bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary function impairment of asymptomatic and persistently symptomatic patients 4 months after COVID-19 according to disease severity
Authors: Munker Dieter , Veit Tobias , Barton Jürgen , Mertsch Pontus , Mümmler Carlo , Osterman Andreas , Khatamzas Elham , Barnikel Michaela , Hellmuth Johannes C. , Münchhoff Maximilian , Walter Julia , Ghiani Alessandro , Munker Stefan , Dinkel Julien , Behr Jürgen , Kneidinger Nikolaus , Milger Katrin 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Objective
Evaluation of pulmonary function impairment after COVID-19 in persistently symptomatic and asymptomatic patients of all disease severities and characterisation of risk factors.

Methods
Patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection underwent prospective follow-up with pulmonary function testing and blood gas analysis during steady-state cycle exercise 4 months after acute illness. Pulmonary function impairment (PFI) was defined as reduction below 80% predicted of DLCOcSB, TLC, FVC, or FEV1. Clinical data were analyzed to identify risk factors for impaired pulmonary function.

Results
76 patients were included, hereof 35 outpatients with mild disease and 41 patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. Sixteen patients had critical disease requiring mechanical ventilation, 25 patients had moderate–severe disease. After 4 months, 44 patients reported persisting respiratory symptoms. Significant PFI was prevalent in 40 patients (52.6%) occurring among all disease severities. The most common cause for PFI was reduced DLCOcSB (n = 39, 51.3%), followed by reduced TLC and FVC. The severity of PFI was significantly associated with mechanical ventilation (p < 0.001). Further risk factors for DLCO impairment were COPD (p < 0.001), SARS-CoV-2 antibody-Titer (p = 0.014) and in hospitalized patients CT score. A decrease of paO2 > 3 mmHg during cycle exercise occurred in 1/5 of patients after mild disease course.

Conclusion
We characterized pulmonary function impairment in asymptomatic and persistently symptomatic patients of different severity groups of COVID-19 and identified further risk factors associated with persistently decreased pulmonary function. Remarkably, gas exchange abnormalities were revealed upon cycle exercise in some patients with mild disease courses and no preexisting pulmonary condition.
Biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles using plant extracts
Authors: Pyrzynska Krystyna , Sentkowska Aleksandra 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have the potential to be used for various applications. Therefore, they have attracted more attention in recent years and several synthesis methods have been exploited. Green synthesis using plant extracts has gained popularity because it requires non-toxic solvents and moderate temperatures. Furthermore, it is environmentally friendly and uses a reducing agent that is easily accessible and biodegradable. In this review, we present recent reports concerning the capability of different plant materials for the biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles. The synthesis conditions (temperature, time, selenium precursor, and extract concentration) are discussed in combination with the characteristics of the obtained product (composition, size, shape, stability). The application of synthesized selenium nanoparticles was briefly presented.

Graphic abstract
On the complexity of assimilation in urban communities
Authors: Murimi Renita 
Published: July 2021

AbstractCities are microcosms representing a diversity of human experience. The complexity of urban systems arises from this diversity, where the services that cities offer to their inhabitants have to be tailored for their unique requirements. This paper studies the complexity of urban environments in terms of the assimilation of its communities. We examine the urban assimilation complexity with respect to the foreignness between communities and formalize the level of complexity using information-theoretic measures. Our findings contribute to a sociological perspective of the relationship between urban complex systems and the diversity of communities that make up urban systems.
Writing a strong scientific paper in medicine and the biomedical sciences: a checklist and recommendations for early career researchers
Authors: Behzadi Payam , Gajdács Márió 
Published: July 2021

