bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Results from a pilot study on the oral microbiome in children and adolescents with chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis
Authors: Zeus Mona , Janssen Stefan , Laws Hans-Jürgen , Fischer Ute , Borkhardt Arndt , Oommen Prasad Thomas 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Objective
To analyze the composition of the oral microbiome in children and adolescents with chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) with respect to age distribution, gender differences, effects of medication, disease activity and the influence of body site.

Methods
The oral microbiome of 20 patients (12 male and 8 female; median age 10.3 years) and 36 controls were examined. Two different sites of the oral cavity were swabbed at two time points. Current medication and disease activity were evaluated and registered at these time points. Samples were subjected to amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and Qiime2 was used to calculate alpha and beta diversity for multiple alternative metrics.

Results
On the basis of relative abundances of 975 different suboperational taxonomic units in high throughput next generation sequencing, a significant shift in the composition of the oral microbiome (p < 0.02) was observed among patients being treated with different medications. There was a significant difference in bacterial communities between the group aged 3–8 years old and the group aged 9–14 years old. Significant differences were also seen in bacterial colonization on different sites in the oral cavity, but not with respect to gender or disease activity.

Conclusion
We present first data of a pilot study of the oral microbiome in children and adolescents with CNO, a rare autoinflammatory bone disease. Differences of the oral microbiome of diseased children to normal adult controls revealed a possible role of the oral microbiome as modulatory target or biomarker in CNO.
Management and outcome of vagus nerve stimulator implantation: experience of an otolaryngeal/neuropediatric cooperation
Authors: Grasl S. , Janik S. , Dressler A. , Diehm R. , Gröppel G. , Eichinger K. , Grasl M. C. , Gstoettner W. , Feucht M. , Vyskocil E. , Baumgartner W. D. 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Objective
Vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implantation is an established therapy for pharmacoresistant epilepsy that is not amenable to curative epilepsy surgery. Historically, VNS implantation has been performed by neurosurgeons, but otolaryngologist involvement is increasingly common. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of VNS implantation in children and adolescents from the otolaryngologists’ perspective.

Methods
This study included children and adolescents who had undergone VNS implantation at the study center between 2014 and 2018. Patient files were analyzed with regards to the durations of device implantation and hospitalization, postoperative complications, and clinical outcome, including seizure frequency, clinical global impression of improvement (CGI-I) score, and quality of life (QoL).

Results
A total of 73 children underwent VNS surgery. The median age at implantation was 9.3 ± 4.6 years, and median epilepsy duration before VNS surgery was 6 ± 4 years. Lennox–Gastaut syndrome was the most common syndrome diagnosis (62.3%), and structural abnormalities (49.3%) the most frequent etiology. Operation times ranged from 30 to 200 min, and median postoperative hospitalization length was 2 ± 0.9 days. No complications occurred, except for four revisions and two explantations due to local infections (2.7%). Among our patients, 76.7% were responders (≥ 50% reduction in seizure frequency), 72.1% showed improved CGI-I scores, and 18.6–60.5% exhibited considerable improvements in the QoL categories energy, emotional health, and cognitive functions.

Conclusion
Our results indicate that VNS implantation is a highly effective and safe treatment option for children and adolescents with AED-refractory epilepsies who are not candidates for curative epilepsy surgery.
Morphological characterization using scanning electron microscopy of fly artifacts deposited by Calliphora vomitoria (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on household materials
Authors: Pelletti Guido , Martini Desiree , Ingrà Laura , Mazzotti Maria Carla , Giorgetti Arianna , Falconi Mirella , Fais Paolo 
Published: July 2021

