bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
20 years of experience with the Fontan procedure: characteristics and clinical outcomes of children in a tertiary referral hospital
Authors: Gutiérrez-Gil Jaiber A. , Torres-Canchala Laura A. , Castro-Viáfara Leidy D. , Uribe-Mora Manuela , Vélez-Moreno Juan F. , Mejía-Quiñones Valentina , Mosquera-Álvarez Walter 
Published: October 2022

AbstractIntroduction:Without participating in a contractile chamber, the Fontan procedure seeks to create a separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in patients with univentricular heart, reducing the risks of long-term hypoxemia and improving their survival. This study describes the clinical outcomes of children undergoing the Fontan procedure between 2000 and 2020 in a tertiary referral hospital care centre in southwestern Colombia.Materials and methods:A retrospective observational descriptive study. The 81 patients who underwent the Fontan procedure were included. Categorical variables were presented with percentages and continuous variables with measures of central tendency according to the distribution of the data evaluated through the Shapiro–Wilk test. Sociodemographic, clinical, surgical variables, complications, and mortality were described.Results:Between 2000 and 2020, 81 patients underwent the Fontan procedure: 43 (53.1%) males and a median age of 5.3 years (interquartile range 4.3–6.6). The most common diagnosis was tricuspid atresia (49.4%). The median mean pulmonary arterial pressure was 12 mmHg (interquartile range 10–15), the Nakata index 272 mm2/m2 (interquartile range 204–327), and the McGoon index (interquartile range 1.86–2.3). Seventy-two (88.9%) patients underwent extracardiac Fontan and 44 (54.3%) patients underwent fenestration. The median hospitalisation days were 19 days. The main complication was coagulopathy (19.8%), mortality in the first month between 2000 and 2010 was 8.6%, and after 2010 was 1.2%.Conclusion:The Fontan procedure is a palliative surgery for children with complex heart disease. According to anatomical and physiological variables, the proper choice of patients determines the short- and long-term results.
Gender Identification and Survey Weighting: A Shifting Landscape
Authors: Urlacher Brian R. 
Published: October 2022

ABSTRACTIn October 2021, the US Census Bureau piloted a new set of questions to operationalize sex and gender identity. This move follows a larger trend across the social sciences to rethink how surveys ask about sex and gender. Although this step is normatively positive, it complicates well-established protocols for weighting survey data. This article explores the likely pitfalls for survey researchers that accompany a shift in how the US Census Bureau measures gender. A preliminary empirical investigation of survey weighting indicates that using more inclusive gender categories will not negatively affect weighting metrics. Whereas the creation of a new set of US or even global best practices in measuring gender may be helpful to survey researchers, at this stage, there remain important empirical and ethical questions that are not well understood.
The Ultrastructure of Skeletal Muscle Capillaries of Streptozotocin Diabetic Rats and the Therapeutic Effect of Benfluorex
Authors: Gül Nursel , Cebesoy Suna , Özsoy Nesrin , Eskizengin Hakan , Özer Çiğdem 
Published: October 2022

AbstractDiabetes mellitus is a serious disease worldwide and causes other associated diseases. In this study, we observed the effect of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes and benfluorex treatment on muscular capillary ultrastructure. Adult male rats were used as the test subjects and each individual was intraperitoneally injected with one dose of STZ (45 mg/kg) to induce diabetes. Doses (50 mg/kg) of benfluorex were given to the subjects with tap water by intragastric gavage application once daily for 21 days. At the end of day 21, muscle tissues were obtained from animals and examined under transmission electron microscopy. From the data obtained with the electron microscope, it was observed that the control group had typical continuous capillary vascular structures in their muscles, while STZ caused disruptive disorder of the muscle cells in the capillary wall of the STZ-diabetic group. Additionally, the thickening of the basement membrane around endothelial cells, loss of mitochondrial crista in the muscle cells, enlarged endothelial cells, and narrowed vessel lumen were observed in the muscle tissue. The findings of our study revealed that STZ-induced diabetes disrupted the vascular structure, while benfluorex partially improved it.
