bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Supporting the decision to perform molecular profiling for cancer patients based on routinely collected data through the use of machine learning
Authors: Kasprzak Julia , Westphalen C. Benedikt , Frey Simon , Schmitt Yvonne , Heinemann Volker , Fey Theres , Nasseh Daniel 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Background
Personalized medicine offers targeted therapy options for cancer treatment. However, the decision whether to include a patient into next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing is not standardized. This may result in some patients receiving unnecessary testing while others who could benefit from it are not tested. Typically, patients who have exhausted conventional treatment options are of interest for consideration in molecularly targeted therapy. To assist clinicians in decision-making, we developed a decision support tool using routine data from a precision oncology program.

Methods
We trained a machine learning model on clinical data to determine whether molecular profiling should be performed for a patient. To validate the model, the model’s predictions were compared with decisions made by a molecular tumor board (MTB) using multiple patient case vignettes with their characteristics.

Results
The prediction model included 440 patients with molecular profiling and 13,587 patients without testing. High area under the curve (AUC) scores indicated the importance of engineered features in deciding on molecular profiling. Patient age, physical condition, tumor type, metastases, and previous therapies were the most important features. During the validation MTB experts made the same decision of recommending a patient for molecular profiling only in 10 out of 15 of their previous cases but there was agreement between the experts and the model in 9 out of 15 cases.

Conclusion
Based on a historical cohort, our predictive model has the potential to assist clinicians in deciding whether to perform molecular profiling.
Rapid flight feathers moult and fat stores in the Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago in the early stage of autumn migration
Authors: Pinchuk Pavel , Meissner Włodzimierz 
Published: April 2024

AbstractWe analysed primary and secondary feather moult and fat reserves in 539 Common Snipes captured in the middle Pripyat River Valley, an important stopover site for waders in Central Europe, between 2002 and 2022. The average daily rate of feather growth was 1.89% in primaries and 2.27% in secondaries, being one of the highest documented in waders. The estimated duration of growth for a single flight feather varied from 11 to 21 days in primaries and from 8 to 11 days in secondaries. Moreover, multiple flight feathers (up to 14) were replaced simultaneously. As a result, the wing moult in Common Snipes was rapid with the mean primary moult duration estimated at 53 days (28 June–20 August) according to the Underhill–Zucchini model, and only 20 days in secondaries (31 July–20 August) based on moult estimates of individual secondaries. Hence, although secondary feathers began to grow when primary moult was already advanced, moulting of both flight feather groups was completed in most birds at almost the same time. Our study shows that Common Snipe in the middle Pripyat River Valley exhibit very rapid wing moult with large wing gaps. Fat reserves and thus body mass of Common Snipes were the lowest when the wing gap was greatest, compensating for their reduced wing area. Late and slow movement towards wintering grounds, allows them to moult rapidly at the early stage of autumn migration, which is likely to occur only in sites with abundant food resources.
Extraction of three-dimensional shapes in glaucoma patients in response to monocular depth cues
Authors: Sawamura Hiromasa , Asaoka Ryo , Murata Hiroshi , Ando Eriko , Gillebert Céline R. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Purpose
To assess the impact of glaucoma on perceiving three-dimensional (3D) shapes based on monocular depth cues.

Study design
Clinical observational study.

Methods
Twenty glaucoma patients, subjected to binocular visual-field sensitivity (binocular-VFS) tests using a Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer, and 20 age-matched healthy volunteers, underwent two tasks: identifying the nearest vertex of a 3D shape using monocular shading (3D-SfS), texture (3D-SfT), or motion (3D-SfM) cues, and distinguishing elementary one-dimensional (1D) features of these cues. The association of the visual-field index (VFI) of binocular-VFS with 3D shape perception in glaucoma patients was also examined.

Results
Glaucoma patients demonstrated reduced accuracy in distinguishing 1D luminance brightness and a larger "error-in-depth" between the perceived and actual depths for 3D-SfM and 3D-SfS compared to healthy volunteers. Six glaucoma patients with a 100% VFI for binocular-VFS exhibited a similar error-in-depth to the other fourteen glaucoma patients; they had a larger error-in-depth for 3D-SfM compared to healthy volunteers. No correlation between the error-in-depth values and the VFI values of binocular-VFS was observed.

