bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Body mass index, frailty, and outcomes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Authors: Li Wenjie , Wang Zhiyan , Hua Chang , Zhang Hao , Liu Xinru , Zheng Shiyue , Lv Qiang , Jiang Chao , Dong Jianzeng , Ma Changsheng , Du Xin 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAimsRelationship between body mass index (BMI), frailty, and clinical adverse events remains unclear in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in different patient populations. We aimed to compare the association of BMI, frailty, and clinical adverse events between a US cohort from the Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure with an Aldosterone Antagonist (TOPCAT) study and a Chinese cohort from the Heart Failure Registry of Patient Outcomes (HERO) study.Methods and resultsWe used data of 1715 participants enrolled from America in the TOPCAT study and 1487 patients with HFpEF in the Chinese registry study, the HERO. We evaluated the relationship between BMI and frailty using multivariate restricted cubic spline logistic regression. Association between frailty and BMI categories and primary outcomes including HF hospitalization, aborted sudden death, and cardiovascular death, all‐cause mortality, and HF hospitalization were analysed by Cox proportional hazards models. The patients' mean age was 72 ± 11 years for both study populations, with 50% and 46% female for the TOPCAT study and the HERO study, respectively. Patients in the TOPCAT study had a higher mean BMI (33.9 vs. 24 kg/m2), with 72.3% vs. 52.9% defined as moderately to severely frail (frailty index > 0.3). In the TOPCAT study, risk of frailty rose as BMI increased, but not in the HERO study. Patients with frailty were at significant higher risk for the primary composite outcomes [hazard ratio (HR) 1.84 (95% confidence interval: 1.46–2.32)], all‐cause mortality [HR 1.73 (1.34–2.25)], and HF hospitalization [HR 1.83 (1.40–2.40)] in the TOPCAT study. The corresponding numbers in the HERO study were 1.26 (1.01–1.57), 2.21 (1.45–3.35), and 1.15 (0.81–1.37), respectively. The association of frailty with clinical outcomes did not vary with BMI categories in the two studies.ConclusionsBMI distribution and association between BMI and frailty risk were different between the two study populations. Frailty was associated with clinical adverse events and this association was consistent across different BMI categories in both studies.
Facile (3+2) Cycloaddition between an N‐Heterocyclic Olefin and Nitrous Oxide at Ambient Conditions
Authors: Ariai Jama , Becker Jonathan , Gellrich Urs 
Published: December 2023

AbstractWe report that a gem‐dimethylated N‐heterocyclic olefin (NHO) reacts with N2O at ambient pressure and room temperature to give an imidazolone and an azine formed from intermediately generated 2‐diazopropane. The in situ formation of transient diazopropane was indirectly proven by its engagement in a facile cycloaddition with norbornene. According to our studies, the reaction sequence consists of a rate‐determining (3+2) cycloaddition between the NHO and N2O, followed by a cycloreversion that releases the diazoalkane. This mechanistic proposal is supported by DFT calculations. Eyring analysis using temperature‐variable 1H NMR spectroscopy allowed us to determine the activation parameters of the initial (3+2) cycloaddition (Δ≠H=11.2(4) kcal/mol, Δ≠S=−39.8(13) e.u., 293–308 K). Frontier molecular orbital analysis shows that the polarization of the π‐bond of the NHO decisively facilitates the cycloaddition.
The cost of participation: An analysis of the financial dimensions of participatory budgets in Portugal
Authors: Bogo Rodrigo Sartori , Falanga Roberto 
Published: December 2023

