bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
3D printed dual holder system for simultaneous rat PET scanning: design and influence on quantification
Authors: BOUILLOT Caroline , DALIGAULT Sébastien , BOLBOS Radu , COSTES Nicolas , ZIMMER Luc 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background: The low throughout of small animal positron emission tomography (PET) images acquisitions represents a substantial limitation. The aims of this study were (i) to design an low-cost support for whole-body PET scanning of two lying rats, and (ii) to study its impact on brain image quantification.
Methods: A dual holder system compatible with the Siemens INVEON PET scanner was conceived and produced using a 3D printer. The developed system allows to overlap the two INVEON beds, 5 cm apart. Two cone masks can deliver gas anesthesia through the scanner’s head side, and the tail veins of both rats are freely accessible on the back side of the scanner, allowing the radiotracer injection before or during the scans. Ear and tooth bars immobilize the rats’ head on a stereotactic position. Six experiments of two cylindrical phantoms per session (50 ml tubes filled with different 18F activity) were scanned solo, on upper or lower bed and duo, on both beds. Four experiments were performed on 8 Sprague Dawley male rats (330 ± 66 g). For each experiment, two rats fasted for 4 hours, received a [18F]FDG dose (34.5 ± 5.5 kBq) and underwent 4 imaging conditions, starting 20 minutes after radiotracer injection: (1) One rat only for a solo test scan (2) repeated for a solo retest, (3) two rats simultaneously for a duo test, (4) repeated for a duo retest.
Results: Accuracy of concentration measurement was 5.09% for one phantom in the FOV, and 4.35% for two phantoms measured simultaneously. Ratio concentration between phantoms reached an accuracy of 6.59% for separated measures, and 5.77% for simultaneous measures.
In vivo distribution profiles showed no difference between solo and duo uptakes. ROI quantification in the whole brain showed same test-retest variability for solo and duo measurement (both at 3%). The quantified test-retest bias was 8% in solo and 4% in duo, and the ICC were comparable in solo and duo (0.984 versus 0.982).
Conclusions: Our results showed that simultaneous scans of two rats in INVEON does not affect quantification. The dual support system will allow us to reduce protocol costs and duration.
Accurate Solar Radiation Forecasting using an Effective Time Series with Feature Selection
Authors: Hasna Hissou , Said Benkirane , azidine Guezzaz , Abderrahim Beni Hssane 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Solar rays on earth surface are essential for water resources, environmental and agricultural issues. They severely impact plant growth, global temperatures, mean sea levels, and climatic extremes. The most critical challenge in renewable energy applications is accurate solar radiation (Rs) forecasting. It has become increasingly important in directing solar energy conversion systems, selecting appropriate regions, and even making decision in future investment strategies. The most significant disadvantage of this energy is that it is nonlinear and works only when the load requires it. Since measurement tools are expensive, difficult to install, and not available in all regions of the world, as well as other concerns like equipment failure or water and dirt building up in the sensors, which might cause data to be missing or out of the expected range. Rs is seldom recorded at weather stations. As a result, several methodologies, including empirical, statistical, satellite, time series-based models, and others, have been employed to estimate it using other environmental parameters. Many approaches and preprocessing models based on machine learning (ML) are validated for Rs forecasting and complexity reduction to reduce these concerns. In this paper, we present a model that shows the impact of feature selection (FS) on time series for accurate Rs forecasting. The proposed model use recursive feature elimination (RFE) with random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), logistic regression (LR), classification and regression tree (CART), person (Pr) and gradient boosting models (GBM). The obtained results show that the models based on CART, LR, and GBM provide high accuracies of 0.894, 0.884, and 0.882, respectively. These three accurate methods have same standard deviation (std) of 0.033. In terms of the negative mean absolute error (nMAE) (std), the methods provide 0.892 (0.029), 0.885 (0.034), and 0.885 (0.035) respectively. Compared with other models, the RFE model provides significant impacts features and good performances.
