bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Associations of vasectomy with sexual dysfunctions and the sex life of middle‐aged men
Authors: Jahnen Matthias , Rechberger Anna , Meissner Valentin H. , Schiele Stefan , Schulwitz Helga , Gschwend Jürgen E. , Herkommer Kathleen 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackgroundVasectomy is a safe and effective form of contraception. However, fear of altered sexual function is still associated with vasectomy in many men.ObjectivesTo assess the prevalence of vasectomy among middle‐aged men in Germany and to investigate possible associations between a previous vasectomy and sexual dysfunctions.MethodsData on lifestyle, sexual activity, satisfaction, and dysfunction from 5425 middle‐aged, heterosexual men were collected. Differences between vasectomized (VM) and non‐vasectomized men (NVM) were assessed. Multiple logistic regression analyses were calculated to determine variables associated with erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation (PE), and low libido.Results5425 men with a mean age of 50.6 ± 0.8 years were included in this analysis. Vasectomy was performed in 12.5% (679/5425) on average 8.6 ± 5.8 years ago. 84.4% were sexually active in the last 3 months (93.0% in vasectomized men vs. 83.2% in non‐vasectomized men; p < 0.001), and 45.4% were satisfied with their sexual life (55.2% in vasectomized men vs. 44.0% in non‐vasectomized men; p < 0.001). The prevalence of erectile dysfunction was significantly lower in vasectomized men (12.1% vs. 20.1%; p < 0.001), and a previous vasectomy was associated with a decreased risk for erectile dysfunction in multivariable regression analysis (OR: 0.65 [0.40–0.83]). The prevalence of low libido (4.7% in vasectomized men vs. 7.1% in non‐vasectomized men; p = 0.02) was marginally higher among non‐vasectomized men. The prevalence of premature ejaculation (7.1% in vasectomized men vs. 6.1% in non‐vasectomized men, p = 0.5) did not differ significantly between vasectomized and non‐vasectomized men.DiscussionA previous vasectomy is not associated with an increased risk for sexual dysfunction, and vasectomized middle‐aged men are more sexually active and satisfied compared to their non‐vasectomized counterparts. The main limitations are the retrospective design and missing pre‐vasectomy data.ConclusionsMen can be reassured that the fear of sexual dysfunctions and diminished sex life after a vasectomy is unwarranted.
Research on bluish‐white porcelain glazes of Fanchang kiln in China
Authors: Cui Mingfang , Guan Mingxue , Zhu Jie , Hu Rui , Zhu Jianhua 
Published: November 2024

AbstractPolarized light microscopy, thermal dilatometery and energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) were conducted to analyse the microstructures, sintering temperature and chemical compositions of ancient porcelain glazes excavated from Fanchang kiln, China. The origin, development and decline of Fanchang bluish‐white porcelain were thoroughly investigated from the perspective of the formula and firing technology from the Five dynasties (907–906 CE) to the middle Northern Song dynasty (1015–1070 CE). The contents of major elements in glazes were compared with those of Ding, Yue, Qingshan and Hutian kilns over the same period. It was indicated that the glazes of Fanchang bluish‐white porcelain were prepared by mixing limestone and plant ashes into the ‘glaze stone’. After the middle Northern Song, the content of limestone and plant ashes gradually increased, which was related to the change of raw materials and the formula technology. The glaze formula of Fanchang kiln was much closer to the southern kilns. Evidence revealed that Fanchang bluish‐white porcelains had reached a high firing level in the Five dynasties. At that time, the firing temperature was maintained in the range of 1100–1220°C, and their colour and texture showed at their best. In the middle Northern Song, the quality decreased as the firing temperature decreased, implying signals of a gradual decline.
