bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differences in diagnosis, management, and outcomes of acute febrile illness by health facility level in southern Ethiopia
Authors: Shimelis Techalew , Vaz Nery Susana , Schierhout Gill , Tadesse Birkneh Tilahun , Dittrich Sabine , Crump John A. , Kaldor John M. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractWe assessed the diagnosis, management and outcomes of acute febrile illness in a cohort of febrile children aged under 5 years presenting at one urban and two rural health centres and one tertiary hospital between 11 August 2019 and 01 November 2019. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 104 (30.8%) of 338 children at health centres and 128 (65.0%) of 197 at the hospital (p < 0.001). Malaria was detected in 33 (24.3%) of 136 children at the urban health centre, and in 55 (55.6%) of 99 and 7 (7.4%) of 95 children at the rural health centres compared to 11 (11.6%) of 95 at the hospital. Antibacterials were prescribed to 20 (11.5%) of 174 children without guidelines-specified indications (overprescribing) at health centres and in 7 (33.3%) of 21 children at the hospital (p = 0.013). Antimalarials were overprescribed to 13 (7.0%) of 185 children with negative malaria microscopy at the hospital. The fever resolved by day 7 in 326 (99.7%) of 327 children at health centres compared to 177 (93.2%) of 190 at the hospital (p < 0.001). These results suggest that additional guidance to health workers is needed to optimise the use of antimicrobials across all levels of health facilities.
An optically-guided cochlear implant sheath for real-time monitoring of electrode insertion into the human cochlea
Authors: Starovoyt Anastasiya , Quirk Bryden C. , Putzeys Tristan , Kerckhofs Greet , Nuyts Johan , Wouters Jan , McLaughlin Robert A. , Verhaert Nicolas 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIn cochlear implant surgery, insertion of perimodiolar electrode arrays into the scala tympani can be complicated by trauma or even accidental translocation of the electrode array within the cochlea. In patients with partial hearing loss, cochlear trauma can not only negatively affect implant performance, but also reduce residual hearing function. These events have been related to suboptimal positioning of the cochlear implant electrode array with respect to critical cochlear walls of the scala tympani (modiolar wall, osseous spiral lamina and basilar membrane). Currently, the position of the electrode array in relation to these walls cannot be assessed during the insertion and the surgeon depends on tactile feedback, which is unreliable and often comes too late. This study presents an image-guided cochlear implant device with an integrated, fiber-optic imaging probe that provides real-time feedback using optical coherence tomography during insertion into the human cochlea. This novel device enables the surgeon to accurately detect and identify the cochlear walls ahead and to adjust the insertion trajectory, avoiding collision and trauma. The functionality of this prototype has been demonstrated in a series of insertion experiments, conducted by experienced cochlear implant surgeons on fresh-frozen human cadaveric cochleae.
Coastal upwelling generates cryptic temperature refugia
Authors: Salois Sarah L. , Gouhier Tarik C. , Helmuth Brian , Choi Francis , Seabra Rui , Lima Fernando P. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractUnderstanding the effects of climate-mediated environmental variation on the distribution of organisms is critically important in an era of global change. We used wavelet analysis to quantify the spatiotemporal (co)variation in daily water temperature for predicting the distribution of cryptic refugia across 16 intertidal sites that were characterized as ‘no’, ‘weak’ or ‘strong’ upwelling and spanned 2000 km of the European Atlantic Coast. Sites experiencing weak upwelling exhibited high synchrony in temperature but low levels of co-variability at monthly to weekly timescales, whereas the opposite was true for sites experiencing strong upwelling. This suggests upwelling generates temporal thermal refugia that can promote organismal performance by both supplying colder water that mitigates thermal stress during hot Summer months and ensuring high levels of fine-scale variation in temperature that reduce the duration of thermal extremes. Additionally, pairwise correlograms based on the Pearson-product moment correlation coefficient and wavelet coherence revealed scale dependent trends in temperature fluctuations across space, with a rapid decay in strong upwelling sites at monthly and weekly timescales. This suggests upwelling also generates spatial thermal refugia that can ‘rescue’ populations from unfavorable conditions at local and regional scales. Overall, this study highlights the importance of identifying cryptic spatiotemporal refugia that emerge from fine-scale environmental variation to map potential patterns of organismal performance in a rapidly changing world.
Bias in the association between advanced maternal age and stillbirth using left truncated data
Authors: Dunne Jennifer , Tessema Gizachew A. , Gebremedhin Amanuel T. , Pereira Gavin 
Published: November 2022