Refining the Measurement of Factors Predicting Faculty Research Publications
Authors: Bahammam Laila , Eldeek Basem , Lineberry Matthew 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background: Research plays a large role in the professional expectations of faculty in all disciplines. In the health professions, faculty are expected to conduct research while caring for patients, educating learners, and carrying out major administrative roles. Given the difficulty in balancing these many responsibilities, it is sensible for academic institutional officers to seek to understand the factors that strongly relate to faculty research productivity, and to measure faculty members’ standing on those factors. The purpose of the study was to investigate the validity of the research productivity items from Bland and colleagues’ scale as predictors of publication counts among junior and mid-career faculty at the King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD).
Methods: This is an observational study that was conducted at KAUFD. A questionnaire modified from the Bland model was emailed to all full time assistant and associate professors. Two main sets of statistical analyses were run: exploratory factor analysis to investigate the internal structure of the scale and regression analysis to relate scale factors to counts of publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Results: Out of 106 faculty, 98 participated (92.5%). Faculty publication count in ISI-indexed journals from January 2013 to the survey time showed a Poisson distribution, with a mode of zero publications (44 participants) and a maximum of 14 publications. The exploratory factor analysis showed that factors 1-4 accounted for 46% of the variance (first factor alone explained 26% of the variance).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest a different factor structure between faculty input gathered via Bland and colleagues’ (2005) questionnaire and what the authors originally proposed. Institution- or department-specific validation of this measure is warranted to make reliable conclusions of any comparisons or intervention.
Systematic Review using a Spiral approach with Machine Learning
Authors: Saeidmehr Amirhossein , Steel Piers , Samavati Faramarz 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
With the accelerating growth of the academic corpus, doubling every nine years, machine learning is a promising avenue to make systematic review manageable. Though several notable advancements have already been made, the incorporation of machine learning is less than optimal, still relying on a sequential, staged process designed to accommodate a purely human approach, exemplified by PRISMA. Here, we test a spiral, alternating or oscillating approach, where full-text screening is done intermittently with title/abstract screening, which we examine in three datasets by simulation under 360 conditions comprised of different algorithmic classifiers, feature extractions, prioritization rules, data types, and information provided (e.g., title/abstract, full-text included). Overwhelmingly, the results favored a spiral processing approach with Logistic Regression, TF-IDF for vectorization, and Maximum Probability for prioritization. Results demonstrate up to a 90\% improvement over traditional machine learning methodologies, especially for databases with fewer eligible articles. With these advancements, the screening component of most systematic reviews should remain functionally achievable for another one to two decades.
Improved Long-term In Vivo Lentiviral Gene Therapy for Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Authors: Yuan Haokun , Yang Rui , Gong Jie , Wu Xiaomei , Liu Hongwei , Liu Yuchen , Chang Lung-Ji 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a congenital immunodeficiency characterized by lack of reactive oxygen species in phagocytes. We developed an in vivo gene therapy strategy based on intravenous (iv) injection of lentiviral vectors (LVs) in X-CGD mice. A non-myeloablative chemo-conditioning regimen using busulfan, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone was developed to improve iv LV gene delivery efficiency. The X-CGD mice received two LVs injections. After the second injection, antibody response to LV particle-associated p24-protein was examined by Western blot. We detected increased gene transfer without anti-p24 antibody response. However, the blood vector copy number (VCN) was gradually reduced after 3–12 months. To improve gene delivery into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), the mice were treated with AMD3100 to mobilize HSCs before LV injection. To confirm HSCs gene transfer, we transplanted the HSCs from the LV-CYBB-treated CGD mice into untreated CGD mice. The result showed successful passage of LV-CYBB HSCs to recipient mice. Thus, by combining chemo-conditioning and AMD3100 mobilization prior to the iv LV injection, improved in vivo long-term LV gene transfer into HSCs could be established. This improved iv LV gene delivery strategy could reduce both the risk and the cost of CGD gene therapy with great potential in translational applications.
