bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tumour thickness, diameter, area or volume? The prognostic significance of conventional versus digital image analysis‐based size estimation methods in uveal melanoma
Authors: Arnljots Thorsteinn Snaebjörnsson , Al‐Sharbaty Zaid , Lardner Emma , All‐Eriksson Charlotta , Seregard Stefan , Stålhammar Gustav 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to compare conventional and novel size estimation methods’ ability to predict survival in uveal melanoma (UM).MethodsThe study was designed as a retrospective consecutive chart review of patients with UM, enucleated between the years 1984 and 1993. Area and volume were estimated based on the largest histopathological cross‐section, the second centroid theorem of Pappus and digital image analysis, correlated to overall and relative survival.ResultsOf 168 patients analysed, 20 (12%) of tumours were categorized as T1, 47 (28%) as T2, 67 (40%) as T3 and 19 (11%) as T4 (15 N/a). A total of 91 tumours with complete survival and measurement data were included and recategorized into small, medium and large volume groups. Increased separation of overall survival was seen compared with current American Joint Committee on Cancer T categories. Difference between the large and small volume groups was 8.6 years (p = 0.001), compared to a difference of 5.6 years (p = 0.091) between T1 and T4. Hazard ratio for all‐cause mortality in the large versus small volume group was 2.6 compared to 1.9 for T4 versus T1. Relative survival rates for small, medium and large volumes were 62, 44 and 31% at 10 years, versus 50, 45, 56 and 0% for T1, T2, T3 and T4.ConclusionThis study provides evidence that a novel UM volume estimation method might offer a practical and cost‐efficient alternative to improve the prognostic value intrinsic to a tumour's size.
Retinal oximetry is affected in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Einarsdottir Anna Bryndis , Olafsdottir Olof Birna , Hjaltason Haukur , Hardarson Sveinn Hakon 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPurposeStructural and physiological abnormalities have been reported in the retina in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Retinal oximetry has recently detected changes in retinal oxygen metabolism in Alzheimer′s disease and mild cognitive impairment. Our goal was to determine whether oxygen saturation in retinal blood vessels of patients with patients is different from that of a healthy population.MethodsOxygen saturation of haemoglobin was measured in retinal blood vessels, using imaging with spectrophotometric noninvasive retinal oximeter. EightMSpatients with history of optic neuritis were measured and compared to 22 healthy individuals matched in age and gender.ResultsVenular oxygen saturation was increased in patients withMScompared to healthy individuals (70.7 ± 3.4% versus 66.2 ± 4.7; p = 0.021, mean ± SD). The arteriovenous (AV) difference was lower in patients withMScompared to healthy (26.6 ± 3.6% versus 30.5 ± 4.8%; p = 0.049). There was no difference measured in arterioles when patients withMS(97.3 ± 1.7%) and healthy individuals (96.7 ± 2.8%) were compared.ConclusionIncreased venular oxygen saturation and lower AV difference in patients withMSmay indicate reduced oxygen uptake. This may be due to less oxygen demand following atrophy and may be a useful objective biomarker forMS. Further studies are needed to confirm and expand these findings.
Symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and stress in parents of children with social anxiety disorder
Authors: Halldorsson Brynjar , Draisey Jenny , Cooper Peter , Creswell Cathy 
Published: January 2018

ObjectivesIt has been suggested that elevated maternal social anxiety may play a disorder‐specific role in maintaining childhood social anxiety disorder (SAD), but few studies have examined whether mothers of children with SAD are more socially anxious than mothers of children with other anxiety disorders (ANX). This study set out to examine whether symptoms of social anxiety were more severe amongst mothers of 7–12 year old children presenting for treatment with SAD (n = 260) compared to those presenting with ANX (n = 138). In addition, we examined whether there were differences between these two groups in terms of maternal and paternal general anxiety, depression, and stress.MethodParents of 7–12 year old children referred for treatment of SAD or ANX completed self‐report questionnaire measures of emotional symptoms.ResultsCompared to mothers of children with ANX, mothers of children with SAD reported significantly higher levels of social anxiety, general anxiety, and depression. In addition, fathers of children with SAD reported significantly higher levels of anxiety, stress, and depression than fathers of children with ANX.ConclusionsThis study is one of the few existing studies that have examined mothers’ and fathers’ psychopathology across different childhood anxiety disorders. Compared to parents of children with ANX, parents of children with SAD may have poorer mental health which may inhibit optimum child treatment outcomes for children with SAD. Thus, targeting parental psychopathology may be particularly important in the treatment of childhood SAD.Practitioner points

