bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Performance evaluation of three automated quantitative immunoassays and their correlation with a surrogate virus neutralization test in coronavirus disease 19 patients and pre‐pandemic controls
Authors: Jung Kiwook , Shin Sue , Nam Minjeong , Hong Yun Ji , Roh Eun Youn , Park Kyoung Un , Song Eun Young 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBackgroundSARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic is currently ongoing, meanwhile vaccinations are rapidly underway in some countries. The quantitative immunoassays detecting antibodies against spike antigen of SARS‐CoV‐2 have been developed based on the findings that they have a better correlation with the neutralizing antibody.MethodsThe performances of the Abbott Architect SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG II Quant, DiaSorin LIAISON SARS‐CoV‐2 TrimericS IgG, and Roche Elecsys anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 S were evaluated on 173 sera from 126 SARS‐CoV‐2 patients and 151 pre‐pandemic sera. Their correlations with GenScript cPass SARS‐CoV‐2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit were also analyzed on 173 sera from 126 SARS‐CoV‐2 patients.ResultsArchitect SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG II Quant and Elecsys anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 S showed the highest overall sensitivity (96.0%), followed by LIAISON SARS‐CoV‐2 TrimericS IgG (93.6%). The specificities of Elecsys anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 S and LIAISON SARS‐CoV‐2 TrimericS IgG were 100.0%, followed by Architect SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG II Quant (99.3%). Regarding the correlation with cPass neutralization antibody assay, LIAISON SARS‐CoV‐2 TrimericS IgG showed the best correlation (Spearman rho = 0.88), followed by Architect SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG II Quant and Elecsys anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 S (all rho = 0.87).ConclusionsThe three automated quantitative immunoassays showed good diagnostic performance and strong correlations with neutralization antibodies. These assays will be useful in diagnostic assistance, evaluating the response to vaccination, and the assessment of herd immunity in the future.
Visceral fat‐specific regulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 in aged septic mice
Authors: Bruno Maria E. C. , Mukherjee Sujata , Stromberg Arnold J. , Saito Hiroshi , Starr Marlene E. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractElevated plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1) are documented in patients with sepsis and levels positively correlate with disease severity and mortality. Our previous work demonstrated that visceral adipose tissues (VAT) are a major source of PAI‐1, especially in the aged (murine endotoxemia), that circulating PAI‐1 protein levels match the trajectory of PAI‐1 transcript levels in VAT (clinical sepsis), and that PAI‐1 in both VAT and plasma are positively associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in septic patients. In the current study utilizing preclinical sepsis models, PAI‐1 tissue distribution was examined and cellular sources, as well as mechanisms mediating PAI‐1 induction in VAT, were identified. In aged mice with sepsis, PAI‐1 gene expression was significantly higher in VAT than in other major organs. VAT PAI‐1 gene expression correlated with PAI‐1 protein levels in both VAT and plasma. Moreover, VAT and plasma levels of PAI‐1 were positively associated with AKI markers, modeling our previous clinical data. Using explant cultures of VAT, we determined that PAI‐1 is secreted robustly in response to recombinant transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) treatment; however, neutralization was effective only for TNFα indicating that TGFβ is not an endogenous modulator of PAI‐1. Within VAT, TNFα was localized to neutrophils and macrophages. PAI‐1 protein levels were fourfold higher in stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells compared with mature adipocytes, and among SVF cells, both immune and nonimmune compartments expressed PAI‐1 in a similar fashion. PAI‐1 was localized predominantly to macrophages within the immune compartment and preadipocytes and endothelial cells within the nonimmune compartment. Collectively, these results indicate that induction and secretion of PAI‐1 from VAT is facilitated by a complex interaction among immune and nonimmune cells. As circulating PAI‐1 contributes to AKI in sepsis, understanding PAI‐1 regulation in VAT could yield novel strategies for reducing systemic consequences of PAI‐1 overproduction.
