bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in the age of childhood autism diagnosis and the impact of co‐occurring conditions
Authors: Gu Zhengyi , Dawson Geraldine , Engelhard Matthew 
Published: November 2023

AbstractSex differences in the age of autism diagnosis during childhood have been documented consistently but remain poorly understood. In this study, we used electronic health records data from a diverse, academic medical center to quantify differences in the age of autism diagnosis between boys and girls and identify associations between the age of diagnosis and co‐occurring neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, and medical conditions. An established computable phenotype was used to identify all autism diagnoses within the Duke University Health System between 2014 and 2021. Co‐occurring neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses as well as visits to specific medical and supportive services were identified in the 2 years prior to the autism diagnosis. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to quantify associations between diagnosis age and sex with and without controlling for the presence of each co‐occurring diagnosis and visit type. Records from 1438 individuals (1142 boys and 296 girls) were included. Girls were more likely to be diagnosed either before age 3 ( = 497.720, p < 0.001) or after age 11 ( = 4.014, p = 0.047), whereas boys were more likely to be diagnosed between ages 3 and 11 ( = 5.532, p = 0.019). Visits for anxiety ( = 4.200, p = 0.040) and mood disorders ( = 7.033, p = 0.008) were more common in girls and associated with later autism diagnosis (HR = 0.615, p < 0.001; and HR = 0.493, p < 0.001). Visits for otolaryngology were more common in boys and associated with an earlier autism diagnosis (HR = 1.691, p < 0.001). After controlling for these conditions, associations between sex and diagnosis age were reduced and not statistically significant. These results show that the age of autism diagnosis differs in girls compared to boys, but these differences were neutralized when controlling for co‐occurring neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions prior to autism diagnosis. Understanding sex differences and the possible mediating role of other diagnoses may suggest targets for intervention to promote earlier and more equitable diagnosis.
(Re)moving exclusions: School exclusion reduction in Glasgow and London
Authors: Billingham Luke , Gillon Fern 
Published: November 2023

AbstractSchool exclusion reduction in Scotland—and especially in the city of Glasgow—has received substantial media and policy attention in recent years. In London in particular, multiple governmental agencies have explicitly expressed a desire to replicate the exclusion reduction which recently occurred in Glasgow, often citing the connection between school exclusion and violence as a key motivating factor. In this paper, after presenting the statistical trends in school exclusions in Scotland, England, Glasgow and London, we mobilise original interview data to (1) explain how school exclusion reduction occurred so rapidly in Glasgow between 2007 and 2019, and (2) explore whether a similar reduction in exclusions could occur in contemporary London. We apply a theoretical framework to these issues which derives from Peters’ work on policy coordination, allowing us to compare the conditions in Glasgow and London for well‐coordinated pan‐city exclusion reduction. Building on previous research which has contrasted national school exclusion policies in Scotland and England, we conclude that policy conditions surrounding school exclusion in the two cities differ substantially. There are substantial barriers to significant exclusion reduction in London, relating to both city‐ and national‐level factors. There barriers include competition between different agencies working in relevant policy spaces; the fragmentation of the city's education system; the need for better incentivisation of inclusion by Ofsted and the Department for Education; and particular challenges to reframing the issue of school exclusion in London.
Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on clinical presentation, treatments, and outcomes of new breast cancer patients: A retrospective multicenter cohort study
Authors: Guével Etienne , Priou Sonia , Lamé Guillaume , Wassermann Johanna , Bey Romain , Uzan Catherine , Chatellier Gilles , Belkacemi Yazid , Tannier Xavier , Guillerm Sophie , Flicoteaux Rémi , Gligorov Joseph , Cohen Ariel , Benderra Marc‐Antoine , Teixeira Luis , Daniel Christel , Hersant Barbara , Tournigand Christophe , Kempf Emmanuelle ,   the Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris (AP‐HP) Cancer Group, a Cancer Research Application on Big Data (CRAB) initiative
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe SARS CoV‐2 pandemic disrupted healthcare systems. We compared the cancer stage for new breast cancers (BCs) before and during the pandemic.MethodsWe performed a retrospective multicenter cohort study on the data warehouse of Greater Paris University Hospitals (AP‐HP). We identified all female patients newly referred with a BC in 2019 and 2020. We assessed the timeline of their care trajectories, initial tumor stage, and treatment received: BC resection, exclusive systemic therapy, exclusive radiation therapy, or exclusive best supportive care (BSC). We calculated patients' 1‐year overall survival (OS) and compared indicators in 2019 and 2020.ResultsIn 2019 and 2020, 2055 and 1988, new BC patients underwent cancer treatment, and during the two lockdowns, the BC diagnoses varied by −18% and by +23% compared to 2019. De novo metastatic tumors (15% and 15%, p = 0.95), pTNM and ypTNM distributions of 1332 cases with upfront resection and of 296 cases with neoadjuvant therapy did not differ (p = 0.37, p = 0.3). The median times from first multidisciplinary meeting and from diagnosis to treatment of 19 days (interquartile 11–39 days) and 35 days (interquartile 22–65 days) did not differ. Access to plastic surgery (15% and 17%, p = 0.08) and to treatment categories did not vary: tumor resection (73% and 72%), exclusive systemic therapy (13% and 14%), exclusive radiation therapy (9% and 9%), exclusive BSC (5% and 5%) (p = 0.8). Among resected patients, the neoadjuvant therapy rate was lower in 2019 (16%) versus 2020 (20%) (p = 0.02). One‐year OS rates were 99.3% versus 98.9% (HR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.77–1.2), 72.6% versus 76.6% (HR = 1.28; 95% CI, 0.95–1.72), 96.6% versus 97.8% (HR = 1.09; 95% CI, 0.61–1.94), and 15.5% versus 15.1% (HR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.72–1.37), in the treatment groups.ConclusionsDespite a decrease in the number of new BCs, there was no tumor stage shift, and OS did not vary.
Absolute lung cancer risk increases among individuals with >15 quit‐years: Analyses to inform the update of the American Cancer Society lung cancer screening guidelines
Authors: Landy Rebecca , Cheung Li C. , Young Corey D. , Chaturvedi Anil K. , Katki Hormuzd A. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackgroundThis report quantifies counteracting effects of quit‐years and concomitant aging on lung cancer risk, especially on exceeding 15 quit‐years, when the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends curtailing lung‐cancer screening.MethodsCox models were fitted to estimate absolute lung cancer risk among Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) and National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) participants who ever smoked. Absolute lung cancer risk and gainable years of life from screening for individuals aged 50 to 80 in the US‐representative National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2015–2018 who ever smoked were projected. Relaxing USPSTF recommendations to 20/25/30 quit‐years versus augmenting USPSTF criteria with individuals whose estimated gain in life expectancy from screening exceeded 16.2 days according to the Life Years From Screening‐CT (LYFS‐CT) prediction model was compared.ResultsAbsolute lung cancer risk increased by 8.7%/year (95% CI, 7.7%–9.7%; p < .001) as individuals aged beyond 15 quit‐years in the PLCO, with similar results in NHIS and NLST. For example, mean 5‐year lung cancer risk for those aged 65 years with 15 quit‐years = 1.47% (95% CI, 1.35%–1.59%) versus 1.76% (95% CI, 1.62%–1.90%) for those aged 70 years with 20 quit‐years in the PLCO. Removing the quit‐year criterion would make 4.9 million more people eligible and increase the proportion of preventable lung cancer deaths prevented (sensitivity) from 63.7% to 74.2%. Alternatively, augmentation using LYFS‐CT would make 1.7 million more people eligible while increasing the lung cancer death sensitivity to 74.0%.ConclusionsBecause of aging, absolute lung cancer risk increases beyond 15 quit‐years, which does not support exemption from screening or curtailing screening once it has been initiated. Compared with relaxing the USPSTF quit‐year criterion, augmentation using LYFS‐CT could prevent most of the deaths at substantially superior efficiency, while also preventing deaths among individuals who currently smoke with low intensity or long duration.
