bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Ukraine War and the Limits of Latin American Fence‐Sitting
Authors: Schenoni Luis , Leiva Diego , Carvalho Thales 
Published: July 2024

Why have most Latin American countries – traditionally pro‐Atlantic and staunch defenders of non‐intervention – remained conspicuously neutral during the Ukraine War? We argue that in an increasingly bipolar context, fence‐sitting produces clear strategic gains through partner‐diversification and bargaining power. However, this strategy becomes riskier with polarisation and, at a certain point, these risks may upset benefits. We formalise this argument and examine the foreign policy trajectories of several Latin American countries in the context of the Ukraine War to illustrate how their room for diplomatic flexibility has shrunk with polarisation. As a corollary, we think of scenarios where the costs of fence‐sitting can outweigh its advantages, forcing the region to align.
Time‐varying Extremum Graphs
Authors: Das Somenath , Sridharamurthy Raghavendra , Natarajan Vijay 
Published: July 2024

AbstractWe introduce time‐varying extremum graph (tveg), a topological structure to support visualization and analysis of a time‐varying scalar field. The extremum graph is a sub‐structure of the Morse–Smale complex. It captures the adjacency relationship between cells in the Morse decomposition of a scalar field. We define the tveg as a time‐varying extension of the extremum graph and demonstrate how it captures salient feature tracks within a dynamic scalar field. We formulate the construction of the tveg as an optimization problem and describe an algorithm for computing the graph. We also demonstrate the capabilities of tveg towards identification and exploration of topological events such as deletion, generation, split and merge within a dynamic scalar field via comprehensive case studies including a viscous fingers and a 3D von Kármán vortex street dataset.
Renal function as an effect modifier of intensive glucose control in delaying cognitive function decline among individuals with type 2 diabetes: A revisit to the ACCORD MIND trial
Authors: Li Piaopiao , Kianmehr Hamed , Guan Dawei , Kulshreshtha Ambar , Narayan K. M. Venkat , Ali Mohammed K. , Umpierrez Guillermo E. , Hu Xin , Fonseca Vivian A. , Shi Lizheng , Shao Hui 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAimDysglycaemia accelerates cognitive decline. Intensive glucose control may help delay or prevent cognitive function decline (CFD). We aimed to determine how patient characteristics influence the effect of intensive glucose control [glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) <6.0%] on delaying CFD in people with type 2 diabetes.Research design and methodsIn this post‐hoc analysis of 2977 type 2 diabetes participants from the ACCORD MIND trial, we applied the causal forest and causal tree algorithms to identify the effect modifier of intensive glucose control in delaying CFD from 68 variables (demographics, disease history, medications, vitals and baseline biomarkers). The exposure was intensive versus standard glucose control (HbA1c <6.0% vs. 7.0%‐7.9%). The main outcome was cognitive function changes from baseline to the 40th month follow‐up, which were evaluated using the digit symbol substitution test, Rey auditory verbal learning test, mini‐mental state examination and Stroop test. We used Cohen's d, a measure of standardized difference, to quantify the effect size of intensive glucose control on delaying CFD.ResultsAmong all the baseline characteristics, renal function was the most significant effect modifier. Participants with urinary albumin levels <0.4 mg/dl [absolute function change (AFC): 0.51 in mini‐mental state examination, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.04, 0.98, Cohen's d: 0.25] had slower CFD with intensive glucose control. Patients with preserved renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate between 60 and 90 ml/min/1.73 m2) were associated with small benefits (AFC: 1.28 in Stroop, 95% CI: 0.28, 2.27, Cohen's d: 0.12) when undergoing intensive glucose control. Conversely, participants with an estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (AFC: −0.57 in the Rey auditory verbal learning test, 95% CI: −1.09, −0.05, Cohen's d: −0.30) exhibited faster CFD when undergoing intensive glucose control. Participants who were <60 years old showed a significant benefit from intensive glucose control in delaying CFD (AFC: 1.08 in the digit symbol substitution test, 95% CI: 0.06, 2.10, Cohen's d: 0.13). All p < .05.ConclusionsOur findings linked renal function with the benefits of intensive glucose control in delaying CFD, informing personalized HbA1c goals for those with diabetes and at risk of CFD.
Novel biomarkers to identify complicated course of febrile neutropenia in hematological patients receiving intensive chemotherapy
Authors: Jantunen Esa , Hämäläinen Sari , Pulkki Kari , Juutilainen Auni 
Published: July 2024

