bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
(377) Different Risk Factors and Their Effects on Semen Analysis: A 7-year Single Institutional Review
Authors: Piraino J , Helo S , Guillen Lozoya A 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Introduction
Semen parameters are a reflection of overall patient health and may fluctuate during times of physiologic stress. Autoimmune disease affects a number of aspects of health and may be exacerbated by disease flare-ups and/or medical therapy. Nearly 5 million men are living with an autoimmune disease, yet its effect on male fertility is not well defined.

Objective
The object of this study is to evaluate the effect of autoimmune disease and other health factors, such as smoking status, BMI, and age on semen parameters using a large institutional database.

Methods
We reviewed an institutional database of all patients who underwent as semen analysis for any reason between 2013 and 2019. In addition to autoimmune disease status, patient age, smoking status, and body mass index were noted. Chi-Squared analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of autoimmune disease and smoking status on semen analysis. Univariate analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of age and body mass index on semen analysis.

Results
Of the 1127 patients in the cohort, 44 patients had a diagnosis of autoimmune disease at the time of semen analysis. Mean age of patients with and without autoimmune disease was noted to be the same at 34 years. No significant difference was noted in semen parameters (motility, pH, concentration, volume, morphology) when comparing patients with autoimmune disease to those without. When looking at factors aside from having an autoimmune disease, smoking status had a significant difference on sperm morphology (p = 0.043) but did not have any significant effect on other semen parameters. Sperm motility (p = &lt;0.01) and volume (p = 0.03) declined with increasing age. Increasing body mass index was associated with increased semen pH (p = 0.03), but otherwise did not impact semen parameters.

Conclusions
This single center, large retrospective analysis shows no significant impact of autoimmune disease on semen parameters. Smoking and patient age were the only significant factors that influenced semen parameters, while patient age only caused a slight increase in semen pH.

Disclosure
No.
(379) The Effect of 5-α Reductase Inhibitor on Male Reproductive Function
Authors: Song S , Lee TH , Kim DS 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Introduction
5α-reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) such as finasteride or dutasteride has been approved to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenic alopecia (male pattern hair loss), which blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. With expanding usage among young men, concerns exist regarding potential negative influence of this hormonal agent on male reproductive function.

Objective
We investigated the effect of 5-ARI usage on the sexual and reproductive function in men of reproductive age.

Methods
This study included healthy males of reproductive age who visited single fertility center. We compared the sexual and reproductive function between those who take 5-ARI for androgenic alopecia (n=40) and no medication group (n=48). Erectile function was surveyed using IIEF-5 questionnaire. In addition to basic fertility evaluation, semen parameters and serum reproductive hormone were compared between groups. Semen samples were collected with abstinence period of more than 48 hours. Patients with chronic medical disease, previous scrotal surgery or exposure to gonadotoxic agents were excluded.

Results
The mean duration of 5-ARI intake was 54.2 months and there was no significant difference in IIEF-5 score between the two groups (5-ARI group vs. control group). There was no significant difference in semen parameters; sperm concentration ([101.5 ± 68.7]×10^6/mL vs. [97.5 ± 65.5]×10^6/mL, p=0.783), sperm motility (39.8% ± 9.0% vs. 42.0% ± 8.5%, p=0.224), sperm progressive motility (37.4% ± 9.4% vs. 39.0% ± 9.0%, p=0.404), sperm morphology (normal forms: 4.5% ± 1.4% vs. 4.8% ± 1.1%, p=0.308), except smaller semen volume in 5-ARI group (2.3 ± 0.9 mL vs. 3.4 ± 1.4 mL, p&lt;0.001). Serum testosterone and FSH were higher in 5-ARI group. Two patients experienced adverse events while taking 5-ARI.

Conclusions
Our study suggests that administration of 5-ARI does not significantly affect male reproductive function. However, a prudent approach is recommended in men with oligospermia or ejaculatory dysfunction.

Disclosure
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(383) Viewpoints of Patients Regarding Their Reasons for Undergoing a Vasectomy: Impact of the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Decision
Authors: Wong V , Posid T , Shreram U , Asif H , Sweigert S , Delancey JO , Springer E , Yih J 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Introduction
Vasectomy is an inexpensive surgical procedure to achieve permanent contraception. Current literature indicates that couples opt for vasectomy for various reasons, examples include satisfaction with size of family, financial constraints, age barriers, lack of confidence in other contraceptive options, concern about spouse’s health with other methods, and avoidance of unwanted pregnancies.

