bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gene variants and clinical characteristics of children with sitosterolemia
Authors: Gu Rui , Wang Hui , Wang Chun-Lin , Lu Mei , Miao Miao , Huang Meng-Na , Chen Yi , Dai Yang-Li , Zhu Ming-Qiang , Zhou Qiong , Zou Chao-Chun 
Published: March 2024

AbstractObjectiveTo enhance the detection, management and monitoring of Chinese children afflicted with sitosterolemia by examining the physical characteristics and genetic makeup of pediatric patients.MethodsIn this group, 26 children were diagnosed with sitosterolemia, 24 of whom underwent genetic analysis. Patient family medical history, physical symptoms, tests for liver function, lipid levels, standard blood tests, phytosterol levels, cardiac/carotid artery ultrasounds, fundus examinations, and treatment were collected.ResultsThe majority (19, 73.1%) of the 26 patients exhibited xanthomas as the most prevalent manifestation. The second most common symptoms were joint pain (7, 26.9%) and stunted growth (4, 15.4%). Among the 24 (92.3%) patients whose genetics were analyzed, 16 (66.7%) harboredABCG5variants (type 2 sitosterolemia), and nearly one-third (8, 33.3%) harboredABCG8variants (type 1 sitosterolemia). Additionally, the most common pathogenicABCG5 variant was c.1166G > A (p.Arg389His), which was found in 10 patients (66.7%). Further analysis did not indicate any significant differences in pathological traits among those carryingABCG5 andABCG8 variations (P > 0.05). Interestingly, there was a greater abundance of nonsense variations inABCG5 than inABCG8 (P = 0.09), and a greater frequency of splicing variations inABCG8 thanABCG5 (P = 0.01). Following a change in diet or a combination of ezetimibe, the levels of cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein were markedly decreased compared to the levels reported before treatment.ConclusionSitosterolemia should be considered for individuals presenting with xanthomas and increased cholesterol levels. Phytosterol testing and genetic analysis are important for early detection. Managing one’s diet and taking ezetimibe can well control blood lipids.
Automatic IMRT treatment planning through fluence prediction and plan fine-tuning for nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Cai Wenwen , Ding Shouliang , Li Huali , Zhou Xuanru , Dou Wen , Zhou Linghong , Song Ting , Li Yongbao 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background
At present, the implementation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning for geometrically complex nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) through manual trial-and-error fashion presents challenges to the improvement of planning efficiency and the obtaining of high-consistency plan quality. This paper aims to propose an automatic IMRT plan generation method through fluence prediction and further plan fine-tuning for patients with NPC and evaluates the planning efficiency and plan quality.

Methods
A total of 38 patients with NPC treated with nine-beam IMRT were enrolled in this study and automatically re-planned with the proposed method. A trained deep learning model was employed to generate static field fluence maps for each patient with 3D computed tomography images and structure contours as input. Automatic IMRT treatment planning was achieved by using its generated dose with slight tightening for further plan fine-tuning. Lastly, the plan quality was compared between automatic plans and clinical plans.

Results
The average time for automatic plan generation was less than 4 min, including fluence maps prediction with a python script and automated plan tuning with a C# script. Compared with clinical plans, automatic plans showed better conformity and homogeneity for planning target volumes (PTVs) except for the conformity of PTV-1. Meanwhile, the dosimetric metrics for most organs at risk (OARs) were ameliorated in the automatic plan, especially Dmax of the brainstem and spinal cord, and Dmean of the left and right parotid glands significantly decreased (P < 0.05).

