bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of empagliflozin on insulin initiation or intensification in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease: Findings from the EMPA‐REG OUTCOME trial
Authors: Vaduganathan Muthiah , Inzucchi Silvio E. , Sattar Naveed , Fitchett David H. , Ofstad Anne Pernille , Brueckmann Martina , George Jyothis T. , Verma Subodh , Mattheus Michaela , Wanner Christoph , Zinman Bernard , Butler Javed 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAimTo evaluate the effects of empagliflozin versus placebo on subsequent insulin initiation or dosing changes in a large cardiovascular outcomes trial.Materials and MethodsIn EMPA‐REG OUTCOME, 7020 patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease received empagliflozin 10 mg, 25 mg, or placebo. Median follow‐up was 3.1 years. After 12 weeks of treatment, changes in background antihyperglycaemic therapy were permitted. Among insulin‐naïve patients, we assessed the effects of pooled empagliflozin arms versus placebo on time to initiation of insulin. Among insulin‐treated patients, we assessed effects on time to an increase or decrease in insulin dose of more than 20%.ResultsIn 3633 (52%) participants not treated with insulin at baseline, empagliflozin reduced new use of insulin versus placebo by 60% (7.1% vs. 16.4%; adjusted HR 0.40 [95% CI 0.32‐0.49]; P < .0001). In 3387 (48%) patients using insulin at baseline, empagliflozin reduced the need for a greater than 20% insulin dose increase by 58% (14.4% vs. 29.3%; adjusted HR 0.42 [95% CI 0.36‐0.49]; P < .0001) and increased the proportion achieving sustained greater than 20% insulin dose reductions without subsequent increases in HbA1c compared with placebo (9.2% vs. 4.9%; adjusted HR 1.87 [95% CI: 1.39‐2.51]; P < .0001). Sensitivity analyses confirmed consistent findings when insulin dose changes of more than 10% or more than 30% were considered.ConclusionsIn patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, empagliflozin markedly and durably delays insulin initiation and substantial increases in insulin dose, while facilitating sustained reductions in insulin requirements over time.
Development as non‐migration? Examining normative and policy coherence in EU external action on migration and development
Authors: Berger Alexandra 
Published: August 2021

SummaryMotivationWithin the efforts of the European Union (EU) to govern migration, the nexus between migration and development has moved centre stage. Analysing how the EU has approached the migration–development nexus in its foreign policy from the perspective of policy coherence for development (PCD) allows this study to examine how far the EU migration–development nexus is coherent at the policy and normative level.PurposeHow does the EU conceptualize PCD? To what extent does the EU's external action in the migration–development nexus strengthen or undermine its normative commitment to coherence for development?Methods and approachThis article develops a conceptual framework of overall coherence for development, which consists of: (a) policy coherence; and (b) normative coherence for development. Both aspects are analysed through a qualitative content analysis of 18 expert interviews and EU policy documents.FindingsThe analysis shows that the EU perceives PCD as a policy‐making tool and a technical mechanism to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, the EU's approach to the migration–development nexus is incoherent both at the policy and the normative levels. In its policies, much of the focus is on containment of migration to Europe. At the normative level, the EU proclaims a sedentary and place‐bound notion of development.Policy implicationsThe article contributes to the current debates on PCD in the EU and on the EU's external action in the migration–development nexus. In order to foster PCD, the EU should approach the migration–development nexus more holistically.
