showed variation among sites. Presence of anthropogenic signals, such as vessel passage, also varied substantially among sites, ranging from on average 1.6–21.8 h/d. The study identified measurements that effectively summarized baseline soundscape attributes and prioritized future opportunities for integrating non‐acoustic and acoustic variables in order to inform area‐specific management questions within four ecologically varying U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries.
Reconciling biodiversity with timber production and revenue via an intensive forest management experiment
Authors: Kormann Urs G. , Stokely Thomas D. , Verschuyl Jake , Kroll Andrew J. , Harris Scott , Maguire Doug , Mainwaring Doug , Rivers James W. , Betts Matthew G. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractUnderstanding how land‐management intensification shapes the relationships between biodiversity, yield, and economic benefit is critical for managing natural resources. Yet, manipulative experiments that test how herbicides affect these relationships are scarce, particularly in forest ecosystems where considerable time lags exist between harvest revenue and initial investments. We assessed these relationships by combining 7 yr of biodiversity surveys (>800 taxa) and forecasts of timber yield and economic return from a replicated, large‐scale experiment that manipulated herbicide application intensity in operational timber plantations. Herbicides reduced species richness across trophic groups (−18%), but responses by higher‐level trophic groups were more variable (0–38% reduction) than plant responses (−40%). Financial discounting, a conventional economic method to standardize past and future cash flows, strongly modified biodiversity–revenue relationships caused by management intensity. Despite a projected 28% timber yield gain with herbicides, biodiversity–revenue trade‐offs were muted when opportunity costs were high (i.e., economic discount rates ≥7%). Although herbicides can drive biodiversity–yield trade‐offs, under certain conditions, financial discounting provides opportunities to reconcile biodiversity conservation with revenue.
The hidden side of diversity: Effects of imperfect detection on multiple dimensions of biodiversity
Authors: Richter Aline , Nakamura Gabriel , Agra Iserhard Cristiano , da Silva Duarte Leandro 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Studies on ecological communities often address patterns of species distribution and abundance, but few consider uncertainty in counts of both species and individuals when computing diversity measures.

We evaluated the extent to which imperfect detection may influence patterns of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity in ecological communities.

We estimated the true abundance of fruit‐feeding butterflies sampled in canopy and understory strata in a subtropical forest. We compared the diversity values calculated by observed and estimated abundance data through the hidden diversity framework. This framework evaluates the deviation of observed diversity when compared with diversities derived from estimated true abundances and whether such deviation represents a bias or a noise in the observed diversity pattern.

The hidden diversity values differed between strata for all diversity measures, except for functional richness. The taxonomic measure was the only one where we observed an inversion of the most diverse stratum when imperfect detection was included. Regarding phylogenetic and functional measures, the strata showed distinct responses to imperfect detection, despite the tendency to overestimate observed diversity. While the understory showed noise for the phylogenetic measure, since the observed pattern was maintained, the canopy had biased diversity for the functional metric. This bias occurred since no significant differences were found between strata for observed diversity, but rather for estimated diversity, with the canopy being more clustered.