AbstractScientific writing is an important skill in both academia and clinical practice. The skills for writing a strong scientific paper are necessary for researchers (comprising academic staff and health-care professionals). The process of a scientific research will be completed by reporting the obtained results in the form of a strong scholarly publication. Therefore, an insufficiency in scientific writing skills may lead to consequential rejections. This feature results in undesirable impact for their academic careers, promotions and credits. Although there are different types of papers, the original article is normally the outcome of experimental/epidemiological research. On the one hand, scientific writing is part of the curricula for many medical programs. On the other hand, not every physician may have adequate knowledge on formulating research results for publication adequately. Hence, the present review aimed to introduce the details of creating a strong original article for publication (especially for novice or early career researchers).
Early and late fawn mortality in a remnant population of Arabian gazelles (Gazella arabica)
Authors: Shalmon Benny , Sun Ping , Wronski Torsten 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe Arabian gazelle (Gazella arabica) population in Israel has experienced a turbulent conservation history and repeatedly faced local extinction. Low fawn survival was considered the main cause for the constant decline. In our study, we analyzed instantaneous fawn mortality rates, using a binomial coding at three different developmental stages, i.e., mortality rates to 3 months after parturition (weaning age), to 5 months after parturition (male fawns leave their mothers), and to the age of reproductive maturity, i.e., recruitment (12 months). We used a dataset obtained from 20 individually discernible mothers and their fawns (49 females and 48 males) born between June 2006 and September 2019. To explore causes for the fawn mortality rates, parental- (age of the mother at parturition) and offspring-related attributes (offspring sex), year of birth, together with one weather variable (mean monthly maximum temperature) were included as independent variables into three independent mixed effects cox regression models. Out of 97 fawns, 92 survived to weaning age, 73 to the age of 5 months and only 7 to the age of reproductive maturity. Temperature had significant effects on instantaneous fawn mortality rates, suggesting that low temperatures were detrimental to the survival of fawns after weaning (4–5 months) and male dispersal age (6–12 months). Male offspring encountered a higher instantaneous mortality rate than female offspring at the age of 6–12 months. Moreover, fawns from less experienced mother (young age at parturition) experienced higher mortality. Our results were in line with previous studies on fawn mortality observed in other desert dwelling ungulates.
Sexual and reproductive health knowledge and behaviour of adolescent boys and girls aged 10–19 years in western Kenya: evidence from a cross-sectional pilot survey
Authors: Magadi Monica , Kaseje Dan , Wafula Charles , Kaseje Margaret , Ochola-Odhiambo Pennina , Ogutu-Owii Salmon , Orton Bev , Onukwugha Franklin , Hayter Mark , Smith Lesley 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThis paper reports findings of a pilot survey of adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) knowledge and behaviour in Homabay County of western Kenya. The study was based on a cross-sectional survey of 523 male and female adolescents aged 10–19 years from 32 Community Health Units (CHUs). Bivariate analysis of gender differences and associations between ASRH knowledge and behaviour was followed with two-level logistic regression analysis of predictors of ASRH behaviour (sexual activity, unprotected sex, HIV testing), taking individual adolescents as level-1 and CHUs as level-2. The findings reveal important gender differences in ASRH knowledge and behaviour. While male adolescents reported higher sexual activity (ever had sex, unprotected last sex), female adolescents reported higher HIV testing. Despite having lower HIV/AIDS knowledge, female adolescents were more likely to translate their SRH knowledge into appropriate behaviour. Education emerged as an important predictor of ASRH behaviour. Out-of-school adolescents had significantly higher odds of having ever had sex (aOR=3.3) or unprotected last sex (aOR=3.2) than their in-school counterparts of the same age, gender and ASRH knowledge, while those with at least secondary education had lower odds of unprotected sex (aOR=0.52) and higher odds of HIV testing (aOR=5.49) than their counterparts of the same age, gender and SRH knowledge who had primary education or lower. However, being out of school was associated with higher HIV testing (aOR=2.3); and there was no evidence of significant differences between younger (aged 10–14) and older (aged 15–19) adolescents in SRH knowledge and behaviour. Besides individual-level predictors, there were significant community variations in ASRH knowledge and behaviour, with relatively more-deprived CHUs being associated with poorer indicators. The overall findings have important policy/programme implications. There is a need for a comprehensive approach that engages schools, health providers, peers, parents/adults and the wider community in developing age-appropriate ASRH interventions for both in-school and out-of-school adolescents in western Kenya.
The Plan of the Roman Fort at Dalswinton: A Comment
Authors: Hodgson Nick 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAn alternative is proposed to the interpretation of the plan of Dalswinton Roman fort offered by W.S. Hanson and colleagues in their important study of the air-photographic, geophysical and LiDAR evidence published in Britannia in 2019. It is suggested that the larger, second-phase fort faced not east, but south, as previously thought, but that most of the remains of this layout have been removed by the plough. A suggestion is made concerning the possible garrison of the second-phase fort.
Time-dependent expression of ryanodine receptors in sea urchin eggs, zygotes and early embryos
Authors: Percivale G. , Angelini C. , Falugi C. , Picco C. , Prestipino G. 
Published: July 2021

