bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phases in fine volcanic ash
Authors: Hornby Adrian , Gazel Esteban , Bush Claire , Dayton Kyle , Mahowald Natalie 
Published: September 2023

AbstractVolcanic ash emissions impact atmospheric processes, depositional ecosystems, human health, and global climate. These effects are sensitive to the size and composition of the ash; however, datasets describing the constituent phases over size ranges relevant for atmospheric transport and widely distributed impacts are practically nonexistent. Here, we present results of X-ray diffraction measurements on size-separated fractions of 40 ash samples from VEI 2–6 eruptions. We characterize changes in phase fractions with grainsize, tectonic setting, and whole-rock SiO2. For grainsizes < 45 μm, average fractions of crystalline silica and surface salts increased while glass and iron oxides decreased with respect to the bulk sample. Samples from arc and intraplate settings are distinguished by feldspar and clinopyroxene fractions (determined by different crystallization sequences) which, together with glass, comprise 80–100% of most samples. We provide a dataset to approximate glass-free proportions of major crystalline phases; however, glass fractions are highly variable. To tackle this, we describe regressions between glass and major crystal phase fractions that help constrain the major phase proportions in volcanic ash with limited a priori information. Using our dataset, we find that pore-free ash density is well-estimated as a function of the clinopyroxene + Fe-oxide fraction, with median values of 2.67 ± 0.01 and 2.85 ± 0.03 g/cm3for intraplate and arc samples, respectively. Finally, we discuss effects including atmospheric transport and alteration on modal composition and contextualize our proximal airfall ash samples with volcanic ash cloud properties. Our study helps constrain the atmospheric and environmental budget of the phases in fine volcanic ash and their effect on ash density, integral to refine our understanding of the impact of explosive volcanism on the Earth system from single eruptions to global modeling.
Landscape structure influences natural pest suppression in a rice agroecosystem
Authors: Ali M. P. , Clemente-Orta Gemma , Kabir M. M. M. , Haque S. S. , Biswas M. , Landis Douglas A. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAgricultural landscapes are constantly changing as farmers adopt new production practices and respond to changing environmental conditions. Some of these changes alter landscape structure with impacts on natural pest control, pesticide use, and conservation of biodiversity. In rice agroecosystems the effect of landscape structure on natural enemies and pest suppression is often poorly understood. Here we investigate the effect of landscape composition and configuration on a key pest of rice, the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens). Using N. lugens as sentinel prey coupled with predator exclusions, we investigated landscape effects on herbivore suppression and rice grain yield at multiple spatial scales in two regions of Bangladesh. Ladybird beetles and spiders were the most abundant natural enemies of N. lugens with landscape effects observed at all scales on ladybird beetles. Specifically, ladybird beetles were positively influenced by road edges, and fallow land, while spiders were strongly influenced only by rice phenology. Predator exclusion cages showed that N. lugens abundance significantly increased in caged plots, reducing rice gain yield. We also used an estimated biocontrol service index that showed a significant positive relationship with landscape diversity and a significant negative impact on pest density and yield loss. These results suggest that promoting fallow lands and fragmented patches between rice fields could lead to more sustainable insect pest management in rice agroecosystems, potentially reducing the practice of prophylactic insecticide use.
Tapered high-gain Fabry–Perot cavity antenna with high sidelobe suppression for 5G industry
Authors: Hussain Muhammad , Lee Kyung-Geun , Kim Dongho 
Published: September 2023

AbstractWe propose a Fabry–Perot cavity (FPC) antenna to suppress a sidelobe level (SLL) while maintaining a reasonably high gain. Generally, conventional FPC antennas (FPCAs) produce a high SLL because waves in their FPC leak considerably through lateral openings, which is a primary reason for lowering antenna gains. We propose two design approaches to solve this problem: the reflection magnitude tapering of a partially reflective surface (PRS) and considering different incident modes for the PRS design. First, the proposed tapering can remarkably reduce an SLL by providing the PRS with more radiation opportunities. Second, the different incident modes of transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) can increase an antenna gain by considering a more realistic illumination environment of the PRS. We have proven that our antenna provides 19.8 dBi realized gain with high sidelobe suppression (SLS) of more than 23 dB. Consequently, the proposed FPCA can suppress sidelobes significantly while maintaining a high gain. Good agreement between simulations and experiments demonstrates the usefulness of our proposal.
