bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Novel Therapies for Kidney Disease in People With Diabetes
Authors: Khurana Nayana , James Steven , Coughlan Melinda T , MacIsaac Richard J , Ekinci Elif I 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Context
The increasing burden of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has led to the discovery of novel therapies.

Objective
This review aims to summarize the results of recent clinical trials that test the efficacy of potential therapies for DKD.

Methods
A systematized narrative review was performed utilizing the PubMed, Embase (Ovid), CINAHL, and Cochrane databases (January 2010 to January 2021). The included trials assessed the efficacy of specific medications using renal endpoints in adult participants with type 1 or 2 diabetes.

Results
Fifty-three trials were identified. Large, multinational, and high-powered trials investigating sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors demonstrated improved renal outcomes, even in patients with established DKD. Trials examining incretin-related therapies also showed some improvement in renal outcomes. Additionally, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists exhibited potential with multiple improved renal outcomes in large trials, including those involving participants with established DKD. Atrasentan, baricitinib, ASP8232, PF-04634817, CCX140-B, atorvastatin, fenofibrate, probucol, doxycycline, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, silymarin, turmeric, total glucosides of paeony, and tripterygium wilfordii Hook F extract were all associated with some improved renal endpoints but need further exploration. While bardoxolone methyl was associated with a decrease in albuminuria, high rates of cardiovascular adverse effects curtailed further exploration into this agent. Selonsertib, allopurinol, praliciguat, palosuran, benfotiamine, and diacerein were not associated with improved renal outcomes.

Conclusion
Trials have yielded promising results in the search for new therapies to manage DKD. SGLT2 inhibitors and incretin-related therapies have demonstrated benefit and were associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists are another class of agents with increasing evidence of benefits.
Pericyte Insulin Receptors Modulate Retinal Vascular Remodeling and Endothelial Angiopoietin Signaling
Authors: Warmke Nele , Platt Fiona , Bruns Alexander F , Ozber Claire H , Haywood Natalie J , Abudushalamu Yilizila , Slater Charles , Palin Victoria , Sukumar Piruthivi , Wheatcroft Stephen B , Yuldasheva Nadira Y , Kearney Mark T , Griffin Kathryn J , Cubbon Richard M 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Pericytes regulate vascular development, stability, and quiescence; their dysfunction contributes to diabetic retinopathy. To explore the role of insulin receptors in pericyte biology, we created pericyte insulin receptor knockout mice (PIRKO) by crossing PDGFRβ-Cre mice with insulin receptor (Insr) floxed mice. Their neonatal retinal vasculature exhibited perivenous hypervascularity with venular dilatation, plus increased angiogenic sprouting in superficial and deep layers. Pericyte coverage of capillaries was unaltered in perivenous and periarterial plexi, and no differences in vascular regression or endothelial proliferation were apparent. Isolated brain pericytes from PIRKO had decreased angiopoietin-1 mRNA, whereas retinal and lung angiopoietin-2 mRNA was increased. Endothelial phospho-Tie2 staining was diminished and FoxO1 was more frequently nuclear localized in the perivenous plexus of PIRKO, in keeping with reduced angiopoietin-Tie2 signaling. Silencing of Insr in human brain pericytes led to reduced insulin-stimulated angiopoietin-1 secretion, and conditioned media from these cells was less able to induce Tie2 phosphorylation in human endothelial cells. Hence, insulin signaling in pericytes promotes angiopoietin-1 secretion and endothelial Tie2 signaling and perturbation of this leads to excessive vascular sprouting and venous plexus abnormalities. This phenotype mimics elements of diabetic retinopathy, and future work should evaluate pericyte insulin signaling in this disease.
Population Thinking and Narrative Networks: Dickens, Joyce, andThe Wire
Authors: Alexander Sam 
Published: August 2021

