bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tensile behavior of stud connectors in high strength concrete
Authors: Li Fuhai , Gao Hao , Jiang Yilin , Wen Tao , Zhan Yulin , Chen Zhao , Shen Dong 
Published: September 2021

Stud connectors are commonly used in steel-concrete composite structures. As high strength concrete (HSC) will be applied in the construction of a composite structure, it is needed to study the performance of stud connectors in HSC. In this study, tension (pull-out) tests were conducted on the studs with different combinations of diameters- d(13, 16, and 19 mm) and effective embedment depths- h ef (40, 60, and 80 mm) in HSC with a 28-day compressive strength of 88 MPa. Based on the experimental results, the concrete breakout failure mode dominates and only the scenario with the smallest diameter and largest h ef is controlled by steel failure mode. Because of high strength, the steel failure occurs at smaller h ef/ d in HSC than normal concrete. In the concrete breakout failure mode, brittle load–displacement behaviors are presented and the angle of the breakout cone ranges from 30∼35°, which is close to the concrete capacity design (CCD) method. Also, the ultimate tensile strength ( N u), stiffness, and pre-peak ductility are dependent on h ef and diameter . The existing prediction models (CCD method and variable angle cone method) both overestimate the N u in HSC, which is due to its lower ratio tensile/compressive strength than normal concrete. Considering the mechanism of how the breakout cone is formed, a modified reduced_CCD method is proposed for predicting N u of studs in HSC.
Comparison of the sensitivity of patient-reported outcomes for detecting the benefit of biologics in severe asthma
Authors: Hyland Michael E , Lanario Joseph W , Menzies-Gow Andrew , Mansur Adel H , Dodd James W , Fowler Stephen J , Hayes Gemma , Jones Rupert C , Masoli Matthew 
Published: September 2021

Background The sensitivity of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to detect the effects of treatment change depends on the match between the change in items of the PRO and the change that takes place in a sample of people. The aim of this study is to compare the sensitivity of different PROs in detecting changes following the initiation of biologic treatment in asthma. Methods: Patients starting a biologic treatment as part of clinical care completed the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ-6), the Severe Asthma Questionnaire (SAQ and SAQ-global scores) and the EQ5D (EQ-5D-5L and EQ5D-VAS) at baseline. They completed the ACQ-6, SAQ, SAQ-global and a retrospective global rating of change (GRoC) scale at weeks 4, 8 and 16 and completed the EQ-5D-5L and EQ5D-VAS at week 16. The SAQ-global and EQ5D-VAS differ but both are single item 100-point questions. Sensitivity was measured by Cohen’s D effect size at each of the three time points. Results: 110 patients were recruited. Depending on the time of assessment, effect size varied between 0.45 and 0.64 for the SAQ, between 0.50 and 0.77 for the SAQ-global; between 0.45 and 0.69 for ACQ-6; between 0.91 and 1.22 for GRoC; 0.32 for EQ-5D-5L and 0.49 for EQ5D-VAS. Conclusion: The sensitivity to change of a questionnaire varies with the time of measurement. The three asthma-specific prospective measures (SAQ, SAQ-global and ACQ-6) have similar sensitivity to change. The single-item EQ5D-VAS was less sensitive than the asthma specific measures and less sensitive than the single-item SAQ-global. The EQ-5D-5L was least sensitive.
Thermal protective performance of single-layer rib-knitted structure and its derivatives under radiant heat flux
Authors: Maurya Sandeep K , Uttamrao Somkuwar Viraj , Garg Hema , Das Apurba , Kumar Bipin 
Published: September 2021

The compact construction of fire-resistant woven clothing designed for radiant heat flux protection limits the air permeability from the skin to the environment that risks thermal stress to the wearer. Knitted fabric is well known for its comfort and transmission properties. The inevitable porosity of the knitted fabric has restrained its application in fire-protective clothing. This study attempts to apply tuck and miss elements of a knitted structure to produce a compact yet comfortable flame-retardant fabric with maximum air permeability. The effect of radiant heat exposure at the intensity of 40 kW/m2 and 61 kW/m2 is analyzed for the designed sample. The tuck and miss stitches are used to modify rib-knitted structure and the second-degree burn time estimated using Stoll’s curve. The findings of this research show that a simple modification of rib structure with incorporation of miss stitch can enhance the second-degree burn time to 30 s at the radiant heat exposure of 40 kW/m2.
Intervariability in radiographic parameters and general evaluation of a low-dose fluoroscopic technique in patients with idiopathic scoliosis
Authors: Wong Christian , Adriansen Jens , Jeppsen Jytte , Balslev-Clausen Andreas 
Published: September 2021

