bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Primary studies on the effect of coal bio-gasification in situ in the Qinshui basin
Authors: Xiao Dong , Zhang Cong , Wu Junyong , Wang Enyuan , He Hailun , Zhang Yidong , Díaz Norberto Daniel , Deng Liuping , Wang Meng 
Published: November 2021

AbstractCoal bio-gasification is one in situ coal gasification technology that utilizes the digestion of organic components in coal by methanogenic bacteria. It is not only an effective technology to enhance the recoverable reserves of coalbed methane, but also an important technical method to promote clean coal utilization. Relevant laboratory researches have confirmed the technical feasibility of anthracite bio-gasification. However, in the complex environment of coal bed, whether in situ gas can be yield with methanogenic bacteria needs to be verified by in situ experiments. In this study, a vertical well and a horizontal well were used in Qinshui basin to perform field experiments to confirm the technical industrial feasibility. The concentration of Cl− ion and number changes of Methanogen spp. were used to trace nutrition diffusion. Gas production changes and coalbed biome evolution were used to analyze technical implementation results. The trace data and biome evolution identified that: (1) The development of Methanoculleus spp. has a significant positive correlation with culture medium diffusion; (2) the structure of coalbed microbial community was significantly changed with the injection of nutrition, and the newly constructed methanogenic community was more suitable for fermentation of coal; and (3) the evolution of dominant microflora has further enhanced bio-gasification of coal. Gas production data showed that the gasification of coal lasted 635 and 799 days and yielded 74,817 m3 and 251,754 m3 coalbed methane in Z-159 and Z-7H wells, respectively. One nutrition injection in coalbed achieved an average of 717 days of continuous gas production in experimental wells. Results confirmed that coalbed methane enhancement with bio-gasification of coal is a potential technology to achieve the productivity improvement of coalbed methane wells. And the findings of this study can help to further understand the mechanism of in situ coal bio-gasification and provide theoretical support for the development of biomining of coal.
In vivo evaluation of nanostructured lipid carrier systems (NLCs) in mice bearing prostate cancer tumours
Authors: Akanda Mushfiq , Getti Giulia , Douroumis Dennis 
Published: November 2021

AbstractNanostructure lipid carriers (NLCs) were developed for the delivery of curmumin (CRN), a potent anticancer agent with low bioavailability, for the treatment of prostate cancer. NLCs prepared using high pressure homogenization (HPH) with around 150 nm particle size, − 40 V ζ-potential and excellent long-term stability. Cellular uptake of CRN-SLN showed nanoparticle localization in the cytoplasm around the nucleus. CRN-NLCs were assessed using flow cytometry and found to cause early and late apoptotic events at 100 μg/ml CRN concentrations. CRN-NLC nanoparticles were administrated to nude mice with LNCaP prostate cancer xenografts and demonstrated substantial tumour volume suppression (40%) with no weight loss compared to pure CRN (ethanolic solution). Overall, NLCs were proved a suitable carrier for passive drug delivery and cancer treatment.
Graphical abstract
Developing the EQ-5D-5L Value Set for Uganda Using the ‘Lite’ Protocol
Authors: Yang Fan , Katumba Kenneth R. , Roudijk Bram , Yang Zhihao , Revill Paul , Griffin Susan , Ochanda Perez N. , Lamorde Mohammed , Greco Giulia , Seeley Janet , Sculpher Mark 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Objective
A ‘lite’ version of the EQ-5D-5L valuation protocol, which requires a smaller sample by collecting more data from each participant, was proposed and used to develop an EQ-5D-5L value set for Uganda.

Methods
Adult respondents from the general Ugandan population were quota sampled based on age and sex. Eligible participants were asked to complete 20 composite time trade-off tasks in the tablet-assisted personal interviews using the offline EuroQol Portable Valuation Technology software under routine quality control. No discrete choice experiment task was administered.
The composite time trade-off data were modelled using four additive and two multiplicative regression models. Model performance was evaluated based on face validity, prediction accuracy in cross-validation and in predicting mild health states. The final value set was generated using the best-performing model.

