bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Circulating vitamin C concentration and risk of cancers: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Fu Yuanqing , Xu Fengzhe , Jiang Longda , Miao Zelei , Liang Xinxiu , Yang Jian , Larsson Susanna C. , Zheng Ju-Sheng 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Circulating vitamin C concentrations have been associated with several cancers in observational studies, but little is known about the causal direction of the associations. This study aims to explore the potential causal relationship between circulating vitamin C and risk of five most common cancers in Europe.

Methods
We used summary-level data for genetic variants associated with plasma vitamin C in a large vitamin C genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis on 52,018 Europeans, and the corresponding associations with lung, breast, prostate, colon, and rectal cancer from GWAS consortia including up to 870,984 participants of European ancestry. We performed two-sample, bi-directional Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using inverse-variance-weighted method as the primary approach, while using 6 additional methods (e.g., MR-Egger, weighted median-based, and mode-based methods) as sensitivity analysis to detect and adjust for pleiotropy. We also conducted a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials to examine the association of vitamin C intakes with cancer outcomes.

Results
The MR analysis showed no evidence of a causal association of circulating vitamin C concentration with any examined cancer. Although the odds ratio (OR) per one standard deviation increase in genetically predicted circulating vitamin C concentration was 1.34 (95% confidence interval 1.14 to 1.57) for breast cancer in the UK Biobank, this association could not be replicated in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium with an OR of 1.05 (0.94 to 1.17). Smoking initiation, as a positive control for our reverse MR analysis, showed a negative association with circulating vitamin C concentration. However, there was no strong evidence of a causal association of any examined cancer with circulating vitamin C. Sensitivity analysis using 6 different analytical approaches yielded similar results. Moreover, our MR results were consistent with the null findings from the meta-analysis exploring prospective associations of dietary or supplemental vitamin C intakes with cancer risk, except that higher dietary vitamin C intake, but not vitamin C supplement, was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer (risk ratio: 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.71 to 0.99).

Conclusions
These findings provide no evidence to support that physiological-level circulating vitamin C has a large effect on risk of the five most common cancers in European populations, but we cannot rule out very small effect sizes.
Novel method of real-time PCR-based screening for common fetal trisomies
Authors: Kim So Yeon , Lee Seung Mi , Kim Sun Min , Kim Byoung Jae , Koo Ja Nam , Oh Ig Hwan , Oh Sohee , Park Chan-Wook , Jun Jong Kwan , Lim Ji Hyae , Ryu Hyun Mee , Park Joong Shin 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
The non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) is based on next generation sequencing (NGS) and is used for screening for fetal trisomy. However, it is time-consuming and technically difficult. Recently, peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed. This study aimed to examine the performance of the RT-PCR-based NIPT for screening of common fetal trisomies

Methods
From stored maternal plasma, RT-PCR was performed using Patio™ NIPT Detection Kit. In melting curve analysis, the height of melting peaks of target chromosome and reference chromosome was calculated as a peak ratio. The adjusted peak ratio of 8 markers with correction factors in each target chromosome was summated and calculated to z-score. The cut-off value for each target chromosome was established for classification (low risk vs. high risk for trisomy) whose performance was obtained in the validation phase.

Results
330 plasma samples from pregnant women with normal fetus and 22 trisomy cell-line samples were used to establish the optimal cut-off values for z-score of each target chromosome. In the validation phase, 1023 samples from pregnant women including 22 cases with fetal trisomy and 1001 cases of normal control were used. The RT-PCR-based NIPT showed 95.45% sensitivity [95% confidence interval (CI) 77.16–99.88%], 98.60% specificity (95% CI 97.66–99.23%), and 98.53% accuracy (95% CI 97.59–99.18%) for the identification of trisomy 21, 18, or 13. Of 1023 samples, fifteen cases were mismatched for classification [one case as a false negative (false negative rate: 4.5%) and 14 cases as false positives (false positive rate: 1.4%)].

