bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does variety of social interactions associate with frequency of laughter among older people? The JAGES cross-sectional study
Authors: Nagai Masato , Ohira Tetsuya , Shirai Kokoro , Kondo Katsunori 
Published: January 2021

ObjectiveSeveral studies have reported that laughter is associated with health benefits. In addition, social interactions, such as social relationships, social participation and so forth, have shown the association with not only health but also individual emotion. In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional study to examine the association between variety of social interactions and the frequency of laughter.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingSampled from 30 municipalities in Japan.ParticipantsNon-disabled Japanese men (n=11 439) and women (n=13 159) aged ≥65 years using data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, which was conducted during October to December in 2013.Primary outcome measuresLaughing almost every day by self-reported questionnaire.ResultsPoisson regression analysis with robust error variance was used to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) for laughing almost every day according to each social relationship and its potential community-level environmental determinants. The prevalence of laughing almost every day tended to increase with increased variety in each social interaction after adjusting, instrumental activities of daily living, number of living together, working status, depression, self-reported economic status and residence year. Among men and women, multivariate-adjusted PRs (95% CIs) by comparing participants with the highest and lowest categories were 1.18 (1.04 to 1.35) and 1.16 (1.04 to 1.29) in positive life events; 1.26 (1.10 to 1.45) and 1.09 (0.96 to 1.24) in perceived positive changes in the area; 1.15 (1.04 to 1.28) and 1.17 (1.07 to 1.28) in social participations; 2.23 (1.57 to 3.16) and 1.47 (1.02 to 2.12) in social relationships and 1.25 (1.08 to 1.45) and 1.29 (1.15 to 1.45) in positive built environments. These associations were also preserved after the restriction of participants who were not in depression.ConclusionsThis study shows that a greater variety of each social relationships and the potential community-level environmental determinants are associated with higher frequencies of laughter in Japan.
Prevalence of retinopathy in prediabetes: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Kirthi Varo , Nderitu Paul , Alam Uazman , Evans Jennifer , Nevitt Sarah , Malik Rayaz A , Jackson Timothy L 
Published: January 2021

IntroductionThere is growing evidence of a higher than expected prevalence of retinopathy in prediabetes. This paper presents the protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis of retinopathy in prediabetes. The aim of the review is to estimate the prevalence of retinopathy in prediabetes and to summarise the current data.Methods and analysisThis protocol is developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. A comprehensive electronic bibliographic search will be conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library. Eligible studies will report prevalence data for retinopathy on fundus photography in adults with prediabetes. No time restrictions will be placed on the date of publication. Screening for eligible studies and data extraction will be conducted by two reviewers independently, using predefined inclusion criteria and prepiloted data extraction forms. Disagreements between the reviewers will be resolved by discussion, and if required, a third (senior) reviewer will arbitrate.The primary outcome is the prevalence of any standard features of diabetic retinopathy (DR) on fundus photography, as per International Clinical Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale (ICDRSS) classification. Secondary outcomes are the prevalence of (1) any retinal microvascular abnormalities on fundus photography that are not standard features of DR as per ICDRSS classification and (2) any macular microvascular abnormalities on fundus photography, including but not limited to the presence of macular exudates, microaneurysms and haemorrhages. Risk of bias for included studies will be assessed using a validated risk of bias tool for prevalence studies. Pooled estimates for the prespecified outcomes of interest will be calculated using random effects meta-analytic techniques. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the I2statistic.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required as this is a protocol for a systematic review and no primary data are to be collected. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international meetings including Diabetes UK, European Association for the Study of Diabetes, American Diabetes Association and International Diabetes Federation conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020184820.
Using a report card to increase HIV screening in a large primary care group practice
Authors: Luu Mitchell N , Wada Paul Y , Levine-Hall Tory , Hurley Leo , Ramalingam Nirmala , Tran H Nicole , Slome Sally B 
Published: January 2021