Background Radiographic images in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) have a potential radiation-induced oncogenic effect; thus lowering radiation dose by using fluoroscopic imaging technique of low-dose fluoroscopic technique (LFT) which might be relevant for clinical evaluation. Purpose To compare radiographs of LFT with gold standard radiographs for AIS ordinary radiographic technique (ORT). Material and Methods Image quality was evaluated for LTF and ORT of a child phantom and two 3D-printed models (3DPSs) of AIS. We measured the primary physical characteristics of noise, contrast, spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio. Three independent evaluators assessed the radiographs by observer-based methods of image criteria (ICS) and visual grading analysis(VGAS). Radiation doses were evaluated by the dose-area-product (DAP) of the 25 phantom radiographs. Reliability and agreement of Cobb’s angle (CA) and other radiographic parameters were evaluated on the 3DPSs and reliability on 342 LFT. Results The average noise and contrast were approximately 15-fold higher for LFT. SNR and CNR were similar. Overall, ICS and VGAS were 3-fold higher for ORT than for LFT for L3 and similar for Th6. Reliability and agreement were good for the experimental LFT, and the interclass correlation coefficient for CA was 0.852 for the clinical LFT. The average DAP and effective dose for LFT were 8-fold lower than those for ORT. Conclusion In conclusion, LFT is reliable for CA measurements and is thus useful for clinical outpatient follow-up evaluation. Even though the image quality is lower for LFT than ORT, the merits are the substantially reduced radiation and a lowered malignancy risk without compromising the measurement of Cobb’s angle, thus following the principles of ALARA.
Drug-sensitivity test and analysis of drug-resistant mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Kashgar, China
Authors: Ma Zhongchen , Sun Tianhao , Bai Xinyu , Ji Xiang , Zhang Qian , Wu Jiangdong , Wang Zhen , Chen Chuangfu 
Published: September 2021

Introduction In recent years, drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains have gradually become widespread. Most drug resistance is related to specific mutations. We investigated M. tuberculosis drug resistance in the Kashgar area, China. Methods The drug-susceptibility test was conducted to clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis. Genomic-sequencing technology was used for the drug-resistant strains and the significance of DNA sequencing as a rapid aid for drug-resistance detection and the diagnosis method was evaluated. Results The resistance rates of clinical isolates to rifampicin (RFP), isoniazid (INH), streptomycin (SM), ethambutol (EMB), and ofloxacin (OFX) were, respectively, 4.4%, 12.3%, 8.8%, 2.6%, and 3.5%. The single- and multi-drug resistance rates were, respectively, 80.0% and 20.0%. The resistance genes RopB, katG, InhA, RpsL, rrs, gyrA, and embB displayed codon mutations, while InhA was mutated in its promoter region. Kappa scores, evaluating the consistency between DNA sequencing and the resistance ratio methods for the detection of isolates’ resistance to RFP, INH, SM, OFX, and EMB, were 1, 0.955, 0.721, 0.796, and 1, respectively. Conclusion The resistance rate of INH and SM is relatively high in the Kashgar area. Detection of mutations in RopB, katG, InhA, RpsL, rrs, gyrA, and embB by DNA sequencing can predict drug resistance of M. tuberculosis strains with high sensitivity and specificity, and can be used for diagnosis.
Impact of Navigation on 30-Day Outcomes for Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery
Authors: Katz Austen D. , Galina Jesse , Song Junho , Hasan Sayyida , Perfetti Dean , Virk Sohrab , Silber Jeff , Essig David 
Published: September 2021

