bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
DPP4 Activity, Hyperinsulinemia, and Atherosclerosis
Authors: Love Kaitlin M , Liu Zhenqi 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Context
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with chronic hyperinsulinemia, elevated plasma levels of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4), and a pro-atherosclerotic milieu.

Evidence Acquisition
PubMed search of the term “insulin and atherosclerosis,” “hyperinsulinemia,” “atherosclerosis,” or “cardiovascular outcomes” cross-referenced with “DPP4.” Relevant research and review articles were reviewed.

Evidence Synthesis
Hyperinsulinemia in the setting of insulin resistance promotes vascular inflammation, vascular smooth muscle cell growth, pathological cholesterol profile, hypertension, and recruitment of immune cells to the endothelium, all contributing to atherosclerosis. DPP4 has pleiotropic functions and its activity is elevated in obese humans. DPP4 mirrors hyperinsulinemia’s atherogenic actions in the insulin resistant state, and genetic deletion of DPP4 protects rodents from developing insulin resistance and improves cardiovascular outcomes. DPP4 inhibition in pro-atherosclerotic preclinical models results in reduced inflammation and oxidative stress, improved endothelial function, and decreased atherosclerosis. Increased incretin levels may have contributed to but do not completely account for these benefits. Small clinical studies with DPP4 inhibitors demonstrate reduced carotid intimal thickening, improved endothelial function, and reduced arterial stiffness. To date, this has not been translated to cardiovascular risk reduction for individuals with type 2 diabetes with prior or exaggerated risk of cardiovascular disease.

Conclusion
DPP4 may represent a key link between central obesity, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis. The gaps in knowledge in DPP4 function and discrepancy in cardiovascular outcomes observed in preclinical and large-scale randomized controlled studies with DPP4 inhibitors warrant additional research.
Impact of total variation regularized expectation maximization reconstruction on the image quality of 68Ga-PSMA PET: a phantom and patient study
Authors: Yang Feng-Jiao , Ai Shu-Yue , Wu Runze , Lv Yang , Xie Hui-Fang , Dong Yun , Meng Qing-Le , Wang Feng 
Published: February 2021

Objectives:
To investigate the impact of total variation regularized expectation maximization (TVREM) reconstruction on the image quality of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT using phantom and patient data.

Methods:
Images of a phantom with small hot sphere inserts and 20 prostate cancer patients were acquired with a digital PET/CT using list-mode and reconstructed with ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) and TVREM with seven penalisation factors between 0.01 and 0.42 for 2 and 3 minutes-per-bed (m/b) acquisition. The contrast recovery (CR) and background variability (BV) of the phantom, image noise of the liver, and SUVmax of the lesions were measured. Qualitative image quality was scored by two radiologists using a 5-point scale (1-poor, 5-excellent).

Results:
The performance of CR, BV, and image noise, and the gain of SUVmax was higher for TVREM 2 m/b groups with the penalization of 0.07 to 0.28 compared to OSEM 3 m/b group (all p &lt; 0.05). The image noise of OSEM 3 m/b group was equivalent to TVREM 2 and 3 m/b groups with a penalization of 0.14 and 0.07, while lesions’ SUVmax increased 15 and 20%. The highest qualitative score was attained at the penalization of 0.21 (3.30 ± 0.66) for TVREM 2 m/b groups and the penalization 0.14 (3.80 ± 0.41) for 3 m/b group that equal to or greater than OSEM 3 m/b group (2.90 ± 0.45, p = 0.2 and p &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions:
TVREM improves lesion contrast and reduces image noise, which allows shorter acquisition with preserved image quality for PSMA PET/CT.

