bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A genome‐wide association study‐derived polygenic score for interleukin‐1β is associated with hippocampal volume in two samples
Authors: Avinun Reut , Nevo Adam , Knodt Annchen R. , Elliott Maxwell L. , Hariri Ahmad R. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAccumulating research suggests that the pro‐inflammatory cytokine interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) has a modulatory effect on the hippocampus, a brain structure important for learning and memory as well as linked with both psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we used an imaging genetics strategy to test an association between an IL‐1β polygenic score and hippocampal volume in two independent samples. Our polygenic score was derived using summary statistics from a recent genome‐wide association study of circulating cytokines that included IL‐1β (N = 3,309). In the first sample of 512 non‐Hispanic Caucasian university students (274 women, mean age 19.78 ± 1.24 years) from the Duke Neurogenetics Study, we identified a significant positive correlation between IL‐1β polygenic scores and hippocampal volume. This positive association was successfully replicated in a second sample of 7,960 white British volunteers (4,158 women, mean age 62.63 ± 7.45 years) from the UK Biobank. Our results lend further support in humans, to the link between IL‐1β and the structure of the hippocampus.
Health system redesign: Changing thoughts, values, and behaviours for the co‐production of a safety culture
Authors: Eljiz Kathy , Greenfield David , Derrett Alison , Radmore Simon 
Published: May 2019

SummaryPurposeSimultaneous incremental and revolutionary systems change is a norm for many health care organisations. Organisational redesign, incorporating physical redevelopments and technological innovations, drives revolutionary transformations. Redesigning health facilities provides opportunities for improving and sustaining safe, high‐quality patient care. There is a need for the creation of knowledge, based on empirical research, to inform how to effectively plan, implement, and evaluate health organisational redesign, underpinned by co‐production principles.FindingsUsing an Australian case study, we identify and discuss the opportunities and challenges, aligned with safety and quality requirements, to undertake redesign projects. Through an analysis of redesign and governance accountabilities, we identify five key foci for health leaders, and their communities, to plan, implement and evaluate organisational redesign.ConclusionBy rebuilding and engaging with patients and consumers to organise, manage and deliver care, the redesign process allows us to change thoughts, values, and behaviours to achieve better patient outcomes.
Structural, physical, chemical, and biological surface characterization of thermomechanically treated Ti‐Nb‐based alloys for bone implants
Authors: Sheremetyev Vadim , Petrzhik Mikhail , Zhukova Yulia , Kazakbiev Alibek , Arkhipova Anastasia , Moisenovich Mikhail , Prokoshkin Sergey , Brailovski Vladimir 
Published: May 2019

AbstractMetastable near‐beta Ti‐21.8Nb‐6Zr and Ti‐19.7Nb‐5.8Ta (at%) alloys were subjected to a thermomechanical treatment comprising cold rolling (CR) with a true strain of e = 0.3 and post‐deformation annealing (PDA) in the 500–900°C temperature range to ensure the superelastic behavior which is important for bone implants. It was found that PDA resulted in formation of about 1–2 μm‐thick oxide layer on the Ti‐Nb‐Zr and Ti‐Nb‐Ta alloy samples; the layer was mainly composed of TiO2, in rutile and anatase modifications. The structure, the phase and chemical compositions, and some surface‐sensitive properties of the alloys were compared to those of Ti‐50.7Ni and Ti‐Grade2 reference materials. These surface layers (especially that of the Ti‐Nb‐Zr alloy) demonstrated a promising combination of high cohesion strength (load causing surface layer fracture is over 25 N), hardness (∼12 GPa), and hydrophilicity (contact angle ∼40°). Surface modification by controlled oxidation during air annealing increases corrosion resistance and enhances in vivo osteoinductive properties of Ti‐Nb‐Zr alloys by changing the surface microrelief, increasing the surface wettability, and improving the mechanical characteristics, thus laying the foundation for the development of medical implants with prolonged service life. So, it was confirmed that the same thermomechanical treatment, which creates conditions for the superelastic behavior of the bulk metal (CR: e = 0.3 + PDA = 500–700°C for 1 hr), would also create a strong, protective and biocompatible layer on the implant surface.
