bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
On the Public Finance of Capital Punishment
Authors: Lundberg Alexander 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
This study examines how local governments handle the financial demands of capital trials. With longitudinal data on county expenditures in Texas, fixed-effects regression estimates underscore two fiscal impacts of capital trials. First, counties raise property tax rates by an average of one-half basis point in years with a concluded trial. Second, counties reduce public safety expenditure by an average of approximately one million dollars. These results are consistent with national, cross-sectional research.
Machine learning models in predicting graft survival in kidney transplantation: meta-analysis
Authors: Ravindhran Bharadhwaj , Chandak Pankaj , Schafer Nicole , Kundalia Kaushal , Hwang Woochan , Antoniadis Savvas , Haroon Usman , Zakri Rhana Hassan 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe variations in outcome and frequent occurrence of kidney allograft failure continue to pose important clinical and research challenges despite recent advances in kidney transplantation. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the current application of machine learning models in kidney transplantation and perform a meta-analysis of these models in the prediction of graft survival.MethodsThis review was registered with the PROSPERO database (CRD42021247469) and all peer-reviewed original articles that reported machine learning model-based prediction of graft survival were included. Quality assessment was performed by the criteria defined by Qiao and risk-of-bias assessment was performed using the PROBAST tool. The diagnostic performance of the meta-analysis was assessed by a meta-analysis of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and a hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic plot.ResultsA total of 31 studies met the inclusion criteria for the review and 27 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Twenty-nine different machine learning models were used to predict graft survival in the included studies. Nine studies compared the predictive performance of machine learning models with traditional regression methods. Five studies had a high risk of bias and three studies had an unclear risk of bias. The area under the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.82 and the summary sensitivity and specificity of machine learning-based models were 0.81 (95 per cent c.i. 0.76 to 0.86) and 0.81 (95 per cent c.i. 0.74 to 0.86) respectively for the overall model. The diagnostic odds ratio for the overall model was 18.24 (95 per cent c.i. 11.00 to 30.16) and 29.27 (95 per cent c.i. 13.22 to 44.46) based on the sensitivity analyses.ConclusionPrediction models using machine learning methods may improve the prediction of outcomes after kidney transplantation by the integration of the vast amounts of non-linear data.
The prognostic effect of prediabetes defined by different criteria in patients with stable coronary artery disease: a prospective cohort study in Asia
Authors: Cui Kongyong , Yin Dong , Song Weihua , Wang Hongjian , Zhu Chenggang , Feng Lei , Li Jianjun , Jia Lei , Lu Ye , Zhang Rui , Shi Boqun , Song Yanjun , Fu Rui , Dou Kefei 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Aims
To evaluate the impact of prediabetes identified by different glycemic thresholds (according to ADA or WHO/IEC criteria) and diagnostic tests (fasting plasma glucose [FPG] or hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c]) on clinical outcomes in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods and results
In this prospective cohort study, we consecutively enrolled 4088 stable CAD non-diabetic patients with a median follow-up period of 3.2 years. Prediabetes was defined according to ADA criteria as FPG 5.6∼6.9 mmol/L and/or HbA1c 5.7∼6.4%, and WHO/IEC criteria as FPG 6.1∼6.9 mmol/L and/or HbA1c 6.0∼6.4%. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), including all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. The prevalence of prediabetes defined according to ADA criteria (67%) was double that of WHO/IEC criteria (34%). Compared with patients with normoglycaemia, those with WHO/IEC-defined prediabetes were significantly associated with higher risk of MACE [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10–2.06], mainly driven by the higher incidence of events in individuals with HbA1c-defined prediabetes. However, this difference was not found in patients with ADA-defined prediabetes and normoglycaemia (adjusted HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.81–1.68). Although FPG was not associated with cardiovascular events, HbA1c improved the risk prediction for MACE in a model of traditional risk factors. Furthermore, the optimal cutoff value of HbA1c for predicting MACE was 5.85%, which was close to the threshold recommended by IEC.

Conclusion
This study supports the use of WHO/IEC criteria for the identification of prediabetes in stable CAD patients. Haemoglobin A1c, rather than FPG, should be considered as a useful marker for risk stratification in this population.

