bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative effects of left bundle branch area pacing, His bundle pacing, biventricular pacing in patients requiring cardiac resynchronization therapy: A network meta‐analysis
Authors: Hua Juan , Wang Chenxi , Kong Qiling , Zhang Yichu , Wang Qijun , Xiong Ziyi , Hu Jinzhu , Li Juxiang , Chen Qi , Hong Kui 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe comparative effects of different types of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) delivered by biventricular pacing (BVP), His bundle pacing (HBP), and left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) remain inconclusive.HypothesisHBP and LBBAP may be advantageous over BVP for CRT.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies that reported the effects after BVP, HBP, and LBBAP for CRT. The effects between groups were compared by a frequentist random‐effects network meta‐analysis (NMA), by which the mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.ResultsSix articles involving 389 patients remained for the final meta‐analysis. The mean follow‐up of these studies was 8.03 ± 3.15 months. LBBAP resulted in a greater improvement in LVEF% (MD = 7.17, 95% CI = 4.31 to 10.04), followed by HBP (MD = 4.06, 95% CI = 1.09 to 7.03) compared with BVP. HBP resulted in a narrower QRS duration (MD = 31.58 ms, 95% CI = 12.75 to 50.40), followed by LBBAP (MD = 27.40 ms, 95% CI = 10.81 to 43.99) compared with BVP. No significant differences of changes in LVEF improvement and QRS narrowing were observed between LBBAP and HBP. The pacing threshold of LBBAP was significantly lower than those of BVP and HBP.ConclusionThe NMA first found that LBBAP and HBP resulted in a greater LVEF improvement and a narrower QRS duration compared with BVP. Additionally, LBBAP resulted in similar clinical outcomes but with lower pacing thresholds, and may therefore offer advantages than does HBP for CRT.
Decreasing colorectal cancer screening disparities: A culturally tailored patient navigation program for Hispanic patients
Authors: Winkler Carl S. , Hardaway John C. , Ceyhan M. Erkan , Espat N. Joseph , Saied Calvino Abdul 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer‐related death in Hispanic patients. Screening colonoscopy has been shown to reduce the incidence and mortality of CRC. However, utilization among Hispanic patients and other minority groups is low. The objective of this study was to evaluate colonoscopy utilization among Hispanic patients with a culturally tailored patient navigation program (CTPNP) in place.MethodsA CTPNP was designed to meet the needs of the authors' Hispanic patient population and their health care system characteristics. A CTPNP protocol was created, and a Spanish‐speaking navigator/coordinator was hired. Enrolled patients received a Spanish‐language introductory letter, an initial phone call for patient education, and follow‐up calls to ensure that all potential barriers to colonoscopy were overcome. Colonoscopy completion (CC), colonoscopy cancellation (CN), and colonoscopy no‐show (NS) rates were recorded and compared with historical rates in Rhode Island.ResultsOver a 28‐month period, 773 patients were referred to the CTPNP, and 698 (53% female and 47% male) were enrolled in the program. The overall CC rate was 85% (n = 592) with no difference between males and females. The CN rate was 9% (n = 62), and the NS rate was 6% (n = 44). The most common reasons for CN and NS were cost and an inability to contact the patient after referral. Within the CC group, 43% (n = 254) of patients underwent polypectomy, and 1.3% (n = 8) required colectomy. Ninety percent (n = 530) of the CC group reported that they would not have completed colonoscopy without the CTPNP.ConclusionsImplementation of a CTPNP is an effective intervention to improve the CC rate and eliminate the historical gender gap in utilization among Hispanic patients.
Tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes in breast FNA biopsy cytology: A predictor of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes in histologic evaluation
Authors: Odate Toru , Le Minh‐Khang , Kawai Masataka , Kubota Mizuki , Yamaguchi Yohei , Kondo Tetsuo 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundTumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are associated with various clinicopathological features. Using cytologic specimens for assessing TILs remains to be established. This retrospective study aimed to establish a practical method to assess TILs in cytologic samples.MethodsThe authors found 1101 breast fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) cytology samples in their hospital, and 214 of them met the inclusion criteria. The TILs score was evaluated using histologic slides, and breast cancers were divided into 2 groups: low‐ (<60%) and high‐TILs (≥60%). Training and validation tests composed of 50 breast cancer samples each were constructed. A cytologic TILs (cTILs) score was introduced to evaluate lymphocytes in FNAB cytology and it was compared with histologically evaluated TILs. The cTILs score was calculated by subtracting the number of neutrophils from the number of lymphocytes surrounding the tumor cells.ResultsIn the training test, a 2‐tier system with low‐ and high‐TILs groups showed a large area under the curve (AUC) (0.943; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84‐0.99). A cTILs score cutoff value of >8 had 87.5% sensitivity and 90.5% specificity. In the validation test, the AUC was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.6‐0.93) whereas sensitivity and specificity were 57% and 89.5%, respectively. When small tumors <0.5 cm were excluded, the AUC improved to 0.93 (95% CI, 0.83‐1.0), and sensitivity and specificity were 80% and 88.5%, respectively.ConclusionsThe cTILs scoring system had acceptable reproducibility and concordance with TILs on histologic samples for tumors ≥0.5 cm. Cytologic evaluation can potentially substitute for histologic evaluation of TILs.
Synthesis and Optical Properties of Fluorinated Tetraphenylethylenes**
Authors: Zhang Zhenglin , Lieu Thien , Wang Xiqu , Daugulis Olafs , Miljanić Ognjen Š. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractFour extensively fluorinated tetraphenylethylenes (TPE) and one extensively fluorinated triphenylethylene have been synthesized using combinations of copper‐catalyzed C−H functionalization reactions and Stille coupling reactions. Surprisingly, in contrast to the parent TPE, these compounds show little to no aggregation‐induced emission (AIE). Instead, photocyclization into fluorinated phenanthrene products occurs. Effects of solvent and oxygen on the yield and selectivity of this photocyclization have been examined.
An evolutionary computing‐based energy‐efficient solution for IoT‐enabled software‐defined sensor network architecture
Authors: Mishra Pooja , Kumar Neetesh , Godfrey W. Wilfred 
Published: February 2022

SummarySoftware‐defined networking (SDN) has emerged as an evolving technique in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). SDN enables WSNs with programmable control to manage network functions dynamically and efficiently. In Internet of Things (IoT) applications, smart sensors suffer from the low battery issue, generally deployed in harsh network environments where regular recharge is not feasible. Moreover, integrating SDN with IoT‐enabled sensor network puts forward several challenges, for example, control nodes' selection, load balancing, and energy cost optimization while aggregating the collected data, focusing on heterogeneous traffic data. Thus, an energy‐efficient data collection technique via definite sensing control in two‐level IoT‐enabled software‐defined heterogeneous WSN (2SD‐HWSN) is formulated as an optimization problem, with transmission distance from smart sensors, residual energy of sensors, and load based on node density. The proposed algorithm is divided into two: set‐up and transmission phases. In the set‐up phase, the control server (CS) elects the best‐suited control nodes (CNs) and sets up a schedule for coordinating data transmission. Further, normal nodes join appropriate CNs based on distance and residual energy. This way, CNs form clusters and route sensed data during the transmission phase. Therefore, an alternative nature‐inspired algorithm, that is, grey wolf optimization (GWO), is hybridized with particle swarm optimization using a low‐level co‐evolutionary technique to improve its overall performance. This hybrid variant of GWO, known as HGWO‐BC, offers balanced clustering (BC) via novel fitness function design. An exhaustive simulation study is performed in different scenarios considering homogeneous and heterogeneous sensors. Comparative results show that the HGWO‐BC outperforms state‐of‐the‐arts concerning network lifetime, instability period, residual energy, throughput, and computational efforts.
