bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrien und Orthomolekularmedizin: neue Perspektiven in der Behandlung des Fibromyalgie-Syndroms
Authors: Bulasikis Cosmo 
Published: April 2024

ZusammenfassungDas Fibromyalgie-Syndrom, eine häufige Schmerzerkrankung mit Symptomen wie Schmerzen, Müdigkeit und kognitiven Störungen, ist eng mit mitochondrialen Dysfunktionen verbunden. Mitochondrien, die für die ATP-Produktion in den Zellen zuständig sind, spielen bei Fibromyalgie eine Schlüsselrolle. Dysfunktionale Mitochondrien führen zu verringerter ATP-Produktion und erhöhter Abhängigkeit vom weniger effizienten anaeroben Stoffwechsel, was die Symptome von Fibromyalgie verstärken kann. Aktuelle Forschungen zeigen eine deutliche Korrelation zwischen mitochondrialen Dysfunktionen und Fibromyalgie, einschließlich Störungen im Muskelenergiestoffwechsel und Anzeichen von oxidativem sowie nitrosativem Stress. Orthomolekularmedizinische Ansätze wie die Supplementierung mit Koenzym Q10, L-Carnitin, B-Vitaminen, D-Ribose und R-Alpha-Liponsäure könnten die mitochondriale Funktion verbessern und bieten neue Behandlungsmöglichkeiten. Diese Methoden zielen darauf ab, die zugrunde liegende Mitochondriopathie zu behandeln, und könnten einen wesentlichen Fortschritt in der Behandlung von Fibromyalgie darstellen. Zusätzlich spielen Lebensstil- und Verhaltensansätze eine wichtige Rolle in der Therapie, indem sie die mitochondriale Biogenese und den Muskelstoffwechsel fördern.
Comparison of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and ICP analysis results for measuring Pb and Zn in soil
Authors: Yang Hyeon , Jo Young-Tae , Chong Jihyo , Won Yonggwan , Park Jeong-Hun 
Published: April 2024

