bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of air pollution with the risk of initial outpatient visits for tuberculosis in Wuhan, China
Authors: Xu Man , Liao Jiaqiang , Yin Ping , Hou Jian , Zhou Yun , Huang Jiao , Liu Bing , Chen Ruoling , Ke Li , Chen Hongying , Hu Ping 
Published: July 2019

ObjectivesPrevious studies suggested the association of air pollution with initialMycobacterium tuberculosisinfection and the disease development. However, few studies have been conducted on air pollution and initial tuberculosis (TB) consults using short-interval data. We investigated the weekly association between air pollution and initial TB outpatient visits.MethodsWe used a Poisson regression model combined with a distributed lag non-linear model to conduct a time-series study with weekly air pollution data and TB cases during 2014–2017 in Wuhan, China.ResultsA 10 µg/m3increase in NO2(nitrogen dioxide) was associated with 11.74% (95% CI: 0.70 to 23.98, lag 0–1 weeks), 21.45% (95% CI: 1.44 to 45.41, lag 0–2 weeks) and 12.8% (95% CI: 0.97 to 26.02, lag 0–1 weeks) increase in initial TB consults among all patients with TB, old patients (≥60 years old) and male ones, respectively. A 10 µg/m3increase in SO2(sulfur dioxide) was associated with −22.23% (95% CI: −39.23 to −0.49, lag 0–16 weeks), −28.65% (95% CI: −44.3 to −8.58, lag 0–16 weeks), −23.85 (95% CI: −41.79 to −0.37, lag 0–8 weeks) and −23.82% (95% CI: −41.31 to −1.11, lag 0–16 weeks) increase in initial TB consults among the total, young (aged 15–59 years old), old and male patients, respectively. In old patients, a 0.1 mg/m3increase in CO (carbon monoxide) and a 10 µg/m3increase in PM2.5(particulate matter) were separately associated with 42.32% (95% CI: 1.16 to 100.22, lag 0–16 weeks) and 17.38% (95% CI: 0.28 to 37.38, lag 0–16 weeks) increases in TB consults.ConclusionOur study first highlighted the importance of weekly association between air pollution and the risk of initial TB consults, which is helpful for the arrangements of TB screening and medical assistance.
Whole-body vibration and back pain-related work absence among heavy equipment vehicle mining operators
Authors: Barrero Lope H , Cifuentes Manuel , Rodríguez Andrés C , Rey-Becerra Estefany , Johnson Peter W , Marin Luz S , Piedrahita Hugo , Dennerlein Jack T 
Published: July 2019

ObjectiveTo determine the association between several whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure estimates and back pain-related work absence.MethodsExposures (based on the weighted daily root mean square acceleration, A(8); the daily vibration dose value, VDV(8); and the daily equivalent static compression dose, Sed(8)) of 2302 workers during 4 years were estimated using each worker’s monthly vehicle operation records and WBV measurements from 11 different types of heavy equipment vehicles in a large coal mine. Company payroll data provided work absence during the concurrent 4 years of exposure. Cox regression models estimated the associations between the different WBV metrics and time to first work absence related to back pain. An adjusted R2statistic provided a measure of model fit.ResultsAll estimated metrics of WBV exposures were positively and significantly associated with back pain-related absence. HRs varied from 2.03 to 12.39 for every 0.21 m/s2increase in the A(8)-based exposures; from 1.03 to 1.18 for every 1.72 m/s1.75increase in VDV(8)-based exposures; and from 1.04 to 1.07 for every 0.06 MPa increase in Sed(8)-based exposures. Models using the estimated VDV(8) metric for the z axis fit the data best as measured by the R2statistic.ConclusionHigher WBV exposures were associated with back pain-related absences in this population, which appears after a few years of follow-up. Introducing controls to lower exposure levels may help reduce back pain-related work absences.
Trends in total knee and hip arthroplasty recipients: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Liu Jiabin , Wilson Lauren , Poeran Jashvant , Fiasconaro Megan , Kim David H , Yang Elaine , Memtsoudis Stavros 
Published: July 2019

