bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Excess all-cause mortality in the USA and Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 and 2021
Authors: Rossen Lauren M. , Nørgaard Sarah K. , Sutton Paul D. , Krause Tyra G. , Ahmad Farida B. , Vestergaard Lasse S. , Mølbak Kåre , Anderson Robert N. , Nielsen Jens 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBoth the USA and Europe experienced substantial excess mortality in 2020 and 2021 related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods used to estimate excess mortality vary, making comparisons difficult. This retrospective observational study included data on deaths from all causes occurring in the USA and 25 European countries or subnational areas participating in the network for European monitoring of excess mortality for public health action (EuroMOMO). We applied the EuroMOMO algorithm to estimate excess all-cause mortality in the USA and Europe during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020–2021, and compared excess mortality by age group and time periods reflecting three primary waves. During 2020–2021, the USA experienced 154.5 (95% Uncertainty Interval [UI]: 154.2–154.9) cumulative age-standardized excess all-cause deaths per 100,000 person years, compared with 110.4 (95% UI: 109.9–111.0) for the European countries. Excess all-cause mortality in the USA was higher than in Europe for nearly all age groups, with an additional 44.1 excess deaths per 100,000 person years overall from 2020–2021. If the USA had experienced an excess mortality rate similar to Europe, there would have been approximately 391 thousand (36%) fewer excess deaths in the USA.
Optic radiation atrophy in Lewy body disease with visual hallucination on phase difference enhanced magnetic resonance images
Authors: Miyata Mari , Kakeda Shingo , Yoneda Tetsuya , Ide Satoru , Okada Kazumasa , Adachi Hiroaki , Korogi Yukunori 
Published: November 2022

AbstractVisual hallucinations (VH) occur commonly in Lewy body disease (LBD), including Parkinson’s disease (PD), PD with dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. We aimed to use phase difference enhanced imaging (PADRE) to assess structural abnormalities of optic radiation (OR) in patients with Lewy body disease (LBD) concomitant with VH. Firstly, two radiologists reviewed the OR appearances in healthy subjects (HS) on PADRE. Next, based on the OR abnormalities, two reviewers assessed the PADRE images from 18 HS and 38 and 110 patients with LBD, with and without VH, respectively, in a blinded manner. Finally, all patients with LBD without VH were eventually followed up for at least 5 years after magnetic resonance imaging to determine the appearance of VH. The radiologists identified three layers, namely external sagittal stratum, internal sagittal stratum, and tapetum, in OR on the PADRE in HS. Moreover, they were able to consensually define the OR as abnormal when the layers were obscured and the disappearance of the cranial side. The sensitivity/specificity of abnormal OR for each case was 68%/81% (LBD with VH vs. LBD without VH). Furthermore, VH appeared in 12 of the 21 (57%) patients with LBD and abnormal OR during the follow-up period. However, no patients without abnormal OR reported VH. Patients with LBD and VH demonstrated the abnormal OR. This, in turn, might be a useful marker to distinguish the patients with VH from those without VH and HS. Moreover, abnormal OR on PADRE may precede the appearance of VH in LBD.
Expansion of fibroblast cell sheets using a modified MEEK micrografting technique for wound healing applications
Authors: Benchaprathanphorn Kanokaon , Sakulaue Phongphot , Siriwatwechakul Wanwipa , Muangman Pornprom , Chinaroonchai Kusuma , Namviriyachote Nantaporn , Viravaidya-Pasuwat Kwanchanok 
Published: November 2022

AbstractCell sheet engineering, a scaffold-free approach to fabricate functional tissue constructs from several cell monolayers, has shown promise in tissue regeneration and wound healing. Unfortunately, these cell sheets are often too small to provide sufficient wound area coverage. In this study, we describe a process to enlarge cell sheets using MEEK micrografting, a technique extensively used to expand skin autografts for large burn treatments. Human dermal fibroblast cell sheets were placed on MEEK’s prefolded gauze without any use of adhesive, cut along the premarked lines and stretched out at various expansion ratios (1:3, 1:6 and 1:9), resulting in regular distribution of many square islands of fibroblasts at a much larger surface area. The cellular processes essential for wound healing, including reattachment, proliferation, and migration, of the fibroblasts on expanded MEEK gauze were superior to those on nylon dressing which served as a control. The optimal expansion ratio with the highest migration rate was 1:6, possibly due to the activation of chemical signals caused by mechanical stretching and an effective intercellular communication distance. Therefore, the combination of cell sheet engineering with the MEEK micrografting technique could provide high quality cells with a large coverage area, which would be particularly beneficial in wound care applications.
Experimental evaluation of the effect of positioning and operating parameters on the performance of a surface-piercing propeller
Authors: Kamran Maryam , Nouri Norouz Mohammad , Goudarzi Hossein , Golrokhifar Saeed 
Published: November 2022

