bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Consensus in networks of uncertain robot manipulators without using neighbors’ velocity information
Authors: Almodarresi Seyed Mostafa , Kamali Marzieh , Sheikholeslam Farid 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn this paper, new distributed adaptive methods are proposed for solving both leaderless and leader–follower consensus problems in networks of uncertain robot manipulators, by estimating only the gravitational torque forces. Comparing with the existing adaptive methods, which require the estimation of the whole dynamics, presented methods reduce the excitation levels required for efficient parameter search, the convergence time, and the complexity of the regressor. Additionally, proposed schemes eliminate the need for velocity information exchange between the agents. Global asymptotic synchronization is shown by introducing new Lyapunov functions. Simulation results are provided for a network of 10 4-DOF robot manipulators.
Disparity in Gender Representation of Speakers at National Emergency Medical Services Conferences: A Current Assessment and Proposed Path Forward
Authors: Davic Alexandra , Carey Erin , Lambert Erin , Luckingham Therese , Mongiello Nikki , Peralta Randi , Puccio Nicolina , Rivera Kimberly , Torre Kirsten , Maloney Lauren M. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIntroduction:Gender disparities between Emergency Medicine physicians with regards to salary, promotion, and scholarly recognition as national conference speakers have been well-documented. However, little is known if similar gender disparities impact their out-of-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) colleagues. Although there have been improvements in the ratio of women entering the EMS workforce, gender representation has improved at a slower rate for paramedics compared to emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Since recruitment, retention, and advancement of females within a specialty have been associated with the visibility of prominent, respected female leaders, gender disparity of these leaders as national conference speakers may contribute to the “leaky pipeline effect” seen within the EMS profession. Gender representation of these speakers has yet to be described objectively.Study Objective:The primary objective of this study was to determine if disparity exists in gender representation of speakers at well-known national EMS conferences and trade shows in the United States (US) from 2016-2020. The secondary objective was to determine if males were more likely than females to return to a conference as a speaker in subsequent years.Methods:A cross-sectional analysis of programs from well-known national conferences, specifically for EMS providers, which were held in the US from 2016-2020 was performed. Programs were abstracted for type of conference session (pre-conference, keynote, main conference) and speakers’ names. Speaker gender (male, female) was confirmed via internet search.Results:Seventeen conference programs were obtained with 1,709 conference sessions that had a total of 2,731 listed speaker names, of whom 537 (20%) were female. A total of 30 keynote addresses had 39 listed speaker names of whom six (15%) were female. No significant difference was observed in the number of years males returned to present at the same conference as compared to females.Conclusion:Gender representation of speakers at national EMS conferences in the US is not reflective of the current best estimate of the US EMS workforce. This disparity exists not only in the overall percent of female names listed as speakers, but also in the percent of individual female speakers, and is most pronounced within keynote speakers. Online lecture platforms, as an unintentional consequent of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with intentional speaker development and mentorship initiatives, may reduce barriers to facilitating a new pipeline for more females to become speakers at national EMS conferences.
Story Memory Impairment Rates and Association with Hippocampal Volumes in a Memory Clinic Population
