bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Escalating utilization of inpatient surgery for pelvic floor dysfunction in the elderly in Taiwan
Authors: Ng Soo‐Cheen , Chen Chi‐Chen , Cheng Shou‐Hsia , Chen Gin‐Den 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimsThe direct cost of operations and health care expenditure for treating pelvic floor dysfunction are substantial. In this study, we evaluate the number of inpatient surgical procedures and direct expenditures for treating pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence under the coverage of National Health Insurance (NHI) in Taiwan.MethodsThirteen years of population‐based NHI inpatient claims were used in this study. The number of surgical procedures and the average direct cost of inpatient fees for treating pelvic floor dysfunction for each patient from 1999 to 2011 were calculated. The patients were stratified based on age into a younger than 65 years group and 65 years or older group for comparisons.ResultsThe number of patients per year increased by 27%, increasing from 5278 patients in 1999 to 6706 patients in 2011. The total direct cost of inpatient (surgical and admission) fees for pelvic floor dysfunction increased by 57.2%, increasing from $6 674 968 USD in 1999 to $10 494 894 USD in 2011. However, while the expenditures for women 65 years or older increased by 102.2% from 1999 to 2011, there was only a 38.3% increase for those younger than 65 years when we stratified the patients by age.ConclusionThe increasing expenditures for inpatient surgery for pelvic floor dysfunction are mainly due to the escalating utilization of inpatient surgical procedures, especially those for pelvic organ prolapse in women aged 65 or older.
The role of technology in reconfiguring volunteer management in nonprofits in Hong Kong: Benefits and discontents
Authors: Chui Cheryl Hiu‐Kwan , Chan Chee Hon 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThere is plenty of evidence demonstrating that volunteering generates benefits for individuals and society at large. However, the role of technology used in recruiting, managing, and retaining volunteers in nonprofits is underexplored in East Asia. Drawing from in‐depth interviews with representatives of eight nonprofits, we examine how technology reconfigured volunteer management in nonprofits, identify its limitations and shortcomings, and discuss strategies in which technology can be utilized to enhance the effectiveness of volunteer management. We found, through this study, that the use of technology reconfigured key aspects of volunteer management: improving recruitment by enlarging and diversifying the volunteer pool; enhancing precision and speed of volunteer matching; improving nonprofits’ ability to recruit professionals; and reducing overall administrative burden of volunteer management within these nonprofits. However, challenges in volunteer management resulting from technology uptake were also observed, including resistance among frontline staff to adopt technology, and volunteer accountability and quality assurance. Specifically, it was found through this study that the extent to which nonprofits are able to effectively utilize technology in volunteer management is contingent on how well volunteer managers are able to actualize the notion of capacity optimization, create a friendly volunteer environment, and build rapport with volunteers. Implications for enhancing organizational capacity in volunteer management vis‐à‐vis the role of technology in the third sector are further discussed.
Heat‐shock‐inducible CRISPR/Cas9 system generates heritable mutations in rice
Authors: Nandy Soumen , Pathak Bhuvan , Zhao Shan , Srivastava Vibha 
Published: May 2019

