bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aqueous humor analyses of diabetic macular edema patients with subretinal fluid
Authors: Kwon Jin-woo , Kim Byungjin , Jee Donghyun , Cho Yang kyung 
Published: October 2021

AbstractWe identified treatment-naïve diabetic macular edema (DME) patients with or without subretinal fluid (SRF). We compared their baseline characteristics: aqueous concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-17, as well as tumor necrosis factor-α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and placental growth factor (PlGF). We also compared fundus and optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings, and responsiveness to anti-VEGF treatments. Of 67 DME patients, 18 (26.87%) had SRF. Compared to the no SRF group, the SRF group had significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-8, VEGF, and PlGF in aqueous humor. After grouping according to diabetic retinopathy stage, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) patients with SRF had higher aqueous levels of IL-6 and IL-8, compared to NPDR patients without SRF. Moreover, proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients with SRF had higher aqueous levels of VEGF and PlGF, compared to PDR patients without SRF. Fundus and OCT analyses revealed that the SRF group had a greater proportion of patients with succinate or patch-shaped hard exudates involving the macula, and greater central subfield thickness (CST) at baseline. After 6 months of anti-VEGF treatments, the SRF group showed better responsiveness in terms of CST; however, visual acuity was not correlated with responsiveness. Considering higher aqueous levels of VEGFs and pro-inflammatory cytokines, SRF could be a biomarker related to diabetic retinopathy activity. DME patients with SRF showed better anatomical responsiveness to anti-VEGF treatments, but did not show better functional improvement on short-term evaluation compared to those of DME patients without SRF.
Insights into phenotypic differences between humans and mice with p.T721M and other C-terminal variants of the SLC26A4 gene
Authors: Hu Chin-Ju , Lu Ying-Chang , Tsai Cheng-Yu , Chan Yen-Hui , Lin Pei-Hsuan , Lee Yi-Shan , Yu I.-Shing , Lin Shu-Wha , Liu Tien-Chen , Hsu Chuan-Jen , Yang Ting-Hua , Cheng Yen-Fu , Wu Chen-Chi 
Published: October 2021

AbstractRecessive variants of the SLC26A4 gene are an important cause of hereditary hearing impairment. Several transgenic mice with different Slc26a4 variants have been generated. However, none have recapitulated the auditory phenotypes in humans. Of the SLC26A4 variants identified thus far, the p.T721M variant is of interest, as it appears to confer a more severe pathogenicity than most of the other missense variants, but milder pathogenicity than non-sense and frameshift variants. Using a genotype-driven approach, we established a knock-in mouse model homozygous for p.T721M. To verify the pathogenicity of p.T721M, we generated mice with compound heterozygous variants by intercrossing Slc26a4+/T721M mice with Slc26a4919-2A>G/919-2A>G mice, which segregated the c.919-2A > G variant with abolished Slc26a4 function. We then performed serial audiological assessments, vestibular evaluations, and inner ear morphological studies. Surprisingly, both Slc26a4T721M/T721M and Slc26a4919-2A>G/T721M showed normal audiovestibular functions and inner ear morphology, indicating that p.T721M is non-pathogenic in mice and a single p.T721M allele is sufficient to maintain normal inner ear physiology. The evidence together with previous reports on mouse models with Slc26a4 p.C565Y and p.H723R variants, support our speculation that the absence of audiovestibular phenotypes in these mouse models could be attributed to different protein structures at the C-terminus of human and mouse pendrin.
Nitric oxide-targeted protein phosphorylation during human sperm capacitation
Authors: Staicu Florentin-Daniel , Martínez-Soto Juan Carlos , Canovas Sebastian , Matás Carmen 
Published: October 2021

