bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Family income and cardiovascular disease risk in American adults
Authors: Minhas Abdul Mannan Khan , Jain Vardhmaan , Li Monica , Ariss Robert W. , Fudim Marat , Michos Erin D. , Virani Salim S. , Sperling Laurence , Mehta Anurag 
Published: January 2023

AbstractSocioeconomic status is an overlooked risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Low family income is a measure of socioeconomic status and may portend greater CVD risk. Therefore, we assessed the association of family income with cardiovascular risk factor and disease burden in American adults. This retrospective analysis included data from participants aged ≥ 20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles between 2005 and 2018. Family income to poverty ratio (PIR) was calculated by dividing family (or individual) income by poverty guidelines specific to the survey year and used as a measure of socioeconomic status. The association of PIR with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and CVD as well as cardiac mortality and all-cause mortality was examined. We included 35,932 unweighted participants corresponding to 207,073,472 weighted, nationally representative participants. Participants with lower PIR were often female and more likely to belong to race/ethnic minorities (non-Hispanic Black, Mexican American, other Hispanic). In addition, they were less likely to be married/living with a partner, to attain college graduation or higher, or to have health insurance. In adjusted analyses, the prevalence odds of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure (CHF), and stroke largely decreased in a step-wise manner from highest (≥ 5) to lowest PIR (< 1). In adjusted analysis, we also noted a mostly dose-dependent association of PIR with the risk of all-cause and cardiac mortality during a mean 5.7 and 5.8 years of follow up, respectively. Our study demonstrates a largely dose-dependent association of PIR with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, CHF, CAD and stroke prevalence as well as incident all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality in a nationally representative sample of American adults. Public policy efforts should be directed to alleviate these disparities to help improve cardiovascular outcomes in vulnerable groups with low family income.
A deep network embedded with rough fuzzy discretization for OCT fundus image segmentation
Authors: Chen Qiong , Zeng Lirong , Lin Cong 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe noise and redundant information are the main reasons for the performance bottleneck of medical image segmentation algorithms based on the deep learning. To this end, we propose a deep network embedded with rough fuzzy discretization (RFDDN) for OCT fundus image segmentation. Firstly, we establish the information decision table of OCT fundus image segmentation, and regard each category of segmentation region as a fuzzy set. Then, we use the fuzzy c-means clustering to get the membership degrees of pixels to each segmentation region. According to membership functions and the equivalence relation generated by the brightness attribute, we design the individual fitness function based on the rough fuzzy set, and use a genetic algorithm to search for the best breakpoints to discretize the features of OCT fundus images. Finally, we take the feature discretization based on the rough fuzzy set as the pre-module of the deep neural network, and introduce the deep supervised attention mechanism to obtain the important multi-scale information. We compare RFDDN with U-Net, ReLayNet, CE-Net, MultiResUNet, and ISCLNet on the two groups of 3D retinal OCT data. RFDDN is superior to the other five methods on all evaluation indicators. The results obtained by ISCLNet are the second only inferior to those obtained by RFDDN. DSC, sensitivity, and specificity of RFDDN are evenly 3.3%, 2.6%, and 7.1% higher than those of ISCLNet, respectively. HD95 and ASD of RFDDN are evenly 6.6% and 19.7% lower than those of ISCLNet, respectively. The experimental results show that our method can effectively eliminate the noise and redundant information in Oct fundus images, and greatly improve the accuracy of OCT fundus image segmentation while taking into account the interpretability and computational efficiency.
PEG–PLGA nanoparticles for encapsulating ciprofloxacin
Authors: Watcharadulyarat Natsorn , Rattanatayarom Monthira , Ruangsawasdi Nisarat , Patikarnmonthon Nisa 
Published: January 2023

