bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Incidental brain tumor findings in children: prevalence, natural history, management, controversies, challenges, and dilemmas
Authors: Soleman Jehuda , Constantini Shlomi , Roth Jonathan 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIncidental brain tumor findings in children involve the unexpected discovery of brain lesions during imaging for unrelated reasons. These findings differ significantly from those in adults, requiring a focus on pediatric-specific approaches in neurosurgery, neuroimaging, and neuro-oncology. Understanding the prevalence, progression, and management of these incidentalomas is crucial for informed decision-making, balancing patient welfare with the risks and benefits of intervention. Incidental brain tumors are observed in about 0.04–5.7% of cases, with most suspected low-grade lesions in children showing a benign course, though up to 3% may undergo malignant transformation. Treatment decisions are influenced by factors such as patient age, tumor characteristics, and family anxiety, with conservative management through surveillance often preferred. However, upfront surgery may be considered in cases with low surgical risk. Initial follow-up typically involves a comprehensive MRI after three months, with subsequent scans spaced out if the lesion remains stable. Changes in imaging or symptoms during follow-up could indicate malignant transformation, prompting consideration of surgery or biopsy. Several challenges and controversies persist, including the role of upfront biopsy for molecular profiling, the use of advanced imaging techniques like PET-CT and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and the implications of the child’s age at diagnosis. These issues highlight the need for further research to guide management and improve outcomes in pediatric patients with incidental brain tumor findings.
Tropical and mid-latitude causal drivers of the eastern Mediterranean Etesians during boreal summer
Authors: Di Capua G. , Tyrlis E. , Matei D. , Donner R. V. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractDuring boreal summer, large scale subsidence and a persistent northerly flow, known as the Etesians, characterize the tropospheric circulation over the eastern Mediterranean. The Etesians bring clear skies and alleviate the impact of heat waves over the region. The intraseasonal variability of the Etesians and subsidence over the eastern Mediterranean has been thought to be influenced by the South Asian monsoon and atmospheric processes over the North Atlantic. Here, we employ causal effect networks and causal maps, obtained by applying the Peter and Clark Momentary Conditional Independence (PCMCI) causal discovery algorithm, to identify causal precursors of Etesians. We find that both wave train activity over the North Atlantic/North American region and convective activity over South Asia associated with the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) are causally related to the Etesians at 3-day time scale. Thus, intraseasonal ISM variability affects the eastern Mediterranean circulation, though its influence is conveyed via a Middle East ridge. On longer weekly time scale, the mid-latitude influence weakens, while the influence of the tropical convective activity via the Middle East ridge remains stable. Moreover, the heat low over the Arabian Peninsula, a feature strongly responsible for the development of the Etesians, is caused by a stronger Middle East ridge and not by North Atlantic wave activity. Finally, we discuss potential implication for circulation changes in the eastern Mediterranean due to anthropogenic global warming.
Amoxicillin vs. placebo to reduce symptoms in children with group A streptococcal pharyngitis: a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, non-inferiority trial
Authors: Gualtieri Renato , Verolet Charlotte , Mardegan Chiara , Papis Sébastien , Loevy Natasha , Asner Sandra , Rohr Marie , Llor Juan , Heininger Ulrich , Lacroix Laurence , Pittet Laure F. , Posfay-Barbe Klara M. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe efficacy of antibiotic therapy for group A streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis is debated. The role of antibiotics in preventing complications seems limited, with the main potential benefit being symptom duration reduction. Our study aimed to evaluate whether a placebo is non-inferior to amoxicillin in reducing fever duration. We randomized 88 children between 3 and 15 years of age presenting with acute symptoms of pharyngitis and a positive rapid antigen detection test for GAS to receive 6-day treatment with either placebo (n = 46) or amoxicillin (n = 42). The primary outcome was the difference in fever duration, with a non-inferiority threshold set at 12 h. The secondary outcomes included pain intensity and complications of streptococcal pharyngitis. The mean difference in fever duration between the amoxicillin and placebo groups was 2.0 h (95% CI, − 8.3 to 12.3) in the per-protocol analysis and 2.8 h (95% CI, − 6.5 to 12.2) in the intention-to-treat analysis. Treatment failure was observed in six participants in the placebo group and two in the amoxicillin group (relative risk, 2.15; 95% CI, 0.44–10.57). All patients were identified early and recovered well. There was no clinically relevant difference in pain intensity between groups over the 7 days following randomization, with the largest difference of 0.5 (95% CI, − 0.62–1.80) observed on day 3. Conclusion: Placebo appears to be non-inferior to amoxicillin in reducing fever duration. Pain intensity and risk of complications were similar between the two groups. These findings support the restrictive antibiotic treatment for streptococcal pharyngitis.

