bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Body Composition Profiling in the UK Biobank Imaging Study
Authors: Linge Jennifer , Borga Magnus , West Janne , Tuthill Theresa , Miller Melissa R. , Dumitriu Alexandra , Thomas E. Louise , Romu Thobias , Tunón Patrik , Bell Jimmy D. , Dahlqvist Leinhard Olof 
Published: May 2018

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the value of imaging‐based multivariable body composition profiling by describing its association with coronary heart disease (CHD), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and metabolic health on individual and population levels.MethodsThe first 6,021 participants scanned by UK Biobank were included. Body composition profiles (BCPs) were calculated, including abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), thigh muscle volume, liver fat, and muscle fat infiltration (MFI), determined using magnetic resonance imaging. Associations between BCP and metabolic status were investigated using matching procedures and multivariable statistical modeling.ResultsMatched control analysis showed that higher VAT and MFI were associated with CHD and T2D (P < 0.001). Higher liver fat was associated with T2D (P < 0.001) and lower liver fat with CHD (P < 0.05), matching on VAT. Multivariable modeling showed that lower VAT and MFI were associated with metabolic health (P < 0.001), and liver fat was nonsignificant. Associations remained significant adjusting for sex, age, BMI, alcohol, smoking, and physical activity.ConclusionsBody composition profiling enabled an intuitive visualization of body composition and showed the complexity of associations between fat distribution and metabolic status, stressing the importance of a multivariable approach. Different diseases were linked to different BCPs, which could not be described by a single fat compartment alone.
Current advances in screening for bioactive components from medicinal plants by affinity ultrafiltration mass spectrometry
Authors: Chen Guilin , Huang Bill X. , Guo Mingquan 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIntroductionMedicinal plants have played an important role in maintaining human health for thousands of years. However, the interactions between the active components in medicinal plants and some certain biological targets during a disease are still unclear in most cases.ObjectiveTo conduct the high‐throughput screening for small active molecules that can interact with biological targets, which is of great theoretical significance and practical value.MethodologyThe ultrafiltration mass spectrometry (UF‐LC/MS) is a powerful bio‐analytical method by combining affinity ultrafiltration and liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC/MS), which could rapidly screen and identify small active molecules that bind to biological targets of interest at the same time. Compared with other analytical methods, affinity UF‐LC/MS has the characteristics of fast, sensitive and high throughput, and is especially suitable for the complicated extracts of medicinal plants.ResultsIn this review, the basic principle, characteristics and some most recent challenges in UF‐LC/MS have been demonstrated. Meanwhile, the progress and applications of affinity UF‐LC/MS in the discovery of the active components from natural medicinal plants and the interactions between small molecules and biological target proteins are also briefly summarised. In addition, the future directions for UF‐LC/MS are also prospected.ConclusionAffinity UF‐LC/MS is a powerful tool in studies on the interactions between small active molecules and biological protein targets, especially in the high‐throughput screening of active components from the natural medicinal plants.
Clinical Proteomics: Closing the Gap from Discovery to Implementation
Authors: Frantzi Maria , Latosinska Agnieszka , Kontostathi Georgia , Mischak Harald 
Published: May 2018

AbstractClinical proteomics, the application of proteome analysis to serve a clinical purpose, represents a major field in the area of proteome research. Over 1000 manuscripts on this topic are published each year, with numbers continuously increasing. However, the anticipated outcome, the transformation of the reported findings into improvements in patient management, is not immediately evident. In this article, the value and validity of selected clinical proteomics findings are investigated, and it is assessed how far implementation has progressed. A main conclusion from this assessment is that to achieve implementation, well‐powered clinical studies are required in the appropriate population, addressing a specific clinical need and with a clear context‐of‐use. Efforts toward implementation, to be feasible, must be supported by the key players in science: publishers and funders. The authors propose a change on objectives, from additional discovery studies toward studies aiming at validation of the plethora of potential biomarkers that have been described, to demonstrate practical value of clinical proteomics. All elements required, potential biomarkers, technologies, and bio‐banked samples are available (based on today's literature), hence a change in focus from discovery toward validation and application is not only urgently necessary, but also possible based on resources available today.
