bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gross morphology, histology, and ultrastructure of the olfactory rosette of a critically endangered indicator species, the Delta Smelt, Hypomesus transpacificus
Authors: Triana-Garcia Pedro Alejandro , Nevitt Gabrielle A. , Pesavento Joseph B. , Teh Swee J. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) is a small, semi-anadromous fish native to the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary and has been declared as critically endangered. Their olfactory biology, in particular, is poorly understood and a basic description of their sensory anatomy is needed to advance our understanding of the sensory ecology of species to inform conservation efforts to manage and protect them. We provide a description of the gross morphology, histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural features of the olfactory rosette in this fish and discuss some of the functional implications in relation to olfactory ability. We show that Delta Smelt have a multilamellar olfactory rosette with allometric growth. Calretinin immunohistochemistry revealed a diffuse distribution of olfactory receptor neurons within the epithelium. Ciliated, microvillous and crypt neurons were clearly identified using morphological and immunohistochemical features. The olfactory neurons were supported by robust ciliated and secretory sustentacular cells. Although the sense of smell has been overlooked in Delta Smelt, we conclude that the olfactory epithelium has many characteristics of macrosmatic fish. With this study, we provide a foundation for future research into the sensory ecology of this imperiled fish.
Pacific circulation response to eastern Arctic sea ice reduction in seasonal forecast simulations
Authors: Seidenglanz Anne , Athanasiadis Panos , Ruggieri Paolo , Cvijanovic Ivana , Li Camille , Gualdi Silvio 
Published: June 2021

AbstractRecent studies point to the sensitivity of mid-latitude winter climate to Arctic sea ice variability. However, there remain contradictory results in terms of character and timing of Northern Hemisphere large-scale circulation features to Arctic sea ice changes. This study assesses the impact of realistic late autumn eastern Arctic sea ice anomalies on atmospheric wintertime circulation at mid-latitudes, pointing to a hidden potential for seasonal predictability. ​Using a dynamical seasonal prediction system, an ensemble of seasonal forecast simulations of 23 historical winter seasons is run with reduced November sea ice cover in the Barents-Kara Seas, and is compared to the respective control seasonal hindcast simulations set. ​A non energy-conserving approach is adopted for achieving the desired sea ice loss, with artificial heat being added conditionally to the ocean surface heat fluxes so as to inhibit the formation of sea ice during November. Our results point to a robust atmospheric circulation response in the North Pacific sector, similar to previous findings on the multidecadal timescale. Specifically, an anticyclonic anomaly at upper and lower levels is identified over the eastern midlatitude North Pacific, leading to dry conditions over the North American southwest coast. The responses are related to a re-organization (weakening) of west-Pacific tropical convection and interactions with the tropical Hadley circulation. ​A possible interaction of the poleward-shifted Pacific eddy-driven jet stream and the Hadley cell is discussed​. ​The winter circulation response in the Euro-Atlantic sector is ephemeral in character and statistically significant in January only, corroborating previous findings of an intermittent and non-stationary Arctic sea ice-NAO link during boreal winter. These results ​aid our understanding of the seasonal impacts of reduced eastern Arctic sea ice on the midlatitude atmospheric circulation with implications for seasonal predictability in wintertime.
Establishing a cardiac training group for patients with heart failure: the “HIP-in-Würzburg” study
Authors: Güder Gülmisal , Wilkesmann Joana , Scholz Nina , Leppich Robert , Düking Peter , Sperlich Billy , Rost Christian , Frantz Stefan , Morbach Caroline , Sahiti Floran , Stefenelli Ulrich , Breunig Margret , Störk Stefan 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background
Exercise training in heart failure (HF) is recommended but not routinely offered, because of logistic and safety-related reasons. In 2020, the German Society for Prevention&Rehabilitation and the German Society for Cardiology requested establishing dedicated “HF training groups.” Here, we aimed to implement and evaluate the feasibility and safety of one of the first HF training groups in Germany.

Methods
Twelve patients (three women) with symptomatic HF (NYHA class II/III) and an ejection fraction ≤ 45% participated and were offered weekly, physician-supervised exercise training for 1 year. Patients received a wrist-worn pedometer (M430 Polar) and underwent the following assessments at baseline and after 4, 8 and 12 months: cardiopulmonary exercise test, 6-min walk test, echocardiography (blinded reading), and quality of life assessment (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, KCCQ).

