bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Usefulness of an artificial neural network for a beginner to achieve similar interpretations to an expert when examining myocardial perfusion images
Authors: Chiba A. , Kudo T. , Ideguchi R. , Altay M. , Koga S. , Yonekura T. , Tsuneto A. , Morikawa M. , Ikeda S. , Kawano H. , Koide Y. , Uetani M. , Maemura K. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis study examined whether using an artificial neural network (ANN) helps beginners in diagnostic cardiac imaging to achieve similar results to experts when interpreting stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). One hundred and thirty-eight patients underwent stress MPI with Tc-labeled agents. An expert and a beginner interpreted stress/rest MPI with or without the ANN and the results were compared. The myocardium was divided into 5 regions (the apex; septum; anterior; lateral, and inferior regions), and the defect score of myocardial blood flow was evaluated from 0 to 4, and SSS, SRS, and SDS were calculated. The ANN effect, defined as the difference in each of these scores between with and without the ANN, was calculated to investigate the influence of ANN on the interpreters' performance. We classified 2 groups (insignificant perfusion group and significant perfusion group) and compared them. In the same way, classified 2 groups (insignificant ischemia group and significant ischemia group) and compared them. Besides, we classified 2 groups (normal vessels group and multi-vessels group) and compared them. The ANN effect was smaller for the expert than for the beginner. Besides, the ANN effect for insignificant perfusion group, insignificant ischemia group and multi-vessels group were smaller for the expert than for the beginner. On the other hand, the ANN effect for significant perfusion group, significant ischemia group and normal vessels group were no significant. When interpreting MPI, beginners may achieve similar results to experts by using an ANN. Thus, interpreting MPI with ANN may be useful for beginners. Furthermore, when beginners interpret insignificant perfusion group, insignificant ischemia group and multi-vessel group, beginners may achieve similar results to experts by using an ANN.
Efficacy and safety of lurbinectedin and doxorubicin in relapsed small cell lung cancer. Results from an expansion cohort of a phase I study
Authors: Olmedo María Eugenia , Forster Martin , Moreno Victor , López-Criado María Pilar , Braña Irene , Flynn Michael , Doger Bernard , de Miguel María , López-Vilariño José Antonio , Núñez Rafael , Kahatt Carmen , Cullell-Young Martin , Zeaiter Ali , Calvo Emiliano 
Published: March 2021

SummaryBackground A phase I study found remarkable activity and manageable toxicity for doxorubicin (bolus) plus lurbinectedin (1-h intravenous [i.v.] infusion) on Day 1 every three weeks (q3wk) as second-line therapy in relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC). An expansion cohort further evaluated this combination. Patients and methods Twenty-eight patients with relapsed SCLC after no more than one line of cytotoxic-containing chemotherapy were treated: 18 (64%) with sensitive disease (chemotherapy-free interval [CTFI] ≥90 days) and ten (36%) with resistant disease (CTFI <90 days; including six with refractory disease [CTFI ≤30 days]). Results Ten patients showed confirmed response (overall response rate [ORR] = 36%); median progression-free survival (PFS) = 3.3 months; median overall survival (OS) = 7.9 months. ORR was 50% in sensitive disease (median PFS = 5.7 months; median OS = 11.5 months) and 10% in resistant disease (median PFS = 1.3 months; median OS = 4.6 months). The main toxicity was transient and reversible myelosuppression. Treatment-related non-hematological events (fatigue, nausea, decreased appetite, vomiting, alopecia) were mostly mild or moderate. Conclusion Doxorubicin 40 mg/m2 and lurbinectedin 2.0 mg/m2 on Day 1 q3wk has shown noteworthy activity in relapsed SCLC and a manageable safety profile. The combination is being evaluated as second-line therapy for SCLC in an ongoing, randomized phase III trial. Clinical trial registrationwww.ClinicalTrials.gov code: NCT01970540. Date of registration: 22 October, 2013.