Results
A representative sample (N = 545) participated in this study. Responses to composite time trade-off tasks from 492 participants were included in the primary analysis. All models showed face validity and generated comparable prediction accuracy. The Tobit model with constrained intercepts and corrected for heteroscedasticity was considered the preferred model for the value set on the basis of better performance. The value set ranges from − 1.116 (state 55555) to 1 (state 11111) with ‘pain/discomfort’ as the most important dimension.

Conclusions
This is the first EQ-5D-5L valuation study using a ‘lite’ protocol involving composite time trade-off data only. Our results suggest its feasibility in resource-constrained settings. The established EQ-5D-5L value set for Uganda is expected to be used for economic evaluations and decision making in Uganda and the East Africa region.
Cumulative Risk of Immigration Prison Conditions on Health Outcomes Among Detained Immigrants in California
Authors: Saadi Altaf , Patler Caitlin , De Trinidad Young Maria-Elena 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Objectives
The USA maintains the world’s largest immigration detention system. This study examines the mechanisms by which detention serves as a catalyst for worsening health.

Methods
Using data from detained immigrants in California (n = 493) from 2013 to 2014, we assessed the prevalence of exposure to conditions of confinement hypothesized to negatively influence health; the extent to which conditions of confinement are associated with psychological stress, diagnosed mental health conditions, and/or declines in general health; and the cumulative impact of confinement conditions on these outcomes.

Results
We found that each condition increased the likelihood of one or more negative health conditions, but there was also a cumulative effect: for each additional confinement condition, the odds of worsening general health rose by 39% and reporting good health decreased by 24%.

Conclusions
Confinement conditions are associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes among immigrants detained in immigration prisons. Policies that seek to improve specific conditions in detention centers may remove some risks of harm, but alternatives to detention are likely to be most effective.
The Impact of Racial and Non-racial Discrimination on Health Behavior Change Among Visible Minority Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Currie Cheryl L. , Higa Erin K. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Introduction
Pre-pandemic health behavior has been put forward as a reason for excess COVID-19 infection and death in some racialized groups. At the same time, scholars have labeled racism the other pandemic and argued for its role in the adverse COVID-19 outcomes observed. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of discrimination on health behavior change among racialized adults in the early stages of the pandemic.

Methods
Data were collected from 210 adults who identified as a visible minority in Alberta, Canada, in June 2020. The Everyday Discrimination Scale (Short Version) was adapted to examine past-month experiences. Four questions asked if alcohol/cannabis use and stress eating had significantly increased, and if sleep and exercise had significantly decreased in the past month. Logistic regression models examined associations between discrimination attributed to racial and non-racial causes and health behavior change adjusted for covariates.

Results
The majority of adults (56.2%) reported past-month discrimination including 26.7% who attributed it to their race. Asian adults reported more racial discrimination and discrimination due to people believing they had COVID-19 than other visible minorities. Racial discrimination during the pandemic was strongly associated with increased substance use (OR: 4.0, 95% CI 1.2, 13.4) and decreased sleep (OR: 7.0, 95% CI 2.7, 18.4), and weakly associated with decreased exercise (OR: 2.2, 95% CI 1.1, 4.5). Non-racial discrimination was strongly associated with decreased sleep (OR: 4.8, 95% CI 1.8, 12.5).

