bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimal Classification of Atrial Fibrillation and Congestive Heart Failure Using Machine Learning
Authors: Fuadah Yunendah Nur , Lim Ki Moo 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Cardiovascular disorders, including atrial fibrillation (AF) and congestive heart failure (CHF), are the major causes of mortality worldwide. The diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders is heavily reliant on electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Therefore, extracting significant features from ECG signals is the most challenging aspect to represent each condition of the ECG signals. Earlier studies have claimed that the Hjorth descriptor is assigned as a simple feature extraction algorithm that has the capability of class separation among AF, CHF, and normal sinus rhythm (NSR) conditions. However, owing to noise interference, certain features do not represent the characteristics of the ECG signals. This study addressed this important gap by applying a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) prior to applying the Hjorth descriptor as a feature extraction method. Furthermore, the feature selection process and optimization of various classifier algorithms, including k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), support vector machine (SVM), and artificial neural network (ANN), were investigated to provide the best system performance. This study obtained accuracies of 95 %, 92 %, and 95 % for the k-NN, SVM, and ANN classifiers, respectively. The results demonstrated that the optimization of the classifier algorithm could improve the classification accuracy of AF, CHF, and NSR conditions, compared to earlier studies.
The patients’ perspective on the burden of idiopathic intracranial Hypertension
Authors: Witry Max , Kindler Christine , Weller Johannes , Linder Andreas , Wüllner Ullrich 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background:
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is characterized by increased intracranial pressure without evidence of a tumor or any other underlying cause. Headache and visual disturbances are frequent complaints of IIH patients, but little is known about other symptoms. In this study, we evaluated the patients’ perspective on the burden of IIH.
Methods:
For this cross-sectional study, we developed an online survey for patients with IIH containing standardized evaluations of headache (HIT-6), sleep (PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Scale) and depression (MDI) in relation to BMI, lumbar puncture opening pressure (LP OP) and treatment.
Results:
Between December 2019 and February 2020, 306 patients completed the survey. 285 (93%) were female, mean age was 36.6 years (± 10.8), mean BMI 34.2 (± 7.3) and mean LP OP at diagnosis was 37.8 cmH2O (± 9.5). 219 (72%) of the participants were obese (BMI ≥ 30); 251 (82%) reported severe impacting headaches, 140 (46%) were suffering from sleep disturbances and 169 (56%) from depression. Higher MDI scores correlated with higher BMI and increased sleep disturbances. Patients with a normalized LP opening pressure reported less headaches, less sleep disturbances and less depression than those with a constantly elevated opening pressure.
Conclusion:
In addition to headaches and visual disturbances, sleep disturbances and depression are frequent symptoms in IIH and contribute to the patients’ burden. Structured questionnaires can help to identify IIH patients’ needs and can lead to personalized and better treatment.
Malaria and Pneumonia Effects on Rice, Vanilla Production and Rural Household Income In Madagascar: A Quantitative Study
Authors: Razakamanana Marilys Victoire , Audibert Martine , Andrianatoandro Voahirana Tantely 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background: In Madagascar, malaria remains the leading cause of consultation and deaths at hospital at all ages and pneumonia is one of the main causes of the under-five mortality and account for 45% of children hospitalizations. The number of cases and deaths has not decreased during the last ten years. This paper aims to determine the effects of malaria and pneumonia on rice and vanilla production and income.Methods: We use data from survey lead by the authors on 975 households and 3,586 individuals of the SAVA region in the northeast of Madagascar. After checking the presence of endogeneity, ordinary least-square method was used instead of two-stage least squares.Results: Our results showed that malaria has no effect on production, and therefore does not affect income. Pneumonia has an effect on production of rice and vanilla. Moreover, the cost of malaria and pneumonia healthcare burdened by households affect their consumption. Conclusions: Therefore, pneumonia should be considered in the same way as malaria due to its effects on production and investment to fight against these two diseases must be strengthened in order to decrease the costs for the households.