Risk factors for COVID-19 diagnosis, hospitalization, and subsequent all-cause mortality in Sweden: a nationwide study
Authors: Bergman Jonathan , Ballin Marcel , Nordström Anna , Nordström Peter 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWe conducted a nationwide, registry-based study to investigate the importance of 34 potential risk factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis, hospitalization (with or without intensive care unit [ICU] admission), and subsequent all-cause mortality. The study population comprised all COVID-19 cases confirmed in Sweden by mid-September 2020 (68,575 non-hospitalized, 2494 ICU hospitalized, and 13,589 non-ICU hospitalized) and 434,081 randomly sampled general-population controls. Older age was the strongest risk factor for hospitalization, although the odds of ICU hospitalization decreased after 60–69 years and, after controlling for other risk factors, the odds of non-ICU hospitalization showed no trend after 40–49 years. Residence in a long-term care facility was associated with non-ICU hospitalization. Male sex and the presence of at least one investigated comorbidity or prescription medication were associated with both ICU and non-ICU hospitalization. Three comorbidities associated with both ICU and non-ICU hospitalization were asthma, hypertension, and Down syndrome. History of cancer was not associated with COVID-19 hospitalization, but cancer in the past year was associated with non-ICU hospitalization, after controlling for other risk factors. Cardiovascular disease was weakly associated with non-ICU hospitalization for COVID-19, but not with ICU hospitalization, after adjustment for other risk factors. Excess mortality was observed in both hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 cases. These results confirm that severe COVID-19 is related to age, sex, and comorbidity in general. The study provides new evidence that hypertension, asthma, Down syndrome, and residence in a long-term care facility are associated with severe COVID-19.
Determining the optimal piecewise constant approximation for the nonhomogeneous Poisson process rate of Emergency Department patient arrivals
Authors: De Santis Alberto , Giovannelli Tommaso , Lucidi Stefano , Messedaglia Mauro , Roma Massimo 
Published: March 2021

AbstractModeling the arrival process to an Emergency Department (ED) is the first step of all studies dealing with the patient flow within the ED. Many of them focus on the increasing phenomenon of ED overcrowding, which is afflicting hospitals all over the world. Since Discrete Event Simulation models are often adopted to assess solutions for reducing the impact of this problem, proper nonstationary processes are taken into account to reproduce time–dependent arrivals. Accordingly, an accurate estimation of the unknown arrival rate is required to guarantee the reliability of results. In this work, an integer nonlinear black–box optimization problem is solved to determine the best piecewise constant approximation of the time-varying arrival rate function, by finding the optimal partition of the 24 h into a suitable number of not equally spaced intervals. The black-box constraints of the optimization problem make the feasible solutions satisfy proper statistical hypotheses; these ensure the validity of the nonhomogeneous Poisson assumption about the arrival process, commonly adopted in the literature, and prevent mixing overdispersed data for model estimation. The cost function of the optimization problem includes a fit error term for the solution accuracy and a penalty term to select an adequate degree of regularity of the optimal solution. To show the effectiveness of this methodology, real data from one of the largest Italian hospital EDs are used.
The Ribaucour families of discrete R-congruences
Authors: Rörig Thilo , Szewieczek Gudrun 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWhile a generic smooth Ribaucour sphere congruence admits exactly two envelopes, a discrete R-congruence gives rise to a 2-parameter family of discrete enveloping surfaces. The main purpose of this paper is to gain geometric insights into this ambiguity. In particular, discrete R-congruences that are enveloped by discrete channel surfaces and discrete Legendre maps with one family of spherical curvature lines are discussed.
Trajectories of Symptom Severity in Children with Autism: Variability and Turning Points through the Transition to School
Authors: Georgiades Stelios , Tait Peter A. , McNicholas Paul D. , Duku Eric , Zwaigenbaum Lonnie , Smith Isabel M. , Bennett Teresa , Elsabbagh Mayada , Kerns Connor M. , Mirenda Pat , Ungar Wendy J. , Vaillancourt Tracy , Volden Joanne , Waddell Charlotte , Zaidman-Zait Anat , Gentles Stephen , Szatmari Peter 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis study examined the trajectories of autistic symptom severity in an inception cohort of 187 children with ASD assessed across four time points from diagnosis to age 10. Trajectory groups were derived using multivariate cluster analysis. A two trajectory/cluster solution was selected. Change in trajectory slopes revealed a turning point marked by plateauing in symptom reduction during the period of transition to school (age 6) for one of the two trajectories. Trajectories were labelled: Continuously Improving (27%) and Improving then Plateauing (73% of sample). Children in the two trajectories differed in levels of symptom severity, language, cognitive, and adaptive functioning skills. Study findings can inform the development of more personalized services for children with ASD transitioning into the school system.