A study of molybdena catalysts in ethanol oxidation. Part 2. Alumina‐supported and silica‐doped alumina‐supported MoO3
Authors: Pampararo Giovanni , Garbarino Gabriella , Ardoino Niccolò , Riani Paola , Busca Guido 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDγ‐Al2O3 and silica‐doped aluminas are largely used supports for industrial catalysts. The addition of silica to alumina modifies its acid–base properties, also affecting its dispersion ability of supported species. In this paper, investigations on the silica doping effect in alumina‐supported MoO3 catalysts, developed for the oxidative dehydrogenation process of ethanol to acetaldehyde, are reported.RESULTSMoO3 (1÷12% wtMoO3/wtsupport) supported over pure γ‐Al2O3, SiO2 (1 and 5 wt.%) doped γ‐Al2O3 were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation. Catalysts were studied and extensively characterized structurally, morphologically, and chemically. All samples were tested in ethanol oxidative dehydrogenation in Temperature Programmed Surface Reaction conditions. Best performing catalysts were also tested in steady‐state and time‐on‐stream experiments. At 573 K, the best acetaldehyde yield (60% in steady state conditions) was found on 12 wt.% MoO3 over 1 wt.% SiO2 on alumina. The slight deactivation after 8 h on stream (10% activity loss) is attributed to a limited MoO3 loss by volatilization.CONCLUSIONThe investigated catalysts are active and allow quite a high yield to acetaldehyde. The addition of silica to alumina increases both the conversion of ethanol and the selectivity to acetaldehyde, and reduces MoO3 volatilization, due to the higher activity of monomeric molybdates with respect to polymeric ones. The high acidity of the catalysts limits oxydehydrogenation yield, catalyzing competitive reaction to ethylene. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Corticosterone mediates a growth‐survival tradeoff for an amphibian exposed to increased salinity
Authors: Tornabene Brian J. , Hossack Blake R. , Crespi Erica J. , Breuner Creagh W. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractLife‐history tradeoffs are common across taxa, but growth‐survival tradeoffs—usually enhancing survival at a cost to growth—are less frequently investigated. Increased salinity (NaCl) is a prevalent anthropogenic disturbance that may cause a growth‐survival tradeoff for larval amphibians. Although physiological mechanisms mediating tradeoffs are seldom investigated, hormones are prime candidates. Corticosterone (CORT) is a steroid hormone that independently influences survival and growth and may provide mechanistic insight into growth‐survival tradeoffs. We conducted a 24‐day experiment to test effects of salinity (<32–4000 mg/L) on growth, development, survival, CORT responses, and tradeoffs among traits of larval Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens). We also experimentally suppressed CORT signaling to determine whether CORT signaling mediates effects of salinity and a growth‐survival tradeoff. Increased salinity reduced survival, growth, and development. Suppressing CORT signaling in conjunction with salinity reduced survival further but also attenuated the negative effects of salinity on growth, development, and water content. CORT of control larvae increased or was stable with growth and development but decreased with growth and development for those exposed to salinity. Therefore, salinity dysregulated CORT physiology. Across all treatments, larvae that survived had higher CORT than larvae that died. By manipulating CORT signaling, we provide strong evidence that CORT physiology mediates the outcome of a growth‐survival tradeoff and enhances survival. To our knowledge, this is the first study to concomitantly measure tradeoffs between growth and survival and experimentally link these changes to CORT physiology. Identifying mechanistic links between stressors and fitness‐related outcomes is critical to enhance our understanding of tradeoffs.
