bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Macroscopic fat containing renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Kirkinis Maria , Sutherland Tom 
Published: March 2021

SummaryRenal masses containing macroscopic fat traditionally are pathognomonic for angiomyolipoma, a benign tumour. We describe two cases contrary to this axiom, the first being initially referred for angioembolisation, but subsequently biopsied when it was angiographically occult, whilst the second case showed a small macroscopic fat component and arterial enhancement prompting biopsy. Neither of these two cases demonstrated calcification which would usually suggest a more sinister lesion requiring further workup. The results demonstrated renal cell carcinoma for both lesions. Our multidisciplinary meeting approach to renal masses with a small amount of macroscopic fat and no calcifications has now changed.
Abstinence Among Alcohol Use Disorder Patients During the COVID‐19 Pandemic: Insights From Spain
Authors: Barrio Pablo , Baldaquí Nuria , Andreu Magalí , Kilian Carolin , Rehm Jürgen , Gual Antoni , Manthey Jakob 
Published: March 2021

BackgroundPatients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are likely to suffer disproportionate harms related to the COVID‐19 pandemic and related policy measures. While many surveys have been conducted, most are focused on drinking changes in the general population and validation with biological markers is lacking.MethodWe performed a retrospective cohort study among patients with AUD attending a urine drug screening program. With mixed‐effects logistic regression models, we assessed the probability of screening positive for ethyl glucuronide according to patients’ main clinical characteristics and time of analysis (either prior to or after a lockdown was implemented in Spain).ResultsA total of 362 patients provided 2,040 urine samples (1,295 prior to lockdown, 745 during lockdown). The mean age of participants was 52.0 years (SD 12.6), and 69.2% were men. Of the 43% of patients tested for other drugs 22% screened positive. After adjusting for all covariates, the odds of screening positive for ethyl glucuronide during lockdown almost doubled (OR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.20 to 3.33, p = 0.008). Other significant covariates included testing positive for other drugs (OR = 10.79, 95% CI 4.60 to 26.97) and length of treatment (OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.74).ConclusionsOur data support an association between the lockdown due to COVID‐19 and increased alcohol use in patients with AUD. Thus, addiction healthcare systems could face significant challenges ahead. In light of these findings, it is essential to evaluate prospectively how patients with AUD are affected by the pandemic and how health systems respond to their needs.
COVID‐19's Lockdown and Crime Victimization: The State of Emergency under the Abe Administration
Authors: Shen Yichen , Fu Rong , Noguchi Haruko 
Published: March 2021

AbstractCOVID‐19 has led many governments to impose lockdowns in efforts to reduce the spread of the virus. One of the many consequences of the lockdown is a reduction in crime. We apply a difference‐in‐differences approach to the 2018–2020 Crime Statistics to investigate the effect of the 2020 lockdown on crime victimization in Japan. We find that the 2020 lockdown leads to 12.7% and 20.9% declines in violent and property crime victimization rates per 100,000 people, respectively. Moreover, we observe that premeditated crimes, such as breaking‐and‐entering and sexual assault, decline more than non‐premeditated crimes, such as homicide. We also explore the heterogeneous effects of the lockdown by age groups. We observe that there is a significant decline in sexual assault victimization for those between the ages of 0 and 29, and there are significant declines in overall violent and property crime victimizations and their subtypes for those between ages of 30 and 59. Finally, we show that there is an improvement in suicide rates, which suggests that better mental health is the mechanism partially mediating the relationship between lockdown and crime victimization.
