bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Constraints of vigilance‐dependent noradrenergic signaling to mouse cerebellar Bergmann glia
Authors: Salinas‐Birt Angelica , Zhu Xiangyu , Lim Eunice Y. , Cruz Santory Aryana J. , Ye Liang , Paukert Martin 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBehavioral state plays an important role in determining astroglia Ca2+ signaling. In particular, locomotion‐mediated elevated vigilance has been found to trigger norepinephrine‐dependent whole cell Ca2+ elevations in astroglia throughout the brain. For cerebellar Bergmann glia it has recently been found that locomotion‐induced transient Ca2+ elevations depend on their α1A‐adrenergic receptors. With increasing availability and implementation of locomotion as behavioral parameter it becomes important to understand the constraints of noradrenergic signaling to astroglia. Here we evaluated the effect of speed, duration and interval of locomotion on Ca2+ signals in Bergmann glia as well as cerebellar noradrenergic axon terminals. We found almost no dependence on locomotion speed, but following the initial Ca2+ transient prolonged locomotion events revealed a steady‐state Ca2+ elevation. Comparison of time course and recovery of transient Bergmann glia and noradrenergic terminal Ca2+ dynamics suggested that noradrenergic terminal Ca2+ activity determines Bergmann glia Ca2+ activation and does not require noradrenergic receptor desensitization to account for attenuation during prolonged locomotion. Further, analyzing the correlation among Ca2+ dynamics within regions within the field of observation we found that coordinated activity among noradrenergic terminals accounts for fluctuations of steady‐state Bergmann glia Ca2+ activity. Together, our findings will help to better understand astroglia Ca2+ dynamics during less controlled awake behavior and may guide the identification of behavioral contexts preferably dependent on astroglia Ca2+ signaling.
Impact of health insurance coverage on health care utilization during COVID‐19 pandemic: A propensity score matched survey analysis in a target region in India
Authors: Krishnamoorthy Yuvaraj , Kuberan Deivasigamani , Krishnan Murali , Sinha Isha , Kanth Krishna , Samuel Gerald 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBackgroundHealth insurance is considered as a mechanism to accelerate the progress towards universal health coverage and ensure financial risk protection for households throughout the country. There is a growing body of evidence reporting that the health insurance coverage can significantly improve the access and utilization of healthcare services. Hence, we attempted to determine the impact of health insurance on the utilization of healthcare services during COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsA community‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted in rural Tamil Nadu. The primary data collection was conducted during November 2021. We employed a multi‐stage stratified random sampling technique. Propensity score matching analysis was performed using radius matching method at 0.05 calliper to estimate the following parameters: average treatment effect (ATE), average treatment effect on treated (ATT), and average treatment effect on untreated (ATU).ResultsIn total, 2390 participants were included. Almost two‐third belonged to 18–45 years with almost equal distribution of males and females. Only 13.6% were covered by health insurance. Healthcare utilization was significantly higher among participants with health insurance (55.2%) compared to participants without coverage (42.5%). The ATT values in intervention and control group were 0.55 and 0.46 (p < 0.001). Similarly, the ATU values in intervention and control group were 0.42 and 0.51. The ATE value was 0.08.ConclusionOur study shows that the health insurance coverage had significant impact on utilization of healthcare services during COVID‐19 pandemic. Further longitudinal research exploring the effect of different forms of health insurance for improving access and utilization of healthcare services can be undertaken.
Gallic acid regulates immune response in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Liu Siqin , Li Jiajia , Feng Le‐heng 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIntroductionPrevious studies revealed that gallic acid (GA) exerts anti‐inflammation and immuno‐regulatory properties. This study aims to explore the pharmacological activities of GA in collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model.MethodsMale DBA/1J mice were used to construct the CIA model. The mice were administrated with GA for 3 weeks. Clinical arthritis scores and hind paw volume were evaluated over the experimental period. qPCR and Western blot analysis were used to determine the levels of matrix metallopeptidases (MMPs) and cytokines. In addition, flow cytometry was used to measure the populations of Th17 and Treg cells. ELISAs were used to determine the cytokines in the serum and ankle joint tissues.ResultsTreatment of GA (40 and 80 mg/kg/d) reduced clinical arthritis scores and hind paw volume in the CIA mouse model. Besides, treatment of GA reduced the overexpression of MMPs and modulated the dysregulation of inflammation‐related cytokines. Flow cytometry showed that treatment of GA decreased the population of Th17 cells, and increased the population of Treg cells, as supported by treatment of GA regulated the Th17/Treg‐related cytokines.ConclusionsGA attenuates symptoms in the CIA mouse model by anti‐inflammation and regulating Th17/Treg cell imbalance.