Conclusion
The RT-PCR-based NIPT showed high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of common fetal trisomies and it could be a feasible alternative to NGS-based NIPT.
A proposed prognostic prediction score for pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis
Authors: Kinoshita Yoshiaki , Ikeda Takato , Miyamura Takuto , Ueda Yusuke , Yoshida Yuji , Kushima Hisako , Fujita Masaki , Ogura Takashi , Watanabe Kentaro , Ishii Hiroshi 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Clinical course of pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) shows considerable variation among patients, but there is no established prognostic prediction model for PPFE.

Methods
The prediction model was developed using retrospective data from two cohorts: our single-center cohort and a nationwide multicenter cohort involving 21 institutions. Cox regression analyses were used to identify prognostic factors. The total score was defined as the weighted sum of values for the selected variables. The performance of the prediction models was evaluated by Harrell’s concordance index (C-index). We also examined the usefulness of the gender-age-physiology (GAP) model for predicting the prognosis of PPFE patients.

Results
We examined 104 patients with PPFE (52 cases from each cohort). In a multivariate Cox analysis, a lower forced vital capacity (FVC [defined as FVC < 65%]; hazard ratio [HR], 2.23), a history of pneumothorax (HR, 3.27), the presence of a lower lobe interstitial lung disease (ILD) (HR, 2.31), and higher serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) levels (> 550 U/mL, HR, 2.56) were significantly associated with a poor prognosis. The total score was calculated as 1 × (FVC, < 65%) + 1 × (history of pneumothorax) + 1 × (presence of lower lobe ILD) + 1 × (KL-6, > 550 U/mL). PPFE patients were divided into three groups based on the prognostic score: stage I (0–1 points), stage II (2 points), and stage III (3–4 points). The survival rates were significantly different in each stage. The GAP stage was significantly associated with the prognosis of PPFE, but no difference was found between moderate (stage II) and severe (stage III) disease. Our new model for PPFE patients (PPFE Prognosis Score) showed better performance in the prediction of mortality in comparison to the GAP model (C-index of 0.713 vs. 0.649).

Conclusions
Our new model for PPFE patients could be useful for predicting their prognosis.
Histone H2A.X phosphorylation and Caspase-Initiated Chromatin Condensation in late-stage erythropoiesis
Authors: Jeffery Nazish N. , Davidson Christina , Peslak Scott A. , Kingsley Paul D. , Nakamura Yukio , Palis James , Bulger Michael 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Condensation of chromatin prior to enucleation is an essential component of terminal erythroid maturation, and defects in this process are associated with inefficient erythropoiesis and anemia. However, the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are not well understood. Here, we describe a potential role for the histone variant H2A.X in erythropoiesis.

Results
We find in multiple model systems that this histone is essential for normal maturation, and that the loss of H2A.X in erythroid cells results in dysregulation in expression of erythroid-specific genes as well as a nuclear condensation defect. In addition, we demonstrate that erythroid maturation is characterized by phosphorylation at both S139 and Y142 on the C-terminal tail of H2A.X during late-stage erythropoiesis. Knockout of the kinase BAZ1B/WSTF results in loss of Y142 phosphorylation and a defect in nuclear condensation, but does not replicate extensive transcriptional changes to erythroid-specific genes observed in the absence of H2A.X.

