bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Safety of growth hormone (GH) treatment in GH deficient children and adults treated for cancer and non-malignant intracranial tumors—a review of research and clinical practice
Authors: Boguszewski Margaret C. S. , Cardoso-Demartini Adriane A. , Boguszewski Cesar Luiz , Chemaitilly Wassim , Higham Claire E. , Johannsson Gudmundur , Yuen Kevin C. J. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIndividuals surviving cancer and brain tumors may experience growth hormone (GH) deficiency as a result of tumor growth, surgical resection and/or radiotherapy involving the hypothalamic-pituitary region. Given the pro-mitogenic and anti-apoptotic properties of GH and insulin-like growth factor-I, the safety of GH replacement in this population has raised hypothetical safety concerns that have been debated for decades. Data from multicenter studies with extended follow-up have generally not found significant associations between GH replacement and cancer recurrence or mortality from cancer among childhood cancer survivors. Potential associations with secondary neoplasms, especially solid tumors, have been reported, although this risk appears to decline with longer follow-up. Data from survivors of pediatric or adult cancers who are treated with GH during adulthood are scarce, and the risk versus benefit profile of GH replacement of this population remains unclear. Studies pertaining to the safety of GH replacement in individuals treated for nonmalignant brain tumors, including craniopharyngioma and non-functioning pituitary adenoma, have generally been reassuring with regards to the risk of tumor recurrence. The present review offers a summary of the most current medical literature regarding GH treatment of patients who have survived cancer and brain tumors, with the emphasis on areas where active research is required and where consensus on clinical practice is lacking.
Sustainable use of CRISPR/Cas in fish aquaculture: the biosafety perspective
Authors: Okoli Arinze S. , Blix Torill , Myhr Anne I. , Xu Wenteng , Xu Xiaodong 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAquaculture is becoming the primary source of seafood for human diets, and farmed fish aquaculture is one of its fastest growing sectors. The industry currently faces several challenges including infectious and parasitic diseases, reduced viability, fertility reduction, slow growth, escapee fish and environmental pollution. The commercialization of the growth-enhanced AquAdvantage salmon and the CRISPR/Cas9-developed tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) proffers genetic engineering and genome editing tools, e.g. CRISPR/Cas, as potential solutions to these challenges. Future traits being developed in different fish species include disease resistance, sterility, and enhanced growth. Despite these notable advances, off-target effect and non-clarification of trait-related genes among other technical challenges hinder full realization of CRISPR/Cas potentials in fish breeding. In addition, current regulatory and risk assessment frameworks are not fit-for purpose regarding the challenges of CRISPR/Cas notwithstanding that public and regulatory acceptance are key to commercialization of products of the new technology. In this study, we discuss how CRISPR/Cas can be used to overcome some of these limitations focusing on diseases and environmental release in farmed fish aquaculture. We further present technical limitations, regulatory and risk assessment challenges of the use of CRISPR/Cas, and proffer research strategies that will provide much-needed data for regulatory decisions, risk assessments, increased public awareness and sustainable applications of CRISPR/Cas in fish aquaculture with emphasis on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) breeding.
Drug-interaction between paclitaxel and goshajinkigan extract and its constituents
Authors: Nakayama Akiko , Tsuchiya Kazuaki , Xu Lingyu , Matsumoto Takashi , Makino Toshiaki 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPaclitaxel, a standard chemotherapeutic agent for several types of cancer, including ovarian, breast, and non-small-cell lung cancer, causes peripheral neuropathy as an adverse effect in 60–70% of the patients. The utility of combination therapy with paclitaxel and goshajinkigan, a traditional Japanese Kampo medicine, in managing paclitaxel-induced neuropathy during chemotherapy has been explored. Paclitaxel is predominantly metabolized in the liver by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C8 to produce 6α-hydroxypaclitaxel and by CYP3A4 to produce 3′-p-hydroxypaclitaxel. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory or inducing effects of goshajinkigan extract (GJG) and its representative and bioavailable constituents, geniposidic acid, plantagoguanidinic acid, paeoniflorin, catalpol, loganin, and neoline, on the metabolism of paclitaxel via CYP2C8 and CYP3A4 using pooled human liver microsomes and cultured human cryopreserved hepatocytes to provide the drug information about the pharmacokinetic interaction of this combination therapy. GJG significantly inhibited the production of 3’-p-hydroxypaclitaxel and 6α-hydroxypaclitaxel in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of GJG were 4.5 and 7.8 mg/ml, respectively, for 3′-p-hydroxypaclitaxel and 6α-hydroxypaclitaxel productions. Neoline inhibited the production of 3′-p-hydroxypaclitaxel at 50 μM, but not at lower concentrations. Apart from neoline, other GJG constituents (at concentrations up to 50 or 10 μM of all test substances) did not exhibit inhibitory or inducing effects. Since GJG showed the inhibitory effect on the metabolism of paclitaxel at much higher concentrations than those used clinically, it can be concluded that GJG product does not exhibit any pharmacokinetic interaction with paclitaxel in clinical practice.