Systematic In‐Depth Proteomic Analysis of Mitochondria‐Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes in Mouse and Human Testes
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Wen Yujiao , Dong Juan , Cao Congcong , Yuan Shuiqiao 
Published: May 2018

AbstractMitochondria‐associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAMs) regulate important cellular functions including calcium signaling, bioenergetics, and apoptosis during neurodevelopment and carcinogenesis, but its function in male reproduction and spermatogenesis remains enigmatic because the field lacks a complete understanding of the proteome within testis MAMs. To better understand the biological processes and molecular functions of MAM in testes, a global mass spectrometry‐based proteomic evaluation of MAM proteins from human and mouse testes are reported here, respectively. The evaluation and analysis showed that the components of MAM were highly conserved not only between different species (human and mouse) but also between different tissues (testes and brains). Bioinformatics interrogation of these MAM protein catalogues uncovered that 815 new potential linkages specifically existed in mouse testes compared with mouse brains. In addition, a comparative analysis showed that 1347 proteins (account for ≈96.56%) were highly conservatively expressed in both human and mouse testis MAMs. Furthermore, functional analysis revealed that testis‐specific MAM proteins were related to spermatogenesis, male gamete generation, as well as sexual reproduction. The data identified, for the first time, numerous MAM proteins in mouse and human testes, which provide a possibility to define the relationship between testis MAM proteins and reproductive diseases.
Decreased E‐Cadherin in MCF7 Human Breast Cancer Cells Forming Multicellular Spheroids Exposed to Simulated Microgravity
Authors: Sahana Jayashree , Nassef Mohamed Zakaria , Wehland Markus , Kopp Sascha , Krüger Marcus , Corydon Thomas J. , Infanger Manfred , Bauer Johann , Grimm Daniela 
Published: May 2018

AbstractMCF7 human breast cancer cells were cultured under normal gravity (1 g) and on a random positioning machine (RPM) preventing sedimentation. After 2 weeks, adherent 1 g‐control and adherent RPM cells (AD) as well as multicellular spheroids (MCS) were harvested. AD and MCS had been exposed to the RPM in the same culture flask. In a subsequent proteome analysis, the majority of the proteins detected showed similar label‐free quantification (LFQ) scores in each of the respective subpopulations, but in both AD or MCS cultures, proteins were also found whose LFQs deviated at least twofold from their counterparts in the 1 g‐control cells. They included the cell junction protein E‐cadherin, which was diminished in MCS cells, where proteins of the E‐cadherin autodegradation pathway were enhanced and c‐Src (proto‐oncogene tyrosine‐protein kinase c‐Src) was detected. Spheroid formation was prevented by inhibition of c‐Src but promoted by antibodies blocking E‐cadherin activity. An interaction analysis of the detected proteins that are involved in forming and regulating junctions or adhesion complexes and in E‐cadherin autodegradation indicated connections between the two protein groups. This suggests that the balance of proteins that up‐ or downregulate E‐cadherin mediates the tendency of MCF7 cells to form MCS during RPM exposure.