AbstractParticipatory budgeting (PB) is a democratic innovation that allows citizens to deliberate about a share of the public budget. Portugal was one of the most influent countries in this field in the last decade, as PB was implemented at multiple levels. However, few studies have made in‐depth research on the financial dimensions of PB, which raises interest as to whether and how citizens' voice has had a significant impact on policy‐making. To fill in this gap, this article considers the financial asset of local, regional, and national PBs in Portugal up to the disruption of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Our methodological approach relies on both quantitative data analyzed through Geographical Information Systems and descriptive statistics, and qualitative data retrieved from document analysis. Findings are discussed through four different stages of dissemination in the country, and show that despite significant advancements in this field, impacts in the financial dimensions lay behind expectations.
E = mc2: Education (E), medication (m), and conditional cash (c2) to improve uptake of antiseizure medications in a low‐resource population: Protocol for randomized trial
Authors: Rezaei Shawheen J. , Cissé Fodé Abass , Touré Mohamed Lamine , Duan Rui , Rice Dylan R. , Ham Andrew Siyoon , de Walque Damien , Mateen Farrah J. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractObjectiveMost people with epilepsy (PWE) could live seizure‐free if treated with one or more antiseizure medications (ASMs). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 75% of PWE in low‐resource settings lack adequate antiseizure treatment. Limited education surrounding epilepsy and the out‐of‐pocket costs of ASMs in particular pose barriers to managing epilepsy in resource‐poor, low‐income settings. The aim of this study is to implement and test a novel strategy to improve outcomes across the epilepsy care cascade marked by (1) retention in epilepsy care, (2) adherence to ASMs, and (3) seizure reduction, with the measured goal of seizure freedom.MethodsA randomized, double‐blinded clinical trial will be performed, centered at the Ignace Deen Hospital in Conakry, Republic of Guinea, in Western Sub‐Saharan Africa. Two hundred people with clinically diagnosed epilepsy, ages 18 years and above, will receive education on epilepsy and then be randomized to (i) free ASMs versus (ii) conditional cash, conditioned upon return to the epilepsy clinic. Participants will be followed for 360 days with study visits every 90 days following enrollment.SignificanceWe design a randomized trial for PWE in Guinea, a low‐resource setting with a high proportion of untreated PWE and a nearly completely privatized healthcare system. The trial includes a conditional cash transfer intervention, which has yet to be tested as a targeted means to improve outcomes for people with a chronic neurological disorder. The trial aims to provide an evidence base for the treatment of epilepsy in such settings.Plain Language SummaryWe present a clinical trial protocol for a randomized, blinded study of 200 people with epilepsy in the low‐resource African Republic of Guinea, providing an educational intervention (E), and then randomizing in a 1:1 allocation to either free antiseizure medication (m) or conditional cash (c2) for 360 days. Measured outcomes include (1) returning to outpatient epilepsy care, (2) adherence to antiseizure medications (ASMs), and (3) reducing the number of seizures. This study is an initial look at giving small amounts of cash for desired results (or “nudges”) for improving epilepsy outcomes in the sub‐Saharan African and brain disorder contexts.
Joint optimization of task scheduling and computing resource allocation for VR video services in 5G‐advanced networks
Authors: Huang Zhenglei , Du Yupeng , Yang Shujie , Xiao Han , Wang Dan , Sun Tao 
Published: December 2023

AbstractWith the development of 5G networks and related hardware equipment, the demand for various VR video services including panoramic video live broadcast and immersive game is increasing day by day. Due to the explosive growth of data volume and the trend toward lightweight VR equipment, traditional local computing architecture faces problems of insufficient computing power and high cost. As an emerging computing paradigm, the remote computing architecture of cloud‐edge collaboration frees users from cumbersome local restrictions. However, edge computing resources are often limited, and the remote cloud has inconsistent network latency. Therefore, how to adaptively schedule and allocate computing resources is the key to determining VR service quality. Based on an in‐depth analysis of the characteristics of VR video services and network environments, this article first builds a cloud‐edge‐network coorperation computing and transmission architecture for VR video services. This architecture can adaptively offload concurrent computing tasks and allocate computing power to them in VR scenes based on network conditions provided by the 5G‐Advanced networks via network information exposure interface. This paper proposes a general optimization problem to maximize user experience. And a single‐slot delay optimization model was constructed. Combining convex optimization theory and deep learning algorithms, this paper designs a task scheduling and computing power allocation strategy based on deep reinforcement learning. The policy gradually learns optimal task scheduling and resource allocation decisions to maximize delay‐related rewards in the long run. This article further introduces the graph neural network under the attention mechanism to solve the problem of changes in the number of concurrent tasks. Finally, through Cloudsim simulation, this article verifies the superiority of task scheduling and computing power allocation strategies based on deep reinforcement learning compared to other common strategies in terms of resource utilization, client latency, scalability and decision time.
OJUMP: Optimization for joint unicast‐multicast panoramic VR live streaming system
Authors: Pan Qing , Zeng Qimiao , Zhuang Yirong , Yin Zhifan , Hai Jinxia , Chen Ge , Liang Jie , Xiao Han , Yang Shujie 
Published: December 2023

AbstractVirtual reality (VR) videos have garnered increasing attention due to their ability to deliver immersive multimedia experiences to users. Nonetheless, the demanding requirements of high bandwidth and low latency for VR services present significant challenges, especially in the context of network infrastructure. In this article, we introduce a novel system called OJUMP, aimed at Optimizing the transmission and distribution of Joint Unicast‐Multicast Panoramic video field of view live streaming using Bit Index Explicit Replication (BIER). The proposed system encompasses a BIER‐based network transmission approach that enhances video transmission efficiency and facilitates large‐scale service deployment. Furthermore, OJUMP includes a dynamic disk‐state‐based tile slice distribution storage algorithm and a prefetch method designed for edge nodes to enhance the distribution efficiency of live streaming services. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed system offers distinct advantages over the baseline system in terms of bandwidth, latency, disk utilization, and central processing unit utilization.
Current trends and prospects in quinoa research: An approach for strategic knowledge areas
Authors: Flórez‐Martínez Diego Hernando , Rodríguez‐Cortina Jader , Chavez‐Oliveros Luis Fernando , Aguilera‐Arango Germán Andrés , Morales‐Castañeda Alexis 
Published: December 2023

