bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Benchmarking embedded chain breaking in quantum annealing
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Authors: Grant Erica , Humble Travis S 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Quantum annealing solves combinatorial optimization problems by finding the energetic ground states of an embedded Hamiltonian. However, quantum annealing dynamics under the embedded Hamiltonian may violate the principles of adiabatic evolution and generate excitations that correspond to errors in the computed solution. Here we empirically benchmark the probability of chain breaks and identify sweet spots for solving a suite of embedded Hamiltonians. We further correlate the physical location of chain breaks in the quantum annealing hardware with the underlying embedding technique and use these localized rates in a tailored post-processing strategies. Our results demonstrate how to use characterization of the quantum annealing hardware to tune the embedded Hamiltonian and remove computational errors.
Effects of two different solvents on Schottky barrier of organic device
Authors: Sen Sudipta , Manik N B 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
In this paper, the effects of two different solvents on the Schottky barrier of ITO/ blend of methyl red dye—fullerene nanoparticles/Al - M electrode have been studied. We have taken chlorobenzene solvent and toluene solvent. Three different devices have been made by taking three different weight ratios of the dye—nanoparticles blend which is 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1. The estimation of the interfacial Schottky barrier at the junction of metal-organic dye is estimated using the device’s dark I—V plot. Interfacial Schottky barrier at the metal-organic junction is least for 2:1 weight ratio of dye - nanoparticle blend in chlorobenzene solvent but for toluene solvent, the Schottky barrier is least for 1:2 weight ratio of dye—nanoparticle blend. The lowering of barrier height at 2:1 and 1:2 ratios in Schottky barrier contacts prepared with chlorobenzene and toluene solvents can be attributed to the filling up of traps at the metal-organic layer interface. The Norde method is also used to check the consistency of the obtained value of the Schottky barrier measured from I—V plots. Reduction in Schottky barrier results in improved current injection process at the metal-organic interface.
Social memory and infrastructure governance: a century in the life of a rural drinking water system
Authors: Haggerty Julia H , Dunn Jennifer , Gansauer Grete , Ewing Stephanie , Metcalf Elizabeth 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Even in advanced economies, underperforming infrastructure is a persistent rural development challenge, with the case of non-compliant small drinking water systems (SDWSs) especially concerning because of the importance of safe drinking water to human health. While technical and financial deficits are known contributors to SDWS underperformance in rural settings, the role of local cultural and social context in water governance are less clear. The need for interoperable concepts that help explain how local contextual factors influence rural water governance and operation motivates this study. Drawing on insights from community resilience and critical infrastructure scholarship, this study draws attention to a previously overlooked dimension of local infrastructure governance: social memory. Archival research and 25 semi-structured interviews with experts and local stakeholders inform the paper’s reconstruction of the 100 years history of an SDWS in rural Montana, USA and analysis of the contemporary social memory it has generated. The study finds that social memory acts as a medium through which the lived experience of infrastructure influences priorities and values about its governance, especially in the context of small towns. Three major themes in the dynamics of social memory of infrastructure are described, including longevity, aesthetic and material qualities, and articulation with economic trajectories. In addition to establishing social memory as an effective conceptualization of the generative influence of infrastructure in water governance at the local scale, the paper has implications for policy; specifically, the observation that in addition to financial and technical capacity, historical experience is a powerful driver of infrastructure governance and outcomes such as underperformance.