Spatial–temporal evolution and correlation analysis between habitat quality and landscape patterns based on land use change in Shaanxi Province, China
Authors: Gu Li , Yan Jiabo , Li Yurong , Gong Zhiwen 
Published: November 2023

AbstractRegional habitat quality is an important reflection of ecosystem services and ecosystem health. Exploring the characteristics of habitat quality changes and revealing the vulnerability of regional ecosystems caused could provide reference for the improvement of ecological service functions and the protection of regional ecological environment. Based on remote sensing data of Shaanxi Province from 2000 to 2015, InVEST model and grid analysis were used to analyze the evolution characteristics of habitat quality and landscape pattern, and spatial autocorrelation was also used to analyze the spatial correlation and temporal evolution characteristics. The results showed: (1) Arable land, grassland, and forest land were the main landscape types in Shaanxi province, accounting for more than 94% of the total area, and the arable land and unused land showed a decreasing trend, while the grassland and forest land showed an increasing trend, and the proportion of construction land continued to increase with the rapid economic development from 2000 to 2015; (2) The spatial distribution characteristics of habitat quality was similar to land use cover change, which was “high in the southern and central forest areas, low in the northern sandy land and central urban agglomeration”, and habitat quality value showed a steady increase, indicating that the habitat quality was getting better; (3) The landscape pattern index values of Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration changed significantly, which tended to be fragmented, and the landscape types were more diverse and uniform; (4) There were obvious spatial correlation between habitat quality and landscape pattern, and the spatial differentiation of clustering was obvious, and the clustering effect of habitat quality and landscape pattern characteristics would weaken with the increase in urbanization degree. The analysis of the spatial association between habitat quality and landscape pattern could provide scientific support for ecological protection and landscape planning.
Temperature and predators as interactive drivers of community properties
Authors: DeLong John P. , Coblentz Kyle E. , Uiterwaal Stella F. , Akwani Chika , Salsbery Miranda E. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe effects of warming on ecological communities emerge from a range of potentially asymmetric impacts on individual physiology and development. Understanding these responses, however, is limited by our ability to connect mechanisms or emergent patterns across the many processes that drive variation in demography. Further complicating this understanding is the gain or loss of predators to many communities, which may interact with changes in temperature to drive community change. Here we conducted a factorial warming and predation experiment to test generalized predictions about responses to warming. We used microcosms with a range of protists, rotifers, and a gastrotrich, with and without the predator Actinosphaerium, to assess changes in diversity, body size, function, and composition in response to warming. We find that community respiration and predator:prey biovolume ratios peak at intermediate temperatures, while species richness declined with temperature. We also found that overall biomass increased with species richness, driven by the effect of temperature on richness. There was little evidence of an interaction between predation and temperature change, likely because the predator was mostly limited to the intermediate temperatures. Overall, our results suggest that general predictions about community change are still challenging to make but may benefit by considering multiple dimensions of community patterns in an integrated way.
The declines of heterogeneity and stability in diatom communities are associated with human activity
Authors: Wang Rong , Zheng Wenxiu , Xu Min , Yang Hui 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAnthropogenic forcing caused the biodiversity loss and stability decline of communities. There is still controversy over whether the decline in biodiversity will lead to a decrease in community stability. The stability of biological communities is related to both biodiversity and structure, and this paper aims to reveal the human impacts on diatom communities' biodiversity and structure. We studied the richness, β‐diversity and network distance of diatom communities in Qinghai‐Xizang, Yunnan‐Sichuan and Lower Yangtze River Basin, China through empirical dataset and simulation method. The results showed that the diatoms richness in the Qinghai‐Xizang and the Yunnan‐Sichuan region was lower and the network distance was higher than that of the Lower Yangtze River Basin. β‐diversity in the Lower Yangtze River Basin was the lowest and the diatom network distance responds negatively to human population densities in China. The simulation showed that the network distance kept constant during random species loss, and declined while specialist species were lost or replaced by generalist species. The results suggested diatom communities' homogeneity and stability decline were associated with human activities. Human impacts may cause biodiversity loss targeted to specialist species or no biodiversity loss while generalist species replace those specialist species. This study showed that how diversity changes determined ecological stability depends on the type of species changes.