Optical control of cardiac electrophysiology by the photochromic ligand azobupivacaine 2
Authors: Fehrentz Timm , Amin Ehsan , Görldt Nicole , Strasdeit Tobias , Moussavi‐Torshizi Seyed‐Erfan , Leippe Philipp , Trauner Dirk , Meyer Christian , Frey Norbert , Sasse Philipp , Klöcker Nikolaj 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackground and PurposePatients suffering from ischaemic heart disease and heart failure are at high risk of recurrent ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), eventually leading to sudden cardiac death. While high‐voltage shocks delivered by an implantable defibrillator may prevent sudden cardiac death, these interventions themselves impair quality of life and raise both morbidity and mortality, which accentuates the need for developing novel defibrillation techniques.Experimental ApproachPhotopharmacology allows for reversible control of biological processes by light. When relying on synthetic and externally applied chromophores, it renders genetic modification of target cells dispensable and may hence be advantageous over optogenetic approaches. Here, the photochromic ligand azobupivacaine 2 (AB2) was probed as a modulator of cardiac electrophysiology in an ex vivo intact mouse heart model.Key ResultsBy reversibly blocking voltage‐gated Na+ and K+ channels, photoswitching of AB2 modulated both the ventricular effective refractory period and the conduction velocity in native heart tissue. Moreover, photoswitching of AB2 was able to convert VA into sinus rhythm.Conclusion and ImplicationsThe present study provides the first proof of concept that AB2 enables gradual control of cardiac electrophysiology by light. AB2 may hence open the door to the development of an optical defibrillator based on photopharmacology.
Eye diseases in chronic kidney disease: A nationwide longitudinal case–control study in Sweden
Authors: Ballester Dolz Pablo , Ålander Karin , Smedberg Petra , Vihlborg Per , Bryngelsson Ing‐liss , Westerlund Jessica , Makdoumi Karim 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing health issue that is becoming more prevalent globally, increasing financial cost on healthcare systems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the incidence of eye diseases in patients diagnosed with CKD in Sweden and to evaluate which eye diseases are most likely to develop.MethodsA longitudinal population‐based retrospective case–control study was conducted including all individuals diagnosed with chronic kidney disease during the time period 2001–2019. A total of 19 455 cases and 38 890 controls were included. For each case, two controls were matched with the same sex, age, and county of residence.ResultsCKD patients had a significantly higher risk of contracting any eye disease compared to individuals without kidney disease HR 1.73 (CI 1.67–1.79), with an elevated risk for all blocks of diagnoses except for glaucoma HR 0.95 (CI 0.85–1.06). However, this condition developed earlier in cases than in controls. Subanalyses showed an increased risk for chronic eye disease patients to develop cataract HR 1.70 (CI 1.63–1.78), other retinal disorders HR 1.86 (CI 1.72–2.02), and retinal vascular occlusions HR 2.08 (CI 1.73–2.51). In general, diagnosis of an eye disease occurred earlier in cases than controls.ConclusionsThe results from this study suggest that CKD patients have an increased risk to develop eye disease. Ocular disease seems to develop considerably earlier in CKD, even without staging the severity of the disease, with particularly high risk of developing retinal diseases and cataracts. Screening for eye disease in CKD should be considered.
Variation Across Organ Procurement Organizations in Deceased‐Donor Kidney Offer Notification Practices
Authors: Cron David C. , Kuk Arnold E. , Parast Layla , Husain S. Ali , Welten Vanessa M. , Yu Miko , Mohan Sumit , Adler Joel T. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTIntroductionHow offer notifications are distributed early in the kidney allocation timeline, including how widely they are offered, is unclear. A better understanding of offer notification practices across organ procurement organizations (OPOs) may identify opportunities for more efficient allocation.MethodsWe merged the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients potential transplant recipient file with additional offer notification time stamps to identify 54 631 deceased‐donor kidney match runs from 2017 to 2023. Offer notifications for a given match run are sent to candidates/centers in “batches.” We quantified the number of offers in the initial batch—which theoretically reflects the OPO's initial estimate of how widely a kidney should be offered—and compared this metric across OPOs.ResultsKidneys were offered to a median of 14 candidates (IQR 9–38) in the first batch of notifications, and this varied across OPOs from 3 to 746 candidates per initial batch. Batch size at the OPO‐level did not correlate with rank at kidney placement or OPO nonuse rate. OPOs in the highest quartile of batch size sent more offers (median 100) than presumably necessary to place kidneys (median rank at placement 21), and OPOs in the lowest quartile of batch size sent fewer offers (6) than needed to place kidneys (rank at placement 19).ConclusionsOffer notification practices vary widely across OPOs, and many OPOs offer kidneys far more widely than necessary for placement. Optimization of offer notification practices may reduce unnecessary communications. Further research into allocation processes is needed to identify opportunities to improve efficiency of allocation for OPOs and transplant centers.
