bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sex-related Differences in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: The Potential Role of Sex Hormones
Authors: Xu Leiqi , Huang Gang , Cong Yingzi , Yu Yanbo , Li Yanqing 
Published: April 2022

AbstractInflammatory bowel disease (IBD), characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, is a global health care problem. Compelling evidence shows sex differences regarding the prevalence, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment outcome of IBD. Sex hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and androgen, have been proposed to have a role in the pathogenesis of sexual dimorphism in IBD. Clinical and experimental data support the modulatory effects of sex hormones on various clinical characteristics of the disease, including intestinal barrier dysfunction and mucosal immune activation. Additionally, the potential role of sex hormones in the modulation of gut microbiota is attracting increasing attention. Here, we discuss the sex dimorphic disease profile and address the potential mechanisms involved in the sex-specific pathogenesis of IBD. Improved understanding of these sex differences in the clinic could improve the knowledge of patients with IBD with heterogeneous disease profiles.
Reply to Stafford's (2022) comment on “Seaweed ecosystems may not mitigate CO2 emissions” by Gallagheret al. (2022)
Authors: Gallagher John Barry , Shelamoff Victor 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe comment qualitatively suggests that seaweed ecosystems are global carbon sinks. This was in contradiction to the article that showed that seaweed ecosystems are on average measurably carbon sources within the canopy. Furthermore, this was amplified by the remineralization of a large fraction of exported seaweed production, as estimated from published parameters. It appeared that the comments’ conclusion was mistaken from two standpoints. First, a view that the article did not consider the impact of the phytoplanktonic assemblage on the seaweed ecosystems’ global sequestration rate. This had been previously calculated as likely, not significant. Second, a view that the consumption and subsequent respiration of exported material cannot be included in ecosystems that are generally open to allochthonous organic carbon subsidies. Nevertheless, the comment does raise the importance of a more holistic view in assessing sequestration services. The response expands the article's arguments from different standpoints and consequences to illustrate where the comment has been mistaken, and points out where the article was misread. We also expand on the comments’ call for a more holistic approach by being more explicit on what drives both sequestration and mitigation through the extreme circumstances where this could be maximized, including phytoplankton contributions.
Hall–Littlewood Polynomials, Boundaries, and p-Adic Random Matrices
Authors: Van Peski Roger 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
We prove that the boundary of the Hall–Littlewood $t$-deformation of the Gelfand–Tsetlin graph is parametrized by infinite integer signatures, extending results of Gorin [23] and Cuenca [15] on boundaries of related deformed Gelfand–Tsetlin graphs. In the special case when $1/t$ is a prime $p$, we use this to recover results of Bufetov and Qiu [12] and Assiotis [1] on infinite $p$-adic random matrices, placing them in the general context of branching graphs derived from symmetric functions. Our methods rely on explicit formulas for certain skew Hall–Littlewood polynomials. As a separate corollary to these, we obtain a simple expression for the joint distribution of the cokernels of products $A_1, A_2A_1, A_3A_2A_1,\ldots $ of independent Haar-distributed matrices $A_i$ over ${\mathbb {Z}}_p$, generalizing the explicit formula for the classical Cohen–Lenstra measure.
Cluster Transmission Drives Invasive Group A Streptococcus Disease Within the United States and Is Focused on Communities Experiencing Disadvantage
Authors: Metcalf Benjamin , Nanduri Srinivas , Chochua Sopio , Li Yuan , Fleming-Dutra Katherine , McGee Lesley , Beall Bernard 
Published: April 2022

Abstract

Background
Group A streptococci (GAS), although usually responsible for mild infections, can sometimes spread into normally sterile sites and cause invasive GAS disease (iGAS). Because both the risk of iGAS disease and occurrence of outbreaks are elevated within certain communities, such as those comprising people who inject drugs (PWID) and people experiencing homelessness (PEH), understanding the transmission dynamics of GAS is of major relevance to public health.