Conclusions
The 3D shape perception in glaucoma patients varies based on the depth cue's characteristics. Impaired 1D discrimination and larger thresholds for 3D-SfM in glaucoma patients with a 100% VFI for binocular-VFS indicate more pronounced perceptual deficits of lower-level elementary features for 3D-SfS and higher-level visual processing of 3D shapes for 3D-SfM. The effects of the location and degree of binocular visual-field defects on 3D shape perception remain to be elucidated. Our research provides insights into the 3D shape extraction mechanism in glaucoma.
Numerical simulation of resistance furnaces by using distributed and lumped models
Authors: Bermúdez A. , Gómez D. , González D. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThis work proposes a methodology that combines distributed and lumped models to simulate the current distribution within an indirect heat resistance furnace and, in particular, to calculate the current to be supplied for achieving a desired power output. The distributed model is a time-harmonic eddy current problem, which is solved numerically using the finite element method. The lumped model relies on calculating a reduced impedance associated with an equivalent circuit model. Numerical simulations and plant measurements demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. The good correlation between the results indicates that this approximation is well-suited to support the design and improve the efficiency of the furnace in a short time.
Are Companies Offloading Risk onto Employees in Times of Uncertainty? Insights from Corporate Pension Plans
Authors: Cumming Douglas , Lu Fanyu , Xu Limin , Yu Chia-Feng 
Published: April 2024

AbstractWe investigate how firms adjust corporate pension plans in response to economic policy uncertainty (EPU). Using a sample of US-listed firms, we find that firms increase pension underfunding levels when facing higher EPU. The result is robust to controlling for pension portfolio returns, discount rates, plan sizes, pension liability, numbers of employees, other macroeconomic factors, difference-in-differences and instrumental variable estimation, and additional evidence of pension risk-shifting. Further analysis reveals that financial distress and information asymmetry induced through EPU are the potential channels. The effect is stronger for firms having CEOs being excessively paid, using cash flow as a performance metric in CEO compensation, paying high dividends, and having short-term institutional investors, whereas the presence of unions, positive corporate culture, and social capital alleviate the effect. Notably, managers, not shareholders, appear to be the party reaping the benefits. Our findings suggest that firms may shift risk to employees in response to heightened uncertainty and institutional characteristics play a moderating role in this crucial business ethics issue.
Ponto-Caspian amphipod co-location with zebra mussel beds (Dreissena polymorpha) is influenced by substrate size and population source
Authors: Sanders Catherine H. , Buckley Phil L. , Devereux Hunt Charlotte , Mathers Kate L. , Mills Daniel N. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe global spread of non-native species is leading to an increasing frequency of multiple co-occurring non-native species. We examined the co-occurrence of the bivalve mollusc Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) with three Ponto-Caspian amphipods (Dikerogammarus villosus, Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, and Chelicorophium curvispinum) across England and Wales in association with in-situ substrate size. For all three amphipod species, substrate grain size where amphipods co-occurred with D. polymorpha was significantly finer than when recorded in isolation. Subsequently, we confirmed this via aquarium experiments. We examined the occurrence of D. villosus with D. polymorpha when present with cobbles, gravel, or sand from three population sources (co-location with abundant D. polymorpha populations, co-location with low populations, and naïve). Experiments demonstrated that D. villosus actively sought shelter on or near D. polymorpha, with their co-location being significantly more prevalent in finer grained substrates (sand > gravel > cobble). The strength of this co-location differed by population source, with those co-located with high D. polymorpha densities demonstrating a greater association. Our analyses and experiments indicate that D. polymorpha may facilitate Ponto-Caspian amphipod establishment in otherwise suboptimal locations, whereby mussel shells provide favourable structural habitat for the amphipods, analogous to the presence of coarse-grained benthic sediment.
Infeasible and Critically Feasible Optimal Control
Authors: Burachik Regina S. , Kaya C. Yalçın , Moursi Walaa M. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractWe consider optimal control problems involving two constraint sets: one comprised of linear ordinary differential equations with the initial and terminal states specified and the other defined by the control variables constrained by simple bounds. When the intersection of these two sets is empty, typically because the bounds on the control variables are too tight, the problem becomes infeasible. In this paper, we prove that, under a controllability assumption, the “best approximation” optimal control minimizing the distance (and thus finding the “gap”) between the two sets is of bang–bang type, with the “gap function” playing the role of a switching function. The critically feasible control solution (the case when one has the smallest control bound for which the problem is feasible) is also shown to be of bang–bang type. We present the full analytical solution for the critically feasible problem involving the (simple but rich enough) double integrator. We illustrate the overall results numerically on various challenging example problems.
A methodological approach to evaluate the dynamic response of internal septa and pillars in soft rock underground cavities
Authors: de Lucia D. , Ugenti A. , Fazio N. L. , Lollino P. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractA large amount of underground cavities nowadays exists throughout the Apulian region (south-eastern Italy) as a result of mining processes of soft calcarenite, which frequently followed the “room and pillar” technique. In these cave systems, pillars and septa are critical structures, whose failure can lead to a significant increment of the sinkhole hazard. The behaviour of these rocky structures in the dynamic field is poorly studied in literature, and the present study aims to investigate their dynamic stability, according to regional seismicity data. For this purpose, ideal pillar geometries were considered, for which the evolution of the stress–strain field under dynamic inputs was observed in both 2D and 3- configurations by means of parametrical finite element analysis. For shallow cavities, slender septa were found to be the most affected by the influence of seismic loading. For deep cavities, dynamic instability is observed only for rather squat septa, with the cavity width also influencing the dynamic behaviour. To quantitatively assess the septum stability, a stability index was also proposed in 2D models. Moreover, three-dimensional analyses showed a stabilizing effect in the pillar exerted by the stress component perpendicular to the earthquake.
“We don’t separate out these things. Everything is related”: Partnerships with Indigenous Communities to Design, Implement, and Evaluate Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Health Disparities
Authors: Rink Elizabeth , Stotz Sarah A. , Johnson-Jennings Michelle , Huyser Kimberly , Collins Katie , Manson Spero M. , Berkowitz Seth A. , Hebert Luciana , Byker Shanks Carmen , Begay Kelli , Hicks Teresa , Dennison Michelle , Jiang Luohua , Firemoon Paula , Johnson Olivia , Anastario Mike , Ricker Adriann , GrowingThunder Ramey , Baldwin Julie 
Published: April 2024