Why the long beak? Phylogeny, convergence, feeding ecology, and evolutionary allometry shaped the skull of theGiant CowbirdMolothrus oryzivorus(Icteridae)
Authors: Gómez Raúl O. , Lois‐Milevicich Jimena 
Published: August 2021

AbstractCowbirds are a successful group of obligate brood parasites in the Neotropical passerine family Icteridae that offer an interesting model to explore the factors behind the evolution of the bird craniomandibular complex. The Giant Cowbird,Molothrus oryzivorus,stands out from its congeners, among other features, in diet (feeds mostly on fruit, nectar, and arthropods, instead on seeds), its larger body size, and longer, more robust beak with a much broader bony casque than in other cowbirds. In turn, Giant Cowbirds show a remarkable resemblance in these features to the distantly related caciques and oropendolas (some are its breeding hosts). However, the causes behind the latter resemblance and the distinctiveness among cowbirds have not yet been elucidated. We aim to explore the factors involved in the diverging morphology of the Giant Cowbird from its congeners and the convergence with caciques and oropendolas, surveying their skull and lower jaw under an explicit evolutionary framework. Using geometric morphometrics and comparative methods, we assessed the signal of phylogeny, convergence, feeding ecology, and size in skull shape. Our results indicated that evolution of the craniomandibular complex of icterids in general, and of the beak morphology in the Giant Cowbird in particular, are shaped by multiple factors, with phylogeny being largely overridden by changes in size (evolutionary allometry), primarily, and feeding ecology, secondarily. However, the evolution of a broad bony casque in the Giant Cowbird, otherwise a hallmark of caciques and oropendolas, does not appear to have primarily been ruled by evolutionary allometry. Instead, taking into account the unique extreme convergence between Giant Cowbirds and some of its caciques hosts, it might be consequence of selective regimes associated with parasite–host interactions acting on top of other evolutionary processes. This suggests chick mimicry as a reasonable explanation for this peculiar morphology that would require further investigation.
Effect of azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine in patients hospitalized with COVID‐19: Network meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Chi Gerald , Memar Montazerin Sahar , Lee Jane J. , Kazmi Syed Hassan A. , Shojaei Fahimehalsadat , Fitzgerald Clara , Gibson C. Michael 
Published: August 2021

AbstractChloroquine or its derivative hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) combined with or without azithromycin (AZ) have been widely investigated in observational studies as a treatment option for coronavirus 2019 (COVID‐19) infection. The network meta‐analysis aims to summarize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine if AZ or HCQ is associated with improved clinical outcomes. PubMed and Embase were searched from inception to March 7, 2021. We included published RCTs that investigated the efficacy of AZ, HCQ, or its combination among hospitalized patients with COVID‐19 infection. The outcomes of interest were all‐cause mortality and the use of mechanical ventilation. The pooled odds ratio was calculated using a random‐effect model. A total of 10 RCTs were analyzed. Participant's mean age ranged from 40.4 to 66.5 years. There was no significant effect on mortality associated with AZ plus HCQ (odds ratio [OR] = 0.562 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 0.168–1.887]), AZ alone (OR = 0.965 [95% CI: 0.865–1.077]), or HCQ alone (OR = 1.122 [95% CI: 0.995–1.266]; p = 0.06). Similarly, based on pooled effect sizes derived from direct and indirect evidence, none of the treatments had a significant benefit in decreasing the use of mechanical ventilation. No heterogeneity was identified (Cochran's Q = 1.68; p = 0.95; τ2 = 0; I2 = 0% [95% CI: 0%–0%]). Evidence from RCTs suggests that AZ with or without HCQ was not associated with a significant effect on the mortality or mechanical ventilation rates in hospitalized patients with COVID‐19. More research is needed to explore therapeutics agents that can effectively reduce the mortality or severity of COVID‐19.
A behavioral perspective on service center routing: The role of inertia
Authors: Schecter Aaron , Wowak Kaitlin D. , Berente Nicholas , Ye Han , Mukherjee Ujjal 
Published: August 2021

AbstractResearch on service center routing has largely assumed either fully codified automated routing, rational routing agents who can optimally route calls, or both. In practice, however, many routing scenarios are not fully codifiable, and human routing agents will likely exhibit biases in their routing decisions. In this paper, we explore the presence of behavioral inertia in service center routing. Inertia in this context is the propensity for routing agents to route issues more frequently to other agents with whom they have experience, rather than optimally routing those issues. We leveraged a unique dataset of more than 70,000 routing decisions in a complex service operations context to examine the presence of inertia and associated performance implications. We find that, overall, inertia hurts performance, but in certain situations can be beneficial. Inertia increases the probability of issue resolution when agents exhibit inertial behavior in routing to other agents with high expertise, and inertia positively impacts (decreases) service time for particularly difficult, complex customer issues. This study contributes to research in service center operations by studying a previously unexplored phenomenon of inertia in routing by human agents and provides valuable insights to practitioners who manage service centers.
