bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Myocardial perfusion SPECT in Germany from 2012 to 2021: insights into development and quality indicators
Authors: Lindner O. , Schäfer W. , Rischpler C. , Silber S. , Burchert W. ,   on behalf of the Working Group “Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine” of the German Society for Nuclear Medicine
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Purpose
This paper summarises the results of 4 national surveys on the numbers, utilisation and technique of myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) from 2012 to 2021.

Methods
A one-page questionnaire for information on MPS in 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021 was sent to German centres practising nuclear medicine. To check for representativeness, the numbers obtained were related to official annual data and furthermore to the numbers of invasive coronary angiography procedures (ICA).

Results
MPS examinations increased by > 40% from 2012 to 2021 and showed a centralisation with increasing MPS per centre. In 2020, a mild impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could be observed in the form of only a slight MPS increase, which was compensated in the following year. Outpatient care cardiologists represent the most important referrer (70%). Mostly, 2-day protocols were used. One-day protocols and stress-only protocols showed insignificant changes. The use of exercise stress decreased steadily. In 2021, exercise stress was replaced by pharmacological stress as the most frequent stress modality. Camera systems showed a shift to more SPECT-CT systems. The use of gated SPECT increased to almost 90%. Quantitative scoring showed an increasing acceptance. The ratio of invasive coronary angiographies (ICA) to MPS was between 3.9 and 4.5. A significant proportion of ICA in the context of CCS (chronic coronary syndrome) was performed without prior testing for ischaemia.

Conclusion
The 2012 to 2021 MPS surveys reveal a continuously growing number of examinations with only a mild temporary effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and a centralisation with increasing numbers per centre. Performance and technical data reveal a high-grade adherence of MPS practice to the current ESC guideline. A large potential of non-invasive diagnostics remains for the future.
Integrating animal physiology into the adaptive management of restored landscapes
Authors: Tudor Emily P. , Lewandrowski Wolfgang , Tomlinson Sean 
Published: February 2023

AbstractGlobal-scale ecological changes and intensifying habitat destruction and have caused alarming declines in wildlife populations, resulting in a great need for concerted efforts towards their conservation. Despite this, animals are frequently overlooked in restoration and management initiatives and therefore populations often do not reassemble following disturbance without re-establishing habitat that meets their abiotic and biotic requirements. However, restoration ecologists broadly lack insight into the physiological mechanisms that can govern the responses of fauna to environmental change and management. Therefore, we conducted a literature search for studies reporting a mechanistic understanding of faunal habitat suitability and selection in restored landscapes to deliver an updated perspective on the integration of animal ecophysiology and restoration ecology. Of the 75,442 studies that we identified discussing ecological restoration in the last 50 years, only 8,627 (11.4%) did so in the context of fauna from which 912 studies (1.2%) examined habitat selection, 35 studies (0.05%) integrated physiology and only 15 studies (0.02%) explored thermal biology, despite temperature being one of the most pervasive drivers of physiological functioning. To combat this, we developed a conceptual framework that can guide restoration ecophysiology and promote innovative, multidisciplinary research through an established adaptive management structure. While physiological tools and approaches are currently underutilised in restoration practice, integrating them into ecological restoration, and environmental management more broadly, will offer exciting new opportunities to describe, explain and predict the responses of fauna to environmental change occurring, and that yet to come.
Comparison of lung ultrasound scores with clinical models for predicting bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Authors: Li Zhenyu , Mu Xin , Dang Dan , Lv Xiaoming , Si Shuyu , Guo Yiyi , Wu Hui 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLung ultrasound scores (LUSs) have been demonstrated to accurately predict moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (msBPD). This study attempted to explore the additional value of LUSs for predicting msBPD compared to clinical multivariate models in different gestational age (GA) groups. The study prospectively recruited preterm infants with GA < 32 weeks. Lung ultrasound was performed on days 3, 7, 14, and 21 after birth. A linear mixed-effects regression model was used to evaluate LUS evolution in infants born before and after 28 weeks. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) procedure was used to analyze the reliability of LUS and clinical multivariable models for predicting msBPD. The optimal time to predict msBPD in all infants was 7 days with a cut-off point of 5 (area under the ROC (AUROC) curve: 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71–0.84). In infants with GA ≥ 28 weeks, LUSs provided a moderate diagnostic accuracy for all four time points (AUROC curve: 0.74–0.78), and the AUROC curve for the clinical multivariable model on day 14 was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84–0.96), which was significantly higher than that of LUSs (AUROC curve: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.68–0.85, P < 0.05). In infants born at 23–27 weeks, LUSs showed a low diagnostic accuracy with higher cut-off points to predict msBPD, and the AUROC curve for GA to predict msBPD was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.59–0.85), providing diagnostic accuracy similar to that of LUSs. Conclusion: The contribution of LUSs to predict msBPD in infants with different GAs remains controversial and requires further investigation.