AbstractMultilevel interventions (MLIs) are appropriate to reduce health disparities among Indigenous peoples because of their ability to address these communities’ diverse histories, dynamics, cultures, politics, and environments. Intervention science has highlighted the importance of context-sensitive MLIs in Indigenous communities that can prioritize Indigenous and local knowledge systems and emphasize the collective versus the individual. This paradigm shift away from individual-level focus interventions to community-level focus interventions underscores the need for community engagement and diverse partnerships in MLI design, implementation, and evaluation. In this paper, we discuss three case studies addressing how Indigenous partners collaborated with researchers in each stage of the design, implementation, and evaluation of MLIs to reduce health disparities impacting their communities. We highlight the following: (1) collaborations with multiple, diverse tribal partners to carry out MLIs which require iterative, consistent conversations over time; (2) inclusion of qualitative and Indigenous research methods in MLIs as a way to honor Indigenous and local knowledge systems as well as a way to understand a health disparity phenomenon in a community; and (3) relationship building, maintenance, and mutual respect among MLI partners to reconcile past research abuses, prevent extractive research practices, decolonize research processes, and generate co-created knowledge between Indigenous and academic communities.
Two-worker Households, Decentralized Employment, and Residential Segregation
Authors: Yilmaz Kuzey 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe last century was marked by a remarkable improvement in the economic position of women, as reflected in higher labor force participation and wages. This paper extends the Hybrid Tiebout models of residential choice to allow for two-worker households. Our model incorporates both residential choice and labor market choices of households simultaneously and, thus, gives us a unique opportunity to study the impact of changes in the labor market conditions for workers on residential segregation. We develop a general equilibrium model of residential choice with decentralized workplaces in which households face a trade-off among accessibility, space and a public good (education). Education is financed through property taxes, which are determined by majority voting. The quality of education is determined by the spending and the peer group effects. The model is interesting in the sense that (i) households consider the work locations of both male and female working members of the household while making residential choice decisions; (ii) the presence of decentralized workplaces offers an alternative job location to workers; and (iii) the endogenous labor supply decisions for workers. We find that the increase in educational attainment for women and the changes in wages for men and women have had a substantial impact on the spatial distribution of households across metropolitan areas and hence, segregation by income.
Mathematical Modelling of Parasite Dynamics: A Stochastic Simulation-Based Approach and Parameter Estimation via Modified Sequential-Type Approximate Bayesian Computation
Authors: Twumasi Clement , Cable Joanne , Pepelyshev Andrey 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe development of mathematical models for studying newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases has gained momentum due to global events. The gyrodactylid-fish system, like many host-parasite systems, serves as a valuable resource for ecological, evolutionary, and epidemiological investigations owing to its ease of experimental manipulation and long-term monitoring. Although this system has an existing individual-based model, it falls short in capturing information about species-specific microhabitat preferences and other biological details for different Gyrodactylus strains across diverse fish populations. This current study introduces a new individual-based stochastic simulation model that uses a hybrid $$\tau $$
τ
-leaping algorithm to incorporate this essential data, enhancing our understanding of the complexity of the gyrodactylid-fish system. We compare the infection dynamics of three gyrodactylid strains across three host populations. A modified sequential-type approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) method, based on sequential Monte Carlo and sequential importance sampling, is developed. Additionally, we establish two penalised local-linear regression methods (based on L1 and L2 regularisations) for ABC post-processing analysis to fit our model using existing empirical data. With the support of experimental data and the fitted mathematical model, we address open biological questions for the first time and propose directions for future studies on the gyrodactylid-fish system. The adaptability of the mathematical model extends beyond the gyrodactylid-fish system to other host-parasite systems. Furthermore, the modified ABC methodologies provide efficient calibration for other multi-parameter models characterised by a large set of correlated or independent summary statistics.
Self-Rated Health in Middle Age and Risk of Hospitalizations and Death: Recurrent Event Analysis of the ARIC Study
Authors: Mu Scott Z. , Hicks Caitlin W. , Daya Natalie R. , Foraker Randi E. , Kucharska-Newton Anna M. , Lutsey Pamela L. , Coresh Josef , Selvin Elizabeth 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Background
Self-rated health is a simple measure that may identify individuals who are at a higher risk for hospitalization or death.