AbstractCurrently, the demand for healthy consumption and the use of alternatives to dairy proteins for the development of foods with good nutritional value are growing. Quinoa has received much attention because it contains a high content of proteins, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, dietary fibers, and bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, this content and the bioavailability of specific compounds of interest are related to the genotype, the agri‐environmental conditions, and management practices where quinoa is grown and postharvest management. This article aimed to analyze the research trends for three knowledge areas: quinoa plant breeding for nutraceutical properties, plant–soil relations focused on abiotic stresses, and postharvest and value‐added transformation activities. To this end, a specific methodological design based on bibliometrics and scientometrics methods was used. Through these analyses based on publications' keywords, titles, abstracts, and conclusions sections, for each knowledge area, the key research trends (scope and main topics), the classification of trends based on their development and relevance degree, and the core of knowledge were established. The trends comprise the current state of research. Finally, analyzing the conclusions, recommendations, and future research sections of key publications, a strong correlation among plant breeding research to obtain varieties with tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, nutritional and functional compounds of interest for food safety, and the development of products with higher added value established interest in further research on the potential bioactivity of quinoa and the verification of health benefits to humans.
Conditions for CaCO3 Biomineralization by Trichoderma Reesei with the Perspective of Developing Fungi‐Mediated Self‐Healing Concrete
Authors: Van Wylick Aurélie , Rahier Hubert , De Laet Lars , Peeters Eveline 
Published: December 2023

AbstractConcrete, a widely used building material, often suffers from cracks that lead to corrosion and degradation. A promising solution to enhance its durability is the use of fungi as self‐healing agents, specifically by harnessing their ability to promote calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation on their cell walls. However, the ideal conditions for CaCO3 precipitation by the filamentous fungal species Trichoderma reesei are still unclear. In this study, the biomineralization properties of T. reesei in liquid media are investigated. Two different calcium sources, calcium chloride (CaCl2) and calcium lactate are tested, at varying concentrations and in the presence of different nutritional sources that support growth of T. reesei. This study also explores the effects on fungal growth upon adding cement to the medium. Calcium lactate promotes greater fungal biomass production, although less crystals are formed as compared to samples with CaCl2. An increasing calcium concentration positively influences fungal growth and precipitation, but this effect is hindered upon the addition of cement. The highest amounts of biomass and calcium carbonate precipitation are achieved with potato dextrose broth as a nutritional source. By identifying the optimal conditions for CaCO3 precipitation by T. reesei, this study highlights its potential as a self‐healing agent in concrete.
Making the World Safer and Fairer in Pandemics
Authors: Gostin Lawrence O. , Klock Kevin A. , Finch Alexandra 
Published: December 2023

AbstractGlobal health has long been characterized by injustice, with certain populations marginalized and made vulnerable by social, economic, and health disparities within and among countries. The pandemic only amplified inequalities. In response to it, the World Health Organization and the United Nations have embarked on transformative normative and financial reforms that could reimagine pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR). These reforms include a new strategy to sustainably finance the WHO, a UN political declaration on PPPR, a fundamental revision to the International Health Regulations, and negotiation of a new, legally binding pandemic agreement (popularly called the “Pandemic Treaty”). We revisit the cavernous shortcomings of the global Covid‐19 response, explain potentially transformative legal reforms and the ethical values that underpin them, and propose actionable solutions to advance both health and justice.
Lockdowns, Bioethics, and the Public: Policy‐Making in a Liberal Democracy
Authors: Schroeder S. Andrew 
Published: December 2023

AbstractCommentaries on the ethics of Covid lockdowns nearly all focus on offering substantive guidance to policy‐makers. Lockdowns, however, raise many ethical questions that admit of a range of reasonable answers. In such cases, policy‐making in a liberal democracy ought to be sensitive to which reasonable views the public actually holds—a topic existing bioethical work on lockdowns has not explored in detail. In this essay, I identify several important questions connected to the kind of influence the public ought to have on lockdown decision‐making, including how policy‐makers ought to handle misinformed or morally suspect viewpoints, and how policy‐makers ought to respond to minority viewpoints. I argue that questions like this, concerning the appropriate influence of the public on decision‐making, will be central to the field of bioethics as it increasingly focuses on policy and population‐level issues and therefore ought to be priorities for future work.
The Problem Is Not (Merely) Mass Incarceration: Incarceration as a Bioethical Crisis and Abolition as a Moral Obligation
Authors: James Jennifer Elyse 
Published: December 2023