AbstractAmong many other molecules, nitric oxide insures the correct progress of sperm capacitation by mediating phosphorylation events. For a more comprehensive understanding of how this happens, we capacitated human spermatozoa from healthy men in the presence/absence of S-Nitrosoglutathione, a nitric oxide donor, two nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, NG-Nitro-l-arginine Methyl Ester Hydrochloride and Aminoguanidine Hemisulfate salt and, finally, with/withoutl-Arginine, the substrate for nitric oxide synthesis, and/or human follicular fluid. When analyzing the phosphorylation of protein kinase A substrates and tyrosine residues, we particularly observed how the inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis affects certain protein bands (~ 110, ~ 87, ~ 75 and ~ 62 kD) by lowering their phosphorylation degree, even when spermatozoa were incubated withl-Arginine and/or follicular fluid. Mass spectrometry analysis identified 29 proteins in these species, related to: spermatogenesis, binding to the zona pellucida, energy and metabolism, stress response, motility and structural organization, signaling and protein turnover. Significant changes in the phosphorylation degree of specific proteins could impair their biological activity and result in severe fertility-related phenotypes. These findings provide a deeper understanding of nitric oxide’s role in the capacitation process, and consequently, future studies in infertile patients should determine how nitric oxide mediates phosphorylation events in the species here described.
Using fuzzy relational hybrid models to control mixed‐valued dynamic systems with discrete‐valued inputs
Authors: Aghili‐Ashtiani Arya 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThis is the first attempt to bring the fuzzy relational hybrid models from modelling to control. The main challenge is to configure both the plant model and the controller appropriately so that the overall system has good analytical and numerical properties. However, to close the control loop effectively by connecting the fuzzy relational hybrid model blocks, it is needed for its core mathematical operator to be associative. Therefore, in this paper: (1) It has been shown that the core mathematical operator that relates the connected ‐normal fuzzy relational hybrid model blocks, that is, the Yager‐product fuzzy relational inner composition, unlike most fuzzy relational inner compositions, is associative; (2) An intelligent adaptive control scheme has been developed for a class of plants in which the states of the system can be mixed‐valued and all inputs are of discrete‐valued type (either quantitative or qualitative). Benefiting from the associative property, the proposed control scheme uses the ‐normal fuzzy relational hybrid model building blocks in the role of the controller as well as the plant model with no prior knowledge of the elements of the fuzzy relational matrices. Being applied to control a synchronous buck converter in both regulation and tracking scenarios, and under parameters uncertainties, the proposed scheme has been evaluated by computer simulation.
Proximal policy optimization based dynamic path planning algorithm for mobile robots
Authors: Jin Xin , Wang Zhengxiao 
Published: October 2021

AbstractFor the scenario where the overall layout is known and the obstacle distribution information is unknown, a dynamic path planning algorithm combining the A* algorithm and the proximal policy optimization (PPO) algorithm is proposed. Simulation experiments show that in all six test environments, the proposed algorithm finds paths that are on average about 2.04% to 5.86% shorter compared to the state‐of‐the‐art algorithms in the literature, and reduces the number of training epochs before stabilization from tens of thousands to about 4000.
Reduced‐rank space‐time adaptive processing algorithm based on multistage selections of angle‐Doppler filters
Authors: Yang Zhaocheng , Wang Xiaoye 
Published: October 2021

AbstractA new reduced‐rank (RR) space‐time adaptive processing (STAP) algorithm based on multistage selections of angle‐Doppler filters is proposed in the form of a generalised sidelobe canceller. First, two types of the RR auxiliary angle‐Doppler filters are designed based on the discrete Fourier basis functions. Then, a novel multistage method is implemented to select the angle‐Doppler filters by using the cross‐correlation observed at the current stage and the residual output observed at the previous stage. Finally, the asymptotic statistic performance of target detection is evaluated in terms of the conventional framework of STAP for the cases of both known and unknown covariance, which shows that the proposed algorithm is capable of providing the constant false alarm rate. Numerical examples are provided, and they demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is able to offer better performance than the existing sparsity‐based and the conventional reduced‐dimension algorithms under the intrinsic clutter motion and array gain and phase errors.
COVID-19: Cardio-pulmonary and Vascular Manifestations
Authors: Gawaz Meinrad , Scharf Rüdiger E. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic is still threatening us, our patients, and the global health care system. Since the first outbreak at the end of 2019 in China, it became rapidly clear that a new variant of a SARS virus, SARS-CoV-2, is threatening our human society worldwide. Since then, the scientific community has accumulated an incredibly large amount of knowledge about the pathophysiology of this virus, primarily affecting the respiratory tract and, in severe cases, subsequently resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ failure due to uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response syndrome.1
2
Ätherische Öle aus Zimt und Gewürznelken
verstärken die Wirkung von Antibiotika gegen multiresistente bakterielle
Krankheitserreger
Authors: Sakr Hana , Schmidt Sebastian , Bereswill Stefan , Heimesaat Markus M. , Melzig Matthias F. 
Published: October 2021