Authors: Wong Christina G. , Jeffers Sharlene L. , Bell Samantha A. , Caldwell Jessica Z.K. , Banks Sarah J. , Miller Justin B. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractObjective:Story memory tasks are among the most commonly used memory tests; however, research suggests they may be less sensitive to memory decline and have a weaker association with hippocampal volumes than list learning tasks. To examine its utility, we compared story memory to other memory tests on impairment rates and association with hippocampal volumes.Method:Archival records from 1617 older adults (Mage = 74.41, range = 65–93) who completed the Wechsler Memory Scale – 4th edition (WMS-IV) Logical Memory (LM), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised (HVLT-R), and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test – Revised (BVMT-R) as part of a clinical neuropsychological evaluation were reviewed. Scores >1.5 SD below age-adjusted means were considered impaired, and frequency distributions were used to examine impairment rates. A subset of participants (n = 179) had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data that underwent image quality assessment. Partial correlations and linear regression analyses, accounting for age, education, and total intracranial volume (TIV), examined associations between memory raw scores and hippocampal volumes.Results:For delayed recall, nearly half of the sample was impaired on HVLT-R (48.8%) and BVMT-R (46.1%), whereas a little more than a third was impaired on LM (35.7%). Better performance on all three measures was related to larger hippocampal volumes (r’s =. 26–.43, p’s < .001). Individually adding memory scores to regression models predicting hippocampal volumes improved the model fit for all measures.Conclusions:Despite findings suggesting that story memory is less sensitive to memory dysfunction, it was not differentially associated with hippocampal volumes compared to other memory measures. Results support assessing memory using different formats and modalities in older adults.
Determination of Vapor and Momentum Roughness Lengths Above an Undulating Soil Surface Based on PIV‐Measured Velocity Profiles
Authors: Gao Bo , Coltman Edward , Farnsworth John , Helmig Rainer , Smits Kathleen M. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAccurately predicting bare‐soil evaporation requires the proper characterization of the near‐surface atmospheric conditions. These conditions, dependent on factors such as surface microtopography and wind velocity, vary greatly and therefore require high‐resolution datasets to be fully incorporated into evaporation models. These factors are oftentimes parameterized in models through the aerodynamic resistance (ra), in which the vapor roughness length (z0v) and the momentum roughness length (z0m) are two crucial parameters that describe the transport near the soil‐atmosphere interface. Typically, when evaluating bare‐soil evaporation, these two characteristic lengths are assumed equal, although differences are likely to occur especially in turbulent flows over undulating surfaces. Thus, this study aims to investigate the relationship between z0v and z0m above undulating surfaces to ultimately improve accuracy in estimating evaporation rate. To achieve this goal, four uniquely designed wind tunnel—soil tank experiments were conducted considering different wind speeds and undulation spacings. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure the velocity field above the undulating surface in high resolution. Using the high‐fidelity data set, the logarithmic ratio of z0v to z0m is determined and used to estimate ra. Results confirm that these lengths differ significantly, with the logarithmic ratio roughly ranging from −15 to −5 under the conditions tested. PIV‐measured results demonstrate this ratio is closely tied to the mass and momentum transport behaviors influenced by surface undulations. Using the data‐integrated formulation of ra, predictions of evaporation rate were prepared for both the laboratory and lysimeter experiments, demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed approach in this study.
Urinary sediment microRNAs can be used as potential noninvasive biomarkers for diagnosis, reflecting the severity and prognosis of diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Han Qiuxia , Zhang Youcai , Jiao Tingting , Li Qi , Ding Xiaonan , Zhang Dong , Cai Guangyan , Zhu Hanyu 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background
Patients with both diabetes mellitus (DM) and kidney disease could have diabetic nephropathy (DN) or non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD). IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and membranous nephropathy (MN) are the major types of NDRD. No ideal noninvasive diagnostic model exists for differentiating them. Our study sought to construct diagnostic models for these diseases and to identify noninvasive biomarkers that can reflect the severity and prognosis of DN.