Comparison of single and repeated dosing of anti-inflammatory human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells in a mouse model of polymicrobial sepsis
Authors: Fazekas Barbara , Alagesan Senthilkumar , Watson Luke , Ng Olivia , Conroy Callum M. , Català Cristina , Andres Maria Velascode , Negi Neema , Gerlach Jared Q. , Lozano Francisco , Elliman Stephen J. , Griffin Matthew D. 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) ameliorate pre-clinical sepsis and sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) but clinical trials of single-dose MSCs have not indicated robust efficacy. This study investigated immunomodulatory effects of a novel MSC product (CD362-selected human umbilical cord-derived MSCs [hUC-MSCs]) in mouse endotoxemia and polymicrobial sepsis models.
Methods
Initially, mice received intra-peritoneal (i.p.) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) followed by single i.p. doses of hUC-MSCs or vehicle. Next, mice underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) followed by intravenous (i.v.) doses of hUC-MSCs at 4 hours or 4 and 28 hours. Analyses included serum/plasma assays of biochemical indices, inflammatory mediators and the AKI biomarker NGAL; multi-color flow cytometry of peritoneal macrophages (LPS) and intra-renal immune cell subpopulations (CLP) and histology/immunohistochemistry of kidney (CLP).
Results
At 72 hours post-LPS injections, hUC-MSCs reduced serum inflammatory mediators and peritoneal macrophage M1/M2 ratio. Repeated, but not single, hUC-MSC doses administered at 48 hours post-CLP resulted in increased survival, lower serum concentrations of inflammatory mediators, lower plasma NGAL and reversal of sepsis-associated depletion of intra-renal T-cell and myeloid cell subpopulations. Hierarchical clustering analysis of all 48-hour serum/plasma analytes demonstrated partial co-clustering of repeated-dose hUC-MSC CLP animals with a Sham group but did not reveal a distinct signature of response to therapy.
Conclusions
It was concluded that repeated doses of CD362-selected hUC-MSCs are required to modulate systemic and local immune/inflammatory events in polymicrobial sepsis and SA-AKI. Inter-individual variability and lack of effect of single dose MSC administration in the CLP model are consistent with observations to date from early-phase clinical trials.
Timing is everything: Early and late neural measures of auditory habituation and discrimination in autism and their relationship to autistic traits and sensory overresponsivity
Authors: Cary Emily , Pacheco Devon , Kaplan-Kahn Elizabeth , McKernan Elizabeth , Prieve Beth , Russo Natalie 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
BackgroundSensory differences are included in the DSM-5 criteria of autism for the first time, yet it is unclear how sensory behaviors are related to neural indicators of perception. We sought to disentangle this complex relationship by studying early brain signatures of perception using event-related potentials (ERPs) and examining their relationship to sensory overresponsivity and autistic traits.MethodsThirteen autistic children and 13 Typically Developing (TD) children matched on chronological age and nonverbal IQ participated in a passive oddball task, in which P1 habituation and P1 and MMN discrimination were evoked by pure tones. ERPs were compared between groups, and correlations were conducted between ERPs and autistic traits and sensory features.ResultsAutistic children had marginally enhanced neural discrimination and reduced habituation to auditory stimuli compared to the TD group. Better P1 and MMN discrimination and lower P1 habituation corresponded with more autistic traits. Further, the MMN component, but not P1 components, mapped on to sensory overresponsivity.LimitationsStimuli in the oddball paradigm were not counterbalanced in their presentation as standards or deviants, and participants were not directly asked about their reactions to the auditory stimuli, which would be advantageous in determining whether appraisal of stimuli moderates neural response. The sample size is small and warrants replication.ConclusionsSignificant correlations between auditory ERP components and autistic traits, even when group differences were not present, suggests benefits to taking a more dimensional approach to autism than using strictly categorical methods. Our findings highlight the significance of temporal and contextual factors in neural information processing as it relates to autistic traits and sensory behaviors.