AbstractRecent approaches to literary character treat fictional population as a defining element of narrative form but continue to read novels at the level of individual characters. This essay uses the tools of narrative network analysis to bridge the gap between microlevel readings and the interpretation of the novel’s character-system as a population. Network analyses of three highly populous works—Charles Dickens’s Bleak House, James Joyce’s Ulysses, and David Simon’s HBO series The Wire—yield measures of social density and character centrality that show how Joyce adapted a Dickensian network plot that emerged amid the population explosion of nineteenth-century Britain to an Irish context marked by demographic decline. This adaptation of Dickens’s plot structure prepared it for a similar use in The Wire. Both Joyce and Simon use a large fictional network to periodically decenter their protagonists and undermine the typological assumptions of much realist fiction. The essay suggests that, rather than read these developments as evidence of a formal rupture between modernism and realism, we view Bleak House, Ulysses, and The Wire as playing a role in an understudied tradition of “population thinking” in the novel.
Complete self-calibration compact binary magneto-optic rotator based Mueller matrix polarimetry
Authors: Hua Peidong , Ding Zhenyang , Wang Chenhuan , Liu Kun , Jiang Junfeng , Yu Yin , Steve Yao X. , Liu Tiegen 
Published: August 2021

Magneto-optic (MO) based Mueller matrix polarimetry (MMP) has several advantages of compact size, no-mechanical movement and high speed. Inaccuracies of components in the polarization state generator (PSG) optical parameters will influence the measurement accuracy of MMP. In this paper, we present a PSG self-calibration method in the compact MMP based on binary MO polarization rotators. Since PSG can generate enough numbers of non-degenerate polarization states, the optical parameters in PSG and the Mueller matrix of the sample can totally be numerically solved, which realizes a self-calibration in the PSG. Combining the previous self-calibration method in polarization state analyzer (PSA), we realize a complete self-calibration compact MO based MMP. Based on the numerical simulation results, the errors of measured phase retardance and optical axis of the sample decrease two to three orders of magnitude after applying the PSG self-calibration method. In experimental results of a variable retarder as a sample, the Euclidean distance of retardance between the measurement and reference curves comparing PSG self-calibration with no PSG self-calibration can be reduced from 0.035 rad to 0.033 rad and the Euclidean distance of optical axis can be reduced from 3.39° to 1.51°. Compared with the experimental results, the numerical simulation results more accurately verify the performance of the presented PSG self-calibration method without being influenced by other errors because the Mueller matrix of the sample is known and the error source only comes from these components in PSG.
Enlarged range of measurement method with strong noise resistance for dual-wavelength digital holography
Authors: Li Tuo , Tao Ye , Dong Jun , Zhang Qian , Wang Shuai , Shi Yishi 
Published: August 2021

A concise and powerful method for dual-wavelength digital holography (DWDH) is proposed. By designing a new algorithm, this proposed method bypasses the phase synthesis process and directly obtains the thickness distribution of the object. This method can enlarge the range of measurement with strong noise resistance. For example, noise analysis results show that the proposed method reduces the reconstruction error from 101 nm to 9 nm when the signal-to-noise ratio is equal to 30. Therefore, this method would prove useful for DWDH, and its effectiveness is verified by both numerical simulations and experimental results.
The prevalence and correlates of vision impairment and glasses ownership among ethnic minority and Han schoolchildren in rural China
Authors: Wang Huan , Barket Brandon , Du Sharon , Friesen Dimitris , Kohrman Ezra , Tok Esther , Xiao Baixiang , Huang Wenyong , Chan Ving Fai , MacKenzie Graeme , Congdon Nathan 
Published: August 2021

PurposeTo determine the prevalence of visual impairment and glasses ownership among Han Chinese and Hui minority junior high school children in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.DesignPopulation-based cross-sectional study.MethodsVision screening was conducted on 20,376 children (age 12–15 years) in all 124 rural junior high schools in Ningxia. Personal and family characteristics, glasses ownership, and academic performance were assessed through a survey questionnaire and standardized mathematics test, respectively.ResultsThe prevalence of visual acuity (VA) ≤6/12 in either eye was significantly higher among Han (54.5%) than Hui (45.2%) children (P<0.001), and was significantly positively associated with age, female sex, Han ethnicity, parental outmigration for work, shorter time spent outside during recess, shorter time spent watching television and higher time spent studying. Among children with VA≤6/12 in both eyes, only 56.8% of Han and 41.5% of Hui children had glasses (P<0.001). Glasses ownership was significantly associated with worse vision, greater family wealth, female sex, higher test scores, age, parental outmigration for work, understanding of myopia and glasses, higher time spent studying and Han ethnicity.ConclusionOne of the first of its kind, this report on Han and Hui ethnic schoolchildren confirms a high prevalence of visual impairment among both populations, but slightly higher among the Han. Both groups, especially the Hui, have low rates of glasses ownership. Future interventions and policies designed to improve glasses usage should focus on populations with lower incomes and seek to correct erroneous beliefs about the safety of glasses and efficacy of traditional eye exercises.
AudBility: Effectiveness of an online central auditory processing screening program
Authors: de Carvalho Nádia Giulian , Amaral Maria Isabel Ramos do , Colella-Santos Maria Francisca 
Published: August 2021