The Influence of Antisocial Behavior and Callous-Unemotional Traits on Trajectories of School Engagement and Achievement in South-Korean Children
Authors: Hwang Suhlim , Waller Rebecca , Hawes David J. , Allen Jennifer L. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractPoor educational outcomes are common among children with antisocial behavior problems, including among a subgroup of antisocial children with callous-unemotional traits, who show deficits in empathy, guilt, and prosociality. However, few studies have explored the unique contributions of antisocial behavior and callous-unemotional traits to school outcomes and most prior studies have been conducted in Western countries. The current study thus tested associations between callous-unemotional traits, antisocial behavior, and trajectories of school outcomes among South Korean children. Participants aged 10-12 years (N = 218; 52% boys) completed questionnaires assessing antisocial behavior, callous-unemotional traits, verbal ability, and school engagement, and teachers provided children’s Math and Korean grades at three time points during a single academic year. Prospective associations were explored in conditional latent growth curve models. Both antisocial behavior and callous-unemotional traits were related to lower school engagement at the start of the academic year, but the magnitude of the associations was greater for callous-unemotional traits, suggesting a greater adverse effect of callous-unemotional traits on engagement than antisocial behavior. Moreover, children with high levels of callous-unemotional traits showed stable and low levels of school engagement. There were no significant predictive associations between antisocial behavior or callous-unemotional traits and trajectories of academic grades. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving educational outcomes among antisocial children should be tailored according to the presence of callous-unemotional traits to target the specific needs of individual students, particularly at the start of the school year.
Production of no-carrier-added 89Zr at an 18 MeV cyclotron, its purification and use in investigations in solvent extraction
Authors: Mansel Alexander , Franke Karsten 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe chemical separation of zirconium from lanthanides by liquid–liquid extraction is challenging but critical for medical and technological applications. Using the example of 89Zr, we optimize the liquid–liquid-extraction process by means of the radiotracer technique. We produced 89Zr by proton irradiation of a metallic yttrium target at a cyclotron. The purification of the radionuclide was performed by a UTEVA resin. 89Zr was separated in no-carrier-added form in a sulfuric acid solution. 89Zr was successfully used in solvent extraction tests with calixarenes for the separation of zirconium from lanthanides. This reaction is suitable for the efficient extraction and purification of lanthanides.
A multifaceted clinical decision support intervention to improve adherence to thromboprophylaxis guidelines
Authors: Jaspers Tessa , Duisenberg-van Essenberg Marjolijn , Maat Barbara , Durian Marc , van den Berg Roy , van den Bemt Patricia 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackground Venous thromboembolism is a potentially fatal complication of hospitalisation, affecting approximately 3% of non-surgical patients. Administration of low molecular weight heparins to the appropriate patients adequately decreases venous thromboembolism incidence, but guideline adherence is notoriously low. Objective To determine the effect of a multifaceted intervention on thromboprophylaxis guideline adherence. The secondary objective was to study the effect on guideline adherence specifically in patients with a high venous thromboembolism risk. As an exploratory objective, we determined how many venous thromboembolisms may be prevented. Setting A Dutch general teaching hospital. Method A prospective study with a pre- and post-intervention measurement was conducted. A multifaceted intervention, consisting of Clinical Decision Support software, a mobile phone application, monitoring of duplicate anticoagulants and training, was implemented. Guideline adherence was assessed by calculating the Padua prediction and Improve bleeding score for each patient. The number of preventable venous thromboembolisms was calculated using the incidences of venous thromboembolism in patients with and without adequate thromboprophylaxis and extrapolated to the annual number of admitted patients. Main outcome measure Adherence to thromboprophylaxis guidelines in pre- and post-intervention measurements. Results 170 patients were included: 85 in both control and intervention group. The intervention significantly increased guideline adherence from 49.4 to 82.4% (OR 4.78; 95%CI 2.37–9.63). Guideline adherence in the patient group with a high venous thromboembolism risk also increased significantly from 54.5 to 84.3% (OR 2.46; 95%CI 1.31–4.62), resulting in the potential prevention of ± 261 venous thromboembolisms per year. Conclusions Our multifaceted intervention significantly increased thromboprophylaxis guideline adherence.
