bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Race and prevalence of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes in patients with advanced dementia
Authors: Henao David , Gregory Chere , Walters Gloria , Stinson Charles , Dixon Yvonne 
Published: January 2022

AbstractObjectiveMillions of Americans may face hard decisions when it comes to providing nutrition for their loved ones with advanced dementia. This study aimed to ascertain whether there is a difference in feeding tube placement between White and Black patients with advanced dementia and whether this potential difference varied by patient's other demographic and clinical characteristics.MethodThis is a retrospective, observational study conducted at Novant Health, a 15-hospital system in the southeastern United States. Data were obtained from Epic systems and included all hospital admissions with a diagnosis of advanced dementia, a total of 21,939, between July 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018. Descriptive statistics and logistics analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between receiving percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) and race, controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics.ResultsAmong patients admitted with advanced dementia, the multivariable logistic regression, controlled for age, gender, LOS, palliative care, and vascular etiology showed that Blacks had higher odds of having PEG tubes inserted than White patients (OR 1.97; CI 1.51–2.55; P < 0.001). Patients with longer stays had higher odds of PEG tube insertion. Females had lower odds of PEG tube insertion than males. There was no statistical significance in PEG insertion based on age, etiology, and palliative care consult.Significance of resultsThe reasons for the observed higher odds of receiving PEG tubes among Black patients than White patients are likely multifactorial and embedded in a different approach to end-of-life care conversations by providers and caregivers of Black and White patients. Providers may need to be more aware of potential unconscious biases when talking to caregivers, especially in race-discordant relationships, have courageous conversations with caregivers, and be more aware of the importance of keeping in mind families’ and caregivers’ culture, including spirituality, when making end-of-life decisions.
Specific and cumulative lifetime stressors in the aetiology of major depression: A longitudinal community-based population study
Authors: Su Y. Y. , D'Arcy C. , Li M. , O'Donnell K. J. , Caron J. , Meaney M. J. , Meng X. 
Published: January 2022

Abstract

Aims
Early-life stressful circumstances (i.e. childhood maltreatment) coupled with stressful events later in life increase the likelihood of subsequent depression. However, very few studies have been conducted to examine the specific and cumulative effects of these stressors in the development of depression. There is also a paucity of research that simultaneously considers the role of biological factors combined with psychosocial stressors in the aetiology of depression. Guided by the biopsychosocial model proposed by Engel, the present study aims to examine to what extent the experience of stressors across the lifespan is associated with depression while taking into account the role of genetic predispositions.

Methods
Data analysed were from the Social and Psychiatric Epidemiology Catchment Area of the Southwest of Montreal (ZEPSOM), a large-scale, longitudinal community-based cohort study. A total of 1351 participants with complete information on the lifetime diagnoses of depression over a 10-year follow-up period were included in the study. Stressful events across the lifespan were operationalised as specific, cumulative and latent profiles of stressful experiences. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to explore the clustering of studied stressors including childhood maltreatment, poor parent–child relationship, and stressful life events. A polygenetic risk score was calculated for each participant to provide information on genetic liability. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between specific, cumulative and latent profiles of stressors and subsequent depression.

Results
We found that different subtypes of childhood maltreatment, child–parent bonding and stressful life events predicted subsequent depression. Furthermore, a significant association between combined effects of cumulative stressful experiences and depression was found [odds ratio (OR) = 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12–1.28]. Three latent profiles of lifetime stressors were identified in the present study and named as ‘low-level of stress’ (75.1%), ‘moderate-level of stress’ (6.8%) and ‘high-level of stress’ (18.1%). Individuals with a ‘high-level of stress’ had a substantially higher risk of depression (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.08–3.00) than the other two profiles after adjusting for genetic predispositions, socio-demographic characteristics, and health-related factors.

Conclusions
While controlling for genetic predispositions, the present study provides robust evidence to support the independent and cumulative as well as compositional effects of early- and later-on lifetime psychosocial stressors in the subsequent development of depression. Consequently, mental illness prevention and mental health promotion should target the occurrence of stressful events as well as build resilience in people so they can better cope with stress when it inevitably occurs.
Resonant Alfvén Waves in the Lower Auroral Ionosphere: Evidence for the Nonlinear Evolution of the Ionospheric Feedback Instability
Authors: Akbari Hassanali , Pfaff Robert , Clemmons James , Freudenreich Henry , Rowland Douglas , Streltsov Anatoly 
Published: January 2022