SummaryIn this work, the presence of calcium-dependent calcium channels and their receptors (RyR) has been investigated in Paracentrotus lividus eggs and early embryos, from unfertilized egg to four-blastomere stages. Electrophysiological recordings of RyR single-channel current fluctuations showed that RyRs are functional during the first developmental events with a maximum at zygote stage, c. 40 min after fertilization, corresponding to the first cleavage. The nature of vertebrate-like RyRs active at this stage was established by specific activation/blockade experiments.
Identification and expression analysis of Dazl homologue in Cynops cyanurus
Authors: Zhao Yinjiao , Du Ya , Ge Qinglan , Yan Fang , Wei Shu 
Published: July 2021

SummaryThe Dazl (deleted in azoospermia-like) gene encodes an RNA-binding protein containing an RNA recognition motif (RRM) and a DAZ motif. Dazl is essential for gametogenesis in vertebrates. In this study, we report the cloning of Dazl cDNA from Cynops cyanurus. Ccdazl mRNA showed a germline-specific expression pattern as expected. Ccdazl expression gradually decreased during oogenesis, suggesting that it may be involved in oocyte development. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Ccdazl protein shares conserved motifs/domains with Dazl proteins from other species. Cloning of Ccdazl provides a new tool to carry out comparative studies of germ cell development in amphibians.
A word on netting of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy in hypoplastic left heart syndrome following stage-I
Authors: Schranz Dietmar , Krasemann Thomas 
Published: July 2021