Methods
We used a cluster detection tool to scan genomes of 7552 Streptococcus pyogenes isolates acquired through the population-based Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) during 2015–2018 to identify genomically related clusters representing previously unidentified iGAS outbreaks.

Results
We found that 64.6% of invasive isolates were included within clusters of at least 4 temporally related isolates. Calculating a cluster odds ratio (COR) for each emm type revealed that types vary widely in their propensity to form transmission clusters. By incorporating additional epidemiological metadata for each isolate, we found that emm types with a higher proportion of cases occurring among PEH and PWID were associated with higher CORs. Higher CORs were also correlated with emm types that are less geographically dispersed.

Conclusions
Early identification of clusters with implementation of outbreak control measures could result in significant reduction of iGAS.
Cruelty and Violence in the Global South
Authors: Thakur Monika 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
There is limited understanding of cruelty in critical security studies. While cruelty tends to be conceptualized within the context of large-scale, violent conflicts and situations, it is helpful to consider cruelty through the lens of everyday forms of violence and subjugation. Understanding cruelty and its complex entanglements with overlapping frameworks of necropolitics, structural violence, and necrogeopolitics, and drawing on research from Nigeria, Jordan, and Myanmar, this article discusses the normalization of cruel, everyday “living death” and violence experienced by many in Global South. Overlapping marginalities of localized conflicts, political repression, gendered violence, marginalized livelihoods and precarity, climate change, and migration illustrate this entangled conceptualization of cruelty. This complex and entangled understanding of cruelty helps to better understand the lived experiences and situations of peoples and communities in the Global South. Further, everyday necropolitical violence and cruelty provide an understanding of the suffering, pain, and state of unease that many experience in the Global South and beyond, and this understanding of shared human vulnerabilities informs our common humanity. The main contribution of this analysis is to provide dialectical insights into the potential of radical empathy and compassion, rooted in decolonial humanism, as a means to ignite political consciousness, dismantle oppressive structures, and support emancipatory agency of peoples and communities globally.
VTag: a semi-supervised pipeline for tracking pig activity with a single top-view camera
Authors: Chen Chun-Peng J , Morota Gota , Lee Kiho , Zhang Zhiwu , Cheng Hao 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Precision livestock farming has become an important research focus with the rising demand of meat production in the swine industry. Currently, the farming practice is widely conducted by the technology of computer vision (CV), which automates monitoring pig activity solely based on video recordings. Automation is fulfilled by deriving imagery features that can guide CV systems to recognize animals’ body contours, positions, and behavioral categories. Nevertheless, the performance of the CV systems is sensitive to the quality of imagery features. When the CV system is deployed in a variable environment, its performance may decrease as the features are not generalized enough under different illumination conditions. Moreover, most CV systems are established by supervised learning, in which intensive effort in labeling ground truths for the training process is required. Hence, a semi-supervised pipeline, VTag, is developed in this study. The pipeline focuses on long-term tracking of pig activity without requesting any pre-labeled video but a few human supervisions to build a CV system. The pipeline can be rapidly deployed as only one top-view RGB camera is needed for