The treatment experience of chronic suppurative spondylitis of the thoracolumbar spine
Authors: Hu Chao , Wang Linlong , Deng Zhouming , Xie Yuanlong , Zhu Xiaobin , Ren Bin , Cai Lin , Jin Wei , Wei Renxiong 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background

This study investigated the diagnostic and therapeutic experience, including conservative, endoscopic and surgical methods, of chronic suppurative spondylitis.
Methods

A total of 39 patients were included in the imageological, laboratory, and pathological examinations. The patients underwent conservative treatment or operation according to their respective conditions. We used erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and c-reactive proteins (CRP) to evaluate the state of the illness, visual analogue scales (VAS) to assess lower back and lower limb pain, and the oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) to assess the degree of functional disability. All patients were followed up for 12–36 months.
Results

Two patients were treated conservatively with antibiotics for 6–8 weeks, while 34 patients underwent different open surgeries, including two cases who underwent second stage surgery. Endoscopic surgery was operated on 3 patients under acute inflammatory stage. All patients' body temperature, VAS score, ESR, and CRP decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Imaging showed that lesions were stationary and that bone fusion occurred 8–14 months after surgery, with an average of 10.00 ± 0.92 months.
Conclusions

Clinicians should acquire a detailed medical history and evaluate the laboratory and imaging results comprehensively to select an appropriate treatment plan. Treatment, including the choosing of an adequate surgical method, should be based on the purpose of the operation and the patient's general condition.
Context-dependent DNA Polymerization Effects Can Masquerade as DNA Modification Signals
Authors: Takahashi Yusuke , Shoura Massa , Fire Andrew , Morishita Shinichi 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
BackgroundSingle molecule measurements of DNA polymerization kinetics provide a sensitive means to detect both secondary structures in DNA and deviations from primary chemical structure as a result of modified bases. In one approach to such analysis, deviations can be inferred by monitoring the behavior of DNA polymerase using single-molecule, real-time sequencing with zero-mode waveguide. This approach measures the time between fluorescence pulse signals from consecutive nucleosides incorporated during DNA replication, called the interpulse duration (IPD). ResultsIn this paper we present an analysis of loci with high IPDs in two genomes, a bacterial genome (E. coli) and a eukaryotic genome (C. elegans). To distinguish the potential effects of DNA modification on DNA polymerization speed, we paired an analysis of native genomic DNA with whole-genome amplified (WGA) material in which DNA modifications were effectively removed. Modification sites for E. coli are known and we observed the expected IPD shifts at these sites in the native but not WGA samples. For C. elegans, such differences were not observed. Instead, we found a number of novel sequence contexts where IPDs were raised relative to the average IPDs for each of the four nucleotides, but for which the raised IPD was present in both native and WGA samples. ConclusionThe latter results argue strongly against DNA modification as the underlying driver for high IPD segments for C. elegans, and provide a framework for separating effects of DNA modification from context-dependent DNA polymerase kinetic patterns inherent in underlying DNA sequence for a complex eukaryotic genome.
Outcome of modular megaprosthesis in management of Campanacci Stage III Giant cell tumor around the knee - A Prospective Study
Authors: Nandi Ritwika , Das Pinaki , Nandi Sujit Narayan 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Purpose : Juxta articular giant cell tumors around the knee constitute 50-60% of the total cases reported. If the disease is detected at an advanced stage, where it has already spread to extraosseous compartment or joint with pathological fractures, reconstruction of the joint after tumor excision poses problems and has poor functional outcome. In this article the functional outcome after resection of juxta-articular giant cell tumors around the knee and its reconstruction with mega prosthetic arthroplasty will be analyzed. Materials and methods: Between January 2017 and March 2021, 14 patients in the age group of 28- 48 years ( mean 42.85 years) with Campanacci Stage three giant cell tumors around the knee were studied . Distal femur was involved in 12 patients and proximal tibia in 2 patients. Patients underwent tumor excision and reconstruction with modular megaprosthesis. They were evaluated post-operatively using the Revised Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Score (MSTS) for lower limb. Results: All the patients were followed up for 12-44 months (mean 29.5 months), the average knee flexion at 6 months being 116.4 degrees. The Mean MSTS at 6 , 12 , 18 and 24 months are 19.45, 23.23, 26.61 and 28.77 respectively. Complications observed were infection and tumor recurrence. Conclusion: In advanced cases where tumor excision leaves large bone segment loss, reconstruction with megaprosthesis can give desirable functional outcome.