AbstractRestriction to analysis of births that survive past a specified gestational age (typically 20 weeks gestation) leads to biased exposure-outcome associations. This bias occurs when the cause of restriction (early pregnancy loss) is influenced by both the exposure and unmeasured factors that also affect the outcome. The aim of this study is to estimate the magnitude of bias resulting from left truncated data in the association between advanced maternal age and stillbirth. We simulated data for the causal pathway under a collider-stratification mechanism. Simulation parameters were based on an observed birth cohort from Western Australia and a range of plausible values for the prevalence of early pregnancy loss, unmeasured factor U and the odds ratios for the selection effects. Selection effects included the effects of maternal age on early pregnancy loss, U on early pregnancy loss, and U on stillbirth. We compared the simulation scenarios to the observed birth cohort that was truncated to pregnancies that survived beyond 20 gestational weeks. We found evidence of marginal downward bias, which was most prominent for women aged 40 + years. Overall, we conclude that the magnitude of bias due to left truncation is minimal in the association between advanced maternal age and stillbirth.
Blockade of persistent colored isomer formation in photochromic 3H-naphthopyrans by excited-state intramolecular proton transfer
Authors: Gierczyk Błażej , Murphree S. Shaun , Rode Michał F. , Burdzinski Gotard 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIn photochemistry the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer process (ESIPT) is often observed as a highly efficient singlet excited state depletion pathway, which in the presence of a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond may proceed on a subpicosecond time scale. The present work describes the suppression of unwanted transoid-trans isomer formation in photochromic 3H-naphthopyran derivatives by the introduction of a 5-hydroxy substituent. According to time-resolved spectroscopy experiments and excited-state ab initio calculations, transoid-cis → transoid-trans photoisomerization is reduced by a competitive ESIPT channel in nonpolar solvent (cyclohexane). Upon specific solute–solvent interactions (methanol, acetonitrile) the intramolecular hydrogen bond in the transoid-cis form is perturbed, favoring the internal conversion S1 → S0 process as photostabilizing channel.
Resonant and non-resonant optimizations by multi-constraint quantum control theory in molecular rotational states
Authors: Li Jin-Fang , Hu Jie-Ru , Guo Qiu-Fen , He Dong-Shan 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIt is a promising research for optimization of quantum gate in the field of quantum computation. We investigate the feasibility of implementing the single-qubit gate (Hadamard) in molecular rotational system. By applying the Multi-constraint quantum optimal control method, the excepted final states can be achieved based on the molecular rotational states both in resonant and non-resonant cases with the control pulses. The permanent electric dipole moment is ignored in non-resonance. Besides, the zero-pulse area constraint and the constant fluence constraint are employed to optimize shapes of control pulses. Finally, we show that the Hadamard gate can be realized with the high fidelity (0.9999) and also examine the dependence of the fidelity on pulse fluence as well as the control pulse.
Modelling time-varying interactions in complex systems: the Score Driven Kinetic Ising Model
Authors: Campajola Carlo , Gangi Domenico Di , Lillo Fabrizio , Tantari Daniele 
Published: November 2022

