bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with long-term outcomes in adult congenital heart disease patients with infective endocarditis: a 16-year tertiary single-centre experience
Authors: Verzelloni Sef Alessandra , Jaggar Siân I , Trkulja Vladimir , Alonso-Gonzalez Rafael , Sef Davorin , Turina Marko I 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Studies concerning factors associated with long-term outcomes in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients after infective endocarditis (IE) are scarce, while IE-related mortality in these patients remains a burden. We evaluated the factors associated with long-term survival in ACHD patients admitted for IE.

METHODS
We performed a retrospective single-centre study of all ACHD patients admitted for IE to a tertiary cardiothoracic centre between 1999 and 2015. Underlying ACHD, detailed echocardiographic and clinical data, surgical treatment and long-term follow-up were analysed.

RESULTS
We identified 151 ACHD patients admitted due to 176 episodes IE with 30-day, 6-month and 1-, 5- and 10-year survival of 95.4%, 92.7%, 92.7%, 84.7% and 75.6%, respectively. In a multivariable analysis, adjusted estimated probability of death was consistently higher after an IE episode among patients with complex as compared to simple/moderate ACHD: 10.6% vs 2.4% at 30 days, 15.0% vs 3.4% at 6 months and 1 year, 30.4% vs 7.8% at 5 years and 44.9% vs 13.1% at 10 years. Risk of death was higher among patients with prosthetic valve in comparison with those without (risk ratios 1.73–1.92). Surgical treatment was required in 76 (43.2%) episodes with 30-day mortality of 3.9%. Risk of death appeared to be lower than in the conservatively treated subgroup (risk ratios 0.71–0.78).

CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrated satisfactory long-term survival in ACHD patients who were treated for IE in a tertiary cardiothoracic centre. Early mortality tended to be lower in the surgically treated subgroup. Factors negatively associated with long-term survival were complex ACHD and presence of prosthetic valve.
A case for ELF feito no Brasil
Authors: Jordão Clarissa Menezes 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
This article starts from a comment on my locus of enunciation (i.e., the context from which I speak), a key element of decoloniality as a means of resisting the idea of disembodied knowledge or neutrality promoted by modernity/coloniality. I then proceed to explain how I understand the entanglement of modernity and coloniality and why we need to break away from coloniality, both ontologically and epistemologically. It is in this entanglement where ELT is traditionally situated, and it is from such contexts that English teacher education in Brazil should be examined for its harm to local knowledges and knowers. I conclude by explaining what is meant by ELF feito no Brasil and why this may be a possibility to resist the coloniality of ELT.
Masters athlete screening study (MASS): incidence of cardiovascular disease and major adverse cardiac events and efficacy of screening over five years
Authors: Morrison Barbara N , Isserow Saul , Taunton Jack , Oxborough David , Moulson Nathaniel , Warburton Darren E R , McKinney James 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Background
The efficacy of cardiovascular screening in Masters athletes (MAs) (≥35 y), and whether screening decreases their risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) is unknown.

Purpose
To evaluate the effectiveness of yearly cardiovascular screening, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and MACE over five years.

Methods and results
MAs (≥35 y) without previous history of CVD underwent yearly cardiovascular screening. Participants with an abnormal screen underwent further evaluations. In the initial year, 798 MAs (62.7% male, 55 ± 10 y) were screened; 11.4% (n = 91) were diagnosed with CVD. Coronary artery disease (CAD) was the most common diagnosis (n = 64; 53%). During follow-up, there were an additional 89 CVD diagnoses with an incidence rate of 3.58/100, 4.14/100, 3.74/100, 1.19/100, for years one to four, respectively. The most common diagnoses during follow-up were arrhythmias (n = 33; 37%). Increasing age (OR = 1.047, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.003–1.094; P = 0.0379), Framingham Risk Score (FRS) (OR = 1.092, 95% CI: 1.031–1.158; P = 0.003), and LDL cholesterol (OR = 1.709, 95% CI: 1.223–2.401; P = 0.002) were predictive of CAD, whereas moderate intensity activity (min/wk) (OR = 0.997, 95% CI: 0.996–0.999; P = 0.002) was protective. Ten MACE (2.8/1000 athlete-years) occurred. All of these MAs were male, and 90% had ≥10% FRS. All underwent further evaluations with only two identified to have obstructive CAD.

