bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mycophenolic Acid Exposure Determines Antibody Formation Following SARS‐CoV‐2 Vaccination in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Nested Cohort Study
Authors: Meziyerh Soufian , Bouwmans Pim , van Gelder Teun , van der Helm Danny , Messchendorp Lianne , van der Boog Paul J. M. , de Fijter Johan W. , Moes Dirk Jan A. R. , de Vries Aiko P. J. ,   RECOVAC Collaborators
Published: February 2023

Despite (repeated) boosting, kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) may remain at increased risk of severe COVID‐19 since a substantial number of individuals remain seronegative or with low antibody titers. In particular, mycophenolic acid use has been shown to affect antibody formation negatively and may be an important modifiable risk factor. We investigated the exposure–response relationship between mycophenolic acid 12‐hour area under the curve (AUC0–12h) exposure and seroconversion including antibody titers after vaccination using mRNA‐1273 SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine (Moderna) in 316 KTRs from our center that participated in the national Dutch renal patients COVID‐19 vaccination – long term efficacy and safety of SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination in kidney disease patients vaccination study. After two vaccination doses, 162 (51%) KTRs seroconverted. KTRs treated with mycophenolic acid showed less seroconversion and lower antibody titers compared with KTRs without mycophenolic acid (44% vs. 77%, and 36 binding antibody units (BAU)/mL vs. 340 BAU/mL; P < 0.001). The mean mycophenolic acid AUC0–12h exposure was significantly lower in KTRs who seroconverted compared with KTRs who did not (39 vs. 29 mg⋅h/L; P < 0.001). High mycophenolic acid exposure (±90 mg⋅h/L) and no exposure to mycophenolic acid resulted in a seroconversion rate ranging from 10% to 80%. Every 10 mg⋅h/L increase in mycophenolic acid AUC0–12h gave an adjusted odds ratio for seroconversion of 0.87 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79–0.97; P = 0.010) and 0.89 (95% CI, 0.85–0.93; P < 0.001) for KTRs on dual and triple maintenance immunosuppressive therapy, respectively. Higher mycophenolic acid AUC0–12h correlated with lower antibody titers (R = 0.44, P < 0.001). This study demonstrates the exposure–response relationship between gold standard mycophenolic acid exposure and antibody formation to support interventional studies investigating mycophenolic acid adjustment to improve antibody formation after further boosting.
Eating disorders prevention programs in Latin American countries: A systematic review
Authors: Dunker Karin Louise Lenz , de Carvalho Pedro Henrique Berbert , Amaral Ana Carolina Soares 
Published: February 2023

AbstractObjectiveThis systematic review evaluates and summarizes existing eating disorder (ED) prevention programs in Latin American countries.MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted using the Cochrane Controlled Trial Register, PubMed, and Virtual Health Library databases up to and including July 31, 2022. All ED prevention studies published in English, Spanish or Portuguese were eligible, regardless of the study design, sample characteristics, and type of prevention programs. The Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the included studies.ResultsTwenty‐two studies were included. Most were pilot studies that were nonrandomized, had a high risk of bias, were from Mexico and Brazil, and employed selective interventions. Dissonance‐based programs and social cognitive theory were the commonly used approaches in interventions, and most of them were tested in adolescent girls and women. Short follow‐ups were used, varying from 1 to 6 months. Many found significant decreases after the intervention and/or at follow‐up in ED/disordered eating risk behaviors/symptoms, negative affect, body‐ideal internalization, and body image disturbances.ConclusionsThis review highlights promising efforts to prevent EDs among Latin American countries. Some barriers in conducting research include funding restrictions, laws that do not allow remuneration or compensation for participants, and high costs of training. Nonetheless, the outcomes of the programs developed and evaluated so far are positive enough to merit further work on ED prevention. Efforts for future researchers should recruit samples with diverse characteristics, use robust designs and data analysis techniques, and expand the accessibility of prevention programs.Public Significance StatementThe development of effective eating disorder (ED) prevention programs that can be broadly implemented is a public health priority. Nevertheless, there is limited evidence regarding the characteristics of ED prevention programs and their efficacy among Latin American countries. In the present study, we reviewed existing ED prevention programs adopted in Latin America, described their characteristics and outcomes, noted the limitations of available programs, and discussed the implications of these findings for efforts to prevent the development of EDs in Latin America. The outcomes of the programs developed and evaluated so far are positive enough to merit the development and rigorous evaluation of future programs and their broad dissemination in Latin American countries.PROSPERO registration number CRD42021275245.
Competition model explains trends of long‐term fertilization in plant communities
Authors: Yamauchi Atsushi , Ito Koichi , Shibasaki Shota 
Published: February 2023