Beyond traditional financial asset classes: The demand for infrastructure in a multi‐period asset allocation framework
Authors: Umar Zaghum , Zaremba Adam , Gull Ammar Ali , Sokolova Tatiana 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThis paper employs a multi‐asset allocation framework to analyse the short‐term and long‐term desirability of listed infrastructure investments in an investor's portfolio. We employ 14 infrastructure indices encompassing six regions and eight sectors. The asset menu of the investor comprises traditional financial asset classes (stocks, bonds and bills) and infrastructure. We calculate the welfare losses due to ignoring the demand for infrastructure for various levels of risk aversion. In addition, we calculate the portfolio weights across various levels of risk aversion. Our results show that infrastructure is a desirable addition to the portfolio of traditional financial asset classes for both short‐run and long‐run investors.
School start time delays and high school educational outcomes: Evidence from the START/LEARN study
Authors: James Sarah A. , Erickson Darin J. , Lammert Sara , Widome Rachel 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIntroductionDelaying high school start times extends adolescents' nightly sleep, but it is less clear how it affects educational outcomes. We expect links between school start time delays and academic performance because getting enough sleep is a key input to the cognitive, health, and behavioral factors necessary for educational success. Thus, we evaluated how educational outcomes changed in the 2 years following a school start time delay.MethodsWe analyzed 2153 adolescents (51% male, 49% female; mean age 15 at baseline) from START/LEARN, a cohort study of high school students in the Minneapolis—St. Paul, MN, USA metropolitan area. Adolescents experienced either a school start time delay (“policy change schools”) or consistently early school start times (“comparison schools”). We compared patterns of late arrivals, absences, behavior referrals, and grade point average (GPA) 1 year before (baseline, 2015–2016) and 2 years after (follow‐up 1, 2016–2017 and follow‐up 2, 2017–2018) the policy change using a difference‐in‐differences analysis.ResultsA school start time delay of 50–65 min led to three fewer late arrivals, one fewer absence, a 14% lower probability of behavior referral, and 0.07–0.17 higher GPA in policy change schools versus comparison schools. Effects were larger in the 2nd year of follow‐up than in the 1st year of follow‐up, and differences in absences and GPA emerged in the second year of follow‐up only.ConclusionsDelaying high school start times is a promising policy intervention not only for improving sleep and health but for improving adolescents' performance in school.
A simple uric acid assay by using 3‐hydroxytyramine as a chromogenic colorimetric sensor in human serum samples: Density functional theory supported mechanistic approach
Authors: Krishna Honnur , Krishnegowda Avinash , Anantharaman Shivakumar , Ashwinee Kumar Shrestha , Vijayalakshmi A Edalli 
Published: February 2023

AbstractA simple, fast, sensitive, convenient, and economical accurate enzymatic colorimetric sensor is developed for the quantification of the clinically important biomarker uric acid (UA) in human serum samples. The method is based on the quantification of UA using 3‐hydroxytyramine (3‐HT) as a chromogenic substrate by using peroxidase (POD) and uricase (UOx). UOx catalyzes the oxidation of UA where H2O2 is generated in‐situ to produce allantoin and CO2. The POD in oxidative coupling of peroxide in presence of 3‐HT, forms an intense orange‐colored product with λmax = 500 nm. The reaction was carried out in a citric acid‐tripotassium‐citrate buffer (12.5 mM) of pH = 6.8 at room temperature. Computational calculations were done by Gaussian‐16 employing the B3LYP functional basis set. The standard curve for UA was found to be linear between 12.3–297.3 and 3.07–396.5 μM by rate and fixed time method, respectively. The LOD and LOQ for UA were 1.5 and 2.9 μM, respectively. Within‐day and day‐to‐day precision was 1.50–3.07 and 3.10–4.16% (n = 7), respectively. The accuracy ranges for UA concentrations of 24.7, 198 and 297.3 μM were 87%–101.50%, 90%–105%, and 89%–107%, respectively. The UA recovery range by the proposed method was 98.00%–100.47% with a mean recovery of 99.5% and has A good correlation coefficient of 0.981 with the standard method.