SummaryTransient expression of CRISPR/Cas9 is an effective approach for limiting its activities and improving its precision in genome editing. Here, we describe the heat‐shock‐inducible CRISPR/Cas9 for controlled genome editing, and demonstrate its efficiency in the model crop, rice. Using the soybean heat‐shock protein gene promoter and the rice U3 promoter to express Cas9 and sgRNA, respectively, we developed the heat‐shock (HS)‐inducible CRISPR/Cas9 system, and tested its efficacy in targeted mutagenesis. Two loci were targeted in rice, and the presence of targeted mutations was determined before and after the HS treatment. Only a low rate of targeted mutagenesis was detected before HS (~16%), but an increased rate of mutagenesis was observed after the HS treatment among the transgenic lines (50–63%). Analysis of regenerated plants harboring HS‐CRISPR/Cas9 revealed that targeted mutagenesis was suppressed in the plants but induced by HS, which was detectable by Sanger sequencing after a few weeks of HS treatments. Most importantly, the HS‐induced mutations were transmitted to the progeny at a high rate, generating monoallelic and biallelic mutations that independently segregated from the Cas9 gene. Additionally, off‐target mutations were either undetectable or found at a lower rate in HS‐CRISPR/Cas9 lines as compared to the constitutive‐overexpression CRISPR/Cas9 lines. Taken together, this work shows that HS‐CRISPR/Cas9 is a controlled and reasonably efficient platform for genome editing, and therefore, a promising tool for limiting genome‐wide off‐target effects and improving the precision of genome editing.
Subjective cognitive functioning in patients with a meningioma: Its course and association with objective cognitive functioning and psychological symptoms
Authors: van Lonkhuizen Pearl J.C. , Rijnen Sophie J.M. , van der Linden Sophie D. , Rutten Geert‐Jan M. , Gehring Karin , Sitskoorn Margriet M. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractObjectiveAlthough meningioma patients show deficits in objective cognitive functioning (OCF) measured with neuropsychological tests, subjective cognitive functioning (SCF) has received little attention. We investigate SCF from pre‐ to postsurgery and its associations with OCF, psychological, sociodemographic, and clinical characteristics.MethodsSCF was measured using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) 1 day before (T0) and 3 (T3) and 12 months (T12) after surgery. Patients' scores were compared with normative data and changes over time were assessed. The neuropsychological battery CNS Vital Signs and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were administered. Correlations of SCF with OCF, psychological, sociodemographic, and clinical characteristics were explored.ResultsPatients reported significantly better SCF as compared with controls at T0 (N = 54) and T3 (N = 242), but not at T12 (N = 50). A significant decrease in group level SCF was observed from T0 to T12 (n = 24,P< .001). SCF was associated with anxiety at all time points (rs = −0.543 to −0.352) and with depression at T3 and T12 (r =−0.338 and −0.574), but not with OCF, sociodemographic, or clinical characteristics (rs = −0.202 to 0.288).ConclusionsMeningioma patients experienced better SCF as compared with controls before and 3 months after surgery, which might be the result of phenomena related to disease and recovery. As the findings suggest that cognitive symptoms might increase later on, future studies should further investigate the course of SCF in meningioma patients. In clinical practice, measurements of SCF should be combined with those of OCF and psychological distress in order to determine whether and which interventions are needed.
Boosting Postsurgical Outcomes of Orthotopic Hepatocellular Carcinoma via an EpCAM‐Targeting Theranostic Nanoparticle
Authors: Hu Min , Wang Kun , Shang Wenting , Han Ziyu , Jiang Hongmei , Fang Chihua , Tian Jie 
Published: May 2019

AbstractHepatectomy is one of the main treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, because microscopic tumor residues are often present after surgery, the recurrence rate of HCC remains extremely high. A multimodality imaging‐guided multifunctional nanoparticle, indocyanine‐green–gadolinium–copper sulfide@bovine‐serum‐albumin–epithelial‐cell‐adhesion molecule (EpCAM), is developed for HCC treatment based on a novel theranostic strategy. After intravenous injection of these nanoparticles into HCC‐bearing mice, remarkably selective accumulation and highly efficient retention of the nanoparticles in tumor sites are observed. This is due to the EpCAM's specific targeting ability, which also results in enhanced HCC contrast in a tri‐modal visualization, which unites magnetic resonance, photoacoustic, and fluorescence imaging. Moreover, nanoparticle uptake into the HCC allows photothermal therapy (PTT) as an interoperative adjuvant strategy for further eliminating possible microscopic residues and boosting HCC surgery outcomes. This theranostic strategy not only helps with precise diagnosis of HCC but enables intraoperatively imaging guidance for accurate tumor resection. Moreover, postoperation longitudinal observation demonstrates that intraoperative imaging‐guided resection alongside a PTT‐integrated treatment strategy can result in a significant improvement of overall survival rate. These multifunctional EpCAM‐targeting nanoparticles may respresent a novel theranostic strategy to improve postsurgical HCC treatment.
Reliable Evaluation of Ignition Delay Time of Imidazolium Ionic Liquids as Green Hypergolic Propellants by a Novel Theoretical Approach
Authors: Fareghi‐Alamdari Reza , Zohari Narges , Sheibani Nasser 
Published: May 2019