AbstractFebrile neutropenia (FN) is a common consequence of intensive chemotherapy in hematological patients. More than 90% of the patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) develop FN, and 5%–10% of them die from subsequent sepsis. FN is very common also in autologous stem cell transplant recipients, but the risk of death is lower than in AML patients. In this review, we discuss biomarkers that have been evaluated for diagnostic and prognostic purposes in hematological patients with FN. In general, novel biomarkers have provided little benefit over traditional inflammatory biomarkers, such as C‐reactive protein and procalcitonin. The utility of most biomarkers in hematological patients with FN has been evaluated in only a few small studies. Although some of them appear promising, much more data is needed before they can be implemented in the clinical evaluation of FN patients. Currently, close patient follow‐up is key to detect complicated course of FN and the need for further interventions such as intensive care unit admission. Scoring systems such as q‐SOFA (Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) or NEWS (National Early Warning Sign) combined with traditional and/or novel biomarkers may provide added value in the clinical evaluation of FN patients.
Challenges in estimating species' age from phylogenetic trees
Authors: Calderón del Cid Carlos , Hauffe Torsten , Carrillo Juan D. , May Michael R. , Warnock Rachel C. M. , Silvestro Daniele 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAimSpecies age, the elapsed time since origination, can give insight into how species longevity might influence eco‐evolutionary dynamics, which has been hypothesized to influence extinction risk. Traditionally, species' ages have been estimated from fossil records. However, numerous studies have recently used the branch lengths of time‐calibrated phylogenies as estimates of the ages of extant species. This approach poses problems because phylogenetic trees only contain direct information about species identity at the tips and not along the branches. Here, we show that incomplete taxon sampling, extinction and different assumptions about speciation modes can significantly alter the relationship between true species age and phylogenetic branch lengths, leading to high error rates. We found that these biases can lead to erroneous interpretations of eco‐evolutionary patterns derived from comparing phylogenetic age and other traits, such as extinction risk.InnovationFor bifurcating speciation, the default assumption in most analyses of species age, we propose a probabilistic approach based on the properties of a birth–death process to improve the estimation of species ages. Our approach can reduce the error by one order of magnitude under cases of high extinction and a high percentage of unsampled extant species.Main conclusionOur results call for caution in interpreting the relationship between phylogenetic ages and eco‐evolutionary traits, as this can lead to biased and erroneous conclusions. We show that, under the assumption of bifurcating speciation, we can obtain unbiased approximations of species age by combining information from branch lengths with the expectations of a birth–death process.
The Development of Principles for Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Preclinical Spinal Cord Research: A Modified Delphi Study
Authors: Carroll Pádraig , Smith Éimear , Dervan Adrian , McCarthy Ciarán , Woods Ian , Beirne Cliff , Harte Geoff , O'Flynn Dónal , Quinlan John , O'Brien Fergal J. , Flood Michelle , Moriarty Frank 
Published: July 2024