AbstractOver 40 years ago, Kempton (Biometrics, 35, 1979, 307) reported significant modification to plant community structure following a long‐term fertilization experiment. Many researchers have investigated this phenomenon in the years since. Collectively, these studies have shown consistent shifts in rank abundance relationships among species in communities following fertilization. The previous studies indicated that fertilization affects community structure through several critical processes, including trait‐based functional response, reordering of species in rank abundance diagram (RAD), and niche dimensionality, although some questions have remained. How does the species reordering driven by the plant responses cause characteristic trends in temporal changes of RAD? Why are those trends ubiquitous in various systems? To answer those questions, we theoretically investigated the effects of fertilization on community structure based on a colonization model (or Levins model) with competition–fecundity trade‐offs, which can result in the coexistence of multiple species under competition. The model represents characteristic RAD, which can be an adequate tool to study community composition. Our theoretical model comprehensively represents observed trends in rank abundance relationships following long‐term fertilization and suggests that competitive interactions among species are a critical factor in structuring species diversity in plant communities.
Bird preferences for fruit size, but not color, vary in accordance with fruit traits along a tropical elevational gradient
Authors: Hazell Richard J. , Sam Katerina , Sreekar Rachakonda , Yama Samson , Koagouw Wulan , Stewart Alan J. A. , Peck Mika R. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBirds constitute one of the most important seed dispersal agents globally, especially in the tropics. The feeding preferences of frugivorous birds are, therefore, potentially of great ecological importance. A number of laboratory‐based and observational studies have attempted to ascertain the preferences of certain bird species for certain fruit traits. However, little attention has been paid to community‐wide preferences of frugivorous birds and the impact this may have on fruit traits on a broader scale. Here, we used artificial fruits of different colors and sizes to investigate community‐wide fruit trait preferences of birds at three sites along an elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea. We recorded attack rates on artificial fruits as visible impressions made by a bird's beak during a feeding attempt. We also measured the colors and sizes of real fruits at each site, and the gape widths of frugivorous birds, allowing for comparisons between bird feeding preferences and bird and fruit traits. Regardless of elevation, red and purple fruits were universally preferred to green and attacked at similar rates to one another, despite strong elevational patterns in real fruit color. However, elevation had a significant effect on fruit size preferences. A weak, non‐significant preference for large fruits was recorded at 700 m, while medium fruits were strongly preferred at 1700 m and small fruits at 2700 m. These patterns mirror those of both real fruit size and frugivorous bird gape width along the gradient, suggesting the potential for selective pressure of birds on fruit size at different elevations.
Niche theory for positive plant–soil feedbacks
Authors: Senthilnathan Athmanathan , D'Andrea Rafael 
Published: February 2023