Rupture Nucleation on a Periodically Heterogeneous Interface
Authors: Gounon A. , Latour S. , Letort J. , El Arem S. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractIn this study we explore experimentally the effects of fault heterogeneity on the rupture nucleation. We conducted friction experiments between two polycarbonate plates, with a periodically heterogeneous friction interface. The rupture propagation is monitored with an ultra‐fast video camera by taking advantage of the photo‐elastic properties of the material used. We show that the nucleation process does not always consists of a monotonic growth of the rupture velocity. Instead, the rupture front advances with an alternation of slow and fast episodes that accelerates until it reaches a point at which fast propagation dominates. This complex nucleation process is compared to the results predicted by previous numerical studies on heterogeneous interfaces. Finally, we test whether it is possible to describe this complex nucleation process as a homogenized nucleation. We also point out a large variability in the rupture process due to the uncontrolled stress heterogeneity that occurs during the loading process.
Radon Dynamics and Effective Dose Estimation in a Touristic Volcanic Cave: La Cueva del Viento, Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)
Authors: Salazar‐Carballo Pedro A. , López‐Pérez María , Martín‐González María Esther , Hernández‐Suarez Francisco , Martín‐Luis M. Candelaria 
Published: October 2022

AbstractLa Cueva del Viento is a volcanic lava tube located in Tenerife Island (Canary Islands, Spain). Its touristic section, 180 m long, receives more than 28,200 visitants each year. According to the European and Spanish legislation, a radon monitoring program is required to minimize the radon exposition of workers, tourists, and cavers. In this work, we studied the radon concentration dynamics in the touristic section of the cave for ca. 1 year, using both passive and active radon detectors. Pluviometry and external air temperature played an important role in the seasonal and daily variations of indoor radon concentrations. Daily fluctuations during the dry season were analyzed using time series (Box‐Jenkins methodology) and frequency analysis (Fourier and Wavelet transforms) methods. The experimental radon time‐series was well‐fitted using a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model: Seasonal Auto‐Regressive Integrated Moving Average (2,0,1) (2,1,0)24, and its value, in a short‐time window (ca. 1 week) was conveniently forecasted. Finally, this work revealed that the annual effective doses received, during the observation period (1 year), by the touristic guides and visitors was ca. 2 mSv/yr and 4 μSv/hr, respectively. We concluded that the touristic exploitation of La Cueva del Viento is safe for both tourists and guides. However, based on our results, La Cueva del Viento had to be classified as a “Monitoring zone” and a regular monitoring program should be implemented.
Modeling Snow Dynamics and Stable Water Isotopes Across Mountain Landscapes
Authors: Carroll Rosemary W. H. , Deems Jeffrey , Sprenger Matthias , Maxwell Reed , Brown Wendy , Newman Alexander , Beutler Curtis , Williams Kenneth H. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractA coupled hydrologic and snowpack stable water isotope model assesses controls on isotopic inputs across a mountainous basin. Annually, the most depleted isotope conditions occur in the upper subalpine where snow accumulation is high, and rainfall is low. Snowmelt isotopic evolution over time indicates fractionation processes account for <25% snowmelt enrichment. Meltwater isotopic inputs are largely determined by controls on the amount, phase and isotopic mass of precipitation coincident with the ablation period. Effect of vapor loss from the snowpack on d‐excess in snowmelt is a balance between energy and snow‐availability. It is highest above treeline, and in the grass and aspen‐dominated portions of the upper montane where vegetation shading is low. Deep snowpack in conifer forests limit the influence of vapor loss in the subalpine. Wet years reduce the effects of vapor loss on snowmelt across the basin, except in the lower montane where added snowfall bolsters snow‐limited conditions.
