bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Is arterial calcification in children and adolescents with end‐stage renal disease a rare finding?
Authors: de Menezes Fernanda L , Koch‐Nogueira Paulo C , do Val Maria L.D.M. , Pestana José O.M. , Jorgetti Vanda , dos Reis Marlene A , dos Reis Monteiro Maria L.G. , Leite Heitor P 
Published: August 2018

ABSTRACTAimTo investigate if calcification and intimal media thickness (IMT) of arteries are present in children and adolescents with end‐stage renal disease and to describe the risk factors associated with these alterations.MethodsIn an observational, cross‐sectional prospective study, 68 patients were evaluated at the time of renal transplantation. A fragment of the inferior epigastric artery was removed during surgery for histopathological analysis to verify the presence or not of arterial calcification. Two outcomes were considered: the presence of calcium deposition and the measurement of the IMT of the artery. The potential exposure variables were: age, chronic kidney disease aetiology, diagnosis time, systolic blood pressure (SBP), use of oral active vitamin D, homocysteine and C‐reactive protein.ResultsNo arterial calcification was observed in the studied sample. The median value of the IMT of the inferior epigastric artery was 166 μm (interquartile range = 130–208). SBP standard deviation score and age were the only factors associated with this outcome. There was no statistical interaction between SBP and age with the IMT (P = 0.280).ConclusionArterial calcification is rare in children and adolescents with end‐stage renal disease. The factors associated with IMT were age and SBP.
Infectious complications in the Southern Tasmanian kidney transplant population
Authors: Abeysekera Natasha , Graver Alison , Cooley Louise , Kirkland Geoff , Jose Matthew D 
Published: August 2018

ABSTRACTAimExamine the incidence of suspected and proven infections, the range of infections, antimicrobial use and hospital admissions in kidney transplant recipients (KTx) in southern Tasmania.MethodsAn audit of the medical records of KTx managed by the Royal Hobart Hospital for the period 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016. Data were collected on positive microbiological investigations, antimicrobial use and hospital admissions.ResultsOf the 151 evaluable KTx, there were 339 episodes of suspected infection in 95 (63%) patients with a preponderance of urinary tract infections. Overall, these 95 KTx received a total of 249 courses of antimicrobials, with predominantly monotherapy (n = 101, 65%). There were 11 vaccine preventable infections, including herpes zoster (n = 7), Influenza A (n = 3) and invasive pneumococcal disease (n = 1). Hospitalization was required for 50 infectious episodes, for a total of 227 admitted bed days (median 4; interquartile range 2–7; range 1–18 days).ConclusionIn conclusion, episodes of infection, hospitalization, antimicrobial use and development of multi‐resistant organisms are common following kidney transplantation in this southern Tasmanian cohort. This study has identified several areas of focus for improved patient care including antimicrobial management of urinary tract infections, implementation of programmes to vaccinate KTx prior to transplantation, and development of transplantation specific antimicrobial stewardship programmes.
Development of a method for protonema proliferation of peat moss (Sphagnum squarrosum) through regeneration analysis
Authors: Zhao Wenqian , Li Zeling , Hu Yongyue , Wang Min , Zheng Shirui , Li Qiuping , Wang Youfang , Xu Lin , Li Xiaofang , Zhu Ruiliang , Reski Ralf , Sun Yue 
Published: August 2018

Summary

The moss Sphagnum (peat moss) is ecologically and economically important. There is a paucity of physiological and developmental studies on Sphagnum because of the lack of an axenic culture system for its whole life cycle. A culture system has been established for the Sphagnum gametophore, but not the protonema (juvenile vegetative stage after spore germination). Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a protonema culture system for Sphagnum.

Sphagnum squarrosum gametophore tissue was disrupted and then cultured in liquid Knop medium. The regeneration of protonemata from the gametophore fragments was analyzed in detail by microscopy.

We observed a developmental balance between filamentous and thalloid protonemata, and growth competition between the thalloid protonema and the gametophore. On the basis of these findings, we established a relatively stable peat moss protonema proliferation method. Using this method, all the developmental stages of peat moss vegetative growth could be obtained through differentiation or regeneration.