AbstractToday, surface-piercing propellers have been recognized as a suitable choice for higher speeds. Yet, the development of design algorithms for such has been challenged by insufficient knowledge about the parameters affecting their performance. For this reason, developing experimental data and studying the influence of various parameters on their performance is crucial. Aiming to develop experimental knowledge of these propellers, this study investigates the impact of position parameters and Froude Number on model test results of a custom-designed propeller. Moreover, ventilation wake development at different Froude numbers was studied. The experimental results pointed to the favorable impact of increased immersion ratio on propeller's thrust, a positive impact of increasing the inclination angle by 6° on higher thrust and efficiency in the advance direction, and a slight increase of thrust with higher yaw angles up to 10°. The propeller's lateral forces were also extracted in different positions and operational conditions to identify the propeller's behavior and design the required shaft and supports. Finally, regression equations for projecting hydrodynamic coefficients used at the design phase were compared and verified by the experimental results. The results pointed to the insufficient precision of this model for estimating the hydrodynamic coefficients affecting the propeller.
Inflammation mediates approximately one quarter of excess relative all-cause mortality in persons with rheumatoid arthritis: the Trøndelag Health Study
Authors: Videm Vibeke , Houge Ingrid Sæther , Liff Marthe Halsan , Hoff Mari 
Published: November 2022