AbstractAntibiotic medications have been found to hinder the success of regenerative endodontic treatment due to the rapid degradation of the drug, and the acidic nature of ciprofloxacin (CIP) can be harmful to stem cells of the apical papilla (SCAPs), the cells responsible for regeneration. In this study, a nanocarrier system was used for controlled drug release for longer drug activity and less cytotoxicity to the cells. CIP was loaded in poly (ethylene glycol) methyl ether-block-poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PEG–PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) with an ion-pairing agent. The NPs demonstrated a monodispersed spherical morphology with a mean diameter of 120.7 ± 0.43 nm. The encapsulation efficiency of the CIP-loaded PEG–PLGA NPs was 63.26 ± 9.24%, and the loading content was 7.75 ± 1.13%. Sustained CIP release was achieved over 168 h and confirmed with theoretical kinetic models. Enhanced NP bactericidal activity was observed against Enterococcus faecalis. Additionally, CIP-loaded PEG–PLGA NPs had a low cytotoxic effect on SCAPs. These results suggest the use of a nanocarrier system to prolong the antibiotic activity, provide a sterile environment, and prevent reinfection by the bacteria remaining in the root canal during regenerative endodontic treatment.
Knowledge-based expedited parameter tuning of microwave passives by means of design requirement management and variable-resolution EM simulations
Authors: Koziel Slawomir , Pietrenko-Dabrowska Anna , Raef Ali Ghaffarlouy 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe importance of numerical optimization techniques has been continually growing in the design of microwave components over the recent years. Although reasonable initial designs can be obtained using circuit theory tools, precise parameter tuning is still necessary to account for effects such as electromagnetic (EM) cross coupling or radiation losses. EM-driven design closure is most often realized using gradient-based procedures, which are generally reliable as long as the initial design is sufficiently close to the optimum one. Otherwise, the search process may end up in a local optimum that is of insufficient quality. Furthermore, simulation-based optimization incurs considerable computational expenses, which are often impractically high. This paper proposes a novel parameter tuning procedure, combining a recently reported design specification management scheme, and variable-resolution EM models. The former allows for iteration-based automated modification of the design goals to make them accessible in every step of the search process, thereby improving its immunity to poor starting points. The knowledge-based procedure for the adjustment of the simulation model fidelity is based on the convergence status of the algorithm and discrepancy between the current and the original performance specifications. Due to using lower-resolution EM simulations in early phase of the optimization run, considerable CPU savings can be achieved, which are up to 60 percent over the gradient-based search employing design specifications management and numerical derivatives. Meanwhile, as demonstrated using three microstrip circuits, the computational speedup is obtained without design quality degradation.
Polymer-derived SiOC reinforced with core–shell nanophase structure of ZrB2/ZrO2 for excellent and stable high-temperature microwave absorption (up to 900 °C)
Authors: Jia Yujun , Yang Ni , Xu Shaofan , Snyder Alexander D. , Patrick Jason F. , Kumar Rajan , Zhang Dajie , Xu Chengying 
Published: January 2023

AbstractMicrowave absorbing materials for high-temperature harsh environments are highly desirable for aerodynamically heated parts and engine combustion induced hot spots of aircrafts. This study reports ceramic composites with excellent and stable high-temperature microwave absorption in air, which are made of polymer-derived SiOC reinforced with core–shell nanophase structure of ZrB2/ZrO2. The fabricated ceramic composites have a crystallized t-ZrO2 interface between ZrB2 and SiOC domains. The ceramic composites exhibit stable dielectric properties, which are relatively insensitive to temperature change from room temperature to 900 °C. The return loss exceeds − 10 dB, especially between 28 and 40 GHz, at the elevated temperatures. The stable high-temperature electromagnetic (EM) absorption properties are attributed to the stable dielectric and electrical properties induced by the core–shell nanophase structure of ZrB2/ZrO2. Crystallized t-ZrO2 serve as nanoscale dielectric interfaces between ZrB2 and SiOC, which are favorable for EM wave introduction for enhancing polarization loss and absorption. Existence of t-ZrO2 interface also changes the temperature-dependent DC conductivity of ZrB2/SiOC ceramic composites when compared to that of ZrB2 and SiOC alone. Experimental results from thermomechanical, jet flow, thermal shock, and water vapor tests demonstrate that the developed ceramic composites have high stability in harsh environments, and can be used as high-temperature wide-band microwave absorbing structural materials.
Isocratic ion pair chromatography for estimation of novel combined inhalation therapy that blocks coronavirus replication in chronic asthmatic patients
Authors: Hammouda Mohammed E. A. , Salem Yomna A. , El-Ashry Saadia M. , El-Enin Mohamed A. Abu 
Published: January 2023