Objective
The main objective of this study is to assess the views and reasons that our patients choose a vasectomy to evaluate if there have been changes to reasons to get this procedure after the recent Dobbs decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Methods
An anonymous survey was sent via REDCap to patients who have received vasectomy treatment from our institution’s Department of Urology in the last two years (N=57, 52.6% pre-Dobbs ruling). Participants provided demographics, current contraceptive methods, and reasons and duration they considered a vasectomy procedure.

Results
Study Sample. Patients were 93.4% Caucasian, 87.3% heterosexual, 95.1% non-Hispanic or Latino, with a mean age of 37.5 (SD=5.92). All spoke English as a first language. 79.7% were married and the majority (77.1%) had been in their current relationship for more than 6 years. 77.3% had at least one child and 78.0% had at least one child over the age of 2 years. Mean income was $70,000-$100,000 and mean level of education obtained was a bachelor’s degree. Survey Results. We asked patients why they chose to have a vasectomy procedure and compared responses pre- vs. post-Dobbs-ruling. Patients after the Dobbs ruling were significantly more likely to indicate that they chose to have a vasectomy due to a concern about an inability to obtain abortion access (p=0.026). Patients after the Dobbs ruling were also significantly more likely to indicate that they chose to have a vasectomy because they did not want to bring children into the current political climate (p=0.002). Critically, other reasons for obtaining a vasectomy (e.g., feeling too old to have children, limited resources, lack of confidence in other contraceptive methods, health concerns) did not differ pre- vs. post-Dobbs ruling (ps&gt;0.1).

Conclusions
In our study, we found that patients demonstrated concern for abortion inaccessibility after the Dobbs ruling and were more likely to obtain vasectomy due to this reason. Understanding patient viewpoints and reasons for seeking specific procedures and types of healthcare can better prepare our providers and surgeons to provide this care moving forward.

Disclosure
No.
(396) Comparing Phone Based 3D Scanning App to In-Office Measurements to Assess Peyronie's Deformity
Authors: Le B , Lee A , Shekar A , Raheem O 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Introduction
Peyronie’s disease can lead to complex deformity of the penis. Three-dimensional scanning applications available on personal phones like PD Scan from endo pharmaceuticals offer the possibility of better capturing the condition in the privacy of one’s own home and track progress over time. While the application carries a disclaimer of not being FDA approved to diagnose or treat any condition, it may prove to be a useful tool to facilitate communication between the clinician and patient.

Objective
We sought to evaluate the differences between 3D scans captured on the PD Scan app and office measurements done by a urologist using a goniometer.

Methods
This study obtained measurements using: (1) a bench-top model penis bent to represent various angles and (2) real patients who were offered to monitor progress through xialfex injections. Goniometer measurements were made by a single urologist and compared to PD Scan measurements. Patients also evaluated ease of use of the app on a lichert-scale of 1-5.

Results
26 measurements were obtained comparing urologist obtained goniometer measurements and PD scan software. 10 measurements were patient-generated (4 patients) and 16 measurements were from bench-top model. Primary angle variance range was +/- 15.4 degrees. Patient measurements tended to exceed urologist obtained goniometer measurements (mean difference +9 degrees). Bench model had less variance (mean difference -5 degrees). Patients overall found the app somewhat difficult to use rating it 2/5. We found PD scan useful to better document hourglass deformity and volume loss.

Conclusions
PD scan software in patient hands tended to overestimate penile angulation compared to office measurements with a goniometer. When used on a bench model, the 3D scan accuracy improved suggesting a user induced variance. This can have implications for tracking progress through xiaflex treatment cycles.

