bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Using COVID‐19 cycle threshold and other lab values as predictors of hospitalization need
Authors: Seeni Ramamahesh , Firzli Tarek , Riddle Mark S. , Krasner Charles , Ashraf Sara , Siddiqui Faisal 
Published: February 2021

AbstractSARS‐COV‐2 (COVID‐19) is a novel virus that has caused over 28 million cases worldwide and over 900,000 deaths since early 2020, rightfully being classified as a pandemic. COVID‐19 is diagnosed via polymerase chain reaction testing which looks at cycle threshold (CT) values of two genes, N2 and E. This study examined CT values of COVID‐positive patients at the VA hospital in Reno as well as other lab values and comorbidities to determine if any could aid clinicians in predicting the need for hospitalization and higher levels of care. Multiple variables, including N2 CT value, absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), D‐dimer, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C‐reactive protein, fibrinogen, and ferritin were evaluated for potential associations with N2 CT value as well as required level of care (based on World Health Organization [WHO] ordinal score). The results suggest that patients with a N2 CT value less than 34 are four times more likely to have WHO ordinal scores of 4–8 (p = .0021) while controlling for age and comorbidities (DM, cardiac, kidney, and lung disease). Patients of age 55 or greater were 15.18 times more likely to have WHO ordinal scores of 4–8 (p = .012) controlling for N2 CT value and comorbidities. Furthermore, patients with ALC less than 1 were 5.88 times more likely to have WHO ordinal score of 4–8 (p = .00024). N2 CT values also appear to be associated with many commonly obtained markers such as ALC, white blood cell count, C‐reactive protein, and D‐dimer. Patients with N2 CT values less than 34 were 3.49 times more likely to have ALC values less than 1, controlling for age and comorbidities (p = .0072) while patients 55 or older were 6.66 times more likely to have ALC less than 1 (p = .027). Finally, this study confirms previous conclusions that patients with advanced age had more severe infections and thus will likely require higher levels of care.
Self‐collected saliva for SARS‐CoV‐2 detection: A prospective study in the emergency room
Authors: Echavarria Marcela , Reyes Noelia S. , Rodriguez Pamela E. , Ypas Martin , Ricarte Carmen , Rodriguez María P. , Perez Matias G. , Seoane Alejandro , Martinez Alfredo , Videla Cristina , Stryjewski Martin E. , Carballal Guadalupe 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCurrent diagnostic standards involve severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) detection in nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS), but saliva is an attractive and noninvasive option for diagnosis. The objectives were to determine the performance of saliva in comparison with NPS for detecting SARS‐CoV‐2 and to compare the optimized home brew reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) with a commercial RT‐PCR. Paired NPS and saliva specimens were prospectively collected and tested by RT‐PCR from patients presenting at an emergency room with signs and symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease‐2019. A total of 348 samples from 174 patients were tested by RT‐PCR assays. Among 174 patients with symptoms, 63 (36%) were SARS‐CoV‐2 positive in NPS using the optimized home‐brew PCR. Of these 63 patients, 61 (98%) were also positive in saliva. An additional positive SARS‐CoV‐2 saliva was detected in a patient with pneumonia. Kappa Cohen's coefficient agreement between NPS and saliva was 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90–0.99). Median Ct values in NPS versus saliva were 18.88 (interquartile range [IQR], 15.60–23.58; range, 11.97–38.10) versus 26.10 (IQR, 22.75–30.06; range, 13.78–39.22), respectively (p < .0001). The optimized home‐brew RT‐PCR demonstrated higher analytical and clinical sensitivity compared with the commercial RT‐PCR assay. A high sensitivity (98%) and agreement (kappa 0.96) in saliva samples compared to NPS was demonstrated when using an optimized home‐brew PCR even when the viral load in saliva was lower than in NPS. This noninvasive sample is easy to collect, requires less consumable and avoids discomfort to patients. Importantly, self‐collection of saliva can diminish exposure to healthcare personnel.