Evidence for a General Neural Signature of Face Familiarity
Authors: Dalski Alexia , Kovács Gyula , Ambrus Géza Gergely 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
We explored the neural signatures of face familiarity using cross-participant and cross-experiment decoding of event-related potentials, evoked by unknown and experimentally familiarized faces from a set of experiments with different participants, stimuli, and familiarization-types. Human participants of both sexes were either familiarized perceptually, via media exposure, or by personal interaction. We observed significant cross-experiment familiarity decoding involving all three experiments, predominantly over posterior and central regions of the right hemisphere in the 270–630 ms time window. This shared face familiarity effect was most prominent across the Media and the Personal, as well as between the Perceptual and Personal experiments. Cross-experiment decodability makes this signal a strong candidate for a general neural indicator of face familiarity, independent of familiarization methods, participants, and stimuli. Furthermore, the sustained pattern of temporal generalization suggests that it reflects a single automatic processing cascade that is maintained over time.
Wide-Field Calcium Imaging of Dynamic Cortical Networks during Locomotion
Authors: West Sarah L , Aronson Justin D , Popa Laurentiu S , Feller Kathryn D , Carter Russell E , Chiesl William M , Gerhart Morgan L , Shekhar Aditya C , Ghanbari Leila , Kodandaramaiah Suhasa B , Ebner Timothy J 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Motor behavior results in complex exchanges of motor and sensory information across cortical regions. Therefore, fully understanding the cerebral cortex’s role in motor behavior requires a mesoscopic-level description of the cortical regions engaged, their functional interactions, and how these functional interactions change with behavioral state. Mesoscopic Ca2+ imaging through transparent polymer skulls in mice reveals elevated activation of the dorsal cerebral cortex during locomotion. Using the correlations between the time series of Ca2+ fluorescence from 28 regions (nodes) obtained using spatial independent component analysis (sICA), we examined the changes in functional connectivity of the cortex from rest to locomotion with a goal of understanding the changes to the cortical functional state that facilitate locomotion. Both the transitions from rest to locomotion and from locomotion to rest show marked increases in correlation among most nodes. However, once a steady state of continued locomotion is reached, many nodes, including primary motor and somatosensory nodes, show decreases in correlations, while retrosplenial and the most anterior nodes of the secondary motor cortex show increases. These results highlight the changes in functional connectivity in the cerebral cortex, representing a series of changes in the cortical state from rest to locomotion and on return to rest.
Sex Differences in Long-term Outcomes After Group B Streptococcal Infections During Infancy in Denmark and the Netherlands: National Cohort Studies of Neurodevelopmental Impairments and Mortality
Authors: van Kassel Merel N , Gonçalves Bronner P , Snoek Linde , Sørensen Henrik T , Bijlsma Merijn W , Lawn Joy E , Horváth-Puhó Erzsébet ,   GBS Danish and Dutch Collaborative Group for Long-Term Outcomes, Sørensen Henrik T , Horváth-Puhó Erzsébet , Søgaard Kirstine K , van de Beek Diederik , Bijlsma Merijn W , van Kassel Merel N , Snoek Linde , de Gier Brechje , van der Ende Arie , Hahné Susan J M 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Background
Male infants have a higher incidence of invasive group B Streptococcus disease (iGBS) compared with female infants; however, data on sex differences in mortality and long-term outcomes after iGBS are lacking. We assessed whether a child’s sex influences the effects of iGBS on mortality and risk of neurodevelopmental impairments (NDIs).

