bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of board skepticism in strengthening nonprofit performance measurement and accountability
Authors: Bruni‐Bossio Vincent , Kaczur Melanie 
Published: September 2023

AbstractWe interviewed 21 board chairs of nonprofits with social missions to ask how their organizations assess performance when they cannot adequately track the intangible work by employees or the outcomes of this work. We find that the uncertainty around tracking performance data makes boards skeptical of their ability to assess performance in these organizations. Our study suggests that the skepticism of these boards inspires effective strategies focused on decreasing uncertainty around performance. These strategies include tracking a combination of quantified data, process data, and narratives from employees and clients, and ensuring specific board processes that foster a psychologically safe environment for discussion and checking against cognitive biases. We find boards in these organizations to be aware, engaged, and effective at assessing performance and we suggest that policy makers can be better informed by accessing the knowledge and strategy used by these boards.
Psychological empowerment and quality of life in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients: A quantitative study
Authors: Turlinskienė Marija , Seniūnaitė‐Ramanauskienė Raminta , Pociūnaitė Justina , Sargautytė Rūta 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAimThis study aimed to evaluate the relationship between psychological empowerment, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in people with haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).DesignA longitudinal prospective study.MethodsA sample of 150 people with haematological was recruited at Santaros Clinics in Lithuania between September 2020 and April 2022. Demographic characteristics, cancer‐related characteristics, depression, anxiety, psychological empowerment and quality of life (QoL) were assessed using self‐report questionnaires before and 10–12 weeks after HSCT. Descriptive statistics, correlation and moderation analyses were performed.ResultsThe results showed that psychological empowerment had a significant correlation with patients’ depression, anxiety and QoL. Patients who were more empowered before HSCT had a subjectively better QoL before and after HSCT and were less depressed after transplantation. The results showed that empowerment was a moderator between depression and QoL after transplantation, but it had a significant effect on the QoL only among patients who are less depressed.Patient or public contributionWith this study, we aim to contribute to a better understanding of the psychological experiences of people with HSCT. Particularly, psychological empowerment is an important factor in preparing for this treatment. Medical professionals like nurses can be crucial contributors to implementing and strengthening psychological empowerment.
Deep learning‐based surrogate modeling of coronary in‐stent restenosis
Authors: Shi Jianye , Manjunatha Kiran , Reese Stefanie 
Published: September 2023

AbstractCoronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the largest causes of death worldwide. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a minimally invasive procedure to restore blood flow in blocked coronary arteries. However, PCI carries risks such as in‐stent restenosis and thrombosis. Drug‐eluting stents were developed to counteract the restenosis observed after stent implantation. An effective in silico model that can accurately predict the restenosis procedure is of great importance for the cardiology. This study aims to develop a deep learning‐based surrogate model for in‐stent restenosis incorporating anti‐inflammatory drugs embedded in the drug‐eluting stents. The model includes a detailed multiphysics approach based on partial differential equations (PDEs) to capture platelet aggregation, growth‐factor release, cellular motility and drug deposition.
Graph‐to‐local limit for a multi‐species nonlocal cross‐interaction system
Authors: Esposito Antonio , Heinze Georg , Pietschmann Jan‐Frederik , Schlichting André 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIn this note we continue the study of nonlocal interaction dynamics on a sequence of infinite graphs, extending the results of Esposito, Heinze and Schlichting to an arbitrary number of species. Our analysis relies on the observation that the graph dynamics form a gradient flow with respect to a non‐symmetric Finslerian gradient structure. Keeping the nonlocal interaction energy fixed, while localizing the graph structure, we are able to prove evolutionary Γ‐convergence to an Otto‐Wassertein‐type gradient flow with a tensor‐weighted, yet symmetric, inner product. As a byproduct this implies the existence of solutions to the multi‐species non‐local (cross‐)interaction system on the tensor‐weighted Euclidean space.
