bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular Manifestations of Systemic Sclerosis: A Danish Nationwide Cohort Study
Authors: Butt Sheraz A. , Jeppesen Jørgen L. , Torp‐Pedersen Christian , Sam Flora , Gislason Gunnar H. , Jacobsen Søren , Andersson Charlotte 
Published: August 2019

Background

Cardiovascular involvement in systemic sclerosis (
SS
c) comprises a wide range of manifestations with prevalence and incidence that remain uncertain.

Methods and Results

In the Danish administrative registries between 1995 and 2015, all patients aged ≥18 years with a first diagnosis of
SS
c were matched by age and sex with controls (1:5) from the general population. Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases at the time of the
SS
c diagnosis and incidence during follow‐up were assessed by in‐ and outpatient discharge diagnoses. Conditional logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used respectively to calculate odds ratios for prevalent cardiovascular diseases and hazard ratios (
HRs
) for incident diseases associated with
SS
c. Patients with
SS
c (n=2778; 76% women; mean±SD age: 55±15 years) had more established cardiovascular risk factors than their respective controls at baseline, including greater prevalence of hypertension (31.2% versus 21.0%,
P
<0.0001) and treated dyslipidemia (9.8% versus 8.5%,
P
=0.02).
SS
c was associated with an increased relative risk of developing most cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction (HR: 2.08; 95% CI, 1.65–2.64), peripheral vascular disease (HR: 5.73; 95% CI, 4.63–7.09), pulmonary hypertension (HR: 21.18; 95% CI, 14.73–30.45), mitral regurgitation (HR: 4.60; 95% CI, 3.12–6.79), aortic regurgitation (HR: 3.78; 95% CI, 2.55–5.58), aortic stenosis (HR: 2.99; 95% CI, 2.25–3.97), pericarditis (HR: 8.78; 95% CI, 4.84–15.93), heart failure (HR: 2.86; 95% CI, 2.43–3.37), atrial fibrillation (HR: 1.75; 95% CI, 1.51–2.04), and venous thromboembolism (HR: 2.10; 95% CI, 1.65–2.67). Additional adjustment for medications and comorbidities yielded results similar to the main analyses.

Conclusions

In this nationwide study,
SS
c was associated with greater risks of distinct cardiovascular diseases for patients than for matched controls, suggesting a significant disease‐related adverse impact across the vascular bed and specific cardiac structures.
Incidence and Etiologies of Stroke Mimics After Incident Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack
Authors: Khanevski Andrej Netland , Kvistad Christopher E. , Novotny Vojtech , Næss Halvor , Thomassen Lars , Logallo Nicola , Bjerkreim Anna Therese 
Published: August 2019

Background and Purpose—
Stroke mimics (SM) pose a common clinical challenge, but the burden of SM in patients with previous ischemic stroke (IS) or transient ischemic attack is unknown. The objective of this study was to calculate the incidence of SM in IS survivors, compare it with the incidence of recurrent stroke in the same population, and explore the time-dependent patterns of SM etiologies.

Methods—
This prospective cohort study registered SM events and etiologies among 1872 IS and transient ischemic attack survivors diagnosed with index stroke at Haukeland University Hospital stroke unit from 2007 to 2013 by review of medical records. Cumulative incidences of SM were estimated with a competing risks Cox model and compared with incidence of recurrent stroke in the same population.

Results—
During 8172 person-years of follow-up, 339 patients had 480 SM events. The cumulative incidence rate of SM during follow-up was 58.7 per 1.000 person-years (95% CI, 53.7–64.2) compared with 34.0 per 1.000 person-years (95% CI, 30.2–38.2) for recurrent stroke in the same time period. The risks of SM and recurrent stroke were highest the first year after index IS or transient ischemic attack. The most frequent SM diagnoses were sequelae of cerebral infarction (19.8%), medical observation, and evaluation for suspected cerebrovascular disease (15.6%) and infections (14.0%). The 2 most frequent and unspecific diagnoses (sequelae of cerebral infarction and medical observation) were clustered in the first months after index stroke.