Comparative analysis of Achilles tendon healing outcomes after open tenotomy versus percutaneous tenotomy: An experimental study in rats
Authors: Song Jae H. , Kang Chan , Han Seung Y. , Park Won H. , Kim Min H. , Moon Ji H. , Tae Jung Y. , Park Hyeon Y. , Yoo In H. , Park Jong H. , Yeo Yong H. , Kim Dae Y. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThere is growing interest in conservative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture. However, the majority of experimental studies of Achilles tendon have been performed by open tenotomy. More appropriate model of conservative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture is required. We performed an experimental study to evaluate whether outcomes differ between open tenotomy and percutaneous tenotomy of the Achilles tendon in rats. The Achilles tendons of 48 rats were transected. The animals were divided into two groups according to surgical technique: open tenotomy or microscopy‐assisted percutaneous tenotomy. After 1, 2, and 4 weeks, functional, biomechanical, and histological analyses were performed. Western blot was performed for quantitative molecular analysis at 1 week. The Achilles functional index was superior in the percutaneous tenotomy group, compared with the open tenotomy group, at 1 week. The cross‐sectional area was significantly larger in the percutaneous tenotomy group than in the open tenotomy group at 4 weeks. Relative to the native tendons, load to failure and stiffness yielded comparable results at 2 weeks in the percutaneous tenotomy group and at 4 weeks in the open tenotomy group. The histological score was significantly better in the percutaneous tenotomy group than in the open tenotomy group at 1 week. At 1 week, interleukin‐1β expression in the open tenotomy group was higher than in the percutaneous tenotomy group. In summary, Achilles tendon healing was substantially affected by the tenotomy method. We presume that our percutaneous tenotomy method might constitute a useful experimental animal model for conservative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture.
Impact on caregivers of adult patients receiving parenteral support for short‐bowel syndrome with intestinal failure: A multinational, cross‐sectional survey
Authors: Jeppesen Palle B. , Chen Kristina , Murphy Ryan , Shahraz Saeid , Goodwin Bridgett 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBackgroundPatients with short‐bowel syndrome and intestinal failure (SBS‐IF) require parenteral support (PS) and may need long‐term home‐care support. This survey assessed the impact of care provision on adult caregivers of adult patients receiving PS for SBS‐IF.MethodsAn online, cross‐sectional survey of caregivers of adults with a self‐reported physician diagnosis of SBS‐IF was conducted in France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and USA. Impact on caregivers was evaluated using the 18‐item Caregiver Strain Index (CSI), the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: Specific Health Problem (WPAI:SHP), and self‐reporting impact questionnaires.ResultsCaregivers (N = 121; aged 51 ± 13.7 years; 59% women) provided assistance for a mean of 9.9 ± 12.53 years; 77% were providing care 7 days per week. Patients (51 ± 16.4 years; 56% women) of caregivers were typically family members: spouse/partner (61%), adult son/daughter (19%), or parent (10%). Caregivers reported experiencing some strain (CSI score 4 ± 3.4). Among 71 of 73 employed caregivers, the WPAI:SHP assessment showed that caregivers missed 7% ± 12.7% of work hours in the preceding week and were present but not productive at work 37% ± 23.1% of the time; 28% of caregivers reported a reduced number of working hours because of caregiving. Many caregivers reported limitations in recreational activities (53%), and ≥30% had difficulty spending time with family and friends. Caregivers (87%) also reported worrying about the patient's health.ConclusionsCaregivers of adult patients with SBS‐IF experience negative daily personal impacts and loss of productivity arising from their caregiving responsibilities.
Back to Uluzzo – archaeological, palaeoenvironmental and chronological context of the Mid–Upper Palaeolithic sequence at Uluzzo C Rock Shelter (Apulia, southern Italy)
Authors: Spinapolice E. E. , Zerboni A. , Meyer M. C. , Talamo S. , Mariani G. S. , Gliganic L. A. , Buti L. , Fusco M. , Maiorano M. P. , Silvestrini S. , Sorrentino R. , Vazzana A. , Romandini M. , Fiorini A. , Curci A. , Benazzi S. 