The method can provide abundant homogeneous Sphagnum materials at desired stages for physiological and developmental studies, and will be useful for large‐scale Sphagnum vegetative proliferation. The regeneration analysis method will be useful for establishing protonema proliferation systems for other mosses.
Thiamine deficiency disorders: diagnosis, prevalence, and a roadmap for global control programs
Authors: Whitfield Kyly C. , Bourassa Megan W. , Adamolekun Bola , Bergeron Gilles , Bettendorff Lucien , Brown Kenneth H. , Cox Lorna , Fattal‐Valevski Aviva , Fischer Philip R. , Frank Elizabeth L. , Hiffler Laurent , Hlaing Lwin Mar , Jefferds Maria Elena , Kapner Hallie , Kounnavong Sengchanh , Mousavi Maral P.S. , Roth Daniel E. , Tsaloglou Maria‐Nefeli , Wieringa Frank , Combs Gerald F. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThiamine is an essential micronutrient that plays a key role in energy metabolism. Many populations worldwide may be at risk of clinical or subclinical thiamine deficiencies, due to famine, reliance on staple crops with low thiamine content, or food preparation practices, such as milling grains and washing milled rice. Clinical manifestations of thiamine deficiency are variable; this, along with the lack of a readily accessible and widely agreed upon biomarker of thiamine status, complicates efforts to diagnose thiamine deficiency and assess its global prevalence. Strategies to identify regions at risk of thiamine deficiency through proxy measures, such as analysis of food balance sheet data and month‐specific infant mortality rates, may be valuable for understanding the scope of thiamine deficiency. Urgent public health responses are warranted in high‐risk regions, considering the contribution of thiamine deficiency to infant mortality and research suggesting that even subclinical thiamine deficiency in childhood may have lifelong neurodevelopmental consequences. Food fortification and maternal and/or infant thiamine supplementation have proven effective in raising thiamine status and reducing the incidence of infantile beriberi in regions where thiamine deficiency is prevalent, but trial data are limited. Efforts to determine culturally and environmentally appropriate food vehicles for thiamine fortification are ongoing.
The detrimental effects of luxury goods consumption on socially excluded groups
Authors: Chan Kenneth , Hazari Bharat , Mohan Vijay 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThis paper examines the impact of luxury goods consumption by the wealthy on the welfare of socially excluded groups. We find that a deterioration in the luxury goods terms‐of‐trade or an increase in the capital used to produce nonluxury traded goods have the consequence of increasing the welfare of the wealthier sections of society at the expense of the socially excluded groups.
Dirichlet Process Mixtures of Order Statistics with Applications to Retail Analytics
Authors: Pitkin James , Ross Gordon , Manolopoulou Ioanna 
Published: August 2018