AbstractInflammation may contribute to excess mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We investigated associations to all-cause mortality of the inflammation markers high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), lactoferrin (neutrophil activation marker), and neopterin (monocyte activation marker). From the population-based Trøndelag Health Study (3rd wave 2006–2008), 316 RA patients and 43,579 controls were included. Lactoferrin and neopterin were quantified in a nested cohort (n = 283 RA patients, n = 3698 controls). Follow-up was until death found by linkage to the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry or 31.12.2018. All-cause mortality was analyzed using Cox regression and Cox regression-based mediation analysis. Having RA (hazard ratio (HR): 1.25, 95%CI: 1.00, 1.56, p = 0.048), and CRP ≥ 3 mg/L (HR: 1.50, 95%CI: 1.41, 1.60, p < 0.001) were associated with all-cause mortality. The overall excess relative mortality risk of having RA was 38%. CRP ≥ 3 mg/L mediated approximately 1/4 of this risk (p < 0.001). In the nested cohort, CRP ≥ 3 mg/L (HR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.26, 1.80, p < 0.001) and neopterin (HR: 1.17, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.36, p = 0.031) were associated with all-cause mortality. In conclusion, CRP levels ≥ 3 mg/L mediated approximately a quarter of the 38% excess relative all-cause mortality risk associated with RA. Using definitions of RA remission with emphasis both on joint status and the level of general inflammation may help guide the most efficient treatment regimens.
A computational account of how individuals resolve the dilemma of dirty money
Authors: Siegel Jenifer Z. , van der Plas Elisa , Heise Felix , Clithero John A. , Crockett M. J. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractMoney can be tainted when it is associated with direct or indirect harm to others. Deciding whether to accept “dirty money” poses a dilemma because money can be used to help others, but accepting dirty money has moral costs. How people resolve the dilemma of dirty money remains unknown. One theory casts the dilemma as a valuation conflict that can be resolved by integrating the costs and benefits of accepting dirty money. Here, we use behavioral experiments and computational modeling to test the valuation conflict account and unveil the cognitive computations employed when deciding whether to accept or reject morally tainted cash. In Study 1, British participants decided whether to accept “dirty” money obtained by inflicting electric shocks on another person (versus “clean” money obtained by shocking oneself). Computational models showed that the source of the money (dirty versus clean) impacted decisions by shifting the relative valuation of the money’s positive and negative attributes, rather than imposing a uniform bias on decision-making. Studies 2 and 3 replicate this finding and show that participants were more willing to accept dirty money when the money was directed towards a good cause, and observers judged such decisions to be more praiseworthy than accepting dirty money for one’s own profit. Our findings suggest that dirty money can be psychologically “laundered” through charitable activities and have implications for understanding and preventing the social norms that can justify corrupt behavior.
Zebras of all stripes repel biting flies at close range
Authors: Tombak Kaia J. , Gersick Andrew S. , Reisinger Lily V. , Larison Brenda , Rubenstein Daniel I. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe best-supported hypothesis for why zebras have stripes is that stripes repel biting flies. While this effect is well-established, the mechanism behind it remains elusive. Myriad hypotheses have been suggested, but few experiments have helped narrow the field of possible explanations. In addition, the complex visual features of real zebra pelage and the natural range of stripe widths have been largely left out of experimental designs. In paired-choice field experiments in a Kenyan savannah, we found that hungry Stomoxys flies released in an enclosure strongly preferred to land on uniform tan impala pelts over striped zebra pelts but exhibited no preference between the pelts of the zebra species with the widest stripes and the narrowest stripes. Our findings confirm that zebra stripes repel biting flies under naturalistic conditions and do so at close range (suggesting that several of the mechanisms hypothesized to operate at a distance are unnecessary for the fly-repulsion effect) but indicate that interspecific variation in stripe width is associated with selection pressures other than biting flies.
A case study of a real-time internet of things system for site-specific potato crop management in El-Salhia Area-Egypt
Authors: Mohammad EL-Basioni Basma M. , Mohamed Elsayed Said , Belal AA. , Jalhoum Mohamed E. M. , Abd EL-Kader Sherine M. , Zahran Mohamed B. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe site-specific management is the technology that considers the natural variability within the same field of factors related to crop growth to improve its management practices such that the agricultural treatments are varied for field's small production zones saving resources and environment, and improving crop quality and size. Since site-specific decisions are not far from the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the concept of processes automation, this work addresses improving the process of spatial variability analysis and thus supporting management decisions by developing a system—entitled EGYPADS—based on the Internet of Things and its enabling technologies. EGYPADS automates data collection, zones delineation according to their land suitability evaluation, and maps generation. The paper addresses a case study of potato crop in a specific area in Egypt, El-Salhia, in which eighty-five sites were chosen as main dataset for the modeling process during different stages of crop growth. Three management zones were recognized of the selected field based on the differentiation in their land suitability characteristics, representing about 5%, 65%, and 30% of the total area, respectively. The structure, screens, and services of EGYPADS are described in this paper. EGYPADS offered services include: management zones delineation using absolute and virtual coordinates, Land Suitability Assessment (LSA), data entry from field in real-time as well as from excel sheets, saving maps in suitable format for variable rate application, real-time and historical data processing, centralized management, and flexible formulation of events and related actions. The implementation of EGYPADS was verified. The system dynamically produces non-contiguous isobands, each representing a specific range of parameter values, and can be properly exported for use by other programs or smart machinery. It was proven that EGYPADS supports more than one land with different geometry, area, location, and number of nodes. EGYPADS was compared with the traditional LSA method, and was found to produce similar management zones.
DeepFake knee osteoarthritis X-rays from generative adversarial neural networks deceive medical experts and offer augmentation potential to automatic classification
Authors: Prezja Fabi , Paloneva Juha , Pölönen Ilkka , Niinimäki Esko , Äyrämö Sami 
Published: November 2022

