bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Temporary‐permanent pacemakers are associated with better clinical and safety outcomes compared to balloon‐tipped temporary pacemakers
Authors: Chedid Maroun , Shroff Gautam R. , Iqbal Omer , Adabag Selçuk , Karim Rehan M. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBackgroundBalloon Tipped Temporary Pacemakers (BTTP) are the most used temporary pacemakers; however, they are associated with a risk of dislodgement and thromboembolism. Recently, Temporary Permanent Pacemakers (TPPM) have been increasingly used. Evidence of outcomes with TPPM compared to BTTP remains scarce.MethodsRetrospective, chart review study evaluating all patients who underwent temporary pacemaker placement between 2014 and 2022 (N = 126) in the cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) at a level 1 trauma center. Primary outcome of this study is to evaluate the safety profile of TPPM versus BTTP. Secondary objectives include patient ambulation and healthcare utilization in patients with temporary pacemakers.ResultsBoth groups had similar baseline characteristics distribution including gender, race, and age at temporary pacemaker insertion (p > .05). Subclavian vein was the most common site of access for the TPPM cohort (89.0%) versus the femoral vein in the BTTP group (65.1%). Ambulation was only possible in the TPPM group (55.6%, p < .001). Lead dislodgement, venous thromboembolism, local hematoma, and access site infections were less frequently encountered in the TPPM group (OR = 0.23 [95% CI (0.10‐0.67), p < .001]). Within the subgroup of patients with TPPM, 36.6% of the patients were monitored outside the ICU setting. There was no significant difference in the pacemaker‐related adverse events among patients with TPPM based on their in‐hospital setting.ConclusionTPPM is associated with a more favorable safety profile compared to BTTP. They are also associated with earlier patient ambulation and reduced healthcare utilization.
Kisspeptin stimulates oestradiol biosynthesis by upregulating steroidogenic transcripts and proliferation markers in the bubaline granulosa cells in vitro
Authors: Sharma Renu , Patra Manas Kumar , Puttanarsappa Thejaswini Meda , Hitesh  , Raza Mohammad Rehan Ahmad , Sahu Tarun Kumar , Mathesh Karikalan , Dubal Zunjar Baburao , Ghosh Subrata Kumar , Gaur Gyanendra Kumar , Das Goutam Kumar , Singh Sanjay Kumar , Krishnaswamy Narayanan 
Published: January 2024