the tracking task. Additionally, the pipeline was released as a software tool with a friendly graphical interface available to general users. Among the presented datasets, the average tracking error was 17.99 cm. Besides, with the prediction results, the pig moving distance per unit time can be estimated for activity studies. Finally, as the motion is monitored, a heat map showing spatial hot spots visited by the pigs can be useful guidance for farming management. The presented pipeline saves massive laborious work in preparing training dataset. The rapid deployment of the tracking system paves the way for pig behavior monitoring.
Minimum Levels of Human Intervention in Autonomous Attacks
Authors: McFarland Tim 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
This article discusses an important limitation on the degree of autonomy that may permissibly be afforded to autonomous weapon systems (AWS) in the context of an armed conflict: the extent to which international humanitarian law (IHL) requires that human beings be able to intervene directly in the operation of weapon systems in the course of an attack. As there is currently no conventional or customary law directed specifically at AWS, limits on use of autonomous capabilities in weapons, if any exist, must be inferred from the principles, rules and goals of general IHL. The process adopted herein is to look for two broad types of limitations: those which take the form of maximum permissible degrees of machine involvement in regulated activities, and those which take the form of minimum permissible degrees of human involvement. The article’s main finding is that while existing law does not impose limits of the first type, it does impose some of the second type. Specifically, legal obligations borne by individuals (commanders in charge of AWS operations, weapon system operators and others) determine the required minimum capacity for direct human intervention. The article further suggests means by which the required degree of human intervention may be determined in specific circumstances.
Mortality of Emerald Ash Borer Larvae in Small Regenerating Ash in New York Forests
Authors: Gould Juli , Fierke Melissa K , Hickin Mauri 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Despite a robust biocontrol program against emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), parasitoid populations cannot build quickly enough to save mature ash trees. The future of ash as a viable component of North American forests depends on survival of immature ash that were too small to be attacked during the initial outbreak. This study was designed to quantify impacts of established introduced parasitoids and native woodpeckers on the population growth of emerald ash borer infesting regenerating ash saplings in white ash forests. Most emerald ash borer larvae were killed by Tetrastichus planipennisi Yang and woodpeckers in the fourth instar. Life-table analyses revealed that the estimated net reproductive rate of emerald ash borer was R0 = 4.2 in eastern New York and R0 = 0.0 in western New York. Without mortality from parasitoids and woodpeckers, R0 values would have been 16.4 and 7.9 in eastern and western New York, respectively. We monitored the health of mature and sapling ash trees from 2012 to 2017 and found that large trees were significantly more likely to be infested with emerald ash borer and to die than smaller trees. Fifty-four percent to 81% of ash saplings contained no living emerald ash borer, and the density of emerald ash borer at all sites was very low (&lt; 4/m2). This study adds to the growing body of evidence that emerald ash borer biocontrol is contributing to population control and can help promote survival of young ash trees as forests recover from emerald ash borer outbreaks.
Clinical Value of Early-Pregnancy Glycated Hemoglobin, Fasting Plasma Glucose, and Body Mass Index in Screening Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Lou Yanqin , Xiang Li , Gao Xuemei , Jiang Huijun 
Published: April 2022