Comparative study of sub-second temporal resolution 4D-MRI and 4D-CT for target motion assessment in a phantom model
Authors: Wang Tianyuan , Sofue Keitaro , Shimada Ryuji , Ishihara Takeaki , Yada Ryuichi , Miyamoto Masanori , Sasaki Ryohei , Murakami Takamichi 
Published: September 2023

AbstractTo develop and investigate the feasibility of sub-second temporal resolution volumetric T1-weighted four-dimensional (4D-) MRI in comparison with 4D-CT for respiratory-correlated motion assessment using an MRI/CT-compatible phantom. Sub-second high temporal resolution (0.5 s) gradient-echo T1-weighted 4D-MRI was developed using a volumetric acquisition scheme with compressed sensing. An MRI/CT-compatible motion phantom (simulated liver tumor) with three sinusoidal movements of amplitudes and two respiratory patterns was introduced and imaged with 4D-MRI and 4D-CT to investigate the geometric accuracy of the target movement. The geometric accuracy, including centroid position, volume, similarity index of dice similarity coefficient (DSC), and Hausdorff distance (HD), was systematically evaluated. Proposed 4D-MRI achieved a similar geometric accuracy compared with 4D-CT regarding the centroid position, volume, and similarity index. The observed position differences of the absolute average centroid were within 0.08 cm in 4D-MRI and 0.03 cm in 4D-CT, less than the 1-pixel resolution for each modality. The observed volume difference in 4D-MRI/4D-CT was within 0.73 cm3 (4.5%)/0.29 cm3 (2.1%) for a large target and 0.06 cm3 (11.3%)/0.04 cm3 (11.6%) for a small target. The observed DSC values for 4D-MRI/4D-CT were at least 0.93/0.95 for the large target and 0.83/0.84 for the small target. The maximum HD values were 0.25 cm/0.31 cm for the large target and 0.21 cm/0.15 cm for the small target. Although 4D-CT potentially exhibit superior numerical accuracy in phantom studies, the proposed high temporal resolution 4D-MRI demonstrates sub-millimetre geometric accuracy comparable to that of 4D-CT. These findings suggest that the 4D-MRI technique is a viable option for characterizing motion and generating phase-dependent internal target volumes within the realm of radiotherapy.
The blood glucose-potassium ratio at admission predicts in-hospital mortality in patients with acute type A aortic dissection
Authors: Chen Yaqin , Peng Yanchun , Zhang Xuecui , Liao Xiaoqin , Lin Jianlong , Chen Liangwan , Lin Yanjuan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAcute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is a serious cardiovascular emergency with high risk and mortality after surgery. Recent studies have shown that serum glucose-potassium ratio (GPR) is associated with the prognosis of cerebrovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between GPR and in-hospital mortality in patients with ATAAD. From June 2019 to August 2021, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 272 patients who underwent ATAAD surgery. According to the median value of GPR (1.74), the patients were divided into two groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to determine the risk factors of in-hospital mortality after ATAAD. In-hospital death was significantly more common in the high GPR group (> 1.74) (24.4% vs 13.9%; P = 0.027). The incidence of renal dysfunction in the low GPR group was significantly higher than that in the high GPR group (26.3% vs 14.8%: P = 0.019). After controlling for potential confounding variables and adjusting for multivariate logistic regression analysis, the results showed a high GPR (> 1.74) (AOR 4.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.13–10.40; P =  < 0.001), lactic acid (AOR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03–1.26; P = 0.009), smokers (AOR 2.45, 95% CI 1.18–15.07; P = 0.039), mechanical ventilation (AOR 9.47, 95% CI 4.00–22.38; P =  < 0.001) was independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality in ATAAD patients, albumin (AOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83–0.98; P = 0.014) was a protective factor for in-hospital prognosis. High GPR is a good predictor of in-hospital mortality after ATAAD surgery.