BackgroundArthroplasty is one of the most commonly performed procedures in the USA with projections of continuous growth. As this field undergoes continuous changes, the goal of this study was to provide an analysis of patient-related and healthcare system-related trends. This is important as it allows practitioners, administrators and policy makers to allocate needed resources appropriately.MethodsThe study included total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) procedures from 2006 to 2016. Demographic information, comorbidities and complications were extracted and analyzed from the Premier Healthcare database.ResultsThe surgical volume increased annually over the observation period by an average of 5.54% for TKA and 7.02% for THA, respectively. The average age of the patient population and the types of anesthesia used remained relatively consistent over time. Comorbidity burden increased, especially for obesity (16.52% in 2006 and 29.77% in 2016 for TKA, 11.15% in 2006 and 20.92% in 2016 for THA), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (6.82% in 2006 and 17.03% in 2016 for TKA, 4.69% in 2006 and 12.72% in 2016 for THA) and renal insufficiency (2.81% in 2006 and 7.01% in 2016 for TKA, 2.78% in 2006 and 6.43% in 2016 for THA). Minor trends of increases were also observed in the prevalence of liver disease, depression and hypothyroidism. All postoperative complications were trending lower except for acute renal failure, where an increase was noted (4.39% in 2006 and 8.10% in 2016 for TKA, 4.99% in 2006 and 8.42% in 2016 for THA).DiscussionSignificant trends in the care of patients who undergo TKA and THA were identified. Individuals undergoing these procedures presented with a higher prevalence of comorbidities. Despite these trajectories, complications declined over time. These data can be used to inform future research and to allocate resources to address changes in populations cared for and complications encountered.
Occupational exposure to asbestos and silica and risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis: findings from a Swedish population-based case-control study
Authors: Ilar Anna , Klareskog Lars , Saevarsdottir Saedis , Wiebert Pernilla , Askling Johan , Gustavsson Per , Alfredsson Lars 
Published: July 2019

ObjectiveAirborne agents including cigarette smoke associate with an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We analysed to which extent occupational exposure to asbestos and silica confers an increased risk of developing serologically defined subsets of RA.MethodsThis Swedish population-based case-control study enrolled incident RA cases between 1996 and 2013 (n=11 285), identified through national public authority and quality registers, as well as from the Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid Arthritis (EIRA) Study. Controls (n=1 15 249) were randomly selected from Sweden’s population register and matched on sex, age, index year and county. Occupational histories were obtained from national censuses. Exposure to asbestos and silica was assessed by job-exposure matrices. Logistic regression was used to calculate ORs adjusted for age, sex, county, index year, alcohol use and smoking.ResultsResults showed that male workers exposed to asbestos had higher risk of seropositive RA (OR=1.2, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.4) and seronegative RA (OR=1.2, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.5) compared with unexposed workers. The risk was highest among workers exposed to asbestos from 1970, before a national ban was introduced. Male workers exposed to silica also had higher risk of RA (seropositive RA: OR=1.4, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.6; seronegative RA: OR=1.3, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.5). For the largest subset, seropositive RA, the OR increased with the number of years exposed to silica, up to OR=2.3 (95% CI 1.4 to 3.8, p for trend <0.0001). Women overall had lower ORs than men, but the duration and intensity of their exposure were lower.ConclusionsIn conclusion, we observed an association between asbestos exposure and risk of developing RA and extended previous findings of an association between silica exposure and RA risk, where a dose-response relationship was observed.
Seedling, early vegetative, and adult plant growth of oilseed rapes (Brassica napus L.) under saline stress
Authors: Gyawali Sanjaya , Parkin Isobel A.P. , Steppuhn Harold , Buchwaldt Miles , Adhikari Bijaya , Wood Robert , Wall Ken , Buchwaldt Lone , Singh Murari , Bekkaoui Diana , Hegedus Dwayne D. 
Published: July 2019

