bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Camera trap records of leucistic Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) in central Norway
Authors: Hofmeester Tim R. , Thorsen Neri H. , Linnell John D. C. , Odden John 
Published: September 2021

AbstractCoat coloration plays an important role in communication, camouflage, and sexual selection in animals. Genetic mutations can lead to anomalous colorations such as melanism and leucism, where animals appear, respectively, darker or lighter than normal. Reporting abnormal coloration in wild animals is an important first step to understand the distribution, prevalence, and potential fitness consequences of these rare events. Here, we report several records of suspected leucism in the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) in a population in central Norway. Several camera traps recorded at least two leucistic individuals between 2017 and 2020. It took considerable effort, almost 400,000 camera trap nights over a period of 10 years all over Norway, to obtain a total of eleven records of leucistic badgers, indicating the rarity of this phenotype. It is unclear what has caused the presence of multiple leucistic badgers in a single population, but recent colonization and lack of predators might have played a role. Due to our observations, future studies can now be developed to study the underlying mechanisms and potential consequences of leucism in this badger population. The increasing use of networks of camera traps in wildlife research will provide new opportunities to record rare coloration in wild animals.
Semi‐intensive shrimp farms as experimental arenas for the study of predation risk from falcons to shorebirds
Authors: Basso Enzo , Drever Mark C. , Fonseca Juanita , Navedo Juan G. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractVarying environmental conditions and energetic demands can affect habitat use by predators and their prey. Anthropogenic habitats provide an opportunity to document both predation events and foraging activity by prey and therefore enable an empirical evaluation of how prey cope with trade‐offs between starvation and predation risk in environments of variable foraging opportunities and predation danger. Here, we use seven years of observational data of peregrine falcons Falco peregrinus and shorebirds at a semi‐intensive shrimp farm to determine how starvation and predation risk vary for shorebirds under a predictable variation in foraging opportunities. Attack rate (mean 0.1 attacks/hr, equating 1 attack every ten hours) was positively associated with the total foraging area available for shorebirds at the shrimp farm throughout the harvesting period, with tidal amplitude at the adjacent mudflat having a strong nonlinear (quadratic) effect. Hunt success (mean 14%) was higher during low tides and declined as the target flocks became larger. Finally, individual shorebird vigilance behaviors were more frequent when birds foraged in smaller flocks at ponds with poorer conditions. Our results provide empirical evidence of a risk threshold modulated by tidal conditions at the adjacent wetlands, where shorebirds trade‐off risk and rewards to decide to avoid or forage at the shrimp farm (a potentially dangerous habitat) depending on their need to meet daily energy requirements. We propose that semi‐intensive shrimp farms serve as ideal “arenas” for studying predator–prey dynamics of shorebirds and falcons, because harvest operations and regular tidal cycles create a mosaic of foraging patches with predictable food supply. In addition, the relatively low hunt success suggests that indirect effects associated with enhanced starvation risk are important in shorebird life‐history decisions.