AbstractInteractions between plants and the soil are an important ecological process in terrestrial ecosystems as they affect plant community structure: when and where we find different plant species. Those interactions are typically thought of as one‐directional: local soil conditions filter through dispersing species to produce a community of locally adapted plants. However, plants can modify local physicochemical soil conditions via their roots and associations with soil microbes. These may in turn affect the local fitness of other plants, making plant–soil interactions bidirectional. In order to understand how they differ from other ecological processes that structure plant communities, we need a theory connecting these individual‐level plant–soil feedbacks to community‐level patterns. Here, we build this theory with a mathematical model of plant community dynamics in which soil conditioning is explicitly modeled over time and depends on the density of the plants. We analyze this model to describe the long‐term composition and spatial distribution of the plant community. Our main result is that positive plant–soil feedbacks will create clustering of species with similar soil preferences. The composition of these clusters is further influenced by niche width and conditioning strength. In contrast with competitive dynamics driven by niche overlap, only species belonging to the same cluster can maintain high relative abundance in the community. Spatial heterogeneity in the form of an environmental gradient generates patches, each representing a single cluster. However, such patchiness is disfavored when species differ in dispersal ability. We show that stronger dispersers cannot take over the habitat as long as an exogenous driver favors soil conditions that benefit the other species. If exogenous drivers supersede soil conditioning by plants, we retrieve classic habitat filtering, where species are selected based on their suitability to the local environment. Overall, we provide a novel mathematical model for positive plant–soil feedback that we use to describe the spatial patterns of plant abundance and traits related to soil preference and conditioning ability.
Cognitive function following diabetic ketoacidosis in young children with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Ghetti Simona , Kuppermann Nathan , Rewers Arleta , Myers Sage R. , Schunk Jeff E. , Stoner Michael J. , Garro Aris , Quayle Kimberly S. , Brown Kathleen M. , Trainor Jennifer L. , Tzimenatos Leah , DePiero Andrew D. , McManemy Julie K. , Nigrovic Lise E. , Kwok Maria Y. , Olsen Cody S. , Casper T. Charles , Glaser Nicole S. ,   Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) DKA FLUID Study Group
Published: February 2023

AbstractIntroductionYoung children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may be at particularly high risk of cognitive decline following diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). However, studies of cognitive functioning in T1D typically examine school‐age children. The goal of this study was to examine whether a single experience of DKA is associated with lower cognitive functioning in young children. We found that recently diagnosed 3‐ to 5‐year‐olds who experienced one DKA episode, regardless of its severity, exhibited lower IQ scores than those with no DKA exposure.MethodsWe prospectively enrolled 46 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children, who presented with DKA at the onset of T1D, in a randomized multi‐site clinical trial evaluating intravenous fluid protocols for DKA treatment. DKA was moderate/severe in 22 children and mild in 24 children. Neurocognitive function was assessed once 2–6 months after the DKA episode. A comparison group of 27 children with T1D, but no DKA exposure, was also assessed. Patient groups were matched for age and T1D duration at the time of neurocognitive testing.ResultsChildren who experienced DKA, regardless of its severity, exhibited significantly lower IQ scores than children who did not experience DKA, F(2, 70) = 6.26, p = .003, partial η2 = .15. This effect persisted after accounting for socioeconomic status and ethnicity.ConclusionsA single DKA episode is associated with lower IQ scores soon after exposure to DKA in young children.
Reshaping the material research paradigm of electrochemical energy storage and conversion by machine learning
Authors: Yang Hao , He Zhengqiu , Zhang Mengdi , Tan Xiaojie , Sun Kang , Liu Haiyan , Wang Ning , Guan Lu , Wang Chongze , Wan Yi , Wang Wanli , Hu Han , Wu Mingbo 
Published: February 2023

