bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Change over five years in important measures of methodological quality and reporting in cardiovascular clinical research trials
Authors: Baasan Odgerel , Freihat Omar , Nagy Dávid U , Lohner Szimonetta 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Objectives
The aim of our current study was to analyze whether important measures of methodological quality and reporting of randomized controlled trials published in the field of cardiovascular disease research changed over time. Further aim was to investigate whether there was an improvement over time in the ability of these trials to provide a good estimate of the true intervention effect.
Methods
We conducted two separate searches in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTAL) database to identify cardiovascular clinical research trials published in either 2012 or 2017. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) trials in cardiovascular disease research with adult participants were eligible to be included. We randomly selected 250 RCTs for both publication year 2012 and 2017. Trial characteristics, data on measures of methodological quality and reporting were extracted and risk of bias for each trial was assessed.
Results
As compared to 2012 in 2017 there were significant changes in important measures of methodological quality and reporting, including an improvement in the reporting of the presence of a data monitoring committee (42.0% vs. 34.4%), and a positive tendency of registering cardiovascular disease research RCTs in clinical trial registries (83.6% vs. 72.0%). On the other hand, we also observed that significantly fewer RCTs reported sample size calculation (60.4% vs. 98.4%) in 2017 as compared to 2012. RCTs in 2017 were more likely to have low overall RoB than in 2012 (29.2% vs. 21.2%). However, the 5-year-change was not clearly in the direction of improvement for all RoB domains. In 2017 multicenter trials, drug trials and registered trials were also more likely to have a low overall RoB, than single center, non-drug on non-registered trials. In 2012 specific trial characteristics had not yet a significant impact on overall RoB.
Conclusion:
As compared to 2012 in 2017 there were significant improvement in some, but not all the important measures of methodological quality. Although more trials in the field of cardiovascular disease research had a lower overall RoB in 2017, the improvement over time was not consistently perceived in all RoB domains.
Delineation and Evaluation of Management Zones for Site Specific Nutrient Management in Maize Tracts of Northern Telangana using Geostatistical and Fuzzy C Mean Cluster approach.
Authors: Bhagwan Vaibhav Pandit Vaibhav , Theerthala Anjaiah Anjaiah , Devi Uma Devi M Uma , Neelima T.L. T.L. , C D. D. Srinivasa 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Identification and demarcation of management zones (MZs) are required to maximize profit, reduce environmental damage, and enhance soil and crop health. The management zone with uniform spatial homogeneity and production potential may solve the problem of sustainable soil nutrient management. Hence, this current investigation was carried out to evaluate variations in soil parameters in order to demarcate the soil fertility zone for site-specific nutrient management. Overall, 200 soil samples (0-15 cm depth) with geographical coordinate were collected with a grid size of 14.2 m × 14.2 m from 4 ha maize cultivated area of Bogumpadu village ofEllanthakunthamandal, Karimnagar district, Telangana, India. The collected samples were tested with different reagents to know the soil reaction and available nutrients in soil. The geostatistical technique was implemented to assess nutrient variability and preparation of variability map. The spatial variability of soil properties was explained by different models whereas spherical, exponential, and Gaussian models identified as the best-fitted models. Furthermore, the management zone was delineated by principal component analysis and fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm. Five PCs with eigenvalue >1, explaining 99.98 % of variation in overall variation were selected for the next statistics. Three management zone were identified by using the fuzzy performance index (FPI) and normalized classification entropy (NCE). The management zone significantly differs from each other. MZ-1 covers an area of 45.5 %, followed by MZ-2 (29.5 %) and MZ-3 (25%). To evaluate the management zone productivity, site-specific nutrient management experiment was conducted in the maize field. The different fertilizer doses were calculated for three management zones by the Soil test crop response model and compared with farmer fertilizer practices. The result showed the highest maize grain yield in MZ-3 (80. 18 q ha-1) followed by MZ -2 (79.25 q ha-1) and MZ-1 (77.89 q ha-1) and the lowest grain yield with farmer fertilizer practice (72.69 q ha-1). The highest N, P2O5and K2O fertilizer saving was observed in MZ-3 followed by MZ -2 and MZ-1 compared to farmer fertilizer practices. This study concluded that the management zone concept reduced the application of fertilizer, reduced environmental pollution and increased the maize grain yield and profit.