Advances in knowledge:
TVREM reconstruction with optimized penalization factors can generate higher quality PSMA-PET images for prostate cancer diagnosis.
Contextual Analysis for Practical Action (CAPA): a framework for understanding how context works and how to apply it for practical learning and implementing change in complex systems
Authors: Barry Sarah 
Published: February 2021

Background: This concept paper presents Contextual Analysis for Practical Action or ‘CAPA’ as an action-oriented tool to understand and implement interventions in real-life service delivery contexts. Understanding how contexts work is a critical challenge for Health and Social Care Systems seeking to become more integrated. CAPA is a tool for understanding and empowering agents in local contexts. The local context is understood here as a key factor in implementation success. This concept paper offers rich theorising to underpin the translation of systems reform initiatives into meaningful local engagement and change. Methods: Analysis of the ‘implementation conundrum’ highlights the problem, while a review of the organisational learning literature identifies ‘sensemaking in organisation’ as a powerful mechanism to address it. Based on earlier phenomenological research the dynamics of organisational sensemaking are presented. Finally, applications for CAPA are explored and next steps outlined. Results: CAPA makes tangible the implicit and interpretive nature of organisational life as ‘sensemaking in context’. This phenomenon is analysed as a determinant of implementation success. As such, CAPA opens a path to working with contextual complexity by framing it as a dialectic pattern of topical, ecological, dialogical, and pragmatic modes that ‘contextualise’. CAPA is a tool for researchers and practitioners to explore the complexity of local contexts and their implementation challenges, and working-with local agents for learning and change. Conclusions: Health reform needs new approaches for understanding implementation in context. CAPA is a tool for understanding and working-with contextual factors central to the complexity of policy or knowledge translation for example. This paper outlines its rationale, principles, and functionality. Possible applications are explored for co-designed practical learning experiences. It concludes with a call to policy makers, service managers and researchers to use the approach in specific settings so it can be developed and refined.
An Experimental Comparison of Two Exchange Economies: Long-Lived Asset vs. Short-Lived Asset
Authors: Carbone Enrica , Hey John , Neugebauer Tibor 
Published: February 2021

The Lucas tree model [Lucas RE Jr (1978) Asset prices in an exchange economy. Econometrica 46(6):1429–1445.] lies at the heart of modern macrofinance. At its core, it provides an analysis of the equilibrium price of a long-lived asset in an exchange economy where consumption is the objective and the sole purpose of the asset is to smooth consumption through time. Experimental tests of the model use a particular instantiation of the Lucas model. Here we adopt a different instantiation to the first two, extending their analyses from a two-period oscillating world to a three-period cyclical world; this is partly to test the robustness of their results. We also go one step further and compare this solution (to a consumption-smoothing problem), in which consumption claims are traded via the long-lived asset, with the alternative solution provided by a market, in which agents can directly trade (short-lived) consumption claims between periods. We find that the latter exchange economy is more efficient in encouraging consumption smoothing than the economy with the long-lived asset. We find evidence of uncompetitive trading in both markets. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, decision analysis.
Co-designing behavioural public policy: lessons from the field about how to ‘nudge plus’
Authors: Richardson Liz , John Peter 
Published: February 2021

Background: Behavioural public policies, known as nudges, suffer from lack of citizen consent and involvement, which has led to an argument for more reflective nudges, known as ‘nudge plus’.
Aims and objectives: How can more citizen reflection be introduced in a way that is not itself top-down and paternalist in spite of good intentions? How might these ‘nudge pluses’ develop on the ground?
Methods: This paper reports a mixed-methods case study.
Findings: In the case study, there was an intervention that started off as a top-down nudge, using a randomised controlled trial. The nudge then evolved into a bottom-up initiative with citizen input aided by a design lab approach.
Discussion and conclusion: One way to address tensions between top-down and bottom-up approaches is to let in the messiness and loss of direct control implied in a design lab, whereby nudge pluses might evolve naturally and without expert direction. The success of the eventual initiative points the way to more design-based nudge plus interventions. Nudge pluses may emerge naturally as a result of the evolutionary co-design process. There is potential for replication, with cross-fertilisation between different traditions by introducing behaviour change policies with a design-based approach.
Optical properties of volcanic aerosols from eruptions of Nishinoshima Island observed in Southern Taiwan
Authors: Nee Jan-Bai , Chang Yuan-Pin , Wang Chia C. 
Published: February 2021