Landscape drivers of pests and pathogens abundance in arable crops
Authors: Delaune Thomas , Ouattara Malick S. , Ballot Rémy , Sausse Christophe , Felix Irène , Maupas Fabienne , Chen Mathilde , Morison Muriel , Makowski David , Barbu Corentin 
Published: August 2021

Farmers' use of fungicides and insecticides constitutes a major threat to biodiversity that is also endangering agriculture itself. Landscapes could be designed to take advantage of the dependencies of pests, pathogens and their natural enemies on elements of the landscape. Yet the complexity of the interactions makes it difficult to establish general rules. In our study, we sought to characterize the impact of the landscape on pest and pathogen prevalence, taking into account both crop and semi‐natural areas. We drew on a nine‐year national survey of 30 major pests and pathogens of arable crops, distributed throughout the latitudes of metropolitan France. We performed binomial LASSO generalized linear regressions on the pest and pathogen prevalence as a function of the landscape composition in a total of 39 880 field × year × pest observation series. We observed a strong disequilibrium between the number of pests or pathogens favored (15) and disadvantaged (2) by the area of their host crop in the landscape during the previous growing season. The impact of the host crop area during the ongoing growing season was different on pests than on pathogens: the density of most pathogens increased (11 of 17, and no decreases) while the density of a small majority of pests decreased (7 of 13, and four increases). We also found that woodlands, scrublands, hedgerows and grasslands did not have a consistent effect on the studied spectrum of pests and pathogens. Although overall the estimated effect of the landscape is small compared to the effect of the climate, a territorial coordination that generally favors crop diversity but excludes a crop at risk in a given year might prove useful in reducing pesticide use.Short abstractWe sought to identify general rules characterizing the impact of the landscape on the prevalence of pests and pathogens of arable crops. We showed that the host crop area is consistently correlated with increased pressure of the pests and pathogens the following growing season. Correlations of pests and pathogens with host crop areas in the same year or with semi‐natural components of the landscape (grasslands, hedgerows and forests) are less consistent and depend on the functional traits of the organisms involved.
Density dependence and spatial heterogeneity limit the population growth rate of invasive pines at the landscape scale
Authors: Sprague Rowan , Hulme Philip E. , Moltchanova Elena , Godsoe William 
Published: August 2021

Determining population growth across large scales is difficult because it is often impractical to collect data at large scales and over long timespans. Instead, the growth of a population is often only measured at a small, plot‐level scale and then extrapolated to derive a mean field estimate. However, this approach is prone to error since it simplifies spatial processes such as the neighbourhood effects of density and dispersal. We present a novel approach that estimates how spatial processes derived from the effects of density and dispersal affect population growth between plot scales and landscape scales. The method is based on a scale transition theory and calculates a transition term to measure the spatial scaling of population growth, which we extend to unstable, expanding populations in order to assess whether landscape‐scale population dynamics are different from those estimated at smaller spatial scales. We illustrate this approach using aerial imagery of eight locations in New Zealand experiencing non‐native pine invasions. Analyses examined the dynamics at a plot scale (1 ha) and compared this to estimates across entire landscapes (between 24 and 1600 ha), in several cases for more than one time period. We used a Bayesian spatial random effects model to examine population growth and to account for neighbourhood effects and dispersal between plots in a rapidly changing system.We found that the estimates of the scale transition term were typically 10–25% of the mean field estimates, which led to mean field estimates of population growth extrapolated from plots being considerably higher than landscape estimates. The approach we have developed will not only have applications for predicting the populations' growth of invasive species, but also for studies examining the scaling of landscape‐scale phenomena.