Methods
We used Danish and Dutch registry data to conduct a nationwide cohort study of infants with a history of iGBS. A comparison cohort, children without a history of iGBS, was randomly selected and matched on relevant factors. Effect modification by sex was assessed on additive and multiplicative scales.

Results
Our analyses included data from children with a history of iGBS in Denmark (period 1997 -2017; n = 1432) and the Netherlands (2000 -2017; n = 697) and from 21 172 children without iGBS. There was no clear evidence of between-sex heterogeneity in iGBS-associated mortality. Boys had a higher risk of NDI, with evidence for effect modification on additive scale at the age of 5 years for any NDI (relative excess risk due to interaction = 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.53 to 3.09 in Denmark and 1.14; 95% CI, -5.13 to 7.41 in the Netherlands). A similar pattern was observed for moderate/severe NDI at age 5 years in Denmark and age 10 years in the Netherlands.

Conclusion
Boys are at higher risk of NDI ; our results suggest this is disproportionally increased in those who develop iGBS. Future studies should investigate mechanisms of this effect modification by sex.
The adult heart requires baseline expression of the transcription factor Hand2 to withstand right ventricular pressure overload
Authors: Videira Raquel F , Koop Anne Marie C , Ottaviani Lara , Poels Ella M , Kocken Jordy M M , Dos Remedios Cristobal , Mendes-Ferreira Pedro , Van De Kolk Kees W , Du Marchie Sarvaas Gideon J , Lourenço André , Llucià-Valldeperas Aida , Nascimento Dian aS , De Windt Leon J , De Man Frances S , Falcão-Pires Inês , Berger Rolf M F , da Costa Martins Paula A 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAimsResearch on the pathophysiology of right ventricular (RV) failure has, in spite of the associated high mortality and morbidity, lagged behind compared to the left ventricle (LV). Previous work from our lab revealed that the embryonic basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor heart and neural crest derivatives expressed-2 (Hand2) is re-expressed in the adult heart and activates a ‘foetal gene programme’ contributing to pathological cardiac remodelling under conditions of LV pressure overload. As such, ablation of cardiac expression of Hand2 conferred protection to cardiac stress and abrogated the maladaptive effects that were observed upon increased expression levels. In this study, we aimed to understand the contribution of Hand2 to RV remodelling in response to pressure overload induced by pulmonary artery banding (PAB).Methods and resultsIn this study, Hand2F/F and MCM- Hand2F/F mice were treated with tamoxifen (control and knockout, respectively) and subjected to six weeks of RV pressure overload induced by PAB. Echocardiographic- and MRI-derived haemodynamic parameters as well as molecular remodelling were assessed for all experimental groups and compared to sham-operated controls. Six weeks after PAB, levels of Hand2 expression increased in the control-banded animals but, as expected, remained absent in the knockout hearts. Despite the dramatic differences in Hand2 expression, pressure overload resulted in impaired cardiac function independently of the genotype. In fact, Hand2 depletion seems to sensitize the RV to pressure overload as these mice develop more hypertrophy and more severe cardiac dysfunction. Higher expression levels of HAND2 were also observed in RV samples of human hearts from patients with pulmonary hypertension. In turn, the LV of RV pressure-overloaded hearts was also dramatically affected as reflected by changes in shape, decreased LV mass, and impaired cardiac function. RNA-sequencing revealed a distinct set of genes that are dysregulated in the pressure-overloaded RV, compared to the previously described pressure-overloaded LV.ConclusionCardiac-specific depletion of Hand2 is associated with severe cardiac dysfunction in conditions of RV pressure overload. While inhibiting Hand2 expression can prevent cardiac dysfunction in conditions of LV pressure overload, the same does not hold true for conditions of RV pressu re overload. This study highlights the need to better understand the molecular mechanisms driving pathological remodelling of the RV in contrast to the LV, in order to better diagnose and treat patients with RV or LV failure.
Case series, chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy: mind the family history!
Authors: Moghadasi Setareh , Fijn Rienke , Beeres Saskia L M A , Bikker Hennie , Jongbloed Jan D H , Josephus Jitta Djike , Kroep Judith R , Lekanne Deprez Ronald H , Vos Yvonne J , de Vreede Mariëlle J M , Antoni M Louisa , Barge-Schaapveld Daniela Q C M 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Background
Cardiotoxicity presenting as cardiomyopathy is a common side effect in cancer treatment especially with anthracyclines. The role of genetic predisposition is still being investigated.

Case summary
Four unrelated patients with a familial burden for cardiac disease, who developed cardiomyopathy after anthracycline treatment are presented. Case 1 received chemotherapy for breast cancer and developed a dilated left ventricle just after treatment. Her father had died unexpectedly while being screened for heart transplant. Case 2 was known with a family history of sudden cardiac death prior to her breast cancer diagnosis. She received anthracycline-containing chemotherapy treatment twice in 5 years due to recurrence of breast cancer. During that period, two brothers developed a cardiomyopathy. Eighteen years later, a genetic predisposition for cardiomyopathy was ascertained and at screening an asymptomatic non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy was established. Case 3 was diagnosed with a dilated cardiomyopathy 1 year after chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Her mother had developed a dilated cardiomyopathy several years before. Case 4 received chemotherapy treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and developed dilated cardiomyopathy 1 year later. His brother died from congestive heart failure which he developed after chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a grandmother had died suddenly during child delivery. In all four cases, genetic screening showed (likely) pathogenic variants in cardiomyopathy-associated genes.

