bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Active contour-based segmentation of normal and fetal spina bifida ultrasound images
Authors: Ajitha R , Punitha N 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Fetal spina bifida is a neurological disorder which occurs due to improper closure of the spinal column. Fetus identified with spina bifida suffers from various paralytic disorders throughout their lifespan. Early diagnosis of spina bifida aids in timely medical interventions. The ultrasound imaging is widely preferred for fetal monitoring. This study involves segmentation of the normal and abnormal fetal spine from ultrasound images using active contour algorithm. The images for analysis are collected from a diagnostic centre. The noise present in the images is removed using Wiener filter and anisotropic diffusion (AD) filter. The denoised images are evaluated with the metrics such as signal to noise ratio (SNR), peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index measure (SSIM) and mean square error (MSE). The contrast enhancement is performed by histogram equalization (HE) and adaptive histogram equalization (AHE) techniques. The contrast enhanced images are validated by measures namely entropy and adaptive mean brightness error (AMBE). From the pre-processed image, the spine region is segmented using the active contour method. The results demonstrate that the AD filter with optimal parameters performs better than the Wiener filter for denoising. For the contrast enhancement, the AHE technique shows better performance compared to HE. The active contour technique is able to segment the spine regions in both the normal and spina bifida images. As early diagnosis of spina bifida is essential, this approach could be clinically significant.
Metal halide perovskites-based white light-emitting diodes
Authors: Yao Jisong , Xu Leimeng , Wang Shalong , Song Jizhong 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
White light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) serve as a replacement for traditional incandescent light due to their excellent characteristics, such as high brightness, efficiency in energy consumption, and long lifetime. The high-efficiency and low-cost white-emitting materials and light-emitting diode devices has always been the goal pursued in the field of lighting technology. Recently, metal halide perovskites are emerging as one of the most promising luminescent materials for next-generation WLEDs due to their facile synthesis and excellent optoelectronic properties, such as high photoluminescence quantum yields, widely tunable bandgap, and high charge-carrier mobility. Although the luminescence efficiency of perovskite emitters and WLED devices has increased rapidly over the past several years, achieving high-efficiency and stable WLEDs remains great challenges. In this review, we focus on the recent progresses of WLEDs based on metal halide perovskites including color-conversion WLEDs, tandem structure of WLEDs, double-emissive-layer of WLEDs, and single-emissive-layer of WLEDs. Importantly, we highlight the WLEDs based on a single emissive layer that show white electroluminescence directly from the perovskite emitters. Finally, we will give an outlook of future research avenues on how to reach the goal of efficient and stable perovskite-based WLEDs.
The Efficacy and Duration of Onabotulinum Toxin A in Improving Upper Facial Expression Lines With 64-Unit Dose Optimization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis With Trial Sequential Analysis of the Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Rahman Eqram , Mosahebi Afshin , Carruthers Jean D A , Carruthers Alastair 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBackgroundOnabotulinumtoxin A (Onabot A) was the first treatment to be approved for aesthetic indications, namely glabellar lines (GLs), crow's feet lines (CFLs), and forehead lines (FHLs), with a cumulative dose of 64 U.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to combine the available data for approved doses for GLs, CFLs, and FHLs to explore the effect and duration of simultaneous treatment with Onabot A.MethodsPubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and other national clinical trial registries were searched for randomized controlled trials from January 2010 to July 2022. The meta-analysis, trial sequential analysis, and investigator-assessed time to return to nonresponder status in GLs, CFLs, and FHLs following Onabot A were plotted to elicit a cumulative dose-adjusted response curve based on Kaplan-Meier analysis with a log-rank test.ResultsFourteen randomized controlled trials were eligible for quantitative analysis. A total of 8369 subjects were recruited across the trials. The meta-analysis results show that Onabot A is very effective in reducing moderate to severe GLs, CFLs, and FHLs. The cumulative Z-curve for GLs, CFLs, and FHLs also exceeds the required information size (RIS). Kaplan-Meier analysis with a log-rank test demonstrated that simultaneous treatment of GLs, CFLs, and FHLs requires 182 days (95% CI = 179, 215 days) (P &lt; 0.00002) to return to nonresponder status.ConclusionsTreatment of the upper facial expression lines with Onabot A is effective, and the approved cumulative dose of 64 U gives longer-lasting effects.Level of Evidence: 1
The Relationship between Workplace Support and Turnover intention amongst Chinese Social Workers: A Moderated Mediation Model
Authors: Li Hongfei , Mo Jian 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe workplace support, job burnout and income are powerful predictors of turnover intention, yet the potential mechanisms remain not fully understood amongst social workers in China. Framing the job demands-resources model, this study established a moderated mediation model to test the role of job burnout in mediating the association between workplace support and turnover intention, as well as the role of income in moderating the above mediating process. A survey was distributed to social workers from the China Social Work Longitudinal Study in 2019 to investigate their demographic information, Maslach’s Burnout Inventory, workplace support and turnover intention, and 4,704 respondents were included in the final analyses. The results showed that workplace support of social workers was negatively associated with turnover intention. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that monthly income buffered the negative association amongst the triad of workplace support, job burnout and turnover intention. The findings suggest that the government and social service agencies need to provide workplace support and offer a satisfying salary to reduce job burnout and turnover intention of social workers.
LC–MS/MS Method Assay for Simultaneous Determination of the Apixaban and Metformin in Rat Plasma: Assessment of Pharmacokinetic Drug–Drug Interaction Study
Authors: Wang Libin , Shang Kun , Feng Tian , Dong Wei , Wang Fang , Shen Xin 
Published: September 2022