Developing, optimizing, and assessing a green electrophoretic method for determination of benzbromarone and allopurinol with its active metabolite in biological and pharmaceutical matrices
Authors: Essam Hebatallah M. , Mohamed Heba M. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractA combination of allopurinol and benzbromarone is a common gout treatment protocol. A suboptimal response to allopurinol in patients is very common due to its pharmacokinetics variability. Moreover, the safe doses of benzbromarone is very crucial in patients with hepatic diseases. This raised the inquisitiveness to develop and optimize a capillary zone electrophoresis method for the determination of allopurinol and benzbromarone in their coformulation and in the presence of oxypurinol, the active metabolite of allopurinol, in biological and pharmaceutical matrices. The method greenness profile was assessed using green metric tools the “National Environmental Method Index,” the “Analytical Eco‐Scale,” and the “Green Analytical Procedure Index” by which the method proved to be ecofriendly. The method was successfully applied for the analysis of the pharmaceutical preparation and urine samples spiked with both drugs and the active metabolite. The linearity range was 25.0‐250.0 μg/mL for benzbromarone, 50.0‐350.0 μg/mL for allopurinol, and 100.0‐500.0 μg/mL for oxypurinol. The recoveries were 99.60 ± 0.67, 99.89 ± 0.98, and 98.71 ± 1.18% for benzbromarone, allopurinol, and oxypurinol, respectively. The analysis results indicate potential usefulness of capillary zone electrophoresis as a competitive and greener method of analysis in biological and quality control labs.
A drop of self‐confidence program about urinary incontinence
Authors: Szabó László , Szabó János , Vidor Eszter 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAimThe aim of our study was to find and map untreated incontinence patients through general practitioner (GP) practices.MethodsGeneral practitioners and their assistants participated in the program (Group A). GPs of all the country were involved in a representative manner. The process of the program was preparing the education program, praxis involvement, participant education, a population screening, and by questionnaire by medical staff. In Group B urological outpatients clinics participated.ResultsA total of 2761 GPs, 3015 nurses, and 110 specialists participated in the program between 2011 and 2019. The population participating in the program was 162,871, 86% women and 14% men. The age range was 18–96. 68% had urinary incontinence (UI), 76% of patients had stress, and 49% had urge incontinence. Incontinence is very high (98%) among bedridden patients. On average, 20% had very little information, 40% had little information, 33% had enough information about incontinence, and 7% thought they knew everything about it. 41% reported diabetes mellitus, 33% had frequent cough and sneezing, 31% obesity as a risk factor. 30% of incontinent patients did not go to the GP and 66% to the specialist. 34% of patients who were at GPs received no information, 34% of the patients received symptomatic, and 30% did not receive treatment from the GP.ConclusionThe incidence of UI is similar to that in other countries. Patient recognition care is similar, perhaps worse. The findings of this study clearly indicate that harmful physical and psychosocial effects of UI are significant and require attention of the healthcare system.
Educational resilience among youth in foster care
Authors: Kothari Brianne H. , Godlewski Bethany , Lipscomb Shannon T. , Jaramillo Jamie 
Published: February 2021

AbstractYouth in foster care can experience educational success. Yet, studies have tended to focus on their educational challenges and achievement gaps. Compared to their counterparts, youth in foster care lag behind on many academic outcomes. Research is needed to understand the academic and nonacademic indicators of educational resilience (i.e., the increased likelihood of school success despite adverse conditions) among youth in foster care. This prospective study expands the existing literature by examining key individual and contextual factors associated with educationally resilient outcomes among school‐aged youth in foster care, with a particular focus on two malleable protective factors—school engagement and quality youth–foster caregiver relationships. Academic proficiency benchmarks reported by state administrative data were used to operationalize three educationally resilient outcomes (i.e., math, reading, and attendance). Logistic regressions with robust standard errors were then estimated to determine which individual and contextual factors best predicted each educationally resilient outcome. Intersectionality was also explored. Results revealed that youth's lived experience of educational resilience varies by the intersection of their personal identities. In addition, two malleable protective factors (school engagement and quality youth–foster caregiver relationships) also predicted specific educationally resilient outcomes. Implications for research and practice in schools and child welfare agencies are discussed.