Conclusions—
SM after IS or transient ischemic attack are more frequent than recurrent stroke and the risk is especially high in the early period. SMs are multietiological and unspecific diagnoses are most frequent early after index stroke.
Philo’s Eschatology, Personal and Cosmic
Authors: Penner Ken M. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAlthough first-century writings in the New Testament, Dead Sea Scrolls, and the pseudepigrapha are widely recognized for their descriptions of the ultimate destiny of individuals and the world, the views of Philo of Alexandria do not get the same attention. To situate the apocalyptic eschatologies of Jesus, the Qumran sectarians, and Enoch in their context, we must compare them to the eschatology of this contemporary Hellenistic Jew. I demonstrate that Philo’s eschatology is shaped by two convictions: (1) that God is good and can do no evil, and (2) virtue must be developed within people in this life. These convictions entail that the purpose of punishment must be solely for correction, and that God provides unlimited opportunity for souls to improve. Philo held that reincarnation provides just such an ever-improving spiral in which souls finally become wise by honoring God and consequently the world becomes a peaceful, prosperous paradise.
Some Improvements for the Restored Hormasia Tables
Authors: Najock Dietmar 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
The lost hormasia tables, as restored in my previous article, are modified in the present contribution by some corrections or improvements. The improved tables at least theoretically provide a refined system of accompaniment by two-note chords, essentially fifths or fourths, picked out of the latter part of the left hand row. Furthermore, this part can be used for playing a second voice in parallel fifths, fourths, seconds and thirds (or their octaves). The fourth section presents some comparable phenomena, both from medieval European theory and from old folklore which is likely to be rooted in Byzantine or even ancient music. A note on ancient ‘polyphony’ is added, together with some general remarks on the possibilities of restoring the lost tables.
On the Cooling-to-Space Approximation
Authors: Jeevanjee Nadir , Fueglistaler Stephan 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe cooling-to-space (CTS) approximation says that the radiative cooling of an atmospheric layer is dominated by that layer’s emission to space, while radiative exchange with layers above and below largely cancel. Though the CTS approximation has been demonstrated empirically and is thus fairly well accepted, a theoretical justification is lacking. Furthermore, the intuition behind the CTS approximation cannot be universally valid, as the CTS approximation fails in the case of pure radiative equilibrium. Motivated by this, we investigate the CTS approximation in detail. We frame the CTS approximation in terms of a novel decomposition of radiative flux divergence, which better captures the cancellation of exchange terms. We also derive validity criteria for the CTS approximation, using simple analytical theory. We apply these criteria in the context of both gray gas pure radiative equilibrium (PRE) and radiative–convective equilibrium (RCE) to understand how the CTS approximation arises and why it fails in PRE. When applied to realistic gases in RCE, these criteria predict that the CTS approximation should hold well for H2O but less so for CO2, a conclusion we verify with line-by-line radiative transfer calculations. Along the way we also discuss the well-known “τ = 1 law,” and its dependence on the choice of vertical coordinate.
Detected Changes in Precipitation Extremes at Their Native Scales Derived from In Situ Measurements
Authors: Risser Mark D. , Paciorek Christopher J. , O’Brien Travis A. , Wehner Michael F. , Collins William D. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe gridding of daily accumulated precipitation—especially extremes—from ground-based station observations is problematic due to the fractal nature of precipitation, and therefore estimates of long period return values and their changes based on such gridded daily datasets are generally underestimated. In this paper, we characterize high-resolution changes in observed extreme precipitation from 1950 to 2017 for the contiguous United States (CONUS) based on in situ measurements only. Our analysis utilizes spatial statistical methods that allow us to derive gridded estimates that do not smooth extreme daily measurements and are consistent with statistics from the original station data while increasing the resulting signal-to-noise ratio. Furthermore, we use a robust statistical technique to identify significant pointwise changes in the climatology of extreme precipitation while carefully controlling the rate of false positives. We present and discuss seasonal changes in the statistics of extreme precipitation: the largest and most spatially coherent pointwise changes are in fall (SON), with approximately 33% of CONUS exhibiting significant changes (in an absolute sense). Other seasons display very few meaningful pointwise changes (in either a relative or absolute sense), illustrating the difficulty in detecting pointwise changes in extreme precipitation based on in situ measurements. While our main result involves seasonal changes, we also present and discuss annual changes in the statistics of extreme precipitation. In this paper we only seek to detect changes over time and leave attribution of the underlying causes of these changes for future work.
UV Reflectance of the Ocean from DSCOVR/EPIC: Comparisons with a Theoretical Model and Aura/OMI Observations
Authors: Vasilkov Alexander , Lyapustin Alexei , Mitchell B. Greg , Huang Dong 
Published: August 2019