Depth‐limiting resistant layers restrict dimensions and positions of estuarine channels and bars
Authors: Pierik Harm Jan , Leuven Jasper R. F. W. , Busschers Freek S. , Hijma Marc P. , Kleinhans Maarten G. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractEstuaries comprise channels vital for economic activity and bars as valuable habitats. They are increasingly under human‐induced pressures (e.g. sea‐level rise and dredging), resulting in morphological changes that affect navigability, flood safety and ecology. Antecedent geology may strongly steer how estuary channels will adapt to these pressures, but is surprisingly absent in most models. Here geological data and a unique bathymetry dataset covering 200 years from the Ems‐Dollard estuary (Netherlands/Germany) were used to demonstrate how local resistant layers force the position and dimensions of confluences and bars on the scale of an entire estuary. These layers limit channel depth and consequently cause widening, resulting in mid‐channel bar formation and increased channel curvature. This could lead to unexpected estuary widening and may cause land loss in densely populated areas. With increasing channel volume (as may happen again under future sea‐level rise), resistant layers in the estuary's substrate become more exposed, which enhances their effects. Many systems around the world contain shallow resistant layers that potentially constrain estuary channel dimensions and steer bank erosion. This highlights that resistant layer effects are important to consider as part of mixed depositional processes in coastal environments. It is therefore necessary to globally account for the effects of inherited resistant layers in the possible response of estuaries to sea‐level rise and increased tidal penetration.
Implementation of a marker substance for monitoring in situ 17‐keto modifications in endogenous steroids caused by microbiological contamination
Authors: Pfeffer Sandra , Gmeiner Günter , Gärtner Peter 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe urinary steroid profile established for the monitoring of eventual testosterone or testosterone precursor application by athletes includes concentrations and ratios of various endogenously produced steroidal hormones and metabolites. Due to enzymatic activities in urine specimens, the concentrations of these endogenous steroids and consequently their ratios may alter, leading to potential misinterpretation of analytical results. Microbiological contamination in athletes' urine samples can occur due to urinary tract infections or due to contamination by the non‐sterile sample collection conditions. Depending on the duration of transportation of urine samples, the transport and storage conditions may favour microorganisms' growth, and therefore, the enzymatic activity can be accelerated. Degradation effects on endogenous steroids caused by microorganisms have been observed, such as hydrolysis of steroid conjugates, increase of testosterone in the free fraction or modification of the steroid structure by oxidoreductive reactions. The World Anti‐Doping Agency (WADA) implemented criteria to check for signs of microbial degradation in a technical document dealing with the detection, analysis and reporting of endogenous androgenic anabolic steroids (TD EAAS) in urine samples. During the endogenous steroid profile confirmation procedures (CPs) of the WADA accredited Seibersdorf Laboratory, significant differences in the concentrations of markers of the steroid profile were observed compared to the initial testing procedures (ITPs). The changes in concentrations of the urinary steroid profile were attributed to the reduction of the 17‐keto group to a 17β‐hydroxy group caused by increased enzymatic activity during the hydrolysis step. In order to monitor the 17‐keto reduction activity in athletes' urine specimens, possible marker substances containing a 17‐keto group were synthesised and added in the internal standards mixture (ISTD) of the ITP. The presence of the reduced 17β‐hydroxy form of the marker substance indicated enzymatic activity leading to 17‐keto reduction reactions. The substance 3β‐ethoxy‐5α‐androstane‐17‐one was defined to be suitable to indicate 17‐keto reduction reactions occurring during hydrolysis carried out at moderate temperatures.