Consideration of parental psychopathology may be particularly important in the treatment of childhood social anxiety disorder.

Mothers of children with social anxiety disorder are more socially anxious than mothers of children with other anxiety disorders

Fathers of children with social anxiety disorder are more anxious and depressed than fathers of children with other anxiety disorders

Participants were predominantly of high socioeconomic status.

Parental diagnostic information was not obtained.
The unique role of executive function skills in predicting Hong Kong kindergarteners’ reading comprehension
Authors: Liu Yingyi , Sun Huilin , Lin Dan , Li Hong , Yeung Susanna Siu‐sze , Wong Terry Tin‐Yau 
Published: January 2018

BackgroundWord reading and linguistic comprehension skills are two crucial components in reading comprehension, according to the Simple View of Reading (SVR). Some researchers have posited that a third component should be involved in reading and understanding texts, namely executive function (EF) skills.AimThis study was novel in two ways. Not only did we tested EF skills as a predictor of reading comprehension in a non‐alphabetic language (i.e., Chinese) to extend the theoretical model of SVR, we also examined reading comprehension further in kindergarten children (age 5) in Hong Kong, in the attempt to reveal possible early precursors of reading comprehension.Sample(s)A group of 170 K3 kindergarteners was recruited in Hong Kong.MethodsChildren's word reading was assessed. Their linguistic comprehension was assessed with phonological awareness, verbal short‐term memory, and vocabulary knowledge. Using a structured observation task, Head‐Toes‐Knees‐Shoulders (HTKS), we measured their composite scores for EF skills.ResultsHead‐Toes‐Knees‐Shoulders performance predicted unique variance in children's Chinese reading comprehension concurrently beyond word reading and a set of linguistic comprehension skills.ConclusionsThe results highlight the important role of EF skills in beginning readers’ reading comprehension.
Exposure to violence, teacher support, and school delay amongst adolescents in South Africa
Authors: Herrero Romero Rocio , Hall James , Cluver Lucie 
Published: January 2018

BackgroundMany adolescents in South Africa are exposed to multiple types of violence, socio‐economic disadvantage, and low‐quality education: all risk factors for educational outcomes including school delay (grade enrolment below that which is age‐appropriate). Supportive teacher–student relationships are known to be associated with improved academic outcomes in high‐income contexts.AimsTo investigate whether the academic and emotional support provided by teachers can protect against school delay for adolescents exposed to multiple types of violence and socio‐economic disadvantage in South Africa.SampleHigh‐risk sample of 503 adolescents aged 10–18 exposed to multiple types of violence and socio‐economic disadvantage at home, in school, and in their communities.MethodsMultilevel aggregated structural equation modelling was applied to pre/post‐RCT data. This investigated whether associations between adolescent exposure to violence and school delay could be lessened by having teachers who were academically and/or emotionally supportive.ResultsMore frequent exposure to ‘poly‐violence’ and receiving more emotional support from teachers were independently associated with greater school delay. On the contrary, higher academic support from teachers was associated with lower school delay. Neither academic nor emotional teacher support was found to moderate the relationship between more frequent exposure to ‘poly‐violence’ and an increased risk of adolescent school delay.ConclusionAdolescents’ academic support from teachers is low in poorly resourced school contexts in South Africa. School‐based secondary prevention programmes assisting teachers with more training and academic support in deprived contexts have potential to reduce the impact of violence and socio‐economic disadvantage on adolescents’ school delay.
Liver kinase B1/AMP‐activated protein kinase‐mediated regulation by gentiopicroside ameliorates P2X7 receptor‐dependent alcoholic hepatosteatosis
Authors: Li Xia , Zhang Yu , Jin Quan , Xia Kai‐Li , Jiang Min , Cui Ben‐Wen , Wu Yan‐Ling , Song Shun‐Zong , Lian Li‐Hua , Nan Ji‐Xing 
Published: January 2018