What is Known:• Group A streptococcus pharyngitis is a common reason for prescribing antibiotics in pediatric care.• In high-income countries, while antibiotic treatment has not been effective in preventing non-suppurative complications, the primary justification for their use remains the reduction of symptoms.

What is New:• Our results suggest that antibiotics have a limited impact on the duration of fever and the intensity of pain in children with streptococcal pharyngitis.• Considering that suppurative complications can be promptly treated if they arise, we recommend a more judicious approach to antibiotic prescriptions.

Trial registration: The trial is registered at the US National Institutes of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov) # NCT03264911 on 15.08.2017.
A Framework for Adversarial Streaming Via Differential Privacy and Difference Estimators
Authors: Attias Idan , Cohen Edith , Shechner Moshe , Stemmer Uri 
Published: August 2024

AbstractClassical streaming algorithms operate under the (not always reasonable) assumption that the input stream is fixed in advance. Recently, there is a growing interest in designing robust streaming algorithms that provide provable guarantees even when the input stream is chosen adaptively as the execution progresses. We propose a new framework for robust streaming that combines techniques from two recently suggested frameworks by Hassidim et al. (NeurIPS 2020) and by Woodruff and Zhou (FOCS 2021). These recently suggested frameworks rely on very different ideas, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. We combine these two frameworks into a single hybrid framework that obtains the “best of both worlds”, thereby solving a question left open by Woodruff and Zhou.
Odd–Even Effect of Local Chain Dynamics in Polyelectrolyte Multilayers
Authors: Lappan Uwe , Scheler Ulrich 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
A spin label (SL) has been covalently attached to the weak polyanion poly(ethylene-alt-maleic acid) (P(E-alt-MA)) to study the dynamics of the polymer backbone in polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) formed with the oppositely charged polycations branched poly(ethylenimine) (bPEI) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy as a function of the number of layers N. The line shape of the spectra shows the superimposition of two spectral components: A slowly tumbling SL as the main component and an SL in the fast-motion regime as a minor component. The main component is assigned to chain segments of the polyanion interacting with the chain segments of the polycation. Simulations of the slow-motion spectra revealed that a pronounced odd–even effect occurred, i.e., the rotational dynamics of the P(E-alt-MA) chain segments is influenced by the polyelectrolyte in the terminating layer. The rotational mobility of the chain segments of the polyanion interacting with the oppositely charged bPEI is higher for odd number of layers N, i.e., when the polycation is on top, compared to even N. The dependence of the rotational dynamics on the number of layers N can also be observed in PEMs with PAH. It is assumed that the odd–even effect on rotational mobility is related to extrinsic sites within the PEMs. A probably large number of extrinsic sites in PEMs with an odd number of layers reduces the number of intrinsic binding sites, i.e., the density of temporary cross-links between the oppositely charged molecules decreases, which leads to increased rotational dynamics of the polyanion chain segments.
Neuropsychological performance in women at risk of postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis
Authors: Cattarinussi Giulia , Segre Giulia , Biaggi Alessandra , Hazelgrove Katie , Sambataro Fabio , Russo Manuela , Lawrence Andrew , Fusté Montserrat , Mehta Mitul A. , Seneviratne Gertrude , Craig Michael C. , Miele Maddalena , Pawlby Susan , Conroy Susan , Pariante Carmine M. , Dazzan Paola 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Purpose
While neuropsychological deficits are commonly observed in affective and psychotic disorders, this remains unexplored in these disorders when they occur during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Methods
A neuropsychological test battery was administered to women defined at risk of postpartum depression (PD, N = 53) because having either a current or past diagnosis of major depressive disorder, women at risk of postpartum psychosis (PP, N = 43) because of a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder and/or a previous episode of PP and women not at risk (NR, N = 48) in the third trimester of pregnancy. Generalized and specific cognitive abilities were compared between groups.