ZusammenfassungDie Häufigkeit bakterieller Infektionen, bei denen Antibiotika nicht mehr
wirken, steigt aufgrund der Resistenzentwicklung der Krankheitserreger weltweit.
Um dieser Bedrohung zu begegnen, werden – neben der Entwicklung neuer
Antibiotika und der Reaktivierung bereits vorhandener antibakterieller
Wirkstoffe – auch die Resistenz-modifizierenden Eigenschaften von
Naturstoffen erforscht. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde mit dem
Checkerboard-Mikrodilutionsverfahren untersucht, wie die ätherischen
Öle aus Gewürznelken (Syzygium aromaticum) und der Rinde
des Zimtbaums (Cinnamomum verum) kombiniert mit Lysozym die Wirkungen von
Antibiotika aus der Gruppe der Carbapeneme (Imipenem) und der Aminoglykoside
(Gentamicin) gegen die bakteriellen Krankheitserreger Pseudomonas
aeruginosa bzw. Klebsiella pneumoniae verstärken. Die
Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die ätherischen Öle beider Pflanzenarten
die minimalen Hemmkonzentrationen von Gentamicin und Imipenem gegenüber
multiresistenten klinischen Isolaten der beiden gramnegativen Bakterienarten
vermindern und damit die Antibiotikawirkung signifikant steigern. Die potenten
Resistenz-modifizierenden Eigenschaften der ätherischen Öle
lassen weitere Untersuchungen der Phenylpropanoide als Hauptkomponenten beider
Öle und anderer Naturstoffe in diesem Kontext vielversprechend
erscheinen.
Complete Molar Pregnancies with a Coexisting Fetus: Pregnancy Outcomes and Review of Literature
Authors: Irani Roxanna A. , Holliman Kerry , Debbink Michelle , Day Lori , Mehlhaff Krista , Gill Lisa , Heuser Cara , Kachikis Alisa , Strickland Kristine , Tureson Justin , Shank Jessica , Pilliod Rachel , Iyer Chitra , Han Christina S. 
Published: October 2021

Objective The objective of the study was to review the obstetric outcomes of complete hydatidiform molar pregnancies with a coexisting fetus (CHMCF), a rare clinical entity that is not well described.
Materials and Methods We performed a retrospective case series with pathology-confirmed HMCF. The cases were collected via solicitation through a private maternal-fetal medicine physician group on social media. Each contributing institution from across the United States (n = 9) obtained written informed consent from the patients directly, obtained institutional data transfer agreements as required, and transmitted the data using a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliant modality. Data collected included maternal, fetal/genetic, placental, and delivery characteristics. For descriptive analysis, continuous variables were reported as median with standard deviation and range.
Results Nine institutions contributed to the 14 cases collected. Nine (64%) cases of CHMCF were a product of assisted reproductive technology and one case was trizygotic. The median gestational age at diagnosis was 12 weeks and 2 days (9 weeks–19 weeks and 4 days), and over half were diagnosed in the first trimester. The median human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) at diagnosis was 355,494 mIU/mL (49,770–700,486 mIU/mL). Placental mass size universally enlarged over the surveillance period. When invasive testing was performed, insufficient sample or no growth was noted in 40% of the sampled cases. Antenatal complications occurred in all delivered patients, with postpartum hemorrhage (71%) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (29%) being the most frequent outcomes. Delivery outcomes were variable. Four patients developed gestational trophoblastic neoplasia.
Conclusion This series is the largest report of obstetric outcomes for CHMCF to date and highlights the need to counsel patients about the severe maternal and fetal complications in continuing pregnancies, including progression to gestational trophoblastic neoplastic disease.
Key Points
XIII—Knowing How to Reason Logically
Authors: Besson Corine 
Published: October 2021

