bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Review of personal radiation exposure dose and history of the interventional procedure records for 40 years
Authors: Mizunuma Kimiyoshi 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Objective
To inspect personal dose as an interventional radiologist for 40 years, to assess the enforcement number of interventional radiology (IR), and to check for radiation cataract.

Materials and methods
I evaluated my own effective dose, an equivalent dose to the lens of the eye (EDL), and the number of IR procedures between March 2019 and June 1979. I examined the lens in June 2019 as a radiologist for 40 years.

Results
The accumulation dose was 0 mSv in 1979–88. During 1989–93, the right crystalline lens equivalence of the value dose was measured. During 1993–96, two badge items for the head, neck, and abdomen were present. Both were distributed, but attaching to the same part and reversing occurred frequently. The EDL of the recent 5 years has exceeded 100 mSv. No association with the number of IR procedures was recognized. Posterior subcapsular vacuoles (PSV) as the early changes of the radiation cataract were recognized as four on the left and one on the right.

Conclusion
It is important to get accustomed to film badge wearing, and the cancelation of making a mistake in the wearing part. Radiologists should check the PSV at a stage beyond a certain constant dose.
An Exploration of the Patient Lived Experience of Remission and Relapse of Type 2 Diabetes Following Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Sudlow Alexis C. , Pournaras Dimitri J. , Heneghan Helen , Bodnar Zsolt , le Roux Carel W. , McGillicuddy Deidre 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background
Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), inducing profound metabolic changes associated with improvements in glycaemic control. In spite of the recognition of the physiological changes associated with bariatric surgery, what remains underappreciated is the patient experience of surgery to treat T2DM.

Objectives
This study explored the patient experience with regard to motivations, expectations and outcomes, including remission and relapse of diabetes.

Methods
An in-depth qualitative approach was adopted, encompassing semi-structured interviews with patients (n=17) living with obesity and T2DM both pre- and postsurgery. Interpretive thematic analysis identified emergent themes using a grounded approach.

Results
Analysis revealed a number of themes throughout the interviews which included motivations and perceived benefits of surgery, obesity stigma and its impact on self-worth as well as perceptions of remission or relapse and the implications for sense of control.

Conclusions
The motivation for undergoing bariatric surgery was driven by health concerns, namely T2DM and the desire to reduce the risk of developing diabetes-related complications. Patients highlighted social and self-stigmatisation associated with obesity and T2DM, leading to feelings of shame and an inability to seek support from family or healthcare professionals. Stigmatisation created a sense of failure and feeling of guilt for having T2DM. As a result, patients felt responsible for maintaining disease remission postoperatively and regarded the need for medication as a sign of treatment failure.
Work ability and cognitive impairments in young adult cancer patients: associated factors and changes over time—results from the AYA-Leipzig study
Authors: Brock Hannah , Friedrich Michael , Sender Annekathrin , Richter Diana , Geue Kristina , Mehnert-Theuerkauf Anja , Leuteritz Katja 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Purpose
Although young adults represent a significant portion of the working population, little is known about the work ability and cognitive impairments in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients (including the long-term course) following cancer treatment.

Methods
As part of the AYA-Leipzig study, we surveyed AYA cancer survivors (aged 18–39 years at diagnosis; time since diagnosis ≤ 4 years, including all cancer diagnoses) at two time points (t2 = 12 months after t1). Work ability (Work Ability Index, WAI-r) and cognitive impairments (Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, COPSOQ) were compared at both time points. We analysed predictors for work ability at, on average, 2 years post cancer diagnosis (t2) by using multivariate regression analyses.

Results
A total of 502 patients (74.7% women) participated in both measurements. Mean work ability increased significantly from t1 (6.0; SD = 2.3) to t2 (6.8; SD = 2.2) (t = −9.3; p < 0.001). As many as 380 (76%) AYA cancer survivors reported reduced work ability at t1; 1 year later, this still applied to 287 (57%) of them. Decreased work ability (t2) was associated with more cognitive impairment, higher effort coping with the disease, comorbidities, sick leave > 6 months (since diagnosis), and having children (adj R2 = .48). Cognitive impairments occurred in approximately every fifth patient at both surveys.

Conclusions
Achieving maximum work ability is a major challenge for AYAs. Our results show the need for multimodal cancer survivorship and rehabilitation programmes with a special focus on improving cognitive and psychosocial functioning.