AbstractRecent developments in deep learning have impacted medical science. However, new privacy issues and regulatory frameworks have hindered medical data sharing and collection. Deep learning is a very data-intensive process for which such regulatory limitations limit the potential for new breakthroughs and collaborations. However, generating medically accurate synthetic data can alleviate privacy issues and potentially augment deep learning pipelines. This study presents generative adversarial neural networks capable of generating realistic images of knee joint X-rays with varying osteoarthritis severity. We offer 320,000 synthetic (DeepFake) X-ray images from training with 5,556 real images. We validated our models regarding medical accuracy with 15 medical experts and for augmentation effects with an osteoarthritis severity classification task. We devised a survey of 30 real and 30 DeepFake images for medical experts. The result showed that on average, more DeepFakes were mistaken for real than the reverse. The result signified sufficient DeepFake realism for deceiving the medical experts. Finally, our DeepFakes improved classification accuracy in an osteoarthritis severity classification task with scarce real data and transfer learning. In addition, in the same classification task, we replaced all real training data with DeepFakes and suffered only a$$3.79\%$$3.79%loss from baseline accuracy in classifying real osteoarthritis X-rays.
Precision gynecologic oncology: circulating cell free DNA epigenomic analysis, artificial intelligence and the accurate detection of ovarian cancer
Authors: Bahado-Singh Ray O. , Ibrahim Amin , Al-Wahab Zaid , Aydas Buket , Radhakrishna Uppala , Yilmaz Ali , Vishweswaraiah Sangeetha 
Published: November 2022

AbstractOvarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal gynecologic cancer due primarily to its asymptomatic nature and late stage at diagnosis. The development of non-invasive markers is an urgent priority. We report the accurate detection of epithelial OC using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and genome-wide epigenetic analysis of circulating cell free tumor DNA (cfTDNA). In a prospective study, we performed genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of cytosine (CpG) markers. Both conventional logistic regression and six AI platforms were used for OC detection. Further, we performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) analysis to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of OC. A total of 179,238 CpGs were significantly differentially methylated (FDR p-value < 0.05) genome-wide in OC. High OC diagnostic accuracies were achieved. Conventional logistic regression achieved an area under the ROC curve (AUC) [95% CI] 0.99 [± 0.1] with 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Multiple AI platforms each achieved high diagnostic accuracies (AUC = 0.99–1.00). For example, for Deep Learning (DL)/AI AUC = 1.00, sensitivity = 100% and 88% specificity. In terms of OC pathogenesis: GSEA analysis identified ‘Adipogenesis’ and ‘retinoblastoma gene in cancer’ as the top perturbed molecular pathway in OC. This finding of epigenomic dysregulation of molecular pathways that have been previously linked to cancer adds biological plausibility to our results.
Gapped electron liquid state in the symmetric Anderson lattice, Kondo insulator state
Authors: Karnaukhov Igor N. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe Kondo insulator state (KIS) realized in the symmetric Anderson model at half filling is studied in the framework of a mean field approach. It is shown that the state of the Kondo insulator is realized in a lattice with a double cell and a gapped electron liquid behaves like a gapless Majorana spin liquid. The local moments of d-electrons form a static $$Z_2$$

Z
2

-field in which band electrons move. The gap value in the quasi-particle excitations spectrum decreases with increasing an external magnetic field and closes at its critical value. The behavior of an electron liquid is studied for an arbitrary dimension of the model. The proposed approach leads to the description of KIS without the need to resort to artificial symmetry breaking to alternative understanding of the physical nature of this phase state.
Phenome-wide analysis of Taiwan Biobank reveals novel glycemia-related loci and genetic risks for diabetes
Authors: Lee Chia-Jung , Chen Ting-Huei , Lim Aylwin Ming Wee , Chang Chien-Ching , Sie Jia-Jyun , Chen Pei-Lung , Chang Su-Wei , Wu Shang-Jung , Hsu Chia-Lin , Hsieh Ai-Ru , Yang Wei-Shiung , Fann Cathy S. J. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractTo explore the complex genetic architecture of common diseases and traits, we conducted comprehensive PheWAS of ten diseases and 34 quantitative traits in the community-based Taiwan Biobank (TWB). We identified 995 significantly associated loci with 135 novel loci specific to Taiwanese population. Further analyses highlighted the genetic pleiotropy of loci related to complex disease and associated quantitative traits. Extensive analysis on glycaemic phenotypes (T2D, fasting glucose and HbA1c) was performed and identified 115 significant loci with four novel genetic variants (HACL1,RAD21,ASH1LandGAK). Transcriptomics data also strengthen the relevancy of the findings to metabolic disorders, thus contributing to better understanding of pathogenesis. In addition, genetic risk scores are constructed and validated for absolute risks prediction of T2D in Taiwanese population. In conclusion, our data-driven approach without a priori hypothesis is useful for novel gene discovery and validation on top of disease risk prediction for unique non-European population.
Metal-free and site-selective α-C–H functionalization of tetrahydrofuran enabled by the photocatalytic generation of bromine radicals
Authors: Zhu Can-Ming , Liang Rong-Bin , Xiao Yonghong , Zhou Wei , Tong Qing-Xiao , Zhong Jian-Ji 
Published: November 2022