Registration
Not applicable.
Resilience and successional trends of woody vegetation in seasonally dry tropical forests
Authors: de Oliveira Clemir Candeia , Martins Fernando Roberto , Souza Bruno Cruz , de Sa Barretto Sampaio Everardo Valadares , Loiola Maria Iracema Bezerra , Soares Arlete Aparecida 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Understanding the recovery time of vegetation structure and species composition to estimate the resilience of seasonally deciduous tropical forest (SDTF) is fundamental for conservation actions. Related information is still scarce for the semi-arid Brazilian SDTF (locally called Caatinga), which covers more than 800 000 km2 in the northeast of Brazil. We aimed to estimate how long it takes for 11 attributes of vegetation structure and species composition, separately and aggregated, to become similar to an old-growth forest (OGF). The attributes were floristic composition, species richness, Shannon diversity index, plant density, median and maximal diameters and height, basal area, volume and aboveground biomass. The attributes’ regeneration ratios were aggregated as an arithmetic average and a geometric average, based on a variance–covariance analysis. The ratios were determined in chronosequences (5, 15, 25 and 35 regeneration years and an OGF) of SDTF, in three different locations in Ceará state. Plant density, which had a unimodal tendency, reached a peak at 15 years and then decreased, although it was still greater than that of the OGF after 35 years. Richness and diversity, with monotonic trends, reached values similar to the OGF. All other attributes, especially floristic composition, volume and biomass, had lower values than the OGF. Based on the aggregate set of attributes, the SDTF was 79 per cent recovered after 35 years of regeneration. The variance–covariance analysis indicated that species richness and aboveground biomass contributed the most to the aggregate ratio of regeneration, while maximum diameter and basal area contributed the least. Recovery of this semi-arid forest takes longer than recovery of other SDTF and requires more than 35 years of regeneration to return to a composition and structure similar to the original one. Therefore, management plans should restrict destructive uses before at least 35 years of regeneration have been reached.
Theoretical analysis and computation of the sample Fréchet mean of sets of large graphs for various metrics
Authors: Ferguson Daniel , Meyer François G 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
To characterize the location (mean, median) of a set of graphs, one needs a notion of centrality that has been adapted to metric spaces. A standard approach is to consider the Fréchet mean. In practice, computing the Fréchet mean for sets of large graphs presents many computational issues. In this work, we suggest a method that may be used to compute the Fréchet mean for sets of graphs which is metric independent. We show that the technique proposed can be used to determine the Fréchet mean when considering the Hamming distance or a distance defined by the difference between the spectra of the adjacency matrices of the graphs.
Level of feeding and stage of maturity affects diet digestibility and protein and fat deposition in cross-bred lambs
Authors: Keogh Thomas P , McGrath Shawn R , Allworth Maxwell B , Oddy Victor H 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Metabolizable energy intake is the key determining factor for the expression of an animal’s genetic potential for growth, and current predictive growth models are not capable of accounting for all the nutritional variation that is commonly observed. The current study was designed to investigate energy transactions as lambs grow using CT scanning to assess body compositional changes at two levels of intake and two stages of maturity, and compare results to predictive equations.
A pelleted diet was provided to cross-bred lambs (n = 108) at approximately 2.5 and 3.5% of liveweight (LW) in dry matter when the lambs were approximately four (31.8 ± 0.3 kg LW) and eight (40.5 ± 0.3 kg LW) months of age. A digestibility trial was run sequentially using 10 lambs of the same genetic and nutritional history fed at the same feeding levels to determine the digestibility of the diet.
In the first feeding period, metabolizable energy intake was 15.3 ± 0.03 and 9.5 ± 0.03 MJ ME/d for high and low feeding levels respectively, resulting in higher rates of empty body gain for high feeding level lambs (197.7 ± 7.8 vs. 72.8 ± 8.2 g/d; P &lt; 0.001). In the second feeding period, metabolizable energy intake was 15.2 ± 0.01 and 12.0 ± 0.01 MJ ME/d for high and low feeding levels respectively, resulting in higher rates of empty body gain for high feeding level lambs (176.3 ± 5.4 vs. 73.9 ± 5.3; P &lt; 0.001).
Lambs at later stages of maturity retained proportionately more energy as fat for every unit of retained energy compared to younger lambs (95.4 ± 0.40 vs. 90.0 ± 0.42%; P &lt; 0.001). Lambs fed the lower feeding level in period two also retained proportionately more energy as fat for every unit of retained energy than lambs at the higher feeding level (97.1 ± 0.36 vs. 94.0 ± 0.37%; P &lt; 0.001) which is hypothesized to be because of the rapid response of visceral lean tissue to changes in nutrition. There were no significant interactions between treatments in the first and second feeding periods, indicating an absence of a compensatory gain response to a nutritional restriction in the first feeding period.
This experiment highlights the significance of a changing feed supply and the subsequent effects on body composition and the partitioning of energy to lean and fat tissue deposition. For improvements in the accuracy of predictive ruminant growth models it is necessary to gain a greater understanding of the different tissue responses over time to changes in nutrition.
Plane-wave least-squares diffraction imaging using short-time singular spectrum analysis
Authors: Li Yalin , Huang Jianping , Lei Ganglin , Duan Wensheng , Song Cheng , Zhang Xinwen 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Diffractions are seismic waves generated by small-scale heterogeneities in the subsurface. These are often superimposed by strong reflections so that they are not visible on the image, leading to misinterpretation and incorrect localization of the scatterers. Therefore, the separation of diffracted and reflected waves is a crucial step in identifying these small-scale diffractors. To realize the separation of diffraction and imaging, a least-squares reverse time migration method of plane waves (PLSRTM) optimized with short-time singular spectrum analysis (STSSA) was developed in this work. The proposed STSSA algorithm exploits the properties of singular spectral analysis (SSA) to separate linear signals. By establishing the Hanning window and the energy compensation function, it also compensates for the shortcomings of SSA in local dip processing and convergence of linear signals. As there is no clear boundary between reflected and diffracted waves, the energy loss during separation leads to a slow convergence rate of the diffraction wave imaging technique. We use STSSA as a constraint for PLSRTM, which greatly improves the imaging quality for diffraction waves. The tests with the Sigsbee2A model and noisy seismic data have shown that our method can effectively improve the resolution of diffraction wave imaging and that the constraint of STSSA increases the robustness to noisy data.
Iatrogenic fibrotic encapsulation of NANCE palatal arch appliance in the hard palate and its surgical management: a case report
Authors: Adeloye Abimbola Y , Egbunah Uchenna P , Utomi Ifeoma L 
Published: March 2023

