bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An empirical investigation of the quality of value‐at‐risk disclosure in Australia
Authors: Campbell Angus , Smith Daniel R. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe study the level and quality of value‐at‐risk (VaR) disclosure at Australian banks. We find that Australian banks have increased disclosure about their VaR recently, reaching a level post‐crisis that is similar to other regulatory jurisdictions. We find that the actual VaR estimates produced by banks are generally rejected by standard backtesting procedures. During quiet periods bank VaRs are too high, while during high volatility stress periods bank VaRs are too low. We are able to reject the null hypothesis that the daily VaRs for two banks are the 1st percentile using a quantile regression‐based test.
Identifying novel ovarian tumor biomarkers through mining of the transcriptome of circulating immune cells: A proof‐of‐concept study
Authors: Uppal Shitanshu , Medlin Erin , Felder Mildred , Kapur Arvinder , Sterner Robert C. , Vazquez Jessica , Lindner Payton N. , Stanic Aleksandar K. , Barroilhet Lisa , Gonzalez‐Bosquet Jesus , Patankar Manish S. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractObjectiveTreatment of high‐grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) will benefit from early detection of cancer. Here, we provide proof‐of‐concept data supporting the hypothesis that circulating immune cells, because of their early recognition of tumors and the tumor microenvironment, can be considered for biomarker discovery.MethodsLongitudinal blood samples from C57BL/6 mice bearing syngeneic ovarian tumors and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy postmenopausal women and newly diagnosed for HGSOC patients were subjected to RNASeq. The results from human immune cells were validated using Affymetrix microarrays. Differentially expressed transcripts in immune cells from tumor‐bearing mice and HGSOC patients were compared to matching controls.ResultsA total of 1282 transcripts (798 and 484, up‐ and downregulated, respectively) were differentially expressed in the tumor‐bearing mice as compared with controls. Top 100 genes showing longitudinal changes in gene expression 2, 4, 7, and 18 days after tumor implantation were identified. Analysis of the PBMC from healthy post‐menopausal women and HGSOC patients identified 4382 differentially expressed genes and 519 of these were validated through Affymetrix microarray analysis. A total of 384 genes, including IL‐1R2, CH3L1, Infitm1, FP42, CXC42, Hdc, Spib, and Sema6b, were differentially expressed in the human and mouse datasets.ConclusionThe PBMC transcriptome shows longitudinal changes in response to the progressing tumor. Several potential biomarker transcripts were identified in HGSOC patients and mouse models. Monitoring their expression in individual PBMC subsets can serve as additional discriminator for the diagnosis of HGSOC.
Alpha‐linolenic acid regulates the gut microbiota and the inflammatory environment in a mouse model of endometriosis
Authors: Ni Zhexin , Ding Jie , Zhao Qianqian , Cheng Wen , Yu Jin , Zhou Ling , Sun Shuai , Yu Chaoqin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractProblemThis study aims to investigate the effects of alpha‐linolenic acid (ALA) on the gut microbiota (GM) and the abdominal environment in mice with endometriosis (EMS).MethodsThe effects of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from EMS mice on mice treated with antibiotic cocktail were conducted. The 16S rRNA sequencing and PICRUSt software were used to detect the structure and function of GM respectively. The protein levels of Claudin 4 and ZO‐2 in the intestinal wall were detected using the western blotting. The level of LPS in the abdominal cavity was detected using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The content of macrophages in the abdominal cavity was detected using flow cytometry.ResultsThe exogenous supplementation of ALA could restore the abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota in EMS mice. After the ALA treatment, the abundance of 125 functional pathways and 50 abnormal enzymes related to GM in EMS mice was significantly improved (p < .05). The expression of the ZO‐2 protein in the intestinal wall was decreased, and the level of LPS in the abdominal cavity was significantly increased after FMT from EMS mice (p < .05). ALA could increase the expression of the ZO‐2 protein in the intestinal wall of EMS mice, reduce the level of LPS in the abdominal cavity (p < .05) and reduce the aggregation of peritoneal macrophages (p < .05).ConclusionAlpha‐linolenic acid can improve the GM, intestinal wall barrier and abdominal inflammatory environment and reduce the level of LPS in mice with EMS.