Results
Women at risk of PP presented worse executive functions and processing speed compared to NR and worse performance compared to women at risk of PD across all cognitive domains. In addition, women at risk of PP who developed a psychiatric relapse in the first four weeks post-partum showed worse verbal learning and memory, visual memory, executive functions and processing speed in pregnancy compared to NR, whereas women at risk of PP who remained well presented neuropsychological performance that was intermediate between that of the women NR and those at risk of PP who developed symptoms. There were no differences in performance between women at risk of PD and the NR women, even if 31 women at risk of PD presented depressive symptoms at the time of cognitive assessment.

Conclusions
Our findings in women at risk of PP align with neuropsychological findings in individuals with, or at risk of psychosis unrelated to pregnancy. In addition, initial evidence that women at risk of PP who develop a psychiatric relapse in the postpartum show a particularly poor neuropsychological performance in pregnancy suggests that this could be considered part of a phenotype for the disease and help guiding future preventive strategies in this clinical population. In women at risk of PD, the presence of depressive symptoms did not influence cognitive performance.
Molecular basis of hyper-thermostability in the thermophilic archaeal aldolase MfnB
Authors: Maddock Rosie M. A. , Marsh Carl O. , Johns Samuel T. , Rooms Lynden D. , Duke Phillip W. , van der Kamp Marc W. , Stach James E. M. , Race Paul R. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractMethanogenic archaea are chemolithotrophic prokaryotes that can reduce carbon dioxide with hydrogen gas to form methane. These microorganisms make a significant contribution to the global carbon cycle, with methanogenic archaea from anoxic environments estimated to contribute > 500 million tons of global methane annually. Archaeal methanogenesis is dependent on the methanofurans; aminomethylfuran containing coenzymes that act as the primary C1 acceptor molecule during carbon dioxide fixation. Although the biosynthetic pathway to the methanofurans has been elucidated, structural adaptations which confer thermotolerance to Mfn enzymes from extremophilic archaea are yet to be investigated. Here we focus on the methanofuran biosynthetic enzyme MfnB, which catalyses the condensation of two molecules of glyceralde-3-phosphate to form 4‑(hydroxymethyl)-2-furancarboxaldehyde-phosphate. In this study, MfnB enzymes from the hyperthermophile Methanocaldococcus jannaschii and the mesophile Methanococcus maripaludis have been recombinantly overexpressed and purified to homogeneity. Thermal unfolding studies, together with steady-state kinetic assays, demonstrate thermoadaptation in the M. jannaschii enzyme. Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to provide a structural explanation for the observed properties. These reveal a greater number of side chain interactions in the M. jannaschii enzyme, which may confer protection from heating effects by enforcing spatial residue constraints.
Comparing the effects of marking techniques on the survival of Piping Plover chicks
Authors: Wails Christy N. , Catlin Daniel H. , Robinson Samantha G. , Bellman Henrietta A. , Oliver Katie W. , VanDerwater Hope L. , Dorsey Sharon S. , DeRose-Wilson Audrey , Karpanty Sarah M. , Fraser James D. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
The use of unique markers in ornithology has a long history and is predicated on the assumption that markers have negligible effects on behavior and survival. The assumption that marks are harmless is particularly important with imperiled species. We studied the effects of two different marking schemes on Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus), a small shorebird protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act that is intensively monitored and managed. We used two marking schemes, (1) color bands and (2) uniquely engraved flags during breeding seasons from 2013 to 2023 to determine whether the injuries were causing additive mortality and thus actually limiting populations. We estimated the effect of perceived limping and injury (e.g., swelling, laceration, etc.) on chick and hatch-year survival. We detected injuries in some years and associated with both marking schemes (range 0.0–6.0%, average = 2.7% of marked chicks each year). Interval survival for banded chicks was like that of flagged chicks (