Birefringent polyvinyl alcohol layers as retardation components for display devices
Authors: Barzic Andreea Irina , Albu Raluca Marinica , Stoica Iuliana , Nechifor Cristina‐Delia , Avadanei Mihaela Iuliana , Dimitriu Dan Gheorghe , Dorohoi Dana Ortansa 
Published: September 2023

AbstractOptically birefringent polymers have found utility in numerous applications, especially in liquid crystal displays. This work is focused on inducing molecular ordering in polyvinyl alcohol films in different conditions. The samples were modified by new mixed approaches: drawing, rubbing before drying, rubbing before drying followed by drawing, and combined rubbing, drawing and then parallel scratching. The level of chain alignment in the samples was quantified by birefringence measurements using several experimental techniques, namely interferometry, polarization ellipse approach, channeled spectra and polarized light refractometry. The produced anisotropy was correlated with the sample morphology examined via optical microscopy under crossed polarizers. Optical retardation was found to be larger as the generated birefringence of mechanically deformed polyvinyl alcohol foils was higher. It was found the new proposed approach of ordering polymer sample by combined rubbing, drawing and then scratching is most suitable as retardation layer for compensating light leakage in display devices.
Ocular venous occlusion in pediatrics: Should thrombophilia investigation and anticoagulant treatment be initiated?
Authors: Benish Marganit , Shrot Shai , Barg Assaf , Kventsel Iris , Elhasid Ronit , Kenet Gili , Levy‐Mendelovich Sarina 
Published: September 2023

AbstractRetinal vein occlusion (RVO) and superior ophthalmic vein thrombosis (SOVT) are rare diseases in the pediatric population; however, the ophthalmic and neurologic morbidity are significant. As published data are scarce for these conditions, we present our experience with pediatric ocular venous thrombosis in four patients, and discuss recommended management for evaluation and treatment. We suggest performing thrombophilia workup for all pediatric patients with RVO or SOVT. In patients with thrombophilia risk factors or patients with additional thrombi, we highly recommend initiating anticoagulation therapy. There is a need for more research in order to determine the optimal management strategy.
Reducing chemotherapy dose intensity by 25% and adding rituximab improves survival in pediatric mature B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma in LMIC setting
Authors: Radhakrishnan Venkatraman , Kritthivasan Venkatakrishnan , Kothandan Balaji Thiruvengadam , Srinivasan Prasanth , Das Gargi , Ramamurthy Jaikumar 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackground and objectivesPediatric B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) have historically had inferior outcomes due to higher treatment‐related mortality (TRM) and relapses. To address this issue, we evaluated the impact of reducing chemotherapy dose intensity by 25% and adding rituximab on outcomes in pediatric B‐NHL.Patients and methodsPatients, less than 18 years of age with group B and C disease as per the Lymphome Malin de Burkitt (LMB) risk stratification were enrolled between September 2017 and October 2022. The LMB‐89 protocol, with a 25% reduction in all chemotherapy doses and the addition of rituximab, was administered. The response was assessed using positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET/CT) after four cycles of chemotherapy (interim) and at the end of treatment.ResultsThe study included 25 patients with a median age of 6.9 years, among whom 20 (80%) were males. Twenty patients had group B and five had group C disease. Complete metabolic response (CMR) was achieved by 22/25 (88%) patients, and three (12%) achieved partial metabolic response (PMR) in the interim PET/CT. At the end of treatment, 22/24 (92%) patients achieved CMR, one had PMR, and one had progressive disease. The median follow‐up was 45 months (range: 3–71 months). The 4‐year event‐free survival and overall survival were 88% and 92%, respectively. There were two deaths, one due to disease progression and the other due to sepsis.ConclusionOur study demonstrates a significant improvement in outcomes in pediatric B‐NHL compared to previous reports from LMICs, achieved through a 25% reduction in chemotherapy dose intensity and the addition of rituximab.