Conclusion
We have successfully implemented an automatic IMRT plan generation method for patients with NPC. This method shows high planning efficiency and comparable or superior plan quality than clinical plans. The qualitative results before and after the plan fine-tuning indicates that further optimization using dose objectives generated by predicted fluence maps is crucial to obtain high-quality automatic plans.
Ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota: the HELIUS study
Authors: Balvers Manon , de Goffau Marcus , van Riel Natal , van den Born Bert-Jan , Galenkamp Henrike , Zwinderman Koos , Nieuwdorp Max , Levin Evgeni 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the gut microbiota composition are known to differ across ethnicities yet how these three factors are interwoven is unknown. Also, it is unknown what the relative contribution of the gut microbiota composition is to each MetS component and whether this differs between ethnicities. We therefore determined the occurrence of MetS and its components in the multi-ethnic HELIUS cohort and tested the overall and ethnic-specific associations with the gut microbiota composition.MethodsWe included 16,209 treatment naïve participants of the HELIUS study, which were of Dutch, African Surinamese, South-Asian Surinamese, Ghanaian, Turkish, and Moroccan descent to analyze MetS and its components across ethnicities. In a subset (n = 3443), the gut microbiota composition (16S) was associated with MetS outcomes using linear and logistic regression models.ResultsA differential, often sex-dependent, prevalence of MetS components and their combinations were observed across ethnicities. Increased blood pressure was commonly seen especially in Ghanaians, while South-Asian Surinamese and Turkish had higher MetS rates in general and were characterized by worse lipid-related measures. Regarding the gut microbiota, when ethnic-independent associations were assumed, a higher α-diversity, higher abundance of several ASVs (mostly for waist and triglyceride-related outcomes) and a trophic network of ASVs ofRuminococcaceae,Christensenellaceae, andMethanobrevibacter(RCM) bacteria were associated with better MetS outcomes. Statistically significant ethnic-specific associations were however noticed for α-diversity and the RCM trophic network. Associations were significant in the Dutch but not always in all other ethnicities. In Ghanaians, a higher α-diversity and RCM network abundance showed an aberrant positive association with high blood pressure measures compared to the other ethnicities. Even though adjustment for socioeconomic status-, lifestyle-, and diet-related variables often attenuated the effect size and/or the statistical significance of the ethnic-specific associations, an overall similar pattern across outcomes and ethnicities remained.ConclusionsThe occurrence of MetS characteristics among ethnicities is heterogeneous. Both ethnic-independent and ethnic-specific associations were identified between the gut microbiota and MetS outcomes. Across multiple ethnicities, a one-size-fits-all approach may thus be reconsidered in regard to both the definition and/or treatment of MetS and its relation to the gut microbiota.
An integrated SDN framework for early detection of DDoS attacks in cloud computing
Authors: Songa Asha Varma , Karri Ganesh Reddy 
Published: March 2024

AbstractCloud computing is a rapidly advancing technology with numerous benefits, such as increased availability, scalability, and flexibility. Relocating computing infrastructure to a network simplifies hardware and software resource monitoring in the cloud. Software-Defined Networking (SDN)-based cloud networking improves cloud infrastructure efficiency by dynamically allocating and utilizing network resources. While SDN cloud networks offer numerous advantages, they are vulnerable to Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. DDoS attacks try to stop genuine users from using services and drain network resources to reduce performance or shut down services. However, early-stage detection of DDoS attack patterns in cloud environments remains challenging. Current methods detect DDoS at the SDN controller level, which is often time-consuming. We recommend focusing on SDN switches for early detection. Due to the large volume of data from diverse sources, we recommend traffic clustering and traffic anomalies prediction which is of DDoS attacks at each switch. Furthermore, to consolidate the data from multiple clusters, event correlation is performed to understand network behavior and detect coordinated attack activities. Many existing techniques stay behind for early detection and integration of multiple techniques to detect DDoS attack patterns. In this paper, we introduce a more efficient and effectively integrated SDN framework that addresses a gap in previous DDoS solutions. Our framework enables early and accurate detection of DDoS traffic patterns within SDN-based cloud environments. In this framework, we use Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE), Density Based Spatial Clustering (DBSCAN), time series techniques like Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Lyapunov exponent, exponential smoothing filter, dynamic threshold, and lastly, Rule-based classifier. We have evaluated the proposed RDAER model on the CICDDoS 2019 dataset, that achieved an accuracy level of 99.92% and a fast detection time of 20 s, outperforming existing methods.
Antibiotic exposure during pregnancy increases risk for childhood atopic diseases: a nationwide cohort study
Authors: Tai Sheng-Kang , Lin Yi-Hsuan , Lin Ching-Heng , Lin Ming-Chih 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose
The prevalence of atopic diseases has increased in recent decades. A possible link between antibiotic use during pregnancy and childhood atopic disease has been proposed. The aim of this study is to explore the association of antibiotic exposure during pregnancy with childhood atopic diseases from a nationwide, population-based perspective.

Methods
This was a nationwide population-based cohort study. Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database was the main source of data. The pairing of mothers and children was achieved by linking the NHIRD with the Taiwan Maternal and Child Health Database. This study enrolled the first-time pregnancies from 2004 to 2010. Infants of multiple delivery, preterm delivery, and death before 5 years old were excluded. All participants were followed up at least for 5 years. Antenatal antibiotics prescribed to mothers during the pregnancy period were reviewed. Children with more than two outpatient visits, or one admission, with a main diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinitis, or atopic dermatitis were regarded as having an atopic disease.

Results
A total of 900,584 children were enrolled in this study. The adjusted hazard ratios of antibiotic exposure during pregnancy to childhood atopic diseases were 1.12 for atopic dermatitis, 1.06 for asthma, and 1.08 for allergic rhinitis, all of which reached statistical significance. The trimester effect was not significant. There was a trend showing the higher the number of times a child was prenatally exposed to antibiotics, the higher the hazard ratio was for childhood atopic diseases.