Implications for Cancer Survivors
AYAs with cancer should receive targeted occupational counselling early in the course of the disease.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Surgical Training: the Past, the Present and the Future
Authors: Yiasemidou Marina 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic and infection control measures had an unavoidable impact on surgical services. During the first wave of the pandemic, elective surgery, endoscopy, and ‘face-to-face’ clinics were discontinued after recommendations from professional bodies. In addition, training courses, examinations, conferences, and training rotations were postponed or cancelled. Inadvertently, infection control and prevention measures, both within and outside hospitals, have caused a significant negative impact on training. At the same time, they have given space to new technologies, like telemedicine and platforms for webinars, to blossom. While the recovery phase is well underway in some parts of the world, most surgical services are not operating at full capacity. Unfortunately, some countries are still battling a second or third wave of the pandemic with severely negative consequences on surgical services. Several studies have looked into the impact of COVID-19 on surgical training. Here, an objective overview of studies from different parts of the world is presented. Also, evidence-based solutions are suggested for future surgical training interventions.
Demographic trends in less and least developed countries: Convergence or divergence?
Authors: Gabrielli Giuseppe , Paterno Anna , Salvini Silvana , Corazziari Isabella 
Published: June 2021

AbstractMany scholars share the assumption that demographic patterns in the world are converging over time. The present study analyses the temporal trends of specific parameters of mortality and fertility—together with certain socio-economic indicators—in 95 less and least developed countries during the period 1990–2015 and discusses whether mortality and fertility trends are convergent or divergent. We apply dynamic factor analysis and cluster analysis of trajectories to macro-data from major international sources. The results show that a large number of countries have a convergent trend in mortality, but sub-Saharan African countries affected by the HIV–AIDS epidemic show non-monotonic temporal trends. Trends in fertility are delayed and unclear and depend on individual attitudes and levels of women’s empowerment. Fifty-two out of the 95 observed countries are collocated in similar mortality and fertility groups. Finally, countries at an advanced economic stage made the best improvements, while the least developed ones retained their deep pre-existing inequalities.
Time-Adaptive Determination of Drug Efficacy in Mathematical Model of HIV Infection
Authors: Beilina L. , Eriksson M. , Gainova I. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe paper considers a time-adaptive finite element method for determination of drug efficacy in a parameter identification problem (PIP) for a system of ordinary differential equations (ODE) that describes dynamics of the primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with drug therapy. Tikhonov’s regularization method, optimization approach and finite element method to solve this problem are presented. A posteriori error estimates in the Tikhonov’s functional and reconstructed parameter are derived. Based on these estimates a time adaptive algorithm is formulated and numerically tested for different scenarios of noisy observations of virus population function. Numerical results show a significant improvement of reconstruction of drug efficacy parameter using the local time-adaptive mesh refinement method compared to the gradient method applied on a uniform time mesh.
Epistemic values of quantity and variety of evidence in biological mechanism research
Authors: Au Yin Chung 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThis paper proposes an extended version of the interventionist account for causal inference in the practical context of biological mechanism research. This paper studies the details of biological mechanism researchers’ practices of assessing the evidential legitimacy of experimental data, arguing why quantity and variety are two important criteria for this assessment. Because of the nature of biological mechanism research, the epistemic values of these two criteria result from the independence both between the causation of data generation and the causation in question and between different interventions, not techniques. The former independence ensures that the interventions in the causation in question are not affected by the causation that is responsible for data generation. The latter independence ensures the reliability of the final mechanisms not only in the empirical but also the formal aspects. This paper first explores how the researchers use quantity to check the effectiveness of interventions, where they at the same time determine the validity of the difference-making revealed by the results of interventions. Then, this paper draws a distinction between experimental interventions and experimental techniques, so that the reliability of mechanisms, as supported by the variety of evidence, can be safely ensured in the probabilistic sense. The latter process is where the researchers establish evidence of the mechanisms connecting the events of interest. By using case studies, this paper proposes to use ‘intervention’ as the fruitful connecting point of literature between evidence and mechanisms.
An overall performance index for wind farms: a case study in Norway Arctic region
Authors: Mustafa Albara M. , Barabadi Abbas , Markeset Tore , Naseri Masoud 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWind farms (WFs) experience various challenges that affect their performance. Mostly, designers focus on the technical side of WFs performance, mainly increasing the power production of WFs, through improving their manufacturing and design quality, wind turbines capacity, their availability, reliability, maintainability, and supportability. On the other hand, WFs induce impacts on their surroundings, these impacts can be classified as environmental, social, and economic, and can be described as the sustainability performance of WFs. A comprehensive tool that combines both sides of performance, i.e. the technical and the sustainability performance, is useful to indicate the overall performance of WFs. An overall performance index (OPI) can help operators and stakeholders rate the performance of WFs, more comprehensively and locate the weaknesses in their performance. The performance model for WFs, proposed in this study, arranges a set of technical and sustainability performance indicators in a hierarchical structure. Due to lack of historical data in certain regions where WFs are located, such as the Arctic, expert judgement technique is used to determine the relative weight of each performance indicator. In addition, scoring criteria are predefined qualitatively for each performance indicator. The weighted sum method makes use of the relative weights and the predefined scoring criteria to calculate the OPI of a specific WF. The application of the tool is illustrated by a case study of a WF located in the Norwegian Arctic. Moreover, the Arctic WF is compared to another WF located outside the Arctic to illustrate the effects of Arctic operating conditions on the OPI.
Synthesis of photocatalytic zinc oxide nanoflowers using Peltophorum pterocarpum pod extract and their characterization
Authors: Vinayagam Ramesh , Pai Shraddha , Murugesan Gokulakrishnan , Varadavenkatesan Thivaharan , Selvaraj Raja 
Published: June 2021