Manual mass spectrometry de novo sequencing of the anionic host defense peptides of the Cuban Treefrog Osteopilus septentrionalis
Authors: Samgina Tatiana Y. , Tolpina Maria D. , Surin Alexey K. , Kovalev Sergey V. , Bosch Roberto Alonso , Alonso Isel Pascual , Garcia Fabiola Almeida , Gonzalez Lopez Luis Javier , Lebedev Albert T. 
Published: February 2021

RationaleHost defense peptides accumulated in the skin glands of the animals constitute the basis of the adaptive and immune system of amphibians. The peptidome of the Cuban frog Osteopilus septentrionalis was established using tandem mass spectrometry as the best analytical tool to elucidate the sequence of these peptides.MethodsManual interpretation of complementary collision‐induced dissociation (CID), higher energy collision‐induced dissociation (HCD), and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) tandem mass spectra recorded with an Orbitrap Elite mass spectrometer in liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) mode was used to sequence the peptide components of the frog skin secretion, obtained by mild electrostimulation.ResultsAlthough the vast majority of amphibian peptides discovered so far are cationic, surprisingly only anionic peptides were identified in the skin secretion of the Cuban frog Osteopilus septentrionalis. Mass spectrometry allowed the sequences to be established of 16 representatives of new peptide families: septenins 1 and septenins 2. The highest sequence coverage when dealing with these anionic peptides was obtained with CID normalized collision energy 35 and HCD normalized collision energy 28.ConclusionsMirror‐symmetrical peptides are sequenced using N‐terminal acetylation. Acetylated Ser is reliably distinguished from isomeric Glu by the loss of ketene from b‐ions containing the corresponding residue. Calculations of the physicochemical and structural properties of the discovered anionic septenins 1 and 2 allowed the mechanism of their interaction with microbe cells to be postulated.
Performance output tracking for cascaded heat partial differential equation‐ordinary differential equation systems subject to unmatched disturbance
Authors: Wen Rui‐Li , Feng Hongyinping 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we are concerned with the performance output tracking for two cascades of one‐dimensional heat partial differential equation‐ordinary differential equation systems with Dirichlet and Neumann interconnection, respectively, where both the external disturbances are non‐collocated to the controller, and moreover, the disturbances come from exosystem. By means of the proper trajectory planning, the non‐collocated configurations can be converted into the collocated ones, so that the difficulties caused by these non‐collocateds are overcome. Exponential convergences of the regulation errors are proved. Finally, the numerical simulations validate the effectiveness of this method.
Owner quality of life, caregiver burden and anticipatory grief: How they differ, why it matters
Authors: Spitznagel Mary Beth , Anderson Jason R. , Marchitelli Beth , Sislak Meg D. , Bibbo Jessica , Carlson Mark D. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackground: Understanding client perspective is important for veterinary communications, particularly during problem visits. Key client experiences of caregiver burden, anticipatory grief and quality of life (QoL) have been previously examined in this context, but never simultaneously considered.Methods: A sample of 393 owners of an elderly or seriously ill companion animal was recruited online to complete cross‐sectional measures of psychosocial function, companion animal presentation and demographics.Results: Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that owner caregiver burden, anticipatory grief and QoL reflect distinct constructs. Cluster analysis showed these experiences occur in four separate owner profiles: ‘distressed’, ‘resilient’, ‘non‐distressed’ and owners experiencing strain due to ‘other influences’. These groups appear to be differentially influenced by various factors, such as the companion animal's QoL, nature of the illness and the owner's attachment. They also show distinct differences in consideration of euthanasia and emotional functioning, including experience of stress and depressive symptoms.Conclusions: Constructs of caregiver burden, anticipatory grief and QoL are not interchangeable and may differentially impact owner decisions and behaviour. The veterinarian's understanding of owner profiles relevant to these issues and distinguishing underlying features may foster effective communication.