AbstractA rapid and sensitive isocratic ion-pair chromatographic method was developed for the accurate analysis of ternary mixtures of formoterol, tiotropium, and ciclesonide in their novel combined inhalation that is widely used for the symptomatic treatment of patients with chronic obstructive disease. Analytical separation was performed using a C8 column and ion pair mobile phase composed of acetonitrile: acidified deionized water (55: 45% v/v) containing 0.025% sodium dodecyl sulfate. The pH was adjusted to 3.0 using orthophosphoric acid and eluted isocratically at 2.0 mL/min and 40 °C applying UV detection at 237 nm. The calibration ranges were found to be 0.3–9.0 µg/mL for formoterol, 0.45–13.5 µg/mL for tiotropium, and 10.0–300.0 µg/mL concerning ciclesonide. The proposed method exhibited good repeatability, accuracy, and sensitivity (R.S.D. < 2.0%). The approach is rapid (run time does not exceed 15 min) and achieves satisfactory resolution (resolution factors = 7.45 and 5.3 between formoterol and tiotropium and tiotropium and ciclesonide respectively). The sensitivity and the efficiency of the proposed method permit their successful estimation with a recovery percentage ± SD of 99.33% ± 0.43 for formoterol, 99.15% ± 0.60 for tiotropium, and 99.90% ± 0.41 for ciclesonide.
Dependence of column ozone on future ODSs and GHGs in the variability of 500-ensemble members
Authors: Akiyoshi Hideharu , Kadowaki Masanao , Yamashita Yousuke , Nagatomo Toshiharu 
Published: January 2023

AbstractState-of-the-art chemistry–climate models (CCMs) have indicated that a future decrease in ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) combined with an increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs) would increase the column ozone amount in most regions except the tropics and Antarctic. However, large Arctic ozone losses have occurred at a frequency of approximately once per decade since the 1990s (1997, 2011 and 2020), despite the ODS concentration peaking in the mid-1990s. To understand this, CCMs were used to conduct 24 experiments with ODS and GHG concentrations set based on predicted values for future years; each experiment consisted of 500-member ensembles. The 50 ensemble members with the lowest column ozone in the mid- and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere showed a clear ODS dependence associated with low temperatures and a strong westerly zonal mean zonal wind. Even with high GHG concentrations, several ensemble members showed extremely low spring column ozone in the Arctic when ODS concentration remained above the 1980–1985 level. Hence, ODS concentrations should be reduced to avoid large ozone losses in the presence of a stable Arctic polar vortex. The average of the lowest 50 members indicates that GHG increase towards the end of the twenty-first century will not cause worse Arctic ozone depletion.
A self‐distillation object segmentation method via frequency domain knowledge augmentation
Authors: Chen Lei , Cao Tieyong , Zheng Yunfei , Fang Zheng 
Published: January 2023