BackgroundDespite increased efforts to promote HIV screening, a large proportion of the US population have never been tested for HIV.ObjectiveTo determine whether provider education and personalised HIV screening report cards can increase HIV screening rates within a large integrated healthcare system.DesignThis quality improvement study provided a cohort of primary care physicians (PCPs) a brief educational intervention and personalised HIV screening report cards with quarterly performance data.ParticipantsParticipants included a volunteer cohort of 20 PCPs in the department of adult and family medicine.Main measuresPer cent of empaneled patients screened for HIV by cohort PCPs compared with PCPs at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center (KPOAK) and the non-Oakland Medical Centers in Northern California region (Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC)).Key resultsOf the 20 participating PCPs, 13 were female and 7 were male. Thirteen were internal medicine and seven family medicine physicians. The average age was 40 years and average practice experience was 9 years after residency. During the 12-month intervention, the estimated increase in HIV screening in the cohort PCP group was 2.6% as compared with 1.9% for KPOAK and 1.8% for KPNC.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that performance-related report cards are associated with modestly increased rates of HIV screening by PCPs.
Differences in TCR repertoire and T cell activation underlie the divergent outcomes of antitumor immune responses in tumor-eradicating versus tumor-progressing hosts
Authors: Woolaver Rachel A , Wang Xiaoguang , Krinsky Alexandra L , Waschke Brittany C , Chen Samantha M Y , Popolizio Vince , Nicklawsky Andrew G , Gao Dexiang , Chen Zhangguo , Jimeno Antonio , Wang Xiao-Jing , Wang Jing Hong 
Published: January 2021

BackgroundAntitumor immunity is highly heterogeneous between individuals; however, underlying mechanisms remain elusive, despite their potential to improve personalized cancer immunotherapy. Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) vary significantly in immune infiltration and therapeutic responses between patients, demanding a mouse model with appropriate heterogeneity to investigate mechanistic differences.MethodsWe developed a unique HNSCC mouse model to investigate underlying mechanisms of heterogeneous antitumor immunity. This model system may provide a better control for tumor-intrinsic and host-genetic variables, thereby uncovering the contribution of the adaptive immunity to tumor eradication. We employed single-cell T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing coupled with single-cell RNA sequencing to identify the difference in TCR repertoire of CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the unique activation states linked with different TCR clonotypes.ResultsWe discovered that genetically identical wild-type recipient mice responded heterogeneously to the same squamous cell carcinoma tumors orthotopically transplanted into the buccal mucosa. While tumors initially grew in 100% of recipients and most developed aggressive tumors, ~25% of recipients reproducibly eradicated tumors without intervention. Heterogeneous antitumor responses were dependent on CD8 T cells. Consistently, CD8 TILs in regressing tumors were significantly increased and more activated. Single-cell TCR-sequencing revealed that CD8 TILs from both growing and regressing tumors displayed evidence of clonal expansion compared with splenic controls. However, top TCR clonotypes and TCR specificity groups appear to be mutually exclusive between regressing and growing TILs. Furthermore, many TCRα/TCRβ sequences only occur in one recipient. By coupling single-cell transcriptomic analysis with unique TCR clonotypes, we found that top TCR clonotypes clustered in distinct activation states in regressing versus growing TILs. Intriguingly, the few TCR clonotypes shared between regressors and progressors differed greatly in their activation states, suggesting a more dominant influence from tumor microenvironment than TCR itself on T cell activation status.ConclusionsWe reveal that intrinsic differences in the TCR repertoire of TILs and their different transcriptional trajectories may underlie the heterogeneous antitumor immune responses in different hosts. We suggest that antitumor immune responses are highly individualized and different hosts employ different TCR specificities against the same tumors, which may have important implications for developing personalized cancer immunotherapy.
Point defects in tight binding models for insulators
Authors: Ortner Christoph , Thomas Jack 
Published: January 2021