AbstractInsects found at a crime scene can produce traces referred to as fly artifacts (FA) due to their movement over the corpse and the manner in which they feed upon it. These can be detrimental for carrying out criminal investigations. Confusing a FA with a genuine bloodspot can lead to misinterpretations, also taking into consideration that FA may contain a human DNA profile. The aim of the present study was to employ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the analysis of FA produced by Calliphora vomitoria on hard surfaces and fabrics that are commonly present at crime scenes. FA and control bloodstains were produced under experimental conditions on metal, glass, plaster, cotton, and polyester. After macroscopic analysis, FA were examined at standard low (20–40 ×), medium low (300–600 ×), and high ultrastructural (1200 ×) magnification through a SEM Stereoscan 360, Leica, Cambridge. SEM analysis enabled the identification of distinctive features of FA on hard surfaces, namely, amorphous crystals, micro-crystals with a morphology similar to those of uric or micro-crystals with a comparable morphology to cholesterol, absent in controls. Moreover, red blood cells (RBC) were absent in FA but were always present in controls. On cotton, for both FA and controls, the drop was almost completely absorbed and thus indistinguishable from the underlying fabric texture. On polyester, FA showed amorphous/crystal-like deposits and no RBC, as observed on hard surfaces, except for those showing a completely flat surface. SEM analysis appeared to be suitable for differential diagnosis between FA and genuine bloodstains on hard surfaces, although the results may be inconclusive on tested fabrics.
Cav1.4 dysfunction and congenital stationary night blindness type 2
Authors: Koschak Alexandra , Fernandez-Quintero Monica L. , Heigl Thomas , Ruzza Marco , Seitter Hartwig , Zanetti Lucia 
Published: July 2021

AbstractCav1.4 L-type Ca2+ channels are predominantly expressed in retinal neurons, particularly at the photoreceptor terminals where they mediate sustained Ca2+ entry needed for continuous neurotransmitter release at their ribbon synapses. Cav1.4 channel gating properties are controlled by accessory subunits, associated regulatory proteins, and also alternative splicing. In humans, mutations in the CACNA1F gene encoding for Cav1.4 channels are associated with X-linked retinal disorders such as congenital stationary night blindness type 2. Mutations in the Cav1.4 protein result in a spectrum of altered functional channel activity. Several mouse models broadened our understanding of the role of Cav1.4 channels not only as Ca2+ source at retinal synapses but also as synaptic organizers. In this review, we highlight different structural and functional phenotypes of Cav1.4 mutations that might also occur in patients with congenital stationary night blindness type 2. A further important yet mostly neglected aspect that we discuss is the influence of alternative splicing on channel dysfunction. We conclude that currently available functional phenotyping strategies should be refined and summarize potential specific therapeutic options for patients carrying Cav1.4 mutations. Importantly, the development of new therapeutic approaches will permit a deeper understanding of not only the disease pathophysiology but also the physiological function of Cav1.4 channels in the retina.
Evaluation of stability and inactivation methods of SARS-CoV-2 in context of laboratory settings
Authors: Widera Marek , Westhaus Sandra , Rabenau Holger F. , Hoehl Sebastian , Bojkova Denisa , Cinatl Jindrich , Ciesek Sandra 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the acute respiratory disease COVID-19, which has become a global concern due to its rapid spread. Laboratory work with SARS-CoV-2 in a laboratory setting was rated to biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) biocontainment level. However, certain research applications in particular in molecular biology require incomplete denaturation of the proteins, which might cause safety issues handling contaminated samples. In this study, we evaluated lysis buffers that are commonly used in molecular biological laboratories for their ability to inactivate SARS-CoV-2. In addition, viral stability in cell culture media at 4 °C and on display glass and plastic surfaces used in laboratory environment was analyzed. Furthermore, we evaluated chemical and non-chemical inactivation methods including heat inactivation, UV-C light, addition of ethanol, acetone-methanol, and PFA, which might be used as a subsequent inactivation step in the case of insufficient inactivation. We infected susceptible Caco-2 and Vero cells with pre-treated SARS-CoV-2 and determined the tissue culture infection dose 50 (TCID50) using crystal violet staining and microscopy. In addition, lysates of infected cells and virus containing supernatant were subjected to RT-qPCR analysis. We have found that guanidine thiocyanate and most of the tested detergent containing lysis buffers were effective in inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, however, the M-PER lysis buffer containing a proprietary detergent failed to inactivate the virus. In conclusion, careful evaluation of the used inactivation methods is required especially for non-denaturing buffers. Additional inactivation steps might be necessary before removal of lysed viral samples from BSL-3.
Contemporaneous opening of the Alpine Tethys in the Eastern and Western Alps: constraints from a Late Jurassic gabbro intrusion age in the Glockner Nappe, Tauern Window, Austria
Authors: Gleißner Philipp , Franz Gerhard , Frei Dirk 
Published: July 2021