Graphic abstract
An introduction to thermodynamic integration and application to dynamic causal models
Authors: Aponte Eduardo A. , Yao Yu , Raman Sudhir , Frässle Stefan , Heinzle Jakob , Penny Will D. , Stephan Klaas E. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn generative modeling of neuroimaging data, such as dynamic causal modeling (DCM), one typically considers several alternative models, either to determine the most plausible explanation for observed data (Bayesian model selection) or to account for model uncertainty (Bayesian model averaging). Both procedures rest on estimates of the model evidence, a principled trade-off between model accuracy and complexity. In the context of DCM, the log evidence is usually approximated using variational Bayes. Although this approach is highly efficient, it makes distributional assumptions and is vulnerable to local extrema. This paper introduces the use of thermodynamic integration (TI) for Bayesian model selection and averaging in the context of DCM. TI is based on Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling which is asymptotically exact but orders of magnitude slower than variational Bayes. In this paper, we explain the theoretical foundations of TI, covering key concepts such as the free energy and its origins in statistical physics. Our aim is to convey an in-depth understanding of the method starting from its historical origin in statistical physics. In addition, we demonstrate the practical application of TI via a series of examples which serve to guide the user in applying this method. Furthermore, these examples demonstrate that, given an efficient implementation and hardware capable of parallel processing, the challenge of high computational demand can be overcome successfully. The TI implementation presented in this paper is freely available as part of the open source software TAPAS.
Photosynthetic responses of durum wheat to chemical/microbiological fertilization management under salt and drought stresses
Authors: Yaghoubi Khanghahi Mohammad , Leoni Beniamino , Crecchio Carmine 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe current research was carried out to evaluate the stress tolerance potential of durum wheat plants, in response to the inoculation of native plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), through assessing PSII photochemistry and photosynthetic traits, as well as grain yield and plant height, and to investigate the possibility of using PGPB as a sustainable alternative or in combination with traditional fertilization plans. A greenhouse experiment included chemical/microbiological fertilization and stress (salinity and drought) treatments. The results indicated that the application of bacterial consortium of four PGPB markedly augmented some biochemical and functional traits in photosystem II, such as effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Y(II)), electron transport rate of PSII (ETR), photosynthesis capacity, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance in unstressed plants, and prevented severe changes in the mentioned traits under drought and salinity conditions. The application of PGPB contributed to enhanced grain yield, too. Furthermore, a better performance of the PGPB inoculation was found in combination with half-dose of the recommended chemical fertilizers. In conclusion, PGPB inoculants maintain or improve the photosynthesis efficiency of durum wheat, grain yield and plant height, particularly under stress conditions, and can help to minimize the consumption of chemical fertilizers.
Chasing Certainty After Cardiac Arrest: Can a Technological Innovation Solve a Moral Dilemma?
Authors: Mertens Mayli , van Til Janine , Bouwers-Beens Eline , Boenink Marianne 
Published: July 2021

AbstractWhen information on a coma patient’s expected outcome is uncertain, a moral dilemma arises in clinical practice: if life-sustaining treatment is continued, the patient may survive with unacceptably poor neurological prospects, but if withdrawn a patient who could have recovered may die. Continuous electroencephalogram-monitoring (cEEG) is expected to substantially improve neuroprognostication for patients in coma after cardiac arrest. This raises expectations that decisions whether or not to withdraw will become easier. This paper investigates that expectation, exploring cEEG’s impacts when it becomes part of a socio-technical network in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Based on observations in two ICUs in the Netherlands and one in the USA that had cEEG implemented for research, we interviewed 25 family members, healthcare professionals, and surviving patients. The analysis focuses on (a) the way patient outcomes are constructed, (b) the kind of decision support these outcomes provide, and (c) how cEEG affects communication between professionals and relatives. We argue that cEEG can take away or decrease the intensity of the dilemma in some cases, while increasing uncertainty for others. It also raises new concerns. Since its actual impacts furthermore hinge on how cEEG is designed and implemented, we end with recommendations for ensuring responsible development and implementation.