In July–August 2020, the volcano on Nishinoshima Island erupted with a moderate scale. The emitted aerosols arrived in Taiwan in early August and caused hazy air conditions in a few cities. In the city of Kaohsiung (KS) in southern Taiwan, the volcanic aerosols were observed with a combination of the aerosol robotic network (AERONET), several ground monitoring stations, and a lidar system. Increasing aerosol loadings were observed, beginning on 5 August 2020, based on a ground PM10/PM2.5 and the aerosol optical depth (AOD) of AERONET. Lidar measurements showed strong aerosol layers at heights of 0–2 km comparable to AERONET AOD. Optical properties including AOD, Angström exponent (AE), lidar backscattering coefficient, and depolarization ratio are measured with the source investigated using the back and forward trajectory studies.
Efficient erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate waveguide amplifiers
Authors: Chen Zhaoxi , Xu Qing , Zhang Ke , Wong Wing-Han , Zhang De-Long , Pun Edwin Yue-Bun , Wang Cheng 
Published: February 2021

Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) is an emerging photonic platform with great promise for use in future optical communications, nonlinear optics, and microwave photonics. An important integrated photonic building block, active waveguide amplifiers, however, are still missing in the LNOI platform. Here, we report an efficient and compact waveguide amplifier based on erbium-doped LNOI waveguides, achieved using a sequence of erbium-doped crystal growth, ion slicing, and lithography-based waveguide fabrication. Using a compact 5 mm long waveguide, we demonstrate an on-chip net gain of

>

5

d
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for 1530 nm signal light with a relatively low pump power of 21 mW at 980 nm. The efficient LNOI waveguide amplifiers could become an important fundamental element in future lithium niobate photonic integrated circuits.
YouTube as a source of information on space maintainers for parents and patients
Authors: Çapan Belen Şirinoğlu 
Published: February 2021

Objective
In recent years the social media offers a handy platform for patients who want to receive medical information. The aim of this study is to assess the content of YouTube as an information source on space maintainers and to evaluate the efficiency of videos by parents and patients.

Methods and findings
YouTube was searched for information using two keywords ‘space maintainer’ and ‘space maintainers in pediatric dentistry’. Two dentists reviewed the first 200 videos for each search term. After exclusions, 52 videos were included for analysis. Demographics of videos, including the type of source, date of upload, length, viewers’ interaction and viewing rate were evaluated. The overall usefulness of videos was scored according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Guideline based on 9-point scales. The mean usefulness score of evaluated videos was 4,4 ± 1,5 (range 1–8). There was a significant correlation between usefulness and video length (p<0,05). But there was no significant correlation between usefulness and other demographics. Most videos were uploaded by healthcare professionals (51.9%). Videos uploaded by individual users were less useful compared with videos uploaded by healthcare professionals or organizations. Most of the videos (88,5%) used representative images for visualizing.

Conclusions
YouTube videos about space maintainers are useful for parents only to understand and visualize their function. However, it does not provide sufficient information about adverse effects and types of them. Dentists should warn their patients that videos on the internet may contain incorrect and limited information.
OCT-angiography: Regional reduced macula microcirculation in ocular hypertensive and pre-perimetric glaucoma patients
Authors: Hohberger Bettina , Lucio Marianna , Schlick Sarah , Wollborn Antonia , Hosari Sami , Mardin Christian 
Published: February 2021