ObjectiveTo contribute to the validation of AudBility, an online central auditory processing screening program, considering the tasks for age between 6 and 8 years-old, from the investigation of sensitivity and specificity, as well as to suggest a minimum central auditory processing (CAP) screening protocol in this age group.MethodIn the first stage of the study, 154 schoolchildren were screened. Children were aged between 6 and 8 years old, native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. The auditory tasks of AudBility analyzed in this study were: sound localization (SL), auditory closure (AC), figure-ground (FG), dichotic digits—binaural integration (DD), temporal resolution (TR) and temporal frequency ordering (TO-F). In the second stage, 112 children attended to CAP assessment in the institution’s laboratory. The calculation of efficacy (sensitivity/specificity) was obtained through the construction of the ROC curve for the tests with more than five children altered in the diagnosis.ResultsFor the 6–7-year-old age group the accuracy values were: AC (76.9%); FG (61.6%); DD 78.8% for the right ear and 84.4% for the left ear in females and 63.2% for the left ear in males; TR (77.1%) and TO-F (74.4% for the right ear and 82.4% for the left ear). For the 8-year-old age group the values were: FF (76.5%); DD (71.7% for the left ear for females and 77% for the right ear for males); TR (56.5%) and TO-F (54.1% for the right ear and 70% for the left ear).ConclusionsAudBility showed variations in sensitivity and specificity values between the auditory tasks and age groups, with better effectiveness in schoolchildren between the ages of 6 and 7 than eight-year-olds, except for the FG task. For screening purposes, the application of the protocol involving five tasks for the 6 to 7-year-olds group and with four tasks for the 8-year-olds group is suggested.
The Possible Responsiveness of FDI to Electric Power Consumption in Different Income Level
Authors: Sigo Wondimu 
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACT
Modern energy in the form of electricity is vital for economic activities such as for getting clean water, and healthcare, for getting stable and effective lighting, heating, and cooking. However, in developing countries there is a huge shortage of electricity and big gaps in access, while access to electricity in developed countries almost reached a hundred percent. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to shows the possible responsiveness of FDI to electric power consumption in different income-level. Hence, this study aims to address questions, including how is the relationship between economic activities such as FDI and electricity consumption in different income-level. For motivating the research, 131 countries data have been collected from WDI and US-EIA from 1992 to 2016 and both quantitative and qualitative methods used.
The cross-country regression result shows that there exists an inverse-U shaped relationship between EPC and FDI net inflow because most high-income countries have a high level of EPC and therefore EPC becomes less important for them to attract FDI. But when we separate the total sample into two, EPC can significantly increase net FDI inflow for middle & low-income countries because for these countries, especially for low-income countries, sufficient electricity supply is important for FDI inflow.
On intersections of two non-incident subgroups of finite p-groups
Authors: Wang Jiao 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
In this paper, we investigate finite p-groups