Study Design Retrospective database study. Objective Navigation has been increasingly used to treat degenerative disease, with positive radiographic and clinical outcomes and fewer adverse events and reoperations, despite increased operative time. However, short-term analysis on treating adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery with navigation is limited, particularly using large nationally represented cohorts. This is the first large-scale database study to compare 30-day readmission, reoperation, morbidity, and value-per-operative time for navigated and conventional ASD surgery. Methods Adults were identified in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Multivariate regression was used to compare outcomes between navigated and conventional surgery and to control for predictors and baseline differences. Results 3190 ASD patients were included. Navigated and conventional patients were similar. Navigated cases had greater operative time (405 vs 320 min) and mean RVUs per case (81.3 vs 69.7), and had more supplementary pelvic fixations (26.1 vs 13.4%) and osteotomies (50.3 vs 27.7%) ( P <.001). In univariate analysis, navigation had greater reoperation (9.9 vs 5.2%, P = .011), morbidity (57.8 vs 46.8%, P = .007), and transfusion (52.2 vs 41.8%, P = .010) rates. Readmission was similar (11.9 vs 8.4%). In multivariate analysis, navigation predicted reoperation (OR = 1.792, P = .048), but no longer predicted morbidity or transfusion. Most reoperations were infectious and hardware-related. Conclusions Despite controlling for patient-related and procedural factors, navigation independently predicted a 79% increased odds of reoperation but did not predict morbidity or transfusion. Readmission was similar between groups. This is explained, in part, by greater operative time and transfusion, which are risk factors for infection. Reoperation most frequently occurred for wound- and hardware-related reasons, suggesting navigation carries an increased risk of infectious-related events beyond increased operative time.
Pyloric stent insertion in malignant gastric outlet obstruction: moving beyond palliation
Authors: Saeed Saad Muhammad , Bilal Sundus , Siddique Muhammad Zeeshan , Saqib Muhammad , Shahid Shahana , Ghumman Azhar Noor , Yusuf Muhammed Aasim 
Published: September 2021

Background: Self-expandable metallic stents have not only largely replaced surgical gastrojejunostomy for unresectable gastric cancers, but their role as bridging therapy for resectable obstructing tumours is also evolving. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pyloric stents in gastric outlet obstruction in patients with gastric cancer and assess survival in patients with resectable obstructing gastric tumours in whom stents were inserted as a bridge to surgery. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of patients who underwent self-expandable metallic stent insertion for gastric outlet obstruction due to gastric cancer from January 2014 to March 2019. Results: Out of 161 patients, clinical improvement was observed in 159 (99%) and 156 (97%) at 1 and 12 weeks of stent placement, respectively. None of these patients experienced serious complications, such as perforation or aspiration pneumonia. Of these 161 patients, enteral stents were placed as bridging therapy prior to surgery in 40 (24.8%). Among these, 35 (87.5%) of 40 underwent neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by curative surgery. Of the 35 patients, 3 failed to follow-up. One-year survival following curative surgery was 87.5%. Stent helped to reduce vomiting and improve nutrition, measured by the body mass index ( p = 0.36) and serum albumin ( p = 0.05), over a 4-week period following stent insertion. Conclusion: Pyloric stents are useful in relieving malignant gastric outlet obstruction, maintaining nutrition during neo-adjuvant treatment and improving survival without additional risk of postoperative complications. They have traditionally been used for palliation, but should also be considered as bridging therapy for obstructing resectable gastric tumours during neo-adjuvant treatment.
Sonographic Optic Nerve Diameter and Clinical Biomarkers in Patients With Poorly Controlled Diabetes: A Comparative Analysis With Nondiabetic Subjects
Authors: Udoh Benjamin Effiong , Erim Akwa Egom , Archibong Bassey E. , Paulinus Samson O. , Ezeokpo Basil Chukwuma , Agwu Kenneth Kalu 
Published: September 2021

Objective: The study assessed optic nerve diameter (OND) and clinical biomarkers in patients with poorly controlled diabetes compared with healthy nondiabetic volunteers. Materials and Methods: There were 1320 adult participants recruited to the study. The cohort was divided into 600 Type 2 diabetic (DM II) patients and 720 apparently healthy, nondiabetic volunteers. The OND was measured using a high-resolution dedicated ultrasound device (Sonoace 5500; Medicol, Medison, Miami, FL, USA) with a 10-MHz linear array transducer. Subjects were examined in a supine position with their eyes closed. Three measurements of the OND were taken and the average recorded. Hemoglobin A1c concentration and lipid profiles were determined using Bio-Rad Diamat analyzer (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA). Body mass index and age were matched for both cohorts for comparativeness. Results: The mean OND of the DM II patients was 3.10 ± 0.14 mm (range of 2.6–4.0 mm), which was significantly ( P < .05) lower than the control volunteers (4.22 ± 0.15 mm). The OND demonstrated a negative significant correlation with HA1c, duration of diabetes and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level ( P < .05). Lipid profiles, blood urea, serum creatinine, and hemoglobin A1c showed statistical difference between diabetics and control subjects. Conclusion: Poorly controlled DM II patients may have significantly narrower OND than nondiabetic patients. This imaging biomarker has the potential to transform visual care for DM II patients.
Study of Cracking Mechanism and Wear Resistance in Laser Cladding Coating of Ni-based Alloy
Authors: Yu Zhenglei , Li Lunxiang , Zhang Deqiang , Shi Guangfeng , Yang Guang , Xu Zezhou , Zhang Zhihui 
Published: September 2021