AbstractKisspeptin (Kp), an upstream regulator of GnRH release, is essential for the development and function of reproductive axis. Previously, we demonstrated the localization of Kp and its receptor (Kiss1r) in the active follicle in the bubaline ovary. Present study aimed to determine the effect of Kp on granulosa cell (GCs) functions, especially oestradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) production, and differential expression of genes regulating the proliferation, apoptosis and steroidogenesis in the buffalo. The ovaries with 6–10 mm size follicles obtained from the cyclic buffaloes after slaughtering were used for isolation of GCs for in vitro study. The primary GCs culture was treated with Kp (0, 10, 50 and 100 nM) and incubated for 48 h. Production of E2 and P4 was estimated in the culture supernatant by ELISA. The expression of gonadotropin receptors (FSHR and LHR), steroidogenic genes (STAR, 3β‐HSD, CYP19A1), proliferation marker (PCNA), apoptotic factors (CASP3 and BCL2) and Kp signalling molecule (extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2, ERK1/2 and p‐ERK1/2) was studied in the GCs by qPCR. Significant E2 production was found in the Kp 50 and 100 nM groups (p < .05), whereas P4 production was reduced in Kp 100 nM group (p < .05). There was concomitant upregulation of FSHR, ERK1/2, STAR and CYP19A1 in the Kp 100 nM treated GCs. In addition, Kp at 100 nM stimulated the proliferation of GCs by upregulating the expression of BCL2 (5.0 fold) and PCNA (94.9 fold). Further, high immunoreactivity of p‐ERK1/2 was observed in the Kp‐treated GCs. It was concluded that Kp at 100 nM concentration stimulated E2 production by upregulating the steroidogenic pathway through ERK1/2, STAR and CYP19A1 and modulating PCNA and BCL2 expressions in the GCs. Further experiments are warranted using Kp antagonist in different combinations to establish the signalling pathway in Kp‐mediated steroidogenesis in the GCs for developing strategies to control ovarian functions.
Morphology and morphometry of sperm in Kurdish stallions, a local breed from western Iran
Authors: Nooroozian Armaghan , Goodarzi Nader , Tafti Rohollah Dehghani 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe present work was designed for a thorough investigation into the sperm morphology and morphometry of Kurdish stallions. The semen samples were collected from 10 Kurdish stallions. Three preparations from each ejaculate were stained with eosin–nigrosin (EN), Diff‐Quik (DQ) and Rose Bengal (RB). The area, perimeter, length and width of the sperm head as well as tail length and total sperm length were measured. The parameters ellipticity, elongation, roughness and regularity were calculated. The morphology of sperm was also investigated under scanning and transmission electron microscopes. DQ and RB provided more clarified images for examining sperm structures compared to the EN method. The head length, head width, area and perimeter in EN were significantly higher than those in DQ and RB (p ≤ .05). Furthermore, the difference in head width, head area and head perimeter between DQ and RB was not significant (p ≥ .05). The tail length and total sperm length in all methods were close together (p ≥ .05). The highest percentage of normal sperm was seen in DQ and RB methods (82.55 ± 2.88 and 88.31 ± 5.19) respectively. The highest values for ellipticity, elongation and regularity were found in RB, whereas the highest value for roughness was measured in EN. Tail defects including coiled tails, and folded midpieces were the most frequent. Scanning electron microscope revealed two types of head shapes: heads with round anterior border, and heads with flat anterior border. The results indicated that despite the routine use of EN for morphological assessment of stallion sperm, RB and DQ can be considered for more clarified details of sperm structure including acrosome and midpiece. Furthermore, the Kurdish stallion sperm has morphometric traits in the normal range established for stallions; yet, some traits were larger than those reported for other breeds. It seems that the sperm of the Kurdish stallion has a longer head and tail in comparison with other horse breeds.
The effect of capital structure on the financial sustainability of microfinance institutions: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Dirse Muleye Tarekegn , Japee Gurudutta P. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractConsidering the trend toward microfinance institutions (MFIs) commercialization that fundamentally reshapes their capital structure, this meta‐analysis, by synthesizing data from a wide range of studies, aims to investigate the impact of different sources of finance on the financial sustainability of MFIs and determine the optimal order in which these sources should be utilized. In this study, 166 effect sizes were obtained from 64 studies. Overall, the findings indicate that equity and deposit financing enhance financial sustainability positively, whereas debt and donation financing exhibit an inverse relationship. However, variations exist based on the MFI charters. While equity financing adversely affects the financial sustainability of MFI banks, it also exerts positive effects on other types of MFIs. Similarly, deposit financing negatively affected MFI NGOs. Regarding financial sustainability proxies, debt and equity financing affect financial self‐sufficiency (FSS) and operating self‐sufficiency (OSS), unlike donation and deposit financing. Equity financing has a positive effect on OSS but a negative effect on FSS. In contrast, debt financing shows the opposite trend. The meta‐regression further reveals that, as capital structure variables, the sources of finance do not significantly explain the variance in MFIs' FSS but do so for OSS. These findings have implications for managers and for future research.
Beyond bronchodilation: Illuminating the performance benefits of inhaled beta2‐agonists in sports
Authors: Hostrup Morten , Jessen Søren 
Published: January 2024

AbstractGiven the prevalent use of inhaled beta2‐agonists in sports, there is an ongoing debate as to whether they enhance athletic performance. Over the last decades, inhaled beta2‐agonists have been claimed not to enhance performance with little consideration of dose or exercise modality. In contrast, orally administered beta2‐agonists are perceived as being performance enhancing, predominantly on muscle strength and sprint ability, but can also induce muscle hypertrophy and slow‐to‐fast fiber phenotypic switching. But because inhaled beta2‐agonists are more efficient to achieve high systemic concentrations than oral delivery relative to dose, it follows that the inhaled route has the potential to enhance performance too. The question is at which inhaled doses such effects occur. While supratherapeutic doses of inhaled beta2‐agonists enhance muscle strength and short intense exercise performance, effects at low therapeutic doses are less apparent. However, even high therapeutic inhaled doses of commonly used beta2‐agonists have been shown to induce muscle hypertrophy and to enhance sprint performance. This is concerning from an anti‐doping perspective. In this paper, we raise awareness of the circumstances under which inhaled beta2‐agonists can constitute a performance‐enhancing benefit.
Ação política através da imagem no conflito palestino-israelense: resenha de Screen Shots de Rebecca L. Stein
Authors: Baldin Vitoria Paschoal 
Published: January 2024