AbstractIntroductionThere is currently limited guidance for researchers on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) for preclinical spinal cord research, leading to uncertainty about design and implementation. This study aimed to develop evidence‐informed principles to support preclinical spinal cord researchers to incorporate PPI into their research.MethodsThis study used a modified Delphi method with the aim of establishing consensus on a set of principles for PPI in spinal cord research. Thirty‐eight stakeholders including researchers, clinicians and people living with spinal cord injury took part in the expert panel. Participants were asked to rate their agreement with a series of statements relating to PPI in preclinical spinal cord research over two rounds. As part of Round 2, they were also asked to rate statements as essential or desirable.ResultsThirty‐eight statements were included in Round 1, after which five statements were amended and two additional statements were added. After Round 2, consensus (> 75% agreement) was reached for a total of 27 principles, with 13 rated as essential and 14 rated as desirable. The principles with highest agreement related to diversity in representation among PPI contributors, clarity of the purpose of PPI and effective communication.ConclusionThis research developed a previously unavailable set of evidence‐informed principles to inform PPI in preclinical spinal cord research. These principles provide guidance for researchers seeking to conduct PPI in preclinical spinal cord research and may also inform PPI in other preclinical disciplines.Patient and Public Involvement StatementThis study was conducted as part of a project aiming to develop PPI in preclinical spinal cord injury research associated with an ongoing research collaboration funded by the Irish Rugby Football Union Charitable Trust (IRFU CT) and the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (SFI AMBER), with research conducted by the Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. The project aims to develop an advanced biomaterials platform for spinal cord repair and includes a PPI Advisory Panel comprising researchers, clinicians and seriously injured rugby players to oversee the work of the project. PPI is included in this study through the involvement of members of the PPI Advisory Panel in the conceptualisation of this research, review of findings, identification of key points for discussion and preparation of the study manuscript as co‐authors.
The social processes that emergency nurses use to achieve sustainability: A constructivist grounded theory
Authors: Rantung Gilny , Griffiths Debra , Moss Cheryle 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAimTo examine the experiences of emergency nurses and develop a substantive theory that describes the processes they use to support or prevent sustainability in their nursing practice.DesignConstructivist grounded theory.MethodsBetween February 2018 and January 2019, observations and semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 29 emergency nurses. Data underwent constant comparison, and coding was performed in three phases: open, focused, and theoretical, employing constructivist grounded theory. Additionally, some situational analysis mapping was undertaken and integrated as a method to explore the broader context affecting nursing practice. The study achieved theoretical saturation and rigour was ensured through evaluations of credibility, transferability, and confirmability.ResultsA substantive grounded theory was constructed to describe the basic social process of ‘Achieving Personal and Professional Sustainability’ with subprocesses that included ‘Driving forces’, ‘Developing and using armouries’, ‘Balancing work‐life’, and ‘Making emergency work effective’. This theory delineates two phases, ‘exploration and establishment’ and ‘maintenance’, and two key properties: ‘Constructing and evolving professional identity’ and ‘Perceiving and reshaping the meaning of effective work and care’. The theory also highlights the dynamic interplay of individual, social, and institutional elements.Conclusion‘Achieving Personal and Professional Sustainability’ is important for emergency nurses to sustain themselves personally and professionally in their work.Impact StatementThis research has substantial and global impacts. Emergency nursing can use this information as a guide to better understand strategies for both personal and professional sustainability. Policymakers may use the findings to foster a supportive work environment and enhance nurse well‐being. Implementation of recommendations can lead to improved patient care outcomes. The methodological approach offers potential for future research, positively impacting emergency nursing practice and workforce sustainability worldwide.Reporting MethodReporting adheres to EQUATOR's COREQ guidelines for qualitative studies.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution.
The environmental filtering paradigm and non‐filtering community assembly processes
Authors: Baecher J. Alex 
Published: July 2024

AbstractMotivation for abandoning the ‘environmental filtering’ metaphor has been increasing in the literature, yet it remains a widely used conceptual tool to guide research and education within ecological disciplines. I consider the possible origins of the filtering paradigm through linkages to hypotheses about the potentially oversized role of localized competition in the early development of niche concepts, as well as assumptions about the scale dependence of factors influencing the species distributions at large scales. I believe that these perspectives may have discounted the relevance of non‐competitive interactions to the structure and maintenance of local communities, and the role of biotic interactions in large‐scale ecological processes more generally. I describe the types of ecological phenomena not readily captured by the filtering model, as well as the potential for biotic factors to interact with abiotic gradients (at scale) and influence broad ecological patterns. Lastly, I pose an alternative model of community assembly which emphasizes biotic–abiotic interactions and non‐filtering mechanisms to serve as a springboard for future renovations of the filtering metaphor.
Combating COVID‐19 health disparities in Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour Communities—A call for critical systems thinking
Authors: Battle‐Fisher Michele 
Published: July 2024