AbstractMetabasic rocks of the ophiolitic sequences of the Glockner Nappe and Eclogite Zone in the south-central Tauern Window, Austria, reveal important insights into rifting and spreading of the Alpine Tethys. U–Pb dating of magmatic zircons yields a concordant 157 ± 2 Ma crystallization age for the precursor of a coarse-grained metagabbro from the Glockner Nappe. The Late Jurassic intrusion age is coeval with mafic plutonic activity in the Western and Central Alps. Although Penninic ophiolitic sequences in tectonic windows of the Eastern Alps are usually disrupted, an ocean–continent transition setting can be reconstructed for the Glockner Nappe, similar to many ophiolites in the Liguria–Piemont domain in the Western and Central Alps. Together, these observations strongly suggest a formation in the Liguria–Piemont branch of the Alpine Tethys and are inconsistent with a formation in the Valais domain. This finding has important implications for paleogeographic reconstructions of the Penninic realm in the Eastern Alps. Whereas the Glockner Nappe metagabbro and metabasalts clearly reveal their depleted mantle origin, the metabasic rocks of the Eclogite Zone record a more complex formation history involving depleted mantle melting and crustal assimilation in a continental margin setting.
The Picard–Mann iteration with s-convexity in the generation of Mandelbrot and Julia sets
Authors: Shahid Abdul Aziz , Nazeer Waqas , Gdawiec Krzysztof 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn recent years, researchers have studied the use of different iteration processes from fixed point theory in the generation of complex fractals. For instance, the Mann, Ishikawa, Noor, Jungck–Mann and Jungck–Ishikawa iterations have been used. In this paper, we study the use of the Picard–Mann iteration with s-convexity in the generation of Mandelbrot and Julia sets. We prove the escape criterion for the $$(k+1)$$

(
k
+
1
)

st degree complex polynomial. Moreover, we present some graphical and numerical examples regarding Mandelbrot and Julia sets generated using the proposed iteration.
Fair colorful k-center clustering
Authors: Jia Xinrui , Sheth Kshiteej , Svensson Ola 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAn instance of colorfulk-center consists of points in a metric space that are colored red or blue, along with an integer k and a coverage requirement for each color. The goal is to find the smallest radius $$\rho $$
ρ
such that there exist balls of radius $$\rho $$
ρ
around k of the points that meet the coverage requirements. The motivation behind this problem is twofold. First, from fairness considerations: each color/group should receive a similar service guarantee, and second, from the algorithmic challenges it poses: this problem combines the difficulties of clustering along with the subset-sum problem. In particular, we show that this combination results in strong integrality gap lower bounds for several natural linear programming relaxations. Our main result is an efficient approximation algorithm that overcomes these difficulties to achieve an approximation guarantee of 3, nearly matching the tight approximation guarantee of 2 for the classical k-center problem which this problem generalizes. algorithms either opened more than k centers or only worked in the special case when the input points are in the plane.
An exploratory analysis of the competing effects of alcohol use and advanced hepatic fibrosis on serum HDL
Authors: Vannier Augustin G. L. , PeBenito Amanda , Fomin Vladislav , Chung Raymond T. , Schaefer Esperance , Goodman Russell P. , Luther Jay 
Published: July 2021