Relationship between interannual changes of summer rainfall over Yangtze River Valley and South China Sea–Philippine Sea: Possible impact of tropical zonal sea surface temperature gradient
Authors: Ha Yao , Zhong Zhong , Zhang Yun , Ding Jinfeng , Yang Xiangrong 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThis study investigates the interannual variability of rainfall over the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River Valley (MLYRV) and that over the South China Sea and Philippine Sea (SCS‐PS) during boreal summer (June–August) from 1979 to 2012. Results exhibit out‐of‐phase rainfall variations between the MLYRV and the SCS‐PS, which is closely related to the tropical zonal sea surface temperature gradient (ZSG) between the northern Indian Ocean (NIO; 5°–25°N, 60°–100°E) and the equatorial central and eastern Pacific (CEP; 5°S–5°N, 180°–130°W). The ZSG can explain as much as 40% of the total variance of the summer rainfall over the MLYRV and the SCS‐PS in the past 40 years. This is much higher than that explained by the NIO SST (24%), CEP SST (14%) and Niño‐3.4 index (16%) alone. A positive ZSG between the warm NIO and the cold CEP tends to increase rainfall over the MLYRV and decrease rainfall over the SCS‐PS, whereas a negative ZSG between the cold NIO and the warm CEP is generally favourable for rainfall over the SCS‐PS and unfavourable for rainfall over MLYRV. The close connection between the ZSG and the out‐of‐phase interannual rainfall variation over the two regions can be explained by influences of the ZSG on atmospheric circulation over East Asia. A positive ZSG induces anomalous easterlies and Walker‐like circulation in the tropics, which results in an anomalous subsidence and boundary layer divergence over the SCS‐PS. As a result, summer rainfall decreases in this region. Meanwhile, moisture transport increases due to the anomalously strong southwesterlies along the northwestern flank of the intensified western Pacific subtropical high, providing more precipitable water to the MLYRV region. In contrast, a negative ZSG induces surface westerlies and favourable environmental condition for rainfall over the SCS‐PS. Dry descending flow induced by local anomalous Hadley circulation develops over the MLYRV around 30°N, which is unfavourable for rainfall over the MLYRV. The mechanism further examined using numerical experiments. These thermal‐dynamical processes induced by the ZSG work together to cause the out‐of‐phase interannual changes of rainfall between the MLYRV and the SCS‐PS, suggesting that the ZSG is highly indicative of the interannual change of summer rainfall in the two regions.
Primary Laryngeal Blastomycosis: Diagnostic Challenges and Advances in a Rare Cause of Laryngitis
Authors: Cates Daniel J. , Rosen Clark A. , Yassin Mohamed H. , Smith Libby J. 