Maternal and neonatal outcomes according to timing of planned elective cesarean section in non-complicated singleton pregnancies
Authors: Hong Sir-yeon , Kim Yejin , Choi Yun-Sun , Jang Il-Yeo , Kim Minji , Sung Ji-Hee , Choi Suk-Joo , Oh Soo-young , Roh Cheong-Rae 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background: The objective of this study was to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes in women with non-complicated singleton pregnancies according to timing of planned elective cesarean section (CS).
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 2,365 women with singleton pregnancies who were planned for elective CS at term pregnancy in a single institution between 2010 and 2021. Pregnant women with preterm delivery, multiple gestation, vaginal delivery, complicated pregnancy, or non-scheduled emergency CS were excluded. Subjects were categorized into three groups according to planneddate of CS: 37 (37+0‒37+6) weeks (n = 147), 38 (38+0‒38+6) weeks (n = 1,486), and 39 (39+0‒39+6) weeks (n = 732) of gestation. Primary outcomes of this study were emergency CS rate and maternal and neonatal composite morbidity.
Results: The rate of emergency CS significantly increased with an increase in planned week of CS. After controlling for confounding factors, the rate of emergency CS significantly higher in the 38-week group (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 4.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.71‒12.95) and the 39-week group (aOR: 8.78, 95% CI: 3.16‒24.37) than in the 37-week group. The rate of maternal composite morbidity (aOR: 3.22, 95% CI: 1.65‒6.32) was significantly higher in the 37-week group, but not in the 38-week group, than in the 39-week group. Rates of neonatal ventilator use and respiratory distress syndrome significantly decreased, whereas neonatal meconium staining significantly increased with an increase in planned week of CS. The rate of neonatal composite morbidity (aOR: 2.69, 95% CI: 1.22‒5.96) was significantly higher in the 37-week group, but not in the 38-week group, than in the 39-week group.
Conclusion: In non-complicated singleton pregnancy, planning elective CS at 37 weeks of gestation was associated with a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. However, planning elective CS at 38 weeks of gestation showed no worse pregnancy outcome than that at 39 weeks of gestation.
Primary dysmenorrhea among University students in Northern Uganda: symptoms manifestation, and management
Authors: Beja Humphrey , Opii Jacob Didan , Apilli Felista , Udho Samson 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is menstrual pain not associated with any pelvic pathology. It is one of the most common gynecologic complaints in young women. In Uganda, there is scarcity of literature on the PD-associated symptoms and management strategies used by women of reproductive age. This study aimed to describe primary dysmenorrhea-associated symptoms and management strategies used by undergraduate students in northern Uganda.
Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among female undergraduate students of Lira University in northern Uganda. Systematic sampling was used to select study participants who met the inclusion criteria until the total of 232 study participants were recruited. The data was collected using a self‑administered questionnaire. Data analysis was aided by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 23) and descriptive statistics were used.
Results: The prevalence of PD was 211/232(90.9%). The most commonly experienced dysmenorrhea-associated symptoms were change in appetite 79/211(36.0%), breast engorgement 84/211(39.8%), and depressed mood 107/211(51.4%). Pain relievers were the most commonly used management strategy 160/211(77%) with Paracetamol being the most commonly used pain reliever 62/211 (29.8%). The most commonly used non-pharmacological management strategies were; exercise 100/211(47.6%), resting 94/211(44.5 %) and relaxation 93/211(44.1%).
Conclusion: A broad range of primary dysmenorrhea-associated symptoms are experienced by undergraduate university females but they do not use the appropriate management strategies. All University authorities should prioritize menstrual health and design programs to educate the female students on the management of dysmenorrhea associated symptoms using both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies and make the drugs available and accessible.