Acoustics Reveals Short‐Term Air Temperature Fluctuations Near Mars' Surface
Authors: Chide Baptiste , Bertrand Tanguy , Lorenz Ralph D. , Munguira Asier , Hueso Ricardo , Sánchez‐Lavega Agustin , Martinez German , Spiga Aymeric , Jacob Xavier , de la Torre Juarez Manuel , Lemmon Mark T. , Banfield Don , Newman Claire E. , Murdoch Naomi , Stott Alexander , Viúdez‐Moreiras Daniel , Pla‐Garcia Jorge , Larmat Carène , Lanza Nina L. , Rodríguez‐Manfredi José Antonio , Wiens Roger C. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractAcoustics is new on Mars: it allows the characterization of turbulence at smaller scales than previously possible within the lowest part of the Planetary Boundary Layer. Sound speed measurements, by the SuperCam instrument and its microphone onboard the NASA Perseverance rover, allow the retrieval of atmospheric temperatures at 0.77 m above the ground, at 3 Hz, with a ∼10 ms response time that is 20–100 times shorter than for typical thermocouple sensors used on Mars. Here we report on the first measurements of the sound speed‐derived temperature and its fluctuations near the surface. Data highlight large and rapid fluctuations up to ±7 K/s, whose amplitude over such a timescale has never been reported, nor predicted by atmospheric models. These fluctuations follow the daytime pattern of the turbulence and highlight occasional high amplitude events that are likely due to the conjunction of low thermal inertia and strong winds.
Signature of the Contemporary Southwestern North American Megadrought in Mesopause Region Wave Activity
Authors: Gardner Chester S. , She Chiao‐Yao 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe Southwestern North American megadrought began in 2000 and is now believed to be the driest 22‐year period in the region since 800 CE. The precipitation deficit during the megadrought (8.3% during 2000–2021) has been accompanied by a significant decrease in gravity waves observed in the upper atmosphere. Prior to the drought (1990–2000), the mean wave‐driven temperature fluctuation variances, between 85 and 100 km at Albuquerque and Ft. Collins, were comparable (62.2 ± 5.3 K2 and 60.5 ± 1.8 K2, respectively), with the largest variances occurring during winter and summer storm seasons. During the first decade of the drought (2001–2010), wave activity above Ft. Collins decreased by 28 ± 3%, mostly above 94 km, and changed from primarily semiannual to primarily annual variations. These changes may be related to reduced wave generation by tropospheric storms during the megadrought and to an altered geographic distribution of precipitation events in the western and mid‐western United States.
Blowing Hot and Cold: Glacier Microclimate can Help Understand Impacts of Climate Change on Forests Communities
Authors: Stoffel M. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractMountain regions cover roughly one‐fourth of the Earth's surface, store most snow and ice outside polar regions and are hotspots of species richness. Regrettably, they are also viewed as climate hotspots where change can anticipate/amplify what is occurring elsewhere on Earth. Current rates of warming are expected to double within decades, thereby becoming an order of magnitude faster than what most ecosystems have experienced over millennia. By monitoring contemporary microclimatic conditions around La Perouse Glacier (Alaska) and reconstructing locations of past ice margins, Gaglioti et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098574) quantify local climate change over the last two centuries. Rates of cooling and warming at their site are beyond expectations, and outside human experience. Their “natural laboratory” experiment provides key insights into likely impacts of future climate change on tree vitality and growth and therefore is a stepping stone for the assessment of how trees have responded (and will likely respond) to fast‐paced warming.
Stochastic Downscaling of Hourly Precipitation Series From Climate Change Projections
Authors: Yu Ziwen , Montalto Franco , Jacobson Stefan , Lall Upmanu , Bader Daniel , Horton Radley 
Published: October 2022

AbstractStochastic precipitation generators (SPGs) are often used to produce synthetic precipitation series for water resource management. Typically, an SPG assumes a stationary climate. We present an hourly precipitation generation algorithm for nonstationary conditions informed by the global climate model (GCM) forecasted average monthly temperature (AMT). The physical basis for precipitation formation is considered explicitly in the design of the algorithm using hourly pressure change events (PCE) to define the relationship between hourly precipitation and AMT. The algorithm consists of a multivariable Markov Chain and a moving window driven by time, temperature, and pressure change. We demonstrate the methodology by generating a 100‐year, continuous, synthetic hourly precipitation time series using GCM AMT projections for the Northeast United States. When compared with historical observations, the synthetic results suggest that future precipitation in this region will be more variable, with more frequent mild events and fewer but intensified extremes, especially in warm seasons. The synthetic time series suggests that there will be less precipitation in the summers, while winters will be wetter, consistent with other research on climate change projections for the Northeast United States. This SPG provides physically plausible weather ensembles for water resource studies involving climate change.