Abstract

Objective
To investigate clinical values of early-pregnancy (8–13 weeks) glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and body mass index (BMI) in screening gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods
A total of 1120 cases underwent a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), of which 216 cases with GDM were selected as the study group, and 278 cases without GDM were selected as the control group. FPG, HbA1c, and BMI in early pregnancy were measured. The correlation between FPG, HbA1c and BMI in early pregnancy and the incidence of GDM was analyzed by binary logistic regression, and the value of each index in predicting GDM alone or in combination was evaluated.

Results
FPG, HbA1c, and BMI in early pregnancy in the GDM group were higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P &lt; .05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that FPG, HbA1c, and BMI were risk factors for GDM in early pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] values were 3.374 [P &lt; .05], 4.644 [P &lt; .001], and 1.077 [P &lt; .001], respectively). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of FPG, glycated hemoglobin, and BMI in screening GDM for early pregnancy were 0.647, 0.661, and 0.608, respectively, while the area under the ROC curve of the combination of these 3 indicators was 0.736.

Conclusion
We found that FPG, HbA1c, and BMI in early pregnancy might be the potential risk factors for the occurrence of GDM, and the combination of them had certain clinical predictive value for GDM. However, it is still necessary for more studies, especially prospective studies, to validate our findings in the future.
Perceptions of Self-Determination in Music Therapy for Individuals Diagnosed with Intellectual Disabilities: A Survey of Music Therapists
Authors: Beebe Katelyn 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) experience positive outcomes and desire to participate in decisions regarding various aspects of their lives but are often less likely to access this right than their peers without a diagnosis. These individuals may be able to increase their proficiency in self-determination through practice, but it is unclear the extent to which they may be involved in healthcare-related decisions, specifically while participating in music therapy. Through a survey of board-certified music therapists currently serving individuals diagnosed with I/DD, in this study, the author sought to identify aspects of self-determination being incorporated into music therapy treatment with individuals diagnosed with I/DD and to determine the extent to which self-determination is emphasized. Results of this study indicated elements perceived by music therapists to be essential to self-determination, benefits associated with access to self-determination, methods of incorporating self-determination into music therapy sessions, relationships between work experience, attitudes about self-determination, and the frequency of self-determination being incorporated into sessions. Based on the results of this study, future research could explore potential implications of music therapists’ educational background and work setting on self-determination and should include perspectives from service users.
Reduced Sensitivity to Tebuconazole in Botryosphaeria dothidea Isolates Collected from Major Apple Production Areas of China
Authors: Fan Kun , Fu Li , Liu Huimin , Qu Jianlu , Zhang Guofu , Zhang Shouan , Qiao Kang 
Published: April 2022

China has the largest acreage and is the greatest producer of apples in the world. Apple ring rot (ARR) caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea is one of the major diseases affecting apple fruit production. Tebuconazole, a sterol demethylation-inhibiting (DMI) fungicide, has been increasingly applied to manage ARR in China. Resistance to tebuconazole in field populations of B. dothidea may be selected and accumulate to higher degrees over time. Establishment of tebuconazole sensitivity monitoring programs is critically important for resistance management and effective ARR control. However, the resistance level of B. dothidea to tebuconazole in China remains largely unknown. In this study, in vitro mycelial growth assays of B. dothidea in media amended with tebuconazole were conducted, and the sensitivity of B. dothidea to tebuconazole was determined with a set of 390 isolates collected from the major apple production provinces in China between 2006 and 2014. Results showed that the 50% effective concentration (EC50) value ranged from 0.011 to 0.918, 0.040 to 1.621, and 0.052 to 1.925 μg ml−1 with a median value of 0.194, 0.386, and 0.782 μg ml−1 in the isolates collected in 2006, 2010, and 2014, respectively. The frequency distribution of EC50 for tebuconazole was a nonnormal distribution (P < 0.05), suggesting that subpopulations with reduced sensitivity to tebuconazole had emerged in these B. dothidea isolates. The frequency distribution of the B. dothidea isolates collected in 2006 fit a unimodal curve and could be regarded as the baseline sensitivity to tebuconazole. The resistance levels increased over time with the average occurrence frequency of 43.3% and resistance index of 0.38. Positive cross-resistance was observed between tebuconazole and metconazole, which is another DMI fungicide, but multiple resistance was not detected between tebuconazole and non-DMI fungicides. Our results demonstrated that regular long-term resistance monitoring combining with prudent fungicide use should be implemented to prolong the lifespan of tebuconazole in management of ARR in apples.
Impairment in Preextubation Alveolar Gas Exchange Is Associated With Postextubation Respiratory Support Needs in Infants After Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Scherer Bradley , Ghanayem Nancy , Guffey Danielle , Castro Danny , Cossbu Jorge , Afonso Natasha 
Published: April 2022

OBJECTIVES:
To determine if indices of alveolar gas exchange preextubation predict postextubation respiratory support needs as well as the need for escalation of therapies following infant cardiac surgery.

DESIGN:
Retrospective chart review.

SETTING:
Pediatric cardiac ICU in a quaternary-care teaching hospital.

PATIENTS:
Infants less than 1 year old who underwent biventricular repair from January 2015 to December 2017.

INTERVENTIONS:
None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
Preextubation alveolar-arterial gradient, oxygenation index, oxygen saturation index, Pao
2/Fio
2 ratio, and dead space ventilation (analyzed with both end-tidal carbon dioxide gradient and dead space fraction) were evaluated for each patient. All but dead space ventilation were associated with a higher level of noninvasive respiratory support immediately postextubation. Furthermore, impaired preextubation gas exchange was independently associated with escalation of respiratory support within the first 48-hour postextubation.