Context Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a rapid, multielement analytical technique. It is particularly suitable for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of heavy metals in solid samples. Aims To validate the technique, the LIBS data were compared with the data obtained via conventional inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy for the same soil samples. Methods In this study, standard and unknown soil samples from contaminated areas were prepared and fixed to an adhesive tape for LIBS analysis. The soils were also digested with acids for ICP analysis. The emission intensity of one selected line for each of the two analytes, i.e. lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn), was normalised to the background signal and plotted as a function of the concentration values previously determined via ICP analysis. Key results The data demonstrated good linearity for the calibration lines drawn, and the correlation between the ICP and LIBS data was confirmed by the satisfactory agreement between the corresponding values. Conclusions The concentration coefficient of determination (R2) between LIBS and ICP-aqua regia digestion analysis or ICP-total digestion analysis were >0.86 and >0.89 for Pb and Zn, respectively. The total analysis time for the LIBS method was 310 min, which was 54.40% shorter than that for the ICP method (680 min). Implications Consequently, LIBS can be used to measure Pb and Zn in soils without any chemical preparation.
Hi-gMISnet: generalized medical image segmentation using DWT based multilayer fusion and dual mode attention into high resolution pGAN
Authors: Showrav Tushar Talukder , Hasan Md Kamrul 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Objective. Automatic medical image segmentation is crucial for accurately isolating target tissue areas in the image from background tissues, facilitating precise diagnoses and procedures. While the proliferation of publicly available clinical datasets led to the development of deep learning-based medical image segmentation methods, a generalized, accurate, robust, and reliable approach across diverse imaging modalities remains elusive. Approach. This paper proposes a novel high-resolution parallel generative adversarial network (pGAN)-based generalized deep learning method for automatic segmentation of medical images from diverse imaging modalities. The proposed method showcases better performance and generalizability by incorporating novel components such as partial hybrid transfer learning, discrete wavelet transform (DWT)-based multilayer and multiresolution feature fusion in the encoder, and a dual mode attention gate in the decoder of the multi-resolution U-Net-based GAN. With multi-objective adversarial training loss functions including a unique reciprocal loss for enforcing cooperative learning in pGANs, it further enhances the robustness and accuracy of the segmentation map. Main results. Experimental evaluations conducted on nine diverse publicly available medical image segmentation datasets, including PhysioNet ICH, BUSI, CVC-ClinicDB, MoNuSeg, GLAS, ISIC-2018, DRIVE, Montgomery, and PROMISE12, demonstrate the proposed method’s superior performance. The proposed method achieves mean F1 scores of 79.53%, 88.68%, 82.50%, 93.25%, 90.40%, 94.19%, 81.65%, 98.48%, and 90.79%, respectively, on the above datasets, surpass state-of-the-art segmentation methods. Furthermore, our proposed method demonstrates robust multi-domain segmentation capabilities, exhibiting consistent and reliable performance. The assessment of the model’s proficiency in accurately identifying small details indicates that the high-resolution generalized medical image segmentation network (Hi-gMISnet) is more precise in segmenting even when the target area is very small. Significance. The proposed method provides robust and reliable segmentation performance on medical images, and thus it has the potential to be used in a clinical setting for the diagnosis of patients.
Lead and zinc chemical fraction alterations in multi-metal contaminated soil with pomelo peel biochar and biochar/apatite incubation
Authors: Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy , Vu Thi Anh Ngoc , Nguyen Duc Phuong , Nguyen Vu Huyen Ngoc , Pham Thi Thu Ha , Truong Thi Thao , Khieu Thi Tam , Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan , Vuong Truong Xuan 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The issue of heavy metal soil contamination is widespread, and the negative effects of heavy metals on the ecosystem depend on their chemical speciation in contaminated soil. Pomelo peel-derived biochar produced at 300 °C (PPB300) and 500 °C (PPB500) and its combination with apatite ore (AP) was applied to immobilize lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in agricultural multi-metal polluted soil. Soil amendments including biochar (PPB300 and PPB500) at concentrations of 3%, 5%, and 10%, as well as a mixture of biochar and apatite (AP) at 3:3% and 5:5% weight ratios, were introduced into the soil matrix. The chemical forms of Pb and Zn in incubated soil samples and control soil (CS) were studied utilizing the Tessier’s sequential extraction procedure. The chemical partitioning of heavy metals was carried out using Tessier’s extraction protocol, yielding fractions representing exchangeable (F1), carbonate (F2), Fe/Mn oxide (F3), organic matter (F4), and residual (F5) forms. Quantification of Pb and Zn concentrations was accomplished via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Observations revealed notable elevations in pH, organic carbon (OC), and electrical conductivity (EC) levels within the treated soil relative to the control soil (p < 0.05). After incubating PPB300, PPB500, and AP for 30 days, there was a reduction in the exchangeable fraction of Pb and Zn by approximately 64% and 58% respectively. This reduction was achieved by transforming heavy metals from mobile fractions to immobile fractions using five primary mechanisms: chemical and physical adsorption, electrostatic attraction, the formation of complexes via interactions with active groups, cation exchange processes, and precipitation events mediated by phosphate, carbonate ions, or hydroxyl ions within an alkaline environment. Therefore, pomelo peel-derived biochar and the blend of biochar/apatite show promise as materials for mitigating heavy metal pollution in soil.
Modeling and control of planar dielectric elastomer energy harvester
Authors: Kaaya Theophilus , Chen Zheng 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Dielectric Elastomer Generators (DEGs) have been used as mechanical-electrical transducers in energy harvesting systems. However, material safety assurance control, which prevents dielectric elastomer (DE) failures, is not fully investigated. Since various DEG configurations share common failure modes, incorporating these modes into the system is crucial for extending DEG lifetime and improving output power capacity of DE energy harvesters. This paper develops a physics-based model for a planar DE energy harvester and material failure modes identified through analytical analysis of the model. A real-time algorithm for internal safety control is developed to allow operation within a broader feasible region while preventing electrical breakdown (EB), electromechanical instability (EMI), loss of tension (LT), or rupture by stretch (RS). The algorithm prioritizes safety control when the feasible space is violated and allows primary control when operating within the safe space. As a step towards prototyping of an energy harvester using a DE, a prototype concept model is outlined. By using the safety control algorithm, energy harvesting output power is maximized without violating material safety rules, making it applicable to various energy source conversions like human motion, tidal wave, and wind energy.
Cachexia index for prognostication in surgical patients with locally advanced oesophageal or gastric cancer: multicentre cohort study
Authors: Brown Leo R , Thomson Georgina G , Gardner Ellen , Chien Siobhan , McGovern Josh , Dolan Ross D , McSorley Stephen T , Forshaw Matthew J , McMillan Donald C , Wigmore Stephen J , Crumley Andrew B , Skipworth Richard J E 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background
Features of cancer cachexia adversely influence patient outcomes, yet few currently inform clinical decision-making. This study assessed the value of the cachexia index (CXI), a novel prognostic marker, in patients for whom neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery for oesophagogastric cancer is planned.