Published: May 2019

Blastomyces dermatitidis is a fungal organism endemic to the central and southern United States and capable of causing numerous diseases. Primary blastomycosis of the larynx is a rare clinical entity with a limited number of reported cases in the literature. Diagnosis is challenging as a result of nonspecific physical exam findings, difficulty of histopathologic detection and culture, and need for operative laryngeal biopsy for definitive identification. Molecular and serologic testing is not widely available. The authors present a case of laryngeal blastomycosis, the diagnosis of which was facilitated by in‐office biopsy, and discuss diagnostic challenges.Laryngoscope, 129:2531–2533, 2019
The role of routine nasolacrimal sac biopsy during endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy
Authors: Banks Catherine , Scangas George A. , Husain Qasim , Hatton Mark P. , Fullerton Zoe , Metson Ralph 
Published: May 2019

Objectives/HypothesisMost patients who undergo endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) have a diagnosis of idiopathic nasolacrimal duct obstruction. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of routine biopsy of the lacrimal sac performed at time of DCR on subsequent patient diagnosis and treatment.Study DesignRetrospective review.MethodsThe histopathology of nasolacrimal specimens (n = 769), obtained from 654 consecutive patients undergoing endoscopic DCR by a single surgeon over a 30‐year period, were reviewed. Specific focus included the identification of unanticipated pathologic findings as they related to pertinent patient demographics, clinical presentation, radiologic findings, and intraoperative observations.ResultsThe study population was 69.6% female, with an average age of 56.1 ± 18.2 years. Pathological findings of tissue from the nasolacrimal sac, which was routinely sampled in all cases, showed inflammation (n = 566 [73.6%]), normal histology (n = 147 [19.1%]), granulomas (n = 8 [1.0%]), and neoplastic process (n = 7 [0.9%]). Patient history, preoperative CT scan, and/or intraoperative findings alerted the surgeon to the possibility of an unusual diagnosis in 12 of the 15 patients. An unsuspected neoplastic or granulomatous cause of lacrimal obstruction was identified on intraoperative biopsy in three patients (0.46%).ConclusionsAlthough neoplastic and granulomatous diseases are relatively rare causes of lacrimal obstruction necessitating DCR surgery, they may be identified by through patient evaluation in most cases and by routine intraoperative biopsy of the lacrimal sac in all cases.Level of Evidence4Laryngoscope, 130:584–589, 2020
Endoscopic ossiculoplasty: Is there any edge over the microscopic technique?
Authors: Das Arindam , Mitra Sandipta , Ghosh Debasish , Sengupta Arunabha 
Published: May 2019

Objectives/HypothesisTo compare endoscopic ossiculoplasty with conventional microscopic technique in terms of postoperative hearing outcomes and complications.Study DesignRandomized controlled trial.MethodsOne hundred eighteen patients diagnosed with ossicular chain discontinuity were randomly assigned into two groups, one undergoing endoscopic ossiculoplasty and the other undergoing ossiculoplasty by the microscopic technique, with the operating surgeon being same for both groups. The two groups were compared in terms of operative time, postoperative air‐bone gap, mean air‐bone gap closure, and incidence of complications. Teflon prostheses (partial ossicular chain replacement prosthesis [PORP] and total ossicular chain replacement prosthesis [TORP]) were used for reconstruction in all cases.ResultsEndoscopic ossiculoplasty with PORP rendered a statistically significant mean postoperative air‐bone gap and air‐bone gap closure at 1 month when compared to that of microscopic PORP ossiculoplasty. However, there was no significant difference between the two techniques in terms of mean postoperative air‐bone gap and air‐bone gap closure at 3 and 6 months. In the TORP ossiculoplasty cases, there was no significant difference in mean postoperative air‐bone gap and air‐bone gap closure at 1, 3, and 6 months. In terms of operative time and incidence of complications, no statistical significance was found between the two groups.ConclusionsEndoscopic ossiculoplasty appears to provide superior visualization and better early audiological outcome (in PORP ossiculoplasty cases) when compared to microscopic technique. However, long‐term audiological outcomes and incidence of complications remain comparable.Level of Evidence1Laryngoscope, 130:797–802, 2020
Tracking spatial–temporal landscape changes of impervious surface areas, bare lands, and inundation areas in China during 2001–2017
Authors: Qiu Bingwen , Li Haiwen , Chen Chongcheng , Tang Zhenghong , Zhang Ke , Berry Joe 
Published: May 2019

AbstractEfficient and timely quantification of landscape changes of urbanization, devegetation, and inundation in China is important for decision making in sustainable development. This study proposed a novel and automatic approach to track landscape changes in China based on 500 m 8‐day composite MODIS datasets from 2001 to 2017. An overall accuracy of 94.09% was achieved on the basis of 5,178 references sites. Results showed that newly impervious surface areas (ISA), bare lands, and inundated water bodies accounted for 0.51%, 0.23%, and 0.25% of the total land area in China, respectively. Rapid urbanization transformation was observed with the average annual land urbanization rate of 9.53%, almost three‐times higher than the global rate of urbanization. The speediest period of urbanization was exhibited in 2009 and 4,938.89 km2 of newly formed ISA were generated in this single year. The most obvious period of devegetation, which converted vegetation to bare lands, was observed from 2006 to 2009, with 2000–2100 km2 yr−1. Urbanization and devegetation dominantly occurred in humid/semihumid regions (>85%), particularly in the Yangtze River Delta. The remarkable devegetation was strongly associated with newly ISA; however, significant reduction of devegetation was observed in arid/semiarid regions in 2010s. Besides one hotspot surrounding newly ISA, the other hotspot of inundation in remote highlands was highlighted and distinct reduction in inundation was evidenced after 2010. A free download link for these datasets is attached (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZGSk3sP04ob77lmLTH01B0x1PEgjby7w?usp=sharing).