Relationship between high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin T, B‐type natriuretic peptide, and physical function in patients with heart failure
Authors: Ueno Kensuke , Kamiya Kentaro , Hamazaki Nobuaki , Nozaki Kohei , Ichikawa Takafumi , Yamashita Masashi , Uchida Shota , Yanagi Naoya , Maekawa Emi , Yamaoka‐Tojo Minako , Matsunaga Atsuhiko , Ako Junya 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAimsHigh‐sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs‐cTnT) and B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) are associated with prognosis and severity in patients with heart failure (HF); however, their association with physical function is unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether hs‐cTnT and BNP levels are associated with physical function in patients with HF.Methods and resultsHs‐cTnT, BNP, and physical function (maximal quadriceps isometric strength [QIS], usual gait speed, and 6‐min walk distance [6MWD]) were evaluated in 363 consecutive patients with HF (median age, 70 [60–78] years). Patients were divided into four groups according to their median hs‐cTnT and BNP levels. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, laboratory levels, and HF severity, higher hs‐cTnT and BNP levels were significantly associated with lower physical function (log hs‐cTnT, β = −0.162, P = 0.001, for maximal QIS; β = −0.175, P = 0.002, for usual gait speed, and β = −0.129, P = 0.004, for 6MWD; log BNP, β = −0.090, P = 0.092, for maximal QIS, β = 0.038, P = 0.516, for usual gait speed, and β = −0.108, P = 0.023, for 6MWD). In addition, the high hs‐cTnT and high BNP group had significantly lower physical function (all P < 0.05) than the low hs‐cTnT and low BNP group.ConclusionsHigher hs‐cTnT and BNP levels are both associated with lower physical function in patients with HF, but hs‐cTnT levels showed a more consistent association. The combination of hs‐cTnT and BNP may be effective for the stratification of physical function in patients with HF.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative 1,2‐Addition of Carboxylic Acids to Glyoxylic Acid Esters
Authors: Jakob Bastian , Slimani Ichraf , Diehl Andreas , Hamdi Naceur , Manolikakes Georg 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe formation of C−C‐bonds constitutes one of the most fundamental synthetic operations in organic chemistry. The nucleophilic addition of preformed organometallic reagents to an electrophilic carbonyl functionality represents a classical method for the selective construction of a C−C‐bond. However, the synthesis and utilization of an organometallic reagent is associated with an unfavorable environmental profile. Herein, we disclose a Palladium‐catalyzed decarboxylative 1,2‐addition of carboxylic acids to glyoxylic acid esters. This novel method provides access to the mandelic acid scaffold in good yields. Easy‐to‐handle and readily available benzoic acids are utilized as more sustainable alternative to preformed organometallic nucleophiles.
Body representation among adults with phantom limb pain: Results from a foot identification task
Authors: Beisheim‐Ryan Emma H. , Pohlig Ryan T. , Medina Jared , Hicks Gregory E. , Sions Jaclyn M. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundImpaired body representation (i.e. disrupted body awareness or perception) may be a critical, but understudied, factor underlying phantom limb pain (PLP). This cross‐sectional study investigated whether adults with lower‐limb loss (LLL) and PLP demonstrate impaired body representation as compared to Pain‐Free peers with and without LLL.MethodsParticipants (n = 41 adults with PLP, n = 27 Pain‐Free peers with LLL, n = 39 Controls with intact limbs) completed an online foot identification task. Participants judged whether randomized images depicted left or right feet (i.e. left–right discrimination) as quickly as possible without limb movement. Using two Generalized Estimating Equations, effects of group, image characteristics (i.e. side, foot type, view, angle) and trial block (i.e. 1–4) were evaluated, with task response time and accuracy as dependent variables (a ≤ 0.050).ResultsAdults with PLP demonstrated slower and less accurate performance as compared to Controls with intact limbs (p = 0.018) but performed similarly to Pain‐Free peers with LLL (p = 0.394). Significant three‐way interactions of group, view and angle indicated between‐group differences were greatest for dorsal‐view images, but smaller and angle‐dependent for plantar‐view images. While all groups demonstrated significant response time improvements across blocks, improvements were greatest among adults with PLP, who also reported significant reductions in pain intensity.ConclusionsAdults with PLP demonstrate body representation impairments as compared to Controls with intact limbs. Body representation impairments, however, may not be unique to PLP, given similar performance between adults with and without PLP following LLL.SignificanceFollowing lower‐limb loss, adults with phantom limb pain (PLP) demonstrate impaired body representation as compared to Controls with intact limbs, evidenced by slower response times and reduced accuracy when completing a task requiring mental rotation. Importantly, 80% of participants with pre‐task PLP reported reduced pain intensity during the task, providing compelling evidence for future investigations into whether imagery‐based, mind‐body interventions have positive effects on PLP.