Methods
Consecutive patients newly diagnosed with locally advanced (T3–4 or at least N1) oesophagogastric cancer between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2015 were identified through the West of Scotland and South-East Scotland Cancer Networks. CXI was calculated as (L3 skeletal muscle index) × (serum albumin)/(neutrophil lymphocyte ratio). Sex-stratified cut-off values were determined based on the area under the curve (AUC), and patients were divided into groups with low or normal CXI. Primary outcomes were disease progression during neoadjuvant chemotherapy and overall survival (at least 5 years of follow-up).

Results
Overall, 385 patients (72% men, median age 66 years) were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for oesophageal (274) or gastric (111) cancer across the study interval. Although patients with a low CXI (men: CXI below 52 (AUC 0.707); women: CXI below 41 (AUC 0.759)) were older with more co-morbidity, disease characteristics were comparable to those in patients with a normal CXI. Rates of disease progression during neoadjuvant chemotherapy, leading to inoperability, were higher in patients with a low CXI (28 versus 12%; adjusted OR 3.07, 95% c.i. 1.67 to 5.64; P &lt; 0.001). Low CXI was associated with worsened postoperative mortality (P = 0.019) and decreased overall survival (median 14.9 versus 56.9 months; adjusted HR 1.85, 1.42 to 2.42; P &lt; 0.001).

Conclusion
CXI is associated with disease progression, worse postoperative mortality, and overall survival, and could improve prognostication and decision-making in patients with locally advanced oesophagogastric cancer.
Digital recruitment and compliance to treatment recommendations in the Norwegian Atrial Fibrillation self-screening pilot study
Authors: Sandberg Edvard Liljedahl , Halvorsen Sigrun , Berge Trygve , Grimsmo Jostein , Atar Dan , Leangen Grenne Bjørnar , Jortveit Jarle 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Aims
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is prevalent, undiagnosed in approximately one-third of cases, and is associated with severe complications. Guidelines recommend screening individuals at increased risk of stroke. This report evaluated the digital recruitment procedure and compliance with the follow-up recommendations in participants with screen-detected AF in the Norwegian Atrial Fibrillation self-screening pilot study.

Methods and results
Norwegians ≥65 years were invited through Facebooks posts, web pages, and newspapers to participate in the study. Targeted Facebook posts promoted over 11 days reached 84 208 users and 10 582 visitors to the study homepage. This accounted for 51% of the total homepage visitors (n = 20 704). A total of 2118 (10%) of the homepage visitors provided digital consent to participate after they met the inclusion criteria. The mean (standard deviation) age of the participants was 70 (4) years, and the majority [n = 1569 (74%)] were women. A total of 1849 (87%) participants completed the electrocardiogram self-screening test, identifying AF in 41 (2.2%) individuals. Of these, 39 (95%) participants consulted a general practitioner, and 34 (83%) participants initiated anticoagulation therapy.

Conclusion
Digital recruitment and inclusion in digital AF screening with a high rate of initiation of anticoagulation therapy in AF positive screening cases are feasible. However, digital recruitment and inclusion may introduce selection bias with regard to age and gender. Larger studies are needed to determine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a fully digital AF screening.