Induction of spermatogenesis by grafting neonatal mouse testicular tissue into epididymal fat of castrated adult mouse
Authors: Eyni Hossein , Mazaheri Zohreh , Far Roya Salehi , Moslemi Romisa , Moradi Erfan , Dickerson Taylor , Sadri-Ardekani Hooman , Movahedin Mansoureh 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Chemotherapy treatment used for childhood cancer can cause irreversible infertility in many cancer survivors. Also, it has been known that epididymal fat is necessary for spermatogenesis. In this study, spermatogenesis development was evaluated after grafting of fresh and frozen-thawed neonatal mice testicular tissue fragments to epididymal fat of bilaterally castrated adult mice. Neonatal male mice as the donor and adult male mice as the recipient were used. After bilateral castration of recipient’s mice, fresh or frozen-thawed neonatal testis tissue fragments were grafted into recipient epididymal fat. Eight weeks after implantation, grafted testicular tissue were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining, real time PCR, immunofluorescence staining and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). The blood of the recipient mice was collected to measure Testosterone, FSH and LH levels. Eight weeks after implantation, a gradient of different types of germ cells from spermatogonia up to the elongated spermatids were seen. The meiotic and post-meiotic genes and proteins were upregulated in both fresh and frozen grafted groups and they confirmed the meiosis and post-meiotic progression in grafted tissues. The expression of apoptosis and necrosis genes showed no significant differences between the grafted and non-grafted control groups. There were no significant differences in hormonal assessments between control and experimental groups. Epididymal fat is an area with optimal hormonal and temperature conditions, which could support spermatogenesis in grafted immature testicular tissue. This method of grafting may pave a way for fertility preservation in childhood cancer survivors.
First detailed description of the nervous system of the most complex lophophore and evolution of Brachiopoda
Authors: Temereva Elena , Kuzmina Tatyana 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
The lophophore is a tentacle organ unique to the lophophorates. Recent research has revealed that the organization of the nervous and muscular systems of the lophophore is similar in phoronids, brachiopods, and bryozoans. At the same time, the evolution of the lophophore in certain lophophorates is still being debated. Innervation of the lophophore has been studied for only two brachiopod species belonging to two subphyla: Linguliformea and Rhynchonelliformea. Species from both groups have the spirolophe, which is the most common type of the lophophore among brachiopods. In this study, we used transmission electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and confocal laser scanning microscopy to describe the innervation of the most complex lophophore (the plectolophe) of the rhynchonelliform species Coptothyris grayi. The C. grayi lophophore (the plectolophe) is innervated by three brachial nerves: the main, second accessory, and lower. Thus, the plectolophe lacks the accessory brachial nerve, which is typically present in other studied brachiopods. All C. grayi brachial nerves contain two types of perikarya. Because the accessory nerve is absent, the cross nerves, which pass into the connective tissue, have a complex morphology and two ascending and one descending branches. The outer and inner tentacles are innervated by several groups of neurite bundles: one frontal, two lateral, two abfrontal, and two latero-abfrontal (the latter is present in only the outer tentacles). Tentacle nerves originate from the second accessory and lower brachial nerves. The inner and outer tentacles are also innervated by numerous peritoneal neurites, which exhibit acetylated alpha-tubulin immunoreactivity. This result supports the following previously proposed hypothesis about the evolution of the lophophore in brachiopods: the morphology of the lophophore has evolved from simple to complex, whereas the innervation of the lophophore has evolved from complex to simple; the latter is indicated by a smaller number of lophophoral nerve tracts in species with complex lophophores. The reduction of the accessory brachial nerve and diminution of the main brachial nerve are associated with general reduction of the prosoma in brachiopods.