Methods
The diagnostic models were constructed using logistic regression analysis and were validated in an external cohort by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis method. The associations between these microRNAs and disease severity and prognosis were explored using Pearson correlation analysis, Cox regression, Kaplan–Meier survival curves, and log-rank tests.

Results
Our diagnostic models showed that miR-95-3p, miR-185-5p, miR-1246, and miR-631 could serve as simple and noninvasive tools to distinguish patients with DM, DN, DM with IgAN, and DM with MN. The areas under the curve of the diagnostic models for the four diseases were 0.995, 0.863, 0.859, and 0.792, respectively. The miR-95-3p level was positively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (p < 0.001) but was negatively correlated with serum creatinine (p < 0.01), classes of glomerular lesions (p < 0.05), and scores of interstitial and vascular lesions (p < 0.05). However, the miR-631 level was positively correlated with proteinuria (p < 0.001). A low miR-95-3p level and a high miR-631 level increased the risk of progression to end-stage renal disease (p = 0.002, p = 0.011).

Conclusions
These four microRNAs could be noninvasive tools for distinguishing patients with DN and NDRD. The levels of miR-95-3p and miR-631 could reflect the severity and prognosis of DN.
Molecular mechanisms underpinning sarcomas and implications for current and future therapy
Authors: Damerell Victoria , Pepper Michael S. , Prince Sharon 
Published: June 2021

AbstractSarcomas are complex mesenchymal neoplasms with a poor prognosis. Their clinical management is highly challenging due to their heterogeneity and insensitivity to current treatments. Although there have been advances in understanding specific genomic alterations and genetic mutations driving sarcomagenesis, the underlying molecular mechanisms, which are likely to be unique for each sarcoma subtype, are not fully understood. This is in part due to a lack of consensus on the cells of origin, but there is now mounting evidence that they originate from mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs). To identify novel treatment strategies for sarcomas, research in recent years has adopted a mechanism-based search for molecular markers for targeted therapy which has included recapitulating sarcomagenesis using in vitro and in vivo MSC models. This review provides a comprehensive up to date overview of the molecular mechanisms that underpin sarcomagenesis, the contribution of MSCs to modelling sarcomagenesis in vivo, as well as novel topics such as the role of epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT)/mesenchymal-to-epithelial-transition (MET) plasticity, exosomes, and microRNAs in sarcomagenesis. It also reviews current therapeutic options including ongoing pre-clinical and clinical studies for targeted sarcoma therapy and discusses new therapeutic avenues such as targeting recently identified molecular pathways and key transcription factors.
Revealing thermally-activated nucleation pathways of diffusionless solid-to-solid transition
Authors: Li Minhuan , Yue Zhengyuan , Chen Yanshuang , Tong Hua , Tanaka Hajime , Tan Peng 
Published: June 2021

AbstractSolid-to-solid transitions usually occur via athermal nucleation pathways on pre-existing defects due to immense strain energy. However, the extent to which athermal nucleation persists under low strain energy comparable to the interface energy, and whether thermally-activated nucleation is still possible are mostly unknown. To address these questions, the microscopic observation of the transformation dynamics is a prerequisite. Using a charged colloidal system that allows the triggering of an fcc-to-bcc transition while enabling in-situ single-particle-level observation, we experimentally find both athermal and thermally-activated pathways controlled by the softness of the parent crystal. In particular, we reveal three new transition pathways: ingrain homogeneous nucleation driven by spontaneous dislocation generation, heterogeneous nucleation assisted by premelting grain boundaries, and wall-assisted growth. Our findings reveal the physical principles behind the system-dependent pathway selection and shed light on the control of solid-to-solid transitions through the parent phase’s softness and defect landscape.
Characterising lithium-ion electrolytes via operando Raman microspectroscopy
Authors: Fawdon Jack , Ihli Johannes , Mantia Fabio La , Pasta Mauro 
Published: June 2021