Trial registration
Clinical trials: NCT04700865
Atrial fibrillation: age at diagnosis, incident cardiovascular events, and mortality
Authors: Paludan-Müller Christian , Vad Oliver B , Stampe Niels K , Diederichsen Søren Z , Andreasen Laura , Monfort Laia M , Fosbøl Emil L , Køber Lars , Torp-Pedersen Christian , Svendsen Jesper H , Olesen Morten S 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background and Aims
Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are at increased risks of cardiovascular diseases and mortality, but risks according to age at diagnosis have not been reported. This study investigated age-specific risks of outcomes among patients with AF and the background population.

Methods
This nationwide population-based cohort study included patients with AF and controls without outcomes by the application of exposure density matching on the basis of sex, year of birth, and index date. The absolute risks and hazard rates were stratified by age groups and assessed using competing risk survival analyses and Cox regression models, respectively. The expected differences in residual life years among participants were estimated.

Results
The study included 216 579 AF patients from year 2000 to 2020 and 866 316 controls. The mean follow-up time was 7.9 years. Comparing AF patients with matched controls, the hazard ratios among individuals ≤50 years was 8.90 [95% confidence interval (CI), 7.17–11.0] for cardiomyopathy, 8.64 (95% CI, 7.74–9.64) for heart failure, 2.18 (95% CI, 1.89–2.52) for ischaemic stroke, and 2.74 (95% CI, 2.53–2.96) for mortality. The expected average loss of life years among individuals ≤50 years was 9.2 years (95% CI, 9.0–9.3) years. The estimates decreased with older age.