Coalitional game‐based user pairing and power allocation in downlink non‐orthogonal multiple access networks
Authors: Cai Jihao , Sun Youming , Shao Hongxiang , Yao Kailing , Bai Wei , Yu Xingyue 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThis article studies the user pairing and power allocation in a downlink non‐orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) network in which users form different pairs accessing orthogonal channels and NOMA is utilized in each channel. Existing studies mainly focused on throughput optimization, while throughput cannot completely reflect users' quality of experience. Therefore, we aim to maximize the network's sum of mean opinion scores rather than throughput to meet different traffic demands of users. The mixed integer nonlinear programming problem is decomposed into two subproblems. The first user pairing problem is modeled as a coalition formation game, and a Nash‐stable suboptimal pairing scheme is obtained via proposed coalition formation algorithm. The second power allocation problem is modeled as a knapsack problem, and we obtain the optimal power allocation scheme through dynamic programming with bisection method. These two subproblems are solved alternately until converging to the final resource allocation strategy. Simulation results show that the proposed strategy outperforms existing NOMA resource allocation techniques and achieves near‐optimal performance.
Effect of different cooking water on flavor characteristics of mutton soup
Authors: Zhao Bing , Sun Baoguo , Wang Shouwei , Zhang Yuyu , Zang Mingwu , Le Wang , Wang Hui , Wu Qianrong 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe mutton flavor is affected by cooking water significantly, and the flavor of mutton is delicious and widely loved by consumers through an extremely simple processing in northwest China, such as Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. The flavor shows obvious changes if get out of these areas even use the same raw meat, which may be caused by different cooking water. To determine whether and how the cooking water affect the mutton soup flavor, the elements in water, the flavor was studied by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS), amino acid analyzer, and thermal desorption (TDS)–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Specifically, three water samples from different sources, Ningxia (NXW), Beijing (BJW), and ultrapure water from the laboratory (PUW), were used for cooking with Tan sheep's ribs to get different mutton soups. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) results showed that the elements and the concentration of solutes in different water sources were significantly different. The NXW batch had the highest Na, Mg, K, and Sr concentrations, and Na in NXW water reached to 50.60 mg/L, which existed as Na+, significantly (p < .05) higher than BJW (8.63 mg/L) and PUW, which were important to the flavor of mutton soup. The PUW batch had the highest content of free amino acids, and the content of glutamic acid (Glu) reached to 17.89 μg/mL. The NXW batch had the highest content of taste nucleotides, and the content of 5´‐IMP reached to 68.68 μg/ml. The volatiles of the three batches had significant differences, and only 40 volatiles were detected in all batches. Further flavor studies using electronic nose and electronic tongue showed significant differences in overall aroma and overall taste, especially bitterness, saltiness, and astringency. The results could provide a basis for improving the flavor quality for the mutton soup.
On the path to reclaiming Indigenous midwifery: Co‐creating the Maternal Infant Support Worker pilot program
Authors: Jumah Naana Afua , Tyler Leanne , Turuba Roxanne , Bishop Lisa , Tait Mary , Renaud Anne , Mushquash Christopher 
Published: September 2021

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of the Maternal Infant Support Worker (MiSW) pilot program was to implement a virtual training program for lay maternal–infant health providers in remote First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario, Canada.MethodsThe MiSW pilot program was administered jointly by a community college and a university and consisted of a 20‐week virtual course followed by a 9‐month mentored work placement in the community.ResultsThe MiSW pilot program was delivered successfully; 11 of 13 participants received a certificate from a community college. MiSWs provided culturally and linguistically appropriate care to women, infants, and families in their respective communities. MiSWs provided doula support in their communities—a first for our region since the policy of forced evacuation for birth was implemented. MiSWs developed a community of practice for ongoing education, as well as to support each other in their work.ConclusionThe MiSW pilot program demonstrated that it is possible to provide a virtual training program and then provide continued virtual mentorship as the participants work in their First Nations communities. By prioritizing Indigenous voices above those of the research team, we were able to gain the trust of the MiSWs and maintain engagement with communities.