AbstractDuring the “Auroral Jets” experiment from Poker Flat, Alaska on 2 March 2017, two NASA sounding rockets were simultaneously launched into the active auroral ionosphere. The rockets were equipped with instrumentation to measure DC and AC electric fields, magnetic fields, energetic electrons, plasma density, and neutral winds and achieved apogees of 190 and 330 km. A prominent feature of the electric and magnetic field observations is the presence of localized large‐amplitude (±40 mV/m and ±100 nT) small‐scale (λ⊥∼ 1 km) Alfvén wave structures at altitudes as low as 150 km in the vicinity of up‐ and down‐ward current regions. We interpret the oscillations as representing standing waves associated with the ionospheric Alfvén resonator formed between the ionosphere and the lower magnetosphere. The electric field components of the Alfvén waves show signatures of wave steepening in correlation with electron precipitation and large variations of the background plasma density. The signatures are discussed in the context of nonlinear evolution of the ionospheric feedback instability.
Observed Surface Drag Coefficient Under High Wind Speed Conditions and the Relationship With Coherent Structures
Authors: Shao Xin , Zhang Ning , Peng Zhen , Zhao Kun , Luo Yanhong , Song Xiaoquan 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe drag coefficient is a crucial parameter in the interaction between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere because it directly determines the momentum flux. This study examines the variation in the drag coefficient with wind speed over the land surface using observations from two typhoon cases and one cold front case. The analysis shows a significant decrease in the drag coefficient, roughness length, and zero plane displacement when the wind speed is greater than approximately 15 m s−1. The drag coefficient is proven to be positively related to the coherence of the turbulent structures. The momentum transport modes changed at 15 m s−1. By regarding the large eddies as scales larger than observation height, it is found that large‐scale coherent structures dominate the momentum transfer in strong wind conditions, while small eddies contribute significantly in low to moderate wind conditions. Momentum transport in such large coherent eddies is inefficient, leading to the reduction of the surface drag. The results suggest that the formation of inefficient large coherent eddies is likely due to the existence of inverse energy cascade.
Denitrification and DNRA in Urban Accidental Wetlands in Phoenix, Arizona
Authors: Handler Amalia M. , Suchy Amanda K. , Grimm Nancy B. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractDenitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) both require low oxygen and high organic carbon conditions common in wetland ecosystems. Denitrification permanently removes nitrogen from the ecosystem as a gas while DNRA recycles nitrogen within the ecosystem via production of ammonium. The relative prevalence of denitrification versus DNRA has implications for the fate of nitrate in ecosystems. Unplanned and unmanaged urban accidental wetlands in the Salt River channel near downtown Phoenix, Arizona, USA receive high nitrate relative to non‐urban wetlands and have a high capacity for denitrification, but unknown capacity for DNRA. We conducted in‐situ push‐pull tests with isotopically labeled nitrate to measure denitrification and DNRA rates in three of the dominant vegetative patch types in these urban accidental wetlands. DNRA accounted for between 2% and 40% of nitrate reduction (DNRA plus denitrification) with the highest rates measured in patches of Ludwigia peploides compared to Typha spp. and non‐vegetated patches. The wetland patches were similar with respect to dissolved organic carbon concentration but may have differed in carbon lability or strength of reducing conditions due to a combination of litter decomposition and oxygen supply via diffusion and aerenchyma. The ratio of DNRA to denitrification was negatively correlated with nitrate concentration, indicating that DNRA may become a more important pathway for nitrate attenuation at low nitrate concentration. Although DNRA was generally lower than denitrification, this pathway was an important component of nitrate attenuation within certain patches in these unmanaged urban accidental wetlands.
Paleozoic Subduction‐Accretion in the Southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt: Insights From the Wuwamen Accretionary Complex of the Chinese South Tianshan
Authors: Wang Xin‐Shui , Klemd Reiner , Li Ji‐Lei , Gao Jun , Jiang Tuo , Zong Ke‐Qing , Xue Sheng‐Chao 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAccretionary complexes are a major component of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) and are important for understanding its architecture and evolution. The Wuwamen accretionary complex in the Chinese South Tianshan contains a tectonic mélange that witnessed the dynamic evolution from early accretion to final collision of the western CAOB with the Tarim Craton. We present geochronological and geochemical studies on the exotic blocks and metasedimentary matrix of the tectonic mélange in order to refine the subduction‐accretion processes in the CAOB. Geochemical and age data reveal that the exotic blocks are of diverse origins, including arc‐related granite and arc basalt‐like garnet amphibolite from the upper plate, and MORB‐like amphibolite from the subducting slab. The blocks underwent subduction‐related high‐temperature metamorphism between ca. 397 and 340 Ma. Detrital zircons in the metasedimentary matrix are dominated by Paleozoic ages corresponding to the continuous arc magmatism in the Yili‐Central Tianshan Block. This finding is consistent with the accretion of the Wuwamen complex on the southern margin of the Yili‐Central Tianshan Block above the northward subducting South Tianshan Ocean. A ca. 307 Ma post‐accretion granite dyke intruded the Wuwamen complex, thereby providing a minimum age limit for its terminal accretion. In conjunction with subduction‐related magmatism, metamorphism, and sedimentation, the accretion of the Wuwamen accretionary complex was active during the early Ordovician to the late Carboniferous. Our new results reiterate that long‐lasting accretionary processes in the South Tianshan Ocean and the terminal collision due to its closure exert a major control on the architecture of the southwestern CAOB.