Impact of nucleic acid extraction procedures on human papillomavirus (HPV) detection and genotyping
Authors: Naegele Klaudia , Weissbach Fabian H. , Leuzinger Karoline , Gosert Rainer , Bubendorf Lukas , Hirsch Hans H. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractHuman papillomavirus (HPV) infections are often asymptomatic, but some of the >200 HPV genotypes confer a high risk for precancerous cervical lesions and cervical cancer. Current clinical management of HPV infections relies on reliable nucleic acid testing detection and genotyping. We prospectively compared nucleic acid extraction without and with prior centrifugation enrichment for detecting and genotyping HPV in cervical swabs with atypical squamous or glandular cells. Consecutive swabs were analyzed from 45 patients with atypical squamous or glandular cells. Nucleic acids were extracted in parallel using three procedures, Abbott‐M2000, Roche‐MagNA‐Pure‐96 Large‐Volume Kit without (Roche‐MP‐large) and with prior centrifugation (Roche‐MP‐large/spin) and tested using Seegene‐Anyplex‐II HPV28. In total, 54 HPV‐genotypes were detected in 45 samples, 51 by Roche‐MP‐large/spin, 48 by Abbott‐M2000 and 42 by Roche‐MP‐large. The overall concordance was 80% for detecting any HPV and 74% for specific HPV‐genotypes. Roche‐MP‐large/spin and Abbott‐M2000 showed the highest concordance for HPV detection (88.9%; kappa 0.78), and genotyping (88.5%). Two and more HPV‐genotypes were detected in 15 samples, often with one HPV being more abundant. Dilution series confirmed the specific detection of multiple HPV‐genotypes and their relative abundance. In 285 consecutive follow‐up samples extracted by Roche‐MP‐large/spin, the top three detected genotypes were the high‐risk HPV16, HPV53, HPV56 and the low‐risk HPV42, HPV54 and HPV61. Rate and breadth of HPV detection in cervical swabs depends on extraction protocols being highest after centrifugation/enrichment. As multivalent HPV‐vaccine coverage increases, detecting the evolving HPV virome depends on improved extraction and broader genotype coverage.
Changes in Aortic Diameter and Wall Strain in Progressing Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Authors: Derwich Wojciech , Keller Tobias , Filmann Natalie , Schmitz‐Rixen Thomas , Blasé Christopher , Oikonomou Kyriakos , Wittek Andreas 
Published: February 2023

ObjectivesThe analysis of wall strain opens new perspectives in the prediction of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture. This study investigates the capability of four‐dimensional ultrasound (4D US) to detect and characterize changes in wall strain in the same patients during follow‐up observations.MethodsEighteen patients were examined by 64 4D US scans during a median follow‐up period of 24.5 months. After performing the 4D US and manual aneurysm segmentation, kinematic analysis was performed using a customized interface and evaluation of the mean and peak circumferential strain, as well as spatial heterogeneity.ResultsAll aneurysms showed a continuous diameter growth with a mean rate of 4% per year (P < .001). The mean circumferential strain (MCS) tends to increase from a median 0.89% by 10.49% per year in follow‐up independent of the aneurysm diameter (P = .063). The subgroup analysis reveals a cohort with increasing MCS and decreasing spatial heterogeneity, as well as a cohort with nonincreasing MCS and increasing spatial heterogeneity (P < .05).ConclusionsThe 4D US is able to register the strain changes in AAA follow‐up. The MCS tends to increase during the observation time in the entire cohort, but the changes were independent of the maximum aneurysm diameter. The kinematic parameters allow the entire AAA cohort to differentiate into two subgroups and provide additional information about the pathologic behavior of the aneurysm wall.