Results
All patients (median age [quartiles] 64 [49; 64] years) completed the study and participated in 76% of the offered 36 training sessions. The pedometer was worn ≥ 1000 min per day over 86% of the time. No cardiovascular events occurred during training. Across 12 months, NT-proBNP dropped from 986 pg/ml [455; 1937] to 483 pg/ml [247; 2322], and LVEF increased from 36% [29;41] to 41% [32;46]%, (p for trend = 0.01). We observed no changes in exercise capacity except for a subtle increase in peak VO2% predicted, from 66.5 [49; 77] to 67 [52; 78]; p for trend = 0.03. The physical function and social limitation domains of the KCCQ improved from 60 [54; 82] to 71 [58; 95, and from 63 [39; 83] to 78 [64; 92]; p for trend = 0.04 and = 0.01, respectively. Positive trends were further seen for the clinical and overall summary scores.

Conclusion
This pilot study showed that the implementation of a supervised HF-exercise program is feasible, safe, and has the potential to improve both quality of life and surrogate markers of HF severity. This first exercise experiment should facilitate the design of risk-adopted training programs for patients with HF.
Surgery and the kings of medical science
Authors: Demir Ihsan Ekin , Ceyhan Güralp O. , Friess Helmut 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background
Surgeons are frequently compared in terms of their publication activity to members of other disciplines who publish in journals with naturally higher impact factors. The time intensity of daily clinical duties in surgery is yet not comparable to that of these competitor disciplines.

Purpose
Here, we aimed to critically comment on ways for improving the academic productivity of university surgerons.

Conclusions
To ensure high-quality science in surgery, it is imperative that surgeons actively ask for and generate the time for high-quality research. This necessitates coordinated and combined efforts of leading university surgeons at the political level and effective presentation of the magnificent studies performed by young and talented university surgeons.
k-Approximate Quasiperiodicity Under Hamming and Edit Distance
Authors: Kędzierski Aleksander , Radoszewski Jakub 
Published: June 2021

AbstractQuasiperiodicity in strings was introduced almost 30 years ago as an extension of string periodicity. The basic notions of quasiperiodicity are cover and seed. A cover of a text T is a string whose occurrences in T cover all positions of T. A seed of text T is a cover of a superstring of T. In various applications exact quasiperiodicity is still not sufficient due to the presence of errors. We consider approximate notions of quasiperiodicity, for which we allow approximate occurrences in T with a small Hamming, Levenshtein or weighted edit distance. In previous work Sim et al. (J Korea Inf Sci Soc 29(1):16–21, 2002) and Christodoulakis et al. (J Autom Lang Comb 10(5/6), 609–626, 2005) showed that computing approximate covers and seeds, respectively, under weighted edit distance is NP-hard. They, therefore, considered restricted approximate covers and seeds which need to be factors of the original string T and presented polynomial-time algorithms for computing them. Further algorithms, considering approximate occurrences with Hamming distance bounded by k, were given in several contributions by Guth et al. They also studied relaxed approximate quasiperiods. We present more efficient algorithms for computing restricted approximate covers and seeds. In particular, we improve upon the complexities of many of the aforementioned algorithms, also for relaxed quasiperiods. Our solutions are especially efficient if the number (or total cost) of allowed errors is small. We also show conditional lower bounds for computing restricted approximate covers and prove NP-hardness of computing non-restricted approximate covers and seeds under the Hamming distance.
A novel Veress needle mechanism that reduces overshooting after puncturing the abdominal wall
Authors: Postema Roelf R. , Cefai David , van Straten Bart , Miedema Rein , Hardjo Latifa Lesmana , Dankelman Jenny , Nickel Felix , Horeman-Franse Tim 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background
Complications that occur in laparoscopic surgery are often associated with the initial entry into the peritoneal cavity. The literature reported incidences of Veress needle (VN) injuries of e.g. 0.31% and 0.23%. In a 2010 national survey of laparoscopic entry techniques in the Canadian General Surgical practice, 57.3% of respondents had either experienced or witnessed a serious laparoscopic entry complication like bowel perforation and vascular injury. As those complications are potentially life threatening and should be avoided at all costs, improving safety of this initial action is paramount.