What is Known:• Lung ultrasound scores (LUSs) have been demonstrated to accurately predict moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in infants with gestational age (GA)＜32 weeks.

What is New:• The LUSs evolution differed between extremely preterm infants born before 28 weeks and preterm infants born at 28–32 weeks of gestation.• LUSs provided similar moderate predictive performance as GA-adjusted LUS and clinical multivariate models in infants born after 28 weeks, while LUSs seem to be less helpful in infants born before 28 weeks.
Prevalence and severity of anxiety in cancer patients: results from a multi-center cohort study in Germany
Authors: Goerling Ute , Hinz Andreas , Koch-Gromus Uwe , Hufeld Julia Marie , Esser Peter , Mehnert-Theuerkauf Anja 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Anxiety is an accompanying symptom in cancer patients that can have a negative impact on patients. The aim of the present analyses is to determine the prevalence of anxiety, taking into account sociodemographic and medical variables, and to determine the odds ratio for the occurrence of anxiety in cancer patients compared to general population.

Methods
In this secondary analyses, we included 4,020 adult cancer patients during and after treatment from a multi-center epidemiological study from 5 regions in Germany in different treatment settings and a comparison group consisting of 10,000 people from the general population in Germany. Anxiety was measured with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire. In multivariate analyses adjusted for age and sex, we calculated the odds of being anxious.

Results
The prevalence of anxiety was observed to be 13.8% (GAD-7 ≥ 10). The level of anxiety was significant higher for patients in rehabilitation, compared to patients during inpatient and outpatient treatment (p = .013). Comparison with the general population yielded a 2.7-fold increased risk for anxiety among cancer patients (95% CI 2.4–3.1; p < .001). Patients with bladder cancer (OR, 5.3; 95% CI 3.0–9.4) and testicular cancer (OR, 5.0; 95% CI 2.1–12.1) showed the highest risk of having high levels of anxiety.

Conclusion
The results highlight the importance of identifying anxiety in cancer patients.
Anatomical distribution of celiac artery with histochemical investigation to the proventriculus of barn owl (Tyto alba)
Authors: Maher M. A. , Hussein Shaymaa 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe present investigation was performed to transpire the celiac artery distribution, histological, and histochemical characteristics of the proventriculus in eight adult barn owls (Tyto alba) of both sexes. Six birds were subjected to anatomical investigation of the celiac artery distribution and two owls were used for routine histomorphological techniques. The proventricular length, width, and lumen diameter were measured at 14.18 ± 0.08, 6.46 ± 0.17 and 1.46 ± 0.14 mm, respectively. The celiac artery in barn owl gave off six collateral arteries before its division into right and left branches. The arteria hepatica dextra does not originate from the right celiac division. Unlike other birds, there were left dorsal and left ventral gastric arteries. Histologically, the proventricular wall consisted of main four tunics. The lining epithelium is simple columnar with plicae and sulci. The muscularis mucosa is absent. The submucosal gastric glands were in two rows in the cranial proventricular portion while were arranged in one parallel row in the middle and caudal portions with pear-shaped, oval to round tubuloalveolar lobules. The mucosal folds, tubular mucosal glands, tubuloalveolar lobules, and their mucus secretion in the collecting ducts were positively reacted to PAS and alcian blue stains. The interlobular collagen fibers, elastic fibers, and reticular network were intensely reacted to Masson’s trichrome, Orcein, and Gomori's reticulin stains, respectively. These anatomical and histomorphological features of the barn owl proventriculus were aimed to provide recent data comparable with most species of birds and the presence of diversity that might be attributed to their feeding demeanor.
Hummingbird community structure and nectar resources modulate the response of interspecific competition to forest conversion
Authors: Guevara Esteban A. , Bello Carolina , Poveda Cristian , McFadden Ian R. , Schleuning Matthias , Pellissier Loïc , Graham Catherine H. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractOn-going land-use change has profound impacts on biodiversity by filtering species that cannot survive in disturbed landscapes and potentially altering biotic interactions. In particular, how land-use change reshapes biotic interactions remains an open question. Here, we used selectivity experiments with nectar feeders in natural and converted forests to test the direct and indirect effects of land-use change on resource competition in Andean hummingbirds along an elevational gradient. Selectivity was defined as the time hummingbirds spent at high resource feeders when feeders with both low and high resource values were offered in the presence of other hummingbird species. Selectivity approximates the outcome of interspecific competition (i.e., the resource intake across competing species); in the absence of competition, birds should exhibit higher selectivity. We evaluated the indirect effect of forest conversion on selectivity, as mediated by morphological dissimilarity and flower resource abundance, using structural equation models. We found that forest conversion influenced selectivity at low and mid-elevations, but the influence of morphological dissimilarity and resource availability on selectivity varied between these elevations. At mid-elevation, selectivity was more influenced by the presence of morphologically similar competitors than by resource abundance while at low-elevation resource abundance was a more important predictor of selectivity. Our results suggest that selectivity is influenced by forest conversion, but that the drivers of these changes vary across elevation, highlighting the importance of considering context-dependent variation in the composition of resources and competitors when studying competition.
A model-based infrastructure for the specification and runtime execution of self-adaptive IoT architectures
Authors: Alfonso Iván , Garcés Kelly , Castro Harold , Cabot Jordi 
Published: February 2023