AbstractRationaleThe Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour populations in the United States are disproportionately affected by the emerging health threat SARS‐CoV‐2, which causes COVID‐19.Aims and ObjectivesThis paper aims to demonstrate the usefulness of critical systems thinking by using scenario planning based on epidemiological data and tying epidemiology with soft systems methodology to investigate COVID‐19 disparities among disproportionately affected Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour populations.MethodsUsing a review of the COVID‐19 literature and publicly available US COVID‐19 data, critical systems thinking is applied in a scenario planning example and a call to link soft systems methodology with epidemiology.ResultsAccording to the four plausible Endgame scenarios, levels of community transmission as well as the current state transmission are based on the driving forces of the scenarios. In addition, soft systems methodology explores the effect on stakeholders and strengthens the picture of disease burden beyond sole reliance on traditional data sources.ConclusionThis analysis underscores employing critical systems thinking to critically assess diverse methods appropriate for the ongoing complexity of global crises. It is argued that critically engaged subjectivity should be given space alongside data‐dependent objectivity. COVID‐19 disparities are reliant on the social determinants of health's effects as driving forces on disease transmission in Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour populations. It is moreover argued that critical systems thinking is demonstrated by linking epidemiological evidence with scenario planning and soft systems methodology. This in turn supports a critical systems thinking approach to uncover the state of health disparities among minoritized communities under COVID‐19.
People with type 2 diabetes experiences of using WhatsApp‐based diabetes self‐management education and support: The process evaluation
Authors: Yaagoob Esmaeel , Lee Regina , Stubbs Michelle , Hakami Mohammed , Chan Sally 
Published: July 2024

AbstractRationalOnline Diabetes Self‐Management Education and Support (DSMES) offers people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accessible and tailored education, utilising innovative and interactive tools such as social media to enhance engagement and outcomes. Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of social media‐based DSMES in improving health outcomes, there remains a significant gap in qualitative insights regarding participants' experiences.AimThis study aims to explore the experiences of people with T2DM who are using a newly developed WhatsApp‐based DSMES.MethodsA qualitative descriptive approach was adopted. Data consisted of 23 semi‐structured phone interviews with people with T2DM who had received the WhatsApp‐based DSMES. Interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The present study adheres to the COREQ guidelines.ResultsFour themes emerged from the data: (1) acceptability of the programme, (2) flexible accessibility of the programme, (3) promoting healthy lifestyle and (4) future preferences for the programme use.ConclusionThis study explored the experiences of people with T2DM participating in a 6‐week WhatsApp‐based DSMES. The findings indicated that the programme was acceptable, accessible, effectively revealing necessary self‐management knowledge and skills, and provided essential support from professional and peer. The study also indicated that WhatsApp‐based programmes could be feasibly implemented in various populations, healthcare settings and communities to support people with T2DM globally.
Time to surgical treatment for hip fracture care
Authors: Zhong Haoyan , Poeran Jashvant , Illescas Alex , Reisinger Lisa , Cozowicz Crispiana , Memtsoudis Stavros G. , Liu Jiabin 
Published: July 2024