Facing death alone or together? Investigating the interdependence of death anxiety, dysfunctional attitudes, and quality of life in patient‐caregiver dyads confronting lung cancer
Authors: Lau Bobo Hi‐Po , Wong Daniel F.K. , Fung Y.L. , Zhou Jillian , Chan Cecilia L.W. , Chow Amy Y.M. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBackgroundBased on the cognitive theory, anxiety arising from the awareness of death and dying may activate dysfunctional attitudes, which may then reduce quality of life. This study examined the interdependence and the mediating role of dysfunctional attitudes on the relationship between death anxiety and quality of life among patients with lung cancer and their caregivers.MethodsFrom March 2016 to April 2017, 173 pairs of patients and their caregivers enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of psychosocial support. Using the baseline data, actor‐partner interdependence modeling was used to analyze the relationships among death anxiety, dysfunctional attitudes, and quality of life.ResultsIn patients, death anxiety was related to dependency (β = .51) and self‐control (β = −.37); achievement (β = −.21) and self‐control (β = .34) were related to quality of life. Among caregivers, death anxiety was related to all 3 dysfunctional attitudes of their own (βs = .23 to.32); dependency (β = −.22) was associated with quality of life. Caregiver quality of life was also associated with patient self‐control (β = .22) and achievement (β = −.18). Patient self‐control mediated the links between patient death anxiety with both patient and caregiver quality of life. The relationship between death anxiety and quality of life was mediated by dependency in caregivers.DiscussionDeath anxiety influences dysfunctional attitudes and quality of life of both patients and caregivers. Our results support the relevance of dysfunctional attitudes in understanding the impact of death anxiety and underscore the need for parallel psychosocial interventions.
Associations between the smoking‐relatedness of a cancer type, cessation attitudes and beliefs, and future abstinence among recent quitters
Authors: Martínez Úrsula , Brandon Thomas H. , Sutton Steven K. , Simmons Vani N. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractObjectiveSmoking after a diagnosis of cancer can negatively impact treatment outcomes and quality of life. It is important that patients quit smoking and remain abstinent regardless of cancer type. Some cancer types (eg, lung) have stronger links to smoking as a cause than do others (eg, colorectal). The aims of this study were to (1) assess associations between smoking‐relatedness of the cancer type with beliefs and attitudes concerning smoking abstinence (eg, confidence, self‐efficacy), and (2) assess these variables as predictors of future abstinence.MethodsIn this secondary analysis, cancer patients (N = 357) who quit smoking within the previous 90 days were assigned a code of 3, 2, or 1 according to the cancer type's level of smoking‐relatedness: Very related (n = 134, thoracic and head and neck), Somewhat related (n = 93, acute myeloid leukemia, bladder, cervix, colorectal, esophageal, kidney, liver, pancreas, and stomach), and Unlikely related (n = 137, all other cancer types).ResultsSmoking‐relatedness was positively associated with plan to stay smoke‐free, maximum confidence in being smoke‐free in 6 months, higher abstinence self‐efficacy, and lower expected difficulty in staying smoke‐free. Each of the 4 beliefs and attitude variables predicted abstinence 2 months later. Smoking‐relatedness also predicted abstinence in a univariate model, but not in a multivariable model with the belief and attitude variables. Using backwards stepwise procedures, the final model included plan to stay smoke‐free, confidence in being smoke‐free, and abstinence self‐efficacy.ConclusionThese results are consistent with our conceptualization of cessation motivation differing by smoking‐relatedness of the cancer type and predicting future abstinence.
Simultaneously guaranteeing the in‐control and out‐of‐control performances of the S2 control chart with estimated variance
Authors: Aparisi Francisco , Mosquera Jaime , Epprecht Eugenio K. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractRecent studies on the effects of parameter estimation on control charts have focused on their conditional in‐control (IC) performance and recommended either the minimum number of Phase I samples (m) or adjustments to the control limit factor (L) that guarantee a desired IC performance with a high probability. In most cases, the numbers of samples required are prohibitively large in practice, and the adjustments for smaller numbers of samples entail as a counterpart a deterioration of the chart's out‐of‐control (OOC) performance. This presents the user with a hard decision, in which he or she will have difficulty in finding the best compromise between the objectives of good (or acceptable) IC performance, OOC performance, and a practicable number of Phase I samples. Therefore, in the context of the S2 chart, we propose a new approach that takes both the desired IC and OOC performances (that should be within specified tolerances with a specified high joint probability) as constraints for the optimization of the pair (L, m). This is the first work that simultaneously treats the choice of m and the control limit adjustment in the framework of an optimization problem. With our model, the user can automatically obtain the most feasible (minimum m) solution that satisfies his/her requirements on both the IC and OOC performances.