AbstractNPC-QIC Registry data showed that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors were described in almost 38% for patients with single ventricle physiology after stage-I Norwood palliation. However, mortality and ventricular dysfunction or atrioventricular valve insufficiency seems to be not improved by oral application of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The final conclusion was that despite limited evidence of benefit for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, prescription of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors during interstage is still common. Taking into account of the predominant cardiovascular regulation in newborns and young infants by circulating catecholamines, no real improvement is to be expected from angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor monotherapy. The goals of drug therapy after stage-I Norwood palliation in hypoplastic left heart syndrome are prevention of systemic right ventricle failure, balancing pulmonary and systemic blood flow, and reduction of oxygen consumption with regard to limitations of oxygen supply by the single ventricle, furthermore, avoiding harmful effects of endogenous catecholamine production in the long term on somatic and cognitive development. In this light of knowledge, we want to recommend the use of a long-acting and highly specific ß1-adrenoreceptor blocker for almost all patients after stage-I Norwood palliation and a combination with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors only by indication after exclusion of potential side effects.
Percutaneous closure of ventricular septal defect using LifeTechTM Konar-MF VSD Occluder: initial and short-term multi-institutional results
Authors: Sadiq Masood , Qureshi Ahmad Usaid , Younas Muhammad , Arshad Sohail , Hyder Syed Najam 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackground:Transcatheter ventricular septal defect closure remains a complex procedure with potential complications like complete heart block and aortic regurgitation. The ideal device design for such intervention is still evolving.Aim:To assess the safety, efficacy, and short-term outcome of ventricular septal defect closure using LifeTechTM multifunctional (KONAR-MFTM) VSD Occluder.Patients and methods:In a multicenre study, 44 patients with haemodynamically significant, restrictive ventricular septal defects underwent closure with the KONAR-MFTM device from April, 2019 to March, 2020. Clinical, echocardiographic, and angiographic data were collected and reviewed. Patients were followed up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.Results:The median age and weight were 8 (1.7–36) years and 20 (11–79) kg. Of 44 patients, 8 (18%) had a high muscular and 36 (82%) had a perimembranous defect, of which 6 had mild prolapse of the right coronary cusp. The median ventricular septal defect size was 8.8 (3.9–13.4) mm. A retrograde approach was adopted in 39 (88.6%) patients. Nine patients (20.5%) had a small residual leak and there was a slight increase in aortic regurgitation in one patient. One device, which embolised to pulmonary artery was retrieved, and the defect was closed with a larger device. At a median follow-up of 13 (5–18) months, the residual leak persisted in 1 (2.3%) patient. Mild aortic regurgitation in one patient remained unchanged. There were no major complications.Conclusion:Percutaneous closure of ventricular septal defect using KONAR-MFTM device is safe and effective in short and midterm follow-up including selected patients with perimembranous defect and mild prolapse of the right coronary cusp.
Galleon Anxiety: How Afro-Mexican Women Shaped Colonial Spirituality in Acapulco
Authors: Luis Diego Javier 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAcapulco became a global town during the early seventeenth century, characterized not only by transpacific trade, but also by an increasingly large Afro-Mexican population residing and laboring at the port. A cohort of Afro-Mexican women gained prominence and visibility by delivering accurate predictions on the arrival of galleons to Acapulco. They adapted mixed African and Indigenous divination practices to calm port residents worried about galleon losses on the world's largest ocean. Scholarship on the Spanish Pacific has yet to investigate how the globalization of New Spain through galleon travel affected African and Afro-descendant communities. This article contends that the dangers of Pacific travel, and anxieties about them, frequently exceeded the therapeutic capacities of Catholic dogma. Black women, drawing on the profound West and West Central African estimation of female diviners, practiced clairvoyance to report on the location of galleons and whether they would arrive safely. The confluence of an increasing population of Afro-Mexicans with the economic dynamism of transpacific trade transformed spiritual life at the eastern node of Spain's Pacific empire. Black women positioned themselves at the center of these massive structural transformations and ultimately created new cultures as spiritual authorities in Acapulco.
Einbezug von Alter und Sprachkontaktdauer in die Wortschatzdiagnostik bei Mehrsprachigkeit
Authors: Ehl Birgit , Grosche Michael 
Published: July 2021