AbstractA simple, sensitive and accurate LC–MS/MS method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of apixaban (APB) and metformin (MET) in rat plasma using rivaroxaban as internal standard (IS). An Inertsil ODS3 C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) was used for chromatographic separation with isocratic elution. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) using positive-ion ESI mode to monitor ion transitions of m/z 459.8 → 442.8 for APB, m/z 130.2 → 71.2 for MET, m/z 436.8 → 144.9 for IS. The procedure of method validation included selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, matrix effect, extraction recovery and stability were conducted according to the guidelines of EMA and FDA. The method was validated over the concentration range of 0.5–250 ng/mL for APB and 8–8000 ng/mL for MET. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples exhibited relative standard deviations (RSD) &lt; 12.5% and the accuracy values ranged from −8.6 to 12.4%. Recovery and matrix effect values variations were all less than 15%. After oral administration APB and MET to rats, the comparison of pharmacokinetic parameters of APB in the single and co-administrated groups showed significant difference in AUC(0-t) from 730.71 ± 121.31 to 573.07 ± 90.13 ng/mL·h, t1/2 from 5.86 ± 3.21 to 4.24 ± 1.15 h and Cmax from113.54 ± 24.04 to 159.42 ± 54.6 ng/mL. The comparison of pharmacokinetic parameters of MET in the single and co-administrated groups showed significant difference in t1/2 from 2.83 ± 1.81 to 3.97 ± 0.57 h and Cmax from 4015.76 ± 873.23 to 3153.6 ± 1012.51 ng/mL. The results indicated that drug–drug interactions (DDI) occurred might be owing to APB affect one or all of OCTs, MATE1, MATE2-K.
Pathogens Identified by Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling in India and Pakistan From Preterm Neonatal Deaths: The PURPOSE Study
Authors: Ghanchi Najia Karim , Ahmed Imran , Kim Jean , Harakuni Sheetal , Somannavar Manjunath S , Zafar Afia , Tikmani Shiyam Sunder , Saleem Sarah , Goudar Shivaprasad S , Dhaded Sangappa M , Guruprasad Gowdar , Yogeshkumar S , Hwang Kay , Aceituno Anna , Silver Robert M , McClure Elizabeth M , Goldenberg Robert L 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
We identified pathogens found in internal organs and placentas of deceased preterm infants cared for in hospitals in India and Pakistan.

Methods
Prospective, observational study conducted in delivery units and neonatal intensive care units. Tissue samples from deceased neonates obtained by minimally invasive tissue sampling and placentas were examined for 73 different pathogens using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results
Tissue for pathogen PCR was obtained from liver, lung, brain, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and placentas from 377 deceased preterm infants. Between 17.6% and 34.1% of each type of tissue had at least 1 organism identified. Organism detection was highest in blood (34.1%), followed by lung (31.1%), liver (23.3%), cerebrospinal fluid (22.3%), and brain (17.6%). A total of 49.7% of the deceased infants had at least 1 organism. Acinetobacter baumannii was in 28.4% of the neonates compared with 14.6% for Klebsiella pneumoniae, 11.9% for Escherichia coli/Shigella, and 11.1% for Haemophilus influenzae. Group B streptococcus was identified in only 1.3% of the neonatal deaths. A. baumannii was rarely found in the placenta and was found more commonly in the internal organs of neonates who died later in the neonatal period. The most common organism found in placentas was Ureaplasma urealyticum in 34% of the samples, with no other organism found in &gt;4% of samples.