First report of testis‐sparing surgery for sertoliform cystadenoma: case presentation and review of literature
Authors: Rahota Razvan‐George , Ploussard Guillaume , Gautier Jean‐Romain , Almeras Christophe , Ducoin Henri , Tollon Christophe , Assoun Jacques , Loison Guillaume , Beauval Jean‐Baptiste , Salin Ambroise 
Published: September 2021

IntroductionSertoliform cystadenoma is a very rare, benign lesion of the rete‐testis difficult to distinguish from other malignancies of the testicle.Case presentationWe present the case of a 42‐year‐old male who presented with a right testicular mass, asymptomatic for 1 year. Clinical examination revealed a palpable, painless, and well‐delimited right testicular superior pole nodule. Testicular ultrasound confirmed the nodule, whereas serum tumoral markers were normal. The patient underwent inguinal partial orchiectomy. Intraoperative excisional biopsy and frozen section pathology were performed, reporting undetermined tumoral origin with negative surgical margins. Ischemia time was 12 minutes. The final pathology report showed a Sertoliform cystadenoma of rete testis, with immunomorphology positive for AE1, CK7, and negative surgical margins.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first report of testicular sparing surgery for Sertoliform cystadenoma, a very rare benign tumor of rete testis. All previously reported cases were managed by radical inguinal orchidectomy.
Polybenzimidazole functionalized electrolyte with Li‐wetting and self‐fluorination functionalities for practical Li metal batteries
Authors: Chen Dongjiang , Liu Yuanpeng , Xia Chuan , Han Yupei , Sun Qingwei , Wang Xuchang , Chen Wei , Jian Xian , Lv Weiqiang , Ma Jianyi , He Weidong 
Published: September 2021

AbstractRough Li plating, low ionic conductivity, and low thermal stability of conventional electrolytes post‐primary challenges for achieving reliable high‐capacity rechargeable lithium batteries, for which lithium metal is frequently proposed as the most promising anode material. Conventional low‐polarity commercial polypropylene/polyethylene separators fail to support the application of high‐energy‐density Li anodes due to their rigid physicochemical properties and the high reactivity of Li metal, leading to fatal dendrite formation and vigorous exothermic reaction with electrolytes. Herein, we develop a Li‐wetting, flame‐retardant binary polymer electrolyte by functionalizing poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) separators with nonflammable polybenzimidazole (PBI) to build safe room‐temperature solid‐state electrolyte membranes. A dendrite‐free LiFePO4cell with the solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) delivers a discharge capacity of 127 mAh g−1at 25°C with a capacity retention of 87.5% after 500 cycles at 0.5°C (0.15 mA cm−2). Phase‐field simulations and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the negatively charged benzimidazole chains of PBI own superior affinity to lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), and shares overlapping electron density with Li anode, giving rise to accelerated Li+conduction at room temperature and uniform Li electrodeposition at the electrolyte/Li metal interface. The SPE is also flame‐retardant since heat‐resistant polytetrafluoroethylene and a dense, heat‐blocking graphitized carbon layer are formed in intense heat through dehydrogenation/fluorination of PVDF under the catalysis of Lewis base imidazole rings and the decomposition of benzimidazole rings in PBI. No such fire‐resistant mechanism is ever reported in conventional electrolytes.image
Machine learning for financial transaction classification across companies using character‐level word embeddings of text fields
Authors: Jørgensen Rasmus Kær , Igel Christian 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAn important initial step in accounting is mapping financial transfers to the corresponding accounts. We devised machine‐learning‐based systems that automate this process. They use word embeddings with character‐level features to process transaction texts. When considering 473 companies independently, our approach achieved an average top‐1 accuracy of 80.50%, outperforming baselines that exclude the transaction texts or rely on a lexical bag‐of‐words text representation. We extended the approach to generalizes across companies and even across different corporate sectors. After standardization of the account structures and careful feature engineering, a single classifier trained on 44 companies from 28 sectors achieved a test accuracy of more than 80%. When trained on 43 companies and tested on the remaining one, the system achieved an average performance of 64.62%. This rate increased to nearly 70% when considering only the largest sector.