Genome‐wide association study identifies TNFSF15 associated with childhood asthma
Authors: Kim Kyung Won , Kim Dong Yun , Yoon Dankyu , Kim Ka‐Kyung , Jang Haerin , Schoettler Nathan , Kim Eun Gyul , Kim Mi Na , Hong Jung Yeon , Lee Jeom‐Kyu , Kim Sangwoo , Ober Carole , Gee Heon Yung , Sohn Myung Hyun 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackgroundGenome‐wide association studies (GWASs) of asthma have identified several risk alleles and loci, but most have been conducted in individuals with European‐ancestry. Studies in Asians, especially children, are still lacking. We aimed to identify susceptibility loci by performing the first GWAS of asthma in Korean children with persistent asthma.MethodsWe used a discovery set of 741 children with persistent asthma as cases and 589 healthy children and 551 healthy adults as controls to perform a GWAS. We validated our GWAS findings using UK Biobank data. We then used the Genotype‐Tissue Expression database to identify expression quantitative trait loci of candidate variants. Finally, we quantified proteins of genes associated with asthma.ResultsVariants at the 17q12‐21 locus and SNPs in CYBRD1 and TNFSF15 genes were associated with persistent childhood asthma at genome‐wide thresholds of significance. Four SNPs in the TNFSF15 gene were also associated with childhood‐onset asthma in British white participants in the UK Biobank data. The asthma‐associated rs7856856‐C allele, the lead SNP, was associated with decreased TNFSF15 expression in whole blood and in arteries. Korean children with asthma had lower serum TNFSF15 levels than controls, and those with the asthma risk rs7856856‐CC genotype exhibited the lowest serum TNFSF15 levels overall, especially asthmatic children.ConclusionsOur GWAS of persistent childhood asthma with allergic sensitization identified a new susceptibility gene, TNFSF15, and replicated associations at the 17q12‐21 childhood‐onset asthma locus. This novel association may be mediated by reduced expression of serum TNFSF15 and loss of suppression of angiogenesis.
Demonstrating public value to funders and other stakeholders—the journey of ELIXIR, a virtual and distributed research infrastructure for life science data
Authors: Martin Corinne S. , Repo Susanna , Arenas Márquez Juan , Blomberg Niklas , Lauer Katharina B. , Pérez Sitjà Xènia , Velek Premysl , Melo Ana M. P. , Stansberg Christine , De Leo Francesca , Griniece Elina , Rothe Hannes , Petryszak Robert , Smith Andrew 
Published: May 2021

AbstractOpen Science is a founding principle of ELIXIR, a pan‐European research infrastructure for life science data, with 21 Member countries plus the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. The mission of ELIXIR is to coordinate bioinformatics resources so that they form a single, integrated and pan‐European infrastructure, which can be used freely by academic and private‐sector researchers across the globe. As a recipient of public and charitable funding, ELIXIR must demonstrate its value, and the need to produce evidence in support of this is intensifying. Our practice‐led journey towards demonstrating public value is articulated around five main challenges and, for each, we present our pragmatic approach for tackling it. We begin by showing how we are working towards demystifying what research infrastructures do. We then shed light on the sort of evidence our funders and other stakeholders are asking us for, how this evidence varies in nature and scope, and our tactics to satisfy them. We follow‐on by providing our thoughts on possible barriers and solutions to embedding impact evaluation in our activities. Finally, we provide lessons learned, which we believe are sufficiently transferable and will be inspirational to other research infrastructures as they embark on their own journeys to demonstrate public value.
The link between stereotypical leader traits and perceived electability: Do Black women politicians face double jeopardy?
Authors: Mosier Amanda E. , Pietri Evava S. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper examined whether Black women political candidates face double jeopardy in voter perceptions of electability due to Black women being perceived as having fewer traditional leader traits compared to White male, White female, and Black male candidates. Due to increasing political polarization in the United States, concerns over electability are at the forefront of many voters’ minds when casting their ballots. Traditional conceptions of electability are built upon racialized and gendered notions of what traits connote an effective leader; thus, women and racial minority candidates are often perceived as less electable compared to White men. However, research has not adequately examined the intersectional aspect of electability bias. The current study proposed a double jeopardy effect: we expected that participants (n = 454) would perceive Black women, compared to White men, White women, and Black men, as lower in competence and leadership ability, which would lead to lower electability perceptions and voting intentions. Unexpectedly, there were mixed findings for the effects of race/gender on competence and leadership ability, and we did not find any evidence that candidate race/gender related to electability or voting intentions. We discuss potential explanations for these null findings and suggest avenues for future research.
The nature, severity and causes of medication incidents from an Australian community pharmacy incident reporting system: The QUMwatch study
Authors: Adie Khaled , Fois Romano A. , McLachlan Andrew J. , Walpola Ramesh L. , Chen Timothy F. 