Does effective population size affect rates of molecular evolution: Mitochondrial data for host/parasite species pairs in bees suggests not
Authors: Shokri Bousjein Nahid , Tierney Simon M. , Gardner Michael G. , Schwarz Michael P. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAdaptive evolutionary theory argues that organisms with larger effective population size (Ne) should have higher rates of adaptive evolution and therefore greater capacity to win evolutionary arm races. However, in some certain cases, species with much smaller Ne may be able to survive besides their opponents for an extensive evolutionary time. Neutral theory predicts that accelerated rates of molecular evolution in organisms with exceedingly small Ne are due to the effects of genetic drift and fixation of slightly deleterious mutations. We test this prediction in two obligate social parasite species and their respective host species from the bee tribe Allodapini. The parasites (genus Inquilina) have been locked into tight coevolutionary arm races with their exclusive hosts (genus Exoneura) for ~15 million years, even though Inquilina exhibit Ne that are an order of magnitude smaller than their host. In this study, we compared rates of molecular evolution between host and parasite using nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rate ratios (dN/dS) of eleven mitochondrial protein‐coding genes sequenced from transcriptomes. Tests of selection on mitochondrial genes indicated no significant differences between host and parasite dN/dS, with evidence for purifying selection acting on all mitochondrial genes of host and parasite species. Several potential factors which could weaken the inverse relationship between Ne and rate of molecular evolution are discussed.
The repeated evolution of stripe patterns is correlated with body morphology in the adaptive radiations of East African cichlid fishes
Authors: Urban Sabine , Gerwin Jan , Hulsey C. Darrin , Meyer Axel , Kratochwil Claudius F. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractColor patterns are often linked to the behavioral and morphological characteristics of an animal, contributing to the effectiveness of such patterns as antipredatory strategies. Species‐rich adaptive radiations, such as the freshwater fish family Cichlidae, provide an exciting opportunity to study trait correlations at a macroevolutionary scale. Cichlids are also well known for their diversity and repeated evolution of color patterns and body morphology. To study the evolutionary dynamics between color patterns and body morphology, we used an extensive dataset of 461 species. A phylogenetic supertree of these species shows that stripe patterns evolved ~70 times independently and were lost again ~30 times. Moreover, stripe patterns show strong signs of correlated evolution with body elongation, suggesting that the stripes’ effectiveness as antipredatory strategy might differ depending on the body shape. Using pedigree‐based analyses, we show that stripes and body elongation segregate independently, indicating that the two traits are not genetically linked. Their correlation in nature is therefore likely maintained by correlational selection. Lastly, by performing a mate preference assay using a striped CRISPR‐Cas9 mutant of a nonstriped species, we show that females do not differentiate between striped CRISPR mutant males and nonstriped wild‐type males, suggesting that these patterns might be less important for species recognition and mate choice. In summary, our study suggests that the massive rates of repeated evolution of stripe patterns are shaped by correlational selection with body elongation, but not by sexual selection.
Evolutionary analyses of visual opsin genes in frogs and toads: Diversity, duplication, and positive selection
Authors: Schott Ryan K. , Perez Leah , Kwiatkowski Matthew A. , Imhoff Vance , Gumm Jennifer M. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAmong major vertebrate groups, anurans (frogs and toads) are understudied with regard to their visual systems, and little is known about variation among species that differ in ecology. We sampled North American anurans representing diverse evolutionary and life histories that likely possess visual systems adapted to meet different ecological needs. Using standard molecular techniques, visual opsin genes, which encode the protein component of visual pigments, were obtained from anuran retinas. Additionally, we extracted the visual opsins from publicly available genome and transcriptome assemblies, further increasing the phylogenetic and ecological diversity of our dataset to 33 species in total. We found that anurans consistently express four visual opsin genes (RH1, LWS, SWS1, and SWS2, but not RH2) even though reported photoreceptor complements vary widely among species. The proteins encoded by these genes showed considerable sequence variation among species, including at sites known to shift the spectral sensitivity of visual pigments in other vertebrates and had conserved substitutions that may be related to dim‐light adaptation. Using molecular evolutionary analyses of selection (dN/dS) we found significant evidence for positive selection at a subset of sites in the dim‐light rod opsin gene RH1 and the long wavelength sensitive cone opsin LWS. The function of sites inferred to be under positive selection are largely unknown, but a few are likely to affect spectral sensitivity and other visual pigment functions based on proximity to previously identified sites in other vertebrates. We also found the first evidence of visual opsin duplication in an amphibian with the duplication of the LWS gene in the African bullfrog, which had distinct LWS copies on the sex chromosomes suggesting the possibility of sex‐specific visual adaptation. Taken together, our results indicate that ecological factors, such as habitat and life history, as well as behavior, may be driving changes to anuran visual systems.