AbstractTo meet increasingly restrictive requirements and improve quality of service (QoS), Internet of Things (IoT) systems have embraced multi-layered architectures leveraging edge and fog computing. However, the dynamic and changing IoT environment can impact QoS due to unexpected events. Therefore, proactive evolution and adaptation of the IoT system becomes a necessity and concern. In this paper, we present a model-based approach for the specification and execution of self-adaptive multi-layered IoT systems. Our proposal comprises the design of a domain-specific language (DSL) for the specification of such architectures, and a runtime framework to support the system behaviuor and its self-adaptation at runtime. The code for the deployment of the IoT system and the execution of the runtime framework is automatically produced by our prototype code generator. Moreover, we also show and validate the extensibility of such DSL by applying it to the domain of underground mining. The complete infrastructure (modeling tool, generator and runtime components) is available in a online open source repository.
“We’re led by stupid people”: Exploring Trump’s use of denigrating and deprecating speech to promote hatred and violence
Authors: Valcore Jace , Asquith Nicole L. , Rodgers Jess 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
In response to a call for criminologists to consider the impact of former President Donald Trump’s presumed criminality, we analyze verbal-textual hostility (VTH) in Trump’s campaign speeches. Politicians have particular power and reach with their speech and their use of VTH is an important part of the trifecta of violence. Using a framework informed by linguistic theory and previous analysis of hate speech in recorded hate crimes, we present the categories of deprecation and denigration, and discuss their relationship to domination. In context, these forms of VTH enhance and serve as precursors to more violent speech and acts.
Evolving market boundaries and competition policy enforcement in the pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Siotis Georges , Ornaghi Carmine , Castanheira Micael 
Published: February 2023