Resultado de anos de pesquisa sobre as relações entre a imagem técnica e a ação política, Screen Shots de Rebecca L. Stein reflete sobre as promessas da câmera como ferramenta de ativismo tensionadas a partir dos desafios enfrentados contemporaneamente. Com a disseminação global de smartphones, as câmeras se proliferaram como ferramentas políticas entre diversos atores nos Territórios Palestinos, como ativistas palestinos, soldados israelenses, colonos e defensores dos direitos humanos. A autora aborda como esses sujeitos depositaram profunda esperança nessas tecnologias como ferramenta para atingir suas respectivas agendas políticas. Stein investiga tais sonhos e a desilusão subsequente.
Likelihood-free posterior estimation and uncertainty quantification for diffusion MRI models
Authors: Karimi Hazhar Sufi , Pal Arghya , Ning Lipeng , Rathi Yogesh 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) allows to estimate brain tissue microstructure as well as the connectivity of the white matter (known as tractography). Accurate estimation of the model parameters (by solving the inverse problem) is thus very important to infer the underlying biophysical tissue properties and fiber orientations. Although there has been extensive research on this topic with a myriad of dMRI models, most models use standard nonlinear optimization techniques and only provide an estimate of the model parameters without any information (quantification) about uncertainty in their estimation. Further, the effect of this uncertainty on the estimation of the derived dMRI microstructural measures downstream (e.g., fractional anisotropy) is often unknown and is rarely estimated. To address this issue, we first design a new deep-learning algorithm to identify the number of crossing fibers in each voxel. Then, at each voxel, we propose a robust likelihood-free deep learning method to estimate not only the mean estimate of the parameters of a multi-fiber dMRI model (e.g., the biexponential model), but also its full posterior distribution. The posterior distribution is then used to estimate the uncertainty in the model parameters as well as the derived measures. We perform several synthetic and in-vivo quantitative experiments to demonstrate the robustness of our approach for different noise levels and out-of-distribution test samples. Besides, our approach is computationally fast and requires an order of magnitude less time than standard nonlinear fitting techniques. The proposed method demonstrates much lower error (compared to existing methods) in estimating several metrics, including number of fibers in a voxel, fiber orientation, and tensor eigenvalues. The proposed methodology is quite general and can be used for the estimation of the parameters from any other dMRI model.
Investigation and Tranquillity in Sextus Empiricus
Authors: Svavarsson Svavar Hrafn 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Sextus Empiricus tells us that the sceptics conduct investigations. Genuine investigations are commonly taken to have some connection with the aim of discovering truth. Sextus also tells us that the sceptics aim at tranquillity in their investigations. But they do this only by suspending judgement. In what sense, then, are their investigations connected with the aim of discovering truth? This article argues that there is a sense in which Sextus can reasonably take sceptical investigations to be connected with the aim of discovering truth, even though the sceptics only aim at preserving their tranquillity by suspending judgement.
An Exploratory Content Analysis of Two Local Television Stations’ Tornado Warning Broadcasts
Authors: Sherman-Morris Kathleen , Ali S. M. Asger 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
In-depth analysis of the content of broadcast tornado warning coverage is limited. Such analysis is important due to local television’s role as a key source for tornado warning information. This study attempts to fill gaps in our knowledge regarding broadcast coverage of tornado warnings by demonstrating how local television news stations’ coverage of tornadic events can be systematically analyzed to better understand this element of warning communication. We reviewed both visual and verbal content for information such as the prominence of specific radar products, the geographic scale of warning communication, and common themes in verbal communication. A combination of deductive and inductive coding approaches was used to summarize the verbal content of the broadcasts. We found that the stations heavily used radar products with reflectivity and velocity surpassing correlation coefficient. The geographic scale of mapped products (street, city/county, and state level) appeared to be related to the rural or urban nature of the area warned, which may have implications for how readily rural residents would be able to personalize tornado threats. Verbal content was very similar between the two stations. The theme of monitoring and updating conditions, which included processes such as zooming in and out, making adjustments, reinforcing conditions, and providing damage reports was the most frequent communication type, likely because weathercasters use these processes to both communicate the warning and also to help themselves understand the situation. The results can inform future studies examining the influence of specific elements of broadcast warning coverage on risk perception and protective actions.

Significance Statement
Television is a key source for receiving or confirming tornado warnings, but few studies have examined the content of broadcast warnings in depth. This study examined the visual and verbal content of broadcast tornado warnings on two local television stations. Radar products were used heavily, and street-level coverage was more common when a tornado affected a metropolitan area. Coverage was most common at the city/county level. Verbal content included many elements of effective warning communication but at times included jargon that may not be understood by viewers. The results can serve as a springboard for future research on the impacts of these elements on risk perception and response. It can also serve future research by distinguishing what viewers of severe weather broadcasts are exposed to that nonviewers are not.
Calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonists in pregnancy: a disproportionality analysis in VigiBase®
Authors: Noseda Roberta , Bedussi Francesca , Gobbi Claudio , Ceschi Alessandro , Zecca Chiara 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Current evidence on the safety of calcitonin gene–related peptide antagonists (CGRP-A) in pregnancy for the treatment of both episodic and chronic migraine is scarce and does not yet provide definitive information. By querying VigiBase®, the World Health Organization global pharmacovigilance database, this study aimed to detect differences in the reporting frequency between CGRP-A and triptans in relation to pregnancy.