AbstractA novel quantitative structure‐property relationship (QSPR) modelling method developed for predicting the ignition delay time of 31 hypergolic imidazolium ionic liquid derivatives which is WFNA (white fuming nitric acid) used as their oxidizer. Chemical structures of these ILs were encoded into several sets of molecular descriptors, representing various physical and chemical properties of these molecules. A total number of 1447 molecular descriptor with different types (e.g., constitutional, functional group counts, and geometrical descriptors) were selected and calculated, then the combination of stepwise and best subset regression approaches was used to determine the molecular descriptors which have significant effects on ignition delay time of hypergolic imidazolium ionic liquid derivatives, finally the response plot of PLS regression approach applied to the selected descriptors, to choose the best number of them. The final derived model displayed a good predictive ability arising from the determination coefficient corresponding to the leave one out cross validation technique (R2=0.9925 and
=0.9834). The predictive power of the proposed method is evaluated using several different techniques and this method can be used as a reliable tool for designing novel hypergolic ILs.
Lathyrus sativus diamine oxidase counteracts histamine‐induced cell proliferation, migration and pro‐angiogenic mediators release in human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco‐2
Authors: Pietrangeli Paola , Seguella Luisa , Annunziata Giuseppe , Casano Fabrizio , Capuano Riccardo , Pesce Mirella , De Conno Barbara , Gigli Stefano , Sarnelli Giovanni , Pesce Marcella , Mateescu Mircea Alexandru , Esposito Giuseppe , Marcocci Lucia 
Published: May 2019

Because histamine is a modulator of cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness, this study aimed at investigating the effect of Lathyrus sativus–derived diamine oxidase (LSAO) and its mechanism of action on Caco‐2 cell line, considering that LSAO catalizes the oxidative deamination of histamine to the corresponding aldehyde, NH3 and H2O2. Histamine (0.01–1 μM) caused a proliferative effect on Caco‐2 cells promoting cell migration, invasion and nitric oxide and vascular endothelial growth factor release. Histamine (1 μM) stimulus also down regulated occludin expression, favouring up regulation of pro‐proliferative nuclear protein Ki67. Incubation with LSAO (0.004–0.4 μM) resulted in a significant inhibition of histamine‐induced effects. LSAO rescued occludin expression and down regulated Ki67, and it inhibited histamine‐induced increase of both MMP‐2 and 9 expression. Histamine effects were mediated by RhoA‐GTP down regulation and inversely related to phospho‐p38MAPK/p50/65 up regulation. These effects were counteracted by LSAO incubation. Histamine catabolism by LSAO accounts for a significant down regulation of proliferation and invasiveness of Caco‐2 cells. This study highlights the importance to control histamine levels in contrasting pro‐angiogenic and metastatization capability of colon cancer cells and expands the knowledge about the diamine oxidase from L. sativus seeding as a phytotherapeutic approach for colon cancer.
A chemically characterized ethanolic extract of Thai Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton fruits (nutlets) reduces oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in human hepatoma (HuH7) cells
Authors: Paradee Narisara , Howes Melanie‐Jayne R. , Utama‐ang Niramon , Chaikitwattna Anan , Hider Robert C. , Srichairatanakool Somdet 
Published: May 2019

Perilla frutescens is cultivated in East Asian countries including Thailand, and the nutlets (single‐seeded fruits) are used as traditional and medicinal food. Perilla nutlets extracted by ethyl acetate (EA), 80% ethanol (Eth), and hot water (HW) sequentially were chemically characterized using high‐resolution accurate liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry with the main compounds detected assigned as rosmarinic acid and derivatives of the flavones apigenin and luteolin, with the more diverse chemical composition observed with the Eth extract. All extracts showed dose‐dependent free‐radical scavenging activity, with the Eth extract the most potent (IC50 = 3.43 mg/ml for ABTS• scavenging and 0.27 mg/ml for DPPH• scavenging). The Eth extract also inhibited AAPH‐induced hemolysis (IC50 = 0.07 mg/ml) more potently than did the HW (IC50 = 0.38 mg/ml) and EA extracts (IC50 = 1.63 mg/ml). An MTT test revealed all the extracts were noncytotoxic at concentrations up to 200 μg/ml. Only the Eth and EA extracts showed protective effects against the generation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation in FeCl3‐induced HuH7 cells in a dose‐dependent manner. Our findings suggest the Eth extract of Thai perilla nutlets, containing rosmarinic acid and flavones and their derivatives, may have potential to provide protection against oxidative stress in hepatic disorders.
Ripple dynamics over various microtopographical roughness elements and their implications for river management
Authors: Hauer Christoph , Lichtneger Petr , Holzinger Jacob , Schobesberger Johannes , Habersack Helmut , Sindelar Christine 
Published: May 2019