Conclusions
The findings show that earlier diagnosis of AF is associated with a higher hazard ratio of subsequent myocardial disease and shorter life expectancy. Further studies are needed to determine causality and whether AF could be used as a risk marker among particularly younger patients.
When socialization fails: breaking the habit of engagement with China
Authors: Pedersen-Macnab Michaela , Bernstein Steven 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Why do states sustain failing policy? The literature on path dependency and cognitive habits shows how foreign policy logics become axiomatic. Yet these explanations focus too much on people and not enough on policies. We argue that the content of policies matters for the degree and depth of their entrenchment. Policies with long-term time horizons, immeasurable objectives and diffuse effects are especially vulnerable to stasis. Engagement policies toward China are a paradigmatic example. We focus on Canada's engagement policy, which exhibits both stasis and change, and refer to similar policies of other countries. Drawing on primary evidence including interviews with high-level diplomats and decision-makers, we find that engagement aimed at socializing China was sustained despite growing evidence of its failure—including through a multi-year diplomatic crisis. Change only became possible through ‘institutionalized debate’, meaning the purposeful creation of formal channels for debate. The article makes three contributions. First, we identify a novel explanation of stasis, showing that the content of policies matters. Second, we introduce a practical pathway—institutionalized debate—that can disrupt stasis once a policy logic is habituated. Finally, we identify an aspect of socialization ignored in the literature: when operationalized as policy, it becomes resistant to reversal.
Building the Future of Infectious Diseases: A Call to Action for Quality Improvement Research and Measurement
Authors: Madaline Theresa , Classen David C , Eby Joshua C 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Quality is central to value-based care, and measurement is essential for assessing performance and understanding improvement over time. Both value-based care and methods for quality measurement are evolving. Infectious diseases (ID) has been less engaged than other specialties in quality measure development, and ID providers must seize the opportunity to engage with quality measure development and research. Antimicrobial stewardship programs are an ideal starting point for ID-related quality measure development; antimicrobial stewardship program interventions and best practices are ID specific, measurable, and effective, yet they are grossly undercompensated. Herein, we provide a scheme for prioritizing research focused on development of ID-specific quality measures. Maturation of quality measurement research in ID, beginning with an initial focus on stewardship-related conditions and then expanding to non-stewardship topics, will allow ID to take control of its future in value-based care and promote the growth of ID through greater recognition of its value.
Global Power Shifts and the Cotton Subsidy Problem: How Emerging Powers Became the New Kings of Cotton Subsidies
Authors: Hopewell Kristen 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Cotton is one of the most contentious issues in the global trading system. Subsidies provided by richer countries have had a devastating impact on the welfare of poor cotton farmers in the developing world. Cotton subsidies have long been seen as a symbol of the injustices of the trading system—a harm perpetrated by the rich countries of the Global North against the poor countries of the Global South. This conception of the global cotton subsidy problem is deeply entrenched and has profoundly shaped contemporary debates about power and fairness in the multilateral trading system. As this article shows, however, the prevailing view of the global cotton subsidy problem is now simply outdated and inaccurate. Today, the biggest providers of cotton subsidies are no longer the United States and EU but emerging economic powers like China and India. These major developing countries are providing large volume of subsidies, which are distorting global production and trade, and harming some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable farmers in other developing countries. The cotton subsidy problem is no longer simply a North–South issue. Addressing the problem requires tackling all harmful subsidies, including those from large emerging economies.
Love and Care in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Northern Uganda
Authors: Schulz Philipp , Apio Eunice Otuko , Oryem Robin 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Dominant storylines about armed conflicts and rebel groups, such as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group in Uganda, typically focus on violence, suffering, harm, and abuse. Without a doubt, life within insurgency groups, including in the LRA, is characterized by immense social suffering, typically portrayed to be beyond the pale of humanity. Yet, what of the connections of compassion, joy, love, and care that emerged in the context of cohesion and alongside these aspects and experiences of violence, suffering, and abuse? Over the years, our interlocutors narrated to us what can be understood as meaningful forms of kinship, social connections, or intimacy during and after their time with the group; in the context of conjugal spousal relations, among fellow recruits, or between abductees and their families and communities. This article focuses on these practices of love and care within and in the wake of life in the LRA, and how they are entangled with and sit alongside experiences of violence. The simultaneities of care and suffering constitute a key aspect of this analysis; not intending to negate, downplay, ignore, or trivialize the detrimental impact of violence within rebel groups in general, nor to idealize the relations of compassion, love, or care that emerged within this context. This dual focus, we maintain, is important for unearthing the complexities, intricacies, and nuances of peoples’ lived realities in the context of insurgency movements, and in the context of armed conflict more broadly, holding important analytical and ethical implications.
The responses of photosynthetic rate of dominant species to extreme drought in Inner Mongolia grasslands
Authors: Shi Yalong , Cao Yuanbo , Wu Honghui , Xu Chong , Yu Qiang , Zuo Xiaoan , Han Xingguo , Smith Melinda D , Knapp Alan K , Wang Chengjie , Han Guodong 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Estimating the effects of extreme drought on the photosynthetic rates (Pn) of dominant plant species is crucial for understanding the mechanisms driving the impacts of extreme drought on ecosystem functioning. Extreme drought may result from either reduced rainfall amount or decreased rainfall frequency, and the impacts of different patterns of extreme drought may vary greatly. In addition, different grasslands likely appear various sensitivity to different extreme drought patterns. However, there have been no reports on the effects of different extreme drought patterns on dominant species Pn in different grassland types. Here, we conducted multi-year extreme drought simulation experiments (reducing each rainfall event by 66% during the growing season, CHR vs. completely excluding rainfall during a shorter portion of the growing season, INT) in two different grasslands (desert grassland vs. typical grassland) from 2014. The Pn of two dominant species in each grassland was measured in July and August 2017. Both CHR and INT significantly decreased dominant species Pn, with INT causing more negative impacts on Pn regardless of grassland types. The response ratios of Pn in desert grassland were generally higher than that of typical grassland, especially for Leymus chinensis in CHR. These results demonstrated that decreased rainfall frequency had a more negative effect on Pn compared with reduced rainfall amount, with grassland types changing the magnitude, but not the direction, of the effects of extreme drought patterns. These findings highlight the importance of considering extreme drought patterns and grassland types in ecosystem management in the face of future extreme droughts.
Successful treatment of a large profunda femoris artery aneurysm and associated pseudoaneurysm using endovascular stenting
Authors: Jess Rebecca , Summerour Virginia , Garnham Andrew , Wall Michael Lewis , Al-Saadi Nina , Randhawa Kiran 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Profunda femoris artery aneurysms are a rare form of peripheral arterial aneurysm. In this report, we present the case of an 83-year-old lady who was found to have a 65 mm aneurysm arising from the proximal left profunda femoris artery and associated pseudoaneurysm. Successful treatment was achieved using an endovascular approach in which two stents were deployed.