Published: May 2021

AimsMost research into medication safety has been conducted in hospital settings with less known about primary care. The aim of this study was to characterise the nature and causes of medication incidents (MIs) in the community using a pharmacy incident reporting programme.MethodsThirty community pharmacies participated in an anonymous or confidential MI spontaneous reporting programme in Sydney, Australia. The Advanced Incident Management System was used to record and classify incident characteristics, contributing factors, severity and frequency ratings.ResultsIn total, 1013 incidents were reported over 30 months, 831 of which were near misses while 165 reports involved patient harm. The largest proportion of cases pertained to patients aged >65 years (35.7%). Most incidents involved errors during the prescribing stage (61.1%), followed by dispensing (25.7%) and administration (23.5%), while some errors occurred at multiple stages (17.9%). Systemic antibacterials (12.2%), analgesics (11.8%) and renin–angiotensin medicines (11.7%) formed the majority of implicated classes. Participants identified diverse and interrelating contributing factors: those concerning healthcare providers included violations to procedures/guidelines (75.6%), rule‐based mistakes (55.6%) and communication (50.6%); those concerning patients included cognitive factors (31.9%), communication (25.5%) and behaviour (6.1%). Organisational safety culture and inadequate risk management processes were rated as suboptimal.ConclusionAn MI reporting programme can capture and characterise medication safety problems in the community and identify the human and system factors that contribute to errors. Since medicine use is ubiquitous in the community, morbidity and mortality from MIs may be reduced by addressing the prioritised risks and contributing factors identified in this study.
Post‐stroke epilepsy and antiepileptic drug use in men and women
Authors: Loikas Desirée , Linnér Love , Sundström Anders , Wettermark Björn , von Euler Mia 
Published: May 2021

AbstractEvidence‐based recommendations for choice of antiepileptic drug (AED) in post‐stroke epilepsy (PSE) are lacking. The aim of this study was to describe the use and persistence of AEDs when initiating treatment in men and women with PSE. An observational study based on individual‐level patient data from a regional healthcare register in Stockholm, Sweden, was conducted. Adults (≥18 years) with a stroke diagnosis 2012‐2016, a dispensed prescription of any AED within two years after the stroke, and with an epilepsy‐related diagnosis were identified. Multinomial logistic regression and logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with choice of AED and discontinuation within 90 days, respectively. Of 9652 men and 9844 women with a stroke diagnosis, 287 men and 273 women had PSE and were dispensed AED. More than 60% of both men and women with PSE were treated with levetiracetam. Carbamazepine was the second most common drug followed by lamotrigine and valproic acid. There were significant differences in AED choice depending on for instance sex, age and renal impairment. Levetiracetam had the highest persistence in both men and women. Choice of AED, oral anticoagulant use and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) showed an association with the persistence to therapy. We conclude that in both men and women with PSE, levetiracetam was the most used AED for initiation of treatment and also had the highest persistence.
3D reconstruction of the Lapis Tiburtinus (Tivoli, Central Italy): The control of climatic and sea‐level changes on travertine deposition
Authors: Mancini Alessandro , Della Porta Giovanna , Swennen Rudy , Capezzuoli Enrico 
Published: May 2021

Abstract3D modelling is a fundamental tool to visualize and understand the history of sedimentary basin filling and to reconstruct the geobody architecture. Spatial distribution of discontinuity surfaces and geobody characteristics provide valuable information on the factors controlling the sedimentary evolution of basins. Several Neogene‐Quaternary basins of central‐western Italy are controlled by extensional and strike‐slip tectonics and characterized by travertine deposition, related to hydrothermal fluids rising up along discontinuities and fractured carbonate bedrocks. This study presents the 3D modelling results of the quarry area within the tectonically controlled Acque Albule Basin (Tivoli, Central Italy) that hosts the Pleistocene Lapis Tiburtinus travertine. The 3D reconstruction of the different surfaces bounding the travertine units shows a complex architecture composed of depressions, reliefs and channels as predominant morphological elements related to four different depositional environments (subaqueous, palustrine, slope and travertine channel). The reconstructed surface maps highlight the presence of laterally migrating, E–W‐oriented lens‐shaped geometries, with a drainage system persistent through time oriented towards the southern part of the study area in the direction of the Aniene River, bordering the Acque Albule Basin in the South. The Lapis Tiburtinus travertine developed in an area of 28 km2, accumulated in a system composed of sub‐basins (approximately 1–2 km2 wide) with subaqueous conditions interconnected by a hydrographic network, controlled through time by fluctuations of the Aniene River base level. Based on the results obtained, base‐level fluctuations of the Aniene River, related to glacio‐eustatic sea‐level oscillations of the last 115 kyrs associated with alternation of humid and arid climatic conditions, arise as the most important factor affecting the architecture of the travertine geobodies.
Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: Is active surveillance always enough?