Conclusions
In organ samples from deceased infants in India and Pakistan, evaluated with multiplex pathogen PCR, A. baumannii was the most commonly identified organism. Group B streptococcus was rarely found. A. baumannii was rarely found in the placentas of these deceased neonates.
3D chromatin structure in chondrocytes identifies putative osteoarthritis risk genes
Authors: Thulson Eliza , Davis Eric S , D’Costa Susan , Coryell Philip R , Kramer Nicole E , Mohlke Karen L , Loeser Richard F , Diekman Brian O , Phanstiel Douglas H 
Published: September 2022

AbstractGenome-wide association studies have identified over 100 loci associated with osteoarthritis risk, but the majority of osteoarthritis risk variants are noncoding, making it difficult to identify the impacted genes for further study and therapeutic development. To address this need, we used a multiomic approach and genome editing to identify and functionally characterize potential osteoarthritis risk genes. Computational analysis of genome-wide association studies and ChIP-seq data revealed that chondrocyte regulatory loci are enriched for osteoarthritis risk variants. We constructed a chondrocyte-specific regulatory network by mapping 3D chromatin structure and active enhancers in human chondrocytes. We then intersected these data with our previously collected RNA-seq dataset of chondrocytes responding to fibronectin fragment, a known osteoarthritis trigger. Integration of the 3 genomic datasets with recently reported osteoarthritis genome-wide association study variants revealed a refined set of putative causal osteoarthritis variants and their potential target genes. One of the putative target genes identified was SOCS2, which was connected to a putative causal variant by a 170-kb loop and is differentially regulated in response to fibronectin fragment. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated deletion of SOCS2 in primary human chondrocytes from 3 independent donors led to heightened expression of inflammatory markers after fibronectin fragment treatment. These data suggest that SOCS2 plays a role in resolving inflammation in response to cartilage matrix damage and provides a possible mechanistic explanation for its influence on osteoarthritis risk. In total, we identified 56 unique putative osteoarthritis risk genes for further research and potential therapeutic development.
Scaling-up through piloting: dual-track provider payment reforms in China’s health system
Authors: He Alex Jingwei 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Gaining wide prominence in the global health arena, scaling-up increases the coverage of health innovations emerging from pilots and experimental projects to a larger scale. However, scaling-up in the health sector should not follow a linear ‘pilot-diffusion’ pathway in order to better facilitate local adaptation and policy refinement. This paper puts forth ‘scaling-up through piloting’ as a distinctive pathway for the strategic management of scaling-up in the health sector. It analyses the recent development of provider payment reforms in China, focusing particularly on the ongoing pilot programmes, namely diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) and diagnosis-intervention packet (DIP), that are being piloted in a dual-track fashion since 2020. Data were drawn from extensive documentary analysis and 20 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, including decision-makers and implementers. This paper finds that scaling-up through piloting helps Chinese policymakers minimize the vast uncertainties associated with complex payment reforms and maximize the local adaptability of provider payment innovations. This pathway has forged a phased implementation process, allowing new payment models to be tested, evaluated, compared and adjusted in a full spectrum of local contexts before national rollout. The phased implementation creates a ‘slower is faster’ effect, helping reduce long-term negative consequences arising from improperly managed scaling-up in a complex system. Error detection and correction and recalibration of new policy tools can support national-level policy refinement in a more robust and dynamic fashion. Several key factors have been identified as crucial for strategic scaling-up: necessary central steering, a pragmatic piloting design, strong technical capacity and effective policy learning mechanisms
Humoral Immunogenicity After Vaccination Against SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Under Immunosuppressive Therapy: Should We Prioritize an Additional Booster Injection?
Authors: Macedo Silva Vítor , Lima Capela Tiago , Freitas Marta , Cúrdia Gonçalves Tiago , Boal Carvalho Pedro , Dias de Castro Francisca , João Moreira Maria , Cotter José 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may lead to the development of the novel coronavirus disease (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]). Scarce data are available regarding safety and efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, which may present differences between subgroups. Lower humoral immunological response could require additional booster injections.

Methods
This is a prospective study including adult patients with IBD after complete vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection with BioNTech vaccine. Patients with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection were excluded. A control group with healthy individuals matched for age and sex was also analyzed. Blood samples were collected 30 days after complete vaccination to quantify immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 in both groups.

Results
The final sample included 81 IBD and 32 non-IBD patients, 55 (48.7%) of them women, with a mean age of 40.2 ± 13.0 years. From IBD patients, 58 (71.6%) had Crohn’s disease and 23 (28.4%) had ulcerative colitis. IBD patients had significantly lower median anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels when compared with the control group (6479 [interquartile range (IQR) 1830-11883, 10 053] AU/mL vs 13 061 [IQR 2826-21427, 15 539] AU/mL; P = .003). Regarding IBD medication, significant lower levels of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies when compared with control subjects were observed in patients treated with thiopurines (5423 [IQR 3109-13369, 10 260] AU/mL; P = .011), methotrexate (834 [IQR 507-3467, 4155] AU/mL; P = .002), anti-tumor necrosis factor α agents (5065 [IQR 1033-11669, 10 636] AU/mL; P = .001), and corticosteroids (548 AU/mL; P = .001). The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccination was also significantly higher in patients treated with these agents.