Impaired social concept processing in persons with autistic-like traits
Authors: Birba Agustina , López-Pigüi Joana , León Santana Inmaculada , García Adolfo M. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractSituated models suggest that social concepts are grounded in interpersonal experience. However, few studies have tested this notion experimentally, and none has targeted individuals with reduced social interaction. Here, we assessed comprehension of text-level social and non-social concepts in persons with and without autistic-like traits. Participants read a social and a non-social text and answered questionnaires targeting social and non-social concepts, respectively. We compared behavioral outcomes, gauged their contribution to subject-level classification, and examined their association with validated measures of autism. Persons with autistic-like traits showed selective deficits in grasping text-level social concepts, even adjusting for intelligence, memory, and vocabulary. Also, social concept comprehension was the only variable that significantly classified between groups. Finally, social concept outcomes correlated negatively with measures of autism, including social interaction. Our results suggest that reduced interpersonal experience selectively compromises text-level social concept processing, offering empirical constraints for situated models of social semantics.
Characterization of signal and transit peptides based on motif composition and taxon-specific patterns
Authors: Sidorczuk Katarzyna , Mackiewicz Paweł , Pietluch Filip , Gagat Przemysław 
Published: September 2023

AbstractTargeting peptides or presequences are N-terminal extensions of proteins that encode information about their cellular localization. They include signal peptides (SP), which target proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum, and transit peptides (TP) directing proteins to the organelles of endosymbiotic origin: chloroplasts and mitochondria. TPs were hypothesized to have evolved from antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are responsible for the host defence against microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and viruses. In this study, we performed comprehensive bioinformatic analyses of amino acid motifs of targeting peptides and AMPs using a curated set of experimentally verified proteins. We identified motifs frequently occurring in each type of presequence showing specific patterns associated with their amino acid composition, and investigated their position within the presequence. We also compared motif patterns among different taxonomic groups and identified taxon-specific features, providing some evolutionary insights. Considering the functional relevance and many practical applications of targeting peptides and AMPs, we believe that our analyses will prove useful for their design, and better understanding of protein import mechanism and presequence evolution.
Mechanical and microstructural properties of iron mining tailings stabilized with alkali-activated binder produced from agro-industrial wastes
Authors: Levandoski William Mateus Kubiaki , Ferrazzo Suéllen Tonatto , Bruschi Giovani Jordi , Consoli Nilo Cesar , Korf Eduardo Pavan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis study evaluated the stabilization of iron ore tailings (IOTs) with an alkali-activated binder (AAB) produced from sugar cane bagasse ash, hydrated eggshell lime, and sodium hydroxide solution. Unconfined compressive strength, split tensile strength, initial shear stiffness, mineralogy, chemical composition, and microstructure of IOTs-AAB were evaluated. Strength values up to 6.59 MPa were achieved after 28 days-curing at 40 °C. Reducing porosity and increasing the binder content improved the overall mechanical behavior. N-A-S-H like gels were identified in IOTs-AAB mixtures. Finally, longer curing times led to more compact structures.
Consistent Two to Four Degree Crystalloid Potassium Cardioplegia
Authors: Schneider Benjamin , Kurusz Mark , Safley William L. , Conti Vincent R. 