We demonstrate that ignore imperfect detection may lead to unrealistic estimates of diversity and hence to erroneous interpretations of patterns and processes that structure biological communities. For fruit‐feeding butterflies, according to their phylogenetic position or functional traits, the undetected individuals triggered different responses in the relationship of the diversity measures to the environmental factor. This highlights the importance to evaluate and include the uncertainty in species detectability before calculating biodiversity measures to describe communities.
Systolic blood pressure at admission and long‐term clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized for heart failure
Authors: Huang Xinghe , Liu Jiamin , Hu Shuang , Zhang Lihua , Miao Fengyu , Tian Aoxi , Li Jing 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAimsThe study sought to investigate the association between admission systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 1‐year clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF) and in subgroups.MethodsThis study was based on the China Patient‐centred Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events Prospective Heart Failure Study, which prospectively enrolled patients hospitalized for HF in 52 hospitals from 20 provinces in China between August 2016 and May 2018. Patients were divided into four groups according to the quartiles of SBP at admission. The multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were fitted to examine the association between admission SBP and all‐cause death and HF readmission within 1 year after the index hospitalization. Restricted cubic splines were used to explore the non‐linear association between SBP and the clinical outcomes.ResultsAmong 4896 patients, those with lower admission SBP were younger, more likely to be male, have left ventricular ejection fraction <40%, and receive β‐blockers, aldosterone antagonists, and diuretics. After adjustment for potential confounders, lower admission SBP was significantly associated with higher all‐cause death and there is no threshold, while we only observed such an association with HF readmission when admission SBP was lower than 120 mmHg. Compared with the 4th SBP quartile, patients in the 1st SBP quartile had higher risk of all‐cause death (hazard ratio, 1.85; 95% confidence interval 1.48–2.33; P < 0.001) and HF readmission (hazard ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval 1.19–1.65, P < 0.001). These associations were consistent in most subgroups, such as age, sex, and left ventricular ejection fraction.ConclusionsIn patients hospitalized for HF, lower admission SBP portends an increased risk of 1 year all‐cause death and HF readmission, and these associations were consistent among subgroups.
Predictors of long‐term outcome in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a follow‐up from the KaRen study
Authors: Shahim Angiza , Hourqueig Marion , Donal Erwan , Oger Emmanuel , Venkateshvaran Ashwin , Daubert Jean‐Claude , Savarese Gianluigi , Linde Cecilia , Lund Lars H. , Hage Camilla 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAimsHeart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has poor long‐term prognosis. We assessed rates and predictors of outcome 10 years after an acute episode of HF.Methods and resultsThe Karolinska‐Rennes (KaRen) study enrolled HFpEF patients with acute HF, ejection fraction ≥ 45%, and N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide > 300 ng/L in 2007–11. Clinical data were collected at enrolment and after 4–8 weeks including detailed echocardiography. Follow‐up data were collected 10 years after study initiation, starting from 6 months after enrolment until 2018 assessed by telephone. Independent predictors of primary (all‐cause mortality or HF hospitalization) and secondary (all‐cause mortality) outcomes were assessed by multivariable Cox regression. Of 539 patients, long‐term follow‐up data were available for 397 patients [52% female; median (interquartile range) age 79 (73, 84) years]. Over a follow‐up of 5.44 (2.06–7.89) years, 1, 3, 5, and 10 year mortality rates were 15%, 31%, 47%, and 74%, respectively, with an incidence rate of 130/1000 patient‐years. The primary outcome was met in 84% of the population, with an incidence rate of 227/1000 patient‐years. The independent predictors of the primary outcome were tricuspid regurgitation peak velocity (m/s) [hazard ratio 1.87 (1.34–2.62)], diabetes mellitus [1.75 (1.11–2.74)], and cancer [1.75 (1.01–3.03)] while female sex was associated with reduced risk [0.64 (0.41–0.98)].ConclusionsIn HFpEF, 1, 3, 5, and 10 year mortality was 15%, 31%, 47%, and 74% and mortality or first HF hospitalization was 35%, 54%, 67%, and 84%, respectively. Independent predictors of mortality or HF hospitalization were tricuspid regurgitation peak velocity, diabetes mellitus, cancer, and male sex. In clinical management of HFpEF, attention should be paid to both cardiac and non‐cardiac conditions.
Advances in Liver Transplantation: where are we in the pursuit of transplantation tolerance?
Authors: Safinia Niloufar , Vaikunthanathan Trishan , Lechler Robert Ian , Sanchez‐Fueyo Alberto , Lombardi Giovanna 
Published: August 2021

AbstractLiver transplantation is the ultimate treatment option for end‐stage liver disease. Breakthroughs in surgical practice and immunosuppression have seen considerable advancements in survival after transplantation. However, the intricate management of immunosuppressive regimens, balancing desired immunological quiescence while minimizing toxicity has proven challenging. Diminishing improvements in long‐term morbidity and mortality have been inextricably linked with the protracted use of these medications. As such, there is now enormous interest to devise protocols that will allow us to minimize or completely withdraw immunosuppressants after transplantation. Immunosuppression withdrawal trials have proved the reality of tolerance following liver transplantation, however, without intervention will only occur after several years at the risk of potential cumulative immunosuppression‐related morbidity. Focus has now been directed at accelerating this phenomenon through tolerance‐inducing strategies. In this regard, efforts have seen the use of regulatory cell immunotherapy. Here we focus particularly on regulatory T cells, discussing preclinical data that propagated several clinical trials of adoptive cell therapy in liver transplantation. Furthermore, we describe efforts to further optimize the specificity and survival of regulatory cell therapy guided by concurrent immunomonitoring studies and the development of novel technologies including chimeric antigen receptors and co‐administration of low‐dose IL‐2.
Overstrength factors of RC bridges supported on single and multi‐column RC piers in Mexico
Authors: Sánchez Alma R. , Arêde António , Jara Jose M. , Delgado Pedro 
Published: August 2021

AbstractMexico highway network has more than 14,000 bridges. Most of them are reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The bridges design process incorporates the use of an overstrength factor that is not justified and has received little attention in published works. Mexican regulations allow using an overstrength factor for buildings in the range of 2–3, to reduce the design spectra as a function of the selected seismic behavior factor. However, for bridges, a single factor of 1.5 is proposed independent of any design parameter. The bridges in Mexico are mostly simply supported structures with maximum span lengths of 50 m. A relevant and distinctive aspect of the bridges designed in Mexico is the large load amplitudes of the trucks used to define the live load and the high seismic activity in the country. This study determines overstrength factors of a family of medium‐length RC bridges composed of simply supported superstructures and substructure made up of single and multi‐column RC piers. Non‐linear dynamic analyzes using a set of 80 accelerograms were carried out. The results show that the height of the bridges and their seismic location are relevant parameters in the overstrength of the structures. Finally, analytical expressions are proposed to assess the overstrength factors of a very common bridge typology in Mexico and the world.