AbstractNickel-based alloy coatings were widely used for the remanufacturing of dies and moulds by laser cladding, but the crack sensitivity would be increase due to the higher strength and hardness, which reduced the wear resistance of Ni-based alloys. In this paper, Ni-based coatings with the addition of a plastic phase (an austenitic stainless net) were prepared using laser cladding technology, and the CeO2 was added in cladding layers. The cracking mechanism, microhardness, microstructure, phase composition, and wear properties were investigated. The relationship between thermal stress and the elastic and plastic fracture had been developed from the standpoint of fracture mechanics and thermal elastic fracture mechanics. The fracture criterion of the nickel-based coating was obtained, and the study has shown that the crack sensitivity could be reduced by decreasing the thermal expansion coefficient Δα. Thus, a new method was proposed, which the stainless steel nets were prefabricated on the substrate. It was found that the number of cracks reduced significantly with the addition of stainless steel net. When the stainless steel net with 14 mesh was added in Ni-based coatings, the average microhardness of nickel composite coating was 565 HV0.2, which was 2.6 times higher than that of the 45 steel substrate. Although the rare earth oxide 4 wt.% CeO2 and stainless steel net were added in the Ni-based coating reducing the microhardness (the average microhardness is 425 HV0.2), the wear resistance of it improved substantially. The wear volume of Ni-based composite coating was 0.56×10−5 mm3·N−1·m−1, which was 85.1% lower than that of 45 steel. The experiment results have shown that the Nickel-based composite coating is equipped with low crack sensitivity and high abrasive resistance with austenitic stainless net and the rare earth oxide 4 wt.% CeO2. This research offers an efficient solution to produce components with low crack susceptibility and high wear-resistance coatings fabricated by laser cladding.
A Journey to the West: The Ancient Dispersal of Rice Out of East Asia
Authors: Spengler Robert N. , Stark Sören , Zhou Xinying , Fuks Daniel , Tang Li , Mir-Makhamad Basira , Bjørn Rasmus , Jiang Hongen , Olivieri Luca M. , Begmatov Alisher , Boivin Nicole 
Published: September 2021

AbstractRice is one of the most culturally valued and widely grown crops in the world today, and extensive research over the past decade has clarified much of the narrative of its domestication and early spread across East and South Asia. However, the timing and routes of its dispersal into West Asia and Europe, through which rice eventually became an important ingredient in global cuisines, has remained less clear. In this article, we discuss the piecemeal, but growing, archaeobotanical data for rice in West Asia. We also integrate written sources, linguistic data, and ethnohistoric analogies, in order to better understand the adoption of rice outside its regions of origin. The human-mediated westward spread of rice proceeded gradually, while its social standing and culinary uses repeatedly changing over time and place. Rice was present in West Asia and Europe by the tail end of the first millennium BC, but did not become a significant crop in West Asia until the past few centuries. Complementary historical, linguistic, and archaeobotanical data illustrate two separate and roughly contemporaneous routes of westward dispersal, one along the South Asian coast and the other through Silk Road trade. By better understanding the adoption of this water-demanding crop in the arid regions of West Asia, we explore an important chapter in human adaptation and agricultural decision making.
Effectiveness of plants and green infrastructure utilization in ambient particulate matter removal
Authors: Wróblewska Katarzyna , Jeong Byoung Ryong 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAir pollution is regarded as an increasingly threatening, major environmental risk for human health. Seven million deaths are attributed to air pollution each year, 91% of which is due to particulate matter. Vegetation is a xenobiotic means of removing particulate matter. This review presents the mechanisms of PM capture by plants and factors that influence PM reduction in the atmosphere. Vegetation is ubiquitously approved as a PM removal solution in cities, taking various forms of green infrastructure. This review also refers to the effectiveness of plant exploitation in GI: trees, grasslands, green roofs, living walls, water reservoirs, and urban farming. Finally, methods of increasing the PM removal by plants, such as species selection, biodiversity increase, PAH-degrading phyllospheric endophytes, transgenic plants and microorganisms, are presented.
Handling climate change education at universities: an overview
Authors: Leal Filho Walter , Sima Mihaela , Sharifi Ayyoob , Luetz Johannes M. , Salvia Amanda Lange , Mifsud Mark , Olooto Felicia Motunrayo , Djekic Ilija , Anholon Rosley , Rampasso Izabela , Kwabena Donkor Felix , Dinis Maria Alzira Pimenta , Klavins Maris , Finnveden Göran , Chari Martin Munashe , Molthan-Hill Petra , Mifsud Alexandra , Sen Salil K. , Lokupitiya Erandathie 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Climate change is a problem which is global in nature, and whose effects go across a wide range of disciplines. It is therefore important that this theme is taken into account as part of universities´ teaching and research programs.