Agricultural mulching and fungicides—impacts on fungal biomass, mycotoxin occurrence, and soil organic matter decomposition
Authors: Meyer Maximilian , Diehl Dörte , Schaumann Gabriele Ellen , Muñoz Katherine 
Published: March 2021

AbstractPlastic and straw coverage (PC and SC) are often combined with fungicide application but their influence on fungicide entry into soil and the resulting consequences for soil quality are still unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of PC and SC, combined with fungicide application, on soil residual concentrations of fungicides (fenhexamid, cyprodinil, and fludioxonil), soil fungal biomass, mycotoxin occurrence, and soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, depending on soil depth (0–10, 10–30, 30–60 cm) and time (1 month prior to fungicide application and respectively 1 week, 5 weeks, and 4 months afterwards). Soil analyses comprised fungicides, fusarium mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and zearalenone), ergosterol, soil microbial carbon and nitrogen, soil organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and pH. Fludioxonil and cyprodinil concentrations were higher under SC than under PC 1 week and 5 weeks after fungicide application (up to three times in the topsoil) but no differences were observed anymore after 4 months. Fenhexamid was not detected, presumably because of its fast dissipation in soil. The higher fludioxonil and cyprodinil concentrations under SC strongly reduced the fungal biomass and shifted microbial community towards larger bacterial fraction in the topsoil and enhanced the abundance and concentration of deoxynivalenol and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol 5 weeks after fungicide application. Independent from the different fungicide concentrations, the decomposition of SOM was temporarily reduced after fungicide application under both coverage types. However, although PC and SC caused different concentrations of fungicide residues in soil, their impact on the investigated soil parameters was minor and transient (< 4 months) and hence not critical for soil quality.
Self-optimizing process planning of multi-step polishing processes
Authors: Denkena Berend , Dittrich Marc-André , Nguyen Hai Nam , Bild Konrad 
Published: March 2021

AbstractSelf-optimizing process planning is an essential approach for finding optimum process parameters and reducing ramp-up times in machining processes. For this purpose, polishing is presented as an application example. In conventional polishing processes, the process parameters are selected according to the operator’s expertise in order to achieve a high-quality surface in the final production step. By implementing machine learning (ML) models in process planning, a correlation between process parameter and measured surface quality is generated. The application of this knowledge automates the selection of optimal process parameters in computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and enables a continuous adaptation of the NC-code to changing process conditions. Applying the presented ML-model, the prediction accuracy of 83% will adapt the process parameters to achieve the target roughness of 0.2 μm. The sample efficiency is shown by the decrease in root mean square error from 0.1–0.28 to 0.02–0.07 μm with additional polishing iterations.