Methods
Based on a bare minimum design approach with focus on function expansion of existing components, a new Safety mechanism was developed for the VN that decreases the risks of VN overshooting. The mechanism works by preventing the puncturing acceleration of the tip of the VN by decoupling the surgeon’s hand from the VN immediately after entering the abdomen.

Results
Based on a set of requirements, a first prototype of the VN+ with force decoupling safety mechanism is presented and evaluated on an ex vivo porcine abdominal wall tissue model in a custom setup. The experiments conducted by two novices and one experienced surgeon indicated a significant difference between the attempts with a standard, conventional working VN (41.4 mm [37.5–45 mm]) and VN+ with decoupling mechanism (20.8 mm [17.5–22.5 mm]) of p < 0.001.

Conclusion
A new decoupling safety mechanism was integrated successfully in a standard VN resulting in a VN+ . The results from the pilot study indicate that this new VN+ reduces overshooting with a minimum of 50% in a standardised ex vivo setting on fresh porcine abdominal wall specimens.
Glucose control in diabetes during home confinement for the first pandemic wave of COVID-19: a meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Silverii Giovanni Antonio , Delli Poggi Chiara , Dicembrini Ilaria , Monami Matteo , Mannucci Edoardo 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Aim
To assess the effect on glycaemic control of confinement due to lockdown measures, during COVID-19 pandemic, in people with type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 (T2DM) diabetes.

Methods
Meta-analysis of observational studies reporting measures of glucose control and variability before and during and/or after periods of confinement caused by COVID-19 in 2020 and/or 2021.

Results
We included 27 studies on T1DM. No significant change in Hba1c was observed after lockdown (WMD − 1.474 [− 3.26; 0.31] mmol/mol, I2 = 93.9). TIR significantly increased during and after lockdown (WMD: 2.73 1.47; 4.23 %, I2 = 81% and 3.73 [1.13; 5.33] %, I2 = 85%, respectively).We retrieved nine studies on T2DM patients. No significant variation in HbA1c was detected (WMD − 1.257 − 3.91; 1.39 mmol/mol, I2 = 98.3%). HbA1c had a more favourable trend in studies performed in Asia than in Europe (p = 0.022 between groups).

Conclusion
Lockdown showed no significant detrimental effect on HbA1c in either T1DM or T2DM. Conversely, home confinement led to a reduction in mean glucose and glucose variability in T1DM, although with a high heterogeneity of results.
Psychooncological distress in low-grade glioma patients—a monocentric study
Authors: Ley Alessandra , Kamp Marcel , von Sass Christiane , Hänggi Daniel , Sabel Michael , Rapp Marion 
Published: June 2021

Summary
Background
Patients diagnosed with low-grade glioma (LGG) must live with constant knowledge of an upcoming malignant tumor transformation which may lead to increased anxiety and reduced quality of life. Here, we (1) analyzed the prevalence and risk factors for distress in LGG patients using (2) different screening tools to subsequently (3) evaluate their need for psychological support.

Method
Patients with LGG-suspicious findings in MRI studies as well as patients with histopathological confirmed LGG were screened using three established self-assessment instruments (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Distress Thermometer, EORTC-QLQ-C30-BN20). Screening results were correlated with sociodemographic factors.

Results
One hundred forty-nine patients (74 men and 75 women) were prospectively included. Patients were further divided into different subgroups regarding the time of screening and diagnosis. An increased level of distress was observed in 20.8% (mean score 1.21, 95% CI 1.15–1.28) of all patients screened by HADS. Significant associated factors were pre-existing psychiatric disorders (p = 0.003) and psychotropic medication (p = 0.029). HRQoL (p = 0.022) and global health item (p = 0.015), as well as future uncertainty (p = 0.047), assessed by the EORTC-QLQ-C30-BN20 were significantly higher in those patients without histopathological diagnosis. Increased distress was significantly correlated with results in chosen sub-items of the HRQoL questionnaire (p < 0.001).