Background and PurposeRegulating P2X7 receptor‐mediated activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes could be a therapeutic strategy to treat alcoholic hepatosteatosis. We investigated whether this process was modulated by gentiopicroside, the main active secoiridoid glycoside from Gentiana manshurica Kitagawa.Experimental ApproachIn vivo models of acute and chronic alcoholic hepatosteatosis were established by intragastrically administered ethanol or using chronic plus binge ethanol feeding of Lieber‐DeCarli liquid diet to male C57BL/6 mice. In vitro, HepG2 cells were treated with ethanol. RAW 264.7 macrophages and murine bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) were stimulated with LPS and ATP.Key ResultsIn both the acute and chronic alcohol‐induced mouse hepatosteatosis models, gentiopicroside decreased serum aminotransferases and triglyceride accumulation. Up‐regulated SREBP1, down‐regulated PPARα and phosphorylated acetyl‐CoA carboxylase caused by acute and chronic alcohol feeding were modulated by gentiopicroside, through the elevation of LKB1 and AMPK. Suppression of P2X7 receptor‐NLRP3 activation by gentiopicroside inhibited IL‐1β production. In ethanol‐exposed HepG2 cells, gentiopicroside reduced lipogenesis and promoted lipid oxidation via activation of P2X7 receptor‐NLRP3 inflammasomes. Genetic or pharmacological blockade of P2X7 receptors enhanced AMPK activity and reduced SREBP1 expression in ethanol‐treated HepG2 cells. Gentiopicroside down‐regulated P2X7 receptor‐mediated inflammatory responses in LPS/ATP‐stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and BMDMs. IL‐1β from macrophages accelerated lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. Depleting macrophages by clodronate liposomes ameliorated alcoholic hepatosteatosis, and it was further alleviated by gentiopicroside.Conclusions and ImplicationsActivation of LKB1/AMPK signalling by gentiopicroside was mediated by the P2X7 receptor‐NLRP3 inflammasome, suggesting the therapeutic value of blocking P2X7 receptors in the treatment of alcoholic hepatosteatosis.
Youth's Conceptions of Adolescence Predict Longitudinal Changes in Prefrontal Cortex Activation and Risk Taking During Adolescence
Authors: Qu Yang , Pomerantz Eva M. , McCormick Ethan , Telzer Eva H. 
Published: January 2018

The development of cognitive control during adolescence is paralleled by changes in the function of the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC). Using a three‐wave longitudinal neuroimaging design (N = 22, Mage = 13.08 years at Wave 1), this study examined if youth's stereotypes about teens modulate changes in their neural activation during cognitive control. Participants holding stereotypes of teens as irresponsible in the family context (i.e., ignoring family obligations) in middle school showed increases in bilateral ventrolateral PFC activation during cognitive control over the transition to high school, which was associated with increases in risk taking. These findings provide preliminary evidence that youth's conceptions of adolescence play a role in neural plasticity over this phase of development.
Sketching in Gestalt Space: Interactive Shape Abstraction through Perceptual Reasoning
Authors: Kratt J. , Niese T. , Hu R. , Huang H. , Pirk S. , Sharf A. , Cohen‐Or D. , Deussen O. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWe present an interactive method that allows users to easily abstract complex 3D models with only a few strokes. The key idea is to employ well‐known Gestalt principles to help generalizing user inputs into a full model abstraction while accounting for form, perceptual patterns and semantics of the model. Using these principles, we alleviate the user's need to explicitly define shape abstractions. We utilize structural characteristics such as repetitions, regularity and similarity to transform user strokes into full 3D abstractions. As the user sketches over shape elements, we identify Gestalt groups and later abstract them to maintain their structural meaning. Unlike previous approaches, we operate directly on the geometric elements, in a sense applying Gestalt principles in 3D. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach with a series of experiments, including a variety of complex models and two extensive user studies to evaluate our framework.
Nucleolar and spindle‐associated protein 1 is a tumor grade correlated prognosis marker for glioma patients
Authors: Zhu Tao , Xie Pan , Gao Yuan‐Feng , Huang Ma‐Sha , Li Xi , Zhang Wei , Zhou Hong‐Hao , Liu Zhao‐Qian 
Published: January 2018