Salinity is a major limiting factor for early crop establishment and yield. In this study, 131 Brassica napus genotypes were evaluated for germination and early seedling growth in Murashige & Skoog medium supplemented with NaCl. Selected genotypes were then evaluated for tolerance to salinity at the vegetative and reproductive stages in greenhouse and semi-hydroponic systems using 1.4, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 28 dS m−1 salt stress. Relative salt tolerance (RST) was calculated and compared with genotype performance under no salt stress (control). The area under the germination progress curve (AUGPC) varied from 53 to 90 in the control and from 6 to 89 under 200 mmol L−1 NaCl stress. The seedling vigor index (SVI) ranged from 200 to 1606 and 10 to 736 in the control and 200 mmol L−1 salt stress treatments, respectively. The RST for germination, root length, shoot length, and SVI ranged from 8% to 97.7%, 2% to 98.3%, 6.5% to 70.8%, and 1.9% to 83%, respectively. Root length was most severely affected by saline conditions, followed by shoot length and AUGPC, when RST percentages of these traits were compared among responses of the 131 genotypes. Genotypes showed varying levels of proline and glucosinolate accumulation under different levels of saline stress. Greater accumulation of proline and glucosinolates was recorded with increased salinity level. This study indicates that variation exists in seedling and adult plant responses to saline stress in B. napus genotypes and that improvement for salinity tolerance requires selection at the seedling, vegetative, and reproductive plant stages.
Deep-seated focused fluid migration as indicator for hydrocarbon leads in the East Shetland Platform, North Sea Province
Authors: Karstens Jens , Müller Philipp , Berndt Christian , Patruno Stefano 
Published: July 2019

Abstract
Hydrocarbon exploration in the North Sea Basin has revealed a multitude of focused fluid conduits, which manifest in seismic data as pipe or chimney structures that in some instances are connected to underlying hydrocarbon reservoirs. 3D seismic data from the eastern margin of the East Shetland Platform reveal the presence of more than 450 focused fluid conduits. Most of these initiate at the Base Tertiary Unconformity and cross-cut the overlying sediments. The focused fluid conduits correlate with intra-platform basin structures beneath the Base Tertiary Unconformity and with permeable sediment lobes, channels and deltaic units in the overlying Paleocene to Eocene successions, which include known hydrocarbon reservoirs (e.g. Bressay, Bentley, Skipper or Piper). Clusters of pipes associated with other channels and deltaic units may indicate the presence of additional prospects at the eastern margin of the East Shetland Platform. Our study highlights the potential of using seismically imaged focused fluid system analyses in hydrocarbon exploration in platform areas on both sides of the Viking Graben and other frontier areas as they reveal the presence of working hydrocarbon charge pathways.
Geometry-aware scattering compensation for 3D printing
Authors: Sumin Denis , Rittig Tobias , Babaei Vahid , Nindel Thomas , Wilkie Alexander , Didyk Piotr , Bickel Bernd , Křivánek Jaroslav , Myszkowski Karol , Weyrich Tim 
Published: July 2019

Commercially available full-color 3D printing allows for detailed control of material deposition in a volume, but an exact reproduction of a target surface appearance is hampered by the strong subsurface scattering that causes nontrivial volumetric cross-talk at the print surface. Previous work showed how an iterative optimization scheme based on accumulating absorptive materials at the surface can be used to find a volumetric distribution of print materials that closely approximates a given target appearance.In this work, we first revisit the assumption that pushing the absorptive materials to the surface results in minimal volumetric cross-talk. We design a full-fledged optimization on a small domain for this task and confirm this previously reported heuristic. Then, we extend the above approach that is critically limited to color reproduction on planar surfaces, to arbitrary 3D shapes. Our method enables high-fidelity color texture reproduction on 3D prints by effectively compensating for internal light scattering within arbitrarily shaped objects. In addition, we propose a content-aware gamut mapping that significantly improves color reproduction for the pathological case of thin geometric features. Using a wide range of sample objects with complex textures and geometries, we demonstrate color reproduction whose fidelity is superior to state-of-the-art drivers for color 3D printers.
CurviSlicer
Authors: Etienne Jimmy , Ray Nicolas , Panozzo Daniele , Hornus Samuel , Wang Charlie C. L. , Martínez Jonàs , McMains Sara , Alexa Marc , Wyvill Brian , Lefebvre Sylvain 
Published: July 2019

Most additive manufacturing processes fabricate objects by stacking planar layers of solidified material. As a result, produced parts exhibit a so-called staircase effect, which results from sampling slanted surfaces with parallel planes. Using thinner slices reduces this effect, but it always remains visible where layers
almost
align with the input surfaces.