Development of Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging Tools for Risk Stratification of Carotid Atherosclerotic Disease Using Dual-Targeted Microparticles of Iron Oxide
Authors: Chan Joyce M. S. , Jin Park Sung , Ng Michael , Garnell Joanne , Ying Chan Wan , Tec Chong Tze , Bhakoo Kishore 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIdentification of patients with high-risk asymptomatic carotid plaques remains a challenging but crucial step in stroke prevention. Inflammation is the key factor that drives plaque instability. Currently, there is no imaging tool in routine clinical practice to assess the inflammatory status within atherosclerotic plaques. We have developed a molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tool to quantitatively report the inflammatory activity in atherosclerosis using dual-targeted microparticles of iron oxide (DT-MPIO) against P-selectin and VCAM-1 as a smart MRI probe. A periarterial cuff was used to generate plaques with varying degree of phenotypes, inflammation and risk levels at specific locations along the same single carotid artery in an Apolipoprotein-E-deficient mouse model. Using this platform, we demonstrated that in vivo DT-MPIO-enhanced MRI can (i) target high-risk vulnerable plaques, (ii) differentiate the heterogeneity (i.e. high vs intermediate vs low-risk plaques) within the asymptomatic plaque population and (iii) quantitatively report the inflammatory activity of local plaques in carotid artery. This novel molecular MRI tool may allow characterisation of plaque vulnerability and quantitative reporting of inflammatory status in atherosclerosis. This would permit accurate risk stratification by identifying high-risk asymptomatic individual patients for prophylactic carotid intervention, expediting early stroke prevention and paving the way for personalised management of carotid atherosclerotic disease.
Municipal solid waste management in Russia: potentials of climate change mitigation
Authors: Wünsch C. , Tsybina A. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe goal of this study was to assess the impact of the introduction of various waste management methods on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from these activities. The assessment was carried out on the example of the Russian waste management sector. For this purpose, three scenarios had been elaborated for the development of the Russian waste management sector: Basic scenario, Reactive scenario and Innovative scenario. For each of the scenarios, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated during waste management was calculated. The calculation was based on the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. The results of the greenhouse gas net emissions calculation are as follows: 64 Mt CO2-eq./a for the basic scenario, 12.8 Mt CO2-eq./a for the reactive scenario, and 3.7 Mt CO2-eq./a for the innovative scenario. An assessment was made of the impact of the introduction of various waste treatment technologies on the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions generated in the waste management sector. An important factor influencing the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from landfills is the recovery and thermal utilization of 60% of the generated landfill gas. The introduction of a separate collection system that allows to separately collect 20% of the total amount of generated municipal solid waste along with twofold increase in the share of incinerated waste leads to a more than threefold reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions from the waste management sector.
Analysis of positioning of wayside charging stations for hybrid locomotive consists in heavy haul train operations
Authors: Ahmad Shah , Spiryagin Maksym , Cole Colin , Wu Qing , Wolfs Peter , Bosomworth Chris 
Published: July 2021

AbstractHybrid locomotive concepts have been considered as a step towards converting the railway industry into a green transport mode. One of the challenges in integrating a hybrid locomotive in the train consist is that the battery pack in the locomotive needs to be recharged during a long-haul trip which requires stopping of the train. A typical battery pack requires about 1 h to recharge which is unacceptable. With the improvement in the charging system, it is now possible that the same capacity battery pack could be recharged in 10–12 min which can be a competitive option for the railway companies. This paper proposes a method based on simulation to evaluate the positioning of charging stations on a train network. A typical example of a heavy haul train operation hauled by diesel-electric and hybrid locomotives is used to demonstrate the method by using simulation softwares. The result of the simulation study show that the method developed in this paper can be used to evaluate the state of charge (SoC) status of a hybrid locomotive along the track. It is also shown that the SoC status obtained by the simulation method can be further used to assess the positions of charging stations along the track at the design stage.
Two Cases of Fetal Lower Urinary Tract Obstruction (LUTO) with Similar Presentations Before But Contrasting Outcomes After Fetoscopic Laser Fulguration of Posterior Urethral Valves
Authors: Lall Jasmine , Abraham Mohan , Sreedhar Sarala , Kishore Sudha , Namdeo Sushmita , Seshadri Suresh , Krishnan Vivek 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPosterior urethral valves (PUV) are the commonest cause of lower urinary tract obstruction detected during the antenatal and immediate postnatal period in male fetuses. Treatment options for PUV during the antenatal period include percutaneous vesico-amniotic shunt, fetoscopic fulguration of the valve and open fetal cystostomy. We report two cases of fetal cystoscopic laser valvotomy with fairly similar pre-operative profiles but contrasting postnatal outcomes, which re-iterates the fact that case selection in such cases continues to be a challenge. These are the first case reports on fetoscopic laser valvotomy in India to the best of our knowledge.