B‐cell maturation antigen chimeric antigen receptor‐T therapy alleviated heart failure in patients with multiple myeloma
Authors: Wang Yunhong , Zhang Ke , Suo Xiaohui , Meng Ning , Gu Yuanrui , Qin Yilang , Tu Yanxia , Zhang Xiaohui , Sun Guofeng , Ji Jiaojiao , Wu Weichun , Cai Yuqi , Yang Kai , Ouyang Chenxi , Qi Junyuan 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPatients with multiple myeloma (MM) are likely to achieve poor therapeutic response when organs are involved. We produced anti‐B‐cell maturation antigen (BCMA) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)‐T cells, which are in a trial for patients with relapsed/refractory MM. One enrolled patient developed severe heart failure, highly suspected as light chain cardiac amyloidosis. He exhibited increased N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide with a peak of 32 299 ng/mL and heart failure with an ejection fraction of 30%. Anti‐BCMA CAR‐T cells were administered following lymphodepletion. The patient achieved cardiac response within 1 week with a decrease in N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide by 80%, an increase in ejection fraction from 30% to 56%, and a haematological response with negative minimal residual disease at 1 month and a complete response at 1 year. To date, this patient has maintained good health without heart failure or haematological relapse. Herein, we show the efficacy of anti‐BCMA CAR‐T cells in patients with MM and severe heart failure.
gem‐Difluoro‐3‐azabicyclo[3.n.1]alkanes and Their Derivatives – Bicyclic Fluorinated Piperidine Isosteres for Drug Discovery
Authors: Kihakh Serhii , Melnykov Kostiantyn P. , Bilenko Vitalii , Trofymchuk Serhii , Liashuk Oleksandr S. , Grygorenko Oleksandr O. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAn approach to gem‐difluoro‐3‐azabicyclo[3.n.1]alkane‐ derived building blocks through double‐Mannich addition– deoxofluorination sequence is described. The scope of the method was demonstrated for a series of saturated (hetero)cyclic ketones or ketoesters (including five‐ to seven‐membered cycloalkane derivatives and N‐, O‐, S‐containing saturated heterocycles). Further transformations of functional groups produced various bifunctionalized difluorinated building blocks, namely, N‐protected aminoacids, mono‐N‐Boc‐protected diamines, and unprotected aminoalcohols in good to excellent overall yields. For the azabicyclo[3.3.1]alkane series, a potential for isosteric replacements is demonstrated by evaluation of the key physicochemical properties (i. e., pKa(H) and LogP).
The impact of sediment flux and calibre on flood risk in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
Authors: Thapa Saraswati , Sinclair Hugh D. , Creed Maggie J. , Mudd Simon M. , Attal Mikael , Borthwick Alistair G. L. , Ghimire Bhola N. , Watson C. Scott 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThis paper investigates how variations in sediment supply, grain size distribution and climate change affect channel morphology and flood inundation in the Nakkhu River, Kathmandu, Nepal. Climate change‐induced extreme rainfall is expected to increase flood intensity and frequency, causing severe flooding in the Kathmandu basin. The upper reaches of the Nakkhu River are susceptible to landslides and have been impacted by large‐scale sand mining. We simulate potential erosion and deposition scenarios along a 14 km reach of the Nakkhu River using the landscape evolution model CAESAR‐Lisflood with a 10 m digital elevation model, field‐derived sediment grain size data, daily discharge records and flood forecast models. In a series of numerical experiments, we compare riverbed profiles, cross‐sections, flood extent and flow depths for three scenarios (1.2‐, 85‐ and 1000‐year return period floods). For each scenario, the model is first run without sediment transport and then with sediment transport for three grain size distributions (GSDs) (observed average, finer and coarser). In all cases, the inclusion of sediment led to predicted floods of a larger extent than estimated without sediment. The sediment grain size distribution was found to have a significant influence on predicted river morphology and flood inundation, especially for lower magnitude, higher probability flood events. The results emphasise the importance of including sediment transport in hydrological models when predicting flood inundation in sediment‐rich rivers such as those in and around the Himalaya.