Lessons learned from people with neurological diseases at the time of COVID‐19: The EFNA‐EAN survey
Authors: Bodini Benedetta , Moro Elena , Jaarsma Joke , Cunningham Elizabeth , Sellner Johann , Walsh Donna ,   the EANcore COVID‐19 Task Force
Published: August 2021

AbstractBackground and purposeThe European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA), in partnership with the NeuroCOVID‐19 taskforce of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), has investigated the impact of the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic on individuals with neurological diseases, as well as the hopes and fears of these patients about the post‐pandemic phase.MethodsAn EFNA‐EAN survey was available online to any person living with a neurological disorder in Europe. It consisted of 18 items concerning the impact of the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the medical care of people with neurological disorders, and the hopes and fears of these individuals regarding the post‐pandemic phase.ResultsFor 44.4% of the 443 survey participants, the overall care of their neurological disease during the pandemic was inappropriate. This perception was mainly due to significant delays in accessing medical care (25.7%), insufficiently reliable information received about the potential impact of COVID‐19 on their neurological disease (49.6%), and a substantial lack of involvement in their disease management decisions (54.3%). Participants indicated that their major concerns for the post‐pandemic phase were experiencing longer waiting times to see a specialist (24.1%), suffering from social isolation and deteriorating mental well‐being (23.1%), and facing delays in clinical trials with disinvestment in neuroscience research (13.1%).ConclusionsDespite the great efforts of health services to cope with the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic, individuals with neurological conditions feel they have been left behind. These findings provide invaluable insights for improving the care of patients with neurological disorders in the further course of the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Long‐term outcome in a noninvasive rat model of birth asphyxia with neonatal seizures: Cognitive impairment, anxiety, epilepsy, and structural brain alterations
Authors: Gailus Björn , Naundorf Hannah , Welzel Lisa , Johne Marie , Römermann Kerstin , Kaila Kai , Löscher Wolfgang 
Published: August 2021

AbstractObjectiveBirth asphyxia is a major cause of hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonates and often associated with mortality, neonatal seizures, brain damage, and later life motor, cognitive, and behavioral impairments and epilepsy. Preclinical studies on rodent models are needed to develop more effective therapies for preventing HIE and its consequences. Thus far, the most popular rodent models have used either exposure of intact animals to hypoxia‐only, or a combination of hypoxia and carotid occlusion, for the induction of neonatal seizures and adverse outcomes. However, such models lack systemic hypercapnia, which is a fundamental constituent of birth asphyxia with major effects on neuronal excitability. Here, we use a recently developed noninvasive rat model of birth asphyxia with subsequent neonatal seizures to study later life adverse outcome.MethodsIntermittent asphyxia was induced for 30 min by exposing male and female postnatal day 11 rat pups to three 7 + 3‐min cycles of 9% and 5% O2 at constant 20% CO2. All pups exhibited convulsive seizures after asphyxia. A set of behavioral tests were performed systematically over 14 months following asphyxia, that is, a large part of the rat's life span. Video‐electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring was used to determine whether asphyxia led to the development of epilepsy. Finally, structural brain alterations were examined.ResultsThe animals showed impaired spatial learning and memory and increased anxiety when tested at an age of 3–14 months. Video‐EEG at ~10 months showed an abundance of spontaneous seizures, which was paralleled by neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and thalamus, and by aberrant mossy fiber sprouting.SignificanceThe present model of birth asphyxia recapitulates several of the later life consequences associated with human HIE. This model thus allows evaluation of the efficacy of novel therapies designed to prevent HIE and seizures following asphyxia, and of how such therapies might alleviate long‐term adverse consequences.
Intra‐articular administration of antibiotics in horses: Justifications, risks, reconsideration of use and outcomes
Authors: Pezzanite Lynn M. , Hendrickson Dean A. , Dow Steven , Stoneback Jason , Chow Lyndah , Krause Danielle , Goodrich Laurie 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAntibiotics have been injected intra‐articularly by equine veterinarians for decades, either prophylactically when other drugs are administered for osteoarthritis or therapeutically to treat septic arthritis. This route of administration has also more recently gained attention in human orthopaedic clinical practice, particularly as an alternative to systemic antibiotic administration to treat infections following prosthetic arthroplasty. While the rationale for injecting antibiotics intra‐articularly has been largely focused on achieving high local drug concentrations, there has been relatively little focus on pharmacokinetic parameters of antibiotics administered by this route, or on the potential for local toxicity. The increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance in veterinary and human medicine prompts reconsideration of off‐label antibiotic usage and evaluation of evidence‐based dosing strategies. The purpose of this review was to summarise the current literature describing intra‐articular antibiotic usage, including specific studies where pharmacokinetics, potential safety and toxicity have been evaluated. This review will advance practitioners’ understanding of the use of intra‐articularly administered antibiotics, including the overall pros and cons of the approach.