Conclusions
We relate these findings to Caspase-Initiated Chromatin Condensation (CICC) in terminal erythroid maturation, where aspects of the apoptotic pathway are invoked while apoptosis is specifically suppressed.
Low complexity sparse beamspace DOA estimation via single measurement vectors for uniform circular array
Authors: Zhao Di , Tan Weijie , Deng Zhongliang , Li Gang 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we present a low complexity sparse beamspace direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation method for uniform circular array (UCA). In the proposed method, we firstly use the beamspace transformation (BT) to transform the signal model of UCA in element-space domain to that of virtual uniform linear array (ULA) in beamspace domain. Subsequently, by applying the vectoring operator on the virtual ULA-like array signal model, a novel dimension-reduction sparse beamspace signal model is derived based on Khatri-Rao (KR) product, the observation data of which is represented by the single measurement vectors (SMVs) via vectorization of sparse covariance matrix. And then, the DOA estimation is formulated as a convex optimization problem by following the concept of a sparse-signal-representation (SSR) of the SMVs. Finally, simulations are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that without knowledge of the number of signals, the proposed method not only has higher DOA resolution than the subspace-based methods in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), but also has far lower computational complexity than other sparse-like DOA estimation methods.
Statistical convergence in probabilistic generalized metric spaces w.r.t. strong topology
Authors: Abazari Rasoul 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn this paper, the concept of probabilisticg-metric space with degreel, which is a generalization of probabilisticG-metric space, is introduced. Then, by endowing strong topology, the definition ofl-dimensional asymptotic density of a subsetAof$\mathbb{N}^{l}$Nlis used to introduce a statistically convergent and Cauchy sequence and to study some basic facts.
Modern international large-scale assessment in education: an integrative review and mapping of the literature
Authors: Hernández-Torrano Daniel , Courtney Matthew G. R. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractResearch in international large-scale assessment (ILSA) has become an increasingly popular field of study in education. Consequently, interest and debate in the field by practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public has grown over the past decades. This study adopts a descriptive bibliometric approach to map modern research on ILSA in education and provide an up-to-date picture of the recent developments and structure of the field. The analysis of 2,233 journal articles indexed in the Web of Sciences database revealed that ILSA research in education is an emerging field in a stage of exponential growth that has become increasingly international with recent substantive contributions from China, Spain, and Turkey. Research in the field is currently produced by a tupid network of scholars with diverse geographical backgrounds that engage frequently in national and international research collaborations. Also, the field is relatively interdisciplinary and has developed grounded on nine differentiated historical paths. The PISA program has received the greatest attention in the field, and a wide variety of topics have been addressed in the literature in the last decades, including equity and quality education, globalization and education policy, measurement and statistics, student motivation and self-concept, and interpersonal relationships. The paper concludes by pointing to the potential of future ILSA research to make use of new more relevant instrumentation, data linkages, and trans-regional collaborations.
Optimization of SPECT/CT imaging protocols for quantitative and qualitative 99mTc SPECT
Authors: Kupitz Dennis , Wissel Heiko , Wuestemann Jan , Bluemel Stephanie , Pech Maciej , Amthauer Holger , Kreissl Michael C. , Grosser Oliver S. 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
The introduction of hybrid SPECT/CT devices enables quantitative imaging in SPECT, providing a methodological setup for quantitation using SPECT tracers comparable to PET/CT. We evaluated a specific quantitative reconstruction algorithm for SPECT data using a 99mTc-filled NEMA phantom. Quantitative and qualitative image parameters were evaluated for different parametrizations of the acquisition and reconstruction protocol to identify an optimized quantitative protocol.