Discussion
Current guidelines recommend cardiac evaluation in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy based on the presence of cardiovascular risk factors at the start of treatment. This series emphasizes the importance of including a thorough family history in this process.
Ticagrelor monotherapy in patients at high bleeding risk undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: TWILIGHT-HBR
Authors: Escaned Javier , Cao Davide , Baber Usman , Nicolas Johny , Sartori Samantha , Zhang Zhongjie , Dangas George , Angiolillo Dominick J , Briguori Carlo , Cohen David J , Collier Timothy , Dudek Dariusz , Gibson Michael , Gil Robert , Huber Kurt , Kaul Upendra , Kornowski Ran , Krucoff Mitchell W , Kunadian Vijay , Mehta Shamir , Moliterno David J , Ohman E Magnus , Oldroyd Keith G , Sardella Gennaro , Sharma Samin K , Shlofmitz Richard , Weisz Giora , Witzenbichler Bernhard , Pocock Stuart , Mehran Roxana 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Aims
Patients at high bleeding risk (HBR) represent a prevalent subgroup among those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Early aspirin discontinuation after a short course of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) has emerged as a bleeding avoidance strategy. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of ticagrelor monotherapy after 3-month DAPT in a contemporary HBR population.

Methods and results
This prespecified analysis of the TWILIGHT trial evaluated the treatment effects of early aspirin withdrawal followed by ticagrelor monotherapy in HBR patients undergoing PCI with drug-eluting stents. After 3 months of ticagrelor plus aspirin, event-free patients were randomized to 12 months of aspirin or placebo in addition to ticagrelor. A total of 1064 (17.2%) met the Academic Research Consortium definition for HBR. Ticagrelor monotherapy reduced the incidence of the primary endpoint of Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) 2, 3, or 5 bleeding compared with ticagrelor plus aspirin in HBR (6.3% vs. 11.4%; hazard ratio (HR) 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35–0.82) and non-HBR patients (3.5% vs. 5.9%; HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.46–0.77) with similar relative (P interaction = 0.67) but a trend towards greater absolute risk reduction in the former [−5.1% vs. −2.3%; difference in absolute risk differences (ARDs) −2.8%, 95% CI −6.4% to 0.8%, P = 0.130]. A similar pattern was observed for more severe BARC 3 or 5 bleeding with a larger absolute risk reduction in HBR patients (−3.5% vs. −0.5%; difference in ARDs −3.0%, 95% CI −5.2% to −0.8%, P = 0.008). There was no significant difference in the key secondary endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke between treatment arms, irrespective of HBR status.

Conclusions
Among HBR patients undergoing PCI who completed 3-month DAPT without experiencing major adverse events, aspirin discontinuation followed by ticagrelor monotherapy significantly reduced bleeding without increasing ischaemic events, compared with ticagrelor plus aspirin. The absolute risk reduction in major bleeding was larger in HBR than non-HBR patients.
Elevated peripheral blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is associated with an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment and decreased benefit of PD-1 antibody in advanced gastric cancer
Authors: Ruan Dan-Yun , Chen Yan-Xing , Wei Xiao-Li , Wang Ying-Nan , Wang Zi-Xian , Wu Hao-Xiang , Xu Rui-Hua , Yuan Shu-Qiang , Wang Feng-Hua 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Background
Due to its limited efficacy and potential toxicity, anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody is not suitable for all advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients and predictive biomarkers identifying patients who can benefit from it are urgently needed. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive and prognostic value of inflammatory markers in the context of the systemic inflammatory status and tumour microenvironment.

Methods
The study included 58 patients from a prospective study investigating the safety and efficacy of toripalimab in chemorefractory AGC patients. Patient characteristics, treatment outcomes, and haematological parameters were analysed. Immune-cell infiltration and gene expression in tumour tissue were examined using transcriptome sequencing.