AbstractWhile alcohol use has been shown to increase serum HDL, advanced liver disease associates with decreased serum HDL. The combined influence of alcohol consumption and liver fibrosis is poorly defined. In this study, we sought to investigate the competing effects of alcohol use and hepatic fibrosis on serum HDL and to determine if the presence of advanced hepatic fibrosis ablates the reported effect of alcohol consumption on serum HDL. We performed a cross-sectional, exploratory analysis examining the interaction between alcohol use and advanced hepatic fibrosis on serum HDL levels in 10,528 patients from the Partners Biobank. Hepatic fibrosis was assessed using the FIB-4 index. We excluded patients with baseline characteristics that affect serum HDL, independent of alcohol use or the presence or advanced hepatic fibrosis. We observed an incremental correlation between increasing HDL levels and amount of alcohol consumed (P < 0.0001), plateauing in those individuals who drink 1–2 drinks per day, Contrastingly, we found a negative association between the presence of advanced hepatic fibrosis and lower HDL levels, independent of alcohol use (beta coefficient: -0.011075, SEM0.003091,Pvalue: 0.0001). Finally, when comparing subjects with advanced hepatic fibrosis who do not use alcohol to those who do, we observed that alcohol use is associated with increased HDL levels (54.58 mg/dL vs 67.26 mg/dL,p = 0.0009). This HDL-elevating effect of alcohol was more pronounced than that seen in patients without evidence of advanced hepatic fibrosis (60.88 mg/dL vs 67.93 mg/dL,p < 0.0001). Our data suggest that the presence of advanced hepatic fibrosis does not blunt the HDL-elevating effect of alcohol use.
Do conditional cash transfers increase schooling among adolescents?
Authors: Draeger Eric 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn several Latin American countries, conditional cash transfer programmes are a proven means of alleviating poverty in the short term and promoting education of children from disadvantaged families in the longer run. While the effectiveness of the Brazilian Bolsa Família for children’s education outcomes up to 15 years of age has been widely documented, its contribution to the promotion of students of secondary school age has not been fully explored in light of the programme’s expansion to 16-17 years olds in 2008. In this paper, I draw on Brazilian National Household Sample Survey data and use a difference-in-differences approach already applied in research in the context of Bolsa Família extension. Whereas these data were previously examined to detect intent-to-treat (ITT) effects due to insufficient information on treatment status, in this study I rely on a classifier method to additionally estimate average treatment effects on the treated who belong to families supposedly receiving Bolsa Família cash transfers. The results suggest that school attendance rates for 16-year-olds are particularly increased in the Brazilian Northeast, although the estimates are not significant when further time periods are taken into account. As comparably poor but non-recipient households have larger and consistently significant gains of school attendance, the effect on adolescent’s education directly caused by the expansion of Bolsa Família remains ambiguous and thus cast doubt on the specific parallel trend assumption. In addition, no long-run ITT effects of the programme’s expansion on school participation among 16 year old teenagers are found.
Effects of seismic input, fine crust and existing structure on liquefaction from centrifuge model tests
Authors: Fioravante V. , Giretti D. , Airoldi S. , Moglie J. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe results of dynamic centrifuge tests carried out to study the effects of seismic input, fine crust and existing structure on liquefaction triggering and manifestations are presented. The basic concept of the experimentation was to analyse the seismic behaviour of level ground, saturated, 14 m deep sandy deposits, homogeneous or stratified, subjected to increasing seismic excitations up to liquefaction, with or without a one degree of freedom structure on shallow foundations. The study was performed in the framework of the European project Horizon2020 “LIQUEFACT”.
Rational Krylov methods for fractional diffusion problems on graphs
Authors: Benzi Michele , Simunec Igor 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn this paper we propose a method to compute the solution to the fractional diffusion equation on directed networks, which can be expressed in terms of the graph Laplacian L as a product $$f(L^T) \varvec{b}$$

f
(

L
T

)

b

, where f is a non-analytic function involving fractional powers and $$\varvec{b}$$

b

is a given vector. The graph Laplacian is a singular matrix, causing Krylov methods for $$f(L^T) \varvec{b}$$

f
(

L
T

)

b

to converge more slowly. In order to overcome this difficulty and achieve faster convergence, we use rational Krylov methods applied to a desingularized version of the graph Laplacian, obtained with either a rank-one shift or a projection on a subspace.
Ultimate precision of direct tomography of wave functions
Authors: Nguyen Xuan-Hoai Thi , Choi Mahn-Soo 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn contrast to the standard quantum state tomography, the direct tomography seeks a direct access to the complex values of the wave function at particular positions. Originally put forward as a special case of weak measurement, it has been extended to arbitrary measurement setup. We generalize the idea of “quantum metrology,” where a real-valued phase is estimated, to the estimation of complex-valued phase. We show that it enables to identify the optimal measurements and investigate the fundamental precision limit of the direct tomography. We propose a few experimentally feasible examples of direct tomography schemes and, based on the complex phase estimation formalism, demonstrate that direct tomography can reach the Heisenberg limit.
Gesundheitskompetenz im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung
Authors: Schaeffer Doris , Gille Svea 
Published: July 2021