We consider atomistic geometry relaxation in the context of linear tight binding models for point defects. A limiting model as Fermi-temperature is sent to zero is formulated, and an exponential rate of convergence for the nuclei configuration is established. We also formulate the thermodynamic limit model at zero Fermi-temperature, extending the results of [H. Chen, J. Lu and C. Ortner, Thermodynamic limit of crystal defects with finite temperature tight binding, Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 230 (2018) 701–733]. We discuss the non-trivial relationship between taking zero temperature and thermodynamic limits in the finite Fermi-temperature models.
Circular Multielectrode Pulsed Field Ablation Catheter Lasso Pulsed Field Ablation
Authors: Yavin Hagai , Brem Erez , Zilberman Israel , Shapira-Daniels Ayelet , Datta Keshava , Govari Assaf , Altmann Andres , Anic Ante , Wazni Oussama , Anter Elad 
Published: January 2021

Background:
Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is a nonthermal energy with potential safety advantages over radiofrequency ablation. This study investigated a novel PFA system—a circular multielectrode catheter (PFA lasso) and a multichannel generator designed to work with Carto 3 mapping system.

Methods:
A 7.5F bidirectional circular catheter with 10 electrodes and variable expansion was designed for PFA (biphasic, 1800 Volts). This study included a total of 16 swine used to investigate the following 3 experimental aims: Aim 1 examined the feasibility to create a right atrial ablation line of block from the superior vena cava to the inferior vena cava. Aim 2 examined the effect of PFA on lesion maturation including durability after a 30-day survival period. Aim 3 examined the effect of high-intensity PFA (10 applications) on esophageal and phrenic nerve tissue in comparison to normal intensity radiofrequency ablation (1–2 applications). Histopathologic analysis of all cardiac, esophageal, and phrenic nerve tissue was performed.

Results:
Acute line of block was achieved in 12/12 swine (100%) and required a total PFA time of 14 seconds (interquartile range [IQR], 9–24.5) per line. Ablation line durability after 28±3 days was maintained in 11/12 (91.7%) swine. PFA resulted in transmural lesions in 179/183 (97.8%) sections and a median lesion width of 14.2 mm. High-intensity PFA (9 [IQR, 8–14] application) had no effect on the esophagus while standard intensity radiofrequency ablation (1.5 [IQR, 1–2] applications) resulted in deep esophageal tissue injury involving the muscularis propria and adventitia layers. High-intensity PFA (16 [IQR, 10–28] applications) has no effect on phrenic nerve function and structure while standard dose radiofrequency ablation (1.5 [IQR, 1–2] applications) resulted in acute phrenic nerve paralysis.

Conclusions:
In this preclinical model, a multielectrode circular catheter and multichannel generator produced durable atrial lesions with lower vulnerability to esophageal or phrenic nerve damage.
China’s Diplomacy: Towards ASEAN Way Norms in the South China Sea
Authors: Kerr Pauline 
Published: January 2021