Objective
To quantify the association between a single measure of self-rated health and future risk of recurrent hospitalizations or death.

Participants
Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a community-based prospective cohort study of middle-aged men and women with follow-up beginning from 1987 to 1989.

Main Measures
We quantified the associations between initial self-rated health with risk of recurrent hospitalizations and of death using a recurrent events survival model that allowed for dependency between the rates of hospitalization and hazards of death, adjusted for demographic and clinical factors.

Key Results
Of the 14,937 ARIC cohort individuals with available self-rated health and covariate information, 34% of individuals reported “excellent” health, 47% “good,” 16% “fair,” and 3% “poor” at study baseline. After a median follow-up of 27.7 years, 1955 (39%), 3569 (51%), 1626 (67%), and 402 (83%) individuals with “excellent,” “good,” “fair,” and “poor” health, respectively, had died. After adjusting for demographic factors and medical history, a less favorable self-rated health status was associated with increased rates of hospitalization and death. As compared to those reporting “excellent” health, adults with “good,” “fair,” and “poor” health had 1.22 (1.07 to 1.40), 2.01 (1.63 to 2.47), and 3.13 (2.39 to 4.09) times the rate of hospitalizations, respectively. The hazards of death also increased with worsening categories of self-rated health, with “good,” “fair,” and “poor” health individuals experiencing 1.30 (1.12 to 1.51), 2.15 (1.71 to 2.69), and 3.40 (2.54 to 4.56) times the hazard of death compared to “excellent,” respectively.

Conclusions
Even after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors, having a less favorable response on a single measure of self-rated health taken in middle age is a potent marker of future hospitalizations and death.
The Patient-Physician Relationship: Medical Students’ Perceptions in a Novel Course
Authors: Pressimone Catherine , Indralingam Renusha , Metz Cameron Dowiak , Levine Arthur S. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe patient-physician relationship, especially in the case of severely ill patients, is often fraught with anxiety, grief, and guilt in the physician who may come to feel that he or she has failed the patient and thereby becomes a “second victim.” This notion was first explored in a 1973 publication (Artiss and Levine N Engl J Med 288(23):1210-4, 1973) that described a novel interactive seminar series for oncology fellows that had been designed to address and possibly remedy the frequent disquiet experienced by young physicians in this setting. Fifty years later, the medical student co-authors of this Perspective enrolled in an elective course that comprised a similar series of interactive seminars, now addressing the contemporary patient-physician relationship. The earlier paper was employed as a historical background, and the framework of the course then broadened such that the students considered the current environmental changes in medical practice (social, cultural, financial, legal, policy) that may be linked to the character of individual patient-physician relationships. This essay reports on the students’ perception of such relationships, and on the environmental elements that may be helpful or harmful to the well-being of both patients and physicians.
Evaluation of the MMI Symani® robotic microsurgical system for coronary-bypass anastomoses in a cadaveric porcine model
Authors: Rusch Melanie , Hoffmann Grischa , Wieker Henning , Bürger Matthias , Kapahnke Sebastian , Berndt Rouven , Rusch René 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe MMI Symani® is a recently approved robotic microsurgical system for surgical procedures in adults. The system enables the surgeon to create microanastomoses. Clinical applications so far include lymphatic vessels surgery and the creation of special flap plastics. The use of the system in coronary arteries has not yet been assessed. The aim of this preclinical study was to evaluate the applicability of the Symani® surgical system in the creation of coronary anastomoses a cadaveric porcine model. A total of 12 anastomoses were performed by three senior cardiovascular surgeons on the left main coronary artery of three porcine hearts. Artificial bypasses (diameter 1 mm) were performed to the left main trunk. The anastomoses were performed with the Symani® surgical system. Evaluation included procedure times and anastomosis leakage. All anastomoses could be successfully performed. The procedure time decreased due to the learning curve between the first anastomosis 47:28 ± 5:30 min and the last anastomosis 22:37 ± 3:25 min. The final evaluation of the anastomoses showed excellent results with low leakage. The quality of the anastomosis also improved in relation to the increasing learning curve. The Symani® surgical system could be used to create coronary anastomoses in an acceptable time frame and without technical failures. Hence, the system appears feasible for conventional coronary surgery. Further studies in animal models are mandatory prior to clinical application.