Disclosure
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A novel model for predicting deep-seated candidiasis due to Candida glabrata among cancer patients: A 6-year study in a cancer center of China
Authors: Li Ding , Wang Lin , Zhao Zhihong , Bai Changsen , Li Xichuan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Followed by Candida albicans, Candida glabrata ranks as the second major species contributing to invasive candidiasis. Given the higher medical burden and lower susceptibility to azoles in C. glabrata infections, identifying these infections is critical. From 2016 to 2021, patients with deep-seated candidiasis due to C. glabrata and non-glabrata Candida met the criteria to be enrolled in the study. Clinical data were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts. A predictive model and nomogram were constructed using R software based on the stepwise algorithm and logistic regression. The performance of the model was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and decision curve analysis (DCA). A total of 197 patients were included in the study, 134 of them infected with non-glabrata Candida and 63 with C. glabrata. The predictive model for C. glabrata infection consisted of gastrointestinal cancer, co-infected with bacteria, diabetes mellitus, and kidney dysfunction. The specificity was 84.1% and the sensitivity was 61.5% in the validation cohort when the cutoff value was set to the same as the training cohort. Based on the model, treatment for patients with a high-risk threshold was better than ‘treatment for all’ in DCA, while opting low-risk patients out of treatment was also better than ‘treatment for none’ in opt-out DCA. The predictive model provides a rapid method for judging the probability of infections due to C. glabrata and will be of benefit to clinicians making decisions about therapy strategies.
Cooling and instabilities in colliding radiative flows with toroidal magnetic fields
Authors: Markwick R N , Frank A , Blackman E G , Carroll-Nellenback J , Lebedev S V , Russell D R , Halliday J W D , Suttle L G , Hartigan P M 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT
We report on the results of a simulation-based study of colliding magnetized plasma flows. Our set-up mimics pulsed power laboratory astrophysical experiments but, with an appropriate frame change, is relevant to astrophysical jets with internal velocity variations. We track the evolution of the interaction region where the two flows collide. Cooling via radiative losses is included in the calculation. We systematically vary plasma beta (βm) in the flows, the strength of the cooling (Λ0), and the exponent (α) of temperature dependence of the cooling function. We find that for strong magnetic fields a counter-propagating jet called a ‘spine’ is driven by pressure from shocked toroidal fields. The spines eventually become unstable and break apart. We demonstrate how formation and evolution of the spines depend on initial flow parameters and provide a simple analytical model that captures the basic features of the flow.
RABBITS – I. The crucial role of nuclear star formation in driving the coalescence of supermassive black hole binaries
Authors: Liao Shihong , Irodotou Dimitrios , Johansson Peter H , Naab Thorsten , Rizzuto Francesco Paolo , Hislop Jessica M , Rawlings Alexander , Wright Ruby J 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT
In this study of the ‘Resolving supermAssive Black hole Binaries In galacTic hydrodynamical Simulations’ (RABBITS) series, we focus on the hardening and coalescing process of supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries in galaxy mergers. For simulations including different galaxy formation processes (i.e. gas cooling, star formation, SMBH accretion, stellar, and AGN feedback), we systematically control the effect of stochastic eccentricity by fixing it to similar values during the SMBH hardening phase. We find a strong correlation between the SMBH merger time-scales and the presence of nuclear star formation. Throughout the galaxy merging process, gas condenses at the centre due to cooling and tidal torques, leading to nuclear star formation. These recently formed stars, which inherit low angular momenta from the gas, contribute to the loss cone and assist in the SMBH hardening via three-body interactions. Compared to non-radiative hydrodynamical runs, the SMBH merger time-scales measured from the runs including cooling, stellar, and SMBH physical processes tend to be shortened by a factor of ∼1.7. After fixing the eccentricity to the range of e ∼ 0.6–0.8 during the hardening phase, the simulations with AGN feedback reveal merger time-scales of ∼100–500 Myr for disc mergers and ∼1–2 Gyr for elliptical mergers. With a semi-analytical approach, we find that the torque interaction between the binary and its circumbinary disc has minimal impact on the shrinking of the binary orbit in our retrograde galaxy merger. Our results are useful in improving the modelling of SMBH merger time-scales and gravitational-wave event rates.