AbstractMass incarceration is an ethical crisis. Yet it is not only the magnitude of the system that is troubling. Mass incarceration has been created and sustained by racism, classism, and ableism, and the problems of the criminal legal system will not be solved without meaningfully intervening upon these forms of oppression. Beyond that, incarceration itself—whether of one person or 2 million—represents a moral failing. To punish and control, rather than invest in community and healing, is antithetical to the values of the field of bioethics. This commentary, which responds to the article “Fifty Years of U.S. Mass Incarceration and What It Means for Bioethics,” by Sean Valles, considers abolition as a crucial form of justice that must be centered in the work of bioethics. Abolition is both an antiracist intervention and a means of considering the ways health care broadly and bioethics specifically have allowed for the perpetuation of carcerality in the United States.
Preventing Another Fifty Years of Mass Incarceration: How Bioethics Can Help
Authors: Venters Homer 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn the article “Fifty Years of U.S. Mass Incarceration and What It Means for Bioethics,” Sean Valles provides an important reminder of the consequences of mass incarceration in the United States and identifies potential roles for bioethicists in addressing this system. My limited view—that of a physician who conducts court‐ordered investigations and monitoring of health services behind bars—is that the ongoing failure of most academic and professional organizations to be more effective in this much‐ignored area stems from the lack of leaders and staff who have been directly impacted by mass incarceration. As conditions behind bars worsen, and a new war on drugs recoils the spring of mass incarceration, there is a pressing need to train, recruit, and promote people who know the realities of the criminal (and immigration) justice system and its impact on health and well‐being. This step can bring a more powerful engagement of bioethics regarding housing, employment, and health care and policing, as well as the numerous and harmful elements of jails, prisons, and detention settings. I provide examples of partners I learn from in this arena, as well as some discrete and technical areas for possible investigation.
Educating students about volatile substance use in Australian schools: Is the current approach evidence‐based, and how should we do it?
Authors: MacLean Sarah , Cook Megan , Dillon Paul , Wright Cassandra 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAustralian national, state and territory school‐based drug education policies advise that volatile substance use (VSU) should be excluded from general drug education curriculum for fear of alerting young people to the intoxicating properties of substances such as petrol, sprays and glues. We review evidence from the United States and United Kingdom on the effects of including volatile substances in school‐based drug education, to argue that these policies are due for reconsideration. Nitrous oxide and nitrites are classified as volatile substances along with solvents such as those listed above, although their patterns of use, effects and harms are different. In an era of widespread social media access, more young people than in the past are likely to have heard about VSU. But because VSU is often short‐term, parents and teachers may be unaware when young people in their care consume volatile substances. The general silence about VSU in schools, difficulty in detecting use and the varying sets of risks associated with inhaling different substances mean that young people may be unaware of toxicity or harm reduction strategies when they consume volatiles as drugs. We consider some implementation challenges to be negotiated if VSU education were introduced in Australian schools.
The characteristics of Guillain–Barre syndrome in children in pre‐COVID‐19 and during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Javankiani Sepide , Nasrollahizadeh Amir , Gharib Behdad , Heidari Morteza , Memarian Sara 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackground and AimsIn the pathophysiology of Guillain–Barre syndrome (GBS), inflammation and immunity are believed to play a key role. The neutrophil‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte‐lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have been recently identified as potential markers of inflammation or immunity. This study aimed to investigate whether NLR, MLR, and PLR are associated with GBS characteristics in children. We also assessed the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the characteristics of GBS in Iran.MethodsIn this retrospective cross‐sectional study, we reviewed the records of all 150 children diagnosed with GBS in the Children's Medical Center hospital affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) from March 2017 until March 2022. The TUMS research ethics committee approved the study (Ethics code: IR.TUMS.CHMC.REC.1399.125). Patients' data including gender, age, clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and electrodiagnostic study results were collected and analyzed.ResultsThis study involved 150 children, comprising 93 boys and 57 girls, with an average age of 7.53 ± 3.75 years. The analysis demonstrated that the number of hospitalization days increased with an increase in NLR (p = 0.025). Moreover, patients with abnormal electrodiagnostic study patterns had a higher risk of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (p: 0.027), although according to binary logistic regression, respiratory failure at admission time was the only significant factor increasing the risk of ICU admission (p = 0.035). The study also found that the pandemic has resulted in a shift from acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy to acute motor axonal neuropathy as the most common EMG‐NCV pattern in our patients (p < 0.001).ConclusionWe found that higher NLR was associated with a longer hospitalization duration and could potentially distinguish between severe and mild cases of GBS. We have also shown that the COVID‐19 pandemic has changed our patients' most frequent electromyography and nerve conduction velocity (EMG‐NCV) patterns.