In this research we exploit the ability of some additive manufacturing processes to deposit material slightly out of plane to dramatically reduce these artifacts. We focus in particular on the widespread Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technology, since most printers in this category can deposit along slightly curved paths, under deposition slope and thickness constraints.
Our algorithm curves the layers, making them either follow the natural slope of the input surface or on the contrary, make them intersect the surfaces at a steeper angle thereby improving the sampling quality. Rather than directly computing curved layers, our algorithm optimizes for a deformation of the model which is then sliced with a standard planar approach. We demonstrate that this approach enables us to encode all fabrication constraints, including the guarantee of generating collision-free toolpaths, in a convex optimization that can be solved using a QP solver.
We produce a variety of models and compare print quality between curved deposition and planar slicing.
Deep convolutional reconstruction for gradient-domain rendering
Authors: Kettunen Markus , Härkönen Erik , Lehtinen Jaakko 
Published: July 2019

It has been shown that rendering in the gradient domain, i.e., estimating finite difference gradients of image intensity using correlated samples, and combining them with direct estimates of pixel intensities by solving a screened Poisson problem, often offers fundamental benefits over merely sampling pixel intensities. The reasons can be traced to the frequency content of the light transport integrand and its interplay with the gradient operator. However, while they often yield state of the art performance among algorithms that are based on Monte Carlo sampling alone, gradient-domain rendering algorithms have, until now, not generally been competitive with techniques that combine Monte Carlo sampling with post-hoc noise removal using sophisticated non-linear filtering.
Drawing on the power of modern convolutional neural networks, we propose a novel reconstruction method for gradient-domain rendering. Our technique replaces the screened Poisson solver of previous gradient-domain techniques with a novel dense variant of the U-Net autoencoder, additionally taking auxiliary feature buffers as inputs. We optimize our network to minimize a perceptual image distance metric calibrated to the human visual system. Our results significantly improve the quality obtained from gradient-domain path tracing, allowing it to overtake state-of-the-art comparison techniques that denoise traditional Monte Carlo samplings. In particular, we observe that the correlated gradient samples --- that offer information about the smoothness of the integrand unavailable in standard Monte Carlo sampling --- notably improve image quality compared to an equally powerful neural model that does not make use of gradient samples.
Drug-eluting stent specifically designed to target vascular smooth muscle cell phenotypic modulation attenuated restenosis through the YAP pathway
Authors: Huang Chen , Zhang Wenwen , Zhu Yuelin 
Published: July 2019

Vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic modulation contributes to the development of restenosis. A sorafenib-eluting stent was specifically designed to target SMC phenotypic modulation to inhibit in-stent restenosis in the present study. SMC contractile protein from the freshly isolated rat aorta was expressed at a high level, but its expression was dramatically reduced after SMCs were cultured in 10% FBS for 1 wk. After sorafenib treatment, SMC contractile protein expression was markedly upregulated. We further observed that Yes-associated protein (YAP) expression was attenuated after sorafenib treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Overexpression of YAP by lentivirus reversed the expression of sorafenib-induced SMC contractile protein and increased the expression of cyclin D. Mechanistically, sorafenib regulated the serum response factor-myocardin (SRF-Myocd) complex through competitive binding of YAP to Myocd and increased SRF binding to CArG-containing regions of SMC-specific contractile genes within intact chromatin, thereby controlling the activity of smooth muscle-specific gene transcription. In a rabbit carotid model, the sorafenib-eluting stent (SFES) dramatically inhibited in-stent restenosis and upregulated SMC contractile protein expression. Overexpression of YAP blocked the antirestenosis effect of SFES and repressed contractile smooth muscle-specific genes in vivo, indicating that SFES attenuated in-stent restenosis through YAP-mediated SMC phenotypic modulation. We demonstrated that SFES attenuated in-stent restenosis through YAP-mediated SMC phenotypic modulation. Targeting SMC phenotypic modulation by drug-eluting stent represents an attractive therapeutic approach for the treatment of occlusive vascular diseases. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In the present study, we demonstrated that sorafenib regulates smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic modulation from a proliferative to a contractile state. Sorafenib induced a myocardin-serum response factor interaction and increased SMC contractile gene transcription through the Yes-associated protein pathway. Moreover, local delivery of sorafenib regulating SMC phenotypic modulation represents a promising strategy in the design of drug-eluting stents.
Reversal of heart failure in a chemogenetic model of persistent cardiac redox stress
Authors: Sorrentino Andrea , Steinhorn Benjamin , Troncone Luca , Saravi Seyed Soheil Saeedi , Badole Sachin , Eroglu Emrah , Kijewski Marie Foley , Divakaran Sanjay , Di Carli Marcelo , Michel Thomas 
Published: July 2019