Conclusion
Racial discrimination may have a particularly important effect on intensifying adverse health behavior changes among racialized adults during a time of global crisis.
Prior Prognostic Expectations as a Potential Predictor in Neurofeedback Training
Authors: Damanskyy Yevhen , Olsen Alexander , Hollup Stig 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe present study evaluated whether subjects’ expectations and neurofeedback training performance predict neurofeedback efficacy in cognitive training by controlling both factors as statistical variables. Twenty-two psychology students underwent neurofeedback training, employing beta/theta protocol to enhance beta1 power (13–21 Hz) and suppress theta (4–7 Hz) power. Neurofeedback efficacy was evaluated by behavioral components measured on pre-tests and post-tests employing a visual continuous performance task. The results revealed a significant interaction term between change in reaction time from pre-test to post-test and expectancy effect, indicating that participants with high prognostic expectations showed better improvement in reaction time scores. The data did not reveal that actual neurofeedback performance influenced the post-test measurements of the visual continuous performance task. No significant differences were found for reaction time variability, omission, or commission errors. Possible factors contributing to the results are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.
Juveniler Typ-2-Diabetes mellitus – eine unterschätzte Hochrisikoerkrankung
Authors: Hörtenhuber Thomas 
Published: November 2021

ZusammenfassungDer Typ-2-Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) des Kindes- und Jugendalters ist historisch gesehen die jüngste Entität der Diabetologie mit ersten Fallberichten in den USA in den frühen 1980ern. Er wird bzw. wurde lange Zeit eher wenig intensiv klinisch und akademisch betrachtet und als eher „benigne“ im Vergleich zum Typ-1-Diabetes mellitus (T1DM) von Gleichaltrigen eingestuft.Rezente Outcome-Analysen bzw. Ergebnisse aus Interventionsstudien zeigen jedoch ein gänzlich anderes Bild: Der juvenile T2DM scheint die aggressivste und riskanteste Diabetesentität unter allen zu sein, mit einem massiv erhöhten Mortalitäts- und Morbiditätsrisiko im Vergleich zu gleich alten bzw. gleich lang erkrankten Typ-1-Diabetikern und aktuell ohne wirksame pharmakologische Intervention.
The Uncertain Structure of Process Review in the EU: Beyond the Debate on the CJEU’s Weiss Ruling and the German Federal Constitutional Court’s PSPP Ruling
Authors: Gerstenberg Oliver 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe obligation to provide reasons (e.g. in Art. 296 TFEU) may appear rather a simple and straightforward, but in actual practice—as the mutually antagonistic Weiss rulings of the CJEU and the German Bundesverfassungsgericht (“BVG”) amply demonstrate—is fraught with constitutional complication. On the one side, there lies the concern with a deeply intrusive form of judicial review which substitutes judicially determined “good” reasons for those of the reviewee decisionmaker—legislatures, administrative agencies, or, as in Weiss, the European Central Bank (ECB). On the other side lies the concern with judicial abdication in the face of technical expertise, uncertainty and complexity, turning the reason-giving requirement into a mere façade thereby placing democratic accountability in the modern administrative state beyond law’s remit. Either way, normatively and conceptually, we seem left with a half-way house only. Drawing on the recent US administrative law discourse—the neo-Fullerian concept of an “internal morality of law” (Sunstein / Vermeule) and democratic experimentalism (Sabel / Kessler)—this paper explores the concept of process review as tertium datur. Process review responds to concerns over the rule of law and administrative discretion through indirect, procedural safeguards, by imposing requirements of reasoned justification, rather than through wholesale invalidation or aggressive substantive review.
Detail-preserving depth estimation from a single image based on modified fully convolutional residual network and gradient network
Authors: Xu Huihui , Liu Nan 
Published: November 2021

AbstractPredicting a convincing depth map from a monocular single image is a daunting task in the field of computer vision. In this paper, we propose a novel detail-preserving depth estimation (DPDE) algorithm based on a modified fully convolutional residual network and gradient network. Specifically, we first introduce a new deep network that combines the fully convolutional residual network (FCRN) and a U-shaped architecture to generate the global depth map. Meanwhile, an efficient feature similarity-based loss term is introduced for training this network better. Then, we devise a gradient network to generate the local details of the scene based on gradient information. Finally, an optimization-based fusion scheme is proposed to integrate the depth and depth gradients to generate a reliable depth map with better details. Three benchmark RGBD datasets are evaluated from the perspective of qualitative and quantitative, the experimental results show that the designed depth prediction algorithm is superior to several classic depth prediction approaches and can reconstruct plausible depth maps.
Regulating artificial-intelligence applications to achieve the sustainable development goals
Authors: Goh Hoe-Han , Vinuesa Ricardo 
Published: November 2021