Impact of geomorphic disturbance on spatial variability of soil CO2 flux within a depositional landform
Authors: Mohseni Neda , Mohseni Amir , Karimi Alireza , Shabani Farzin 
Published: May 2019

AbstractLandform structure‐dependent erosive soil processes impact on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of arid and semiarid areas soils through the redeposition of erosional soils and, consequently, play a role in changes to the global carbon cycle. Understanding the biophysical mechanisms that influence the balance of soil C flux is important for predicting the responses of dryland soilscapes to many forms of environmental change. This study was done along an upper‐to‐lower alluvial fan gradient, where debris flows, representing one of the most common erosive processes of dryland soils, cause local‐scale changes in soil biotic–abiotic patterns. In this empirically founded study, we assessed (a) the variations in soil CO2 flux and some related physiochemical variables such as soil organic–inorganic C, soil C storage, exchangeable cations, pH, electrical conductivity, and volumetric water content and (b) whether these variations in soil CO2 flux and its association with the above‐mentioned soil factors remained constant at three different positions in altitude along the slope of the alluvial fan. Our findings indicated significant differences according to slope position in terms of the flux rate of soil CO2 and associated physiochemical properties. The application of multiple regression demonstrated that the higher soil CO2 flux rates in the upper and middle fan positions are significantly positively correlated with organic C content. Despite the development of biological crusts on the lower fan sediments, they exhibited the lowest rate of soil CO2 flux. Further, low CO2 flux in the lower fan soils was found to be significantly negatively related to pH and inorganic C. This anomaly may be attributed to the alkalinity of the environment formed by the deposition of fine particle sediments on the lower fan position and the fact that CO2 generated by the respiration of mosses may favor the exchange of organic C to carbonate production. Our findings underline the paradoxical impacts of debris flow disturbances on soil C dynamics. This erosive soil disturbance, together with the asymmetric resource redistribution and subsequent variations in the functioning of adjacent alluvial fan positions, can simultaneously provide ‘hot spots’ of reservoir and flux of soil C within different positions of a depositional landform.
Topological QSAR Modelling of Carboxamides Repellent Activity to Aedes Aegypti
Authors: Doucet J. P. , Doucet‐Panaye A. , Papa E. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAedes aegypti vector control is of paramount importance owing to the damages induced by the various severe diseases that these insects may transmit, and the increasing risk of important outbreaks of these pathologies. Search for new chemicals efficient against Aedes aegypti, and devoid of side‐effects, which have been associated to the currently most used active substance i. e. N,N‐diethyl‐m‐toluamide (DEET), is therefore an important issue. In this context, we developed various Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) models to predict the repellent activity against Aedes aegypti of 43 carboxamides, by using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and various machine learning approaches. The easy computation of the four topological descriptors selected in this study, compared to the CODESSA descriptors used in the literature, and the predictive ability of the here proposed MLR and machine learning models developed using the software QSARINS and R, make the here proposed QSARs attractive. As demonstrated in this study, these models can be applied at the screening level, to guide the design of new alternatives to DEET.