Corona Virus, Climate Change and Food Security
Authors: Meludu Nkiru Theresa , Abolade Toyin 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCoronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is a current pandemic causing lockdown of cities and countries. The nature of this disease and the global cases are still considered as deadly all over the world. Analogous was drawn between the current COVID-19 pandemic and some of the other contemporary crises of the world as regards to climate change in addition to food shortage. Also, Survey Monkey instrument was used to generate emperical evidences from 514 respondents on covid-19 awareness and the effect on food security. Effects of diseases on climate change, such as the increasing frequency and strength of extreme weather events or the expanding range and spread of diseases was considered. Then, the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change was investigated. Prior to the pandemic, climate change already had adverse effects on agriculture and vice versa, which led to food insecurity. The need for fruits as well as leafy and root vegetables in peri-urban and urban areas is increasing, as well as the food shortage. A drop in agricultural production will be expected in the future if the pandemic continues for a few more months. The perception and adherence to the preventive measures for this pandemic were determined to reduce its spread and lessen its effect on agricultural production as well as to improve food security.
Signal Transduction in Immune Cells and Protein Kinases
Authors: Neagu Monica , Constantin Carolina 
Published: February 2021

AbstractImmune response relies upon several intracellular signaling events. Among the protein kinases involved in these pathways, members of the protein kinase C (PKC) family are prominent molecules because they have the capacity to acutely and reversibly modulate effector protein functions, controlling both spatial distribution and dynamic properties of the signals. Different PKC isoforms are involved in distinct signaling pathways, with selective functions in a cell-specific manner.In innate system, Toll-like receptor signaling is the main molecular event triggering effector functions. Various isoforms of PKC can be common to different TLRs, while some of them are specific for a certain type of TLR. Protein kinases involvement in innate immune cells are presented within the chapter emphasizing their coordination in many aspects of immune cell function and, as important players in immune regulation.In adaptive immunity T-cell receptor and B-cell receptor signaling are the main intracellular pathways involved in seminal immune specific cellular events. Activation through TCR and BCR can have common intracellular pathways while others can be specific for the type of receptor involved or for the specific function triggered. Various PKC isoforms involvement in TCR and BCR Intracellular signaling will be presented as positive and negative regulators of the immune response events triggered in adaptive immunity.
Constraints on neutrino non-standard interactions from LHC data with large missing transverse momentum
Authors: Liu DianYu , Sun ChuanLe , Gao Jun 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The possible non-standard interactions (NSIs) of neutrinos with matter plays important role in the global determination of neutrino properties. In our study we select various data sets from LHC measurements at 13 TeV with integrated luminosities of 35 ∼ 139 fb−1, including production of a single jet, photon, W/Z boson, or charged lepton accompanied with large missing transverse momentum. We derive constraints on neutral-current NSIs with quarks imposed by different data sets in a framework of either effective operators or simplified Z′ models. We use theoretical predictions of productions induced by NSIs at next-to-leading order in QCD matched with parton showering which stabilize the theory predictions and result in more robust constraints. In a simplified Z′ model we obtain a 95% CLs upper limit on the conventional NSI strength ϵ of 0.042 and 0.0028 for a Z′ mass of 0.2 and 2 TeV respectively. We also discuss possible improvements from future runs of LHC with higher luminosities.