Conclusion
MACE occurred despite yearly screening. All MAs who had an event had an abnormal screen; however, cardiac functional tests failed to detect underlying CAD in most cases. It may be appropriate to offer computed coronary tomography angiography in MAs with ≥10% FRS to overcome the limitations of functional testing, and to assist with lifestyle and treatment modifications.
The difference in composition and nutritional potency of honey extracted by centrifugation and pressed processes
Authors: Hu Yueyang , Li Zhen , Wang Shoucheng , Wu Xiaobo 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn traditional beekeeping, the two most important methods for extracting honey are centrifugation and honeycomb-pressing. In this study, the physicochemical composition of honey samples extracted using two distinct procedures was compared, as well as the impact of antioxidant capacity and nutritional potency on the lifespan and learning memory of worker bees. Honey samples were collected from ten colonies of Apis cerana: five samples via centrifugation and five via honeycomb-pressing. Our results showed that honey extraction methods influence the nutritional composition and potency of honey. Most parameters were superior in pressed honey, and the amylase activity in centrifuged honey was higher. The effects of antioxidant capacity and nutritional potency on worker bees’ lifespans and learning memory were also superior in pressed honey. Pressed honey had higher nutritional composition and potency. However, whether pressed honey, which is rich in pollen, spoils more easily requires further investigation.
Deletion of MEC1 suppresses the replicative senescence of the cdc13-2 mutant in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Yao Yue , Fekete-Szücs Enikő , Rosas Bringas Fernando R , Chang Michael 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, telomerase recruitment to telomeres depends on a direct interaction between Cdc13, a protein that binds single-stranded telomeric DNA, and the Est1 subunit of telomerase. The cdc13-2 allele disrupts telomerase association with telomeres, resulting in progressive telomere shortening and replicative senescence. The Mec1/ATR kinase is both a positive and a negative regulator of telomerase activity and is required for the cell cycle arrest in telomerase-deficient senescent cells. In this study, we find that the deletion of MEC1 suppresses the replicative senescence of cdc13-2. This suppression is dependent on telomerase, indicating that Mec1 antagonizes telomerase-mediated telomere extension in cdc13-2 cells to promote senescence.
Positive and Relaxed Selective Pressures Have Both Strongly Influenced the Evolution of Cryonotothenioid Fishes during Their Radiation in the Freezing Southern Ocean
Authors: Bilyk Kevin T , Zhuang Xuan , Papetti Chiara 
Published: March 2023