AbstractIn this paper, I examine Gilbert Ryle’s claim that ordinary competence with logical principles or rules is a kind of knowing how, where such knowledge is understood as a skill, a multi-track disposition. Ryle argues that his account of ordinary logical competence helps avoid Lewis Carroll’s famous regress argument (Carroll 1895), which suggests that elementary deductive reasoning might be impossible. Indeed, Carroll’s regress is the central motivation for Ryle’s account. I argue that this account is inadequate on two counts: it cannot serve to articulate the way ordinary reasoners might exercise their knowledge in reasoning and it does not do much to help us avoid Carroll’s regress. I sketch an alternative view, still Rylean in spirit, that fares better on both counts.
Linking high diversification rates of rapidly growing Amazonian plants to geophysical landscape transformations promoted by Andean uplift
Authors: Figueiredo Fernando O G , André Thiago , Moulatlet Gabriel M , Saka Mariana N , Araujo Mário H T , Tuomisto Hanna , Zuquim Gabriela , Emílio Thaise , Balslev Henrik , Borchsenius Finn , Campos Juliana V , Silveira Marcos , Rodrigues Domingos J , Costa Flavia R C 
Published: October 2021

AbstractAmazonia is extremely biodiverse, but the mechanisms for the origin of this diversity are still under debate. We propose a diversification model for Amazonia based on the interplay of intrinsic clade functional traits, habitat associations and past geological events, using as a model group the species-rich Neotropical family Marantaceae. Our results show that the species richness of the lineage is predicted by functional strategy, rather than clade age, and thus the fast vs. slow growth functional trade-off is a major determinant of clade diversification in Marantaceae. Rapidly growing clades were mostly associated with highly productive habitats, and their origin and diversification dynamics matched the expansion of fertile soils mediated by Andean uplift c. 23 Mya. Fast-growth strategies probably led to fast molecular evolution, speeding up speciation rates and species accumulation, resulting in higher numbers of extant species. Our results indicate that pure allopatric-dispersal models disconnected from past geological and ecological forces may be inadequate for explaining the evolutionary and diversity patterns in Amazonian lowlands. We suggest that a coupling of the functional trait-niche framework with diversification dynamics provides insights into the evolutionary history of tropical forests and helps elucidate the mechanisms underlying the origin and evolution of its spectacular biodiversity.
Routine versus clinically indicated use of chest X-rays in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction
Authors: Leelo N , Mortimer N , Townend J N , Doshi S N , Nadir M A 
Published: October 2021

Abstract

Background
National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend consideration of Chest X-rays (CXRs) in patients presenting with chest pain to exclude non-cardiac causes of chest pains. However, patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have a clear diagnosis, rendering the rationale for routine CXRs in this cohort of patients unclear. However, this remains a common practice across the health service.

Methods
We performed a retrospective study use of CXRs in consecutive patients admitted with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention in a single UK tertiary cardiac center. We aimed to investigate if CXRs added clinical and diagnostic value by comparing routine vs. clinically indicated use.

Results
A total of 122 patients (Mean Age 63±12, 87% Male) were admitted with STEMI during the study period and 114/122 (93.4%) patients received at least one CXR during their in-patient stay. All but 2/114 were portable thus resource-intensive. Of these, 75/114 (65.8%) were routine while 39/114 (34.2%) were clinically indicated. Although CXRs were performed in almost all the patients, only 56/114 (49.1%) of patients had the findings of CXRs documented in the clinical records.
The diagnostic efficacy for CXR abnormalities was significantly higher in the clinically indicated CXR group (76.9%) rather than the routine CXR group (2.7%) (p=&lt;0.001). The therapeutic efficacy was 53.8% for clinically indicated CXRs, whereas the routine CXRs had a therapeutic efficacy of 1.3% (p=&lt;0.001). There was a significant association between CXR findings and whether the CXR requested was routine or not (χ2(1)=70.07, p&lt;0.001) and also management changes (χ2(1)=45.43, p&lt;0.001).

Conclusions
Routine CXR in patient admitted with STEMI are often unnecessary and may add very little clinical value. On the other hand, selective post-procedural CXRs have a significantly higher diagnostic and therapeutic yield. Our study questions the rationale behind routine CXRs in the care of patients with STEMIs.

Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None. Table 1
The Jewishness of Luke–Acts: Locating Lukan Christianity Amidst the Parting of The Ways
Authors: Smith David Andrew 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
This article surveys historic and recent contributions to the study of the situation of Luke–Acts and the so-called ‘parting of the ways’ between Judaism and Christianity to advance the thesis that these two avenues of inquiry, which have generally been pursued independently, need to be studied in tandem. The article considers stylistic and theological features of Luke–Acts to argue that this corpus was written either by a Hellenistic Jewish Christian or else a Gentile Godfearer whose entrance into the Christian community was mediated heavily by an attachment to synagogue life. The article further argues that the Luke’s portrayal of Jews suggests that the author writes from a context in which the mission to the Jews is ongoing and with a rhetorical aim to persuade non-Christian Jews, either directly among a Jewish readership or indirectly by inculcating a posture of missionary appeal among Christian readers. Finally, the article argues that the Gentile mission in Acts is narrated with a view toward assuaging Jewish-Christian concerns. Taken together, these arguments propose a complex setting for Luke–Acts within a Jewish and Christian cultural milieu and suggest that the Lukan corpus remains an important textual field for research into early Jewish–Christian relations.
Video-polysomnography procedures for diagnosis of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and the identification of its prodromal stages: guidelines from the International RBD Study Group
Authors: Cesari Matteo , Heidbreder Anna , St. Louis Erik K , Sixel-Döring Friederike , Bliwise Donald L , Baldelli Luca , Bes Frederik , Fantini Maria Livia , Iranzo Alex , Knudsen-Heier Stine , Mayer Geert , McCarter Stuart , Nepozitek Jiri , Pavlova Milena , Provini Federica , Santamaria Joan , Sunwoo Jun-Sang , Videnovic Aleksandar , Högl Birgit , Jennum Poul , Christensen Julie A E , Stefani Ambra 
Published: October 2021

AbstractVideo-polysomnography (v-PSG) is essential for diagnosing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Although there are current American Academy of Sleep Medicine standards to diagnose RBD, several aspects need to be addressed to achieve harmonization across sleep centers. Prodromal RBD is a stage in which symptoms and signs of evolving RBD are present, but do not yet meet established diagnostic criteria for RBD. However, the boundary between prodromal and definite RBD is still unclear. As a common effort of the Neurophysiology Working Group of the International RBD Study Group, this manuscript addresses the need for comprehensive and unambiguous v-PSG recommendations to diagnose RBD and identify prodromal RBD. These include: (1) standardized v-PSG technical settings; (2) specific considerations for REM sleep scoring; (3) harmonized methods for scoring REM sleep without atonia; (4) consistent methods to analyze video and audio recorded during v-PSGs and to classify movements and vocalizations; (5) clear v-PSG guidelines to diagnose RBD and identify prodromal RBD. Each section follows a common template: The current recommendations and methods are presented, their limitations are outlined, and new recommendations are described. Finally, future directions are presented. These v-PSG recommendations are intended for both practicing clinicians and researchers. Classification and quantification of motor events, RBD episodes, and vocalizations are however intended for research purposes only. These v-PSG guidelines will allow collection of homogeneous data, providing objective v-PSG measures and making future harmonized multicentric studies and clinical trials possible.
Flipping law in open and distance learning: the Sri Lankan experience
Authors: Selvaras Janaha 
Published: October 2021

PurposeLegal education, like any other discipline in higher education, necessitates in use of various teaching and learning pedagogies in order to provide a sustainable teaching and learning experience. This article aims to examine the feasibility of implementing flipped learning method as a pedagogy on legal students at the Open University of Sri Lanka, as well as the perceptions of students and lecturer on the teaching and learning process in a flipped class in preparation for future implementation.Design/methodology/approachA mixed research method was used. A survey and a semi-structured interview were used to collect student perceptions, and observations of the lecturer were used to document the lecturer's perception.FindingsAccording to the information gathered from both qualitative and quantitative data, the flipped learning pedagogy enhances the prior learning and student-centered learning of open and distance learning (ODL) and offers a new perspective on the existing pedagogies used in legal education. This article also emphasizes that an equitable implementation of designing and delivering a flipped class will ensure the effectiveness in teaching and learning law in Sri Lanka through ODL.Originality/valueDespite the fact that there is substantial academic literature on flipped pedagogy, including in legal education, this article will create an original contribution by incorporating reflections from Sri Lankan legal education as well as ODL.