Trends in seasonal precipitation extremes and associated temperatures along continental Chile
Authors: Lagos-Zúñiga Miguel A. , Mendoza Pablo A. , Rondanelli Roberto , Campos Diego 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
We characterize trends in maximum seasonal daily precipitation (seasonal Rx1day), and minimum (Tn), and maximum (Tx) daily temperatures during days with precipitation over continental Chile for the period 1970–2017, using surface stations and the AgERA5 gridded product derived from the ERA5 reanalysis dataset. We also examine seasonal trends of Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Precipitable Water (PW), Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), Eddy Kinetic Energy (EKE), Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) frequency, and upper air observations to seek for possible mechanisms that explain precipitation trends. Our results show an increase in precipitation extremes during fall in Northern Chile (15–30°S) and during fall and winter in Austral Chile, and mostly negative trends in Central Chile, where a few locations with positive trends are found along the coast. Although warming trends prevail for Tn (< 0.5°C/dec), cooling trends are observed in Tx during seasonal Rx1day events for almost all seasons. The highest values in Tn trends are obtained on the western slopes of the Andes. We also explore temperature scaling in surface stations, finding strong positive super Clausius Clapeyron with Tn, especially during the fall. Sounding observations in five stations across Chile, suggest warming trends at 23.5°, 33°S and 53°S, with a stabilization effect by enhanced warming in the upper troposphere, while presenting cooling trends in Puerto Montt (41.5°S). Seasonal trends in PW reveal moistening along southern-Peru and Northern-Chile during spring and summer. Positive trends in CAPE are observed over 35–40°S (austral summer and fall) and the northern altiplano (autumn). SST analyses reveal strong cooling around 30°S in winter, which may explain the negative trends in seasonal Rx1day in central Chile. A warming spot on the northern Peruvian coast during fall may be responsible for humidification in front of Northern Chile, particularly during summer and fall. Positive EKE trends are detected south of 40°S, being stronger and reaching almost all of the coast during spring. ARs frequency unveils negative trends up to -5 days/dec during summer, and positive trends of 1 day/dec in 40°- 50°S coastal regions during spring. More generally, the results presented here shed light on the main large-scale processes driving recent trends in precipitation extremes across continental Chile.
OGM and WES Identifies Translocation Breakpoints in PKD1 Gene in an Polycystic Kidney Patient and Healthy Baby Delivered Using PGT
Authors: Xu Peiwen , Wang Lijuan , Li Jing , Huang Sexin , Gao Ming , Kang Ranran , Li Jie , Xie Hongqiang , Liu Xiaowei , Gao Xuan , Yan Junhao , Chen Zi-jiang , Gao Yuan 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Background Whole exome sequencing (WES) is a routine tool for diagnostic confirmation of genetic diseases. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is one of the most common autosomal dominant genetic diseases and WES was usually performed to confirm the clinical diagnosis in ADPKD. Reciprocal translocation is the most common chromosomal structural abnormalities and the most carriers have normal phenotypes, unless they are encountered infertility problem when they grow up. However, for polycystic kidney disease caused by abnormal chromosome structure, WES is difficult to achieve the purpose of gene diagnosis.
Methods ADPKD-related genes were detected by WES; Chromosomal karyotyping and Optical Genome Mapping (OGM) was used to detect structural variant; The genomic break-point locations and the abnormal splicing was detected by reverse transcription-PCR and Sanger sequencing. The karyomapping gene chip and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) were performed to screen aneuploidy and distinguish the noncarrier embryos from carrier embryos.
Results No pathogenic variant was found after first round of WES analysis. Karyotyping data showed 46, XX, t (16; 17) (p13.3; q21.3). With the help of OGM, the translocation breakpoint on chromosome 16 was located within the PKD1 gene. With re-analysis of WES raw data, the breakpoint of translocation was verified to be located at the c.10618+3 of PKD1 gene. Based on this molecular diagnosis, a noncarrier embryo was selected out from three blastocysts, with preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) after in vitro fertilization (IVF), to transferred into uterus. With confirmation by prenatal and postnatal testing, the pedigree delivered a healthy baby.