Inferring global-scale temporal latent topics from news reports to predict public health interventions for COVID-19
Authors: Wen Zhi , Powell Guido , Chafi Imane , Buckeridge David L , Li Yue 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
The COVID-19 global pandemic has highlighted the importance of non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) for controlling epidemics of emerging infectious diseases. Despite the importance of NPI, their implementation has been monitored in an ad hoc and uncoordinated manner, mainly through the manual efforts of volunteers. Given the absence of systematic NPI tracking, authorities and researchers are limited in their ability to quantify the effectiveness of NPI and guide decisions regarding their use during the progression of a global pandemic. To address this issue, we propose 3-stage machine learning framework called EpiTopics to facilitate the surveillance of NPI by mining the vast amount of unlabelled news reports about these interventions. Building on topic modeling, our method characterizes online government reports and media articles related to COVID-19 as a mixture of latent topics. Our key contribution is the use of transfer-learning to address the limited number of NPI-labelled documents and topic modelling to support interpretation of the results. At stage 1, we trained a modified version of the unsupervised dynamic embedded topic model (DETM) on 1.2 million international news reports related to COVID-19. At stage 2, we used the trained DETM to infer topic mixture from a small set of 2000 NPI-labelled WHO documents as the input features for predicting NPI labels on each document. At stage 3, we supply the inferred country-level temporal topics from the DETM to the pretrained document-level NPI classifier to predict country-level NPIs. We identified 25 interpretable topics, over 4 distinct and coherent COVID-related themes. These topics contributed to significant improvements in predicting the NPIs labelled in the WHO documents and in predicting country-level NPIs. Together, our work lay the machine learning methodological foundation for future research in global-scale surveillance of public health interventions. The EpiTopics code is available at GitHub: https://github.com/li-lab-mcgill/covid-npi.
Diode physical-limit-bandwidth efficient rectification
Authors: Gyawali Babita , Thapa Samundra , Barakat Adel , Yoshitomi Kuniaki , Pokharel Ramesh 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Generally, a conventional voltage doubler circuit possesses a large variation of its input impedance over the bandwidth, which results in limited bandwidth and low RF-dc conversion efficiency. A basic aspect for designing wideband voltage doubler rectifiers is the use of complex matching circuits to achieve decade and octave impedance and RF-dc conversion efficiency bandwidths. Still, the reported techniques till now have been accompanied by a large fluctuation of the RF-dc conversion efficiency over the operating bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a novel rectification circuit with minimal inter-stage matching that consists of a single short-circuit stub and a virtual battery, which contributes negligible losses and overcomes these existing problems. Consequently, the proposed rectifier circuit achieves a diode physical-limit-bandwidth efficient rectification. In other words, the rectification bandwidth, as well as the peak efficiency, are controlled by the length of the stub and the physical limitation of the diodes.
Comparison of Lipid Profiles Between Pediatric Living- and Deceased-Donor Liver Recipients
Authors: Dehghani Seyed Mohsen , Najafi Roya , Mehdizadegan Nima , Mohammadi Hamid 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background: Hyperlipidemia is very common after liver transplantation and can be observed in up to 71% of patients. The etiology of lipid disorders in these patients is multifactorial, with different lipid profiles observed depending on the immunosuppressive agents administered and the presence of additional risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus and nutrition. The aim of the present study is to compare the lipid profile in liver transplant recipients from living-related and deceased donors.Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study performed in Shiraz University of Medical Science between 2005 till 2018. Patients under 18 years old who received liver transplant were included in the study and divided in 2 groups who received from living-related and deceased donors and lipid profiles were compared between two groups.Results: 397 patients were included in the study, in the first group 234 received liver from deceased donor and in second group 161 from living-related donor. The mean TG and HDL level were 133 mg/dL and 46 mg/dL in the first group and 118 mg/dL and 54 mg/dL in the second group while the differences were statistically significant.Conclusion: Patients who received liver from a living-related donor have a significantly lower TG and higher HDL and a lower cardiovascular risk.