Deborah number-dependent transition from homogeneity to heterogeneity
Authors: Dan Xu , Yang Yang , Emmerich Lukas , Wang Yong , Zhang Kai 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Heterogeneous structures are ubiquitous in natural organisms. Native heterogeneous structures inspire many artificial structures that are playing important roles in modern society, while it is challenging to identify the relevant factors in forming these structures due to the complexity of living systems. Here, hybrid hydrogels consisting of flexible polymer networks with embedded stiff cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are considered as an open system to simulate the generalized formation of heterogeneous core-sheath structures, which are formed as the dynamic response to external environment. As the result of environmental adaption during modified air drying processes of hybrid hydrogels, the formation of heterogeneous core-sheath structure was found to be correlated to the relative evaporation speed. The formation of such heterogeneity in xerogel fibers was found to be correlated with Deborah number (De). During the transition of De from large to small values with accompanying morphologies, the turning point was around De = 1. The mechanism can be considered a relative humidity-dependent glass transition behavior. These unique heterogeneous structures play a key role in tuning water permeation and water sorption capacity. Insights into these aspects can prospectively contribute to a better understanding of the native heterogeneous structures for bionics design.
Long time interval from surgery to pregnancy is associated with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) in the post-operative women with intrauterine adhesion (IUA)
Authors: Xiang Lan , Sun Duoxiang , Zhuang Yali 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS), including placenta increta, placenta percreta, and placenta accreta, is known as morbidly adherent placenta. It is supposed that defective wound healing of endometrium, existing in the short interval pregnancy, will result in the prevalence of PAS. However, the impact of time interval from hysteroscopic surgery to pregnancy on PAS was unknown in the women with intrauterine adhesion (IUA).
Methods
We conducted a retrospective study in which patients diagnosed with IUA and underwent hysteroscopic adhesion lysis and wishing further fertility simultaneously. Clinical data were obtained from electronic medical records and telephone interviews.
Results
A total of 102 patients with IUA achieved successful pregnancy. 55 (53.9%) women were diagnosed with PAS and 47 (46.1%) without. 8 (7.8%) women with PAS were miscarriage. Both the severity of adhesions (p = 0.000) and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) (p = 0.003) were demonstrated as risk factors for PAS. Patients with PAS were significantly more likely to suffer from oligohydramnion (p = 0.035), preterm labor (p = 0.001), larger volume of postpartum hemorrhage (p = 0.000), lower birth weight of newborns (p = 0.005). The average time from surgery to pregnancy in the PAS group was significantly longer than that in the non-PAS group (p = 0.000). Interval time between 12 and 24 months was closely related to the higher rate of PAS (OR = 6.8, 95%CI 2.7–17.0, p = 0.000). A Kaplan–Meier analysis also confirmed the significant association between time interval and the prevalence of PAS (p = 0.000).
Conclusion
The current study demonstrates the severity of IUA and pregnancy achieved by IVF are worse prognoses for the prevalence of PAS. The pregnancies complicated by PAS often get a higher risk of oligohydramnios, postpartum hemorrhage, preterm labor and lower birth weight. Women diagnosed with IUA should achieve pregnancy as soon as possible if treated by hysteroscopic interference.
Collateral Effects of COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders on Violence Against Women in the United States, January 2019 to December 2020
Authors: Lewis Patricia C. , Cheong Yuk Fai , Kaslow Nadine J. , Yount Kathryn M. 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background: The necessary execution of non-pharmaceutical risk-mitigation (NPRM) strategies to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 has created an unprecedented natural experiment to ascertain whether pandemic-induced social-policy interventions may elevate collateral health risks. Here, we assess the effects on violence against women (VAW) of the duration of NPRM measures that were executed through jurisdictional-level orders in the United States. We expect that stay-at-home orders, by reducing mobility and disrupting non-coresident social ties, are associated with higher incident reporting of VAW.
Methods: We used aggregate data from the Murder Accountability Project from January 2019 through December 2020, to estimate count models examining the effects of the duration of jurisdictional-level (N=51) stay-at-home orders on femicide. Additionally, we used data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System to estimate a series of count models that examined the effects of the duration of jurisdictional-level (N=26) stay-at-home orders on non-lethal violence against women, including five separate measures of intimate partner violence (IPV) and a measure of non-partner sexual violence.