DNA damage response revisited: the p53 family and its regulators provide endless cancer therapy opportunities
Authors: Abuetabh Yasser , Wu H. Helena , Chai Chengsen , Al Yousef Habib , Persad Sujata , Sergi Consolato M. , Leng Roger 
Published: October 2022

AbstractAntitumor therapeutic strategies that fundamentally rely on the induction of DNA damage to eradicate and inhibit the growth of cancer cells are integral approaches to cancer therapy. Although DNA-damaging therapies advance the battle with cancer, resistance, and recurrence following treatment are common. Thus, searching for vulnerabilities that facilitate the action of DNA-damaging agents by sensitizing cancer cells is an active research area. Therefore, it is crucial to decipher the detailed molecular events involved in DNA damage responses (DDRs) to DNA-damaging agents in cancer. The tumor suppressor p53 is active at the hub of the DDR. Researchers have identified an increasing number of genes regulated by p53 transcriptional functions that have been shown to be critical direct or indirect mediators of cell fate, cell cycle regulation, and DNA repair. Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) primarily orchestrate and direct the activity of p53 in response to DNA damage. Many molecules mediating PTMs on p53 have been identified. The anticancer potential realized by targeting these molecules has been shown through experiments and clinical trials to sensitize cancer cells to DNA-damaging agents. This review briefly acknowledges the complexity of DDR pathways/networks. We specifically focus on p53 regulators, protein kinases, and E3/E4 ubiquitin ligases and their anticancer potential.
Suppression of obesity by melatonin through increasing energy expenditure and accelerating lipolysis in mice fed a high-fat diet
Authors: Xu Liang , Li Dandan , Li Haoran , Zhang Ouyang , Huang Yaxin , Shao Hengrong , Wang Yajiao , Cai Suili , Zhu Yuqin , Jin Shengnan , Ding Chunming 
Published: October 2022

AbstractBackgrounds/objectivesMelatonin promotes brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity, leading to body mass reduction and energy expenditure. However, the mechanisms governing these beneficial effects are not well-established. This study aimed to assess the effects of (1) melatonin on BAT and energy metabolism, and (2) fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) in BAT-mediated thermogenesis.MethodsMale C57BL/6 J mice received a high-fat diet (HFD) or normal chow, accompanied by intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg melatonin for 12 weeks. FGF21−/−mice consumed an HFD with or without melatonin for 8 weeks.ResultsMelatonin attenuated weight gain, insulin resistance, adipocyte hypertrophy, inflammation, and hepatic steatosis induced by the HFD and increased energy expenditure. Furthermore, melatonin improved cold tolerance by increasing BAT uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression and producing heat. Notably, melatonin resulted in a shift in energy metabolism favouring the utilization of fat, and it increased FGF21 in circulating and metabolic tissues and skeletal muscle phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase. However, melatonin did not protect against obesity, insulin resistance, and energy expenditure in HFD-fed FGF21−/−mice.ConclusionsMelatonin suppressed obesity and insulin resistance resulting from the HFD by enhancing BAT activity and energy expenditure, and these effects were dependent on FGF21.