Conclusions
Prenatal antibiotic exposure might increase the risk of childhood atopic diseases in a dose-dependent manner.
β1 integrins play a critical role maintaining vascular integrity in the hypoxic spinal cord, particularly in white matter
Authors: Halder Sebok K. , Sapkota Arjun , Milner Richard 
Published: March 2024

AbstractInteractions between extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and β1 integrins play an essential role maintaining vascular integrity in the brain, particularly under vascular remodeling conditions. As blood vessels in the spinal cord are reported to have distinct properties from those in the brain, here we examined the impact of β1 integrin inhibition on spinal cord vascular integrity, both under normoxic conditions, when blood vessels are stable, and during exposure to chronic mild hypoxia (CMH), when extensive vascular remodeling occurs. We found that a function-blocking β1 integrin antibody triggered a small degree of vascular disruption in the spinal cord under normoxic conditions, but under hypoxic conditions, it greatly enhanced (20-fold) vascular disruption, preferentially in spinal cord white matter (WM). This resulted in elevated microglial activation as well as marked loss of myelin integrity and reduced density of oligodendroglial cells. To understand why vascular breakdown is localized to WM, we compared expression levels of major BBB components of WM and grey matter (GM) blood vessels, but this revealed no obvious differences. Interestingly however, hypoxyprobe staining demonstrated that the most severe levels of spinal cord hypoxia induced by CMH occurred in the WM. Analysis of brain tissue revealed a similar preferential vulnerability of WM tracts to show vascular disruption under these conditions. Taken together, these findings demonstrate an essential role for β1 integrins in maintaining vascular integrity in the spinal cord, and unexpectedly, reveal a novel and fundamental difference between WM and GM blood vessels in their dependence on β1 integrin function during hypoxic exposure. Our data support the concept that the preferential WM vulnerability described may be less a result of intrinsic differences in vascular barrier properties between WM and GM, and more a consequence of differences in vascular density and architecture.
The Impact of Exchange-Traded Fund Index Inclusion on Stock Prices
Authors: Duffy John , Friedman Daniel , Rabanal Jean Paul , Rud Olga A. 
Published: March 2024

We report a laboratory experiment examining how demand for exchange-traded fund (ETF) index products affects the prices and trading volume of assets. We compare an environment where the ETF index includes all assets against an environment where a redundant asset is excluded from the index. We find that (i) subjects place significant value on the ETF index asset beyond the value of its constituent assets; (ii) there is a substantial index premium for included assets; and (iii) the index premium persists even when short selling is permitted. The price increases of the constituent assets and of the ETF itself suggest that ETF products can distort markets to some degree. This paper was accepted by David Sraer, finance. Funding: This work was supported the by International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics Small Grants Program. Supplemental Material: Data and the online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.02125 .
Toward Advancing Women’s Health in Least Developed Countries: Evaluating Contraceptive Distribution Models in Senegal
Authors: Karimi Amir , Mishra Anant , Natarajan Karthik V. , Sinha Kingshuk K. 
Published: March 2024

Problem definition: Improving access to contraceptives is one of the most effective interventions to prevent unintended pregnancies and save the lives of women in least developed countries (LDCs), where the overwhelming majority of maternal deaths occur. However, access to reproductive health commodities is often limited in LDCs because of frequent stock-outs at last-mile health facilities. In this study, we evaluate and compare the effect of two distribution models on last-mile contraceptive availability and key public health outcomes (e.g., unintended pregnancies, maternal and newborn deaths). These distribution models are (i) the commonly used pull distribution model, in which health facilities are fully responsible for managing inventory, and (ii) an alternative model known as the informed push distribution model, which delegates inventory management tasks to external logistics providers. Methodology/results: We leverage the staggered transition from pull distribution to informed push distribution in Senegal, a country that redesigned its contraceptive distribution system. We conduct empirical analyses, including a triple differences estimation, on novel field data compiled from multiple sources to evaluate the effect of the transition. We find that the transition significantly reduces contraceptive stock-outs, frontline health worker workload, unintended pregnancies, and maternal and newborn mortalities and also improves client satisfaction, especially in health facilities with less mature inventory management practices and less developed road infrastructure. A comprehensive cost–benefit analysis shows that the aforementioned benefits are achieved in a cost-efficient manner at these facilities, making them prime candidates for the transition. However, for facilities with less mature inventory management practices but more developed road infrastructure, upgrading the inventory management system is a substantially more cost-efficient alternative than transitioning to a new distribution model without compromising the benefits. Managerial implications: Given the resource constraints faced by the public health sector in LDCs, it is imperative to understand how the operational and public health benefits of the transition to the informed push model vary based on facility characteristics. Our findings offer actionable insights for resource allocation by identifying health facilities that benefit the most from the transition. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2021.0488 .
Frontiers in Operations: News Event-Driven Forecasting of Commodity Prices
Authors: Chakraborty Sunandan , Jagabathula Srikanth , Subramanian Lakshminarayanan , Venkataraman Ashwin 
Published: March 2024