Fault detection via nonlinear profile monitoring using artificial neural networks
Authors: Awad Mahmoud I. , AlHamaydeh Mohammad , Faris Ahmed 
Published: May 2018

AbstractFault detection is the characterization of a normal behavior of a system using a response function or profile of interest and the identification of any deviation from such normal behavior. As system complexity grows, predicting the underlying structure or form of response function becomes challenging if not impossible. This article presents a data‐driven approach for fault detection of complex systems using multivariate statistical process control based on artificial neural network (ANN) characterization. In this approach, the quality of a system is characterized where one explanatory variable is adequately explained as a function of the other variables using an ANN model. The vector of weights and biases of the ANN model is monitored by using HotellingT2through control charts. The proposed method is tested and compared with existing methods such as polynomial and sum of sine function regression for 3 cases from the literature. Moreover, it is applied to a 4‐story reinforced concrete building that uses continuous monitoring to avoid potentially catastrophic failures. The proposed ANN approach outperforms the existing methods for small shifts (deviations) from healthy states. For large and medium shifts, it provides comparable results that are on the conservative side.
Vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy: Review of the procedures, outcomes, and predictors of patency and pregnancy over the last decade
Authors: Namekawa Takeshi , Imamoto Takashi , Kato Mayuko , Komiya Akira , Ichikawa Tomohiko 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBackgroundIn the era of improving assisted reproductive technology (ART), patients with obstructive azoospermia (OA) have 2 options: vasal repair or testicular sperm extraction with intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Vasal repair, including vasovasostomy (VV) and vasoepididymostomy (VE), is the only option that leads to natural conception.MethodsThis article reviews the surgical techniques, outcomes, and predictors of postoperative patency and pregnancy, with a focus on articles that have reported over the last 10 years, using PubMed database searches.Main findingsThe reported mean patency rate was 87% and the mean pregnancy rate was 49% for a patient following microscopicVVand/orVEfor vasectomy reversal. Recently, robot‐assisted techniques were introduced and have achieved a high rate of success. The predictors and predictive models of postoperative patency and pregnancy also have been reported. The obstructive interval, presence of a granuloma, and intraoperative sperm findings predict postoperative patency. These factors also predict postoperative fertility. In addition, the female partner's age and the same female partner correlate with pregnancy after surgery.ConclusionIn the era ofART, the physician should present and discuss with both the patient withOAand his partner the most appropriate procedure to conceive by using these predictors.
Simplex sliding mode control for autonomous six‐DOF vehicles with mono‐directional actuators: Robustness, stability, and implementation issues
Authors: Bartolini Giorgio , Pisano Alessandro , Punta Elisabetta , Usai Elio 
Published: May 2018

SummaryThe position and attitude control of a six‐degree‐of‐freedom vehicle is dealt with in this paper. The actuation system is assumed to consist of a set of mono‐directional devices suitably located and directed. The model of the system is characterized by a large amount of uncertainties, disturbances and measurement errors. The state is assumed fully available and the navigation problems generating smooth references for the state trajectories are supposed already solved. A new attitude guidance algorithm has been developed to enhance robustness with respect to a class of nonsmooth measurement errors. The use of the simplex‐based sliding mode methodology reveals to be simultaneously suitable for the design of the actuation system (position and orientation of the actuators) and the implementation of the control strategy. The chattering phenomenon is strongly attenuated by the introduction of integrators in the input channel and, consequently to this choice, a suitable mechanism to avoid the unbounded growth of the individual thrust of the actuators is designed, while at the same time, achieving a direct control of power losses. The performances of the proposed control scheme are demonstrated by simulation by using mathematical models available in the literature.