SummaryThe rise of ‘big data’ has led to the frequent need to process and store data sets containing large numbers of high dimensional observations. Because of storage restrictions, these observations might be recorded in a lossy-but-sparse manner, with information collapsed onto a few entries which are considered important. This results in informative missingness in the observed data. Our motivating application comes from retail analytics, where the behaviour of product sales is summarized by the price elasticity of each product with respect to a small number of its top competitors. The resulting data are vectors of order statistics, because only the top few entries are observed. Interest lies in characterizing the behaviour of a product's competitors, and clustering products based on how their competition is spread across the market. We develop non-parametric Bayesian methodology for modelling vectors of order statistics that utilizes a Dirichlet process mixture model with an exponentiated Weibull kernel. Our approach allows us added flexibility for the distribution of each vector, while providing parameters that characterize the decay of the leading entries. We implement our methods on a retail analytics data set of the cross-elasticity coefficients, and our analysis reveals distinct types of behaviour across the different products of interest.
Decreased regulatory function of CD4+CD25+CD45RA+ T cells and impaired IL‐2 signalling pathway in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Sheikh Vida , Zamani Alireza , Mahabadi‐Ashtiyani Elham , Tarokhian Hanieh , Borzouei Shiva , Alahgholi‐Hajibehzad Mahdi 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn this study, the frequency and function of CD4+CD25+CD45RA+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and intracellular IL‐2 signalling molecules in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were investigated. Tregs and responder T cells (Tresp, CD4+CD25− T cells) were sorted and suppression assays were performed using flow cytometry. Phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription‐5 (pSTAT5) were assessed using flow cytometry. Gene expression of FOXP3 was performed with the SYBR green Real Time PCR method. Production of IL‐2 from cultured cells was assessed using ELISA. We observed a functional defect of CD4+CD25+CD45RA+ Tregs in T2DM patients with higher proliferation of Tresp cells, in response to anti‐CD3 and anti CD28 stimulation in the presence of Tregs in vitro. The results showed that the proliferation of Tresps in the absence of Treg cells was higher in T2DM patients than in healthy controls. Decreased FOXP3 mRNA expression and pSTAT5 were observed within the Tregs of the patients, whereas the level of secreted IL‐2 from PBMCs culture was not statically different between T2DM patients and healthy individuals. Changes in intracellular IL‐2 pathways and FOXP3 gene expression may contribute to the defect of Tregs in T2DM patients. These findings indicating that the purified CD4+CD25+CD45RA+ Treg cells have reduced functional capacity together with impaired IL‐2 pathway in T2DM, and the Tregs could be used for a potential novel therapeutic target.
Impaired neutrophil extracellular traps and inflammatory responses in the peritoneal fluid of patients with liver cirrhosis
Authors: Agraz‐Cibrián Juan Manuel , Delgado‐Rizo Vidal , Segura‐Ortega Jorge Enrique , Maldonado‐Gómez Héctor Alfredo , Zambrano‐Zaragoza José Francisco , Durán‐Avelar Ma. de Jesus , Vibanco‐Perez Norberto , Fafutis‐Morris Mary 
Published: August 2018

AbstractLiver cirrhosis (LC) is an inflammatory process associated with impaired functions in adaptive and innate immune responses at both systemic and local levels, also referred as Cirrhosis‐Associated Immune Dysfunction. In this study, we evaluated the functionality of neutrophils from ascitic fluid (AF) of patients with hepatic cirrhosis by testing their ability to generate neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in vitro. To further determine the activation state of neutrophils, expression of the activation markers CD66b, CD69, and CD80 on these cells was analysed by flow cytometry. The inflammatory environment in AF was assessed by measured concentration of pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines. Samples were collected from 40 patients with LC, 20 of them with uncomplicated ascites (ASC) and 20 with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). Peripheral blood (PB) neutrophils from healthy individuals were used as control (HC). Our results revealed a significant decrease in the release of NETs in neutrophils from the SBP group compared with HC. Low expression of CD69 and CD80 on neutrophils from AF of SBP patients was also observed. Comparisons of inflammatory cytokine levels in AF from the different study groups (SBP and ASC) revealed significant differences. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the development of complications, such as SBP, increases initially the inflammatory status, but chronically results in impaired neutrophil function as demonstrated by the decreased capability of NETs formation. There is also an increase in both pro‐inflammatory and anti‐inflammatory cytokines, thus predisposing for new episodes of SPB and increasing morbidity and mortality in cirrhotic patients.
Audit Publicity and Tax Compliance: A Natural Experiment
Authors: Battiston Pietro , Duncan Denvil , Gamba Simona , Santoro Alessandro 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWe use confidential data on value‐added tax payments at the sector level, in two large Italian cities, to estimate the effect of audit publicity on the tax compliance of local sellers. By employing a difference‐in‐differences identification strategy, we find that such publicity has a positive effect on fiscal declarations made shortly thereafter. The results suggest that increasing awareness on future audits via the media can be an important instrument in the hands of tax authorities.
Full Meta Object profiling for flexible geoprocessing workflows
Authors: Rosser Julian F. , Jackson Mike , Leibovici Didier G. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe design and running of complex geoprocessing workflows is an increasingly common geospatial modelling and analysis task. The Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) standard, which provides a graphical representation of a workflow, allows stakeholders to discuss the scientific conceptual approach behind this modelling while also defining a machine‐readable encoding in XML. Previous research has enabled the orchestration of Open Geospatial Consortium Web Processing Services (WPS) with a BPMN workflow engine. However, the need for direct access to predefined data inputs and outputs results in a lack of flexibility during composition of the workflow and of efficiency during execution. This article develops metadata profiling approaches, described as two possible configurations, which enable workflow management at the meta‐level through a coupling with a metadata catalogue. Specifically, a WPS profile and a BPMN profile are developed and tested using open‐source components to achieve this coupling. A case study in the context of an event mapping task applied within a big data framework and based on analysis of the Global Database of Event Language and Tone database illustrates the two different architectures.
Risk of reoperation in bioprosthetic valve patients with indication for long-term anticoagulation. Results from the observational retrospective multicentre PLECTRUM study
Authors: Poli Daniela , Antonucci Emilia , Pengo Vittorio , Grifoni Elisa , Maggini Niccolò , Testa Sophie , Lodigiani Corrado , Insana Antonio , Marongiu Francesco , Barcellona Doris , Paparo Carmelo , Bucherini Eugenio , Pignatelli Pasquale , Palareti Gualtiero 
Published: August 2018