$$\beta $$

β

= − 0.55, 95% BCI: − 1.30–0.33, f = 0.92). Mean survival to fledging, however, was higher in years where flags were used (

$$\overline{\phi }=$$

ϕ
¯

=

0.55 ± 0.14) than when bands were used (

$$\overline{\phi }=$$

ϕ
¯

=

0.34 ± 0.14), but we surmise that this difference was partly conflated with negative density-dependent factors (

$$\beta $$

β

= − 0.49, 95% BCI: − 0.73 to − 0.25, f = 1.00) and predation. Our results show that pre-fledge survival of birds with uniquely coded flags was similar to that of birds receiving color bands. There was also no evidence that injured birds had a significantly lower hatch-year survival than those that were not injured. However, the relatively high (up to 6%) injury rate in some years remains a concern. Injury and survival rates need to be considered and evaluated when deciding on whether to mark individuals. Ultimately, wildlife practitioners should strive to use the best methods for information gathering and management, without negatively impacting the species.
Prospective Associations of Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Emotion Dysregulation with Children’s Internalizing Problems: The Moderating Role of Fathers
Authors: Gong Yihui , Feng Xin , Chan Meingold Hiu-ming , Slesnick Natasha 
Published: August 2024

AbstractParents, including fathers, contribute to the early development of internalizing symptoms, which is observable and prevalent among young children. This longitudinal study examined the moderating role of paternal depressive symptoms/emotion dysregulation in the prospective associations between maternal depressive symptoms/emotion dysregulation and children’s internalizing problems (depressive and anxiety symptoms). Ninety-four preschoolers and their mothers and fathers participated. Parents completed online questionnaires when their children were four years old and one year later. Results indicated that higher paternal depressive symptoms were associated with an increase, while lower paternal symptoms were associated with a decrease, in the negative impact of maternal emotion dysregulation on children’s later depressive, but not anxiety, symptoms. We also tested the moderating role of paternal emotion dysregulation, these pathways were not significant. The findings enhance our understanding of the interaction between maternal and paternal psychological characteristics in contributing to children’s anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Comprehensive approach integrating water quality index and toxic element analysis for environmental and health risk assessment enhanced by simulation techniques
Authors: Eid Mohamed Hamdy , Awad Mahmoud , Mohamed Essam A. , Nassar Tamer , Abukhadra Mostafa R. , El-Sherbeeny Ahmed M. , Kovács Attila , Szűcs Péter 
Published: August 2024