Serotonin and dopamine transporter availability in social anxiety disorder after combined treatment with escitalopram and cognitive-behavioral therapy
Authors: Hjorth Olof , Frick Andreas , Gingnell Malin , Engman Jonas , Björkstrand Johannes , Faria Vanda , Alaie Iman , Carlbring Per , Andersson Gerhard , Jonasson My , Lubberink Mark , Antoni Gunnar , Reis Margareta , Wahlstedt Kurt , Fredrikson Mats , Furmark Tomas 
Published: October 2022

AbstractSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) are recommended treatments of social anxiety disorder (SAD), and often combined, but their effects on monoaminergic signaling are not well understood. In this multi-tracer positron emission tomography (PET) study, 24 patients with SAD were randomized to treatment with escitalopram+ICBT or placebo+ICBT under double-blind conditions. Before and after 9 weeks of treatment, patients were examined with positron emission tomography and the radioligands [11C]DASB and [11C]PE2I, probing the serotonin (SERT) and dopamine (DAT) transporter proteins respectively. Both treatment combinations resulted in significant improvement as measured by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). At baseline, SERT-DAT co-expression was high and, in the putamen and thalamus, co-expression showed positive associations with symptom severity. SERT-DAT co-expression was also predictive of treatment success, but predictor-outcome associations differed in direction between the treatments. After treatment, average SERT occupancy in the SSRI + ICBT group was >80%, with positive associations between symptom improvement and occupancy in the nucleus accumbens, putamen and anterior cingulate cortex. Following placebo+ICBT, SERT binding increased in the raphe nuclei. DAT binding increased in both groups in limbic and striatal areas, but relations with symptom improvement differed, being negative for SSRI + ICBT and positive for placebo + ICBT. Thus, serotonin-dopamine transporter co-expression exerts influence on symptom severity and remission rate in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. However, the monoamine transporters are modulated in dissimilar ways when cognitive-behavioral treatment is given concomitantly with either SSRI-medication or pill placebo.
Combating the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (BA.1) and BA.2 with potent bispecific antibodies engineered from non-Omicron neutralizing antibodies
Authors: Wang Yingdan , Zhang Xiang , Ma Yunping , Wang Yanqun , Zhan Wuqiang , Zheng Qinwen , Zhang Meng , Ji Ping , Liu Mei , Liu Qianying , Sun Tingting , Zhu Tongyu , Wen Yumei , Sun Lei , Zhao Jincun , Wu Fan , Chen Zhenguo , Huang Jinghe 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe highly mutated and transmissible Omicron (BA.1) and its more contagious lineage BA.2 have provoked serious concerns over their decreased sensitivity to the current COVID-19 vaccines and evasion from most anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). In this study, we explored the possibility of combating the Omicron and BA.2 by constructing bispecific antibodies based on non-Omicron NAbs. We engineered 10 IgG-like bispecific antibodies with non-Omicron NAbs named GW01, 16L9, 4L12, and REGN10987 by fusing the single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) of two antibodies through a linker and then connecting them to the Fc region of IgG1. Surprisingly, 8 out of 10 bispecific antibodies showed high binding affinities to the Omicron receptor-binding domain (RBD) and exhibited extreme breadth and potency against pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) including Omicron and BA.2, with geometric mean of 50% inhibitory concentration (GM IC50) values ranging from 4.5 ng/mL to 103.94 ng/mL, as well as the authentic BA.1.1. Six bispecific antibodies containing the cross-NAb GW01 not only neutralized Omicron and BA.2, but also neutralized the sarbecoviruses including SARS-CoV and SARS-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs) RS3367 and WIV1, with GM IC50 ranging from 11.6 ng/mL to 103.9 ng/mL. Mapping analyses of 42 spike (S) variant single mutants of Omicron and BA.2 elucidated that these bispecific antibodies accommodated the S371L/F mutations, which were resistant to most of the non-Omicron NAbs. A cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure study of the representative bispecific antibody GW01-16L9 (FD01) in its native full-length IgG form in complex with the Omicron S trimer revealed 5 distinct trimers and one novel trimer dimer conformation. 16L9 scFv binds the receptor-binding motif (RBM), while GW01 scFv binds a epitope outside the RBM. Two scFvs of the bispecific antibody synergistically induced the RBD-down conformation into 3 RBD-up conformation, improved the affinity between IgG and the Omicron RBD, induced the formation of trimer dimer, and inhibited RBD binding to ACE2. The trimer dimer conformation might induce the aggregation of virions and contribute to the neutralization ability of FD01. These novel bispecific antibodies are strong candidates for the treatment and prevention of infection with the Omicron, BA.2, VOCs, and other sarbecoviruses. Engineering bispecific antibodies based on non-Omicron NAbs could turn the majority of NAbs into a powerful arsenal to aid the battle against the pandemic.