AbstractUltraviolet (UV) data collected over the ocean by the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on theDeep Space Climate Observatory(DSCOVR) are used. The Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm adapted for EPIC processing performs cloud detection, aerosol retrievals, and atmospheric correction providing the water-leaving reflectance of the ocean at 340 and 388 nm. The water-leaving reflectance is an indicator of the presence of absorbing and scattering constituents in seawater. The retrieved water-leaving reflectance is compared with full radiative transfer calculations based on a model of inherent optical properties (IOP) of ocean water in UV. The model is verified with data collected on the Aerosol Characterization Experiments (ACE) Asia cruise supported by the NASA Sensor Intercomparison for Marine Biological and Interdisciplinary Ocean Studies (SIMBIOS) project. The model assumes that the ocean water IOPs are parameterized through a chlorophyll concentration. The radiative transfer simulations were carried out using the climatological chlorophyll concentration from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board theAquasatellite. The EPIC-derived water-leaving reflectance is also compared with climatological Lambertian-equivalent reflectivity (LER) of the ocean derived from measurements of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board the NASA polar-orbitingAurasatellite. The EPIC reflectance agrees well (within 0.01) with the model reflectance except for oligotrophic oceanic areas. For those areas, the model reflectance is biased low by about 0.01 at 340 nm and up to 0.03 at 388 nm. The OMI-derived climatological LER is significantly higher than the EPIC water-leaving reflectance, largely due to the surface glint contribution. The globally averaged difference is about 0.04.
Cardiopulmonary bypass and dual antiplatelet therapy: a strategy to minimise transfusions and blood loss
Authors: Karlsson Mattias , Hannuksela Matias , Appelblad Micael , Hällgren Oskar , Johagen Daniel , Wahba Alexander , Svenmarker Staffan 
Published: August 2019

Background: Patients with preoperative dual antiplatelet therapy prior to coronary artery bypass surgery are at risk of bleeding and blood component transfusion. We hypothesise that an optimised cardiopulmonary bypass strategy reduces postoperative blood loss and transfusions. Methods: In total, 60 patients admitted for coronary artery bypass grafting with ticagrelor and aspirin medication withdrawn <96 hours before surgery were prospectively randomised into two equal sized groups. Cardiopulmonary bypass combined a closed Cortiva® heparin-coated circuit with low systemic heparinisation (activated clotting time < 250 seconds) and intraoperative cell salvage in the study group, whereas the control group used a Balance® coated open circuit, full systemic heparinisation (activated clotting time > 480 seconds) and conventional cardiotomy suction. This perfusion strategy was evaluated by the chest drain volume after 24 hours, perioperative haemoglobin and platelet loss accompanied by global coagulation assessments. Results: Patients in the study group demonstrated significantly better outcomes signified by lower blood loss 554 ± 224 versus 1,100 ± 989 mL (p < 0.001), reduced packed red cell transfusion 7% versus 53% (p < 0.001), reduced haemoglobin −28 ± 15 versus −40 ± 14 g/L (p = 0.004) and platelet loss −35 ± 36 versus −82 ± 67 × 109/L (p = 0.001). Indices of rotational thromboelastometry indicated shorter clotting times within the internal and external pathways. Adenosine diphosphate activated platelet function was within normal range based on Multiplate® aggregometry, while ROTEM® platelet analyses indicated inhibited function both preoperatively and post-bypass. Platelet inhibition by aspirin was verified throughout the perioperative period. Platelet function showed no intergroup differences. Conclusion: A stringent perfusion strategy reduced blood loss and transfusions in dual antiplatelet therapy patients requiring urgent surgery.
Treatment procedures and associated medical costs of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in Japan: A retrospective analysis using a database of Japanese employment-based health insurance
Authors: Yuasa Akira , Murata Tatsunori , Imai Keiji , Yamamoto Yuji , Fujimoto Yoko 
Published: August 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the patient characteristics, treatment procedures, and medical costs of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in clinical practice in Japan. Methods: Using the MinaCare database of healthcare information covering nearly 3 million individuals, of which 90% were aged 20–59 years, we extracted and analyzed data of patients who were aged ⩾15 years and diagnosed with methicillin-resistant S. aureus during hospitalization between April 2010 and August 2015. Results: A total of 684 patients with methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection were listed in the database, of which 365 were eligible to be included in this study. Mean patient age was 52.9 years, and 31.5% of the patients were females. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremia was the most common methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection (32.9%) with a mean age of 48.5 years, followed by pneumonia (24.1%) with a mean age of 61.0 years and methicillin-resistant S. aureus surgical site infection (6.3%) with a mean age of 49.7 years. Vancomycin was the most frequently prescribed anti–methicillin-resistant S. aureus drug used as the first-line therapy (68.5%), followed by teicoplanin (14.2%), linezolid (7.9%), arbekacin (5.8%), and daptomycin (3.6%). The mortality rate was 11.0%, and the mean treatment duration was 13.3 days. The median total medical cost per patient was US$5083. The median treatment cost for methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremia was the highest among the methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections at US$9099, followed by methicillin-resistant S. aureus pneumonia at US$3676 and surgery site infections at US$2084. Conclusion: Although the proportion of patients with methicillin-resistant S. aureus is very small in the employment-based health insurance database, methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremia is the most common methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection in the working-age population and requires the highest medical cost. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus pneumonia is more common in the elderly and is a cause of high mortality.
Capitalismo de Vigilância na Sociedade da Transparência: Um estudo discursivo sobre as bibliotecas da Universidade de Berkeley
Authors: Ferreira Ana Elisa Sobral Caetano da Silva 
Published: August 2019