Socio‐economic status in families affected by childhood cataract
Authors: Al‐Bakri Moug , Bach‐Holm Daniella , Larsen Dorte Ancher , Siersma Volkert , Kessel Line 
Published: March 2021

AbstractPurposeTo investigate the socio‐economic status of families affected by childhood cataract and to assess how the socio‐economic status is affected by cataract diagnosis.Materials and methodsChildren born between 2000 and 2017, seen between the age 0 and 10 years in the same period at Rigshospitalet or Aarhus University Hospital for cataract (N = 485), were included and compared to a matched children group without cataract (N = 4358). Socio‐economic status was evaluated by the parents’ income, employment, education, marital status and family structure.ResultsParents of children with cataract were more likely to have a low yearly income (OR = 1.60, 95% CI (1.12–2.27)), be out of work (OR = 1.74, 95% CI (1.34–2.26)) and have basic education as the highest attained education (OR = 1.64, 95% CI (1.27–2.13)) prior to diagnosis. This social gradient was not affected by the diagnosis. In addition, a higher number of children with cataract lived in multi‐family residencies (13.8% versus 8% in group of children without cataract) and they had a greater number of siblings (6.2% had ≥4 siblings versus 2.1% in group of children without cataract).ConclusionFamilies affected by childhood cataract have a lower socio‐economic status and educational background even before cataract is diagnosed but the diagnosis does not aggravate the differences between these families and the background population. The lower socio‐economic status and parental educational background should be taken into consideration in the management of these families.
Animal migrations and parasitism: reciprocal effects within a unified framework
Authors: Poulin Robert , de Angeli Dutra Daniela 
Published: March 2021

ABSTRACTMigrations, i.e. the recurring, roundtrip movement of animals between distant and distinct habitats, occur among diverse metazoan taxa. Although traditionally linked to avoidance of food shortages, predators or harsh abiotic conditions, there is increasing evidence that parasites may have played a role in the evolution of migration. On the one hand, selective pressures from parasites can favour migratory strategies that allow either avoidance of infections or recovery from them. On the other hand, infected animals incur physiological costs that may limit their migratory abilities, affecting their speed, the timing of their departure or arrival, and/or their condition upon reaching their destination. During migration, reduced immunocompetence as well as exposure to different external conditions and parasite infective stages can influence infection dynamics. Here, we first explore whether parasites represent extra costs for their hosts during migration. We then review how infection dynamics and infection risk are affected by host migration, thereby considering parasites as both causes and consequences of migration. We also evaluate the comparative evidence testing the hypothesis that migratory species harbour a richer parasite fauna than their closest free‐living relatives, finding general support for the hypothesis. Then we consider the implications of host migratory behaviour for parasite ecology and evolution, which have received much less attention. Parasites of migratory hosts may achieve much greater spatial dispersal than those of non‐migratory hosts, expanding their geographical range, and providing more opportunities for host‐switching. Exploiting migratory hosts also exerts pressures on the parasite to adapt its phenology and life‐cycle duration, including the timing of major developmental, reproduction and transmission events. Natural selection may even favour parasites that manipulate their host's migratory strategy in ways that can enhance parasite transmission. Finally, we propose a simple integrated framework based on eco‐evolutionary feedbacks to consider the reciprocal selection pressures acting on migratory hosts and their parasites. Host migratory strategies and parasite traits evolve in tandem, each acting on the other along two‐way causal paths and feedback loops. Their likely adjustments to predicted climate change will be understood best from this coevolutionary perspective.
Racial Pairings and Fertility: Do Interracial Couples Have Fewer Children?