AbstractZinc oxide nanoflowers (ZnONFs) were prepared by employing the pod extract of Peltophorum pterocarpum as a green resource and characterized by various methods. UV–vis spectrum displayed a peak at 361 nm which confirmed the formation of ZnO nanoparticles. The optical band gap was calculated as 3.43 eV. FE-SEM images exposed the flower-like morphology and EDX portrayed strong signals for Zn and O. XRD studies substantiated signature peaks for the wurtzite phase of ZnONFs and the lattice parameters matched well with the literature. Mesoporous nature was confirmed by BET analysis which yielded a high specific surface area of 19.61 m2/g. FTIR bands at 420.48 and 462.92 cm−1affirmed the Zn and O bonding vibrations. The photocatalytic potential of the ZnONFs was successfully examined for the removal of methylene blue dye under natural solar light. The experimental data were fitted to Langmuir–Hinshelwood’s first-order equation and the kinetic constant was calculated as 0.0114 min–1.
Incentives, ability and disutility of effort
Authors: Martinez-Gorricho Silvia , Sanchez Villalba Miguel 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWe generalize the disutility of effort function in the linear-Constant Absolute Risk Aversion (CARA) pure moral hazard model. We assume that agents are heterogeneous in ability. Each agent’s ability is observable and treated as a parameter that indexes the disutility of effort associated with the task performed. In opposition to the literature (the “traditional” scenario), we find a new, “novel” scenario, in which a high-ability agent may be offered a weaker incentive contract than a low-ability one, but works harder. We characterize the conditions for the existence of these two scenarios: formally, the “traditional” (“novel”) scenario occurs if and only if the marginal rate of substitution of the marginal disutility of effort function is increasing (decreasing) in effort when evaluated at the second-best effort. If, further, this condition holds for all parameter values and matching is endogenous, less (more) talented agents work for principals with riskier projects in equilibrium. This implies that the indirect and total effects of risk on incentives are negative under monotone assortative matching.
Review of variable leading-edge patents for aircraft wings and engine inlets and their relevance for variable pitot inlets in future supersonic transport
Authors: Kazula S. , Höschler K. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe motivation for designing variable pitot inlets for future supersonic transport (SST) is explained. A comprehensive overview of existing technological solutions for variable leading edges of aircraft wings and engine inlets is given. The advantages and limitations of over 80 solutions, as well as their relevance for application on variable pitot inlets for SST are described. The challenges of existing solution options concerning design methodologies, level of detail, and experience with a technology are identified.
Ambient vibration testing and operational modal analysis of monopole telecoms structures
Authors: Jimenez Capilla Jose Alfonso , Au Siu-Kui , Brownjohn James Mark William , Hudson Emma 
Published: June 2021