A reforma da biblioteca Moffitt (2016) da Universidade de Berkeley é o ponto de partida para o debate que propõe uma reflexão sobre os processos discursivos e sua materialização nos espaços urbanos. Ao considerarmos o Homo economicus(DEBRAY, 2019), refletiremos sobre as influências do Capitalismo de Vigilância (ZUBOFF, 2019) na atualização do conceito de assujeitamento (PÊCHEUX, 1995) e seus desdobramentos nos objetos técnicos que o cercam na Sociedade da Transparência (HAN, 2017).
Readmissions for Cirrhosis Within the Healthcare Readmissions Reduction Program: A Hidden Challenge
Authors: Henry Zachary 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Healthcare Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was implemented, leading to significant reductions in readmissions for congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and myocardial infarction. Patients with cirrhosis have a complex and difficult to manage underlying disease process and are often left out of large policy decisions such as the HRRP although they represent a population at high risk for readmission and other negative outcomes. In this editorial, hospital readmissions in patients with cirrhosis are discussed in the context of the HRRP and evolving models of care.
“Trivial” Cysts Redefine the Risk of Cancer in Presumed Branch-Duct Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas: A Potential Target for Follow-Up Discontinuation?
Authors: Marchegiani Giovanni , Andrianello Stefano , Pollini Tommaso , Caravati Andrea , Biancotto Marco , Secchettin Erica , Bonamini Deborah , Malleo Giuseppe , Bassi Claudio , Salvia Roberto 
Published: August 2019

OBJECTIVES:
The management of small and incidental branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (BD-IPMNs) still is of concern. The aim is assessing the safety of a surveillance protocol through the evaluation of their progression to malignancy.

METHODS:
All presumed BD-IPMNs observed from 2000 to 2016 were included. Only patients presenting without worrisome features (WFs) and high-risk stigmata (HRS) at diagnosis were included. Development of WF, HRS, pancreatic cancer (PC), and survival were analyzed. BD-IPMNs were defined as trivial in the continuing absence of WF/HRS after 5 years of surveillance. The age-specific standardized incidence ratio of PC in the general population was used for comparison.