Rhizosphere effect on removal and bioavailability of PAHs in contaminated agricultural soil
Authors: Li Na , Możdżeń Katarzyna , Zhang Zhiguo , Liu Chong , Zandi Peiman , Sardar Muhammad Fahad , Zhu Changxiong 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe rhizosphere effect of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) dissipation, bioavailability and the structure change of microbial community was investigated using a compartmented device-rhizobox. The PAHs removal efficiency, bioavailability and the change in structure of the microbial community were ascertained using HPLC, Tenax-TA extraction and PCR-DGGE, respectively. The results showed that in the root area (R1) and bulk soil (CK), the removal of 3-ring PAHs were 97.72 ± 0.34% and 95.51 ± 0.75%, 4-ring PAHs were 89.01 ± 1.61% and 78.65 ± 0.47%, 5-ring PAHs were 77.64 ± 4.05% and 48.63 ± 3.19%, 6-ring PAHs were 68.69 ± 3.68% and 36.09 ± 1.78%, respectively. The average removal efficiency of the total PAHs after 80 days followed the order: R1M (91.1%) > CKM (84.9%) > CK (77.6%), indicating that planted soil with inoculation of Mycobacterium sp. as well as non-planted soil inoculated with Mycobacterium sp. could both significantly accelerate the removal of PAHs compared to control soil. The bioavailability ratio of PAHs with 3 and 4 rings tended to decrease (from 59.9% to 14.8% for 3-ring and 7.61% to 5.08% for 4-ring, respectively in R1) while those with 5 rings increased significantly (from 2.41% to 33.78% in R1) during the last 40 days, indicating that bioavailability alteration varies with the number of rings in the PAHs. In addition, PAH bioavailability generally did not show a significant difference between treated soil and control soil. These results suggest that ryegrass rhizosphere effect as well as inoculation of Mycobacterium sp. can accelerate PAH removal in polluted soil. The bacteria community structure demonstrated a complex interplay of soil, bacteria and ryegrass root, and potential PAH degraders were present in abundance. This study provides the exploring data of rhizosphere and bioaugmentation effect on PAH dissipation in agricultural soil, as well as the change of bioavailability and microbial composition thereof.
Optimized formulation of thermoresponsive nanoemulsion-based gel for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) application
Authors: Dalibera Natália Cristina , Zanin Maria Helena Ambrosio , Guimaraes Kleber Lanigra , de Oliveira Leonardo Alencar , de Oliveira Adriano Marim 
Published: March 2021

AbstractA thermoresponsive system of a nanoemulsion-based gel with favorable characteristics to enhanced oil recovery (EOR) application is presented. A full factorial design study with different formulations of thermosensitive nanoemulsion-based gels was performed to assess the influence of the oil chain length, concentration of polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) and concentration of oil on the rheological behavior of the system. A formulation with low viscosity at room temperature and high viscosity at the temperature of the oil extraction well was presented. Hexane (6-carbon chain), capric acid (10-carbon chain) and isopropyl myristate (17-carbon chain) were used in concentrations of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% wt%, also varying the concentration of PEG 400 in 0%, 3%, 6% and 9% wt%. The thermosensitive polymer used was a mixture of Pluronic® F-127 and Pluronic® F-68 6:1 wt% at 4.7% concentration. The surfactants used were Tween 80 and Span 80 (HLB = 13) at 20%. The formulation containing 20% isopropyl myristate (IPM) without the addition of PEG 400 showed a better response, with an increase in viscosity of more than 38 times in relation to its viscosity at 25 °C, and the maximum viscosity was reached at 53 °C. This is a promising formulation for EOR technology.
Students’ agency, creative reasoning, and collaboration in mathematical problem solving
Authors: Hansen Ellen Kristine Solbrekke 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis paper aims to give detailed insights of interactional aspects of students’ agency, reasoning, and collaboration, in their attempt to solve a linear function problem together. Four student pairs from a Norwegian upper secondary school suggested and explained ideas, tested it out, and evaluated their solution methods. The student–student interactions were studied by characterizing students’ individual mathematical reasoning, collaborative processes, and exercised agency. In the analysis, two interaction patterns emerged from the roles in how a student engaged or refrained from engaging in the collaborative work. Students’ engagement reveals aspects of how collaborative processes and mathematical reasoning co-exist with their agencies, through two ways of interacting: bi-directional interaction and one-directional interaction. Four student pairs illuminate how different roles in their collaboration are connected to shared agency or individual agency for merging knowledge together in shared understanding. In one-directional interactions, students engaged with different agencies as a primary agent, leading the conversation, making suggestions and explanations sometimes anchored in mathematical properties, or, as a secondary agent, listening and attempting to understand ideas are expressed by a peer. A secondary agent rarely reasoned mathematically. Both students attempted to collaborate, but rarely or never disagreed. The interactional pattern in bi-directional interactions highlights a mutual attempt to collaborate where both students were the driving forces of the problem-solving process. Students acted with similar roles where both were exercising a shared agency, building the final argument together by suggesting, accepting, listening, and negotiating mathematical properties. A critical variable for such a successful interaction was the collaborative process of repairing their shared understanding and reasoning anchored in mathematical properties of linear functions.