Associations between neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio and platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio and prognosis in patients with neuroblastoma
Authors: Mirzayeva Gunay , Kupeli Serhan , Ozkan Ayse , Sezgin Gulay , Bayram Ibrahim 
Published: September 2023

AbstractObjectivesRecent studies have shown that the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a new inflammatory marker that is effective in determining the prognosis of many solid tumors, chemotherapy responses, survival, and their recurrence rate. Therefore, we performed a retrospective study to investigate the effect of neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte and platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) on risk factors and prognosis in these patients.Materials and methodsIn this study, 246 pediatric patients with neuroblastoma who were diagnosed, treated, and followed up during 2000–2021 in Division of Pediatric Oncology, Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, were included. Required information of patients was obtained from archive files, Mergentech hospital program, and E‐pulse system.ResultsMedian value for NLR was found to be 1.06, for PLR it was found as 92. The relationship of NLR values with age, stage, risk group, and Shimada was found to be statistically signifıcant with p < .001, vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) (p = .006) also depicted the signifıcant value. Likewise, the relationship of PLR values with age (p < .001), stage (p = .022), Shimada (p = .004), and N‐Myc amplification (p = .039) was found to be statistically significant as well. Survival analysis showed that no statistically significant difference was observed among the higher and lower values of NLR. Survival rates were noticed to be higher in the lower values of NLR (10‐year overall survival [OS] 55% vs. 49%, 10‐year event‐free survival (EFS) 54% vs. 43%), albeit nonsignificant.ConclusionPretreatment evaluation of NLR and PLR values in patients with neuroblastoma may be instructive in respect of prognosis and risk group.
Cyclic and linear poly(L‐lactide)s by ring‐expansion polymerization with Bu2SnO, Oct2SnO, and Bu2SnS
Authors: Kricheldorf Hans R. , Weidner Steffen M. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractTo elucidate the usefulness of commercial Bu2SnO as catalyst for syntheses of linear and/or cyclic polylactides l‐Lactide was polymerized in bulk with variation of the LA/Cat ratio, temperature and time. Based on a ring‐expansion polymerization (REP) mechanism cyclic polylactides (PLAs) with weight average molecular weights in the range of 200,000–300,000 are obtained at the highest temperature (180 °C). Polymerizations at 150 °C yielded crystalline, mainly cyclic polylactides which, after annealing, showed high melting temperatures (up to 197.5 °C) and high crystallinities (>80%). Polymerization at 120 °C confirmed the trend towards more linear chains with lower temperatures but yielded extended‐ring crystals showing a “saw‐tooth pattern” in the mass spectra. Oct2SnO gave similar results as Bu2SnO. Bu2SnS proved a sluggish polymerization catalyst, but a good transesterification catalyst in solid PLA.
A randomized, double‐blind, comparative study of the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of GP40141 (romiplostim biosimilar) and reference romiplostim in healthy male volunteers
Authors: Makarenko Igor , Dorotenko Artem , Noskov Sergey , Banko Veniamin , Saparova Valeria , Khokhlov Alexandr , Zoreeva Evgeniia , Nedorubov Andrey , Zinnatulina Bella , Gefen Maria , Drai Roman 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAimsThe pharmacodynamic (PD) similarity between GP40141, a proposed romiplostim biosimilar, and reference romiplostim was evaluated. Pharmacokinetics and safety were also assessed.MethodsIn this phase 1, randomized, double‐blind, single‐dose, crossover comparative study with an adaptive design, 56 healthy male volunteers were randomized 1:1 to receive a 3 ug × kg−1 subcutaneous dose of GP40141 and reference romiplostim. The PD similarity between GP40141 and the reference romiplostim was determined using the standard equivalence criteria (80%–125%) for the area under the platelet count‐time curve from time 0 to the time of the last sampling for PD (AUCplt) and the maximum observed platelet count (Pmax).ResultsGP40141 and the reference romiplostim exhibited similar PD profiles. 90% CI for the geometric mean ratios for the primary PD parameters (AUCplt, Pmax) for GP40141 (T) and the reference romiplostim (R) were fully contained within the predefined equivalence limits of 80%–125%: 98.13%–102.42% for AUCplt and 97.56%–105.80% for Pmax. The pharmacokinetic profiles of GP40141 and the reference romiplostim were well described. No adverse events were observed during the clinical trial after the administration of GP40141 and the reference romiplostim.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the PD similarity of GP40141 to the reference romiplostim. Both treatments had comparable safety profiles (NCT05652595)