AbstractFibrosis is the overgrowth of connective tissue resulting from chronic inflammatory reactions induced by persistent tissue injury such as iatrogenic injury from prolonged use of orthodontic appliances. We report a case of a 19-year-old female who presented with a complaint of dental malocclusion. Her first presentation was 5 years prior when she received a Nance palatal arch appliance. However, she did not keep to her follow-up appointments and could not complete her treatment. Intraoral examination revealed the Nance palatal arch appliance completely buried in fibrotic tissue of the hard palate. The appliance was resistant to removal by conventional means and surgical exposure and removal were performed. A new Nance palatal arch appliance was fabricated and fitted and the patient continued to receive further orthodontic treatment. This report elucidates the importance of regular dental appointments for patients on orthodontic therapy to prevent complications and minimize the need for surgical interventions.
Extrapleural solitary fibrous tumor—a revision of three cases
Authors: Policarpo Filipa , Rafael Ana Alves , Teixeira José Nuno , Chorão Martinha 
Published: March 2023

ABSTRACTExtrapleural solitary fibrous tumors are a rare type of spindle cell neoplasm, which can occur in many locations with different histologic and immunohistochemical findings, making the diagnosis challenging. They are usually indolent and their treatment is based on complete surgical resection. There are still some issues to be clarified regarding systemic therapy (specifically when aggressive behavior exists) and long-term follow-up. We present a series of clinical cases in the same Department and review this thematic area.
Giant pedunculated lipofibroma of the thigh
Authors: Suleiman Jamil , Suleman Mujaheed , Amsi Patrick , Minja Peter , Lodhia Jay 
Published: March 2023