AbstractBackgroundStudies have demonstrated beneficial outcomes associated with timely surgical treatment of hip fracture. Subsequently, practice recommendations changed with 24–48 h as the recommended time for surgery from admission; however, recent data on timing of hip fracture surgery and how this impacts outcomes are lacking.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included patients who had a primary diagnosis of hip fracture and underwent a subsequent surgical repair within 3 days of admission (Premier Healthcare claims 2006–2021 data). The primary exposure of interest was time from hip fracture diagnosis to surgery (categorized as 0–1 day, 2 days, and 3 days). Outcomes included any major complication, mortality, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Mixed‐effects models measured the association between timing of surgery and outcomes. We report odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals.ResultsAmong 501,267 surgical hip fracture patients, 26.0%, 56.0%, and 18.1% of patients received surgery on days 0–1, 2, and 3, respectively. The median ages were 83, 84, and 84 years old, and there were 73.3%, 72.2%, and 68.8% female in each group respectively. Compared with repair on day 0–1, hip fracture surgical treatment on day 2 or day 3 was associated with increased odds of major complications (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03–1.08 and OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.13–1.2), mortality (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02–1.14 and OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.12–1.28), and ICU admission (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.04–1.09 and OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.32–1.4) after adjusting major comorbidities; all p < 0.001.ConclusionDespite the publication of society guidelines in 2015, most fracture patients still received surgery on day 2 or day 3 of admission and were associated with worse outcomes. Balancing optimization of clinical factors with timing of surgery can be challenging, and further research is needed. Nonetheless, our findings reiterate the importance of timely surgical intervention.
Amphetamine exposure during embryogenesis changes expression and function of the dopamine transporter in Caenorhabditis elegans offspring
Authors: Ambigapathy Ganesh , McCowan Talus J. , Carvelli Lucia 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe dopamine transporter (DAT) is a transmembrane protein that regulates dopamine (DA) neurotransmission by binding to and moving DA from the synaptic cleft back into the neurons. Besides moving DA and other endogenous monoamines, DAT is also a neuronal carrier for exogenous compounds such as the psychostimulant amphetamine (Amph), and several studies have shown that Amph‐induced behaviors require a functional DAT. Here, we demonstrate that exposure to Amph during early development causes behavioral, functional, and epigenetic modifications at the Caenorhabditis elegans DAT gene homolog, dat‐1, in C. elegans offspring. Specifically, we show that, while embryos exposed to Amph generate adults that produce offspring with no obvious behavioral alterations, both adults and offspring exhibit an increased behavioral response when challenged with Amph. Our functional studies suggest that a decrease in DAT‐1 expression underlies the increased behavioral response to Amph seen in offspring. Moreover, our epigenetic data suggest that histone methylation is a mechanism utilized by Amph to maintain changes in DAT‐1 expression in offspring. Taken together, our data reveal that Amph, by altering the epigenetic landscape of DAT, propagates long‐lasting functional and behavioral changes in offspring.image
The relationship between imaging‐based body composition parameters and disease prognosis in patients with endometrial cancer
Authors: Aydın Elçin , Güvel Verdi Ezgi , Balci Mücahit Furkan , Ergin Begüm , Yekta Yürük Yeşim , Simsar Mehmet , Şahin Hilal , Şahin Şükrü , Akdemir Celal , Sanci Muzaffer 
Published: July 2024

AbstractBackgroundObesity is known as a risk factor for endometrial cancer (EC). Only a few studies investigate the relationship between sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity and EC. In this study, our aim was to investigate the relationship between the cross‐sectional imaging‐based body composition parameters and the disease prognosis in low‐grade (LG) and high‐grade (HG) EC.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study in women diagnosed with low and high‐grade EC between January 2014 and May 2022 who had abdominal MRI and thorax CT as a part of routine staging workup. We used the skeletal muscle index (SMI) at the level of the third lumbar vertebra to assess sarcopenia on CT. The T2‐weighted sequence at the level of the L2–L3 intervertebral disc is used for visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), and total fat area (TFA). Two radiologists in consensus, calculated the parameters.ResultsA total of 250 EC patients (144 low‐grade EC, 106 high‐grade EC).Sarcopenia was observed in 122 (48.8%) patients, and sarcopenic obesity was found in 82 (32.8%) patients. Although there was an increase in VFA in cases with high‐grade EC, there was no significant difference in terms of SFA. Additionally, the frequency of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity was higher in cases with high‐grade EC. There was no association between sarcopenia and age, histological type, FIGO staging, or comorbidity in the univariate analysis. However, BMI was found to be associated with sarcopenia.ConclusionsQuantitative radiological measurement of sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, and body fat composition can be used as novel parameters in the prediction of disease prognosis in endometrial cancer.