Methods
A three-tiered approach was used, consisting of a bibliometric analysis, an online survey and a set of case studies, which allow a profile to be built, as to how a sample of universities from 45 countries handle climate change as part of their teaching programs.

Results
This paper reports on a study which aimed at identifying the extent to which matters related to climate change are addressed within the teaching and research practices at universities, with a focus on the training needs of teaching staff. It consists of a bibliometric analysis, combined with an online worldwide survey aimed at ascertaining the degree of involvement from universities in reducing their own carbon footprint, and the ways they offer training provisions on the topic. This is complemented by a set of 12 case studies from universities round the world, illustrating current trends on how universities handle climate change. Apart from reporting on the outcomes of the study, the paper highlights what some universities are doing to handle climate issues, and discusses the implications of the research.

Conclusions
The paper lists some items via which universities may better educate and train their students on how to handle the many challenges posed by climate change.
Ancestry inference using reference labeled clusters of haplotypes
Authors: Wang Yong , Song Shiya , Schraiber Joshua G. , Sedghifar Alisa , Byrnes Jake K. , Turissini David A. , Hong Eurie L. , Ball Catherine A. , Noto Keith 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
We present ARCHes, a fast and accurate haplotype-based approach for inferring an individual’s ancestry composition. Our approach works by modeling haplotype diversity from a large, admixed cohort of hundreds of thousands, then annotating those models with population information from reference panels of known ancestry.

Results
The running time of ARCHes does not depend on the size of a reference panel because training and testing are separate processes, and the inferred population-annotated haplotype models can be written to disk and reused to label large test sets in parallel (in our experiments, it averages less than one minute to assign ancestry from 32 populations using 10 CPU). We test ARCHes on public data from the 1000 Genomes Project and the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP) as well as simulated examples of known admixture.

Conclusions
Our results demonstrate that ARCHes outperforms RFMix at correctly assigning both global and local ancestry at finer population scales regardless of the amount of population admixture.
Anomaly detection in genomic catalogues using unsupervised multi-view autoencoders
Authors: Ferré Quentin , Chèneby Jeanne , Puthier Denis , Capponi Cécile , Ballester Benoît 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundAccurate identification of Transcriptional Regulator binding locations is essential for analysis of genomic regions, including Cis Regulatory Elements. The customary NGS approaches, predominantly ChIP-Seq, can be obscured by data anomalies and biases which are difficult to detect without supervision.ResultsHere, we develop a method to leverage the usual combinations between many experimental series to mark such atypical peaks. We use deep learning to perform a lossy compression of the genomic regions’ representations with multiview convolutions. Using artificial data, we show that our method correctly identifies groups of correlating series and evaluates CRE according to group completeness. It is then applied to the ReMap database’s large volume of curated ChIP-seq data. We show that peaks lacking known biological correlators are singled out and less confirmed in real data. We propose normalization approaches useful in interpreting black-box models.ConclusionOur approach detects peaks that are less corroborated than average. It can be extended to other similar problems, and can be interpreted to identify correlation groups. It is implemented in an open-source tool called atyPeak.