Published: September 2023

The use of hypothermic crystalloid potassium cardioplegia in open heart surgery has been shown to be effective in arresting the heart and protecting it from ischemic injury during aortic crossclamping. A perfusion technique for the routine delivery of 2-4° centigrade (C) crystalloid potassium cardioplegia has been employed in 116 consecutive coronary artery bypass graft procedures between October 1980 and October 1981. The cardioplegic solution is infused with a low flow roller pump through a polyvinyl chloride tubing coil immersed in an ice bath which serves as the cooling device and a Sarns pediatric bubble trap. The planned initial dose of cardioplegia is 450 ml/m2 body surface area. With the initial cardioplegia infusion, the mean myocardial temperature was lowered to 14.4 ± 0.4°C (S.E.). Myocardial temperataure is maintained at less than 20°C at all times. A total of 2524 ± 73 ml of cardioplegia was administered for each patient with a mean crossclamp time of 83.6 ± 2.2 minutes and a total bypass time of 156 ± 3.6 minutes.
CPK-MB and SGOT values were minimally elevated in the immediate postoperative period, but returned to normal on the second and third postoperative day respectively. Two patients in the study group died with an operative mortality of 1.7 percent. The cardioplegia infusion system we have employed assured the delivery of crystalloid potassium cardioplegia to the myocardium at 2-4°C, provided continuous profound myocardial hypothermia, and resulted in good myocardial protection as determined by clinical variables followed postoperatively.
Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) Basics
Authors: Lam Samuel M. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractFollicular unit excision (FUE) has risen to the forefront as the world's most popular hair transplant procedure. However, most writing on this subject has catered to the advanced practitioner. The goal of this article will be to focus on safe planning and decision making along with key technical steps that will guide the beginner surgeon to harvest a graft safely and to harvest the donor area in a uniform way to avoid overharvesting. Topics covered in this article also include instrumentation and decision making between FUE versus linear strip excision.
Increased Femoral Component Flexion and No Difference in Slope in Robotic- versus Computer-Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty When Targeting Mechanical Alignment
Authors: Klasan Antonio , Anelli-Monti Victoria , Neri Thomas , Putnis Sven Edward , Zacherl Maximillian , Kammerlander Christian , Sadoghi Patrick 
Published: September 2023

AbstractRobotic-assisted surgery (RAS) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is becoming popular due to better precision, when compared with other instrumentation. Although RAS has been validated in comparison with computer-assisted surgery (CAS), data from clinical settings comparing these two techniques are lacking. This is especially the case for sagittal alignment. Whereas pure mechanical alignment (MA) aims for 0 to 3 degrees of flexion of the femoral component and 3° of posterior slope for the tibial component, adjusted MA (aMA) mostly used with RAS allows for flexing of the femoral component for downsizing and increase of slope for an increase of the flexion gap. In the present study, we compared sagittal alignment after TKA using RAS with aMA and CAS targeting MA, which has been the standard in the center for more than 10 years. We analyzed a prospectively collected database of patients undergoing TKA in a single center. Femoral component flexion and tibial slope were compared for both techniques. In 140 patients, 68 CAS and 72 RAS, we found no difference in tibial slope (p = 0.661), 1° median femoral component flexion (p = 0.023), and no difference in outliers (femur, p = 0.276, tibia, p = 0.289). RAS slightly increases femoral component flexion, but has no influence on tibial slope, when compared with CAS in TKA. If MA is the target, RAS provides no benefit over CAS for achieving the targeted sagittal alignment.
Level of Evidence Level III retrospective study.
Evaluation of the Response Rate to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Rectal Adenocarcinoma: A Retrospective Long-term Study in Two Terciary Reference Centers
Authors: Rossoni Juliana Lima Toledo , Feitosa Marley Ribeiro , Tosetti Caio Vinícius Souza , Feres Omar , Rocha José Joaquim Ribeiro da 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Objectives To evaluate the complete response (CR) rate and surgeries performed in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant therapy (NT) at Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo and at Hospital São Paulo, in Ribeirão Preto, from January 2007 to December 2017.