Early prediction and monitoring of sepsis using sequential long short term memory model
Authors: Sharma Deepak Kumar , Lakhotia Parul , Sain Paras , Brahmachari Shikha 
Published: August 2021

AbstractSepsis is a severe life‐threatening disease, which is the body's extreme reverberation to any virus leading to failed organs, damaged tissue, or death. It requires accurate and efficient real‐time detection. Continuous and potent monitoring of patient health data can be useful in predicting the potential risks the patient might be exposed to, based on their recent history of medical records. Machine learning models have proven to be a significant approach in performing accurate and precise predictions, especially in the medical field. In this paper, a smart network with a long short term memory (LSTM) based model at its heart is proposed for early prediction of Sepsis for patients admitted in the ICU. The network operates on time series data and predicts the probability of a patient developing sepsis based on the historical medical data of the patient. It comprises Internet of Things based devices which have proven to be impactful in the areas of acquiring continuous and real‐time data in the healthcare field. In this paper, an architecture for early prediction and monitoring Sepsis with minimized latency through LSTM network is proposed by designing a decentralized prediction model in a fog‐based environment. The model had an accuracy of 95.1% after the last epoch with validation accuracy as 95%. The receiver operating characteristic curve area was reported as 0.864 for testing data with an accuracy of 95.1%. The model was not over‐fitted since the validation accuracy was significantly close to the training accuracy of the model.
Inhibition of biofilm formation, adhesion and invasion in Caco‐2 cells by foodborne pathogens using phyto‐mediated synthesised silver nanoparticles from industrial wastes
Authors: Paosen Supakit , Wunnoo Suttiwan , Bilhman Siwaporn , Lethongkam Sakkarin , Wira Septama Abdi , Piyawan Voravuthikunchai Supayang 
Published: August 2021

AbstractCertain foodborne diseases are associated with antibiotic resistance, a significant problem throughout the world. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using industrial waste from Eucalyptus camaldulensis and sericin, a protein derived from Bombyx mori, were synthesised by a one‐step approach. Spherical‐shaped nanoparticles with the average size of 17.19 nm exhibited strong antioxidant activity. The minimum bactericidal concentrations against foodborne pathogens including Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella Typhimurium, Shigella sonnei, Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were between 2.96 and 11.83 µg/mL. Killing against L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 was observed within 4 h. Treatment with AgNPs at 0.25 – 0.5 × MIC significantly reduced biofilm production in all isolates (P < 0.05). AgNPs significantly impeded adhesion to and invasion of human epithelial Caco‐2 cells by L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 (P < 0.05). Biocompatibility assessment of AgNPs with Caco‐2 and human red blood cells demonstrated no toxic effects.
Transcriptome profiling reveals sex‐specific gene expressions in pupal and adult stages of the mosquito Culex pipiens
Authors: Martynova T. , Kamanda P. , Sim C. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractUnderstanding the development process of male and female mosquitoes provides important basic information for sterile insect release programmes and is important for improving other vector control strategies. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that distinguish male from female‐specific developmental processes in this species. We used IlluminaRNA‐seq to identify sex‐specific genes during pupal and adult stages. One hundred and forty‐seven genes were expressed only in pupal males, 56 genes were expressed in adult males and another 82 genes were commonly expressed in both male samples. In addition, 26 genes were expressed only in the pupal females, 163 genes were found in the adult females and only one gene was expressed in both female samples. A further quantitative real‐time PCR validation of selected genes from the RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq) analysis confirmed upregulation of those genes in a sex‐specific manner, including: fibrinogen and fibronectin, a zinc finger protein, phospholipase A(2) and a serine protein for female pupae; venom allergen 3, a perlecan, testis‐specific serine/threonine‐protein kinase 1, testis‐specific serine/threonine‐protein kinase 6 and cytochrome c‐2 for male pupae; a salivary protein, D7 protein precursor, trypsin 7 precursor, D7 protein and nanos for female adults; and tetraspanin F139, cytosol aminopeptidase, testis‐specific serine/threonine‐protein kinase 1, a testis‐specific serine/threonine‐protein kinase 6 and a C‐type lectin for male adults. These findings provide insight into the development and physiology of Culex mosquitoes, which will help in the development of more effective control methods for these disease vectors.