Results
The reconstructed activity concentration (ACrec) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of all examined protocols (n = 16) were significantly affected by the parametrization of the weighting factor k used in scatter correction, the total number of iterations and the sphere volume (all, p < 0.0001). The two examined SPECT acquisition protocols (with 60 or 120 projections) had a minor impact on the ACrec and no significant impact on the SNR.
In comparison to the known AC, the use of default scatter correction (k = 0.47) or object-specific scatter correction (k = 0.18) resulted in an underestimation of ACrec in the largest sphere volume (26.5 ml) by − 13.9 kBq/ml (− 16.3%) and − 7.1 kBq/ml (− 8.4%), respectively. An increase in total iterations leads to an increase in estimated AC and a decrease in SNR. The mean difference between ACrec and known AC decreased with an increasing number of total iterations (e.g., for 20 iterations (2 iterations/10 subsets) = − 14.6 kBq/ml (− 17.1%), 240 iterations (24i/10s) = − 8.0 kBq/ml (− 9.4%), p < 0.0001). In parallel, the mean SNR decreased significantly from 2i/10s to 24i/10s by 76% (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion
Quantitative SPECT imaging is feasible with the used reconstruction algorithm and hybrid SPECT/CT, and its consistent implementation in diagnostics may provide perspectives for quantification in routine clinical practice (e.g., assessment of bone metabolism). When combining quantitative analysis and diagnostic imaging, we recommend using two different reconstruction protocols with task-specific optimized setups (quantitative vs. qualitative reconstruction). Furthermore, individual scatter correction significantly improves both quantitative and qualitative results.
Adapting sudden landslide identification product (SLIP) and detecting real-time increased precipitation (DRIP) algorithms to map rainfall-triggered landslides in Western Cameroon highlands (Central-Africa)
Authors: Ngandam Mfondoum Alfred Homère , Wokwenmendam Nguet Pauline , Mefire Mfondoum Jean Valery , Tchindjang Mesmin , Hakdaoui Sofia , Cooper Ryan , Gbetkom Paul Gérard , Penaye Joseph , Bekoa Ateba , Moudioh Cyriel 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundNASA’s developers recently proposed the Sudden Landslide Identification Product (SLIP) and Detecting Real-Time Increased Precipitation (DRIP) algorithms. This double method uses Landsat 8 satellite images and daily rainfall data for a real-time mapping of this geohazard. This study adapts the processing to face the issues of data quality and unavailability/gaps for the mapping of the recent landslide events in west-Cameroon’s highlands.MethodsThe SLIP algorithm is adapted, by integrating the inverse Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to assess the soil bareness, the Modified Normalized Multi-Band Drought Index (MNMDI) combined with the hydrothermal index to assess soil moisture, and the slope inclination to map the recent landslide. Further, the DRIP algorithm uses the mean daily rainfall to assess the thresholds corresponding to the recent landslide events. Their probability density function (PDF) curves are superimposed and their intersections are used to propose sets of dichotomous variables before (1948–2018) and after the 28 October 2019 landslide event. In addition, a survival analysis is performed to correlate landslide occurrence to rainfall, with the first known event in Cameroon as starting point, and using the Cox model.ResultsFrom the SLIP model, the Landslide Hazard Zonation (LHZ) map gives an overall accuracy of96%. Further, the DRIP model states that 6/9 ranges of probability are rainfall-triggered landslides at99.99%, between June and October, while 3/9 ranges show only4.88%of risk for the same interval. Finally, the survival probability for a known site is up to0.68for the best value and between0.38and0.1for the lowest value through time.ConclusionsThe proposed approach is an alternative based on data (un)availability, completed by the site’s lifetime analysis for a more flexibility in observation and prediction thresholding.
B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in HCV-positive Egyptian patients: the impact of HCV eradication on plasma BNP levels
Authors: Nada Ali , Sabry Aliaa , Elabd Naglaa S. , Abdu Allah Azza M. , Elnaidany Nada , Abbasy Mohamed 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents a major health-related burden in Egypt. HCV is considered as a major cardiovascular risk factor. BNP (B-type natriuretic peptide) has been determined as a credible diagnostic and prognostic cardiac biomarker. We aimed to assess plasma BNP in HCV-positive Egyptian patients prior and after HCV eradication by direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) therapy. Eighty-nine chronic HCV-positive patients were enrolled in our prospective research. They were provided with DAAs therapy in the form of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir without or with ribavirin for 12 weeks. History, clinical evaluation, and laboratory assessment: CBC, liver and kidney function tests, viral markers (HCVAb, HBVsAg, and HIVAb) by ELISA, HCV RNA by real-time PCR, and BNP by ELISA were assessed. FIB-4 and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) scores were ranked.

Results
Plasma BNP displayed a non-significant (p = 0.124) increase of its serum mean values in post eradication of HCV than its baseline values. Baseline BNP exhibited a significant positive correlation with FIB4 (r = 0.411, P < 0.001) and APRI score (r = 0.418, p < 0.001) with a considerably negative correlation with platelets (r = − 0.274, p = 0.009), in addition to higher pretreatment BNP values in cirrhotic than in non-cirrhotic patients (p < 0.001), while non-significant relations were found regarding sex, BMI, and drug regimen (with or without ribavirin) (p = 0.950, 0.845, and 0.738, respectively). Additionally, plasma BNP values considerably decreased post-treatment in patients presented with higher baseline BNP values and more advanced liver disease (higher FIB4, APRI, and the presence of liver cirrhosis).