AbstractArtificial intelligence is producing a revolution with increasing impacts on the people, planet, and prosperity. This perspective illustrates some of the AI applications that can accelerate the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and highlights some of the considerations that could hinder the efforts towards them. In this context, we strongly support the development of an 18thSDG on digital technologies. This emphasizes the importance of establishing standard AI guidelines and regulations for the beneficial applications of AI. Such regulations should focus on concrete applications of AI, rather than generally on AI technology, to facilitate both AI development and enforceability of legal implications.
No-boundary thinking: a viable solution to ethical data-driven AI in precision medicine
Authors: Obafemi-Ajayi Tayo , Perkins Andy , Nanduri Bindu , Wunsch II Donald C. , Foster James A. , Peckham Joan 
Published: November 2021

AbstractToday Artificial Intelligence (AI) supports difficult decisions about policy, health, and our personal lives. The AI algorithms we develop and deploy to make sense of information, are informed by data, and based on models that capture and use pertinent details of the population or phenomenon being analyzed. For any application area, more importantly in precision medicine which directly impacts human lives, the data upon which algorithms are run must be procured, cleaned, and organized well to assure reliable and interpretable results, and to assure that they do not perpetrate or amplify human prejudices. This must be done without violating basic assumptions of the algorithms in use. Algorithmic results need to be clearly communicated to stakeholders and domain experts to enable sound conclusions. Our position is that AI holds great promise for supporting precision medicine, but we need to move forward with great care, with consideration for possible ethical implications. We make the case that a no-boundary or convergent approach is essential to support sound and ethical decisions. No-boundary thinking supports problem definition and solving with teams of experts possessing diverse perspectives. When dealing with AI and the data needed to use AI, there is a spectrum of activities that needs the attention of a no-boundary team. This is necessary if we are to draw viable conclusions and develop actions and policies based on the AI, the data, and the scientific foundations of the domain in question.
Investigation on Occupational Protection and Exposure of Medical Staff in the Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19 in Sichuan
Authors: Huang Wenzhi , Zong Zhiyong , Qiao Fu , Lin Ji 
Published: November 2021

Background: We investigated the contact status of medical staff with confirmed or suspected patients with COVID-19 in Sichuan Province, China, as well as the use of personal protective equipment at the time of contact, and we explored the factors affecting the effective use of personal protective equipment. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study by distributing a questionnaire on occupational protection and exposure of medical staff in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 using a convenience sampling method for online surveys from February 23 to February 29, 2020. Results: In total, 13,829 valid questionnaires from 644 hospitals in Sichuan Province were retrieved, and 802 people were exposed to confirmed or suspected patients with COVID-19, accounting for 5.80%. 688 (85.79%) of 802 people who reported that they had taken effective personal protection measures for each exposure. Sex, work department, and length of service were the independent factors influencing the effective use of personal protective equipment in multivariate analysis (P < .05). Conclusions: Medical institutions need to continue to strengthen the training regarding standard precautions and personal protection, especially for general departments other than fever clinics and isolation wards, as well as medical staff with few working years, to ensure the occupational safety of medical staff.Funding: NoDisclosures: None
Mortality Among Veterans’ Affairs Community Living Center (CLC) Residents with COVID-19
Authors: Bej Taissa , Wilson Brigid , Song Sunah , Briggs Janet M , Banks Richard , Kothadia Sonya , Perez Federico , Jump Robin , Mongilardi Nicole 
Published: November 2021