AbstractSpecific problems in connection with the sediment regime have arisen in the granite and gneiss area in the northern part of Austria due to the increased sediment supply of coarse sand and fine gravel as a product of rock weathering. One of the physical characteristics of these sediments is their high mobility in form of ripple bedforms along the surface. In these rivers, the microtopographical structures of the bed surface are hydraulically active, especially in the initial stages when ripples have not overtopped the largest elements of the bed's roughness elements. There is a lack of detailed studies of the impacts of these microtopographical structures on ripple dynamics. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of various microtopographic roughness elements on ripple movement. This study was performed using a 1:1‐scaled physical laboratory experiment. The results showed, in all repetitions of the experiment with variable grain sizes, that the higher the microtopographical variability of the river substrate and turbulence was, the higher the measured transport velocities of the ripples were. The expected hidden impacts on sediment transport were not documented. Important implications for sediment management were discussed, as river sections with high accumulation rates of coarse sand and fine gravel are prone to additional degradation as downstream transport decreases over smooth ripple–dune morphologies. Additionally, structural elements such as exposed rocks may increase the downstream transport due to the increased variability in turbulence.
4‐1: Invited Paper: Micro‐LED displays: can the monolithic approach produce full‐color?
Authors: Lau Kei May 
Published: May 2019

Mature LED technologies for large area LED displays and general lighting are now commonplaces. The use of miniaturized LEDs in high‐resolution and micro‐displays is attracting more attention recently, for direct view or projection applications. LEDs have advantages in terms of efficiency, brightness, lifetime, temperature stability and robustness, compared with other existing micro‐display technologies. The most significant is visibility under bright day‐light.A few years ago, we reported the fabrication of high‐resolution truly monolithic micro‐displays with decent visual quality. We have developed two different approaches to illustrate high resolution micro‐displays with excellent bonding yield. A 1700 pixel per inch (PPI) passive‐matrix and a 400 x 240 active‐matrix micro‐LED arrays bonded on ASIC have been demonstrated.Realization of a monolithic full color LED micro‐display remains the biggest challenge because it is not straightforward (nor practical) to selectively grow three different epi‐layers emitting at different wavelengths on a single substrate for three primary colors. Dedicated for projection display application, we demonstrated a novel 3LED light engine that can project full color video on screen. 3LED consists of a trichroic prism that combines RGB images generated from three LED micro‐displays based on AIGalnP (Red) and GaN (Green and Blue) materials. For near‐to‐eye display application, RGB quantum dots were printed on micro‐LED array by aerosol jet printing, achieving full color LED micro‐displays with high image quality.To maximize the throughput and minimize the light‐guiding effect of the transparent sapphire substrate, we use LED epilayers grown on Si substrates that can be removed using a simple and low‐cost SF6‐based RIE etching process. Moreover, Si has been used for GaN growth for over two decades due to its low cost and large scale. In this talk, we report an AMLED micro‐display system consisted of micro‐LEDs array using GaN‐on‐Si epilayers and a CMOS driver. Various recent approaches to achieve full‐color micro‐LED displays and a comparison of the pros /cons of the different methods will be discussed.
56‐1: A Multiplane Holographic HUD Using Light Selectivity of Bragg Grating
Authors: Coni Philippe , Bardon Jean-Luc , Damamme Natacha , Coe-Sullivan Seth , Dimov Fedor I. 
Published: May 2019