Comparison of aeolian desertification between the Moltsog Dune Field in Mongolia and the Ujimqin Dune Field in China
Authors: Wu Zifeng , Hasi Eerdun , Tuya Wulan , Guan Chao , Kesi Tang , Yin Jie , Jiang Kang 
Published: February 2023

AbstractAeolian desertification is a severe ecological and environmental problem in arid regions. Research on its spatio‐temporal distribution, modelling and driving force is necessary to prevent the development of aeolian desertification. In this study, the Moltsog Dune Field in Mongolia and the Ujimqin Dune Field in China were selected as the study areas, as both contain dunes under similar physical conditions. Using LANDSAT data from 1988, 1995, 2002, 2009, 2016 and 2020, the spatial–temporal distribution and the degree of development of aeolian desertification in the two dune fields over the past 30 years were compared. Two periods of high‐resolution images were then used to compare the surface morphological changes induced by aeolian desertification in these dune fields. Climatic and socio‐economic data of the same period were used to compare and analyse the potential causes of changes in aeolian desertification in these regions. The results show that: (1) Over the last 30 years, the degree and development rate of aeolian desertification in the Ujimqin Dune Field were generally higher than those in the Moltsog Dune Field, and the former had a high degree of fragmented aeolian desertification patches with an expanding range. (2) The main form of aeolian desertification is the reactivation of fixed dunes, which includes the development of blowouts on the flat grassland under the influence of human activities in the Ujimqin Dune Field. (3) Desertification in Moltsog is mainly affected by climatic factors, while that in Ujimqin is mainly driven by anthropogenic activities. The latter is specifically affected by the high grazing intensity before 2000 and increased mining activities after 2000. These findings provide a reference for comparing the aeolian desertification process and meaningful information for preventing and controlling aeolian desertification and enabling the sustainable development of dune fields in arid regions.
A technology‐based, financially sustainable, quality improvement intervention in a medical journal for bilingualism from submission to publication
Authors: Bachelet Vivienne C. , Rousseau‐Portalis Máximo 
Published: February 2023

Key points
While English is the dominant language in scientific literature, there are many reasons for introducing bilingualism in academic journals.
Bilingualism has generally been avoided due to the perception of high costs and possible inconsistencies between the source language article and the translated version.
A medical journal based in Santiago, Chile, carried out a two‐year‐long quality improvement intervention to overhaul the peer review, copyediting, translating and publication technologies to ensure full bilingualism from submission to online publication.
The outcomes are full bilingualism for articles submitted in Spanish and simultaneous publication of both language versions while not compromising the financial sustainability of the journal.
Optimization of material removal rate and surface roughness during electric discharge machining of ultra‐fine grained Al6082 using Taguchi technique
Authors: Sarapure S. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn the current work, the statistical analysis of various electric discharge machining parameters on Al6082 ultra‐fine grained aluminium alloy using Taguchi method has been presented. Repetitive corrugation and straightening (RCS) method was employed to obtain ultra‐fine grained aluminium alloy. The electric discharge machining studies were carried out for test variables – pulse off time, pulse on time and current (I). The specimens were machined in dielectric medium with current range of 3 A to 9 A in step of 3 A. Machining features of the samples analysed statistically by adopting the Taguchi's ‐ design of experiments (DOE) methodology. Impact of parameters on material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (SR) were examined via signal‐to‐noise ratio (S/N ratio, expressed in decibel, dB) as well as analysis‐of‐variance (ANOVA). Outcomes disclose that every selected response explicitly surface roughness (SR) and material removal rate was significantly influenced by parameters. The material removal rate was found to rise with discharge current and decrease with the duration of pulse on time and the duration of pulse off time. On the other hand, the surface roughness increased with increase in peak current and decreased with pulse on time and pulse off time especially. The machining mechanisms were examined by scanning electron microscopy.