Authors: Qian Zhenchao , Lichter Daniel T. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractObjectiveOur overall goal is largely descriptive—to compare recent fertility patterns between racially endogamous and exogamous couples in the United States. Evidence of lower fertility among exogamous or interracial couples arguably provides indirect evidence of social distance and cultural and economic integration.BackgroundThe growth of interracial marriage and cohabitation has fueled the rise in biracial or mixed‐race children. Fertility rates are uneven among racial and ethnic groups, seemingly rooted in stigma and cultural differences (e.g., fertility norms). Whether fertility is different among interracial couples is unclear: Fertility rates that largely conform to the population of racially endogamous White couples provide evidence of social integration whereas differential fertility may reveal gender dynamics in fertility decision‐making, including power relationships that depend on the race of male and female partners.MethodWe pool data from the 2008 to 2017 American Community Survey to compare past‐year fertility patterns among endogamously and interracially married and cohabiting couples.ResultsFertility is generally lower among racially exogamous than endogamous unions, especially among Asian American‐White couples. Fertility among American Indian‐White couples is much closer to patterns of White couples than of American Indian couples. Fertility among other interracial couples nevertheless varies by the race of male partners. That is, fertility of the Black male/White female and the Hispanic male/White female couples is similar to patterns found among endogamous Black and Hispanic couples, respectively. The White male/Black female and the White male/Hispanic female couples follow the fertility patterns of White couples.ConclusionIn general, the fertility levels of interracial couples are intermediate between those of endogamous White couples and their endogamous Black, Hispanic, or American Indian counterparts, but vary significantly by the race‐gender mix of partners.
Comparison of stillbirth trends over two decades in Wales, United Kingdom and Western Australia: An international retrospective cohort study
Authors: Bailey Helen D. , Kotecha Sarah J. , Watkins William J. , Adane Akilew A. , Shepherd Carrington C. J. , Kotecha Sailesh 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackgroundStillbirth is a critical public health issue worldwide. While the rates in high‐income countries are relatively low, there are persistent between‐country disparities.ObjectivesTo compare stillbirth rates and trends in Wales and the State of Western Australia (WA), Australia, and provide insights into any differences.MethodsIn this international retrospective cohort study, we pooled population‐based data collections of all births ≥24 weeks’ gestation (excluding terminations for congenital anomalies) between 1993 and 2015, divided into six time periods. The stillbirth rate per 1000 births was estimated for each cohort in each time period. Multivariable Poisson regression analyses, adjusted for appropriateness of growth, socio‐economic status, maternal age, and multiple birth, were performed to evaluate the interaction between cohort and time period. Relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each time period and cohort were calculated.ResultsThere were 767 731 births (3725 stillbirths) in Wales and 648 373 (2431 stillbirths) in WA. The overall stillbirth rate declined by 15.9% over the study period in Wales (from 5.3 in 1993‐96 to 4.5 per 1000 births in 2013‐15; Ptrend < .01) but by 40.4% in WA (from 4.9 to 2.9 per 1000 births in WA; Ptrend < .01). Using 1993‐96 in WA as the reference group, the adjusted RRs for stillbirths at 37‐38 weeks' gestation in the most recent study period (2013‐15) were 0.85 (95% CI 0.64, 1.13) in Wales and 0.51 (95% CI 0.36, 0.73) in WA.ConclusionsThe stillbirth rates between Wales and WA have widened in the last two decades (especially among late‐term births), although the absolute rates for both are distinctly higher than the best‐performing nations. While the differences may be partly explained by timing of birth and maternal life style behaviours such as smoking, it is important to identify and ameliorate the associated risk factors to support a reduction in preventable stillbirths.
Emerging warriors against salinity in plants: Nitric oxide and hydrogen sulphide
Authors: Goyal Vinod , Jhanghel Dharmendra , Mehrotra Shweta 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe agriculture sector is vulnerable to various environmental stresses, which significantly affect plant growth, performance, and development. Abiotic stresses, such as salinity and drought, cause severe losses in crop productivity worldwide. Soil salinity is a major stress suppressing plant development through osmotic stress accompanied by ion toxicity, nutritional imbalance, and oxidative stress. Various defense mechanisms like osmolytes accumulations, activation of stress‐induced genes, and transcription factors, production of plant growth hormones, accumulation of antioxidants, and redox defense system in plants are responsible for combating salt stress. Nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) have emerged as novel bioactive gaseous signaling molecules that positively impact seed germination, homeostasis, plant metabolism, growth, and development, and are involved in several plant acclimation responses to impart stress tolerance in plants. NO and H2S trigger cell signaling by activating a cascade of biochemical events that result in plant tolerance to environmental stresses. NO‐ and H2S‐mediated signaling networks, interactions, and crosstalks facilitate stress tolerance in plants. Research on the roles and mechanisms of NO and H2S as challengers of salinity is entering an exponential exploration era. The present review focuses on the current knowledge of the mechanisms of stress tolerance in plants and the role of NO and H2S in adaptive plant responses to salt stress and provides an overview of the signaling mechanisms and interplay of NO and H2S in the regulation of growth and development as well as modulation of defense responses in plants and their long term priming effects for imparting salinity tolerance in plants.