AbstractCompetition investigations start with market definition, which establishes the perimeter of the competitive analysis. In this paper, we focus on the definition of economic markets in the pharmaceutical industry, where the entry of generics in different therapeutic areas provides a sequence of quasi-natural experiments involving a significant competitive shock for the originator producer. We show how generic entry modifies price and non-price competitive constraints over time, generating market-wide effects. Paradoxically, generic entry may soften the competitive pressure for brands other than the originator. We obtain these results by econometrically estimating time-varying price elasticities. We then apply the logic of the Hypothetical Monopolist Test to gauge the strength of competitive constraints under different market structures. Our results provide strong empirical support for an approach that defines relevant markets contingent on the theory of harm. We discuss the relevance of these findings in the context of ongoing cases.
Moral Education Through the Fostering of Reasoning Skills
Authors: Meyer Kirsten 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe development of reasoning skills is often regarded as a central goal of ethics and philosophy classes in school education. In light of recent studies from the field of moral psychology, however, it could be objected that the promotion of such skills might fail to meet another important objective, namely the moral education of students. In this paper, I will argue against such pessimism by suggesting that the fostering of reasoning skills can still contribute to the aims of moral education. To do so, I will engage with the concept of moral education, point out different ways in which reasoning skills play an essential role in it, and support these considerations by appealing to further empirical studies. My conclusion will be that the promotion of ethical reasoning skills fulfils two important aims of moral education: First, it enables students to critically reflect on their ethical beliefs. Second, it allows them to explore ethical questions in a joint conversation with others. Lastly, I will refer to education in the field of sustainable development in order to exemplify the importance of these abilities.
Magnetite immobilized metal nanoparticles in the treatment and removal of pollutants from wastewater: a review
Authors: Lourens Anname , Falch Anzel , Malgas-Enus Rehana 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe increase in population and industrial activities has resulted in harmful pollutants in our water sources that cause a concern for our future health and environmental well-being. These pollutants include pharmaceuticals, nitroarenes, synthetic dyes, oil and heavy metals that can be toxic, carcinogenic and lead to multiple organ failure. Conventional methods used to remove these toxins are of high cost, poor recyclability and low efficiency. Therefore, it is important to find suitable methods to purify industrial and household wastewater. Nanoparticles possess useful characteristics such as high surface-to-volume ratio, high optical absorption coefficient and tunable band edges for optimized catalytic capability. Magnetite NPs in specific have proven great efficiency in the removal and degradation of such pollutants as it is affordable, recyclable and easy to remove in the presence of an external magnetic field. Surface functionalization of these magnetic NPs is seen as an excellent bridge between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. A metal catalyst immobilized on the surface of these magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) affords customization and optimization of their properties for targeted applications. This study briefly discusses the synthesis of the magnetic core and different immobilization methods used to secure a metal catalyst onto its surface. This is followed by a detailed discussion where these metal catalysts immobilized on MNPs are used to improve its absorption and degradation capabilities in wastewater treatment.
A Complementary Topographic Feature Detection Algorithm Based on Surface Curvature for Three-Dimensional Level-Set Functions
Authors: Lenz Christoph , Aguinsky Luiz Felipe , Hössinger Andreas , Weinbub Josef 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe level-set method is widely used in expanding front simulations in numerous fields of computational research, such as computer graphics, physics, or microelectronics. In the latter, the level-set method is employed for topography simulations of semiconductor device fabrication processes, being driven by complicated physical and chemical models. These models tend to produce surfaces with critical points where accuracy is paramount. To efficiently increase the accuracy in regions neighboring these critical points, automatic hierarchical domain refinement is required, guided by robust feature detection. Feature detection has to be computationally efficient and sufficiently accurate to reliably detect the critical points. To that end, we present a fast parallel geometric feature detection algorithm for three-dimensional level-set functions. Our approach is based on two different, complementary curvature calculation methods of the zero level-set and an optimized feature detection parameter to detect features. For performance reasons, our algorithm can be in principal linked to different curvature calculation methods, however, as will be discussed, two particularly attractive options are available: (i) A novel extension of the standard curvature calculation method for level-set functions, and (ii) an often disregarded method for calculating the curvature due to its purported low numerical accuracy. We show, however, that the latter is still a viable option, and that our algorithm is able to reliably detect features on geometries stemming from complicated, practically relevant geometries. Our algorithm and findings are applicable to other fields of applications such as surface simplification.
PAC-learning with approximate predictors
Authors: Turner Andrew J. , Kabán Ata 
Published: February 2023

AbstractApproximate learning machines have become popular in the era of small devices, including quantised, factorised, hashed, or otherwise compressed predictors, and the quest to explain and guarantee good generalisation abilities for such methods has just begun. In this paper, we study the role of approximability in learning, both in the full precision and the approximated settings. We do this through a notion of sensitivity of predictors to the action of the approximation operator at hand. We prove upper bounds on the generalisation of such predictors, yielding the following main findings, for any PAC-learnable class and any given approximation operator: (1) We show that under mild conditions, approximable target concepts are learnable from a smaller labelled sample, provided sufficient unlabelled data; (2) We give algorithms that guarantee a good predictor whose approximation also enjoys the same generalisation guarantees; (3) We highlight natural examples of structure in the class of sensitivities, which reduce, and possibly even eliminate the otherwise abundant requirement of additional unlabelled data, and henceforth shed new light onto what makes one problem instance easier to learn than another. These results embed the scope of modern model-compression approaches into the general goal of statistical learning theory, which in return suggests appropriate algorithms through minimising uniform bounds.
Influence of detailed ball-and-socket modelling on tilting pad journal bearings dynamics
Authors: Dyk Štěpán , Rendl Jan , Bulín Radek , Smolík Luboš 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe paper focuses on local phenomena modelling in the ball-and-socket pivot of tilting pad journal bearings. It provides an in-depth analysis of the influence of nonlinear normal force and friction forces generated in the pivot on the dynamic behaviour of the bearing. Contemporary works often employ the Hertz theory, which is valid for non-conformal contacts. This research, however, utilises a conformal sphere-to-sphere contact and uses the Bengisu-Akay and LuGre models, which describe static and dynamic friction. Furthermore, the latter model respects effects such as presliding, which can be essential for accurate predictions of nonlinear behaviour and which has not been employed to simulate the dynamics of the tilting pad journal bearings so far. This work also discusses the influence of model parameters. Such a discussion is critical for the LuGre model, whose proper parameter values are not straightforward to estimate.