AbstractEvolution in the chronic cold of the Southern Ocean has had a profound influence on the physiology of cryonotothenioid fishes. However, the suite of genetic changes underlying the physiological gains and losses in these fishes is still poorly surveyed. By identifying the genomic signatures of selection, this study aims to identify the functional classes of genes that have been changed following two major physiological transitions: the onset of freezing temperatures and the loss of hemoproteins. Looking at the changes that followed the onset of freezing temperatures, positive selective pressure was found among a set of broadly acting gene regulatory factors, suggesting a route through which cryonotothenioid gene expression has been retooled for life in the cold. Further, genes related to the cell cycle and cellular adhesion were found under positive selection suggesting that both present key challenges to life in freezing waters. By contrast, genes showing signatures of the relaxation of selective pressure showed a narrower biological impact, acting on genes related to mitochondrial function. Finally, although chronic cold-water temperatures appear correlated with substantial genetic change, the loss of hemoproteins resulted in little observable change in protein-coding genes relative to their red-blooded relatives. Combined, the influence of positive and relaxed selection shows that long-term exposure to cold has led to profound changes in cryonotothenioid genomes that may make it challenging for them to adapt to a rapidly changing climate.
An unknown essential function of tRNA splicing endonuclease is linked to the integrated stress response and intron debranching
Authors: Hurtig Jennifer E , van Hoof Ambro 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
tRNA splicing endonuclease (TSEN) has a well-characterized role in transfer RNA (tRNA) splicing but also other functions. For yeast TSEN, these other functions include degradation of a subset of mRNAs that encode mitochondrial proteins and an unknown essential function. In this study, we use yeast genetics to characterize the unknown tRNA-independent function(s) of TSEN. Using a high-copy suppressor screen, we found that sen2 mutants can be suppressed by overexpression of SEN54. This effect was seen both for tRNA-dependent and tRNA-independent functions indicating that SEN54 is a general suppressor of sen2, likely through structural stabilization. A spontaneous suppressor screen identified mutations in the intron-debranching enzyme, Dbr1, as tRNA splicing-independent suppressors. Transcriptome analysis showed that sen2 mutation activates the Gcn4 stress response. These Gcn4 target transcripts decreased considerably in the sen2 dbr1 double mutant. We propose that Dbr1 and TSEN may compete for a shared substrate, which TSEN normally processes into an essential RNA, while Dbr1 initiates its degradation. These data provide further insight into the essential function(s) of TSEN. Importantly, single amino acid mutations in TSEN cause the generally fatal neuronal disease pontocerebellar hypoplasia (PCH). The mechanism by which defects in TSEN cause this disease is unknown, and our results reveal new possible mechanisms.
Optimization of solid oxide fuel cell power generation voltage prediction based on improved neural network
Authors: Wei Liming , Wang Yixuan 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
This paper proposes a method for predicting the generation voltage of a solid oxide fuel cell based on the data results of a stand-alone solid oxide fuel single cell simulation model under ideal conditions, with the aim of improving the generation efficiency and extending the service life of the solid oxide fuel cell. In this paper, a modified back propagation (BP) neural network algorithm is used to improve the prediction accuracy of the solid oxide fuel cell generation voltage by using the whale algorithm to optimize the BP neural network model to improve its convergence and achieve the effect of improving the prediction accuracy. First, the characteristics of the independent solid oxide fuel cell are introduced and simulated. Second, the long short-term memory network model, linear regression network model and BP neural network are simulated and compared, and the results show that the BP neural network prediction model is more accurate and can be optimized and improved. Finally, the BP neural network is optimized and simulated using the whale algorithm, and the simulation results show that the method has better convergence and higher prediction accuracy than the traditional BP neural network prediction model.
A Histological and Clinical Study of MatriDerm® Use in Burn Reconstruction
Authors: Dickson Kathryn , Lee Kwang Chear , Abdulsalam Abdulrazak , Amirize Ezekwe , Kankam Hadyn K N , ter Horst Britt , Gardiner Fay , Bamford Amy , Hejmadi Rahul K , Moiemen Naiem 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Dermal substitutes are well established in the reconstructive ladder. MatriDerm® (Dr. Otto Suwelack Skin & Health Care AG, Billerbeck, Germany) is a single-layer dermal substitute composed of a bovine collagen (type I, III, and V) and elastin hydrolysate, that allows for immediate split-thickness skin grafting (SSG). The aim of this study was to histologically characterize the integration of MatriDerm® when used during burns surgery reconstruction. Eight subjects with nine burn scars and one acute burn wound underwent reconstruction with MatriDerm® and an immediate SSG. MatriDerm® integration and skin graft take were assessed with serial biopsies performed at weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4 and months 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12. Biopsies were assessed with standard special stains and immunohistochemistry, and representative slides were imaged with a transmission electron microscope. Patient satisfaction and clinical scar outcome were assessed with the Vancouver Scar Scale and a patient questionnaire. Histological analysis showed similar stages of wound healing as shown in other dermal templates but on a different timescale. There is early evidence of vascularization and an inflammatory infiltrate in the first 2 weeks. MatriDerm® is resorbed earlier than other dermal substitutes, with evidence of resorption at week 3, to be completely replaced by a neodermis at 2 months. The use of MatriDerm® in reconstruction with immediate skin grafting is supported histologically with early evidence of vascularization to support an epidermal autograft. Future histological studies may help further characterize the ideal dermal substitute.
LAMP Assay as a Rapid Identification Technique of Chinese Citrus Fly and Japanese Orange Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Authors: Yang Wenzhao , Su Yun , Zeng Lingyu , Zhang Yue , Ullah Farman , Wang Xiaoliang , Li Xiaonan , Feng Xiaodong , Li Zhihong 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Bactrocera tsuneonis and Bactrocera minax are the most destructive pests that damage citrus in China. These key pests hinder the citrus trade, cause significant financial losses, drastically lower citrus production and quality, and decrease farmer enthusiasm for citrus planting. Bactrocera minax and B. tsuneonis are very similar in all life stages. There are limited morphological characteristics to differentiate the adult species, and it is nearly impossible to differentiate these two species in the egg and larval stages. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a rapid and robust diagnostic tool used to identify these two species accurately. We designed two sets of primers to distinguish B. minax and B. tsuneonis using DNA barcoding region of the COI gene. Only 50 min was needed under a constant temperature of 65ºC to determine the species of the two flies. The reaction system has high specificity and sensitivity, in which these two species can be accurately distinguished between different geographical populations and 1.0 ng/μL was the lowest DNA concentration that could be detected. Our primers can quickly identify these key pests without knowing their morphology, which could facilitate plant protection workers at the primary level to solve problems in plant quarantine.
A comparison of skin grafts versus local flaps for facial skin cancer from the patient perspective: protocol for a feasibility study
Authors: Huynh Minh N Q , Olaiya Oluwatobi , Kim Patrick J , Gallo Lucas , Dunn Emily , Farrokhyar Forough , McRae Matthew C , Voineskos Sophocles , McRae Mark H 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Brief abstract
This is a protocol to assess feasibility of conducting a prospective cohort study comparing local flaps versus skin grafts for surgical excision of skin cancer from the face.