AbstractKnowledge of electrolyte transport and thermodynamic properties in Li-ion and beyond Li-ion technologies is vital for their continued development and success. Here, we present a method for fully characterising electrolyte systems. By measuring the electrolyte concentration gradient over time via operando Raman microspectroscopy, in tandem with potentiostatic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the Fickian “apparent” diffusion coefficient, transference number, thermodynamic factor, ionic conductivity and resistance of charge-transfer were quantified within a single experimental setup. Using lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) in tetraglyme (G4) as a model system, our study provides a visualisation of the electrolyte concentration gradient; a method for determining key electrolyte properties, and a necessary technique for correlating bulk intermolecular electrolyte structure with the described transport and thermodynamic properties.
Increased risk of acute kidney injury in coronavirus disease patients with renin–angiotensin–aldosterone-system blockade use: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Lee Sul A , Park Robin , Yang Ji Hyun , Min In Kyung , Park Jung Tak , Han Seung Hyeok , Kang Shin-Wook , Yoo Tae-Hyun 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAcute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe complication of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that negatively affects its outcome. Concern had been raised about the potential effect of renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) blockades on renal outcomes in COVID-19 patients. However, the association between RAAS blockade use and incident AKI in COVID-19 patients has not been fully understood. We investigated the association between RAAS blockade exposure and COVID-19-related AKI in hospitalized patients through meta-analysis. Electronic databases were searched up to 24th December 2020. Summary estimates of pooled odds ratio (OR) of COVID-19-related AKI depending on RAAS blockade exposure were obtained through random-effects model. The random-effect meta-analysis on fourteen studies (17,876 patients) showed that RAAS blockade use was significantly associated with increased risk of incident AKI in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (OR 1.68; 95% confidence interval 1.19–2.36). Additional analysis showed that the association of RAAS blockade use on COVID-19-related AKI remains significant even after stratification by drug class and AKI severity. RAAS blockade use is significantly associated with the incident AKI in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Therefore, careful monitoring of renal complications is recommended for COVID-19 patients with recent RAAS blockade use due to the potential risk of AKI.
Trait variations and expression profiling of OsPHT1 gene family at the early growth-stages under phosphorus-limited conditions
Authors: Anandan Annamalai , Parameswaran Chidambaranathan , Mahender Anumalla , Nayak Amaresh Kumar , Vellaikumar Sampthamprajan , Balasubramaniasai Cayalvizhi , Ali Jauhar 
Published: June 2021

AbstractTo better understand the early response of genotypes to limited-phosphorus (P) conditions and the role of the phosphate transporter OsPHT1 gene family in the presence of PSTOL1, it is essential to characterize the level of tolerance in rice under limited-P conditions. In the present experiment, six rice genotypes were studied in three-way interactions [genotype (G) × phosphorus (P) × duration (D)] by comparing them at two instances (14 d and 28 d) under seven different concentrations of P (0.5‒10.0 ppm) in a hydroponic system. Trait differences and interactions of these traits were clearly distinguished among the various P rates. However, aboveground trait expression registered increased growth from 6.0 to 10.0 ppm of P. The major root-attributed traits in 0.5 ppm of P are significantly increased vis-à-vis 10 ppm of P. Analysis of variance displayed a significant difference between the genotypes for PSTOL1 and PHT1 expression. In low P, maximum root length with a shoot and root dry weight was observed in a new indigenous accession, IC459373, with higher expression of PSTOL1 than in Dular and IR64-Pup1 in 0.5 ppm of P at 14 d. Among the 13 PHT1 genes, OsPT1, OsPT2, OsPT6, and OsPT13 showed significant upregulation in IC459373, Dular, and IR64-Pup1. These results indicated that studying the expression levels of the PSTOL1 and PHT1 gene family at the early growth stages would be helpful in identifying superior donors to improve low-P tolerance and P-use efficiency in rice breeding programs.
The structure-based cancer-related single amino acid variation prediction
Authors: Liu Jia-Jun , Yu Chin-Sheng , Wu Hsiao-Wei , Chang Yu-Jen , Lin Chih-Peng , Lu Chih-Hao 
Published: June 2021