Methods We evaluated 166 medical records of patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma (T3, T4 or N + ) who underwent NT. The regimen consisted of performing conventional (2D) or conformational (three-dimensional-3D/ radiotherapy with modulated intensity – IMRT) at a dose of 45-50.4Gy associated with capecitabine 1650mg/m2 or 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and leucovorin (LV). The following variables were analyzed: gender, age, pretreatment stage, radiotherapy, CR index, local and distant recurrence rates. Surgical treatment and complications were also evaluated.
Results The CR index was 28.3%. Patients treated with 3D/IMRT radiotherapy had a higher rate of CR (36.3% x 4.8%; p < 0.001), higher rates of clinical follow-up (21% x 0%; p < 0.001), lower surgery rates (79% x 100%; p < 0.001), higher rates of transanal resection (37.1% x 9.5%; p = 0.001), lower rates of abdominal rectosigmoidectomy (25.8% x 50%; p = 0.007) and lower rates of abdominoperineal resection of the rectum (16.1% x 40.5%; p = 0.002), when compared to patients treated with 2D radiotherapy.
Conclusion Modern radiotherapy techniques such as 3D conformal and IMRT, by offering greater adequacy and precision of treatment, could result in better local control and less toxicity in organs at risk, enabling organ preservation strategies and less invasive approaches in selected cases.
Study of Long Non-Coding RNA Tug1 Expression in Egyptian Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Patients
Authors: Amin Yasmine , Ketat Amel , Kamal Hanan , Zaki Inass , Moaz Ahmed , Ghazala Rasha Abdelmawla 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Purpose Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most fatal tumors worldwide. In Egypt, most CRC cases occur in individuals > 40 years old. TUG1 has been proved to be disrupted in different malignancies and may have a critical role in tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis. However, its role in CRC has not been adequately studied.
Materials / Methods Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to evaluate the expression levels of long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1), in nonmetastatic and metastatic CRC tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues as control.
Results LncRNA TUG1 expression was significantly upregulated in both nonmetastatic and metastatic CRC tissues, in comparison with the adjacent noncancerous tissue. It was found that TUG1 could have a possible prognostic role in CRC, by comparing the sensitivity and specificity of TUG1 with those of CEA and CA19–9.
Conclusion The results of the current study suggest that the LncRNA TUG1 participates in the malignant behaviors of CRC cells.
The credit they deserve: contesting predictive practices and the afterlives of red-lining
Authors: Katzenstein Emily 
Published: September 2023

AbstractRacial capitalism depends on the reproduction of an existing racialized economic order. In this article, I argue that the disavowal of past injustice is a central way in which this reproduction is ensured and that market-based forms of knowledge production, such as for-profit predictive practices, play a crucial role in facilitating this disavowal. Recent debates about the fairness of algorithms, data justice, and predictive policing have intensified long-standing controversies, both popular and academic, about the way in which statistical and financial modes of accounting and predicting articulate, represent and produce ascriptive categories of hierarchically ordered social difference, and reproduce unjust social hierarchies and inequalities. These debates have productively problematized the racial lives of seemingly apolitical predictive technologies and demanded the re-politicization of predictive practices. What has been missing from these debates so far, however, is a more explicit engagement with ways in which anti-racist movements and activists themselves have contested the entanglements of prediction and race making. I turn to a recent prominent example, namely the contestation over racial discrepancies in subprime lending to examine how fair lending activists have conceptualized and troubled the reproduction of a racialized economic order through for-profit predictive practices in the decade before the Great Financial Crisis. I situate this particular example in the broader historical and political context of politicizing prediction that first emerged with the ascendancy of a liberal, individualist-proprietary conception of risk, and the political problem space to which this has given rise. My analysis shows that actuarial conceptions of fairness continue to reverberate in anti-racist contestations of for-profit predictive practices, and that they tend to marginalize and undercut more radical strands of critique of the racialization of financial markets. Insofar as these modalities of contestation implicitly reproduce a liberal, proprietary-individualist conception of risk, I argue, they fail to effectively challenge the quasi-alchemical transformation of injustice into personal responsibility, and thus contribute to the disavowal of past injustice.