AbstractDue to water shortages and the potential impact of Ethiopia’s new dam on the Nile River, Egypt is seeking new water resources. This study assesses the drinking water quality and associated risks from potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the Quaternary aquifer (QA) in Beni-Suef, Egypt. Using a comprehensive approach, including PHREEQC geochemical modeling, ionic ratios, multivariate statistical analyses, and the integrated weight water quality index (WQI), the study evaluated the sources of ion contamination and the mixing of Nile water with QA. Various indices, such as the Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI), ecological Risk Index (RI), Hazard Quotient (HQ), and Hazard Index (HI), were used to assess ecological and health risks. Monte Carlo simulations provided probabilistic assessments of non-carcinogenic risks for adults and children. GIS tools were used to map risk indices, identifying the most deteriorated locations for sustainable management. The hydrochemical analysis revealed water facies including Na–Cl, Ca–Mg–HCO3, and mixed types, influenced by carbonate dissolution, ion exchange, and silicate weathering. Contamination sources, particularly in the north and south, were linked to agricultural activities, irrigation return flow, municipal waste, and evaporation. The WQI indicated that 10.14% of samples were extremely poor, 21.7% were poor, 26% were medium, and 42% were good to excellent. PTE contamination varied, with HPI values indicating good water quality in the central area in 53.6% of the collected samples (HPI < 30), but contamination in the north and south is high (HPI > 51). Ecological Risk Index values were below the threshold in 100% of samples (RI < 30), confirming water safety regarding PTEs. In comparison, for hazard index (HI) through oral/ingestion, adults exhibited HI values ranging from 0.012 to 2.16, while children showed higher values, ranging from 0.045 to 8.25. However, the hazard index for oral/ingestion exceeded safe limits in the north and south (HI oral > 1), posing non-carcinogenic risks. Monte Carlo simulations revealed significant risks from oral exposure to manganese (HQ oral > 1), particularly in El-Wasta and El-Fashn, necessitating further treatment and management.
A robust hybrid approach with product context-aware learning and explainable AI for sentiment analysis in Amazon user reviews
Authors: Hashmi Ehtesham , Yayilgan Sule Yildirim 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIn the ever-changing world of business, gaining valuable insights from customer perspectives is crucial. Consumer evaluations are crucial performance indicators for businesses seeking to enhance their impact. Cyberspace is expanding with an increasing volume of reviews, making it challenging to extract relevant information for desired products. This research explores sentiment analysis for Amazon product reviews in the domain of communication technology, utilizing four publicly available datasets. Sentiment analysis is frequently employed to support E-Commerce platforms in monitoring customer feedback on their products and striving to understand customer needs and preferences. Acknowledging that solely relying on user reviews is insufficient to achieve the best performance, we enhance our approach by incorporating additional context from product titles and headlines for a more comprehensive understanding of the learning algorithm. This paper utilizes three distinct embedding methods, including TF-IDF, Word2Vec, and FastText. FastText outperformed other embeddings when stacked with XGBoost and CatBoost, resulting in the FastXCatStack model. This model achieved accuracy scores of 0.93, 0.93, and 0.94 on mobile electronics, major appliances, and personal care appliances datasets respectively, and linear SVM showed an accuracy score of 0.91 on software reviews when combined with FastText. This research study also provides a comprehensive analysis of deep learning-based models, including approaches like LSTM, GRU, and convolutional neural networks as well as transformer-based models such as BERT, RoBERTa, and XLNET. In the concluding phase, interpretability modeling was applied using Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations and Latent Dirichlet Allocation to gain deeper insights into the model’s decision-making process.
Mapping of temperate upland habitats using high-resolution satellite imagery and machine learning
Authors: Cruz Charmaine , Perrin Philip M. , Martin James R. , O’Connell Jerome , McGuinness Kevin , Connolly John 
Published: August 2024

AbstractUpland habitats provide vital ecological services, yet they are highly threatened by natural and anthropogenic stressors. Monitoring these vulnerable habitats is fundamental for conservation and involves determining information about their spatial locations and conditions. Remote sensing has evolved as a promising tool to map the distribution of upland habitats in space and time. However, the resolutions of most freely available satellite images (e.g., 10-m resolution for Sentinel-2) may not be sufficient for mapping relatively small features, especially in the heterogeneous landscape—in terms of habitat composition—of uplands. Moreover, the use of traditional remote sensing methods, imposing discrete boundaries between habitats, may not accurately represent upland habitats as they often occur in mosaics and merge with each other. In this context, we used high-resolution (2 m) Pleiades satellite imagery and Random Forest (RF) machine learning to map habitats at two Irish upland sites. Specifically, we investigated the impact of varying spatial resolutions on classification accuracy and proposed a complementary approach to traditional methods for mapping complex upland habitats. Results showed that the accuracy generally improved with finer spatial resolution data, with the highest accuracy values (80.34% and 79.64%) achieved for both sites using the 2-m resolution datasets. The probability maps derived from the RF-based fuzzy classification technique can represent complex mosaics and gradual transitions occurring in upland habitats. The presented approach can potentially enhance our understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of habitats over large areas.
$$C^3$$ Matching Conditions for Anisotropic Fluids
Authors: Gutiérrez-Piñeres Antonio C. , Quevedo Hernando 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe $$C^3$$

C
3

approach is an invariant formalism that utilizes the eigenvalues of the Riemann curvature tensor to match spacetimes across a specific matching surface. We apply this approach to match an anisotropic fluid with an exterior vacuum solution, including the case in which discontinuities appear on the matching surface. As a particular example, a class of analytic solutions, which describe the gravitational field of realistic neutron stars, is matched to the exterior Schwarzschild spacetime.