AbstractA common issue when analyzing real-world complex systems is that the interactions between their elements often change over time. Here we propose a new modeling approach for time-varying interactions generalising the well-known Kinetic Ising Model, a minimalistic pairwise constant interactions model which has found applications in several scientific disciplines. Keeping arbitrary choices of dynamics to a minimum and seeking information theoretical optimality, the Score-Driven methodology allows to extract from data and interpret the presence of temporal patterns describing time-varying interactions. We identify a parameter whose value at a given time can be directly associated with the local predictability of the dynamics and we introduce a method to dynamically learn its value from the data, without specifying parametrically the system’s dynamics. We extend our framework to disentangle different sources (e.g. endogenous vs exogenous) of predictability in real time, and show how our methodology applies to a variety of complex systems such as financial markets, temporal (social) networks, and neuronal populations.
Prognostic differences and implications on treatment strategies between butterfly glioblastoma and glioblastoma with unilateral corpus callosum infiltration
Authors: Hazaymeh Mohammad , Löber-Handwerker Ronja , Döring Katja , Abboud Tammam , Mielke Dorothee , Rohde Veit , Malinova Vesna 
Published: November 2022

AbstractApproximately 25% of glioblastomas show at diagnosis a corpus callosum infiltration, which is associated with poor prognosis. The extent of corpus callosum involvement, however, ranges from partial unilateral to complete bilateral infiltration. The role of surgery in glioblastoma with corpus callosum involvement is controversial. In this study, we aimed to examine prognostic differences between glioblastoma with unilateral and glioblastoma with bilateral corpus callosum infiltration, and to evaluate possible treatment strategy implications. Patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma from 2010 to 2019 were included. Corpus callosum infiltration was assessed in contrast-enhanced T1-weighted preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. Extent of resection, adjuvant treatments and overall survival were evaluated. Corpus callosum involvement was found in 96 (26.4%) out of 363 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Bilateral corpus callosum infiltration was found in 27 out of 96 patients (28%), and 69 patients had unilateral corpus callosum infiltration. Glioblastoma with corpus callosum affection had significantly lower median overall survival compared to glioblastoma without corpus callosum involvement (9 vs. 11 months, p = 0.02). A subgroup analysis of glioblastoma with unilateral corpus callosum infiltration revealed a significant difference in median overall survival dependent on extent of resection (6.5 without gross total resection vs. 11 months with gross total resection, Log-rank test p = 0.02). Our data confirms a shorter overall survival in glioblastoma subpopulation with corpus callosum involvement, especially for glioblastoma with bilateral corpus callosum infiltration. However, patients with partial corpus callosum infiltration undergoing gross total resection exhibited a significant survival benefit compared to their counterparts without gross total resection. Whenever reasonably achievable gross total resection should be considered as an integral part of the treatment strategy in glioblastoma with partial corpus callosum infiltration.
Measurement and analysis of the longitudinal level irregularity of the track beam in monorail tour-transit systems
Authors: Guo Fengqi , Wang Pengjiao 
Published: November 2022

AbstractNotable effects on the vertical dynamic response of vehicle-bridge systems are introduced by longitudinal level irregularity (LLI). However, in monorail systems, the measured data and associated spectrum of the LLI, i.e., the distribution curve of power spectral density versus wavelength, have not been reported in detail. To address this issue, we propose the inclination correction method (ICM) to measure the LLI in monorail tour-transit systems and further estimate and fit the spectral curves for the first time. The measuring principle of ICM is thoroughly described, and ICM is compared with conventional chord-based methods. In addition, the trend components of the measured LLI are eliminated through an adaptive method preceding spectral estimation to avoid potential errors. Notably, a simulation program is designed, and the results from existing methods are adopted to verify the proposed ICM. Based on an analysis of the results, the accuracy and robustness of ICM are demonstrated, and the applicability and advantages of autoregressive models and the proposed fractional functions in spectral analysis are revealed. Finally, combining qualitative and quantitative calculations, an evaluation approach for the generic spectra of monorail LLI is established.
High-throughput production of LuAG-based highly luminescent thick film scintillators for radiation detection and imaging
Authors: Matsumoto Shogen , Ito Akihiko 
Published: November 2022