Stabilisation of state‐and‐input constrained nonlinear systems via diffeomorphisms: A Sontag's formula approach with an actual application
Authors: Acosta J.Á. , Dòria‐Cerezo A. , Fossas E. 
Published: May 2018

SummaryIn this work, we provide a new and constructive outlook for the control of state‐and‐input constrained nonlinear systems. Previously, explicit solutions have been mainly focused on the finding of a barrier‐like Lyapunov function, whereas we propose the construction of a diffeomorphism to map all the trajectories of the constrained dynamics into an unconstrained one. Careful analysis has revealed that only some foundations of differential geometry and a technical assumption are necessary to construct the proposed methodology based on the well‐established theories of control Lyapunov functions and Sontag's universal formulae. Altogether, it allows us to obtain an explicit solution that even includes bounded constraints in the control action, giving the designer a way to decide (to some extent) the trade‐off between control saturations and robustness. Moreover, this approach does not rely on the own structure of the system dynamics, therefore covering a broad class of nonlinear systems. The main advantage of this approach is that the use of a diffeomorphism allows the splitting of the mathematical treatment of the constraint and the Lyapunov controller design. The result has been successfully applied to solve the dynamic positioning of an actual ship, where the nonlinear state constraints describe a strait. This approach enabled us to design a control Lyapunov function and thereby use Sontag's formula to solve the stabilisation problem. Realistic simulations have been executed in a real scenario on the simulator owned by an international shipbuilding company.
Randomised Italian Sonography for occiput POSition Trial Ante vacuum (R.I.S.POS.T.A.)
Authors: Ghi T. , Dall'Asta A. , Masturzo B. , Tassis B. , Martinelli M. , Volpe N. , Prefumo F. , Rizzo G. , Pilu G. , Cariello L. , Sabbioni L. , Morselli‐Labate A. M. , Todros T. , Frusca T. 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo assess whether sonographic diagnosis of fetal head position before instrumental vaginal delivery can reduce the risk of failed vacuum extraction and improve delivery outcome.MethodsRandomised Italian Sonography for occiput POSition Trial Ante vacuum (R.I.S.POS.T.A.) is a randomized controlled trial of term (37 + 0 to 41 + 6 weeks' gestation) singleton pregnancies with cephalic presentation requiring instrumental delivery by vacuum extraction, which was conducted between April 2014 and June 2017 and involved 13 Italian maternity hospitals. Patients were randomized to assessment of fetal head position before attempted instrumental delivery by either vaginal examination (VE) alone or VE plus transabdominal sonography (TAS). Primary outcome was incidence of emergency Cesarean section due to failed vacuum extraction. A sample size of 653 women per group was planned to compare the primary outcome between the two groups. The sample size estimation was based on the hypothesis that the risk of failed vacuum delivery in the VE group would be 5% and that ultrasound assessment of fetal position prior to vacuum extraction would decrease this risk to 2%.ResultsOn interim analysis, the trial was stopped for futility. During this period, 222 women were randomized and 221 were included in the final data analysis, of whom 132 (59.7%) were randomized to evaluation of fetal head position by VE only and 89 (40.3%) to assessment by VE plus TAS prior to vacuum extraction. No significant differences were observed between the two groups with respect to incidence of emergency Cesarean section due to failed instrumental delivery and other maternal and fetal outcomes. Women randomized to assessment by VE plus TAS showed higher incidence of non‐occiput anterior position of the fetal head at randomization and lower incidence of incorrect diagnosis of occiput position compared with women undergoing assessment by VE alone. A higher rate of episiotomy was noted in the women undergoing both VE and TAS compared with those in the VE‐only group.ConclusionsOur prematurely discontinued randomized controlled trial did not demonstrate any benefit in terms of reduced risk of failed instrumental delivery or maternal and fetal morbidity in women undergoing sonographic assessment of fetal head position prior to vacuum extraction. Copyright © 2018 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.