AbstractFor a “Carbon Neutrality” society, electrochemical energy storage and conversion (EESC) devices are urgently needed to facilitate the smooth utilization of renewable and sustainable energy where the electrode materials and catalysts play a decisive role. However, the efficiency of the current trial‐and‐error research paradigm largely lags behind the imminent demands of EESC requiring increasingly improved performance. The emerged machine learning (ML), a subfield of artificial intelligence, is capable of evaluating and analyzing big data for hidden rules. In this regard, the relationships between the structure and performance of the key materials can be more efficiently revealed, which fundamentally revolutionizes the material research manner of the current EESC devices. In this review, the typical ML algorithms utilized in EESC development are first introduced. Then, focused attention has been paid to multiple aspects of applying ML to reshape the materials research for EESC. In addition to highlighting the emerging prospect, the challenges which are still hindering the further development of this emerging field are also discussed.image
Yield optimization, physicochemical characterizations, and antioxidant properties of food grade agar from Gracilaria tenuistipitata of Cox's Bazar coast, Bangladesh
Authors: Mohibbullah Md. , Talha Md. Abu , Baten Md. Abdul , Newaz Asif Wares , Choi Jae‐Suk 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe present study was aimed at investigating the optimization of extraction variables for food grade quality agar from Gracilaria tenuistipitata, so far, the first study on Bangladeshi seaweed. Water (native)‐ and NaOH (alkali)‐pretreated agars were comparatively analyzed by several physicochemical parameters. All extraction variables significantly affected the agar yield in both extraction conditions. Alkali‐pretreated agar provided a better yield (12–13% w/w) and gel strength (201 g/cm2) in extraction conditions as followed by 2% NaOH pretreatment at 30°C for 3 h, seaweed to water ratio at 1:150, and extraction temperature at 100°C for 2 h. Gelling and melting temperatures, color, and pH values of both agars were found to be comparable with commercial agar. Significantly higher sulfate contents including organic and inorganic and total carotenoids were reported in native (3.14% and 1.29 μg/mL) than that in alkali‐pretreated agar (1.27% and 0.62 μg/mL). FTIR spectrum demonstrated the purity of the agar as characterized by the stronger relative intensity with higher degree of conversion of L‐galactose 6‐sulfate to 3,6‐anhydrogalactose in alkali pretreatment group than that of native ones. Moreover, antioxidant activity (% DPPH scavenging) was observed and confirmed by IC50 values of 5.42 and 9.02 mg/mL in water‐ and alkali‐pretreated agars, respectively. The results suggested that agar from G. tenuistipitata with optimized alkali extraction conditions could promote cost‐effective yield with improved physicochemical characteristics and biofunctional values upon consumption by the consumers as food materials.
Analysis of TBM parameters during tunnelling in adverse conditions – The case study of the Frejus Safety Tunnel, Western Alps
Authors: Bianchi Gianpino Walter 
Published: February 2023

AbstractOne of the main hazards during tunnel boring machine (TBM) excavation in hard rock is related to the occurrence of unforeseen adverse conditions, leading to unfavourable rock mass behaviour during tunnel boring. In this respect, the continuous analyses of TBM excavation parameters may represent an interesting tool for a continuous monitoring of geotechnical conditions at the tunnel face and for early detection of changing ground conditions in the rock mass. This work provides a back‐analysis of TBM data recorded during the excavation of the Frejus Safety Tunnel, bored across the French‐Italian border in the Western Alps. It is a 13 km‐long tunnel excavated by a 9.4 m diameter, single‐shield TBM through strongly anisotropic calcareous schist, with cover up to 1800 m. Main problems faced during TBM excavation were related to the local occurrence of buckling‐related convergence and consequent asymmetrical loading on the precast segment rings. Correlating TBM performance parameters to the encountered geological and geomechanical conditions provides the possibility to identify which parameters are most affected by geomechanical properties of the rock mass at the tunnel face and by rock mass behaviour. Conversely, the analysis indicates which parameters can be adopted as monitoring tool of ground conditions during TBM advance. In addition, this work highlights how buckling phenomena can be distinguished, in terms of TBM operation and performance, from other adverse conditions as, e.g., blocky ground or squeezing.
Checkpoint blockade and BRAF/MEK therapy in the therapeutic setting improved the overall survival after sentinel node biopsy: A retrospective study comparing patients with primary care between 1998‐2009 and 2010‐2017
Authors: Kretschmer Lutz , Bernhard Leonie , Leha Andreas , Kromer Christian , Julius Katharina , Schön Michael P. , Schnabel Viktor 
Published: February 2023