Dynamic immune cooperative scheduling of agricultural machineries
Authors: Liu Xiaoyan , Zhu Xinmeng , Hao Kuangrong 
Published: July 2021

AbstractConsidering the low flexibility and efficiency of the scheduling problem, an improved multi-objective immune algorithm with non-dominated neighbor-based selection and Tabu search (NNITSA) is proposed. A novel Tabu search algorithm (TSA)-based operator is introduced in both the local search and mutation stage, which improves the climbing performance of the NNTSA. Special local search strategies can prevent the algorithm from being caught in the optimal solution. In addition, considering the time costs of the TSA, an adapted mutation strategy is proposed to operate the TSA mutation according to the scale of Pareto solutions. Random mutations may be applied to other conditions. Then, a robust evaluation is adopted to choose an appropriate solution from the obtained Pareto solutions set. NNITSA is used to solve the problems of static partitioning optimization and dynamic cross-regional co-operative scheduling of agricultural machinery. The simulation results show that NNITSA outperforms the other two algorithms, NNIA and NSGA-II. The performance indicator C-metric also shows significant improvements in the efficiency of optimizing search.
COVID-19 and lockdown schooling: how digital learning environments influence semantic structures and sustainability knowledge
Authors: Fiedler Sonja T. , Heyne Thomas , Bogner Franz X. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPromoting sustainable lifestyles through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is part of the UN’s Agenda 2030. Earlier empirical studies proved direct interactions with and in natural environments to be effective ESD methods. Pandemic-related lockdowns rendered such courses nearly impossible, which raised concerns about achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in general. To evaluate what young learners know about the concept sustainability so far and how it can be taught effectively online, we designed an online learning module tackling sustainability issues and compared it with data from an on-site intervention module for Bavarian 5th graders (~ 10 years old). Cognitive learning as well as attitudinal preferences of 288 learners were monitored in a pretest–posttest design. The learning module comprised two sections: One about botany, plant characteristics, and plant families; the other about the advantages and disadvantages of traditional as well as sustainable farming methods. The customized cognitive test and semantic differentials for sustainability and environmental protection produced three major findings: (1) A digital learning environment successfully and significantly increased sustainability knowledge (2) Learners clearly distinguished the concepts Sustainability and Environmental Protection (3) There is no direct correlation between semantic differential scores and learning outcome.
Steepening Plasma Density Spectra in the Ionosphere: The Crucial Role Played by a Strong E‐Region
Authors: Ivarsen Magnus F. , St‐Maurice Jean‐Pierre , Jin Yaqi , Park Jaeheung , Miloch Wojciech , Spicher Andres , Kwak Young‐Sil , Clausen Lasse B. N. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBased on the Swarm 16 Hz Advanced Plasma Density data set, and using the Swarm A satellite, we apply automatic detection of spectral breaks in seven million sampled plasma density power spectra in the high‐latitude F‐region ionosphere. This way, we survey the presence of plasma irregularity dissipation due to an enhanced E‐region conductance, caused both by solar photoionization and particle precipitation. We introduce a new quantity named the steepening slope index (SSI) which we use to estimate the occurrence rate of break‐points in sampled plasma densities. We provide an interpretation of SSI in the context of solar photoionization‐induced conductance enhancements of the E‐region. We present a comprehensive climatology of the SSI occurrence rate, along with statistics documenting characteristic high‐latitude plasma density spectra. In the absence of steepening, the typical spectral index is 2.1. When density spectra steepen, the index is typically 1.6 at large scales, and 2.7 at small scales. We discuss the impact of high‐energy deeply penetrating electron precipitation in the diffuse aurora, and precipitating electrons in the aurora at large. Here, a key finding is that near the cusp, where the F‐region conductance is enhanced, spectra tend not to steepen. We find that both the diffuse and discrete aurora are modulating F‐region plasma irregularity dissipation through an enhancement of E‐region conductance, highlighting the role played by factors other than solar zenith angle in high‐latitude plasma dynamics. The influence of E‐region conductance on spectral shapes indicates the need for a new discussion of how particle precipitation can structure the local winter high‐latitude F‐region ionosphere.
Modeling the optical properties of twisted bilayer photonic crystals
Authors: Tang Haoning , Du Fan , Carr Stephen , DeVault Clayton , Mello Olivia , Mazur Eric 
Published: July 2021

AbstractWe demonstrate a photonic analog of twisted bilayer graphene that has ultra-flat photonic bands and exhibits extreme slow-light behavior. Our twisted bilayer photonic device, which has an operating wavelength in the C-band of the telecom window, uses two crystalline silicon photonic crystal slabs separated by a methyl methacrylate tunneling layer. We numerically determine the magic angle using a finite-element method and the corresponding photonic band structure, which exhibits a flat band over the entire Brillouin zone. This flat band causes the group velocity to approach zero and introduces light localization, which enhances the electromagnetic field at the expense of bandwidth. Using our original plane-wave continuum model, we find that the photonic system has a larger band asymmetry. The band structure can easily be engineered by adjusting the device geometry, giving significant freedom in the design of devices. Our work provides a fundamental understanding of the photonic properties of twisted bilayer photonic crystals and opens the door to the nanoscale-based enhancement of nonlinear effects.