AbstractRadiography is non-destructive imaging for engineering, medical diagnostics, airport security checks, and decontamination activities in nuclear plants. Inorganic scintillators are phosphor materials that convert radiation into visible photons with high luminescence and fast response, and scintillators with a few tens of micrometers thickness can improve sensitivity in radiation detection and imaging. To date, a production method for thick film scintillators is a time and cost consuming way of slicing and poshing bulk single crystals and transparent ceramics. Here, the chemically vapor deposited Ce3+-doped Lu3Al5O12 thick film scintillators (CVD-Ce3+:LuAG) with a thickness of 1–25 μm were produced at deposition time of 1–30 min. Numerical simulations indicated the penetration depth of α-particle in Ce3+:LuAG is 12.8 μm, and the 14-μm-thick CVD-Ce3+:LuAG showed highest light yield (31,000 photons 5.5 MeV−1), superior to the commercial Ce3+:LuAG single crystal scintillator (21,000 photons 5.5 MeV−1). In the X-ray radiograph taken with CVD-Ce3+:LuAG as a scintillation screen, 5-μm-width bar of metal microgrids can be identified. Vapor deposition technique can be a novel high-throughput production way of a thick film scintillator which is in a micrometer-thickness effective to converting radiations into photons for sensitive α-emitter detection and high-resolution X-ray imaging.
Effects of predictable behavioral patterns on anxiety dynamics
Authors: Lang Martin , Krátký Jan , Xygalatas Dimitris 
Published: November 2022

AbstractPeople face stressors that are beyond their control and that maladaptively perpetuate anxiety. In these contexts, rituals emerge as a natural coping strategy helping decrease excessive anxiety. However, mechanisms facilitating these purported effects have rarely been studied. We hypothesized that repetitive and rigid ritual sequences help the human cognitive-behavioral system to return to low-entropy states and assuage anxiety. This study reports a pre-registered test of this hypothesis using a Czech student sample (n = 268). Participants were exposed to an anxiety induction and then randomly assigned to perform one of three actions: ritualized, control, and neutral (no-activity). We assessed the effects of this manipulation on cognitive and physiological anxiety, finding that ritualized action positively affected anxiety decrease, but this decrease was only slightly larger than in the other two conditions. Nevertheless, the between-condition differences in the reduction of physiological anxiety were well-estimated in participants more susceptible to anxiety induction.
Site-specific temporal variation of population dynamics in subalpine endemic plant species
Authors: Jeong Hyungsoon , Cho Yong-Chan , Kim Eunsuk 
Published: November 2022

AbstractEndemic plants in high mountains are projected to be at high risk because of climate change. Temporal demographic variation is a major factor affecting population viability because plants often occur in small, isolated populations. Because isolated populations tend to exhibit genetic differentiation, analyzing temporal demographic variation in multiple populations is required for the management of high mountain endemic species. We examined the population dynamics of an endemic plant species, Primula farinosa subsp. modesta, in four subalpine sites over six years. Stage-based transition matrices were constructed, and temporal variation in the projected population growth rate (λ) was analyzed using life table response experiments (LTREs). The variation in λ was primarily explained by the site × year interaction rather than the main effects of the site and year. The testing sites exhibited inconsistent patterns in the LTRE contributions of the vital rates to the temporal deviation of λ. However, within sites, growth or stasis had significant negative correlations with temporal λ deviation. Negative correlations among the contributions of vital rates were also detected within the two testing sites, and the removal of the correlations alleviated temporal fluctuations in λ. The response of vital rates to yearly environmental fluctuations reduced the temporal variation of λ. Such effects manifested especially at two sites where plants exhibited higher plasticity than plants at other sites. Site-specific temporal variation implies that populations of high mountain species likely exhibit asynchronous temporal changes, and multiple sites need to be evaluated for their conservation.
Accuracy and reliability of the optoelectronic plethysmography and the heart rate systems for measuring breathing rates compared with the spirometer
Authors: Stubbe Laurent , Houel Nicolas , Cottin François 
Published: November 2022