Conclusions
Our results demonstrate the need for frequent distress screening. If specific tools are not available, HRQoL questionnaires can also be used. Patients with pre-existing psychological stress should be offered additional psychooncological support, irrespectively of the time of screening or tumor diagnosis.
Clinical trial registration number: 4087
Separation of the overlapped vitamin B1 and B3 voltammetric peaks by means of Continuous Wavelet Transform and differentiation
Authors: Porada Radosław , Baś Bogusław 
Published: June 2021

AbstractDue to the indubitable role of vitamins in maintaining human health, a lot of attention has been paid to the methods and analytical procedures of their determination. Voltammetric methods are of particular interest as they do not involve complex sample preparation, however, close values of the redox potential of some vitamins may result in peak overlapping, hindering the quantitative analysis. This paper addresses the separation of overlapped reduction peak of vitamins B1 and B3 by means of Continuous Wavelet Transform (with appropriately selected mother wavelets) and differentiation of the recorded voltammograms. These numerical algorithms allowed to obtained linear, single-variable calibration functions that comply with the applied in analytical chemistry criteria regarding the correlation coefficients and the limit of detection and quantification. Their relatively simple implementation does not include any manual interpretation step; thus, these algorithms provide impartial and reproducible results. The proposed methodology has been applied in the determination of vitamins B1 and B3 in dietary supplements, providing results consistent with the declaration of the manufacturer.Graphic abstract
Association of periodontitis and diabetic macular edema in various stages of diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Lindner Marlene , Arefnia Behrouz , Ivastinovic Domagoj , Sourij Harald , Lindner Ewald , Wimmer Gernot 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Objectives
Periodontitis and diabetes are known to have a bidirectional relationship. Diabetic macular edema is a complication of diabetes that is strongly influenced by inflammatory pathways. However, it remains to be established whether inflammation at other locations, such as periodontitis, affects diabetic macular edema. Here, we investigated the prevalence of periodontitis in patients treated for diabetic macular edema.

Materials and methods
Patients with diabetic macular edema were recruited for this cross-sectional study at the Medical University of Graz. Macular edema was documented by optical coherence tomography. Periodontal status was assessed by computerized periodontal probing and panoramic X-ray imaging. Bleeding on probing, clinical attachment level, probing pocket depth, and plaque index were compared between different stages of diabetic retinopathy.

Results
Eighty-three eyes of 45 patients with diabetic macular edema were enrolled. Forty-four eyes (53.0%) had early stages of diabetic retinopathy (mild and moderate), and 39 eyes (47.0%) had late stages (severe and proliferative). Patients with mild or moderate DR were more likely to have more severe periodontal conditions than patients with severe or proliferative DR. Fourteen patients with mild DR (82.4%), 7 patients with moderate DR (87.5%), 4 patients with severe DR (100.0%), and 15 patients with proliferative DR (93.8%) had some degree of PD. The periodontal inflamed surface areas and the percentages of tooth sites that bled on probing were significantly higher in patients with early stages of diabetic retinopathy than in those with late stages of the disease (p < 0.05). Patients with periodontal inflamed surface areas of more than 500 mm2 required significantly more intravitreal injections in the last year than those with milder forms of periodontitis (n = 6.9 ± 3.1 versus n = 5.0 ± 3.5, p = 0.03).

Conclusion
In patients with diabetic macular edema, periodontitis is more prevalent in early stages of diabetic retinopathy. We suggest regular dental check-ups for diabetic patients, especially when diabetic macular edema is already present.

Clinical relevance
Patients with diabetic macular edema should be screened for periodontitis and vice versa, particularly early in the course of diabetes.
The effects of armed conflict on forest cover changes across temporal and spatial scales in the Colombian Amazon
Authors: Bautista-Cespedes Oscar V. , Willemen Louise , Castro-Nunez Augusto , Groen Thomas A. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe Amazon rainforest covers roughly 40% of Colombia’s territory and has important global ecological functions. For more than 50 years, an internal war in the country has shaped this region. Peace negotiations between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) initiated in 2012 resulted in a progressive de-escalation of violence and a complete ceasefire in 2016. This study explores the role of different deforestation drivers including armed conflict variables, in explaining deforestation for three periods between 2001 and 2015. Iterative regression analyses were carried out for two spatial extents: the entire Colombian Amazon and a subset area which was most affected by deforestation. The results show that conflict variables have positive relationships with deforestation; yet, they are not among the main variables explaining deforestation. Accessibility and biophysical variables explain more variation. Nevertheless, conflict variables show divergent influence on deforestation depending on the period and scale of analysis. Based on these results, we develop deforestation risk maps to inform the design of forest conservation efforts in the post-conflict period.
Das RCEP-Abkommen und dessen Bedeutung für die EU
Authors: Frenkel Michael , Ngo Tuyet 
Published: June 2021