SummaryAimsDespite therapeutic advances in glioma management including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the improvement of patient outcome is far from satisfactory. Nucleolar and spindle‐associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) is an important functional protein during mitosis, and its abnormal expression is implicated in progression of different types of tumors. However, the role of NUSAP1 in gliomas remains unclear.MethodsNUSAP1 expression in gliomas with different grades was investigated based on GEO glioma datasets. Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate its prognostic significance. In vitro assays were also performed to evaluate effects of NUSAP1 on malignant phenotypes of glioma cells by silencing NUSAP1.ResultsNUSAP1 expression was correlated not only with glioma grade but also with prognosis of glioma patients. NUSAP1 depletion suppressed proliferation of U251 cells by inducing cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and apoptosis. NUSAP1 depletion rendered U251 cells impaired migratory ability as well.ConclusionNUSAP1 is a potential prognosis marker for glioma patients and therapeutic strategies targeting NUSAP1 might hold promise in improving glioma treatment.
Descent with modification: Critical use of historical evidence for conservation
Authors: Pooley Simon 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe clear evidence of the accumulating impacts of anthropogenic actions on the Earth system is driving researchers to look to historical data as a resource for understanding the present and predicting the future. In the conservation science literature, using historical sources usually refers to data mining “the past” using the scientific methods of historical ecology. This article considers the often overlooked methodological challenges of sourcing and interpreting historical data. A schema is provided for conservation scientists, summarizing the kinds of questions and metadata required to work rigorously with historical data. This will improve the accuracy of the data we use to construct trends to inform our understanding of the conservation status of particular species and ecosystems. It will also deepen our understanding of the interplays of factors influencing policy and management in particular social‐ecological contexts.
Real‐world conservation planning for evolutionary diversity in the Kimberley, Australia, sidesteps uncertain taxonomy
Authors: Rosauer Dan F. , Byrne Margaret , Blom Mozes P. K. , Coates David J. , Donnellan Stephen , Doughty Paul , Keogh J. Scott , Kinloch Janine , Laver Rebecca J. , Myers Cecilia , Oliver Paul M. , Potter Sally , Rabosky Daniel L. , Afonso Silva Ana Catarina , Smith James , Moritz Craig 
Published: January 2018