Development and Clinical Validation of Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Measuring Ruxolitinib in Steroid‐Refractory Graft‐Versus‐Host Disease: A First Step Towards Optimized Treatment
Authors: Redondo Sara , Costa María , Moreno‐Martinez Maria‐Estela , Arguello‐Tomas Miguel , Riba Mireia , Aso Olga , Iranzo Eva , Esquirol Albert , Sierra Jorge , Briones Javier , Martino Rodrigo , Zapico Edgar , García‐Cadenas Irene 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTObjectiveThis non‐interventional, prospective, single‐center study aimed to develop a technique to measure ruxolitinib (RUX) concentrations and provide preliminary data on the distribution of plasma drug levels in patients with steroid refractory (SR) GvHD.MethodsBetween April 2023 and May 2024, we analyzed 48 blood samples from 29 patients with SR‐GvHD.ResultsMedian individual plasma concentrations varied across different RUX doses and largely overlapped: 39.2 ng/mL at 10 mg b.i.d (range: 0–73), 13.1 ng/mL at 10–5 mg (range, 6.1–35.6), and 31.6 ng/mL at 5 mg b.i.d (range: 0.7–99.9). Samples taken under non‐optimal temperature conditions showed a lower median concentration of 0.77 ng/mL (range: 0–7.4 ng/mL). The four patients who did not respond at days +28 and +180 after RUX initiation (3 with lower gastrointestinal aGvHD, and 1 with ocular, hepatic, and pulmonary cGvHD) showed a median concentration of only (7.4 ng/mL (range, 0–29) ng/mL) with full dosing.ConclusionsThe introduction and validation of a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for quantifying plasma RUX concentrations was feasible in our center. Administering predetermined and fixed doses of RUX in patients with SR‐GvHD showed highly variable and overlapping plasma drug concentrations. This underscores the potential importance of RUX‐ pharmacokinetics (PK) monitoring.
ResNet‐Transformer deep learning model‐aided detection of dens evaginatus
Authors: Wang Siwei , Liu Jialing , Li Shihao , He Pengcheng , Zhou Xin , Zhao Zhihe , Zheng Liwei 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackgroundDens evaginatus is a dental morphological developmental anomaly. Failing to detect it may lead to tubercles fracture and pulpal/periapical disease. Consequently, early detection and intervention of dens evaginatus are significant to preserve vital pulp.AimThis study aimed to develop a deep learning model to assist dentists in early diagnosing dens evaginatus, thereby supporting early intervention and mitigating the risk of severe consequences.DesignIn this study, a deep learning model was developed utilizing panoramic radiograph images sourced from 1410 patients aged 3–16 years, with high‐quality annotations to enable the automatic detection of dens evaginatus. Model performance and model's efficacy in aiding dentists were evaluated.ResultsThe findings indicated that the current deep learning model demonstrated commendable sensitivity (0.8600) and specificity (0.9200), outperforming dentists in detecting dens evaginatus with an F1‐score of 0.8866 compared to their average F1‐score of 0.8780, indicating that the model could detect dens evaginatus with greater precision. Furthermore, with its support, young dentists heightened their focus on dens evaginatus in tooth germs and achieved improved diagnostic accuracy.ConclusionBased on these results, the integration of deep learning for dens evaginatus detection holds significance and can augment dentists' proficiency in identifying such anomaly.
Genomic Prediction Using Imputed Whole‐Genome Sequence Data in Australian Angus Cattle
Authors: Kamprasert Nantapong , Aliloo Hassan , van der Werf Julius H. J. , Duff Christian J. , Clark Samuel A. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTWhole‐genome sequence (WGS) data was used to estimate genomic breeding values for growth and carcass traits in Australian Angus cattle. The study aimed to compare the accuracy and bias of genomic predictions with three marker densities, including 50K, high‐density (HD) and WGS. The dataset used in this study consisted of animals born between 2013 and 2022. Body weight traits included birthweight, weight at 400 days and weight at 600 days of age. The carcass traits were carcass weight, carcass intramuscular fat and carcass marbling score. The accuracy and bias of prediction were assessed using the cross‐validation. Further, for the growth traits, animals in the validation group were subdivided into two subgroups, which were moderately or highly related to the reference. Genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) was used to compare genomic predictions with the three marker densities. The prediction accuracies were generally similar across the marker densities, ranging between 0.61 and 0.68 for the body weight traits and between 0.40 and 0.52 for the carcass traits. However, the accuracies marginally decreased as the marker density increased for all the traits studied. A similar lack of difference was found when considering the accuracy by the relatedness subgroups. The results indicated that no meaningful difference in prediction accuracy was estimated when comparing the three marker densities due to the population structure. In conclusion, there was no substantial improvement in genomic prediction when using the WGS in this study.