We previously described a novel “chemogenetic” animal model of heart failure that recapitulates a characteristic feature commonly found in human heart failure: chronic oxidative stress. This heart failure model uses a chemogenetic approach to activate a recombinant yeast d-amino acid oxidase in rat hearts in vivo to generate oxidative stress, which then rapidly leads to the development of a dilated cardiomyopathy. Here we apply this new model to drug testing by studying its response to treatment with the angiotensin II (ANG II) receptor blocker valsartan, administered either alone or with the neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril. Echocardiographic and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomographic imaging revealed that valsartan in the presence or absence of sacubitril reverses the anatomical and metabolic remodeling induced by chronic oxidative stress. Markers of oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and apoptosis, as well as classical heart failure biomarkers, also normalized following drug treatments despite the persistence of cardiac fibrosis. These findings provide evidence that chemogenetic heart failure is rapidly reversible by drug treatment, setting the stage for the study of novel heart failure therapeutics in this model. The ability of ANG II blockade and neprilysin inhibition to reverse heart failure induced by chronic oxidative stress identifies a central role for cardiac myocyte angiotensin receptors in the pathobiology of cardiac dysfunction caused by oxidative stress. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The chemogenetic approach allows us to distinguish cardiac myocyte-specific pathology from the pleiotropic changes that are characteristic of other “interventional” animal models of heart failure. These features of the chemogenetic heart failure model facilitate the analysis of drug effects on the progression and regression of ventricular remodeling, fibrosis, and dysfunctional signal transduction. Chemogenetic approaches will be highly informative in the study of the roles of redox stress in heart failure providing an opportunity for the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
Intravenous ivabradine augments the dynamic heart rate response to moderate vagal nerve stimulation in anesthetized rats
Authors: Kawada Toru , Yamamoto Hiromi , Uemura Kazunori , Hayama Yohsuke , Nishikawa Takuya , Sugimachi Masaru 
Published: July 2019

Ivabradine is a selective bradycardic agent that reduces the heart rate (HR) by inhibiting the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels. Although its cardiovascular effect is thought to be minimal except for inducing bradycardia, ivabradine could interact with cardiovascular regulation by the autonomic nervous system. We tested whether ivabradine modifies dynamic characteristics of peripheral vagal HR control. In anesthetized Wistar-Kyoto rats ( n = 7), the right vagal nerve was sectioned and stimulated for 10 min according to a binary white noise sequence with a switching interval of 500 ms. The efferent vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) trials were performed using three different rates (10, 20, and 40 Hz), and were designated as V0–10, V0–20, and V0–40, respectively. The transfer function from the VNS to the HR was estimated before and after the intravenous administration of ivabradine (2 mg/kg). Ivabradine increased the asymptotic dynamic gain in V0–20 [from 3.88 (1.78–5.79) to 6.62 (3.12–8.31) beats·min−1·Hz−1, P < 0.01, median (range)] but not in V0–10 or V0–40. Ivabradine increased the corner frequency in V0–10 [from 0.032 (0.026–0.041) to 0.064 (0.029–0.090) Hz, P < 0.01] and V0–20 [from 0.040 (0.037–0.056) to 0.068 (0.051–0.100) Hz, P < 0.01] but not in V0–40. In conclusion, ivabradine augmented the dynamic HR response to moderate VNS. At high VNS, however, ivabradine did not significantly augment the dynamic HR response, possibly because ivabradine reduced the baseline HR and limited the range for the bradycardic response to high VNS. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Ivabradine is considered to be a pure bradycardic agent that has little effect on cardiovascular function except inducing bradycardia. The present study demonstrated that ivabradine interacts with the dynamic vagal heart rate control in a manner that augments the heart rate response to moderate-intensity efferent vagal nerve stimulation.