Introduction
Skin cancer is the most common malignancy worldwide and the face is one of the most common locations of occurrence. Surgical excision is the most popular treatment for small lesions of the face. Defects can be reconstructed using local flaps or skin grafts. There is a paucity of literature evaluating outcomes after skin cancer surgery from the patient’s perspective using valid measurement tools. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a prospective observational cohort study. The primary outcomes include recruitment rates, eligibility rate, compliance of intervention and rate of completion of the primary outcome (FACE-Q scales) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes include examining patient characteristic and FACE-Q score differences between local flaps to skin grafts and adverse events.

Methods and analysis
This study is a prospective cohort study consisting of an anticipated 30 patients aged ≥18 years. The study population will consist of a consecutive sample of non-melanoma facial skin cancer patients undergoing a skin graft or local flap. Patients will be followed and evaluated with the FACE-Q questionnaire at 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year post-operation. The following criteria will determine success: patients who meet eligibility criteria &gt;70%; recruitment rate &gt;70%; compliance with intervention &gt;90%; rate of completion of full-scale prospective study primary outcome (FACE-Q at 3 months) &gt;80%; retention rate at 6-month follow-up visit &gt;70%.

Discussion
The findings of this study will be used to guide the sample size calculation for a future, large-scale prospective study.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04842279).
‘What do we talk about when we talk about climate change?’: meaningful environmental education, beyond the info dump
Authors: Campbell Cary 
Published: March 2023