Methods
Disproportionality analyses on de-duplicated safety reports collected in VigiBase® as of 31.05.2023 reporting exposure to CGRP-A in pregnancy with or without pregnancy outcomes. A Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as a measure of disproportionality and the threshold for the detection of a signal of disproportionate reporting was set with a 95% CI lower limit > 1.

Findings
Four hundred sixty-seven safety reports reported exposure to CGRP-A in pregnancy, mostly originating from the United States of America (360/467, 77%), more frequently reported by patients (225/467, 48%), who were mainly females (431/467, 92%), and more frequently reported exposure to CGRP-A during pregnancy (400/467, 86%). Compared to triptans, no signals of disproportionate reporting were detected with CGRP-A either for the overall reporting of pregnancy-related safety reports (ROR 0.91, 95% CI 0.78–1.06), for the reporting of pregnancy outcomes (maternal and/or foetal/neonatal, ROR 0.54, 95% CI 0.45–0.66), or for the reporting of foetal/neonatal outcomes (ROR 0.53, 95% CI 0.41–0.68).

Conclusions
This study showed that, to date, there are no signals of increased reporting with CGRP-A compared to triptans in relation to pregnancy in VigiBase®. Future pharmacovigilance studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Artificial light at night reduces earthworm activity but increases growth of invasive ragweed
Authors: Mittmannsgruber Marion , Kavassilas Zenia , Spangl Bernhard , Gruber Edith , Jagg Elias , Zaller Johann G. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Artificial light at night, also referred to as light pollution (LP), has been shown to affect many organisms. However, little is known about the extent to which ecological interactions between earthworms and plants are altered by LP. We investigated the effects of LP on anecic earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) that come to the surface at night to forage and mate, and on the germination and growth of the invasive and allergenic ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). In a full factorial pot experiment in the greenhouse, we tested four factors and their interactions: LP (5 lux vs. 0 lux at night), earthworms (two individuals vs. none), plant species (seeding of ragweed only vs. mixed with Phacelia seeds) and sowing depth (seed placed at the surface vs. in 5 cm depth). Data were analysed using Generalized Linear (Mixed) Models and multifactorial ANOVAs with soil parameters as covariates.

Results
Light pollution reduced earthworm surface activity by 76% as measured by casting activity and toothpick index; 85% of mating earthworms were observed in the absence of LP. Light pollution in interaction with earthworms reduced ragweed germination by 33%. However, LP increased ragweed height growth by 104%. Earthworms reduced ragweed germination especially when seeds were placed on the soil surface, suggesting seed consumption by earthworms.

Conclusions
Our data suggest that anecic earthworms are negatively affected by LP because reduced surface activity limits their ability to forage and mate. The extent to which earthworm-induced ecosystem services or community interactions are also affected by LP remains to be investigated. If the increased height growth of ragweed leads to increased pollen and seed production, it is likely that the competition of ragweed with field crops and the risks to human health will also increase under LP.
Evaluation of a modified ultrasound-assisted technique for mid-thoracic epidural placement: a prospective observational study
Authors: Huang Chanyan , Chen Ying , Kou Mengjia , Wang Xuan , Luo Wei , Zhang Yuanjia , Guo Yuting , Huang Xiongqing , Meng Lingzhong , Xiao Ying 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Although mid-thoracic epidural analgesia benefits patients undergoing major surgery, technical difficulties often discourage its use. Improvements in technology are warranted to improve the success rate on first pass and patient comfort. The previously reported ultrasound-assisted technique using a generic needle insertion site failed to demonstrate superiority over conventional landmark techniques. A stratified needle insertion site based on sonoanatomic features may improve the technique.

Methods
Patients who presented for elective abdominal or thoracic surgery requesting thoracic epidural analgesia for postoperative pain control were included in this observational study. A modified ultrasound-assisted technique using a stratified needle insertion site based on ultrasound images was adopted. The number of needle passes, needle skin punctures, procedure time, overall success rate, and incidence of procedure complications were recorded.

Results
One hundred and twenty-eight subjects were included. The first-pass success and overall success rates were 75% (96/128) and 98% (126/128), respectively. In 95% (122/128) of patients, only one needle skin puncture was needed to access the epidural space. The median [IQR] time needed from needle insertion to access the epidural space was 59 [47–122] seconds. No complications were observed during the procedure.

Conclusions
This modified ultrasound-assisted mid-thoracic epidural technique has the potential to improve success rates and reduce the needling time. The data shown in our study may be a feasible basis for a prospective study comparing our ultrasound-assisted epidural placements to conventional landmark-based techniques.