ZusammenfassungIm November 2020 wurde das RCEP-Abkommen als größtes Freihandelsabkommen der Welt von Brunei, Kambodscha, Indonesien, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, den Philippinen, Singapur, Thailand, Vietnam sowie Australien, China, Japan, Neuseeland und Südkorea unterzeichnet. Bis Ende 2022 soll das Abkommen ratifiziert sein und in Kraft treten. Zusammen entfallen auf die Mitgliedsländer 25 % des internationalen Waren- und Dienstleistungsverkehrs. Es stellt sich die Frage, welche positiven und negativen Auswirkungen das Freihandelsabkommen für die Mitgliedsländer sowie die EU haben wird.
Beitragsfinanzierung im „demografiegestressten“ Rentensystem möglich
Authors: Niemeier Ernst 
Published: June 2021

ZusammenfassungTrotz des demografischen Wandels ist ein beitragsfinanziertes Rentensystem in Deutschland möglich und wünschenswert. Ein Rentenniveau von beispielsweise 50 % kann auch nach 2030 noch über Beiträge finanziert werden. Zum einen übersteigt die Produktivitäts- und Einkommensentwicklung die steigende Beitragsbelastung, sodass das Nettorealeinkommen trotz höherer Beiträge deutlich steigt. Außerdem müssen versicherungsfremde Leistungen sachgemäß durch Steuern und nicht durch Beiträge finanziert werden, um die Beitragshöhe zu begrenzen.
Brucella sp. sequence-type 27 associated with abortion in dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima
Authors: Hernández-Mora Gabriela , González-Barrientos Rocío , Víquez-Ruíz Eunice , Palacios-Alfaro José David , Bettoni-Rodríguez Gianmarco , Gendre Marlène , Vincent Charline , Roca-Monge Karol , Ruiz-Villalobos Nazareth , Suárez-Esquivel Marcela , Cordero-Chavarría Minor , Chaves-Olarte Esteban , Thomson Nicholas R. , Barquero-Calvo Elías , Moreno Edgardo , Guzmán-Verri Caterina 
Published: June 2021

AbstractA dwarf sperm whaleKogia simastranded alive along the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The whale, handled by tourists and local inhabitants, was weak, had buoyancy difficulties, and eventually aborted and died, showing severe necrotizing placentitis and other pathological signs. Both the mother and the fetus had antibodies againstBrucellalipopolysaccharide.Brucellaorganisms were isolated from various tissues of both animals and were characterized. The bacterium genome corresponded to sequence-type 27 (ST27) and clustered together with otherBrucellaST27 isolated in humans and cetaceans.
A bone replacement-type calcium phosphate cement that becomes more porous in vivo by incorporating a degradable polymer
Authors: Shimatani Akiyoshi , Toyoda Hiromitsu , Orita Kumi , Ibara Yuta , Yokogawa Yoshiyuki , Nakamura Hiroaki 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThis study investigated whether mixing low viscosity alginic acid with calcium phosphate cement (CPC) causes interconnected porosity in the CPC and enhances bone replacement by improving the biological interactions. Furthermore, we hypothesized that low viscosity alginic acid would shorten the setting time of CPC and improve its strength. CPC samples were prepared with 0, 5, 10, and 20% low viscosity alginic acid. After immersion in acetate buffer, possible porosification in CPC was monitored in vitro using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the setting times and compressive strengths were measured. In vivo study was conducted by placing CPC in a hole created on the femur of New Zealand white rabbit. Microcomputed tomography and histological examination were performed 6 weeks after implantation. SEM images confirmed that alginic acid enhanced the porosity of CPC compared to the control, and the setting time and compressive strength also improved. When incorporating a maximum amount of alginic acid, the new bone mass was significantly higher than the control group (P = 0.0153). These biological responses are promising for the translation of these biomaterials and their commercialization for clinic applications.