Zusammenfassung. Für die expressive Wortschatzdiagnostik mehrsprachiger Kinder im Grundschulalter fehlen Auswertungsansätze, die die heterogenen Bedingungen des Mehrspracherwerbs berücksichtigen. Solche Auswertungsansätze werden im Bildungs- und Gesundheitswesen gebraucht, um eine bessere Orientierung zu erhalten, welche mehrsprachigen Kinder sprachlich besonders auffällig sind. Die vorliegende Studie prüft, ob das Alter der Kinder und deren Kontaktdauer zur Umgebungssprache als Bestandteile mehrspracherwerbssensibler Normen für Wortschatzleistungen in der Umgebungssprache in Betracht kommen. Bei einer Stichprobe von 451 mehrsprachigen Grundschulkindern hatten das Alter und die Kontaktdauer einen bedeutsamen Einfluss auf den Wortschatz in der Umgebungssprache. Darüber hinaus zeigten sich differentielle Zusammenhänge. Kinder mit kürzerer Kontaktdauer unterschieden sich im Wortschatz stärker von Kindern, die z. B. ein Jahr älter und ein Kontaktjahr weiter fortgeschritten waren, als Kindern mit längerer Kontaktdauer. Insgesamt weisen die Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass die Entwicklung von mehrspracherwerbssensiblen Normen die Identifikation von sprachlich besonders auffälligen Kindern verbessern könnte.
Dense Water Formation on the Icelandic Shelf and Its Contribution to the North Icelandic Jet
Authors: Garcia‐Quintana Yarisbel , Grivault Nathan , Hu Xianmin , Myers Paul G. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe North Icelandic Jet (NIJ) is the densest component of the Denmark Strait Overflow Water, feeding the abyssal limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Here, by using observational and numerical model data, we explore the formation of overflow water on the Icelandic shelf, the mechanisms involved, and its potential contribution to the NIJ. The sparse observational data on the western Icelandic shelf for the month of February shows top‐to‐bottom mixing on the shelf, distinct and well separated from the dense water offshore, with densities larger than 27.8 kg/m3 in some years. Using a 1‐D mixing model and winter heat flux reanalysis, we suggest that waters with densities exceeding 27.8 kg/m3 are likely to be formed on the shelf in most years by the end of winter. High‐resolution numerical model data shows that the transformation of the Atlantic inflow along the northwest Icelandic shelf generates a dense plume whose waters feed into the NIJ. The bulk of the plume cascades down‐slope north of Iceland, funneled through deep cross‐shelf troughs, with some cascading occurring west of Iceland as well. During years of strong cascading events (2008, 2013, and 2016), the modeled dense plume potentially feeds up to 21% of the NIJ transport at the Siglunes and Kögur sections. Back‐tracked Lagrangian particle trajectories confirm that the western Icelandic shelf is a source of the NIJ. The dense plume transport and variability are found to be dependent on the total oceanic heat loss west of Iceland and along Denmark Strait.
Possible Origin of Some Periodicities Detected in Solar‐Terrestrial Studies: Earth's Orbital Movements
Authors: Cionco R. G. , Kudryavtsev S. M. , Soon W. W.‐H. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPeriodicities matching planetary cycles have been argued to be detected in key geophysical time series. In general, these periodicities were indirectly attributed to a planetary influence on solar activity. This supposes that planetary gravity affects the internal functioning of the Sun's dynamo, that is, the planetary hypothesis (PH) of the solar cycles. The Earth's heliocentric dynamics already includes the planetary gravitational effects on the Sun. Taking into account this fact, these periodicities, ultimately attributed to possible planetary modulations of the solar activity, could have a more direct origin in cyclical changes in the relative Sun‐Earth geometry, but then, wrongly or partially explained invoking internal solar changes. We present an original decomposition analysis of the high‐precision ephemeris DE431 from NASA/JPL in order to obtain and classify the most important planetary/lunar purely periodic changes of the Earth's orbital movement at sub‐Milanković scales. A comprehensive list of cyclic changes of the Earth's orbital parameters involved in the relative Sun‐Earth position and the Earth's speed around the Sun is given. We show that these particular geophysical quasi‐periods are identifiable in the cyclic oscillations of these orbital parameters. Since the Earth's movement in space physically affects the manner in which the solar radiant flux reaches the planet, these oscillations provide, unlike the PH, a clear, causal, and testable link for their possible attribution.
Multi‐Stage Hydrothermal Veins in Layered Gabbro of the Oman Ophiolite: Implications for Focused Fluid Circulation in the Lower Oceanic Crust
Authors: Zhang Chao , Koepke Jürgen , Wolff Paul Eric , Horn Ingo , Garbe‐Schönberg Dieter , Berndt Jasper 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAn outcrop in the layered gabbro section from the Wadi Wariyah of the Oman ophiolite has been investigated to provide new insights into the hydrothermal activities that cover a large temperature range in the lower crust at fast‐spreading mid‐ocean ridges. Our observations reveal a complex veining system composed of gabbroic dikes, hydrous mineral (amphibole, epidote, and prehnite) veins and associated alteration, which strongly overprinted the layered gabbros shortly after the solidification of the gabbroic cumulates. The general strike of the veins is roughly perpendicular to the magmatic foliation of the layered gabbro. Mineral‐based geothermometry indicates a wide temperature range (ca. 1,000−250°C) of hydrothermal activities, spanning from hydrous suprasolidus stage (VHT) through amphibolite facies (HT) and epidote‐amphibolite facies (MT) down to the prehnite‐pumpellyite facies (LT), which induced significant differences in selective element depletion and enrichment as well as in exchange of Sr and O isotopes. A key observation is the omnipresence of relics from a previous temperature stage in a given hydrothermal paragenesis formed at lower temperatures, implying that the same pathways were used for hydrothermal veining in a broad temperature interval spanning about 750°C. Our observations support a model that focused fluid circulations, in the form of combined microcracking (grain boundary spacing) and macrocracking (veining), developed shortly subsequent to the complete solidification of the layered gabbros, which may have facilitated effective cooling for magma crystallization in the lower crust.