Neuroprotective effect of Kurarinone against corticosterone‐induced cytotoxicity on rat hippocampal neurons by targeting BACE1 to activate P13K–AKT signaling – A potential treatment in insomnia disorder
Authors: Wu Guoqing , Wu Yanyan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe hippocampus has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insomnia disorder (ID) and the purpose of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective mechanism of the natural flavone Kurarinone (Kur) on hippocampal neurotoxicity as a potential treatment of ID. The effect of Kur on hippocampal neuronal cell (HNC) viability and apoptosis were assessed by Cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Then, the effect of Kur on β‐site amyloid precursor protein‐cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation level were measured by Western blot. Further, SwissTargetPrediction analysis and molecular docking experiments were used to detect a potential target of Kur. Then, the p‐chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) model was established in vivo to further study the effect of BACE1 expression on Kur and HNC. As a result, HNC viability was only significantly decreased by 2 μM of Kur. Kur reversed the impacts of corticosterone upon inhibiting viability (0.25–1 μM), PI3K (0.5–1 μM)/AKT phosphorylation, and BDNF (1 μM) level, and enhancing the apoptosis (0.25–1 μM) and BACE1 expression (1 μM) in HNCs. BACE1 was a potential target of Kur. Notably, Kur (150 mg/kg) attenuated PCPA‐induced upregulation of BACE1 expression in rat hippocampal tissues as ZRAS (0.8 g/kg). The effects of Kur (1 μM) on corticosterone‐treated HNCs were reversed by BACE1 overexpression. Collectively, Kur downregulates BACE1 level to activate PI3K/AKT, thereby attenuating corticosterone‐induced toxicity in HNCs, indicating that Kur possibly exerted a neuroprotective effect, which providing a new perspective for the treatment of insomnia disorders.
Dopaminergic cell protection and alleviation of neuropsychiatric disease symptoms byVMAT2expression through the class IHDACinhibitorTC‐H106
Authors: Lee Heejin , Kim Hye‐Ji , Choi Dong‐Kyu , Ko Eu n.‐A. , Choi Jae‐Hyeog , Seo Yohan , Lee Sion , Kim Soong‐Hyun , Jung Sejin , Kim Minwoo , Kang Dongwan , Im Chun‐Young , Bae Gi‐Hun , Jung Sung‐Cherl , Kwon Oh‐Bin 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe importance of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) in dopamine regulation, which is considered crucial for neuropsychiatric disorders, is currently being studied. Moreover, the development of disease treatments using histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (HDACi) is actively progressing in various fields. Recently, research on the possibility of regulating neuropsychiatric disorders has been conducted. In this study, we evaluated whether VMAT2 expression increased by an HDACi can fine‐tune neuropsychotic behavior, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and protect against the cell toxicity through oxidized dopamine. First, approximately 300 candidate HDACi compounds were added to the SH‐SY5Y dopaminergic cell line to identify the possible changes in the VMAT2 expression levels, which were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results demonstrated, that treatment with pimelic diphenylamide 106 (TC‐H 106), a class I HDACi, increased VMAT2 expression in both the SH‐SY5Y cells and mouse brain. The increased VMAT2 expression induced by TC‐H 106 alleviated the cytotoxicity attributed to 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) or 1‐methyl‐4‐phenylpyridinium (MPP+) and free dopamine treatment. Moreover, dopamine concentrations, both intracellularly and in the synaptosomes, were significantly elevated by increased VMAT2 expression. These results suggest that dopamine concentration regulation by VMAT2 expression induced by TC‐H 106 could alter several related behavioral aspects that was confirmed by attenuation of hyperactivity and impulsivity, which were major characteristics of animal model showing ADHD‐like behaviors. These results indicate that HDACi‐increased VMAT2 expression offers sufficient protections against dopaminergic cell death induced by oxidative stress. Thus, the epigenetic approach could be considered as therapeutic candidate for neuropsychiatric disease regulation.