Life experiences preceding high lethality suicide attempts in adolescents at a level I regional trauma center
Authors: Lyons Vivian H. , DeCou Christopher R. , Niehoff Elizabeth , Moore Megan , Rivara Frederick P. , Rowhani‐Rahbar Ali 
Published: March 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo describe life experiences associated with patterns of medically treated and documented self‐directed violence among youth who attempted suicide using highly lethal means to understand precipitating factors among youth using such lethal means.MethodUsing data from a regional, level 1 Trauma center, we identified all youth suicide attempt survivors who received treatment from 2010 to 2018 for a suicide attempt with a firearm, hanging, or jump from height injury (n = 42). We described differences in patient demographics and life experiences associated with patterns of self‐directed violence by suicide attempt mechanism. We additionally assessed mechanisms used in any prior suicide attempts to identify potential increasing lethality of mechanism selection.ResultsThere were 42 eligible patients included, of whom 40.5% attempted suicide with a firearm, 26.2% with hanging, 33.3% with jumping injury. A greater proportion of patients with firearm injuries endorsed social support and had fewer preparatory acts, history of self‐harming behavior, prior suicide behaviors, and fewer prior attempts compared to patients who attempted suicide with other mechanisms.ConclusionsGiven our findings, means safety should remain a key strategy to prevent highly lethal suicidal behavior among adolescents, especially with firearms, given that such attempts may occur prior to formal contact with mental health services.
A Two-Stage Sequential Approximation Method for Non-Linear Discrete-Variable Optimization
Authors: Hsu Yeh-Liang , Sun Tzyh-Li , Leu Li-Hwang 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
A two-stage sequential approximation method is developed for non-linear discrete-variable optimization. The concept of this technique is similar to that of sequential linear programming (SLP), only in each iteration, the linear programming subproblem in the first stage is modified into a discrete programming subproblem in the second stage in order to solve for a discrete solution. SLP is often impractical when applied to engineering optimization problems with implicit constraints, because of the difficulties in choosing proper move limits. For this reason, in the second stage a “boundary control factor” is introduced to augment the function of move limits. Several mechanical design optimization problems are presented to demonstrate this algorithm.
Comparison of Assembly Tolerance Analysis by the Direct Linearization and Modified Monte Carlo Simulation Methods
Authors: Gao Jinsong , Chase Kenneth W. , Magleby Spencer P. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Two methods for performing statistical tolerance analysis of mechanical assemblies are compared: the Direct Linearization Method (DLM), and Monte Carlo simulation. A selection of 2-D and 3-D vector models of assemblies were analyzed, including problems with closed loop assembly constraints. Closed vector loops describe the small kinematic adjustments that occur at assembly time. Open loops describe critical clearances or other assembly features. The DLM uses linearized assembly constraints and matrix algebra to estimate the variations of the assembly or kinematic variables, and to predict assembly rejects. A modified Monte Carlo simulation, employing an iterative technique for closed loop assemblies, was applied to the same problem set. The results of the comparison show that the DLM is accurate if the tolerances are relatively small compared to the nominal dimensions of the components, and the assembly functions are not highly nonlinear. Sample size is shown to have great influence on the accuracy of Monte Carlo simulation.