Green synthesis and characterization of CdO nanoparticles from Crocus sativus: A promising material for hydrogen gas storage
Authors: Ismail Shaymaa N. , Ali Ehab M. , Abdul Hussien Adi M. , Alheety Mustafa A. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThis study aims to environmentally synthesize and fully characterize CdO nanoparticles by utilizing an eco‐friendly process that involves Crocus sativus in its reaction with cadmium ions. The CdO nanoparticles underwent characterization, and their purity was confirmed through XRD and UV‐Vis spectroscopy. Additionally, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the prepared cadmium oxide nanoparticles exhibited polymorphism, with diameters ranging between 42 and 67 nm. Furthermore, the Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy showed the main bands of cadmium oxide at 1047, 542, and 1310 cm−1. Furthermore, the cadmium oxide nanoparticles were employed in a study focusing on gas storage, particularly hydrogen (H2) storage. The results of the hydrogen storage study demonstrate that the maximum H2 uptake reached 2.85 Wt.%H2 at a pressure of 69 bar at 77 K, with ∆H = 0.62607 KJ/mol H2 and ∆S = 3.35697 J/mol H2·K. Moreover, thermodynamic investigations at four different temperatures confirm that the maximum H2 uptake can be achieved within a pressure range of 69–86.2 bar.
Developmental dyscalculia is not associated with atypical brain activation: A univariate fMRI study of arithmetic, magnitude processing, and visuospatial working memory
Authors: Kwok Fu Yu , Wilkey Eric D. , Peters Lien , Khiu Ellyn , Bull Rebecca , Lee Kerry , Ansari Daniel 
Published: November 2023

AbstractFunctional neuroimaging serves as a tool to better understand the cerebral correlates of atypical behaviors, such as learning difficulties. While significant advances have been made in characterizing the neural correlates of reading difficulties (developmental dyslexia), comparatively little is known about the neurobiological correlates of mathematical learning difficulties, such as developmental dyscalculia (DD). Furthermore, the available neuroimaging studies of DD are characterized by small sample sizes and variable inclusion criteria, which make it problematic to compare across studies. In addition, studies to date have focused on identifying single deficits in neuronal processing among children with DD (e.g., mental arithmetic), rather than probing differences in brain function across different processing domains that are known to be affected in children with DD. Here, we seek to address the limitations of prior investigations. Specifically, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to probe brain differences between children with and without persistent DD; 68 children (8‐10 years old, 30 with DD) participated in an fMRI study designed to investigate group differences in the functional neuroanatomy associated with commonly reported behavioral deficits in children with DD: basic number processing, mental arithmetic and visuo‐spatial working memory (VSWM). Behavioral data revealed that children with DD were less accurate than their typically achieving (TA) peers for the basic number processing and arithmetic tasks. No behavioral differences were found for the tasks measuring VSWM. A pre‐registered, whole‐brain, voxelwise univariate analysis of the fMRI data from the entire sample of children (DD and TA) revealed areas commonly associated with the three tasks (basic number processing, mental arithmetic, and VSWM). However, the examination of differences in brain activation between children with and without DD revealed no consistent group differences in brain activation. In view of these null results, we ran exploratory, Bayesian analyses on the data to quantify the amount of evidence for no group differences. This analysis provides supporting evidence for no group differences across all three tasks. We present the largest fMRI study comparing children with and without persistent DD to date. We found no group differences in brain activation using univariate, frequentist analyses. Moreover, Bayesian analyses revealed evidence for the null hypothesis of no group differences. These findings contradict previous literature and reveal the need to investigate the neural basis of DD using multivariate and network‐based approaches to brain imaging.