Recalibrating the Local Lens: Drivers and Transformations of the European Union's Territorial Agenda in the Southern Neighbourhood
Authors: Rivera‐Escartin Adrià , Fernández Fernández Fátima 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSince its inception, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) has incorporated a local lens in its engagement with Southern partners. However, the capacity of local authorities to enact the political autonomy expected by the European Union (EU) is distant from reality. The article mobilizes the concept of hegemonic narratives in the cases of Morocco and Tunisia to problematize the set of discourses that establish the common understanding of ‘the local’ in the ENP's territorial agenda. We present three narratives that became hegemonic across ENP implementation: ‘the local’ as an agent of development, ‘the local’ as an agent of democratization and ‘the local’ as a provider of resilience. The evidence presented allows us to conclude that ‘the local’ acts as an empty signifier in the EU's territorial agenda in its Southern Neighbourhood. Whilst these narratives have certainly served centralizing trends, they have also been mobilized by or in support of emerging actors that contest them.
The readability of contracts: Big data analysis
Authors: Arbel Yonathan A. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe plain language movement waged a silent revolution in the last generation, passing nearly 800 laws nationwide with little public debate. The movement asserted that it could scientifically show that there is a widespread readability crisis in legal documents, particularly contracts, that are unreadable to most adults. This article presents the largest empirical analysis of these claims to date, utilizing a dataset of 2 million contracts spanning multiple decades and industries and applying machine learning techniques. The study challenges fundamental tenets of the plain language movement. Contrary to prevailing beliefs, consumer agreements have median reading scores almost indistinguishable from those of daily news articles. A critical evaluation further exposes that readability tools endorsed by the movement are shoddy and manipulable and can produce grade‐level differences of up to 4.6 years for identical texts. Moreover, the movement's core belief that Americans cannot read past the level of an eighth grader is exposed as an unsubstantiated myth. These findings fundamentally challenge the premises and effectiveness of one of the central consumer protection policies. These results call for a radical rethinking of legal access strategies, suggesting a shift from superficial readability metrics to addressing substantive issues in market dynamics and focusing on truly vulnerable populations. More broadly, this case study serves as a cautionary tale about the propagation of myths in legal scholarship and the potential for well‐intentioned reform movements to divert attention and resources from more effective interventions.
Chain novel, or Markov chain? Estimating the authority of U.S. Supreme Court case law
Authors: Dahl Matthew 
Published: November 2024

AbstractHow does the authority of case law evolve over time? On the Dworkinian legal formalist view, cases increase in authority as they become more embedded in the “chain” of legal precedent, but on the Holmesian legal realist view, each case's authority is proportional to its ability to predict future legal outcomes. In this article, I show how modeling the citation network of U.S. Supreme Court case law not as a chain novel (à la Dworkin) but instead as a Markov chain (à la Holmes, or so I argue) unlocks an intuitive measure of case authority—called HolmesRank—that outperforms the existing approach in a variety of validation tasks. I then demonstrate how the authority scores produced using this Markov machinery empower the analysis of two important normative questions: (1) the ideological basis of lasting precedential authority and (2) the causal effect of the Supreme Court's citation choices on lower court compliance.