Shaping sustainable harvest boundaries for marine populations despite estimation bias
Authors: Goto Daisuke , Devine Jennifer A. , Umar Ibrahim , Fischer Simon H. , De Oliveira José A. A. , Howell Daniel , Jardim Ernesto , Mosqueira Iago , Ono Kotaro 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBiased estimates of population status are a pervasive conservation problem. This problem has plagued assessments of commercial exploitation of marine species and can threaten the sustainability of both populations and fisheries. We develop a computer‐intensive approach to minimize adverse effects of persistent estimation bias in assessments by optimizing operational harvest measures (harvest control rules) with closed‐loop simulation of resource‐management feedback systems: management strategy evaluation. Using saithe (Pollachius virens), a bottom water, apex predator in the North Sea, as a real‐world case study, we illustrate the approach by first diagnosing robustness of the existing harvest control rule and then optimizing it through propagation of biases (overestimated stock abundance and underestimated fishing pressure) along with select process and observation uncertainties. Analyses showed that severe biases lead to overly optimistic catch limits and then progressively magnify the amplitude of catch fluctuation, thereby posing unacceptably high overharvest risks. Consistent performance of management strategies to conserve the resource can be achieved by developing more robust control rules. These rules explicitly account for estimation bias through a computational grid search for a set of control parameters (threshold abundance that triggers management action, Btrigger, and target exploitation rate, Ftarget) that maximize yield while keeping stock abundance above a precautionary level. When the biases become too severe, optimized control parameters—for saithe, raising Btrigger and lowering Ftarget—would safeguard against a overharvest risk (<3.5% probability of stock depletion) and provide short‐term stability in catch limit (<20% year‐to‐year variation), thereby minimizing disruption to fishing communities. The precautionary approach to fine‐tuning adaptive risk management through management strategy evaluation offers a powerful tool to better shape sustainable harvest boundaries for exploited resource populations when estimation bias persists. By explicitly accounting for emergent sources of uncertainty, our proposed approach ensures effective conservation and sustainable exploitation of living marine resources even under profound uncertainty.
The effectiveness of opportunistic public reports versus professional data to estimate large carnivore distribution
Authors: Gantchoff Mariela G. , Conlee Laura , L. Belant Jerrold 
Published: February 2022

AbstractSpecies distribution models are key to spatially explicit conservation and management plans. Modeling distributions using data collected by the public has become increasingly popular; however, it is vital to evaluate their advantages and limitations. We investigated whether distribution models developed using opportunistic data (public reports) are congruent with those developed using professional data, while evaluating two strategies to remove spatial biases: data filtering and covariate removal. We compared GPS telemetry data (598 locations, 2010–2018) with public reports (1384 locations, 2016–2019) of American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Missouri (USA). Reports were subdivided into unfiltered reports, filtered reports (more reliable), and verified reports (confirmed by state agency staff). Each data set was modeled twice, with and without road covariates. Each distribution model was an ensemble of three machine‐learning methods. Models using filtered or verified reports and excluding road covariates were most similar to the telemetry model, both in spatial extent and spatial suitability patterns. However, the report‐derived distributions included several times more agriculture and developed land. The inclusion of roads resulted in spurious patterns and consistently reduced the predicted distribution area by ~10%. Elevation and vegetation productivity were consistently selected as the most important variables, regardless of data source and covariates included in models, but the report‐derived distributions included more agriculture and developed lands. Filtering data for reliability and removing covariates related to spatial biases resulted in models suitable to estimate broad black bear distribution, though differences remained that could represent different segments of the bear population (e.g., dispersing vs. established). Verification was not essential to develop suitable models if reports are filtered for reliability, important for areas that lack professionally collected data to model species distributions.