Summary
China’s approach to the norms of appropriate behaviour among states is being scrutinised by academics and practitioners — and no more so than in the South China Sea dispute where China’s response to the regional set of diplomatic norms, the ASEAN Way, is controversial. This essay asks three questions: Is China changing its diplomatic practices towards ASEAN Way diplomatic norms and, if so, how and why? Examining the issue through the lens of diplomatic tactics, the essay argues that yes China is changing its diplomacy, by adopting a range of diplomatic tactics: originally acknowledging ASEAN Way norms; later challenging and manipulating them; and, throughout, adopting tactics with ambiguous meanings. China’s tactics change in response to its leaders’ evolving perceptions of China’s international and regional contexts and, in turn, China’s tactics impact the contexts. China’s diplomacy, in this case, is adaptive, multifaceted, context dependent and context-changing, reflecting diplomacy’s longue durée.
Chinese Political Participation in Peninsula Malaysia: Under the Shadow of Malay Supremacy
Authors: Ku Samuel C. Y. , Hsiao Wen-Hsuan 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
With more than thirty ethnic groups, Malaysia is renowned for its multiculturalism and ethnic diversity. Unlike in Indonesia and the Philippines, where ethnic Chinese are rarely given the opportunity to serve in the central government. Therefore, political parties focus on ethnic needs and issues.
Therefore, it is important to gain a greater understanding of the degree to which ethnic Malaysian Chinese are participating in these elections and what sort of political powers their political parties maintain. Aside from the introduction and conclusion, the paper is divided into three sections. The first part investigates the geographic areas that represent different ethnicities across Malaysia and the regions. The second section examines how much political influence the ethnic Chinese Malaysians maintain. The last section analyzes how ethnic Chinese Malaysian’s political participation has evolved over the years.
Quantifying the Role of Ocean Dynamics in Ocean Mixed Layer Temperature Variability
Authors: Patrizio Casey R. , Thompson David W. J. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractUnderstanding the role of the ocean in climate variability requires first understanding the role of ocean dynamics in the ocean mixed layer and thus sea surface temperature variability. However, key aspects of the spatially and temporally varying contributions of ocean dynamics to such variability remain unclear. Here, the authors quantify the contributions of ocean dynamical processes to mixed layer temperature variability on monthly to multiannual time scales across the globe. To do so, they use two complementary but distinct methods: 1) a method in which ocean heat transport is estimated directly from a state-of-the-art ocean state estimate spanning 1992–2015 and 2) a method in which it is estimated indirectly from observations between 1980–2017 and the energy budget of the mixed layer. The results extend previous studies by providing quantitative estimates of the role of ocean dynamics in mixed layer temperature variability throughout the globe, across a range of time scales, in a range of available measurements, and using two different methods. Consistent with previous studies, both methods indicate that the ocean-dynamical contribution to mixed layer temperature variance is largest over western boundary currents, their eastward extensions, and regions of equatorial upwelling. In contrast to previous studies, the results suggest that ocean dynamics reduce the variance of Northern Hemisphere mixed layer temperatures on time scales longer than a few years. Hence, in the global mean, the fractional contribution of ocean dynamics to mixed layer temperature variability decreases at increasingly low frequencies. Differences in the magnitude of the ocean dynamical contribution based on the two methods highlight the critical need for improved and continuous observations of the ocean mixed layer.
Interaction of Nonlinear Ekman Pumping, Near-Inertial Oscillations, and Geostrophic Turbulence in an Idealized Coupled Model
Authors: Chen Yanxu , Straub David , Nadeau Louis-Philippe 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA new coupled model is developed to investigate interactions among geostrophic, Ekman, and near-inertial (NI) flows. The model couples a time-dependent nonlinear slab Ekman layer with a two-layer shallow water model. Wind stress forces the slab layer and horizontal divergence of slab-layer transport appears as a forcing in the continuity equation of the shallow water model. In one version of the slab model, self-advection of slab-layer momentum is retained and in another it is not. The most obvious impact of this explicit representation of the surface-layer dynamics is in the high-frequency part of the flow. For example, near-inertial oscillations are significantly stronger when self-advection of slab-layer momentum is retained, this being true both for the slab-layer flow itself and for the interior flow that it excites. In addition, retaining the self-advection terms leads to a new instability, which causes growth of slab-layer near-inertial oscillations in regions of anticyclonic forcing and decay in regions of cyclonic forcing. In contrast to inertial instability, it is the sign of the forcing, not that of the underlying vorticity, that determines stability. High-passed surface pressure fields are also examined and show the surface signature of unbalanced flow to differ substantially depending on whether a slab-layer model is used and, if so, whether self-advection of slab-layer momentum is retained.
Longitudinal non-cystic fibrosis trends of pulmonaryMycobacterium abscessusdisease from 2010 to 2017: spread of the “globally successful clone” in Asia
Authors: Cheng Aristine , Sun Hsin-Yun , Tsai Yi-Tzu , Lu Po-Liang , Lee Susan Shin-Jung , Lee Yi-Tzu , Wang Yung-Chih , Liu Po-Yu , Chien Jung-Yien , Hsueh Po-Ren , Chang Shu-Yuan , Wu Un-In , Sheng Wang-Huei , Chen Yee-Chun , Chang Shan-Chwen 
Published: January 2021