Dysregulated gene expression associated with inflammatory and translation pathways in activated monocytes from children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Hughes Heather K. , Rowland Megan E. , Onore Charity E. , Rogers Sally , Ciernia Annie Vogel , Ashwood Paul 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interactions, communication, and stereotypical behaviors. Immune dysfunction is a common co-morbidity seen in ASD, with innate immune activation seen both in the brain and periphery. We previously identified significant differences in peripheral monocyte cytokine responses after stimulation with lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which activate toll-like receptors (TLR)−2 and 4 respectively. However, an unbiased examination of monocyte gene expression in response to these stimulants had not yet been performed. To identify how TLR activation impacts gene expression in ASD monocytes, we isolated peripheral blood monocytes from 26 children diagnosed with autistic disorder (AD) or pervasive developmental disorder—not otherwise specified (PDDNOS) and 22 typically developing (TD) children and cultured them with LTA or LPS for 24 h, then performed RNA sequencing. Activation of both TLR2 and TLR4 induced expression of immune genes, with a subset that were differentially regulated in AD compared to TD samples. In response to LPS, monocytes from AD children showed a unique increase in KEGG pathways and GO terms that include key immune regulator genes. In contrast, monocytes from TD children showed a consistent decrease in expression of genes associated with translation in response to TLR stimulation. This decrease was not observed in AD or PDDNOS monocytes, suggesting a failure to properly downregulate a prolonged immune response in monocytes from children with ASD. As monocytes are involved in early orchestration of the immune response, our findings will help elucidate the mechanisms regulating immune dysfunction in ASD.
Variant pathogenic prediction by locus variability: the importance of the current picture of evolution
Authors: Cabrera-Alarcon José Luis , Martinez Jorge García , Enríquez José Antonio , Sánchez-Cabo Fátima 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAccurate detection of pathogenic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) is a key challenge in whole exome and whole genome sequencing studies. To date, several in silico tools have been developed to predict deleterious variants from this type of data. However, these tools have limited power to detect new pathogenic variants, especially in non-coding regions. In this study, we evaluate the use of a new metric, the Shannon Entropy of Locus Variability (SELV), calculated as the Shannon entropy of the variant frequencies reported in genome-wide population studies at a given locus, as a new predictor of potentially pathogenic variants in non-coding nuclear and mitochondrial DNA and also in coding regions with a selective pressure other than that imposed by the genetic code, e.g splice-sites. For benchmarking, SELV was compared to predictors of pathogenicity in different genomic contexts. In nuclear non-coding DNA, SELV outperformed CDTS (AUCSELV = 0.97 in ROC curve and PR-AUCSELV = 0.96 in Precision-recall curve). For non-coding mitochondrial variants (AUCSELV = 0.98 in ROC curve and PR-AUCSELV = 1.00 in Precision-recall curve) SELV outperformed HmtVar. Moreover, SELV was compared against two state-of-the-art ensemble predictors of pathogenicity in splice-sites, ada-score, and rf-score, matching their overall performance both in ROC (AUCSELV = 0.95) and Precision-recall curves (PR-AUC = 0.97), with the advantage that SELV can be easily calculated for every position in the genome, as opposite to ada-score and rf-score. Therefore, we suggest that the information about the observed genetic variability in a locus reported from large scale population studies could improve the prioritization of SNVs in splice-sites and in non-coding regions.
Onset of criticality in hyper-auxetic polymer networks
Authors: Ninarello Andrea , Ruiz-Franco José , Zaccarelli Emanuela 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAgainst common sense, auxetic materials expand or contract perpendicularly when stretched or compressed, respectively, by uniaxial strain, being characterized by a negative Poisson’s ratioν. The amount of deformation in response to the applied force can be at most equal to the imposed one, so thatν = − 1 is the lowest bound for the mechanical stability of solids, a condition here defined as “hyper-auxeticity”. In this work, we numerically show that ultra-low-crosslinked polymer networks under tension display hyper-auxetic behavior at a finite crosslinker concentration. At this point, the nearby mechanical instability triggers the onset of a critical-like transition between two states of different densities. This phenomenon displays similar features as well as important differences with respect to gas-liquid phase separation. Since our model is able to faithfully describe real-world hydrogels, the present results can be readily tested in laboratory experiments, paving the way to explore this unconventional phase behavior.
Targeted activation of midbrain neurons restores locomotor function in mouse models of parkinsonism
Authors: Masini Débora , Kiehn Ole 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is a locomotor command area containing glutamatergic neurons that control locomotor initiation and maintenance. These motor actions are deficient in Parkinson’s disease (PD), where dopaminergic neurodegeneration alters basal ganglia activity. Being downstream of the basal ganglia, the PPN may be a suitable target for ameliorating parkinsonian motor symptoms. Here, we use in vivo cell-type specific PPN activation to restore motor function in two mouse models of parkinsonism made by acute pharmacological blockage of dopamine transmission. With a combination of chemo- and opto-genetics, we show that excitation of caudal glutamatergic PPN neurons can normalize the otherwise severe locomotor deficit in PD, whereas targeting the local GABAergic population only leads to recovery of slow locomotion. The motor rescue driven by glutamatergic PPN activation is independent of activity in nearby locomotor promoting glutamatergic Cuneiform neurons. Our observations point to caudal glutamatergic PPN neurons as a potential target for neuromodulatory restoration of locomotor function in PD.
Application of magnetically actuated self-clearing catheter for rapid in situ blood clot clearance in hemorrhagic stroke treatment
Authors: Yang Qi , Enríquez Ángel , Devathasan Dillon , Thompson Craig A. , Nayee Dillan , Harris Ryan , Satoski Douglas , Obeng-Gyasi Barnabas , Lee Albert , Bentley R. Timothy , Lee Hyowon 
Published: January 2022