Inkjet‐printed UHF RFID tag based system for salinity and sugar detection
Authors: Sharif Abubakar , Ouyang Jun , Raza Ali , Imran Muhammad A. , Abbasi Qammer H. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThis article presents an RFID system to detect the salinity and sugar contents of water. The proposed system is based on low‐cost ink‐jet printed passive ultrahigh frequency (UHF) RFID tag. The tag is designed using slot match technique, which poses a good imaginary impedance match with RFID chip both in free space and after mounting on the water bottle. Moreover, the tag antenna is exploited as a sensor to detect salt and sugar contents of water by measuring the backscatter power from the tag in term of received signal strength indicator (RSSI). A Tagformance Pro setup form Voyantic is used for measuring RSSI. Furthermore, an approximate relationship is derived between backscatter power and no. of grams of salt and sugar dissolved in water. This study paves a way to check the contents of drinks using portable devices, which is pivotal for healthcare applications in smart cities and the future Internet of things (IoT).
An algorithm for discovery and determination of exponentially decaying components in nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry data
Authors: Ponte Santi , Silva Elipe Maria Victoria , Aboutanios Elias , Vasini Ester Maria , Cobas Carlos 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn many branches of physics, the time evolution of various quantities measured in systems passing from excited to equilibrium states, while theoretically very complex, can be in practice well approximated by a sum of exponential decays. Multiexponential relaxometry data analysis is about determining the number of exponential components and their corresponding amplitudes and decay rates, starting from noisy recorded time series, under the assumption of the discreteness of the number of components present. A technique for decomposing a signal modelled as a sum of exponential decays into its components is introduced, consisting of a modified version of the algorithm minimum description length (MDL) + matrix pencil, originally proposed by Lin et al. for the analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy data. The procedure starts by denoising the discrete time‐domain signal, and then a number of different decimations are applied, each being followed by an MDL + matrix pencil detection‐estimation step, and finally, a postprocessing of the intermediate outcomes is done. The comprised model order estimator eliminates the need of providing prior estimates of the number of components present.
Fast approximate truncated SVD
Authors: Shishkin Serge L. , Shalaginov Arkadi , Bopardikar Shaunak D. 
Published: May 2019

SummaryThis paper presents a new method for the computation of truncated singular value decomposition (SVD) of an arbitrary matrix. The method can be qualified as deterministic because it does not use randomized schemes. The number of operations required is asymptotically lower than that using conventional methods for nonsymmetric matrices and is at a par with the best existing deterministic methods for unstructured symmetric ones. It slightly exceeds the asymptotical computational cost of SVD methods based on randomization; however, the error estimate for such methods is significantly higher than for the presented one. The method is one‐pass, that is, each value of the matrix is used just once. It is also readily parallelizable. In the case of full SVD decomposition, it is exact. In addition, it can be modified for a case when data are obtained sequentially rather than being available all at once. Numerical simulations confirm accuracy of the method.
H1‐superconvergence of finite difference method based on Q1‐element on quasi‐uniform mesh for the 3D Poisson equation
Authors: Feng Xinlong , He Ruijian , Chen Zhangxin 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn this paper, the finite difference (FD) method is considered for the 3D Poisson equation by using the Q1‐element on a quasi‐uniform mesh. First, under the regularity assumption of , the H1‐superconvergence of the FD solution uh based on the Q1‐element to the first‐order interpolation function is obtained. Next, the H1‐superconvergence of the second‐order interpolation postprocessing function based on the FD solution uh to u is provided. Finally, numerical tests are presented to show the H1‐superconvergence result of the FD postprocessing function to u if .
Determination of unknown functions in a mathematical model of ductal carcinoma in situ
Authors: Garshasbi Morteza 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThis study deals with the numerical investigation of a mathematical model of breast cancer at the initial growth stage known as ductal carcinoma in situ. This model considered as an inverse problem and the uniqueness of solution of this inverse problem is proved. To solve this problem, a computational approach is developed based on an iterative procedure and space marching and mollification methods. The stability and convergence results are given to support the method theoretically. Two test problems are considered to demonstrate the efficiency and ability of the proposed numerical approach.