CONCLUSIONS:
Validated measures of alveolar gas exchange can be used as a tool to assess postextubation respiratory support needs including the risk of escalation of respiratory support in the first 48-hour postextubation. Prospective study with implementation of extubation guidelines, both for readiness and determination of early postextubation support, is needed to validate these findings.
The PANDORA Study: Prevalence and Outcome of Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure in the Pre-COVID-19 Era
Authors: Villar Jesús , Mora-Ordoñez Juan M. , Soler Juan A. , Mosteiro Fernando , Vidal Anxela , Ambrós Alfonso , Fernández Lorena , Murcia Isabel , Civantos Belén , Romera Miguel A. , Mira Adrián , Díaz-Domínguez Francisco J. , Parrilla Dácil , Martínez-Carmona J. Francisco , Martínez Domingo , Pita-García Lidia , Robaglia Denis , Bueno-González Ana , Sánchez-Ballesteros Jesús , Pereyra Ángel E. , Hernández Mónica , Chamorro-Jambrina Carlos , Cobeta Pilar , González-Luengo Raúl I. , Montiel Raquel , Nogales Leonor , Fernández M. Mar , Arocas Blanca , Valverde-Montoro Álvaro , del Saz-Ortiz Ana M. , Olea-Jiménez Victoria , Añón José M. , Rodríguez-Suárez Pedro , Fernández Rosa L. , Fernández Cristina , Szakmany Tamas , González-Martín Jesús M. , Ferrando Carlos , Kacmarek Robert M. , Slutsky Arthur S. ,   for the Prevalence AND Outcome of acute hypoxemic Respiratory fAilure (PANDORA) Network
Published: April 2022

OBJECTIVES:
To establish the epidemiological characteristics, ventilator management, and outcomes in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF), with or without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in the era of lung-protective mechanical ventilation (MV).

DESIGN:
A 6-month prospective, epidemiological, observational study.

SETTING:
A network of 22 multidisciplinary ICUs in Spain.

PATIENTS:
Consecutive mechanically ventilated patients with AHRF (defined as Pao
2/Fio
2 ≤ 300 mm Hg on positive end-expiratory pressure [PEEP] ≥ 5 cm H2O and Fio
2 ≥ 0.3) and followed-up until hospital discharge.

INTERVENTIONS:
None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
Primary outcomes were prevalence of AHRF and ICU mortality. Secondary outcomes included prevalence of ARDS, ventilatory management, and use of adjunctive therapies. During the study period, 9,803 patients were admitted: 4,456 (45.5%) received MV, 1,271 (13%) met AHRF criteria (1,241 were included into the study: 333 [26.8%] met Berlin ARDS criteria and 908 [73.2%] did not). At baseline, tidal volume was 6.9 ± 1.1 mL/kg predicted body weight, PEEP 8.4 ± 3.1 cm H2O, Fio
2 0.63 ± 0.22, and plateau pressure 21.5 ± 5.4 cm H2O. ARDS patients received higher Fio
2 and PEEP than non-ARDS (0.75 ± 0.22 vs 0.59 ± 0.20 cm H2O and 10.3 ± 3.4 vs 7.7 ± 2.6 cm H2O, respectively [p < 0.0001]). Adjunctive therapies were rarely used in non-ARDS patients. Patients without ARDS had higher ventilator-free days than ARDS (12.2 ± 11.6 vs 9.3 ± 9.7 d; p < 0.001). All-cause ICU mortality was similar in AHRF with or without ARDS (34.8% [95% CI, 29.7–40.2] vs 35.5% [95% CI, 32.3–38.7]; p = 0.837).

CONCLUSIONS:
AHRF without ARDS is a very common syndrome in the ICU with a high mortality that requires specific studies into its epidemiology and ventilatory management. We found that the prevalence of ARDS was much lower than reported in recent observational studies.