PurposeOCT-angiography (OCT-A) offers a non-invasive method to visualize retinochoroidal microvasculature. As glaucoma disease affects retinal ganglion cells in the macula, macular microcirculation is of interest. The purpose of the study was to investigate regional macular vascular characteristics in patients with ocular hypertension (OHT), pre-perimetric primary open-angle glaucoma (pre-POAG) and controls by OCT-A in three microvascular layers.Material and methods180 subjects were recruited from the Erlangen Glaucoma Registry, the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Erlangen and residents: 38 OHT, 20 pre-POAG, 122 controls. All subjects received an ophthalmological examination including measurements of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), retinal ganglion cell layer (RGC), inner nuclear layer (INL), and Bruch’s Membrane Opening-Minimum Rim Width (BMO-MRW). Macular vascular characteristics (vessel density, VD, foveal avascular zone, FAZ) were measured by OCT-A (Spectralis OCT II) in superficial vascular plexus (SVP), intermediate capillary plexus (ICP), and deep capillary plexus (DCP).ResultsWith age correction of VD data, type 3 tests on fixed effects showed a significant interaction between diagnosis and sectorial VD in SVP (p = 0.0004), ICP (p = 0.0073), and DCP (p = 0.0003). Moreover, a significance in sectorial VD was observed within each layer (p<0.0001) and for the covariate age (p<0.0001). FAZ differed significantly between patients’ groups only in ICP (p = 0.03), not in SVP and DCP. For VD the AUC values of SVP, ICP, and DCP were highest among diagnostic modalities (AUC: 0.88, 95%-CI: 0.75–1.0, p<0.001).ConclusionRegional reduced macula VD was observed in all three retinal vascular layers of eyes with OHT and pre-POAG compared to controls, indicating localized microvascular changes as early marker in glaucoma pathogenesis.
Clinical presentation and outcomes of the first patients with COVID-19 in Argentina: Results of 207079 cases from a national database
Authors: Schönfeld Daniel , Arias Sergio , Bossio Juan Carlos , Fernández Hugo , Gozal David , Pérez-Chada Daniel 
Published: February 2021

Background
There is limited evidence on the clinical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Latin America. We present findings from a nationwide study in Argentina.

Research question
What is disease severity measures and risk factors are associated with admission to an intensive care unit and mortality?

Study design and methods
Data were extracted from the COVID-19 database of the Integrated Argentina Health Information System, encompassing the period of March 3rd to October 2nd, 2020, using a standardized case report form that included information on contact history, clinical signs and symptoms, and clinical diagnosis. Information was collected at the initial site of care and follow-up conducted through calls by the regional healthcare authorities. A confirmed case of COVID-19 was defined as having a positive result through sequencing or real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay of nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens.

Results
RT-PCR testing was positive in 738,776 cases. Complete datasets were available for analysis in 207,079 cases. Mean age was 42.9±18.8 years, 50.0% were males. Frequent co-existing conditions included hypertension (19.2%), diabetes (9.7%), asthma (6.1%) and obesity (5.2%). Most common symptoms included fever (58.5%), cough (58.0%), headache (45.4%), and sore throat (42.1%). Death or ICU admission were independently associated with older age, male, coma, dyspnea or tachypnea, and seizures, with underlying co-morbidities such as immunodeficiency, chronic renal failure, and liver disease showing the strongest effects.

Interpretation
Most cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in Argentina were mild and had a favorable outcome, but fatality rates were relatively elevated. Risk factors for adverse outcome included older age, male sex, coma and seizures, and the concurrent presence of several morbidities. These data may be useful for healthcare providers and healthcare policy makers of low-middle income and Latin American countries to guide decisions toward optimized care during the pandemic.
Obesity and mortality after the first ischemic stroke: Is obesity paradox real?
Authors: Chaudhary Durgesh , Khan Ayesha , Gupta Mudit , Hu Yirui , Li Jiang , Abedi Vida , Zand Ramin 
Published: February 2021

Background and purpose
Obesity is an established risk factor for ischemic stroke but the association of increased body mass index (BMI) with survival after ischemic stroke remains controversial. Many studies have shown that increased BMI has a “protective” effect on survival after stroke while other studies have debunked the “obesity paradox”. This study aimed at examining the relationship between BMI and all-cause mortality at one year in first-time ischemic stroke patients using a large dataset extracted from different resources including electronic health records.

Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study of consecutive ischemic stroke patients captured in our Geisinger NeuroScience Ischemic Stroke (GNSIS) database. Survival in first-time ischemic stroke patients in different BMI categories was analyzed using Kaplan Meier survival curves. The predictors of mortality at one-year were assessed using a stratified Cox proportional hazards model.

Results
Among 6,703 first-time ischemic stroke patients, overweight and obese patients were found to have statistically decreased hazard ratio (HR) compared to the non-overweight patients (overweight patients- HR = 0.61 [95% CI, 0.52–0.72]; obese patients- HR = 0.56 [95% CI, 0.48–0.67]). Predictors with a significant increase in the hazard ratio for one-year mortality were age at the ischemic stroke event, history of neoplasm, atrial fibrillation/flutter, diabetes, myocardial infarction and heart failure.

Conclusion
Our study results support the obesity paradox in ischemic stroke patients as shown by a significantly decreased hazard ratio for one-year mortality among overweight and obese patients in comparison to non-overweight patients.
Welfare Pluralism sebagai Metode Pemberdayaan di Dusun Gamol
Authors: Nadzifah Ulfiyatun 
Published: February 2021

This study attempts to examine the corporate social responsibility (CSR) program of PT. Pertamina (Persero) Fuel Terminal Rewulu which is based on a community empowerment program that has been running in several areas around the company, one of which is located in Dusun Gamol. This research uses a descriptive qualitative research approach. Data is collected through interviews, search for written documents, observations, and data analysis. This paper looks at the process and impact of empowerment that occurs in the region. I finds that empowerment here is an activity that aims to increase the ability in terms of processing the results of the etawa goat farm into milk powder products that are of sale value. With the help of the company it is hoped that the community can carry out more productive activities in managing goat's milk. The results showed that the empowerment in this hamlet went through several stages, as well as the program pioneered by corporate has a positive impact. The impact on mothers is mainly in increasing their skills and knowledge in goat milk production and being able to increase the income of group members.Studi ini berupaya mengkaji tentang program corporate social responsibility (CSR) PT. Pertamina (Persero) Fuel Terminal Rewulu yang berbasis program pemberdayaan masyarakat yang sudah berjalan di beberapa wilayah di sekitar perusahaan, salah satunya berada di Dusun Gamol. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara, penelurusan dokumen tertulis, observasi, dan analisis data. Tulisan ini melihat bagaimana proses dan hasil dari pemberdayaan yang terjadi di wilayah tersebut. Saya menemukan bahwa pemberdayaan disini merupakan kegiatan yang bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan dalam hal mengolah hasil dari peternakan kambing etawa menjadi produk susu bubuk yang bernilai jual. Dengan adanya bantuan dari pihak perusahaan diharapkan masyarakat dapat melaksanakan kegiatan yang lebih produktif dalam mengelola susu kambing. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pemberdayaan di dusun ini melalui beberapa tahap, serta program yang dipelopori oleh perusahaan memiliki dampak positif. Dampak bagi ibu-ibu terutama dalam meningkatkan skill dan pengetahuan dalam produksi susu kambing serta mampu meningkatkan pendapatan anggota kelompok.
Lockdown Accounting
Authors: Gottlieb Charles , Grobovšek Jan , Poschke Markus , Saltiel Fernando 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
We use an accounting framework to evaluate the aggregate impact of a common lockdown policy for 85 countries. We find that poorer countries devote more labor to essential activities that are unaffected by the lockdown, while richer countries can more easily substitute non-essential employment with work from home. The lockdown generates an employment response that is U-shaped in income: it drops by 32% in the poorest quintile of the distribution, by 36% in the middle quintile, and by 31% in the richest quintile. Annualized GDP declines by 39% in the bottom three quintiles and by 31% in the richest quintile. Agriculture, an essential sector, is key in sustaining employment and economic activity in poorer countries.