Evolution of gas flows along the starburst to post-starburst to quiescent galaxy sequence
Authors: Sun Yang , Lee Gwang-Ho , Zabludoff Ann I , French K Decker , Helton Jakob M , Kerrison Nicole A , Tremonti Christy A , Yang Yujin 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT
We measure velocity offsets in the $\rm{Na {}\rm {\small I}}$ λλ5890, 5896 ($\rm{Na {}\rm {\small D}}$) interstellar medium absorption lines to track how neutral galactic winds change as their host galaxies evolve. Our sample of ∼80 000 SDSS spectra at 0.010 &lt; z &lt; 0.325 includes starburst, post-starburst, and quiescent galaxies, forming an evolutionary sequence of declining star formation rate (SFR). We detect bulk flows across this sequence, mostly at higher host stellar masses (log(M*/M⊙)) &gt; 10). Along this sequence, the fraction of outflows decreases (76 ± 2 per cent to 65 ± 4 per cent to a 3σ upper limit of 34 per cent), and the mean velocity offset changes from outflowing to inflowing (−84.6 ± 5.9 to −71.6 ± 11.4 to $76.6\pm 2.3\, \rm km s^{-1}$). Even within the post-starburst sample, wind speed decreases with time elapsed since the starburst ended. These results reveal that outflows diminish as galaxies age. For post-starbursts, there is evidence for an AGN contribution, especially to the speediest outflows: (1) SFR declines faster in time than outflow velocity, a decoupling arguing against massive stellar feedback; (2) of the few outflows strong enough to escape the interstellar medium (9/105), three of the four hosts with measured emission lines are Seyfert galaxies. For discy starburst galaxies, however, the trends suggest flows out of the stellar disc plane (with outflow 1/2-opening angle &gt; 45°) instead of from the nucleus: the wind velocity decreases as the disc becomes more edge-on, and the outflow fraction, constant at $\sim 90~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for disc inclinations i &lt; 45°, steadily decreases from $\sim 90~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ to 20 per cent for i &gt; 45°.
Compact groups of dwarf galaxies in TNG50: late hierarchical assembly and delayed stellar build-up in the low-mass regime
Authors: Flores-Freitas Rodrigo , Trevisan Marina , Mückler Maitê , Mamon Gary A , Schnorr-Müller Allan , Bootz Vitor 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT
Compact groups of dwarf galaxies (CGDs) have been observed at low redshifts (z &lt; 0.1) and are direct evidence of hierarchical assembly at low masses. To understand the formation of CGDs and the galaxy assembly in the low-mass regime, we search for analogues of compact (radius ≤100 kpc) groups of dwarfs (7 ≤ log [M*/M⊙] ≤ 9.5) in the IllustrisTNG highest resolution simulation. Our analysis shows that TNG50-1 can successfully produce CGDs at z = 0 with realistic total and stellar masses. We also find that the CGD number density decreases towards the present, especially at z ≲ 0.26, reaching $n \approx 10^{-3.5} \ \rm cMpc^{-3}$ at z = 0. This prediction can be tested observationally with upcoming surveys targeting the faint end of the galaxy population and is essential to constrain galaxy evolution models in the dwarf regime. The majority of simulated groups at z ∼ 0 formed recently ($\lesssim 1.5 \ \rm Gyr$), and CGDs identified at z ≤ 0.5 commonly take more than 1 Gyr to merge completely, giving origin to low- to intermediate-mass (8 ≤ log [M*/M⊙] ≤ 10) normally star-forming galaxies at z = 0. We find that haloes hosting CGDs at z = 0 formed later when compared to haloes of similar mass, having lower stellar masses and higher total gas fractions. The simulations suggest that CGDs observed at z ∼ 0 arise from a late hierarchical assembly in the last ∼3 Gyr, producing rapid growth in total mass relative to stellar mass and creating dwarf groups with median halo masses of $\sim 10^{11.3} \ \rm M_\odot$ and B-band mass-to-light ratios mostly in the range 10 ≲ M/L ≲ 100, in agreement with previous theoretical and observational studies.
SDSS-IV MaNGA: calibration of astrophysical line-widths in the Hα region using HexPak observations
Authors: Chattopadhyay Sabyasachi , Bershady Matthew A , Law David R , Westfall Kyle , Shetty Shravan , Machuca Camilo , Cappellari Michele , Rubin Kate H R , Bundy Kevin , Penny Samantha 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT
We have re-observed $\rm \sim$40 low-inclination, star-forming galaxies from the MaNGA survey (σ ∼ 65 km s−1) at ∼6.5 times higher spectral resolution (σ ∼ 10 km s−1) using the HexPak integral field unit on the WIYN 3.5-m telescope. The aim of these observations is to calibrate MaNGA’s instrumental resolution and to characterize turbulence in the warm interstellar medium and ionized galactic outflows. Here we report the results for the Hα region observations as they pertain to the calibration of MaNGA’s spectral resolution. Remarkably, we find that the previously reported MaNGA line-spread-function (LSF) Gaussian width is systematically underestimated by only 1 per cent. The LSF increase modestly reduces the characteristic dispersion of H ii regions-dominated spectra sampled at 1–2 kpc spatial scales from 23 to 20 km s−1 in our sample, or a 25 per cent decrease in the random-motion kinetic energy. This commensurately lowers the dispersion zeropoint in the relation between line-width and star-formation rate surface-density in galaxies sampled on the same spatial scale. This modest zero-point shift does not appear to alter the power-law slope in the relation between line-width and star-formation rate surface-density. We also show that adopting a scheme whereby corrected line-widths are computed as the square root of the median of the difference in the squared measured line width and the squared LSF Gaussian avoids biases and allows for lower signal-to-noise data to be used reliably.
Shock cooling emission from explosions of red supergiants: II. An analytic model of deviations from blackbody emission
Authors: Morag Jonathan , Irani Ido , Sapir Nir , Waxman Eli 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT
Light emission in the first hours and days following core-collapse supernovae (SNe) is dominated by the escape of photons from the expanding shock-heated envelope. In a preceding paper, Paper I, we provided a simple analytic description of the time-dependent luminosity, L, and colour temperature, Tcol, valid up to H recombination (T ≈ 0.7 eV), for explosions of red supergiants with convective polytropic envelopes without significant circumstellar medium (CSM). The analytic description was calibrated against ‘grey’ (frequency-independent) photon diffusion numeric calculations. Here, we present the results of a large set of 1D multigroup (frequency-dependent) calculations, for a wide range of progenitor parameters (mass, radius, core/envelope mass ratios, metalicity) and explosion energies, using opacity tables that we constructed (and made publicly available), including the contributions of bound–bound and bound–free transitions. We provide an analytic description of the small, ${\simeq}10\ \hbox{per cent}$ deviations of the spectrum from blackbody at low frequencies, hν &lt; 3Tcol, and an improved (over Paper I) description of ‘line dampening’ for hν &gt; 3Tcol. We show that the effects of deviations from initial polytropic density distribution are small, and so are the effects of ‘expansion opacity’ and deviations from LTE ionization and excitation (within our model assumptions). A recent study of a large set of type II SN observations finds that our model accounts well for the early multiband data of more than 50 per cent of observed SNe (the others are likely affected by thick CSM), enabling the inference of progenitor properties, explosion velocity, and relative extinction.
A new method for short-duration transient detection in radio images: searching for transient sources in MeerKAT data of NGC 5068
Authors: Fijma S , Rowlinson A , Wijers R A M J , de Ruiter I , de Blok W J G , Chastain S , van der Horst A J , Meyers Z S , van der Meulen K , Fender R , Woudt P A , Andersson A , Zijlstra A , Healy J , Maccagni F M 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT
Transient surveys are a vital tool in exploring the dynamic Universe, with radio transients acting as beacons for explosive and highly energetic astrophysical phenomena. However, performing commensal transient surveys using radio imaging can require a significant amount of computing power, data storage, and time. With the instrumentation available to us, and with new and exciting radio interferometers in development, it is essential that we develop efficient methods to probe the radio transient sky. In this paper, we present results from a commensal short-duration transient survey, on time-scales of 8 s, 128 s, and 1 h, using data from the MeerKAT radio telescope. The data set used was obtained as part of a galaxy observing campaign, and we focus on the field of NGC 5068. We present a quick, wide-field imaging strategy to enable fast imaging of large data sets, and develop methods to efficiently filter detected transient candidates. No transient candidates were identified on the time-scales of 8 s, 128 s, and 1 h, leading to competitive limits on the transient surface densities of $6.7\, {\times }\, 10^{-5}$, $1.1\, {\times }\, 10^{-3}$, and $3.2\, {\times }\, 10^{-2}$ deg−1 at sensitivities of 56.4, 19.2, and 3.9 mJy following primary beam correction for the respective time-scales. We find one possible candidate that could be associated with a stellar flare, which was rejected due to strict image quality control. Further short time-scale radio observations of this candidate could give definite results about its origin.