Results: Results from the count models indicated that femicide was not associated with COVID-19 mitigation strategies when adjusted for seasonal effects. However, we found certain measures of non-lethal VAW to be significantly associated in adjusted models. Specifically, reported physical and economic IPV were positively associated with stay-at-home orders while psychological IPV and non-partner sexual violence were negatively associated with stay-at-home orders. The combination measure of all forms of IPV was positively associated with the duration of stay-at-home orders, indicating a net increase in risk of IPV during lockdowns.
Conclusions: The benefits of risk-mitigation strategies to reduce the health impacts directly associated with a pandemic should be weighed against their costs with respect to women’s heightened exposure to certain forms of violence and the potentially cascading impacts of such exposure on health. The effects of COVID-19 NPRM strategies on IPV risk nationally, and its immediate and long-term health sequelae should be studied, with stressors like ongoing pandemic-related economic hardship and substance misuse still unfolding. Findings should inform the development of social policies to mitigate the collateral impacts of crisis-response efforts on the risk of VAW and its cascading sequelae.
Bumetanide Exposure Association with Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
Authors: Graber-Naidich Anna , Lee Justin , Younes Kyan , Greicius Michael D. , Guen Yann Le , He Zihuai 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background: To investigate whether exposure history to two common loop diuretics affects the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) after accounting for socioeconomic status and congestive heart failure.
Methods: Individuals exposed to bumetanide or furosemide were identified in the Stanford University electronic health record using the deidentified Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership platform. We matched the AD case cohort to a control cohort (1:20 case:control) on gender, race, ethnicity, hypertension and controlled for variables that could potentially be collinear with bumetanide exposure and/or AD diagnosis. Among individuals older than 65 years, 5,839 AD cases and 116,103 matched controls were included. A total of 1,759 patients (54 cases, 1,705 controls) were exposed to bumetanide.
Results: After adjusting for socioeconomic status and other confounders, bumetanide exposure was significantly associated with reduced AD risk (odds ratio = 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.68; p = 9.9×10-6), while the most common loop diuretics, furosemide, was not associated with AD risk.
Conclusion: Our study replicates in an independent sample that history of bumetanide exposure is associated with reduced risk of AD and emphasizes that this association is not confounded by difference in socioeconomic status, which was an important caveat given the cost difference between bumetanide and furosemide.
Functional analysis of differentially expressed circular RNAs in sheep subcutaneous fat
Authors: Liu Tianyi , Feng Hui , Yousuf Salsabeel , Xie Lingli , Miao Xiangyang 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background
Circular RNAs (circRNAs), as important non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), are involed in many biological activities. However, the exact chemical mechanism behind fat accumulation is unknown. In this paper, we obtained the expression profiles of circRNAs using high-throughput sequencing and investigated their differential expression in subcutaneous fat tissue of Duolang and Small Tail Han sheep.
Results
From the transcriptomic analysis, 141 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified, comprising 61 up-regulated circRNAs and 80 down-regulated circRNAs. These host genes were primarily enriched in the MAPK and AMPK signaling pathway which is closely associated with fat deposition regulation. We identified circRNA812, circRNA91, and circRNA388 as vital genes in fat deposition by miRNA-circRNA target gene prediction. The functional annotation results of target genes of key circRNAs showed that the signaling pathways mainly included PI3K-Akt and AMPK. We constructed the ceRNA regulatory network to study the role of circRNAs in sheep lipid deposition, and circRNA812, circRNA91, and circRNA388 can adsorb more miRNAs. NC_040253.1_5757, as the source of miRNA response element (MRE) among the three, may play an important role during the process of sheep fat deposition.
Conclusions
Our study gives a systematic examination of the circRNA profles expressed in sheep subcutaneous fat. These results from this study provide some new basis for understanding circRNA function and sheep fat metabolism.