AbstractSingle amino acid variation (SAV) is an amino acid substitution of the protein sequence that can potentially influence the entire protein structure or function, as well as its binding affinity. Protein destabilization is related to diseases, including several cancers, although using traditional experiments to clarify the relationship between SAVs and cancer uses much time and resources. Some SAV prediction methods use computational approaches, with most predicting SAV-induced changes in protein stability. In this investigation, all SAV characteristics generated from protein sequences, structures and the microenvironment were converted into feature vectors and fed into an integrated predicting system using a support vector machine and genetic algorithm. Critical features were used to estimate the relationship between their properties and cancers caused by SAVs. We describe how we developed a prediction system based on protein sequences and structure that is capable of distinguishing if the SAV is related to cancer or not. The five-fold cross-validation performance of our system is 89.73% for the accuracy, 0.74 for the Matthews correlation coefficient, and 0.81 for the F1 score. We have built an online prediction server, CanSavPre (http://bioinfo.cmu.edu.tw/CanSavPre/), which is expected to become a useful, practical tool for cancer research and precision medicine.
Functional response of Harmonia axyridis preying on Acyrthosiphon pisum nymphs: the effect of temperature
Authors: Islam Yasir , Shah Farhan Mahmood , Rubing Xu , Razaq Muhammad , Yabo Miao , Xihong Li , Zhou Xingmiao 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn the current study, we investigated the functional response ofHarmonia axyridisadults and larvae foraging onAcyrthosiphon pisumnymphs at temperatures between 15 and 35 °C. Logistic regression and Roger’s random predator models were employed to determine the type and parameters of the functional response.Harmonia axyridislarvae and adults exhibited Type II functional responses toA. pisum, and warming increased both the predation activity and host aphid control mortality. Female and 4th instarH. axyridisconsumed the most aphids. For fourth instar larvae and femaleH. axyridisadults, the successful attack rates were 0.23 ± 0.014 h−1and 0.25 ± 0.015 h−1; the handling times were 0.13 ± 0.005 h and 0.16 ± 0.004 h; and the estimated maximum predation rates were 181.28 ± 14.54 and 153.85 ± 4.06, respectively. These findings accentuate the high performance of 4th instar and femaleH. axyridisand the role of temperature in their efficiency. Further, we discussed such temperature-driven shifts in predation and prey mortality concerning prey-predator foraging interactions towards biological control.
Estimating the yield stability of heat-tolerant rice genotypes under various heat conditions across reproductive stages: a 5-year case study
Authors: Wu Chao , Cui Kehui , Li Qian , Li Liuyong , Wang Wencheng , Hu Qiuqian , Ding Yanfeng , Li Ganghua , Fahad Shah , Huang Jianliang , Nie Lixiao , Peng Shaobing 
Published: June 2021

AbstractHeat events during the reproductive stages of rice plants induce great yield losses. Cultivating heat-tolerant varieties is a promising strategy for guaranteeing grain security under global warming scenarios. Most heat-tolerant rice genotypes were identified under heat during the flowering stage, but it is unclear whether these currently screened heat-tolerant rice genotypes maintain stable high grain yields when heat stress occurs during the other reproductive stages. In the present study, two notable heat-tolerant rice cultivars, Nagina22 and Shanyou63, and one typical heat-sensitive cultivar, Liangyoupeijiu, were evaluated for their yield response and yield stability under heat treatments during the panicle initiation, flowering, and grain filling stages during 2010–2014. Our results revealed that rice cultivars respond differently to heat stress during different reproductive stages. Nagina22 was the most tolerant to heat stress during the flowering and grain filling stages but was susceptible during panicle initiation; Shanyou63 was the most tolerant to heat stress during panicle initiation and grain filling and was moderately tolerant to heat stress during the flowering stages. Genotype and genotype-by-environment interaction biplot yield analysis revealed that Shanyou63 exhibited the highest stability in high grain yield, followed by Nagina22, and Liangyoupeijiu exhibited stable low grain yield when experiencing heat stress across the three reproductive stages. Our results indicate that the heat tolerance of different rice cultivars depends on the reproductive stage during which heat stress occurs, and the effects manifest as reductions in grain yields and seed setting rates. Future efforts to develop heat-tolerant varieties should strive to breed varieties that are comprehensively tolerant to heat stress during any reproductive stage to cope with the unpredictable occurrence of future heat events.