Paying for performance? Attorneys' fees in fraud class actions
Authors: Choi Stephen J. , Erickson Jessica M. , Pritchard A. C. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThis paper studies whether plaintiffs' lawyers matter in securities class actions. We use inverse propensity score weighting (IPW) to compare the results in cases led by top‐tier firms against those brought by lower‐tier firms. This technique addresses case selection effects by using all of the cases led by a top‐tier firm and then weighting the cases led by lower‐tier firms based on how similar these cases are to the cases led by top‐tier firms. We do find that top‐tier lawyers obtain better outcomes for shareholders in a subset of securities class actions, specifically the cases against the larger (although not the very largest) companies. Outside of these cases, we find that most of the difference in the results obtained by top‐ and lower‐tier firms disappears when we balance observable characteristics using the IPW technique. Although the top‐tier firms do not get better results in most cases, they do invest more hours and money into their cases.
Investigation of Cross‐Sectional Characteristics of Internal Meshing Screw Mixing Flow Field for Dough Paste
Authors: Guo Fang , Liu Genhao , Meng Dezhao , Ma Yu , Wu Guifang , Hou Zhanfeng , Li Xiwen 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTThe internal meshing screw mixer, driven by extensional rheology, demonstrates excellent mixing efficiency for high‐viscosity materials while minimizing fiber damage. This study developed a computational model for the mixing process of high‐viscosity fluids based on the motion equations of the internal meshing screw. The model was validated through experiments involving the mixing of corn syrup, flour and water. The results reveal the flow field's cross‐sectional streamlines and confirm the presence of chaotic mixing states at the system interface through horseshoe mapping and the existence of hyperbolic points. By comparing the extensional and shear rates, as well as analyzing the distribution of mixing indices, this paper establishes that the primary mixing mechanism within the cross‐section is extensional force, highlighting the role of the internal meshing screw as a mixer dominated by extensional flow fields. We investigate the variations in fluid velocity, velocity uniformity index, extensional rate, shear rate, and mixing index over time under different conditions of eccentricity, rotor radius, and rotational speed. The findings indicate that while eccentricity has a limited impact on average velocity, it significantly enhances velocity disturbances and increases the ratio of extensional effects within the fluid domain. In contrast, rotor radius and speed lead to a linear increase in average velocity but have little effect on velocity disturbances and the extensional effects in the fluid domain. This study provides valuable insights into how various cross‐sectional parameters influence the flow field of the internal meshing screw mixing process, offering crucial support for its application in mixing high‐viscosity non‐Newtonian fluids within the food industry.
Diagnosing Fungal Infection in Wheat Kernels by Integrating Spectroscopic Technology and Digital Color Imaging System: Artificial Neural Network, Principal Component Analysis and Correlation Feature Selection Techniques
Authors: Zohrabi Saman , Seiiedlou Seyed Sadegh , Golpour Iman , Lefsrud Mark , Guiné Raquel P. F. , Sturm Barbara 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTContamination of cereal grain, especially wheat, with fungal infections can cause significant economic impacts and it endangers the health of humans and livestock. This study aims to appraise the UV/VIS–NIR and digital color (RGB) imaging systems and spectroscopic methodology to detect wheat kernels infected by fungi such as Penicillium expansum and Fusarium graminearum. NIR spectra of 190–1100 nm at 10 nm intervals, visible color reflectance images and non‐visible reflectance images of wheat kernels in the ultraviolet and near‐infrared ranges were applied to develop the multi‐layer perceptron (MLP) artificial neural network model. The optimum wavelengths were selected by application of the principal component analysis (PCA) after preprocessing the raw spectra. A confusion matrix was used in the correlation feature selection method (CFS) for the decision tree classifier of selected features. The results showed that the four UV wavelengths of 310, 330, 400, and 410 nm were the best wavelengths using PCA to distinguish healthy and unhealthy wheat kernels. Considering the intensity of the wavelengths as the neural network inputs, samples were classified into healthy and unhealthy categories with an accuracy of 90.9%. Also, 18 features of color images in RGB, LAB, HSV, HSI, YCbCr, and YIQ spaces provided the highest average accuracy of 44.4% in classifying healthy and infected wheat kernels by using a CCD Proline camera in the ultraviolet range. In contrast, other cameras in the visible and invisible range showed low accuracy. Furthermore, the best classification accuracy of the healthy and infected samples by the use of the CFS method was obtained at 88.1%. Based on the findings, spectroscopic methodology proved to be highly effective for detecting, classifying and automatic cleaning of various agricultural seeds, with a particular emphasis on wheat kernals.