Gear Damage Detection Using Chaotic Dynamics Techniques: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Golnaraghi M. Farid , Lin DerChyan , Fromme Paul 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
This paper is a preliminary study applying nonlinear time series analysis to crack detection in gearboxes. Our investigations show that the vibration signal emerging from a gearbox is chaotic. Appearance of a crack in a gear tooth alters this response and hence the chaotic signature. We used correlation dimension and Lyapunov exponents to quantify this change. The main goal of this study is to point out the great potential of these methods in detection of cracks and faults in machinery.
Nonlinear Transient Analysis of Aircraft Landing Gear Brake Whirl and Squeal
Authors: Travis Matt H. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The feasibility of computing non-linear transient finite element simulations of aircraft landing gear brake whirl and squeal is demonstrated and discussed. Methodology to conduct the high frequency brake transient analysis is developed using an explicit integration finite element approach. Results indicate the approach has the capability to simulate brake dynamic behavior in dynamometer and aircraft landing gear installations — thus enabling evaluation of modifications to braking systems that lead to more stable and robust designs. A simple multi-disk brake model is developed and described. Modeling techniques for including the dynamometer road wheel and runway in the simulations are given. Issues such as piston housing hydraulic fluid stiffness and damping effects, and parametric friction modeling are discussed.
Condensing Structural Finite Element Meshes Into Coarser Acoustic Element Meshes
Authors: Fahnline John B. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The sound power radiated by a vibrating structure (with negligible fluid loading) is typically computed in two steps. First, a finite element mesh of the structure is constructed, and the structural vibrations are computed. The finite element mesh is then converted to a surface mesh, and the sound power output is computed using the boundary element method. In many cases, the acoustic analysis is computationally inefficient because the structural finite element mesh is much denser than required for the acoustic calculations, leading to the solution of a large, fully populated, matrix equation. It is shown that the efficiency of the acoustic analysis can be significantly increased by condensing the structural finite element mesh into a much coarser acoustic element mesh, where the surface meshes of several structural elements are combined to form a single acoustic element. This condensation becomes possible when the boundary condition for the acoustic analysis is written in terms of elemental volume velocities instead of nodal velocities. An example is given in which sample computation times are tabulated, and the accuracy of the numerical calculations are assessed.
Investigating the clinical usefulness of definitions of progression with 10-2 visual field
Authors: Asano Shotaro , Murata Hiroshi , Fujino Yuri , Yamashita Takehiro , Miki Atsuya , Ikeda Yoko , Mori Kazuhiko , Tanito Masaki , Asaoka Ryo 
Published: March 2021

Background/AimTo investigate the clinical validity of the Guided Progression Analysis definition (GPAD) and cluster-based definition (CBD) with the Humphrey Field Analyzer 10-2 test in diagnosing glaucomatous visual field (VF) progression, and to introduce a novel definition with optimised specificity by combining the ‘any-location’ and ‘cluster-based’ approaches (hybrid definition).Methods64 400 stable glaucomatous VFs were simulated from 664 pairs of 10-2 tests (10 sets × 10 VF series × 664 eyes; data set 1). Using these simulated VFs, the specificity to detect progression and the effects of changing the parameters (number of test locations or consecutive VF tests, and percentile cut-off values) were investigated. The hybrid definition was designed as the combination where the specificity was closest to 95.0%. Subsequently, another 5000 actual glaucomatous 10-2 tests from 500 eyes (10 VFs each) were collected (data set 2), and their accuracy (sensitivity, specificity and false positive rate) and the time needed to detect VF progression were evaluated.ResultsThe specificity values calculated using data set 1 with GPAD and CBD were 99.6% and 99.8%. Using data set 2, the hybrid definition had a higher sensitivity than GPAD and CBD, without detriment to the specificity or false positive rate. The hybrid definition also detected progression significantly earlier than GPAD and CBD (at 3.1 years vs 4.2 years and 4.1 years, respectively).ConclusionsGPAD and CBD had specificities of 99.6% and 99.8%, respectively. A novel hybrid definition (with a specificity of 95.5%) had higher sensitivity and enabled earlier detection of progression.