BackgroundMycobacterium abscessus(MAB) has emerged as the predominant pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacterial pathogen in parts of Asia, including Taiwan. The reasons for the significant increase in MAB infections in the non-cystic fibrosis (CF) populations are poorly understood. The study aimed to elucidate whether this increase is related to the spread of the globally successful clone of MAB.MethodsWe performed multilocus sequence typing of 371 nonduplicated MAB pulmonary isolates from 371 patients sampled between 2010–2017 at seven hospitals across Taiwan.ResultsIn total, 183 (49.3%) isolates wereM. abscessussubsp.abscessus(MAB-a), 187 (50.4%) wereM. abscessussubsp.massiliense(MAB-m), and 1 (0.3%) wasM. abscessussubsp.bolletii(MAB-b). MAB-a sequence type (ST)1 (23.7%) and ST127 (3.8%), followed by MAB-m ST48 (16.2%), ST117 (15.1%), ST23 (8.6%) were most common overall. Of MAB-a strains, 50 (27.3%) belonged to novel STs and 38 (10.2%) were singleton strains, while of MAB-m strains, only 10 (5.3%) were novel and 8 (2.2%) were singletons. From 2010 to 2017, the frequency of the historically dominant ST1 declined from 28.6% to 22.5%, whereas the recently emerged globally successful clonal cluster 3, ST23 and ST48, increased from 14.3% to 40.0%.ConclusionsThe dominance of ST1 particularly in the last 2 years of this study appears to be declining, while ST23, reported in outbreaks among CF and post-surgical cohorts across the Americas and Europe, alongside the closely related ST48, is present among non-CF populations in Taiwan. These trends need to be confirmed with further ongoing studies to track the molecular epidemiology of clinical MAB isolates worldwide.
Differential alteration of fMRI signal variability in the ascending trigeminal somatosensory and pain modulatory pathways in migraine
Authors: Lim Manyoel , Jassar Hassan , Kim Dajung J. , Nascimento Thiago D. , DaSilva Alexandre F. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe moment-to-moment variability of resting-state brain activity has been suggested to play an active role in chronic pain. Here, we investigated the regional blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal variability (BOLDSV) and inter-regional dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) in the interictal phase of migraine and its relationship with the attack severity.MethodsWe acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging from 20 migraine patients and 26 healthy controls (HC). We calculated the standard deviation (SD) of the BOLD time-series at each voxel as a measure of the BOLD signal variability (BOLDSV) and performed a whole-brain voxel-wise group comparison. The brain regions showing significant group differences in BOLDSVwere used to define the regions of interest (ROIs). The SD and mean of the dynamic conditional correlation between those ROIs were calculated to measure the variability and strength of the dFC. Furthermore, patients’ experimental pain thresholds and headache pain area/intensity levels during the migraine ictal-phase were assessed for clinical correlations.ResultsWe found that migraineurs, compared to HCs, displayed greater BOLDSVin the ascending trigeminal spinal-thalamo-cortical pathways, including the spinal trigeminal nucleus, pulvinar/ventral posteromedial (VPM) nuclei of the thalamus, primary somatosensory cortex (S1), and posterior insula. Conversely, migraine patients exhibited lower BOLDSVin the top-down modulatory pathways, including the dorsolateral prefrontal (dlPFC) and inferior parietal (IPC) cortices compared to HCs. Importantly, abnormal interictal BOLDSVin the ascending trigeminal spinal-thalamo-cortical and frontoparietal pathways were associated with the patient’s headache severity and thermal pain sensitivity during the migraine attack. Migraineurs also had significantly lower variability and greater strength of dFC within the thalamo-cortical pathway (VPM-S1) than HCs. In contrast, migraine patients showed greater variability and lower strength of dFC within the frontoparietal pathway (dlPFC-IPC).ConclusionsMigraine is associated with alterations in temporal signal variability in the ascending trigeminal somatosensory and top-down modulatory pathways, which may explain migraine-related pain and allodynia. Contrasting patterns of time-varying connectivity within the thalamo-cortical and frontoparietal pathways could be linked to abnormal network integrity and instability for pain transmission and modulation.