AbstractMaintaining the patency of indwelling drainage devices is critical in preventing further complications following an intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and other chronic disease management. Surgeons often use drainage devices to remove blood and cerebrospinal fluid but these catheters frequently become occluded with hematoma. Using an implantable magnetic microactuator, we created a self-clearing catheter that can generate large enough forces to break down obstructive blood clots by applying time-varying magnetic fields. In a blood-circulating model, our self-clearing catheters demonstrated a > 7x longer functionality than traditional catheters (211 vs. 27 min) and maintained a low pressure for longer periods (239 vs. 79 min). Using a porcine IVH model, the self-clearing catheters showed a greater survival rate than control catheters (86% vs. 0%) over the course of 6 weeks. The treated animals also had significantly smaller ventricle sizes 1 week after implantation compared to the control animals with traditional catheters. Our results suggest that these magnetic microactuator-embedded smart catheters can expedite the removal of blood from the ventricles and potentially improve the outcomes of critical patients suffering from often deadly IVH.
Simultaneous perception of prosthetic and natural vision in AMD patients
Authors: Palanker D. , Le Mer Y. , Mohand-Said S. , Sahel J. A. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractLoss of photoreceptors in atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD) results in severe visual impairment. Since the low-resolution peripheral vision is retained in such conditions, restoration of central vision should not jeopardize the surrounding healthy retina and allow for simultaneous use of the natural and prosthetic sight. This interim report, prespecified in the study protocol, presents the first clinical results with a photovoltaic substitute of the photoreceptors providing simultaneous use of the central prosthetic and peripheral natural vision in atrophic AMD. In this open-label single group feasibility trial (NCT03333954, recruitment completed), five patients with geographic atrophy have been implanted with a wireless 2 x 2 mm-wide 30 µm-thick device, having 378 pixels of 100 µm in size. All 5 patients achieved the primary outcome of the study by demonstrating the prosthetic visual perception in the former scotoma. The four patients with a subretinal placement of the chip demonstrated the secondary outcome: Landolt acuity of 1.17 ± 0.13 pixels, corresponding to the Snellen range of 20/460–20/565. With electronic magnification of up to a factor of 8, patients demonstrated prosthetic acuity in the range of 20/63–20/98. Under room lighting conditions, patients could simultaneously use prosthetic central vision and their remaining peripheral vision in the implanted eye and in the fellow eye.
Liquid-microjet photoelectron spectroscopy of the green fluorescent protein chromophore
Authors: Tau Omri , Henley Alice , Boichenko Anton N. , Kleshchina Nadezhda N. , Riley River , Wang Bingxing , Winning Danielle , Lewin Ross , Parkin Ivan P. , Ward John M. , Hailes Helen C. , Bochenkova Anastasia V. , Fielding Helen H. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractGreen fluorescent protein (GFP), the most widely used fluorescent protein for in vivo monitoring of biological processes, is known to undergo photooxidation reactions. However, the most fundamental property underpinning photooxidation, the electron detachment energy, has only been measured for the deprotonated GFP chromophore in the gas phase. Here, we use multiphoton ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy in a liquid-microjet and high-level quantum chemistry calculations to determine the electron detachment energy of the GFP chromophore in aqueous solution. The aqueous environment is found to raise the detachment energy by around 4 eV compared to the gas phase, similar to calculations of the chromophore in its native protein environment. In most cases, electron detachment is found to occur resonantly through electronically excited states of the chromophore, highlighting their importance in photo-induced electron transfer processes in the condensed phase. Our results suggest that the photooxidation properties of the GFP chromophore in an aqueous environment will be similar to those in the protein.