Authors: Sutherland Rosie , Tsang Venessa , Clifton‐Bligh Roderick J. , Gild Matti L. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has increased over recent decades. This apparent epidemic has been attributed to the overdiagnosis of small PTC ≤10 mm in diameter (papillary thyroid microcarcinoma [PTMC]) incidentally detected on imaging for unrelated presentations. Although most PTMCs follow an indolent disease course, there is a small but significant proportion of cases that display more biologically aggressive features such as early metastasis and lymph node involvement. Management of PTMC diagnosed preoperatively should be distinguished from managing those PTMCs incidentally discovered after thyroidectomy. Here, we will focus on the challenge of managing the preoperative patient. Current guidelines recommend against routine biopsy of nodules ≤10 mm, even if they display highly suspicious features on ultrasound; however, it is not known how to identify those PTMCs at higher risk of disease progression. In view of their good prognosis even without surgical resection, active surveillance has emerged as an alternative to operative management for low‐risk PTMC without lymph node involvement or distant metastasis. This review aims to summarise active surveillance data for PTMC and identify clinical features that may differentiate the indolent majority from those PTMCs that exhibit early disease progression and metastasis.
Differential production of interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α in primary rat astrocyte cultures using two distinct methods of microglia elimination
Authors: Barany Zoltan , Toth Istvan , Jocsak Gergely , Frenyo Laszlo V. , Bartha Tibor , Sterczer Agnes , Kiss David S. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neurocognitive disorder due to acute or chronic liver failure as well as portosystemic bypass. Both neuroinflammation and oxidative stress have been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of HE. An increasing body of evidence suggests that in the development of these mechanisms astrocytes may be involved. With regard of HE, this aspect of astrocytes is, however, neglected. While several studies focus on astrocytes related to the above‐mentioned pathological processes, the applied in vitro models are generated by diverse methods, which make the results difficult to compare with each other. In addition, these astrocyte cultures frequently contain microglia as well, complicating the interpretation of results. Therefore, we applied enriched primary rat astrocyte cultures generated by microglia elimination via shaking or the combination of cytosine β‐d‐arabinofuranoside hydrochloride (AraC) and l‐leucine methyl ester (LME). We examine whether some HE‐relevant pathological factors, such as ammonia, manganese (Mn), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and H2O2 could elicit oxidative stress and cytokine production in astrocytes. Mn exposure increased the oxidative stress in astrocytes in a time‐dependent manner; furthermore, we could detect tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α production in both cultures at resting state. In addition, it was around 10‐fold higher in the cultures after shaking. LPS increased TNF‐α secretion in cultures after shaking, but not in cultures after AraC + LME treatment. In contrast, interleukin (IL)‐6 was detectable only in the AraC + LME‐treated cultures. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that HE‐relevant factors evoke oxidative stress and cytokine production, albeit depending on the elimination method used.
Retinal prostheses: Where to from here?
Authors: Allen Penelope J. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractResearchers have been working towards the development of retinal prostheses, so called “bionic eyes” since the 1960s in an effort to restore functional vision to severely visually impaired patients. Groups from all around the world are involved in this research but in particular, groups from the United States, Germany, France, Japan and Australia have conducted clinical trials of these devices and three of these devices have achieved either FDA HDE (U.S. Food and Drug Administration Humanitarian Device Exception) or CE mark approval for commercial production. Despite this, all three of these devices are now not in commercial production. There are many challenges to overcome to develop devices suitable to implant in human patients and then reach commercial distribution. This is an exacting process and many hurdles need to be overcome to reach this point so that leaving the market after achieving this goal is a significant decision. Ongoing research is exploring the possibility of less complicated surgery with better visual processing algorithms to provide more useful visual information for our patients to provide a commercial alternative.
Endoscopic submucosal dissection is safe and feasible, allowing for ongoing surveillance and organ preservation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Lightner Amy L. , Vaidya Prashansha , Allende Daniela , Gorgun Emre 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAimExperience of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for colorectal lesions in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains limited. The aim of this work was to determine the safety, feasibility and oncological outcomes of ESD in patients with IBD.MethodA retrospective review of all adult patients (≥18 years) with a known diagnosis of either ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) who underwent advanced colonoscopy and ESD between 1 January 2014 and 1 October 2020. Data collected included patient demographics, disease characteristics, pathological variables and procedure‐related complication rates.ResultsA total of 25 patients were included: 19 (76%) were male with a median age of 63 years and disease duration of more than 10 years. Sixteen had UC and nine had CD; the majority were taking corticosteroids, immunomodulators or monoclonal antibodies at the time of ESD. The median procedure time was 41 min and the majority (n = 18; 72%) utilized chromoendoscopy. The median lesion size was 30 mm: eight had low‐grade dysplasia, nine had high‐grade dysplasia and three had adenocarcinoma and underwent oncological resection. None had surgical intervention for complication of ESD or perforation. A total of 23 (88%) had a complete R0 resection. Over a median follow‐up of 19 months, three were found to have dysplasia excised in polyps and none had subsequent adenocarcinoma.ConclusionESD in the setting of IBD is safe and effective for complete removal of large neoplastic lesions, allowing for ongoing endoscopic surveillance and organ preservation rather than surgical intervention.