Conclusion
Our findings propose on the one side, the necessity of cardiac monitoring during chronic HCV infection and, on the other, the valuable impacts of HCV eradication on HCV-associated cardiac morbidities.
Smooth pyroelectric luminescence in β-BaB2O4 single crystals via Fowler-Nordheim tunneling
Authors: Swaisi Mohamed , Katoch Rajesh , Dörfler Andreas , Ruediger Andreas 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
The smooth pyroelectric luminescence in β-BaB2O4 single crystals is investigated for low ambient pressures (down to 10-6 mbar) and temperature changes, in particular between 235–250 K for heating and 240–255 K for cooling cycles respectively. This faint, continuous emission of light due to temperature-induced changes of permanent polarization is brought about by charge carrier recombination inside the crystal, contrasting the well-known spike-like emission due to discharges in the ambient atmosphere. A microscopic model of the luminescence allows the description of the time-dependent pyroelectric luminescence, in particular the determination of deep trap potentials that are otherwise inaccessible to thermal activation. Using this model, we show that the behavior of this emission in the polar β-BaB2O4 crystals is consistent with the release of trapped electrons by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling under the influence of intense electric fields generated due to the pyroelectric effect. We also discuss the barrier lowering of both Coulomb and Dirac potentials through the Poole-Frenkel emission but only achieve good fitting of the experimental data for unrealistic combinations of values of the electron emission rates, capture cross-section, activation energies and high-frequency permittivity.
Local Experiences of Imperial Cultures
Authors: Hanifi Shah Mahmoud 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe constitutional history thread woven through Faiz Ahmed's Afghanistan Rising: Islamic Law and Statecraft between the Ottoman and British Empires unites Afghan, Indian, Ottoman, Islamic, modernist, and other strands of analysis. Hanifi's essay addresses issues relevant to the comparative study of Afghanistan, namely, epistemology, class, culture, and empire. It explores how urban Persianate state elites in Kabul exploited imperial opportunities, especially educational opportunities, over the century since constitutional independence.
Success, Failure, and Other Historical Crafts
Authors: Ahmed Faiz 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe author of Afghanistan Rising responds to our critical review essays by six scholars of diverse historical expertise, from the late Ottoman and Habsburg Empires to Southeast Asia, and Islamic legal history to the political economy of the British Raj and Indo-Afghan frontier. Centering administrative and constitutional developments in Afghanistan within broader regional and global currents connecting the Balkans to Indian Ocean at the turn of the twentieth century, Ahmed reflects on what it means to write “a history that most people do not think exist.”
Chk2-p53 and JNK in irradiation-induced cell death of hematopoietic progenitors and differentiated cells inDrosophilalarval lymph gland
Authors: Nguyen Tram Thi Ngoc , Shim Jiwon , Song Young-Han 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTIonizing radiation (IR) induces DNA double-strand breaks that activate the DNA damage response (DDR), which leads to cell cycle arrest, senescence, or apoptotic cell death. Understanding the DDR of stem cells is critical to tissue homeostasis and the survival of the organism. Drosophila hematopoiesis serves as a model system for sensing stress and environmental changes; however, their response to DNA damage remains largely unexplored. The Drosophila lymph gland is the larval hematopoietic organ, where stem-like progenitors proliferate and differentiate into mature blood cells called hemocytes. We found that apoptotic cell death was induced in progenitors and hemocytes after 40 Gy irradiation, with progenitors showing more resistance to IR-induced cell death compared to hemocytes at a lower dose. Furthermore, we found that Drosophila ATM (tefu), Chk2 (lok), p53, and reaper were necessary for IR-induced cell death in the progenitors. Notably, IR-induced cell death in mature hemocytes required tefu, Drosophila JNK (bsk), and reaper, but not lok or p53. In summary, we found that DNA damage induces apoptotic cell death in the late third instar larval lymph gland and identified lok/p53-dependent and -independent cell death pathways in progenitors and mature hemocytes, respectively.