Conclusion We identified a case of ADPKD caused by balanced translocation and assisted the patient to have a healthy child. When the phenotype was closely related with a monogenic disease and the WES analysis was negative, chromosomal structural analysis would be recommended for further genetic diagnosis. Based on the precision diagnosis, preventing the recurrence of hereditary diseases in offspring would be reachable.
Differential Activation of Programmed Cell Death in Patients with Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Riegler Ashligh , Benson Paul , Long Kenneth , Leal Sixto 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 (SARS-2) causes severe lower airway disease and death in a subset of patients. Knowledge on the relative contribution of programmed cell death (PCD) to lung pathology is limited to few human autopsy studies with small sample size/scope, in vitro cell culture, and experimental model systems. In this study, we sought to identify, localize, and quantify activation of apoptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and necroptosis in FFPE lung tissues from patients that died from severe SARS-2 infection (n=28) relative to uninfected controls (n=13). Immunofluorescence (IF) staining, whole-slide imaging, and Image J software was used to localize and quantify expression of SARS-2 nucleoprotein and the following PCD protein markers: cleaved Caspase-3, pMLKL, cleaved Gasdermin D, and CD71, respectively. IF showed differential activation of each PCD pathway in SARS-2 infected lungs and dichotomous staining for SARS-2 nucleoprotein enabling distinction between high (n=9) vs low viral burden (n= 19). No differences were observed in apoptosis and ferroptosis in SARS-2 infected lungs relative to uninfected controls. However, both pyroptosis and necroptosis were significantly increased in SARS-2 infected lungs. Increased pyroptosis was observed in SARS-2 infected lungs, irrespective of viral burden, suggesting an inflammation-driven mechanism. In contrast, necroptosis exhibited a very strong positive correlation with viral burden (R2=0.9925), suggesting a direct SARS-2 mediated effect. These data indicate a possible novel mechanism for viral-mediated necroptosis and a potential role for both lytic programmed cell death pathways, necroptosis and pyroptosis, in mediating infection outcome.
Health-Related Quality of Life after stereotactic radiosurgery in patients with brain metastases
Authors: Albers Elaine A.C. , de Ligt Kelly M. , de Poll-Franse Lonneke V. van , Compter Annette , de Ruiter Michiel B. , Schagen Sanne B. 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to assess Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in patients with brain metastases treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and to identify factors associated with this.
Methods
HRQoL was measured pre-SRS, at 3 and 6 months follow-up. Physical functioning, cognitive functioning, role functioning and fatigue were analyzed with the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Motor dysfunction, future uncertainty, visual disorder, communication deficit and headaches were analyzed with the EORTC QLQ-BN20. Clinically important symptom or functional impairment was assessed following set thresholds. Factors associated with impairment were identified through multivariable logistic regression analyses.
Results
At baseline, 178 patients were included; 54% (n = 96) completed questionnaires at 3 months and 39% (n = 70) at 6 months. Before SRS, 29% of LINAC patients reported physical and cognitive impairment, while 25% reported impairment for fatigue. At 6 months, 39%, 43% and 57% of LINAC patients reported impairment respectively. Forty-five percent of GK patients reported impairment pre-SRS for physical, cognitive functioning and fatigue. At 6 months, 48%, 43% and 33% of GK patients reported impairment respectively. Except for role functioning, pre-SRS symptom and functioning scores were associated with impairment at 3 months; whereas scores at 3 months were associated with impairment at 6 months. Age, gender, systemic therapy and intracranial progression were not associated with clinically important impairment.
Conclusion
As 33–57% of patients with brain metastases reported symptom burden and functional impairments that were of clinical importance, it is recommended to pay attention to the HRQoL outcomes of these patients during clinical encounters.