A simple and inherent green photocatalytic approach using commercially available and cheap nBu4NBr with 4-CzIPN was reported to effectively initiate the site-selective α-C(sp3)-H activation of tetrahydrofuran for C-S and C-C cross-couplings.
Youth versus adult-onset type 2 diabetic kidney disease: Insights into currently known structural differences and the potential underlying mechanisms
Authors: Tommerdahl Kalie L. , Kendrick Jessica , Nelson Robert G. , Bjornstad Petter 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a global health pandemic with significant humanitarian, economic, and societal implications, particularly for youth and young adults who are experiencing an exponential rise in incident disease. Youth-onset T2D has a more aggressive phenotype than adult-onset T2D, and this translates to important differences in rates of progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). We hypothesize that youth-onset DKD due to T2D may exhibit morphometric, metabolic, and molecular characteristics that are distinct from adult-onset T2D and develop secondary to inherent differences in renal energy expenditure and substrate metabolism, resulting in a central metabolic imbalance. Kidney structural changes that are evident at the onset of puberty also serve to exacerbate the organ’s baseline high rates of energy expenditure. Additionally, the physiologic state of insulin resistance seen during puberty increases the risk for kidney disease and is exacerbated by both concurrent diabetes and obesity. A metabolic mismatch in renal energetics may represent a novel target for pharmacologic intervention, both for prevention and treatment of DKD. Further investigation into the underlying molecular mechanisms resulting in DKD in youth-onset T2D using metabolomics and RNA sequencing of kidney tissue obtained at biopsy is necessary to expand our understanding of early DKD and potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, large-scale clinical trials evaluating the duration of kidney protective effects of pharmacologic interventions that target a metabolic mismatch in kidney energy expenditure are needed to help mitigate the risk of DKD in youth-onset T2D.
Disentangling the Grammar of 3- to 6-Year-Old Dutch Children With a Developmental Language Disorder
Authors: Scheffer Anouk , Keij Brigitta , Hakvoort Britt , Ottow Esther , Gerrits Ellen , Wijnen Frank 
Published: November 2022

Purpose:
Children with a developmental language disorder (DLD) are often delayed in their grammatical development. This is suggested to be the most important characteristic and clinical marker of DLD. However, it is unknown if this assumption is valid for young children, in the earliest stages of grammatical development. For this reason, this study investigates the complexity, diversity, and accuracy of the grammatical repertoires of 3- to 6-year-old Dutch children with DLD, in comparison to that of typically developing (TD) children matched on grammatical level.

Method:

Language samples of 59 children (29 children with DLD and 30 TD children) were analyzed using multiple measures of grammatical complexity, diversity, and accuracy. The TD children and children with DLD were language-matched on their grammatical development using the levels of the Dutch version of the Language Assessment, Remediation, and Screening Procedure, the Taal Analyse Remediëring en Screening Procedure (TARSP; Schlichting, 2017). Thus, the children with DLD were significantly older than the TD children (respectively DLD age range: 2;7–5;4 [years;months],
M
age
= 4;1; and TD age range: 2;0–3;9,
M
age
= 2;9).

Results:
The results show that children with DLD are comparable to language-matched TD children in their grammatical accuracy and diversity, but that they produce less complex utterances.

Conclusions:
The results indicate that children with DLD lag behind in their grammatical complexity as compared to language-matched TD children. The results also suggest that grammatical TARSP level is not sufficiently informative for selecting treatment goals. Instead, the results underline the importance of conducting language sample analyses, with special reference to the complexity of the utterances of a child with DLD.