ZusammenfassungHintergrundMit der digitalen Transformation und dem Zuwachs an digitalen Gesundheitsinformationen steigen auch die Möglichkeiten der Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention. Gleichzeitig erhöhen sich auch die Anforderungen an den Umgang mit Gesundheitsinformationen und damit an die (digitale) Gesundheitskompetenz. Vorliegende Studien zeigen jedoch, dass ein Großteil der Bevölkerung in Deutschland nicht über ausreichende Gesundheitskompetenz verfügt und hier großer politischer Handlungsbedarf besteht.Ziel und FragestellungDer Beitrag geht der Frage nach, inwieweit es gelungen ist, Gesundheitskompetenz in Deutschland als Thema und als potenzielles neues Politikfeld zu etablieren.Material und MethodenIn Anlehnung an die Diskussion zur Ausreifung von Politikfeldern werden in dem Beitrag fünf Kriterien ((1.) Problemwahrnehmung und Agenda Setting, (2.) Konsens über Definition und Ziele, (3.) empirische Belege, (4.) Wille zum Handeln und Veränderungsbereitschaft, (5.) Ressourcenausstattung) betrachtet, anhand derer der Reifegrad von Gesundheitskompetenz als neues Politikfeld einzuschätzen versucht wird.ErgebnisseInsgesamt zeigt sich, dass Gesundheitskompetenz in Deutschland eine rasante Themenkarriere durchlaufen hat und ein gesellschaftlich und politisch zunehmend relevantes Thema darstellt. Auch bei der Etablierung und Reifung als Politikfeld erfolgten in den letzten Jahren wichtige, auch international beachtete Schritte. Dabei wurde der Digitalisierung und der Verknüpfung beider bislang getrennt geführten Diskussionen und Entwicklungen jedoch zu wenig Beachtung geschenkt. Auch bis zur nachhaltigen Verankerung als Politikfeld sind noch etliche Herausforderungen zu bewältigen.SchlussfolgerungDie Bedeutung von Gesundheitskompetenz ist im digitalen Zeitalter größer denn je. Die Bewältigung dieser Herausforderungen stellt daher eine zukünftig wichtige Aufgabe dar.
Derivation of effective models from heterogenous Cosserat media via periodic unfolding
Authors: Nika Grigor 
Published: July 2021

AbstractWe derive two different effective models from a heterogeneous Cosserat continuum taking into account the Cosserat intrinsic length of the constituents. We pass to the limit using homogenization via periodic unfolding and in doing so we provide rigorous proof to the results introduced by Forest, Pradel, and Sab (Int. J. Solids Struct. 38 (26-27): 4585-4608 ’01). Depending on how different characteristic lengths of the domain scale with respect to the Cosserat intrinsic length, we obtain either an effective classical Cauchy continuum or an effective Cosserat continuum. Moreover, we provide some corrector type results for each case.
The Nasal Microbiome in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis: Picking the Nose for Clues on Disease Pathogenesis
Authors: Dekkema G. J. , Rutgers A. , Sanders J. S. , Stegeman C. A. , Heeringa P. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe onset and progression of small vessel vasculitis associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies has been linked to microbial infections. Here, we provide a brief overview of the association of nasal colonization ofStaphylococcus aureuswith ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and discuss several recent studies mapping the nasal microbiome in AAV patients in particular.Recent FindingsNasal microbiome studies revealed dysbiosis as a common trait in active AAV which tends to normalize upon immunosuppressive treatment and quiescent disease. However, due to differences in study design, patient selection, and methodology, the reported microbiome profiles differ considerably precluding conclusions on causal relationships.SummaryThe microbiome is an emerging area of research in AAV warranting further investigation. Ideally, such studies should be combined with mechanistic studies to unravel key elements related to host-microbe interactions and their relevance for AAV pathogenesis.