AbstractTargeting phylogenetic diversity (PD) in systematic conservation planning is an efficient way to minimize losses across the Tree of Life. Considering representation of genetic diversity below and above species level, also allows robust analyses within systems where taxonomy is in flux. We use dense sampling of phylogeographic diversity for 11 lizard genera, to demonstrate how PD can be applied to a policy‐ready conservation planning problem. Our analysis bypasses named taxa, using genetic data directly to inform conservation decisions. We highlight areas that should be prioritized for ecological management, and also areas that would provide the greatest benefit if added to the multisector conservation estate. We provide a rigorous and effective approach to represent the spectrum of genetic and species diversity in conservation planning.
Reassessing the Lewis Turning Point in China: Evidence from 70,000 Rural Households
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Shao Ting , Dong Qi 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThere is no convincing evidence to prove that China's Lewis turning point (LTP) arrived in 2004–2005, as suggested in some of the existing literature. Employing data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China for 70,000 rural households and following the method proposed by Minami (1968) to identify the Lewis turning point in Japan, the present study reassessed the reaching of the LTP in China and found that China's economy reached the LTP around 2010. From a regional perspective, China's eastern region reached the LTP in 2010 and its central and western regions are now approaching the turning point. After arriving at the LTP, China's rural economy will face three key tasks: safeguarding grain security, promoting economic restructuring and realizing agricultural modernization. To cope with the shortage of human capital in agriculture production and the challenge of the tight balance between grain supply and demand, the Chinese Government should improve the human capital training system, accelerate agricultural modernization and guarantee national grain security.
Historical Transformation of China's Agriculture: Productivity Changes and Other Key Features
Authors: Liu Shouying , Wang Ruimin , Shi Guang 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAccording to an analysis of sampled data from the National Bureau of Statistics for 70,000 peasant households, agricultural labor productivity has been increasing at a faster rate than land productivity since 2003. Labor productivity has, in fact, experienced long‐term stagnation. The data also reveals the heterogenization of small farmers, farm machinery replacing manual labor as an agricultural input, the expansion of the scale of land management, the development of the rural land leasing market and the diversification of the agricultural management entities. Review of the historical transformation of agriculture helps to recognize the declining importance of agricultural land, the direction of agricultural technological changes, the path and the disposition of the changes to the agricultural system, and the adjustment of China's rural policies.
Identifying the Turning Point of the Urban–Rural Relationship: Evidence from Macro Data
Authors: Gao Liangliang , Yan Jiao , Du Yue 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe urban and rural dual structure is a defining characteristic of the social and economic development process in China. With rapid urbanization, remarkable development of agriculture and rural modernization, the relationship between urban and rural areas is undergoing significant changes in China. Using macro data, we find that the relationship between urban and rural areas started to change in 2010. The transition has mainly been reflected in three dimensions: agriculture, rural areas and farmers. First, agricultural versatility has gradually increased, and the number of participants in leisure agriculture and rural tourism has grown rapidly since 2010. Second, the rural employment rate has risen gradually, and the share of rural employees in the tertiary sector has grown markedly. Third, the urban–rural income ratio and consumption ratio have begun to decrease, and the levels of consumption of domestic tourism by urban and rural residents are becoming small.
Multiple sclerosis: long‐term outcomes in ethnic minorities. Analysis of a UK population‐based registry
Authors: Alsaeed M. O. , Harding K. E. , Williams O. H. , Willis M. D. , Hrastelj J. , Tallantyre E. C. , Joseph F. G. , Wardle M. , Pickersgill T. P. , Robertson N. P. 
Published: January 2018

Background and purposeMultiple sclerosis (MS) is most frequent in Caucasian populations. However, studies of MS in other ethnic groups may offer unique insights into genetic and environmental influences on the disease, and data on long‐term outcomes in these patients is limited. In this work clinical features and time to disability milestones were investigated in ethnic minority (EM) patients with MS in a UK population and comparisons were made to a Caucasian cohort from the same region.MethodsIn all, 1949 MS patients (1866 Caucasian, 83 EM) were identified from a regional disease registry. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyse the time to Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 3.0, 4.0 and 6.0.ResultsEthnic minority patients were younger at disease onset (28.6 years vs. 32.8 years, P = 0.001), and primary progressive MS was less common (EM 4.8%, Caucasian 11.6%, P = 0.03). After correction for clinical variables, ethnicity was associated with time to EDSS 3.0 [EM: hazard ratio (HR) 1.75, P < 0.0001] and 4.0 (HR 1.46, P = 0.03), but not 6.0 (HR 1.5, P = 0.05).ConclusionsEthnic minority patients reach early levels of fixed disability more rapidly than Caucasian patients, but this effect diminishes at later stages of the disease. This has implications for clinical management of these patients.