A Low Power CMOS Transceiver for low-field NMR Spectrometer
Authors: Li Fanyang , Zhang Yanqing 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
In this paper, we present a low-power NMR-on-a-chip system for low-field applications. The transmitter circuit consists of a level-shifted circuit and an H-bridge power amplifier (PA). The transmitter circuit has adjustable output power for multi-field applications, with 52 mW output power at 50 Ω load impedance, while the receiver circuit contains a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a variable gain amplifier (VGA), a down-conversion mixer, and a Variable BW low-pass filter with 19–75 dB link gain and an input reference noise of 0.85\(nV/\sqrt{Hz}\). The on-chip high-digitization frequency synthesizer can steadily generate pulsed signals from 20 to 45MHz (for magnetic field applications from 0.5T to 1T), and the phase noise is measured at -95dBc/Hz at 10KHz offset at a local oscillation frequency of 21.28MHz. buffer connection. The NMR on-chip system designed in this paper is based on the SMIC 0.18µm CMOS process, and the power consumption of the entire receiver side is only 3.89mW at 1.2V supply voltage, and the layout area of the whole system is only 1mm×1.14mm.
Oil spills, coastal pollution, and antibiotic resistance in bacteria isolated from soil across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal coastlines
Authors: Rekadwad Bhagwan Narayan , Shouche Yogesh S. , Jangid Kamlesh 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Pelagic transport causes oil pollution by traversing the open ocean in southern Asia and Indian territory via international tanker routes. The natural flow of ocean water from east to west, which carries pollutants and biohazards into the marine waters belonging to the Indian territory, is what causes the deposition and saturation of oil spills, tar (i.e., hydrocarbons), and wastes in ocean waters. Water currents and tides carry tons of crude oil that has leaked from oil tanker accidents in the open ocean to coastlines. Here, we report that marine traffic of sailing flags across oceans causes pollution that results in the formation of algal blooms and has an impact on the production of chlorophyll and the mortality of fauna. The consequences of pollution have mostly affected coastal areas, especially mangroves, and may destroy potential fishing zones. Furthermore, it was recorded that long-term exposure to pollutants may cause the development of antibiotic and hydrocarbon resistance in bacteria. Bacterial taxa such as Bacillus, Domibaciluus, Acinetobacter, Brevundimonas, Streptococcus, Mycolibacterium, and Sphingomonas, among others, were found, and their identities were confirmed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. Antimicrobial resistance in these bacteria may pose a threat to public health.
Mass Spectrometry in Cerebrospinal Fluid Uncovers Association of Glycolysis Biomarkers with Alzheimer’s Disease in a Large Clinical Sample
Authors: de Geus Matthijs B. , Leslie Shannon N. , Lam TuKiet , Wang Weiwei , Kivisakk Pia , Nairn Angus C. , Arnold Steven E. , Carlyle Becky C. 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex heterogenous neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by multiple pathophysiologies, including disruptions in brain metabolism. Defining markers for patient stratification across these pathophysiologies is an important step towards personalized treatment of AD. Efficient brain glucose metabolism is essential to sustain neuronal activity, but hypometabolism is consistently observed in AD. The molecular changes underlying these observations remain unclear. Recent studies have indicated dysregulation of several glycolysis markers in AD cerebrospinal fluid and tissue.Methods In this study, unbiased mass spectrometry was used to perform a deep proteomic survey of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from a large-scale clinically complex cohort to uncover changes related to impaired glucose metabolism.Results Two glycolytic enzymes, Pyruvate kinase (PKM) and Aldolase A (ALDOA) were found to be specifically upregulated in AD CSF compared to other non-AD groups. Presence of full-length protein of these enzymes in CSF was confirmed through immunoblotting. Levels of tryptic peptides of these enzymes correlated significantly with CSF glucose and CSF lactate in matching CSF samples.Conclusions The results presented here indicate a general dysregulation of glucose metabolism in the brain in AD. We highlight two markers ALDOA and PKM that may act as potential functionally-relevant biomarkers of glucose metabolism dysregulation in AD.
The Efficacy of Perioperative Antibiotic Therapy in Adenotonsillectomy Children
Authors: Wang Ying , Zhao Limin , Wang Jing , Li Xiaoyan 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Purpose: This prospective study was to evaluate the role of perioperative antibiotics use in children after adenotonsillectomy.