AbstractMeasuring breathing rates without a mouthpiece is of interest in clinical settings. Electrocardiogram devices and, more recently, optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP) methods can estimate breathing rates with only a few electrodes or motion-capture markers placed on the patient. This study estimated and compared the accuracy and reliability of three non-invasive devices: an OEP system with 12 markers, an electrocardiogram device and the conventional spirometer. Using the three devices simultaneously, we recorded 72 six-minute epochs on supine subjects. Our results show that the OEP system has a very low limit of agreement and a bias lower than 0.4% compared with the spirometer, indicating that these devices can be used interchangeably. We observed comparable results for electrocardiogram devices. The OEP system facilitates breathing rate measurements and offers a more complete chest-lung volume analysis that can be easily associated with heart rate analysis without any synchronisation process, for useful features for clinical applications and intensive care.
Exploitation of cantaloupe peels for bacterial cellulose production and functionalization with green synthesized Copper oxide nanoparticles for diverse biological applications
Authors: Saleh Ahmed K. , El-Gendi Hamada , El-Fakharany Esmail M. , Owda Medhat E. , Awad Mohamed A. , Kamoun Elbadawy A. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe promising features of most bacterial celluloses (BC) promote the continuous mining for a cost-effective production approach toward wide and sustainable applications. Herein, cantaloupe peels (CP) were successfully implemented for sustainable BC production. Results indicated that the enzymatically hydrolyzed CP supported the maximum BC production of approximately 3.49 g/L when used as a sole fermentation media. The produced BC was fabricated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (Ch), and loaded with green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) to improve its biological activity. The novel composite showed an antimicrobial activity against several human pathogens such asStaphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli,andPseudomonas fluorescens. Furthermore, the new composite revealed a significant in vitro anticancer activity against colon (Caco-2), hepatocellular (HepG-2), and breast (MDA) cancer cells, with low IC50of 0.48, 0.27, and 0.33 mg/mL for the three cell lines, respectively. On the other hand, the new composite was remarkably safe for human skin fibroblast (HSF) with IC50of 1.08 mg/mL. Interestingly, the composite membranes exhibited lethal effects against all stages of larval instar and pupal stage compared with the control. In this study, we first report the diverse potential applications of BC/PVA/Ch/CuO-NPs composites based on green synthesized CuO-NPs and sustainably produced BC membrane.
Stunting among children aged 24–59 months and associations with sanitation, enteric infections, and environmental enteric dysfunction in rural northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Gizaw Zemichael , Yalew Alemayehu Worku , Bitew Bikes Destaw , Lee Jiyoung , Bisesi Michael 
Published: November 2022

AbstractStunting is a public health issue of global concern. Despite, poor sanitation, diarrhea, parasitic infections, and environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) are associated with stunting, their link is poorly understood and has not been investigated in Ethiopia. This study was conducted to assess the associations of stunting with sanitation, enteric infections, and EED among children aged 24–59 months in rural northwest Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 224 randomly selected children aged 24–59 months in rural areas of the east Dembiya district. We collected information on household food insecurity and dietary diversity using pre-tested questionnaires adopted from the food and nutrition technical assistance (FANTA) project. We used height-for-age-z score (HAZ) to define stunting. We also used the data collected to measure the environmental exposures of children to intestinal parasitic infections and fecal biomarkers of EED. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was used to assess the association of stunting with sanitation, enteric infections, and EED. Of the 224 children, 33% (95% CI 27, 39%) were stunted. Stunting in children was significantly associated with poor dietary intake (AOR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2, 7.3), open defecation practice (AOR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2, 7.9), presence of animal excreta in the living environment (AOR 3.4, 95% CI 1.2, 9.9), E. coli contamination of drinking water (AOR 4.2, 95% CI 1.1, 15.3), diarrheal disease incidence (AOR 3.4, 95% CI 1.5, 7.7), intestinal parasites in children (AOR 3.3, 95% CI 1.3, 8.8), and higher EED disease activity scores (AOR 2.9, 95% CI 1.2, 6.7). One-third of the children in the study area were stunted and this high prevalence of stunting was associated with poor dietary intake, poor hygiene and sanitation conditions, enteric infections, and EED. Thus, stunting can be prevented by improving sanitation and hygienic conditions to prevent repeated enteric infections in children and by promoting dietary diversity of children.