G

G

such that whenever

A
,
B
<
G

A,B\lt G

are non-incident, then

A
∩
B

⊴

⟨

A
,
B

⟩

A\cap B\hspace{0.33em}&#x22B4;\hspace{0.33em}\langle A,B\rangle

. This partially solves a problem proposed by Y. Berkovich.
Dark topological valley Hall edge solitons
Authors: Ren Boquan , Wang Hongguang , Kompanets Victor O. , Kartashov Yaroslav V. , Li Yongdong , Zhang Yiqi 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Topological edge solitons propagating along the edge of a photonic topological insulator are localized self-sustained hybrid states that are immune to defects/disorders due to the protection of the edge states stemming from the nontrivial topology of the system. Here, we predict that exceptionally robust dark valley Hall edge solitons may form at the domain walls between two honeycomb lattices with broken inversion symmetry. The underlying structure can be created with femtosecond laser inscription, it possesses a large bandgap where well-localized dark edge solitons form, and in contrast to systems with broken time-reversal symmetry, it does not require external magnetic fields or complex longitudinal waveguide modulations for the realization of the topological phase. We present the envelope equation allowing constructing dark valley Hall edge solitons analytically. Such solitons propagate without radiation into the bulk of the lattice and can circumvent sharp corners, which allows observing their persistent circulation along the closed triangular domain wall boundary. They survive over huge distances even in the presence of disorder in the underlying lattice. We also investigate interactions of closely located dark topological valley Hall edge solitons and show that they are repulsive and lead to the formation of two gray edge solitons, moving with different group velocities departing from group velocity of the linear edge state on which initial dark solitons were constructed. Our results illustrate that nonlinear valley Hall systems can support a rich variety of new self-sustained topological states and may inspire their investigation in other nonlinear systems, such as atomic vapors and polariton condensates.
Environmental noise assessment of Bhandara City in the adversity of COVID-19 pandemic: A crowdsourcing approach
Authors: Lokhande Satish K. , Chopkar Prashant F. , Jain Mohindra C. , Hirani Alfaz 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
The strict enforcement of lockdown in India and worldwide to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemics has brought a signiicant change in the environmental quality, particularly in cities. The study deliberates an overview of the status of the ambient noise quality of the tier-2 city Bhandara, India, for lockdown and posts lockdown circumstances. In the course of lock-down, it is unfeasible to walk out with standard instruments for onsite noise monitoring with the conventional method in such adversity. Make use of the crowdsourcing approach proves to be the best alternative for collecting noise data with the help of an android-based noise application, łNoise Tracker.ž On assessing gathered data, it ascertained that the noise levels deplete by 8.0 dB during the lockdown. Results indicated that the average noise levels in more than 80% of the locations are lowered during lock-down compared to post lockdown in Bhandara City. A signiicant reduction in average noise levels at all sites during the lockdown period attributing to limiting in the road, rail, and other traic movements. The study is an exclusive example of ordinary people from tier-2 city indulging in environmental scientiic research. The study also visualizes the noise pollution scenario of lockdown and post lockdown periods using noise maps.
Adaptive Spiking Sensor System Based on CMOS Memristors Emulating Long and Short-Term Plasticity of Biological Synapses for Industry 4.0 Applications
Authors: Abd Hamam , König Andreas 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
A conventional analog to digital converter (ADC) faces many issues with leading-edge technologies due to noise, manufacturing deviations, signal swings, etc. Thus, we pursue to design an adaptive spiking neural ADC (SN-ADC) with promising features, e.g., robust to noise, low-power, technology scaling issues, and low-voltage operation. Therefore, our approach promises to be technology agnostic, i.e., effectively translatable to aggressive new technologies. It supports machine learning and self-x (self-calibration, self-healing) that needs for industry 4.0 and the internet of things (IoTs). In this work, we design an adaptive spike-to-rank coding (ASRC), which is the main part of the spiking neural ADC. The ASRC is based on CMOS memristors emulating short-term plasticity (STP) and long-term plasticity (LTP) biological synapses. The proposed ASRC compensates deviations by adapting the weights of the synapses. Also, ASRC is designed using XFAB 0.35 μm CMOS technology and Cadence design tools. In addition, ASRC is simulated to test its performance in the temperature range (−40°C to 85°C).
Bewertung der Innenraumluftqualität über VOC-Messungen mit Halbleitergassensoren - Kalibrierung, Feldtest, Validierung
Authors: Amann Johannes , Baur Tobias , Schultealbert Caroline , Schütze Andreas 
Published: August 2021