Methods: A total of 246 children undergoing adenotonsillectomy admitted to our department from September 6th 2021 to September 5th 2022 were collected and randomly divided into observation group (128 cases) and control group (118 cases). The observation group received ampicillin sulbactam sodium intravenously 30min before and the day after surgery, while the control group was given saline instead. SPSS 27.0 was used for statistical analysis. Two independent samples mean T-test was used to evaluate the throat pain scores consecutive 3 days after the surgery, the time to resume to normal diet and the wound healing time between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent risk factors of the two groups. The generalized estimation model was used to evaluate the correlation between age and postoperative pain scores and the relationship between the different tonsillar bed grading and postoperative pain scores.
Results: The pain scores were 5.83±1.879, 5.20±1.933 and 4.02±1.936 in the observation group and 6.83±1.892, 6.17±2.001 and 5.29±2.068 in the control group on day 1 to 3 after surgery, respectively. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.01); The time of pain disappearance was (6.24±2.121) d in the observation group and (7.73±2.210) d in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.01). The wound repair time was (18.66±2.200) d in the observation group and (18.70±2.468) d in the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P =0.874). Logistic regression analysis showed that fever was an independent risk factor for the two groups and was negatively correlated (B=-1.237, P<0.001, OR=0.290); Generalized estimation model showed that there was a positive correlation between age and pain scores (P<0.001) and with the increasing grading of tonsillar bed, the higher the pain scores was (P<0.001).
Conclusions: Perioperative use of antibiotics in children with adenotonsillectomy can effectively reduce postoperative fever, throat pain symptoms and shorten the pain time. With the increasing of tonsillar bed grading, perioperative antibiotic therapy was more necessary.
Probabilistic seismic performance assessment of rocking buckling restrained braced frames
Authors: Soltani Mohammad Hosein , Yakhchalian Mansoor , Tavakoli Mahshid , Mirzaei Mehran 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
One of the new lateral force resisting systems introduced to improve seismic performance of structures is rocking buckling restrained braced frame (RBRBF). This lateral force resisting system in each bay includes buckling restrained braces (BRBs) on one side and conventional braces on the other side, and vertical links between the upper ends of braces located in adjacent stories. In this system, conventional braces and adjacent columns are designed to remain elastic until near seismic collapse. In this paper, RBRBFs are designed according to a displacement-based design approach. Maximum interstory drift ratio (MIDR) and maximum residual interstory drift ratio (MRIDR) are among the most critical engineering demand parameters (EDPs) used for assessing the safety of structures after an earthquake. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the effects of utilizing RBRBFs on MIDR and MRIDR responses compared with buckling restrained braced frames (BRBFs). For this purpose, 4-, 8-, and 12-story structures with RBRBF and BRBF systems are considered, and their collapse capacity values and residual drift capacity values given different levels of MRIDR are computed using incremental dynamics analyses (IDAs). After computing the capacity values, the mean annual frequencies (MAFs) of collapse (λCol) and exceeding different MRIDR levels (λRD) are obtained. The results demonstrate that all RBRBFs have better collapse and residual drift performance than BRBFs. Based on these results, the use of RBRBFs dramatically reduces BRBF weaknesses including the concentration of damage in a single story and low post-yield stiffness.
Multiplicative Neuron Models for Very Short-Term Load Forecasting
Authors: Joshi Harsh , Yadav Abhishek 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Load forecasting has always been a crucial component of operational and managerial aspect of efficient power system planning. Since there are several factors on which load forecasting depends, it becomes necessary to find out the level of impact these factors put on it. In the study, data preparation is performed by transforming the historical electric load of Uttarakhand state adopting Max-Min normalization. The data generated was partitioned into categories of training and testing data for further application of the conventional and different multiplicative neuron models. As per the Akaike information criterion QIFNM is the best fit model among all. The QIFNM having single neuron and different parameters achieved MSE of 0.0020. The performance analysis of studied model revealed that a single neuron of QIFNM can be used for VSTLF in relation to a particular geographic area with same set of condition with better efficiency as of several neurons of the conventional model.