AbstractImmunotherapies using checkpoint blockade and BRAF/MEK therapies have improved overall survival (OS) in patients with unresectable melanoma metastases. In this retrospective study, we aimed to demonstrate the resulting increase in melanoma‐specific survival (MSS) and OS after the excision of primary melanomas (≥1 mm thick) and sentinel lymph node (SN) biopsy (SNB). Using Kaplan‐Meier estimates and Cox models, we compared two consecutive cohorts. Patients in cohort 1 (N = 518) underwent SNB between 1998 and 2009, and patients in cohort 2 (N = 460) between 2010 and 2017, when checkpoint blockade and BRAF/(MEK) inhibition became available for the treatment of unresectable relapses. The median follow‐up times were 120 and 73 months, respectively. While recurrence‐free and distant metastasis‐free survival rates remained very similar, MSS and OS increased in favor of cohort 2. The estimated 5‐year OS rate of SN‐positive patients increased by 14.3% (78.5% vs 64.2%, logrank test: P = .005). The MSS benefit was significant even with low SN tumor burden (metastasis diameter < 1 mm). On multivariate analyses, the risk‐reduction in favor of cohort 2 was significant in the total population and in the SN‐negative and SN‐positive subgroups. In SN‐positive patients, besides the availability of modern therapies, SN metastasis diameter and ulceration were independent factors of MSS and OS. Treatment of unresectable melanoma recurrences with modern drug therapies results in significantly higher survival rates in a population with SNB. The survival benefit measured from primary melanoma affects both the SN‐positive and SN‐negative subpopulations.
Kinship, gender and social links impact on micro group lending defaults
Authors: EL Fakir Adil , Fairchild Richard , Lamrani Alaoui Youssef , Chan Dora , Tkiouat Mohamed , Amer Zaid 
Published: February 2023

AbstractJoint liability aspires to improve micro‐loan performance through the support of, and pressure from, the group borrowers. This paper examines how the group composition, in terms of the mixture of kinship (Family) ties and social (Friends and Neighbours) ties among the borrowers, affects the default rates. Using binary logistics regression and three machine learning models, responses from 507 group micro‐loan borrowers from four major Moroccan cities were analysed. The results show that the stronger the family and kinship ties are within a loan group, the higher is the default rate. On the contrary, the stronger the social ties are among the group, the lower is the default rate. Other key findings include that the diversion of fund usage from investment to consumption is not found to significantly cause default. Also, loan default can be a consequence of borrowers' strategic choice rather than financial distress. As compared to the female members, male borrowers are found to be causing higher default rates. Interestingly, the gender‐related default rates are lower when more of the male borrowers are only socially related. Finally, group size is found to be positively associated with default. Our findings can help micro‐finance institutions refine their lending policies and guidance on groups' composition and size to reduce default rates.
“I bring them here to tell their stories”: Transnational Latina mothers' critical literacy practices in an intergenerational storytelling workshop
Authors: Gonzales Grace Cornell , Machado Emily , Plitkins Lauren 
Published: February 2023

AbstractFamily literacy programs are potential spaces of empowerment for transnational families, yet often draw from deficit logics that fail to acknowledge the rich language and literacy practices of Latinx communities. We brought together theories of critical literacy and theories of mothering as critical work to document how transnational Latina mothers in an intergenerational storytelling workshop reshaped the space toward their own goals. We explored how mothers in the workshop served as critical literacy pedagogues by writing, reading, and redesigning the workshop space in ways that asserted agency, fostered intergenerational learning, and pushed back against deficit narratives. We offer insights from the workshop experience to suggest ways in which educators, both in family literacy and K–12 settings, can learn from and partner with transnational parents.