AbstractA structural health monitoring (SHM) system was developed to study the ambient response of monopole communication structures in the UK operated by Arqiva Ltd. The exercise had several purposes that included the evaluation of the SHM system itself and the system identification procedures applied to the data, followed by analysis of the evaluated modal properties to validate the current analytical models, structural assessments and standardised design procedures advising on dynamics actions. This paper describes the instrumentation and procedures used during monitoring of a lightweight flexible 14.5 m tubular tapered monopole supporting an array of mobile telecoms antennas. A Bayesian OMA (BAYOMA) approach is implemented to identify structural modal properties under different time windows as comparison for further assessments. Results from stochastic subspace identification are also obtained and compared. The correlation between modal properties and monitoring wind-response data reveals specific tendencies such as nonlinear stiffness behaviour, the existence of aerodynamic damping and typical directionality of the mode shapes with future implications for reformulation of current methods of assessing dynamics on monopole.
Inflammatory disease of the costotransverse joints: US evaluation in 15 symptomatic patients
Authors: Del Chiaro A. , Ciampi B. , Franzoni F. , Miccoli M. , Galletti S. , Stella S. M. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe costotransverse joints (CTJs) are small arthrodial joints which articulate with the costal tuberosity on the transverse process of the thoracic vertebrae. CTJs are composed of oval-shaped facets with a major axis, vertical at the upper vertebrae and almost horizontal at the lower vertebrae. This position explains the different movements of the ribs: the cranial ribs move on the sagittal plane and the caudal ribs on the transverse plane. Movements in directions other than these usual CTJ spatial planes can cause inflammation resulting in a stinging pain in the space between the scapula and thoracic spine. We studied 15 subjects with paravertebral pain compatible with CTJ pathology. Mean age was 29 years, 11 females/4 males. In 12 patients, the non-dominant limb was affected. US imaging was carried out using linear 12 MHz and 9 MHz probes. Scanning was performed following the long axis of the rib (transverse plane) and the short axis (sagittal plane). Sagittal scanning is the method of choice for detection of possible joint effusion and comparison with undamaged joints above and below. US identified joint effusion correlating with the site of pain in all patients. Thickening of the posterior costotransverse capsular ligament was detected in six patients mainly affecting the first thoracic vertebrae. Power Doppler showed intraarticular hypervascularization in four patients. US imaging should be performed as a first-line examination in the evaluation of patients with stinging pain in the paravertebral region. US evidence of effusion within the joints is a sure sign of involvement of these structures.
Appendicular skeletal muscle mass and quality estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis in the assessment of frailty syndrome risk in older individuals
Authors: Kołodziej Małgorzata , Sebastjan Anna , Ignasiak Zofia 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background and aim
The rising aging index of many populations necessitates the continuous evolution of geriatric assessment methods, especially the ones used to identify frailty and the risk of frailty. An appropriately early diagnosis of adverse changes in skeletal muscles can reduce the risk of functional limitations in elderly persons. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between the appendicular skeletal muscle mass and quality, estimated by the bioelectrical impedance analysis method, and the risk of prevalence of the pre-frailty state in elderly persons.

Methods
One-thousand-and-fifteen subjectively healthy persons aged 60–87 years were tested. Anthropometric measurements and physical fitness and activity measurements were carried out and the frailty phenotype was evaluated. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was estimated using the bioelectrical impedance analysis method. Muscle quality was assessed through an index correcting strength relative to muscle mass and through the impedance phase angle. The correlation between the muscle mass and quality estimating parameters and the probability of identifying pre-frailty was checked using multiple logistic regression.

Results
The prevalence of pre-frailty was 38%. The pre-frail persons were found to have a significantly lower muscle mass and quality than the non-frail persons, with the difference in the case of the muscle quality index nearly twice larger than for the muscle mass index. A significant logit model was obtained for pre-frailty prevalence, which was strongly dependent on the appendicular skeletal muscle mass (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 0.43, 95% CI 0.36–0.52, p < 0.001) and functional quality (adjusted OR: 0.26, 95% CI 0.18–0.38, p < 0.001) and less on age (adjusted OR: 1.10, 95% CI 1.07–1.13, p < 0.001).

Conclusion
The strong correlation between the frailty phenotype and appendicular skeletal muscle mass and functional quality suggests that the two variables should be included in routine geriatric assessment with regard to frailty.
Vitamin D and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): rapid evidence review
Authors: Raisi-Estabragh Zahra , Martineau Adrian R. , Curtis Elizabeth M. , Moon Rebecca J. , Darling Andrea , Lanham-New Susan , Ward Kate A. , Cooper Cyrus , Munroe Patricia B. , Petersen Steffen E. , Harvey Nicholas C. 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background
The rapid global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has re-ignited interest in the possible role of vitamin D in modulation of host responses to respiratory pathogens. Indeed, vitamin D supplementation has been proposed as a potential preventative or therapeutic strategy. Recommendations for any intervention, particularly in the context of a potentially fatal pandemic infection, should be strictly based on clinically informed appraisal of the evidence base. In this narrative review, we examine current evidence relating to vitamin D and COVID-19 and consider the most appropriate practical recommendations.

Observations
Although there are a growing number of studies investigating the links between vitamin D and COVID-19, they are mostly small and observational with high risk of bias, residual confounding, and reverse causality. Extrapolation of molecular actions of 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D to an effect of increased 25(OH)-vitamin D as a result of vitamin D supplementation is generally unfounded, as is the automatic conclusion of causal mechanisms from observational studies linking low 25(OH)-vitamin D to incident disease. Efficacy is ideally demonstrated in the context of adequately powered randomised intervention studies, although such approaches may not always be feasible.

Conclusions
At present, evidence to support vitamin D supplementation for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 is inconclusive. In the absence of any further compelling data, adherence to existing national guidance on vitamin D supplementation to prevent vitamin D deficiency, predicated principally on maintaining musculoskeletal health, appears appropriate.