AbstractLearning about the causes and effects of human-induced climate change is an essential aspect of contemporary environmental education (EE). However, it is increasingly recognized that the familiar ‘information dump delivery mode’ (as Timothy Morton calls it), through which new facts about ecological destruction are being constantly communicated, often contributes to anxiety, cognitive exhaustion, and can ultimately lead to hopelessness and paralysis in the face of ecological issues. In this article, I explore several pathways to approach EE, beyond the presentation and transmission of ecological facts. I position my conceptual discussion around my own teaching experiences speaking about climate change with undergraduate students across several Education classes through 2019 to 2021. I situate these reflections within the current discourse on education and teaching in/for the Anthropocene. Throughout this discussion, I locate various ways in which much EE fails to contribute to student’s agency and empowerment by consistently reducing complex ecological phenomena to a set of problems, mainly economic/technological, to be fixed by technocracy. I propose that a contemplative–existential perspective to EE is capable of responding to these reductions, most basically by providing opportunities and practices for students to process their grief and other emotions through recognizing the Anthropocene as an inescapable reality, but also a reality that cannot be determinately imagined or predicted.
Networks with correlated edge processes
Authors: Süveges Maria , Olhede Sofia Charlotta 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis article proposes methods to model non-stationary temporal graph processes motivated by a hospital interaction data set. This corresponds to modelling the observation of edge variables indicating interactions between pairs of nodes exhibiting dependence and evolution in time over interactions. This article thus blends (integer) time series models with flexible static network models to produce models of temporal graph data, and statistical fitting procedures for time-varying interaction data. We illustrate the power of our proposed fitting method by analysing a hospital contact network, and this shows the challenge in modelling and inferring correlation between a large number of variables.
Multilevel approach to plant–nanomaterial relationships: from cells to living ecosystems
Authors: Oliveira Halley Caixeta , Seabra Amedea Barozzi , Kondak Selahattin , Adedokun Oluwatosin Peace , Kolbert Zsuzsanna 
Published: March 2023

AbstractDue to their unique properties, nanomaterials behave peculiarly in biosystems. Regarding plants, the interactions of nanomaterials can be interpreted on a spatial scale: from local interactions in cells to systemic effects on whole plants and on ecosystems. Interpreted on a time scale, the effects of nanomaterials on plants may be immediate or subsequent. At the cellular level, the composition and structure of the cell wall and membranes are modified by nanomaterials, promoting internalization. The effects of nanomaterials on germination and seedling physiology and on the primary and secondary metabolism in the shoot are realized at organ and organism levels. Nanomaterials interact with the beneficial ecological partners of plants. The effects of nanomaterials on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and legume–rhizobia symbiosis can be stimulating or inhibitory, depending on the concentration and type of nanomaterial. Nanomaterials exert a negative effect on arbuscular mycorrhiza, and vice versa. Pollinators are exposed to nanomaterials, which may affect plant reproduction. The substances released by the roots influence the availability of nanomaterials in the rhizosphere, and components of plant cells trigger internalization, translocation, and transformation of nanomaterials. Understanding of the multilevel and bidirectional relationship between plants and nanomaterials is of great relevance.
High Nucleotide Diversity Accompanies Differential DNA Methylation in Naturally Diverging Populations
Authors: Ord James , Gossmann Toni I , Adrian-Kalchhauser Irene 
Published: March 2023

AbstractEpigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation (DNAme) are thought to comprise an invaluable adaptive toolkit in the early stages of local adaptation, especially when genetic diversity is constrained. However, the link between genetic diversity and DNAme has been scarcely examined in natural populations, despite its potential to shed light on the evolutionary forces acting on methylation state. Here, we analyzed reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing and whole-genome pool-seq data from marine and freshwater stickleback populations to examine the relationship between DNAme variation (between- and within-population) and nucleotide diversity in the context of freshwater adaptation. We find that sites that are differentially methylated between populations have higher underlying standing genetic variation, with diversity higher among sites that gained methylation in freshwater than those that lost it. Strikingly, although nucleotide diversity is generally lower in the freshwater population as expected from a population bottleneck, this is not the case for sites that lost methylation, which instead have elevated nucleotide diversity in freshwater compared with marine. Subsequently, we show that nucleotide diversity is higher among sites with ancestrally variable methylation and also positively correlates with the sensitivity to environmentally induced methylation change. The results suggest that as selection on the control of methylation state becomes relaxed, so too does selection against mutations at the sites themselves. Increased epigenetic variance in a population is therefore likely to precede genetic diversification.