ObjectiveSeveral factors should be considered when a prosthetic heart valve, bioprosthetic valve (BV) or mechanical valve is to be implanted: thrombogenicity, life expectancy and the risk of reoperation.MethodsWe conducted an observational retrospective multicentre study among Italian Thrombosis Centers on patients with BV on long-term vitamin K antagonist (VKA) treatment to evaluate the risk of reoperation and the rate of bleeding and thrombotic events.ResultsWe analysed 612 patients (median age 71.8 years) with BV on long-term VKA treatment for the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF) (78.4%) or other indications (21.6%). Thirty-four major bleeding events (rate 1.1×100 patient-years) and 29 thromboembolic events (rate 0.9×100 patient-years) were recorded, and 46 patients (rate 1.5×100 patient-years) underwent reoperation. The rate of reoperation was higher among younger patients: 32.9% in patients <60 years and 3.9% in patients ≥60 years (relative risk (RR) 3.8, 95% CI 2.1 to 7.2; p=0.0001). When patients were analysed according to age <65 or ≥65 years and <75 or ≥70 years, younger patients still were at higher risk for reoperation (RR 3.1, 95% CI 1.7 to 6.0 and 3.7, 95% CI 1.7 to 8.6, respectively).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the threshold of 65 years for implanting a BV should be carefully evaluated, considering the high risk for reoperation and the high risk of AF occurrence with persisting need for long-term anticoagulation. The high risk for reoperation of young patients implanted with BV and the availability of a safer and easier way to conduct VKA treatment, such as the use of point-of-care devices, should be considered when the type of valve must be chosen.
Incidental abnormal CT scan findings during transcatheter aortic valve implantation assessment: incidence and implications
Authors: Patel Akshay , Mahendran Kajan , Collins Michael , Abdelaziz Mahmoud , Khogali Saib , Luckraz Heyman 
Published: August 2018

ObjectivesThe aim of this retrospective series is to describe the prevalence and clinical significance of the incidental findings found during pre–transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) work-up and to ascertain the clinical course of such patients.MethodsConsecutive patients undergoing TAVI from 2013 to 2015 where a TAVI CT assessment was performed (n=138) were included in the study. All incidental findings that were not expected from the patient’s history were discussed at the TAVI multidisciplinary meeting in order to ascertain the clinical significance of said findings and whether they would alter the proposed course of treatment. Mortality data were determined by careful retrospective case note and follow-up appointment analysis.ResultsSeventy-eight patients (57%) were found to have incidental findings on pre-TAVI CT scan. The majority of patients had benign pathology with high incidence in particular of diverticular disease, pleural effusions, gallstones, hiatus hernia and degenerative spinal disease. Vascular pathology such as superior mesenteric, renal and iliac artery stenoses and abdominal aortic aneurysm was detected in seven patients. In terms of long-term mortality data, we found no significant difference between those with incidental findings and those without (p=0.48). Survival as assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant difference between those with and without incidental abnormal CT scan findings (p=0.98).ConclusionsIncidental findings with potential for malignancy are common in an elderly, comorbid population. Ultimately, clinical correlation and prognosis must be swiftly ascertained in order to streamline the patients down the appropriate management pathway while avoiding unnecessary delay for treatment of their aortic stenosis.
Impact of the top quark cross-section data on parton distribution functions
Authors: Azizi M. , Khorramian A. , Abdolmaleki H. , Mehdiabadi S. Paktinat 
Published: August 2018