AbstractMost self‐distillation methods need complex auxiliary teacher structures and require lots of training samples in object segmentation task. To solve this challenging, a self‐distillation object segmentation method via frequency domain knowledge augmentation is proposed. Firstly, an object segmentation network which efficiently integrates multi‐level features is constructed. Secondly, a pixel‐wise virtual teacher generation model is proposed to drive the transferring of pixel‐wise knowledge to the object segmentation network through self‐distillation learning, so as to improve its generalisation ability. Finally, a frequency domain knowledge adaptive generation method is proposed to augment data, which utilise differentiable quantisation operator to adjust the learnable pixel‐wise quantisation table dynamically. What's more, we reveal convolutional neural network is more inclined to learn low‐frequency information during the train. Experiments on five object segmentation datasets show that the proposed method can enhance the performance of the object segmentation network effectively. The boosting performance of our method is better than recent self‐distillation methods, and the average Fβ and mIoU are increased by about 1.5% and 3.6% compared with typical feature refinement self‐distillation method.
A reliable optimization framework using ensembled successive history adaptive differential evolutionary algorithm for optimal power flow problems
Authors: Premkumar Manoharan , Kumar Chandrasekaran , Dharma Raj Thankkapan , Sundarsingh Jebaseelan Somasundaram David Thanasingh , Jangir Pradeep , Haes Alhelou Hassan 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe Optimal Power Flow (OPF) is a primary tool in planning and installing power systems. It attempts to minimize the operating costs associated with generating and transmitting electrical power by modifying control parameters to satisfy environmental, economic, and operational constraints. Implementing an efficient and robust optimization algorithm for the above‐said problem is critical to achieving such a typical objective. Therefore, this paper introduces and evaluates new variants of the Successive History‐based Adaptive Differential Evolutionary (SHADE) algorithm called ESHADE, SHADE‐SFS, and SHADE‐SAP to solve the OPF problems with equality and inequality constraints. Generally, the static penalty approach is widely used for eliminating infeasible solutions discovered during the search phase when searching for feasible solutions. This approach requires the accurate selection of penalty coefficients, accomplished through the trial‐and‐error method. The proposed ESHADE algorithm is formulated using Self‐Adaptive Penalty (SAP) and Superiority of Feasible Solution (SFS) mechanisms to obtain feasible solutions for OPF problems. Two IEEE bus systems are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in handling OPF problems. The fuel cost and active power loss obtained by the proposed algorithm are better than other state‐of‐the‐art algorithms. The results reveal that the proposed framework offers significant advantages over other algorithms.
New insights on the near-infrared veiling of young stars using CFHT/SPIRou data
Authors: Sousa A. P. , Bouvier J. , Alencar S. H. P. , Donati J.-F. , Dougados C. , Alecian E. , Carmona A. , Rebull L. , Cook N. , Artigau E. , Fouqué P. , Doyon R. ,   the SLS consortium
Published: January 2023

Context. Veiling is ubiquitous at different wavelength ranges in classical T Tauri stars. However, the origin of the veiling in the infrared (IR) domain is not well understood at present. The accretion spot alone is not enough to explain the shallow photospheric IR lines in accreting systems, suggesting that another source is contributing to the veiling in the near-infrared (NIR). The inner disk is often quoted as the additional emitting source meant to explain the IR veiling.
Aims. In this work, we aim to measure and discuss the NIR veiling to understand its origins and variability timescale.
Methods. We used a sample of 14 accreting stars observed with the CFHT/SPIRou spectrograph, within the framework of the SPIRou Legacy Survey, to measure the NIR veiling along the YJHK bands. We compared the veiling measurements with accretion and inner disk diagnostics. We also analyzed circumstellar emission lines and photometric observations from the literature.
Results. The measured veiling grows from the Y to the K band for most of the targets in our sample. The IR veiling agrees with NIR emission excess obtained using photometric data. However, we also find a linear correlation between the veiling and the accretion properties of the system, showing that accretion contributes to the inner disk heating and, consequently, to the inner disk emission excess. We also show a connection between the NIR veiling and the system’s inclination with respect to our line of sight. This is probably due to the reduction of the visible part of the inner disk edge, where the NIR emission excess is expected to arise, as the inclination of the system increases. Our search for periods on the veiling variability showed that the IR veiling is not clearly periodic in the typical timescale of stellar rotation – which, again, is broadly consistent with the idea that the veiling comes from the inner disk region. The NIR veiling appears variable on a timescale of a day, showing the night-by-night dynamics of the optical veiling variability. In the long term, the mean NIR veiling seems to be stable for most of the targets on timescales of a month to a few years. However, during occasional episodes of high accretion in classical T Tauri stars, which affect the system’s dynamic, the veiling also seems to be much more prominent at such times, as we found in the case of the target RU Lup.
Conclusions. We provide further evidence that for most targets in our sample, the veiling that mainly occurs in the JHK bands arises from dust in the inner disk.
Neuraxial Anesthesia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Report from a Large Academic Medical Center
Authors: Ogunkua Olutoyosi T. , Adhikari Emily H. , Gasanova Irina , Jalloh Miakka N. , Syed Sannoor S. , Pruszynski Jessica E. , Spong Catherine Y. 
Published: January 2023