Prediction of Osteoporotic Fractures in Elderly Individuals: A Derivation and Internal Validation Study Using Healthcare Administrative Data
Authors: Beaudoin Claudia , Jean Sonia , Moore Lynne , Gamache Philippe , Bessette Louis , Ste-Marie Louis-Georges , Brown Jacques P. 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT
In Canada and other countries, osteoporosis is monitored as part of chronic disease population surveillance programs. Although fractures are the principal manifestation of osteoporosis, very few algorithms are available to identify individuals at high risk of osteoporotic fractures in current surveillance systems. The objective of this study was to derive and validate predictive models to accurately identify individuals at high risk of osteoporotic fracture using information available in healthcare administrative data. More than 270,000 men and women aged ≥66 years were randomly selected from the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System. Selected individuals were followed between fiscal years 2006–2007 and 2015–2016. Models were constructed for prediction of hip/femur and major osteoporotic fractures for follow-up periods of 5 and 10 years. A total of 62 potential predictors measurable in healthcare administrative databases were identified. Predictor selection was performed using a manual backward algorithm. The predictive performance of the final models was assessed using measures of discrimination, calibration, and overall performance. Between 20 and 25 predictors were retained in the final prediction models (eg, age, sex, social deprivation index, most of the major and minor risk factors for osteoporosis, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, cognitive impairment, anemia, anxio-depressive disorders). Discrimination of the final models was higher for the prediction of hip/femur fracture than major osteoporotic fracture and higher for prediction for a 5-year than a 10-year period (hip/femur fracture for 5 years: c-index = 0.77; major osteoporotic fracture for 5 years: c-index = 0.71; hip/femur fracture for 10 years: c-index = 0.73; major osteoporotic fracture for 10 years: c-index = 0.68). The predicted probabilities globally agreed with the observed probabilities. In conclusion, the derived models had adequate predictive performance in internal validation. As a final step, these models should be validated in an external cohort and used to develop indicators for surveillance of osteoporosis. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Vitamin D/Vitamin D Receptor Signaling Attenuates Skeletal Muscle Atrophy by Suppressing Renin-Angiotensin System
Authors: Li Wen-Xiong , Qin Xian-Hui , Poon Christina Chui-Wa , Wong Man-Sau , Feng Rui , Wang Jing , Lin Fu-Hui , Sun Yue-Li , Liu Shu-Fen , Wang Yong-Jun , Zhang Yan 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT
The nutritional level of vitamin D may affect musculoskeletal health. We have reported that vitamin D is a pivotal protector against tissue injuries by suppressing local renin-angiotensin system (RAS). This study aimed to explore the role of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the protection against muscle atrophy and the underlying mechanism. A cross-sectional study on participants (n = 1034) in Shanghai (China) was performed to analyze the association between vitamin D level and the risk of low muscle strength as well as to detect the circulating level of angiotensin II (Ang II). In animal studies, dexamethasone (Dex) was applied to induce muscle atrophy in wild-type (WT) and VDR-null mice, and the mice with the induction of muscle atrophy were treated with calcitriol for 10 days. The skeletal muscle cell line C2C12 and the muscle satellite cells were applied in in vitro studies. The increased risk of low muscle strength was correlated to a lower level of vitamin D (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.58) accompanied by an elevation in serum Ang II level. Ang II impaired the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts as illustrated by the decrease in the area of myotubes and the downregulation of myogenic factors (myosin heavy chain [MHC] and myogenic differentiation factor D [MyoD]). The phenotype of muscle atrophy induced by Dex and Ang II was aggravated by VDR ablation in mice and in muscle satellite cells, respectively, and mediated by RAS and its downstream phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/forkhead box O1 (PI3K/Akt/FOXO1) signaling. Calcitriol treatment exhibited beneficial effects on muscle function as demonstrated by the increased weight-loaded swimming time, grip strength, and fiber area, and improved fiber type composition via regulating ubiquitin ligases and their substrates MHC and MyoD through suppressing renin/Ang II axis. Taken together, VDR protects against skeletal muscle atrophy by suppressing RAS. Vitamin D could be a potential agent for the prevention and treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).