ABSTRACTPedunculated lipofibroma is a rare form of nevus lipomatous cutaneous superficialis. They are usually solitary lesions found around the thighs, buttocks and trunk; thought to have a predilection for pressure areas. There are two types of lipofibromas; sessile or pedunculated. They are mostly asymptomatic but can cause symptoms as they grow larger affecting daily activities. Treatment is not indicated in smaller lesions, except for cosmetic purposes. Herein we present this rare benign lesion with an unusually large size.
Female with multiple groin pathologies: inguinal hernia containing fallopian tube, obturator hernia and subcutaneous endometrioma
Authors: Skalkos Elizabeth , Diab Jason , Berney Christophe 
Published: March 2023

ABSTRACTGroin lumps in females can be challenging due to unique anatomy and vast differential diagnostic pathologies. We report the case of a 39-year-old female presenting with a six-month history of painful left groin lump. Laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) hernia repair showed an incarcerated left indirect inguinal hernia sac containing part of the left fallopian tube and fimbrial cyst, a left fat-containing obturator hernia and associated with ectopic subcutaneous inguinal endometrioma. The anatomical differences in women suggest that individualized preoperative imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging have a place before considering laparoscopic hernia repair, to successfully identify and synchronously treat any concomitant pathologies.
Pyogenic granuloma of the thumb mimicking squamous cell carcinoma of the nail subunit: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Alkabbaa Saud , Alsaedan Abdullah M , Alammar Alwaleed K 
Published: March 2023

ABSTRACTPyogenic granuloma (PG) is a benign vascular lesion that usually occurs in the skin or mucous membranes. Multiple theories have been implicated in its aetiology. It can mimic variable malignancies in which histopathological examination plays a vital role. We report a case of PG of the left thumb nail subunit in a 40-year-old gentleman, who presented with left thumb mass after a trauma by a wooden splinter. Incisional biopsy of the lesion could not rule out squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, full radiological studies were carried out as part of this highly suspicious lesion’s work-up. Excisional biopsy was performed and a full thickness skin graft was harvested from the left distal forearm and applied to cover the defect. Final histopathological examination revealed the diagnosis of PG. The wound subsequently healed well with good functional and aesthetic outcome.
Relationships between inflammation markers and the risk of hypertension in primary Sjögren’s syndrome: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Lu Yan , Luo Qiang , Liu Yaping , Wang Han 
Published: March 2023

ABSTRACT

Objectives
The association of inflammation markers with hypertension (HTN) in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) remains controversial. We aimed to investigate whether inflammation markers are at increased risk of developing HTN in pSS patients.

Methods
A retrospective cohort study included pSS patients (n = 380) between May 2011 and May 2020 from the Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of the potential inflammation markers for pSS-HTN. Subsequently, the dose–response relationships were also used.

Results
Out of 380 pSS patients, 171 (45%) developed HTN, and the median follow-up period was 4.16 years. Univariable Cox regression analysis showed that the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and neutrophils were significantly associated with the incident HTN (P &lt; 0.05). After adjustment for covariates, this association between ESR (adjusted HR 1.017, 95%CI: 1.005–1.027, P = .003), neutrophils (adjusted HR 1.356, 95%CI: 1.113–1.653, P = .003), and HTN remained significant. The dose–effect relationship was also found between ESR, neutrophils, and HTN (P = .001).

Conclusions
Inflammation markers may play an important role in the incident HTN in pSS.
A Real-world Multicenter Outpatient Experience of Ceftolozane/Tazobactam
Authors: Van Anglen Lucinda J , Schroeder Claudia P , Couch Kimberly A 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Background
Ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) is indicated for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infection (IAI), complicated urinary tract infection (UTI), and hospital-acquired/ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia caused by susceptible bacteria. As real-world data are limited, we report utilization and associated outcomes of C/T use in the outpatient setting.

Methods
This is a multicenter, retrospective study of patients who received C/T between May 2015 and December 2020. Demographics, infection types, C/T utilization characteristics, microbiology, and health care resource utilization were collected. Clinical success was defined as complete or partial symptom resolution at completion of C/T. Persistent infection and discontinuation of C/T were deemed nonsuccess. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors associated with clinical outcomes.