RESULTS:
A total of 1,036 BD-IPMNs without WF/HRS at diagnosis were included, 4.2% developed WF or HRS, and 1.1% developed PC after a median of 62 months. The median cyst growth rate was 0 mm/yr. A growth rate ≥2.5 mm/yr and the development of WF resulted independent predictors of PC. The standardized incidence ratio of PC for trivial BD-IPMN (n = 378) was 22.45 (95% confidence interval 8.19–48.86), but considering only patients aged >65 years (n = 198), it decreased to 3.84 (95% confidence interval 0.77–11.20).

DISCUSSION:
Surveillance of the vast majority of presumed BD-IPMNs is safe, as the risk of PC is comparable to postoperative mortality of pancreatic surgery. A growth rate ≥2.5 mm/yr is the main predictor of PC, reinforcing the role of repeated observations. A trivial BD-IPMN in patients aged >65 years might not increase the risk of developing PC compared with general population, identifying potential targets for follow-up discontinuation.
Early Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma on Varix Treated With Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection After Variceal Banding
Authors: Shiratori Yasutoshi , Ikeya Takashi , Nakamura Kenji 
Published: August 2019

ABSTRACT
Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is known as a representative therapy for the early esophageal carcinoma, but an underlying varix is an obstacle to perform ESD. Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis may develop esophageal varix and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma at the same time. We report a case of early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma just above the esophageal varix. We performed the combination therapy of variceal banding and ESD. The number of reports about the combination therapy and optimal time to perform variceal banding before ESD is not sufficient.
Association between inflammation, oxidative stress, vitamin D, copper and zinc with pre-obesity and obesity in school children from the city of Podgorica, Montenegro
Authors: Jaksic Marina , Martinovic Milica , Gligorovic-Barhanovic Najdana , Vujacic Aleksandar , Djurovic Dijana , Nedovic-Vukovic Mirjana 
Published: August 2019

Abstract

Background
Childhood obesity is a serious health condition with increasing rates worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between inflammation, oxidative stress, vitamin D, copper and zinc in pre-obese and obese children compared to controls.

Methods
The study involved 202 children aged 7–15 years (63.9% boys), randomly chosen from 10 elementary schools in Podgorica, Montenegro. Participants were divided into three groups according to their nutritional status (International Obesity Task Force [IOTF] criteria): normal-weight (42.1%), pre-obese (40.6%) and obese (17.3%). Serum biochemical analyses were performed (C-reactive protein [CRP], retinol-binding protein [RBP], total antioxidant status [TAS], total vitamin D [VD], copper and zinc).

Results
Serum TAS and CRP concentrations were higher in pre-obese and obese children compared to controls (p < 0.001). Serum VD concentrations were lower in pre-obese and obese children compared to their normal-weight peers (p = 0.027 and p = 0.054, respectively). Copper, zinc and RBP concentrations did not differ significantly among the groups (p > 0.05). In pre-obese and obese children, a positive correlation was found between CRP and copper (r = 0.305, p = 0.011 and r = 0.440, p = 0.013, respectively), and TAS and RBP (r = 0.528, p < 0.001 and r = 0.434, p = 0.015, respectively). Standard regression analyses showed that CRP and TAS increase (p < 0.001) whereas VD decreases (p = 0.011) with the body mass index (BMI).

Conclusions
We show that pre-obesity and obesity in childhood are positively associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, and inversely associated with VD status. Copper and zinc concentrations were not associated with excess fat in children.
Matter-Energy Equivalence
Authors: Kalies Grit 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Over the last two centuries, thermodynamics has contributed significantly to technical and industrial progress. According to phenomenological thermodynamics developed by Rudolf Clausius and Josiah Willard Gibbs, properties such as volume or interface represent energetic qualities of a real body. In the present work, the energy concepts of thermodynamics and special relativity are connected with each other. The plausibility of complete mass-energy equivalence is evaluated within the thermodynamic context. Einstein’s interpretation of the well-known equation E = mc
2 as complete mass-energy equivalence results as a special case for idealized moving point masses – according to the assumptions of the theory of special relativity. It is shown that mass is one energy-equivalent property of matter, but not the only one, because complete mass-energy equivalence contradicts the principle of conservation of energy. Thermodynamics suggests matter-energy equivalence. In accordance with the two main laws of thermodynamics and corresponding with experimental facts, it forms the basis of an in-depth understanding of nature and provides impetus for the research in quantum physics, thermodynamics and astrophysics.