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACTThe tempo and mode of Homo sapiens dispersal in Eurasia and the demise of Neanderthals has sparked debate about the dynamics of Neanderthal extinction and its relationship to the arrival of H. sapiens. In Italy, the so‐called ‘Transition’ from Neanderthals to H. sapiens is related to the Uluzzian technocomplex, i.e. the first archaeological evidence for modern human dispersal on the European continent. This paper illustrates the new chronology and stratigraphy of Uluzzo C, a rock shelter and Uluzzian key site located in the Uluzzo Bay in southern Italy, where excavations are ongoing, refining the cultural sequence known from previous excavations. Microstratigraphic investigation suggests that most of the deposit formed after dismantling of the vault of the rock shelter and due to wind input of loess deflated by the continental shelf. The occasional reactivation of the hydrology of the local karst system under more humid conditions further contributed to the formation of specific layers accumulating former Terra Rossa‐type soil fragments. Superposed on sedimentary processes, strong bioturbation and the mobilization and recrystallization of calcite have been detected. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages from Uluzzo C Rock Shelter are congruent with previously published radiocarbon ages obtained on shell beads and tephrachronology from adjacent sites preserving the Uluzzian technocomplex such as Grotta del Cavallo, confirming the onset for the Uluzzian in the area to ca. 39.2–42.0 ka. The OSL chronology from Uluzzo C also provides a terminus post quem for the end of the Mousterian in the region, constraining the disappearance of the Neanderthals in that part of Italy to ≥46 ± 4 ka.
Variation of summer precipitation δ18O on the Chinese Loess Plateau since the last interglacial
Authors: Zhang Zeke , Li Gaojun , Cai Yanjun , Liu Zhengyu , An Zhisheng 
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACTOrbital‐scale East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) variations inferred from loess deposits in northern China and speleothems from southern China display different dominant periods, complicating our understanding of monsoon response to insolation and ice‐volume forcings. Here we integrate a new microcodium δ18O record from a high‐resolution last interglacial loess profile with previously published data and provide a composite microcodium δ18O record on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) since the last interglacial. The composite microcodium δ18O record displays distinct precessional cycles, consistent with speleothem δ18O records, but with different amplitude contrast (particularly during the peak interglacials). We propose that both loess and speleothem δ18O records exhibit covariations at precessional timescale oscillations. The discrepancy between loess and speleothem from southern China can be attributed to the influences of other processes besides summer precipitation on the proxies. A slight difference in amplitude between microcodium and speleothem δ18O records implies that the EASM is also influenced by inland surface boundary conditions, which has important impacts on the occurrence of EASM precipitation. Therefore, microcodium δ18O from the Chinese loess–paleosol sequences can be regarded as a representative proxy of EASM precipitation in northern China and then a reliable proxy reflecting the variation of EASM intensity.
Raman study of rusty oil spotted glaze produced in Linfen kilns (Shanxi province, AD 1115–1368)
Authors: Wang Minli , Wang Tian , Wang Fen , Hole Clement , Cao Jun , Zhu Jianfeng , Zhang Pei , Shi Pei , Sciau Philippe 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe Linfen kiln complex, one of the most representative of Shanxi kilns, is famous for its oil spotted glazed ware production. In this work, micro‐Raman spectroscopy was applied to analyze the nature of the rusty oil spot pattern of a bowl fragment from Linfen kilns. Crystals of polygonal shape found in the spots at the glaze surface and around bubbles in the cross‐section of the glaze were identified as hematite. Their distribution in the glaze suggests that nucleation seeds and small crystals are carried toward the surface by the rise of bubbles during the heating step of the firing. Raman spectra combined with energy‐dispersive spectrometry (EDS) measurements also suggest that Fe ions in hematite crystals are partially substituted, causing the variation of band position and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the spectra. Dendritic ε‐Fe2O3 was identified in brown areas of the black glaze, as well as pseudobrookite crystals of tens of microns in the cross‐section of the glaze. The degree of the glaze polymerization (A500/A1000) was calculated at 1.85, indicating a firing temperature lower than 1300°C, consistent with the archaeological data.