Innovative fabrication of diffractive surfaces on plastic parts via textures micromilled on NiP injection moulds
Authors: Milan Nicola , Parenti Paolo , Annoni Massimiliano , Sorgato Marco , Lucchetta Giovanni 
Published: February 2021

AbstractDiffractive microstructured surfaces are nowadays increasingly applied to polymeric parts for aesthetic, security and optical functionalities. However, both the machining of the mould blaze-grating and its replication on plastic are still representing challenging issues, from both the technical and economical points of view. In this work, an innovative process chain based on carbide tools micromilling of mould gratings was developed for mass production of diffractive patterns on injection moulded parts. A micromilling experimental campaign was conducted on a nickel-phosphorus (NiP) thick coating to machine a blaze-grating on the mould surface, evaluating the influence of the cutting parameters on the diffractive surface quality. Subsequently, the microstructures were replicated on ABS, PC and PMMA by injection moulding. The roughness parameters Sk, Spk and Svk were added with the idea that their sum is representative of the polymer replication of regular diffraction grating pattern. Moreover, the effect of the moulded grating surface quality on the optical performance was preliminarily assessed. The obtained results show that the proposed process chain is suitable for low-cost mass production of polymeric parts with diffractive microstructures.
Intertidal mussel reefs change the composition and size distribution of diatoms in the biofilm
Authors: Andriana Rosyta , Engel Friederike G. , Gusmao Joao B. , Eriksson Britas Klemens 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMigrating diatoms are microscopic ecosystem engineering organisms that have functional consequences on the seascape scale by significantly contributing to the microphytobenthos biofilm. The microphytobenthos biofilm is a thin photosynthesising layer that covers the sediment on intertidal flats. It fuels the food web, increases sediment stability, and enhances the deposition of particles, providing ecosystem services to coastal communities. Here we tested the effect of another ecosystem engineering habitat, intertidal blue mussel reefs, on the composition and properties of migrating diatom communities. Small-scale reefs constructed in the intertidal mimicked and reinforced the natural pattern in diatom community composition and function that we documented in the field. The field experiment adding small reefs to the intertidal ran from 30 April to 10 June 2015 and the field samples were collected around a natural blue mussel bed on the same tidal flat on 7 October 2015 (N 53.489°, E 6.230°). Both the constructed small-scale reefs and the natural reef changed the community composition of diatoms in the biofilm by promoting higher numbers of smaller-sized cells and species. Small diatoms have higher growth and gross photosynthesis rates, indicating that this explains the higher production and chlorophyll-a concentration of the biofilm measured on natural intertidal shellfish reefs. Our results showed that shellfish reefs have a large impact on biofilm functioning. However, biofilms are also fuel for the shellfish, indicating that the two very different ecosystem engineers may facilitate coexistence on tidal flats through a positive feedback loop.
Platelet-expressed immune checkpoint regulator GITRL in breast cancer
Authors: Zhou Yanjun , Heitmann Jonas S. , Clar Kim L. , Kropp Korbinian N. , Hinterleitner Martina , Engler Tobias , Koch André , Hartkopf Andreas D. , Zender Lars , Salih Helmut R. , Maurer Stefanie , Hinterleitner Clemens 
Published: February 2021

AbstractOwing to their key role in several diseases including cancer, activating and inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules are increasingly exploited as targets for immunotherapy. Recently, we demonstrated that platelets, which largely influence tumor progression and immune evasion, functionally express the ligand of the checkpoint molecule GITR. This immunoreceptor modulates effector functions of T cells and NK cells with its function varying dependent on cellular context and activation state. Here, we provide a comparative analysis of platelet-derived GITRL (pGITRL) in breast cancer patients and healthy volunteers. The levels of pGITRL were found to be higher on platelets derived from cancer patients and appeared to be specifically regulated during tumor progression as exemplified by several clinical parameters including tumor stage/grade, the occurrence of metastases and tumor proliferation (Ki67) index. In addition, we report that pGITRL is upregulated during platelet maturation and particularly induced upon exposure to tumor-derived soluble factors. Our data indicate that platelets modulate the GITR/GITRL immune checkpoint in the context of malignant disease and provide a rationale to further study the GITR/GITRL axis for exploitation for immunotherapeutic intervention in cancer patients.