A risk‐adjusted exponentially weighted moving average control chart for detection of the scale parameter in surgical quality monitoring
Authors: Lai Xin , Li Xiao , Liu Liu , Wang Jiayin , Zhang Xuanping , Zhu Xiaoyan , Lai Paul B. S. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractRisk‐adjusted control charts have been widely used in monitoring surgical quality in detecting risks of surgical performance. Most of the previous approaches focus on shifts in the location parameter as well as the existence of the scale parameter, which cannot get the full measure of the scale parameter under different levels. Ignoring the magnitude of the scale parameter, the monitoring methods cannot detect different variations of surgical mortality that is measured by scale parameter and required to reflect surgical quality improvement. The method of detecting variations in surgical quality is of interest in surgical quality improvement. This paper uses a new weighted h‐likelihood method to obtain a weighted score test for the surgical risks from the logistic model. Then an exponentially weighted moving average chart can be constructed to monitor the changes in the variance of risks, which could be of interest in practical surgical monitoring programs. Simulation results indicate that the proposed approach performs more efficiently than existing methods under various magnitudes of shifts in scale parameters on top of different pre‐set threshold stability. In addition, the application of the proposed method to real surgical data from the Surgical Outcome Monitoring and Improvement Program in Hong Kong shows the improvement and deterioration in a hospital's outcomes.
Kerr‐Nonlinearity Enhanced Photon Blockades via Driving a Δ‐Type Atom
Authors: Zhang Wei , Liu Shutian , Zhang Shou , Wang Hong‐Fu 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe single‐ and two‐photon blockade effects in an optical cavity with a nonlinear Kerr medium, which is coupled with a three‐level atom, forming a Δ‐type transition configuration and closed‐loop coupling are investigated by introducing two driving fields in the atom‐cavity system. It is found that single‐ and two‐photon blockades can be remarkably enhanced by the Kerr nonlinearity, however, the parameter regimes governing two blockades are distinctly different. It is demonstrated that a large Kerr nonlinearity makes more contribution to the single‐photon blockade, as compared to the two‐photon blockade effect. Furthermore, by varying the atom‐cavity coupling strength, single‐ and two‐photon blockades can alternatingly occur. Additionally, the region where two‐photon blockade occurs is widened at the cost of increased Kerr nonlinearity and atom‐cavity coupling. This work provides an alternative way to manipulate the few‐photon states and has potential applications in generating single‐photon or two‐photon sources.
Two‐Stage, Low Noise Quantum Frequency Conversion of Single Photons from Silicon‐Vacancy Centers in Diamond to the Telecom C‐Band
Authors: Schäfer Marlon , Kambs Benjamin , Herrmann Dennis , Bauer Tobias , Becher Christoph 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe silicon‐vacancy center in diamond holds great promise as a qubit for quantum communication networks. However, since the optical transitions are located within the visible red spectral region, quantum frequency conversion to low‐loss telecommunication wavelengths becomes a necessity for its use in long‐range, fiber‐linked networks. This work presents a highly efficient, low‐noise quantum frequency conversion device for photons emitted by a silicon‐vacancy (SiV) center in diamond to the telecom C‐band. By using a two‐stage difference‐frequency mixing scheme, spontaneous parametric down‐conversion (SPDC) noise is circumvented and Raman noise is minimized, resulting in a very low noise rate of photons per second as well as an overall device efficiency of 35.6%. By converting single photons from SiV centers, it demonstrates the preservation of photon statistics upon conversion.
Hierarchical Nash equilibrium seeking strategies of quadratic time‐varying games with Euler–Lagrange players
Authors: Liu Wen‐Jin , Yao Xiang‐Yu , Ge Ming‐Feng , Hua Menghu , Ding Hua‐Feng 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis article investigates the distributed Nash equilibrium seeking problem of quadratic time‐varying games with Euler–Lagrange (EL) players, where external disturbances and parametric uncertainties are involved. A gradient‐based hierarchical algorithm consisting of a game layer and a control layer is proposed. Specifically, in the game layer, EL players communicate with neighbors through a graph to reach the consensus on potential aggregate values, which will be employed to calculate the gradient of each player's objective function, and then, a gradient‐based sliding mode controller is developed to track time‐varying gradient in the control layer. Thus, the convergence results are hierarchically obtained through the Lyapunov stability method. In addition, the hierarchical control strategy is extended to address the constrained problems through the utilization of a smooth penalty function. By appropriately choosing control parameters, the Nash equilibrium seeking errors can be arbitrarily small. The relation between the optimal solutions of the original problem and the dual one is further discussed. Finally, the proposed methods are numerically verified.