Recent measurements of top quark pair production cross-section, which is performed at the LHC and the Tevatron collider, are studied using Hessian profiling technique to obtain their impact on the parton distribution functions (PDFs). The top quark production data covers different center-of-mass energies [Formula: see text], 5.02, 7, 8 and 13 TeV in either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] collisions. It is explained how the Hessian profiling method may be used to assess the impact of these new data on PDFs and consequently on their predictions. In this research, the impact of recent measurements of top quark pair cross-sections on different CT14, MMHT2014 and NNPDF3.0 PDF sets is investigated. The analysis results show that the recent top quark production at the LHC and Tevatron data provide significant constraints in particular on the central value, relative uncertainties or both for the [Formula: see text]-quark distribution and the gluon PDFs in both CT14 and MMHT2014 PDF sets and are insensitive to valence-quark PDFs. A small constraint on the [Formula: see text]-sea quark distribution for CT14 PDF is also observed. There is no impact on the NNPDF3.0 PDF set in presence of these data.
The design and characterization of high photon detection efficiency CMOS single-photon avalanche diode
Authors: Wang Wei , Chen Ting , He Yongchun , Huang Mengjia , Yang Hao , Wang Guanyu , Yang Zhenglin , Yuan Jun 
Published: August 2018

The high photon detection efficiency (PDE) single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) designed with a low voltage standard 0.18 [Formula: see text]m CMOS process is investigated in detail. The proposed CMOS SPAD is with P+/N-well junction structure, and its multiplication region is surrounded by a virtual guard ring, with which the premature edge avalanche breakdown can be prevented. The analytical and simulation results show that the CMOS SPAD has a uniform electric field distribution in P+/N-well junction, and the breakdown voltage is as low as 8.2 V, the PDE is greater than 40% at the wavelength range of 650–950 nm, at a low excess bias voltage (light intensity is about 0.001 W/cm2), and the peak PDE at 800 nm is about 48%, the relatively low dark count rate (DCR) of 1.4 KHz is obtained.
Study on the arc behaviors under the condition of argon and helium supply alternately
Authors: Dai Hongbin , Wang Haoran , Shen Xiuqiang , Lin Sanbao 
Published: August 2018

In this paper, a solenoid valve control system was used to supply argon and helium alternately to the welding torch, under the frequency of 1 Hz and 4 Hz. The radial distribution of arc pressure was measured by the water-cooled copper plate with holes, and the arc shape was recorded by high-speed photography. The results indicated the arc produced an obvious effect of pulsed pressure, due to the argon-arc and helium-arc stroked in turn in the process of argon and helium supply alternately at 1 Hz frequency. It produced a strong impact and stirring effect on the metal of molten pool, leading to the improvement of weld penetration and width, and the weld surface presented the typical distribution pattern of fish scale.
Free deterministic equivalent Z-scores of compound Wishart models: A goodness of fit test of 2D ARMA models
Authors: Hayase Tomohiro 
Published: August 2018

We introduce a new method to qualify the goodness of fit parameter estimation of compound Wishart models. Our method is based on the free deterministic equivalent [Formula: see text]-score, which we introduce in this paper. Furthermore, an application to two-dimensional autoregressive moving-average model is provided.Our proposed method is a generalization of statistical hypothesis testing to one-dimensional moving average model based on fluctuations of real compound Wishart matrices by Hasegawa et al. [A. Hasegawa, N. Sakuma and H. Yoshida, Fluctuations of Marchenko–Pastur limit of random matrices with dependent entries, Statist. Probab. Lett. 127 (2017) 85–96].