Conclusions
IBD patients treated with immunomodulators, anti-tumor necrosis factor α agents and corticosteroids presented significantly lower anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels following complete vaccination when compared with healthy control subjects. These findings support the benefit of additional booster injections in this population.
Orally administered antigen can reduce or exacerbate pathology in an animal model of inflammatory arthritis dependent upon the timing of administration
Authors: Meehan Gavin R , Scales Hannah E , McInnes Iain B , Brewer James M , Garside Paul 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Currently, treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are focussed on management of disease symptoms rather than addressing the cause of disease, which could lead to remission and cure. Central to disease development is the induction of autoimmunity through a breach of self-tolerance. Developing approaches to re-establish antigen specific tolerance is therefore an important emerging area of RA research. A crucial step in this research is to employ appropriate animal models to test prospective antigen specific immunotherapies. In this short communication, we evaluate our previously developed model of antigen specific inflammatory arthritis in which ovalbumin-specific T cell receptor transgenic T cells drive breach of tolerance to endogenous antigens to determine the impact that the timing of therapy administration has upon disease progression. Using antigen feeding to induce tolerance we demonstrate that administration prior to articular challenge results in a reduced disease score as evidenced by pathology and serum antibody responses. By contrast, feeding antigen after initiation of disease had the opposite effect and resulted in the exacerbation of pathology. These preliminary data suggest that the timing of antigen administration may be key to the success of tolerogenic immunotherapies. This has important implications for the timing of potential tolerogenic therapies in patients.
Prognostic health management of the robotic strain wave gear reducer based on variable speed of operation: a data-driven via deep learning approach
Authors: Raouf Izaz , Lee Hyewon , Noh Yeong Rim , Youn Byeng Dong , Kim Heung Soo 
Published: September 2022

ABSTRACT
The robotic reducer is prone to failure because of its unique characteristics. Data from vibration and acoustic emission sensors have been used for the prognostics of the reducer. However, various issues are associated with such traditional techniques. Hence, our research group proposes a novel approach to utilize the embedded setup of the electrical current to detect the mechanical fault of the robotic reducer in the actual industrial robot. Previously, a comprehensive approach of feature engineering was proposed to classify the mechanical fault for the robotic reducer. However, handcraft-based feature extraction is quite a tedious task, and computationally expensive. These features require a well-designed feature extractor, and the features need to be manually optimized before feeding into classifiers. In addition, the handcrafted features are problem-specific, and are complicated to generalize. To resolve these challenges, deep features are extracted to classify the fault and generalize for two different motion profiles under different working conditions. In the proposed research work, the fault characteristic is generalized for variable speed of operations considering various kinds of scenarios. In this research work, the generalization capability of the proposed approach is comprehensively evaluated. For that purpose, the data under different working conditions such as of lower speeds, higher speeds, and speed sequestration are used as unseen data to validate the model. The authenticity of the presented approach can be supported by the performance evaluation for fault classification of the different motion profiles and speed of operations.
Lamin A/C impairments cause mitochondrial dysfunction by attenuating PGC1α and the NAMPT-NAD+ pathway
Authors: Maynard Scott , Hall Arnaldur , Galanos Panagiotis , Rizza Salvatore , Yamamoto Tatsuro , Gram Helena Hagner , Munk Sebastian H N , Shoaib Muhammad , Sørensen Claus Storgaard , Bohr Vilhelm A , Lerdrup Mads , Maya-Mendoza Apolinar , Bartek Jiri 
Published: September 2022

AbstractMutations in the lamin A/C gene (LMNA) cause laminopathies such as the premature aging Hutchinson Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) and altered lamin A/C levels are found in diverse malignancies. The underlying lamin-associated mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we report that lamin A/C-null mouse embryo fibroblasts (Lmna−/− MEFs) and human progerin-expressing HGPS fibroblasts both display reduced NAD+ levels, unstable mitochondrial DNA and attenuated bioenergetics. This mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with reduced chromatin recruitment (Lmna−/− MEFs) or low levels (HGPS) of PGC1α, the key transcription factor for mitochondrial homeostasis. Lmna−/− MEFs showed reduced expression of the NAD+-biosynthesis enzyme NAMPT and attenuated activity of the NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIRT1. We find high PARylation in lamin A/C-aberrant cells, further decreasing the NAD+ pool and consistent with impaired DNA base excision repair in both cell models, a condition that fuels DNA damage-induced PARylation under oxidative stress. Further, ATAC-sequencing revealed a substantially altered chromatin landscape in Lmna−/− MEFs, including aberrantly reduced accessibility at the Nampt gene promoter. Thus, we identified a new role of lamin A/C as a key modulator of mitochondrial function through impairments of PGC1α and the NAMPT-NAD+ pathway, with broader implications for the aging process.