Problem definition: Commodity prices have exhibited significant volatility in recent times, which poses an exogenous risk factor for commodity-processing and commodity-trading firms. Accurate commodity price forecasts can help firms leverage data-driven procurement policies that incorporate the underlying price volatility for financial and operational hedging decisions. However, historical prices alone are insufficient to obtain reasonable forecasts because of the extreme volatility. Methodology/results: Building on the hypothesis that commodity prices are driven by real-world events, we propose a method that automatically extracts events from news articles and combines them with price data using a neural network-based predictive model to forecast prices. In addition to achieving a high prediction accuracy that outperforms several benchmarks (by up to 13%), our proposed model is also interpretable, which allows us to identify meaningful events driving the price fluctuations. We found that the events frequently associated with major fluctuations in the price include “natural,” “hike,” “policy,” and “elections,” all of which are known drivers of price change. We used a corpus containing about 1.6 million news articles of a major Indian newspaper spanning 15 years and daily prices of four crops (onion, potato, rice, and wheat) in India to perform this study. Our proposed approach is flexible and can be used to predict other time series data, such as disease incidence levels or macroeconomic indicators, that are also influenced by real-world events. Managerial implications: Firms can leverage price forecasts from our system to design inventory and procurement policies in the face of uncertain commodity prices. Commodity merchants can also use the forecasts to design optimal storage policies for physical trading of commodities when prices are volatile. Our findings can also significantly impact policymakers, who can leverage the information of impending price changes and associated events to mitigate the negative effects of price shocks. History: This paper has been accepted in the Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Frontiers in Operations Initiative. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0641 .
Wide-range pH sensor based on a cascaded MZI up-down tapered hetero-core structure
Authors: Hussein Mahmood Sura , Kadhim Al-Hayali Sarah , Al-Janabi Abdulhadi 
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we describe the first demonstration of an optical fiber sensor based on two cascaded architectures of the Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with an up-down-tapered (UDT) hetero-core fiber structure for simultaneous pH measurement at two different spatial locations. The two fiber structures, namely structures I and II, were fabricated by sandwiching a 45 mm and 60 mm long piece of no-core fiber (NCF) between two single-mode fibers (SMFs), respectively. By inserting a down-taper between two adjacent up-tapers in the NCF section using the over-fusion splicing technique, the UDT hetero-core fiber structure was achieved. The down-taper works as an optical attenuator, while the two up-tapers each function as a fiber splitter/combiner. By cascading the two sensor structures I and II, two distinct interference dips were obtained, resulting in dual sensing points (so-called sensing points I and II). According to experimental results, it was shown that the proposed sensing points I and II are pH-sensitive, and exhibit sensitivities of 1.0428 nm/pH and −1.7857nm/pH for simultaneous measurement for each point as the pH ranged from 8 to 14 and from 1 to 7 pH, respectively. The obtained results show that the proposed dual point pH sensor has the potential to be used for the simultaneous detection of pH parameters in any environment and at various places.
VITAMIN B OF FRUIT PULP OF DIFFERENT SEABUCKTHORN (HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES L.) ECOTYPES IN FOREST-STEPPE CONDITIONS OF ALTAI TERRITORY
Authors: Zemtsova Anna Yakovlevna , Zubarev Yuri Anatolyevich , Gunin Alexey Vasilievich 
Published: March 2024

Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) berries are extremely valuable raw materials for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The popularity of the crop is mainly determined by significant amount of biologically active components in the fruit pulp, and by presence of unique lipid fraction in particular, that combines complex of essential fatty acids, carotenoids and tocopherols. At the same time important functional role in the fruits of seabuckthorn belongs to water-soluble vitamins, list of which is represented by a wide range of compounds, including B vitamins. The aim of the current research was to investigate the content of vitamins B in the fruits of various ecotypes of seabuckthorn, growing in the collection of the Lisavenko Research Institute of Horticulture for Siberia, in conditions of forest-steppe area of Altai Territory. Determination of these vitamins was carried out by HPLC.
As a result the content of thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), nicotinic acid (B3) and folic acid (B9) was determined. It was shown that the content of investigated components of seabuckthorn fruit pulp changes during fruit ripening. However, direct dynamics has not been established: both increase and decrease of the content were observed, and in some cases fluctuations during ripening were noted. No significant differences within ecotypes were found.