Results
A total of 126 patients (median age, 59 years; 59% male; median Charlson index, 5) from 33 office infusion centers were identified. Infection types included 27% bone and joint infection (BJI), 23% UTI, 18% respiratory tract infection (RTI), 16% IAI, 13% complicated skin and soft tissue infection (cSSTI), and 3% bacteremia. The median daily dose of C/T was 4.5 g, primarily administered via elastomeric pumps as intermittent infusion. The most common gram-negative pathogen was P. aeruginosa (63%), 66% of which was multidrug-resistant and 45% carbapenem-resistant. Enterobacterales was identified in 26% of isolates, of which 44% were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producers. The overall clinical success rate of C/T was 84.7%. Nonsuccessful outcomes were due to persistent infections (9.7%) and drug discontinuations (5.6%).

Conclusions
C/T was successfully used in the outpatient setting to treat a variety of serious infections with a high prevalence of resistant pathogens.
Clathrin-mediated endocytosis facilitates the internalization ofMagnaporthe oryzaeeffectors into rice cells
Authors: Oliveira-Garcia Ely , Tamang Tej Man , Park Jungeun , Dalby Melinda , Martin-Urdiroz Magdalena , Rodriguez Herrero Clara , Vu An Hong , Park Sunghun , Talbot Nicholas J , Valent Barbara 
Published: March 2023

AbstractFungi and oomycetes deliver effectors into living plant cells to suppress defenses and control plant processes needed for infection. Little is known about the mechanism by which these pathogens translocate effector proteins across the plasma membrane into the plant cytoplasm. The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae secretes cytoplasmic effectors into a specialized biotrophic interfacial complex (BIC) before translocation. Here, we show that cytoplasmic effectors within BICs are packaged into punctate membranous effector compartments that are occasionally observed in the host cytoplasm. Live cell imaging with fluorescently labeled proteins in rice (Oryza sativa) showed that these effector puncta colocalize with the plant plasma membrane and with CLATHRIN LIGHT CHAIN 1, a component of clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Inhibiting CME using virus-induced gene silencing and chemical treatments resulted in cytoplasmic effectors in swollen BICs lacking effector puncta. By contrast, fluorescent marker colocalization, gene silencing, and chemical inhibitor studies failed to support a major role for clathrin-independent endocytosis in effector translocation. Effector localization patterns indicated that cytoplasmic effector translocation occurs underneath appressoria before invasive hyphal growth. Taken together, this study provides evidence that cytoplasmic effector translocation is mediated by CME in BICs and suggests a role for M. oryzae effectors in coopting plant endocytosis.
Duality of immune recognition by tomato and virulence activity of the Ralstonia solanacearum exo-polygalacturonase PehC
Authors: Ke Jingjing , Zhu Wanting , Yuan Ying , Du Xinya , Xu Ai , Zhang Dan , Cao Sen , Chen Wei , Lin Yang , Xie Jiatao , Cheng Jiasen , Fu Yanping , Jiang Daohong , Yu Xiao , Li Bo 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating soil-borne bacterial pathogen capable of infecting many plant species, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). However, the perception of Ralstonia by the tomato immune system and the pathogen's counter-defense strategy remain largely unknown. Here, we show that PehC, a specific exo-polygalacturonase secreted by Ralstonia, acts as an elicitor that triggers typical immune responses in tomato and other Solanaceous plants. The elicitor activity of PehC depends on its N-terminal epitope, and not on its polygalacturonase activity. The recognition of PehC specifically occurs in tomato roots and relies on unknown receptor-like kinase(s). Moreover, PehC hydrolyzes plant pectin-derived oligogalacturonic acids (OGs), a type of damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP), which leads to the release of galacturonic acid (GalA), thereby dampening DAMP-triggered immunity (DTI). Ralstonia depends on PehC for its growth and early infection and can utilize GalA as a carbon source in the xylem. Our findings demonstrate the specialized and dual functions of Ralstonia PehC, which enhance virulence by degrading DAMPs to evade DTI and produce nutrients, a strategy used by pathogens to attenuate plant immunity. Solanaceous plants have evolved to recognize PehC and induce immune responses, which highlights the significance of PehC. Overall, this study provides insight into the arms race between plants and pathogens.