Zusammenfassung
In jüngster Vergangenheit sind immer mehr Halbleitergassensoren im Bereich Innenraumluftqualität auf den Markt gekommen. Diese messen die Gesamtbelastung an flüchtigen organischen Komponenten (engl.: volatile organic compounds, kurz: VOCs) oder einen relativen Innenraumluftqualitätsindex. Mit einer optimierten Betriebsweise und Kalibrierung können die Sensoren in ihrer Selektivität und Sensitivität gesteigert werden, was für die Bewertung der Innenraumluftqualität wichtig wäre. Die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen werden in dieser Studie vorgestellt. Für diese Zielanwendung müssen die Sensoren zuerst kalibriert werden. Auf Basis der Daten einer umfangreichen Laborkalibrierung kommen verschiedene Methoden des maschinellen Lernens für die Datenauswertung zum Einsatz. Diese Studie beinhaltet die Untersuchung der Eignung eines kommerziell verfügbaren Multisensors (SGP30, Sensirion) im temperaturzyklischen Betrieb für die selektive Messung von VOCs im Innenraum. Nach der Laborkalibrierung wurde der Sensor vier Wochen im Feld betrieben. Über Freisetzungstests durch Verdampfung von Flüssigkeiten wurden die Modelle auf Funktionalität geprüft. Außerdem wurden mit den analytischen Messsystemen TD-GC-MS (ThermodesorptionGaschromatographie-Massenspektrometer mit Tenax Probennahme) und einem mobilen GC mit Photo-IonisationsDetektor, PID (X-pid 9500, Dräger) regelmäßig Vergleichsmessungen durchgeführt. Mithilfe von Rekalibrierungen im Labor und anschließenden Feldtests wurde außerdem die Stabilität der Modelle untersucht. Diese Studie zeigt, dass mit dem SGP30 eine Vor-Ort-Messung der Gesamt-VOC-Belastung in Innenräumen mit hoher zeitlicher Auflösung möglich ist und auch eine selektive Messung bestimmter Stoffe und Stoffgruppen realisierbar ist.
Schätzung der Segmentspanbildungsfrequenz mithilfe von Körperschallsignalen
Authors: Ocampo Daniel Diaz , Gonzalez German , Zanger Frederik , Heizmann Michael 
Published: August 2021

Zusammenfassung
Da die Spansegmentierungsfrequenz bei der Zerspanung hochfester Materialien in direktem Zusammenhang mit dem Eigenspannungszustand des Werkstücks steht, ist sie eine wichtige Kenngröße. Bei bisherigen Methoden kommt hauptsächlich, zur Schätzung der Segmentspanbildungsfrequenz mithilfe von Körperschallsignalen beim orthogonalen Schnitt, die FourierTransformation zum Einsatz, welche jedoch bei den im Außenlängsdrehen vorkommenden, stark unharmonischen Signalen ungeeignet ist. Es wird eine Methode vorgestellt, welche die Periodizität der Körperschallsignale im Zeitbereich ermittelt und daraus die Segmentierungsfrequenz schätzt. Dazu werden zeitvariante Merkmale vorgestellt, welche die Segmentspanbildungsfrequenz approximieren. Im Anschluss wird die Methode mit beim orthogonalen Schnitt eingesetzten Methoden verglichen, wobei gezeigt werden kann, dass die hier vorgestellte Methode grundsätzlich robuster gegenüber Störeinflüssen ist, bei den zeitvarianten Merkmalen jedoch noch Potenzial zur Verbesserung besteht.
Ion-acoustic solitary structures at the acoustic speed in a collisionless magnetized nonthermal dusty plasma
Authors: Debnath Debdatta , Bandyopadhyay Anup 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
At the acoustic speed, we have investigated the existence of ion-acoustic solitary structures including double layers and supersolitons in a collisionless magnetized plasma consisting of negatively charged static dust grains, adiabatic warm ions, and nonthermal electrons. At the acoustic speed, for negative polarity, the system supports solitons, double layers, supersoliton structures after the formation of double layer, supersoliton structures without the formation of double layer, solitons after the formation of double layer whereas the system supports solitons and supersolitons without the formation of double layer for the case of positive polarity. But it is not possible to get the coexistence of solitary structures (including double layers and supersolitons) of opposite polarities. For negative polarity, we have observed an important transformation viz., soliton before the formation of double layer → double layer → supersoliton → soliton after the formation of double layer whereas for both positive and negative polarities, we have observed the transformation from solitons to supersolitons without the formation of double layer. There does not exist any negative (positive) potential solitary structures within 0 < μ < μ
c (μ
c < μ < 1) and the amplitude of the positive (negative) potential solitary structure decreases for increasing (decreasing) μ and the solitary structures of both polarities collapse at μ = μ
c, where μ
c is a critical value of μ, the ratio of the unperturbed number density of electrons to that of ions. Similarly there exists a critical value β
e2 of the nonthermal parameter β
e such that the solitons of both polarities collapse at β
e = β
e2.