A Multi‐plane Head‐Up Display (MHUD) using the spectral and angular selectivity of Bragg Grating is presented.Most of today's automotive HUDs display information at a short distance, about 2 meters. However, a key challenge of augmented reality is to have a longer projection distance to superimpose graphics on the external landscape, without parallax issues, while keeping vehicle information at a shorter distance. As a result, the HUD needs to have at least two image planes.Existing methods to build such a multiplane lightfield HUD are complex and bulky. In this paper, we propose a new principle, using a dual PGU an then a single PGU, fitted with HOE working with the spectral dimension of the light.
Stable Li‐Metal Deposition via a 3D Nanodiamond Matrix with Ultrahigh Young's Modulus
Authors: Zhang Weidong , Fan Lei , Tong Zheming , Miao Jiazhi , Shen Zeyu , Li Siyuan , Chen Fang , Qiu Yongcai , Lu Yingying 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe practical usage of high‐energy lithium metal batteries remains a great challenge mainly due to the formation of uneven lithium deposition and huge volume fluctuation on the anode side, which increases the potential risks of a cell short‐circuit. Herein, a nanodiamond‐Li composite anode (ND‐Li) is created using a facile thermal infusion strategy, which can mechanically confine active Li‐metal in the ND matrix and minimize the electrode volume change during electrochemical cycling with high areal capacities. The geometrically restrictive ND matrix with ultrahigh modulus can deform the uneven lithium deposition mechanically and confine the deposition to the ND matrix. Owing to the 3D rigid skeleton, low stripping/plating overpotential (≈60 mV) can be achieved for a ND‐Li anode under a high current density of 10 mA cm−2, whereas the overpotential of a bare Li foil anode is almost seven times larger than the ND‐Li matrix. When a ND‐Li anode pairs with a S cathode, a high capacity of 607.3 mAh g−1 at 1 C and stable long‐term cyclability over 500 cycles can be achieved.
Full‐scale experimental assessment of new connection for columns in vertically mixed structures
Authors: Bahri Farzad , Kafi Mohammad Ali , Kheyroddin Ali 
Published: May 2019

SummaryMore stiffness of concrete frames on one hand and fewer weight of steel frames on the other hand motivates using a composite system so called vertically mixed structures. The reinforced concrete and steel frames are connected together at a story called transition story. A major challenge for the designers is the connection columns in the transition story for proper transferring of efforts and preventing stress concentration phenomenon. There are some suggestions, in the literature, to build a transition composite column instead of constructing a local connection. Four full‐scale specimens of three connection types are constructed and tested experimentally under cyclic load to investigate hysteresis characteristics, failure mechanism, deformability, and energy dissipation capacity of the model. A novel through bolt lap connection adapted from concrete‐filled tube (CFT) column is proposed. Finally, backbone curves of proposed column for more accurate seismic studies are presented. No evident sign of local failure is observed in the proposed connection. Placing the steel around the reinforced concrete column section prepares the maximum possible geometrical dimensions for the steel column section and the connection. The experimental results show no strength loss for the new proposed connection under two different axial loads in lateral cyclic loading up to 4% drift.
Nationally Determined Contributions: Material climate commitments and discursive positioning in the NDCs
Authors: Mills‐Novoa Megan , Liverman Diana M. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn the lead‐up to the 2015 Conference of Parties meeting in Paris, 186 countries, representing over 95% of global emissions, submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The NDCs outline national goals for greenhouse gas emission reductions and identify financial needs for unfolding mitigation and adaptation efforts. In this study, we review various analyses of the NDCs that cover the aggregate impact and strength of emissions reduction commitments and discuss recent literature on the adequacy and sectoral focus of the NDCs. We then argue that the NDCs are more than just goal setting reports; they are important discursive documents that are contested, negotiated, and ongoing. To supplement the existing literature, we examine the discursive narratives embedded in the NDCs from the 19 founding nations of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the top 10 greenhouse gas emitters. Our literature review of quantitative and sectoral aspects of the NDCs highlights the inadequacy of the NDC commitments in the context of limiting warming to 2°C, discusses the uncertainties in the promised mitigation strategies, and identifies the reliance of many countries on policies such as those on forests or renewable energy. Our own analysis of the discourses in the NDCs adds critical depth by highlighting the stark contrasts in NDC discourses between North and South, as well as between historical emitters and emerging economies. These contrasts reflect deeper debates regarding justice and equity between nations within the UNFCCC negotiations.This article is categorized under:
Climate and Development > Decoupling Emissions from Development