Optimization of cutting power and power efficiency during particleboard helical milling
Authors: Li R. , Yao Q. , Wang X. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractWith the aim of providing scientific guidance for the application of spiral cutters in particleboard machining, this work studied the influence of milling parameters on milling power and power efficiency during helical milling of particleboard. And the response surface methodology was applied to optimize the milling parameters to reduce machining energy consumption and improve energy efficiency. The factors of milling depth, spindle speed and helical angle were selected as input parameters, and the mathematical models between the input parameters and the response parameters were established. Then, the significant influence of each factor and the interaction of two factors were determined by variance analysis, and the change trend of milling power and power efficiency was studied by response surface methodology. Results showed that the milling depth had the greatest impact on milling power and power efficiency, followed by the spindle speed and helical angle. An increase in the milling depth and spindle speed resulted in an increase in milling power and power efficiency, while the increased helical angle resulted in a decrease in milling power and power efficiency. The optimized values of helical angle, spindle speed and milling depth were 54°, 5650 min−1 and 1.3 mm, respectively.
Measuring the effectiveness of anti‐cartel interventions in the shadow of recidivism1
Authors: Katsoulacos Yannis , Motchenkova Evgenia , Ulph David 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIt is important to measure the effectiveness of Competition Authority (CA) anti‐cartel enforcement, recognising that the total effect may be larger than the direct effect routinely measured by CAs because of the indirect/behavioural effects of interventions—primarily on deterrence. However, existing measurement methodologies assume that prosecuting and penalising cartels brings price fixing in an industry to an end forever. It is increasingly recognised that following successful prosecutions, collusion may re‐emerge and that the extent of such recidivism depends on the structure of post‐prosecution interventions. Failure to allow for possible re‐emergence could produce biased measures of CA effectiveness. We develop a framework for measuring the effectiveness of anti‐cartel interventions that admits that recidivism could arise depending on the nature of post‐prosecution interventions. Our general model nests the no recidivism assumption as a special case and, hence, improves upon the existing methodologies. The new framework enables us to measure the extent of bias arising from the failure to allow for recidivism, and we show that it can be significant. We make a number of other significant extensions to the existing frameworks. In particular, we allow for indirect price effects as well as indirect deterrence effects and analyse the marginal effects of CA interventions.
A total variation prior unrolling approach for computed tomography reconstruction
Authors: Zhang Pengcheng , Ren Shuhui , Liu Yi , Gui Zhiguo , Shangguan Hong , Wang Yanling , Shu Huazhong , Chen Yang 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBackgroundWith the rapid development of deep learning technology, deep neural networks can effectively enhance the performance of computed tomography (CT) reconstructions. One kind of commonly used method to construct CT reconstruction networks is to unroll the conventional iterative reconstruction (IR) methods to convolutional neural networks (CNNs). However, most unrolling methods primarily unroll the fidelity term of IR methods to CNNs, without unrolling the prior terms. The prior terms are always directly replaced by neural networks.PurposeIn conventional IR methods, the prior terms play a vital role in improving the visual quality of reconstructed images. Unrolling the hand‐crafted prior terms to CNNs may provide a more specialized unrolling approach to further improve the performance of CT reconstruction. In this work, a primal‐dual network (PD‐Net) was proposed by unrolling both the data fidelity term and the total variation (TV) prior term, which effectively preserves the image edges and textures in the reconstructed images.MethodsBy further deriving the Chambolle–Pock (CP) algorithm instance for CT reconstruction, we discovered that the TV prior updates the reconstructed images with its divergences in each iteration of the solution process. Based on this discovery, CNNs were applied to yield the divergences of the feature maps for the reconstructed image generated in each iteration. Additionally, a loss function was applied to the predicted divergences of the reconstructed image to guarantee that the CNNs’ results were the divergences of the corresponding feature maps in the iteration. In this manner, the proposed CNNs seem to play the same roles in the PD‐Net as the TV prior in the IR methods. Thus, the TV prior in the CP algorithm instance can be directly unrolled to CNNs.ResultsThe datasets from the Low‐Dose CT Image and Projection Data and the Piglet dataset were employed to assess the effectiveness of our proposed PD‐Net. Compared with conventional CT reconstruction methods, our proposed method effectively preserves the structural and textural information in reference to ground truth.ConclusionsThe experimental results show that our proposed PD‐Net framework is feasible for the implementation of CT reconstruction tasks. Owing to the promising results yielded by our proposed neural network, this study is intended to inspire further development of unrolling approaches by enabling the direct unrolling of hand‐crafted prior terms to CNNs.