Results
In this cohort, the median follow-up time was 4.5 months, the median progression-free survival was 1.9 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 4.8 months. The objective response rate was 12.1% and th disease control rate (DCR) was 39.7%. Both the baseline blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (bNLR) with a cut-point of 2.7 and the early elevated dynamic change of the bNLR (dNLR) with a cut-point of 1.5 were prognostic factors of survival. Patients in the high bNLR or dNLR group had remarkably poor DCR (25.8% vs 59.1%, P = 0.023; 15.8% vs 54.6%, P = 0.008). In multivariate analysis, bNLR and tumour mutational burden were independent prognostic factors of OS. Tumour RNA-seq analysis revealed enriched neutrophil infiltration and a higher tumour NLR in the bNLR-high group. Corresponding tumour gene-expression profiles were associated with neutrophil recruitment and inflammatory cytokine aggregation.

Conclusions
Our study demonstrated the potential clinical utility of NLR as a biomarker for patient selection and clinical management in predicting the prognosis of AGC patients as well as response to anti-PD-1 therapy. In addition, high bNLR reflected the imbalance of tumour-tissue-infiltrating neutrophils and lymphocytes, and was associated with an immunosuppressive and pro-tumour microenvironment.
Adiponectin, Leptin, and Resistin and the Risk of Dementia
Authors: Mooldijk Sanne S , Ikram Mohammad Kamran , Ikram Mohammad Arfan 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Background
Adipokines are hormones secreted by adipose tissue with roles in energy homeostasis and regulation of metabolism. Their dysregulation is suggested to contribute to the increased risk of dementia seen with midlife obesity, but longitudinal studies investigating this are scarce. We determined the association between plasma levels of adiponectin, leptin, and resistin with the risk of dementia.

Methods
We performed a case–cohort study embedded in the prospective, population-based Rotterdam Study. Plasma levels of the adiponectin, leptin, and resistin were measured at baseline (1997–1999) in a random subcohort of 945 participants without dementia, and additionally in 177 participants, who were diagnosed with dementia during follow-up (until January 1, 2018).

Results
Higher levels of leptin and resistin were associated with a decreased risk of dementia (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] per SD increase of log-transformed values: 0.85 [0.72–1.00] for leptin; 0.82 [0.71–0.95] for resistin). The association of leptin with dementia was further modified by body mass index and by APOE ε4 carrier status. Adiponectin levels were not associated with the risk of dementia.

Conclusions
These findings support the hypothesis that adipokines have a role in the pathophysiology of dementia. Future studies are warranted to confirm the findings and to explore the underlying mechanisms.
Visual Art Therapy and Cognition: Effects on People With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Low Education Level
Authors: Masika Golden M , Yu Doris S F , Li Polly W C , Lee Diana T F , Nyundo Azan 
Published: September 2021

AbstractObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine the effects of visual art therapy (VAT) on cognition, psychological and functional ability of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and low education.MethodsA single-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted among 127 older adults with MCI, mean age 73.6 years, and level of education in years, median (range) = 0 (0–9). The intervention group received 12 VAT sessions over 6 weeks. The control group received 6 health education sessions. The outcomes measures at baseline, immediately postintervention, at 3-month, and 6-month follow-up included global cognitive functions, depression, mental well-being, and instrumental activities of daily living functions.ResultsThe intervention group demonstrated greater improvement than the control group in global cognition (β = 2.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16, 3.97, p &lt; .001, standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.75) and depression (β = −2.01, 95% CI = −3.09, −0.93, p &lt; .001, SMD = −0.93) immediately postintervention. The effects on cognitive functions were sustained at 3 and 6 months follow-up. The differential effect of VAT on mental well-being and functional ability compared to health education were undetectable.DiscussionVAT can improve cognitive functions and mood status of older adults with MCI who have no or low education.Clinical Trials Registration Number: PACTR201901731800445. This trial was registered with Pan African Clinical Trial Registry: www.pactr.org.