Objective Three primary neuraxial techniques reduce labor pain: epidural, dural puncture epidural (DPE), and combined spinal-epidural (CSE). This study aims to determine whether neuraxial analgesia techniques changed after the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Given that a dural puncture confirms neuraxial placement, we hypothesized that DPE was more frequent in women with concerns for COVID-19.
Study Design A single-center retrospective cohort study comparing neuraxial analgesia techniques for labor and delivery pain management before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and in patients with and without SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) at a maternity hospital in Dallas, Texas, with a large delivery service. Statistical analyses included the Chi-square test for categorical and Kruskal–Wallis test for nonparametric ordinal comparisons. The Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel test was used to assess the association between neuraxial technique and accidental dural puncture or postdural puncture headache.
Results Of 10,971 patients who received neuraxial analgesia for labor, 5,528 were delivered in 2019 and 5,443 in 2020. Epidural analgesia was the most common neuraxial technique for labor pain in 2019 and 2020. There was no difference in the frequency of neuraxial analgesia techniques or the rates of accidental dural puncture or postdural puncture headaches comparing all deliveries in 2019 to 2020. Despite a significant increase in DPEs relative to epidurals in the SARS-CoV-2-positive group compared with the SARS-CoV-2-negative group in 2020, there was no significant difference in postdural puncture headaches or accidental dural punctures.
Conclusion The advantages of a DPE, specifically the ability to confirm epidural placement using a small gauge spinal needle, likely led to an increase in the placement of this neuraxial in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. There was no effect on the frequency of postdural puncture headaches or accidental dural punctures within the same period.
Key Points
Sex-Dependent Differences in Mouse Placental Gene Expression following a Maternal High-Fat Diet
Authors: Grace Matthew R. , Vora Neeta L. , Smeester Lisa , Dotters-Katz Sarah K. , Fry Rebecca C. , Bae-Jump Victoria , Boggess Kim 
Published: January 2023

Objective In utero fetal exposures may have sex-specific placental gene responses. Our objective was to measure sex-based differences in placental gene expression from dams fed high-fat diet (HFD) versus control diet (CD).
Study Design We fed timed pregnant Friend virus B–strain dams either a CD (n = 5) or an HFD (n = 5). We euthanized dams on embryonic day 17.5 to collect placentas. We extracted placental RNA and hybridized it to a customized 96-gene Nanostring panel focusing on angiogenic, inflammatory, and growth genes. We compared normalized gene expression between CD and HFD, stratified by fetal sex, using analysis of variance. Pathway analysis was used to further interpret the genomic data.
Results Pups from HFD-fed dams were heavier than those from CD-fed dams (0.97 ± 0.06 vs. 0.84 ± 0.08 g, p < 0.001). Male pups were heavier than females in the HFD (0.99 ± 0.05 vs. 0.94 ± 0.06 g, p = 0.004) but not CD (0.87 ± 0.08 vs. 0.83 ± 0.07 g, p = 0.10) group. No sex-based differences in placental gene expression in CD-fed dams were observed. Among HFD-fed dams, placentas from female pups exhibited upregulation of 15 genes (q = 0.01). Network analyses identified a cluster of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, cellular function and maintenance, and endocrine system development and function (p = 1 × 10−23). The observed female-specific increased gene expression following in utero HFD exposure was predicted to be regulated by insulin (p = 5.79 × 10−13).
Conclusion In female compared with male pups, in utero exposure to HFD upregulated placental gene expression in 15 genes predicted to be regulated by insulin. Sex-specific differences in placental expression of these genes should be further investigated.
Key Points