The effects of negative and positive information on attitudes towards immigration
Authors: Igarashi Akira , Ono Yoshikuni 
Published: August 2021

AbstractExisting research on immigration has highlighted the close relationship between the potential threat posed by immigrants and the development of anti‐immigrant sentiment among natives. However, immigrants also benefit the host society, and we know little about the effects of perceived benefits on attitudes towards immigration. We explore how exposure to negative and positive information about immigrants shapes people's attitudes towards immigrants through a vignette survey experiment. Our results revealed that respondents’ hostility towards immigrants decreased when exposed to positive information, but their attitudes did not necessarily change when they were exposed to negative information. Interestingly, these results were similarly observed in four major issue domains discussed in existing studies—jobs, financial burden, culture and physical safety. Furthermore, the effects of exposure to positive information were not modified by respondents’ partisanship, race, education or exposure to immigrants. These results suggest that pro‐immigrant rhetoric can be effective in changing people's attitudes towards immigration.
Form Development from 2D to 3D: The Basic Design Courses for Higher Education
Authors: Hsieh Ying‐Yi , Chen Chun‐Ching , Chen Wen‐Yin 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe basic design course mainly focuses on training students in their form development ability, including two parts: graphic figure and three‐dimensional form. However, in terms of form development, it is not just to create a certain form arbitrarily, but to convey the creator’s intention based on this form. For students who are new to the field of design, it will be very difficult to convey their own ideas through creative forms. Therefore, this research combines abstract design with three‐dimensional composition to develop a new teaching method, which connects two parts of graphic figure and three‐dimensional form together, and divides them into three stages: abstract design, unit model and combined model. In addition to allowing students to learn comprehensively, they can also understand how to design a form that can convey their own views and lay a good foundation for future design courses. After the course, the three stages have a positive impact on students. Students will have a new understanding of design, have greater interest and confidence in design, and understand the entire process of design (data collection, analysis, ideation and production) and the importance of teamwork.
Private firms’ incentives and opportunities to manage earnings: Evidence from the use of inflation adjustments
Authors: Restrepo Felipe , Taillard Jérôme P. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractWe examine the behavior of a large sample of private firms before and after the elimination of an inflation adjustment system in Colombia in 2007. We find that firms avoid reporting small pre‐tax losses by exercising considerable discretion in their use of inflation adjustments and find that this discretion is greater for firms that rely more on bank financing. Furthermore, firms that manage earnings to report small positive profits issue more bank debt the year following the reporting. After the law change, firms resort to other means to report positive earnings. In particular, the use of non‐operating earnings increases, attributable in part to a higher incidence of tangible asset sales.
Adenosine revives catheter‐induced mechanical blocks in radiofrequency ablation
Authors: Tsukahara Keita , Oginosawa Yasushi , Yagyu Keishiro , Miyamoto Taro , Yamagishi Yasunobu , Ohe Hisaharu , Kohno Ritsuko , Kataoka Masaharu , Abe Haruhiko 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAdenosine can hyperpolarize the atrial action potential, which helps rapidly re‐establish the membrane potential in ablated sites and unmask “dormant conduction.” It has been reported that pharmacological agents, including adenosine, were unable to revive traumatized tissues. We present the first case of the catheter‐induced mechanical block (“bump” phenomenon) that was unmasked with adenosine administration in the working myocardium of the superior vena cava. This result may be because, unlike before, we could determine the force of contact between the tip of the ablation catheter and the myocardial tissue. This case suggests the clinical usefulness of adenosine for unmasking bumped sites.