Background: Outcomes among nursing home residents with asymptomatic compared to symptomatic COVID-19 are not well characterized. We assessed all-cause mortality among Veterans’ Affairs (VA) community living center (CLC) residents; we compared those residents with a negative SARS-CoV-2 test to residents with symptomatic, presymptomatic, and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. Methods: We conducted a national retrospective cohort study of CLC residents tested for COVID-19 between March 1 and July 31, 2020, based on data compiled through the VA COVID-19 shared data resource. Among those with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, residents were considered symptomatic if they had experienced COVID-19 symptoms in the 30 days prior to the test. Residents were considered presymptomatic if they did not experience symptoms in the 30 days prior to testing and developed a fever (>38°C) or required supplemental oxygen within 14 and 60 days, respectively, following the test. Residents were considered asymptomatic in the absence of these pre- and posttest symptoms. Results: From March 1 to July 31, 2020, of 9,052 CLC residents screened for COVID-19, 8,325 (92%) tested negative (Table 1). Among 727 residents with positive tests, 467 (64%) were symptomatic, 88 (12%) were presymptomatic, and 172 (24%) remained asymptomatic. We observed significant differences in the racial makeup of these disease groups. Among CLC residents who were symptomatic or presymptomatic, 176 (32%) of 555 were black compared to 39 (23%) of 172 who were asymptomatic and 1,810 (22%) of 8,325 who tested negative for SAR-CoV-2. All-cause 30-day mortality rates for symptomatic and presymptomatic residents were 25% and 34%, respectively, which exceeded the all-cause 30-day mortality of asymptomatic residents (12%) and residents with a negative test (6%) (Figure 1). Conclusions: More than one-third of CLC residents with COVID-19 were asymptomatic at the time of testing. This finding highlights the importance of vigilant infection prevention and control measures. Our finding that mortality among presymptomatic residents exceeded that of symptomatic residents raises consideration for enhancing supportive care measures, such as supplemental oxygen and mitigation of inflammatory reactions, as a means to reduce mortality among nursing home residents with presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.Funding: NoDisclosures: None
Decrease in MRSA Bacteremia After Implementation of Intranasal Mupirocin Decolonization Protocol
Authors: Beatriz Cruz Angela , LeRose Jennifer , Chopra Teena , Cranis Mara , Cullen Lori , Evans Kenisha , Meyer Monica , Jabbo Lavina , Moshos Judy , Valentini Rudolph 
Published: November 2021

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a key pathogen in burn patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Disruption of skin barrier exposes these individuals to a myriad of infections. Various decolonization approaches, including chlorhexidine baths and intranasal mupirocin, have shown favorable outcomes in preventing MRSA infections in this cohort. Methods: In August 2020, a mupirocin decolonization protocol was implemented in Michigan’s largest trauma-level 1 burn intensive care unit. All patients admitted to the burn unit received daily intranasal mupirocin for the initial 5 days of hospitalization. We compared MRSA bacteremia rates per 1,000 patient days from January–July 2020 to those after August 2020. A hospital-acquired MRSA bacteremia infection was defined as a positive blood culture after hospital day 3. Patient characteristics and hospital course were collected through medical chart review. A 2-tailed t test was used for analysis. Results: We identified 5 cases of hospital-onset MRSA bacteremia and no cases of community-onset MRSA bacteremia. On average, there were 2.6 cases per 1,000 patient days before mupirocin implementation and 1.0 cases per 1,000 patient days after mupirocin implementation (P = .26) (Figure 1). In this patient cohort, the average total body surface area burned was 45.6% (range, 18%–90%), and 60% (n = 3) of patients had sputum culture positive for MRSA prior to developing bacteremia (Table 1). Also, 2 patients (40%) with MRSA bacteremia died. Notably, the patient in the postintervention cohort was admitted in July, prior to implementation. Conclusions: Implementation of a decolonization protocol with intranasal mupirocin in burn-surgery patients markedly decreased the incidence of MRSA bacteremia in this cohort. This is the first study to evaluate the use of mupirocin as a decolonizing agent in burn victims. Continued long-term surveillance is recommended, and this strategy has potential for application to other high-risk cohorts.Funding: NoDisclosures: None