bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Early-switch versus late-switch in patients with diabetic macular edema: a cost-effectiveness study
Authors: Ruiz-Moreno José M. , Ruiz-Medrano Jorge 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Background
To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of early- versus late-switch to the intravitreal-dexamethasone implant (DEX-i) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who did not adequately respond to vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (anti-VEGF).

Methods
Retrospective analysis of a multicenter Clinical Data Registry. The registry included DME eyes who received 3 intravitreal anti-VEGF injections (early-switch) or > 3 intravitreal anti-VEGF injections (late-switch) before switching to DEX-i injections. The primary outcome was to estimate the incremental cost needed to obtain a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improvement ≥ 0.1 or a central-retinal thickness CRT ≤ 250 μm.

Results
The analysis included 108 eyes, 32 (29.6%) and 76 (70.4%) in the early- and late-switch groups, respectively. Early-switch strategy was associated with a cost saving of €3,057.8; 95% CI: €2,406.4–3,928.4, p < 0.0001). Regarding incremental-cost-effectiveness ratio, late-switch group was associated with an incremental cost of €25,735.2 and €13,533.2 for achieving a BCVA improvement ≥ 0.1 at month 12 and at any of the time-point measured, respectively. At month 12, 38 (35.2%) eyes achieved a BCVA improvement ≥ 0.1. At month 12, 52 (48.1) eyes had achieved a CRT ≤ 250 micron. As compared to baseline, the mean (95% CI) CRT reduction was − 163.1 (− 212.5 to − 113.7) µm and − 161.6 (− 183.8 to − 139.3) µm in the early-switch and late-switch groups, respectively, p = 0.9463.

Conclusions
In DME eyes, who did not adequately respond to anti-VEGF, switching to DEX-i at early stages (after the first 3-monthly injections) was found to be more cost-effective than extending the treatment to 6-monthly injections of anti-VEGF.
Nationwide differences in cytology fixation and processing methods and their impact on interlaboratory variation in PD-L1 positivity
Authors: Koomen Bregje M. , de Boer Mirthe , van Dooijeweert Carmen , van Lindert Anne S. R. , Deckers Ivette A. G. , Voorham Quirinus J. M. , Willems Stefan M. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractProgrammed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunostaining, which aids clinicians in decision-making on immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, is sometimes performed on cytological specimens. In this study, differences in cytology fixation and cell block (CB) processing between pathology laboratories were assessed, and the influence of these differences on interlaboratory variation in PD-L1 positivity was investigated. Questionnaires on cytology processing were sent to all Dutch laboratories. Information gathered from the responses was added to data on all Dutch NSCLC patients with a mention of PD-L1 testing in their cytopathology report from July 2017 to December 2018, retrieved from PALGA (the nationwide network and registry of histo- and cytopathology in the Netherlands). Case mix-adjusted PD-L1 positivity rates were determined for laboratories with known fixation and CB method. The influence of differences in cytology processing on interlaboratory variation in PD-L1 positivity was assessed by comparing positivity rates adjusted for differences in the variables fixative and CB method with positivity rates not adjusted for differences in these variables. Twenty-eight laboratories responded to the survey and reported 19 different combinations of fixation and CB method. Interlaboratory variation in PD-L1 positivity was assessed in 19 laboratories. Correcting for differences in the fixative and CB method resulted in a reduction (from eight (42.1%) to five (26.3%)) in the number of laboratories that differed significantly from the mean in PD-L1 positivity. Substantial variation in cytology fixation and CB processing methods was observed between Dutch pathology laboratories, which partially explains the existing considerable interlaboratory variation in PD-L1 positivity.
Variable detection of Omicron-BA.1 and -BA.2 by SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests
Authors: Osterman Andreas , Badell Irina , Dächert Christopher , Schneider Nikolas , Kaufmann Anna-Yasemin , Öztan Gamze Naz , Huber Melanie , Späth Patricia M. , Stern Marcel , Autenrieth Hanna , Muenchhoff Maximilian , Graf Alexander , Krebs Stefan , Blum Helmut , Czibere Ludwig , Durner Jürgen , Kaderali Lars , Baldauf Hanna‑Mari , Keppler Oliver T. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractDuring 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic has been dominated by the variant of concern (VoC) Omicron (B.1.1.529) and its rapidly emerging subvariants, including Omicron-BA.1 and -BA.2. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are part of national testing strategies to identify SARS-CoV-2 infections on site in a community setting or to support layman’s diagnostics at home. We and others have recently demonstrated an impaired RAT detection of infections caused by Omicron-BA.1 compared to Delta. Here, we evaluated the performance of five SARS-CoV-2 RATs in a single-centre laboratory study examining a total of 140 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive respiratory swab samples, 70 Omicron-BA.1 and 70 Omicron-BA.2, as well as 52 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-negative swabs collected from March 8th until April 10th, 2022. One test did not meet minimal criteria for specificity. In an assessment of the analytical sensitivity in clinical specimen, the 50% limit of detection (LoD50) ranged from 4.2 × 104 to 9.2 × 105 RNA copies subjected to the RAT for Omicron-BA.1 compared to 1.3 × 105 to 1.5 × 106 for Omicron-BA.2. Overall, intra-assay differences for the detection of Omicron-BA.1-containing and Omicron-BA.2-containing samples were non-significant, while a marked overall heterogeneity among the five RATs was observed. To score positive in these point-of-care tests, up to 22-fold (LoD50) or 68-fold (LoD95) higher viral loads were required for the worst performing compared to the best performing RAT. The rates of true-positive test results for these Omicron subvariant-containing samples in the highest viral load category (Ct values < 25) ranged between 44.7 and 91.1%, while they dropped to 8.7 to 22.7% for samples with intermediate Ct values (25–30). In light of recent reports on the emergence of two novel Omicron-BA.2 subvariants, Omicron-BA.2.75 and BJ.1, awareness must be increased for the overall reduced detection rate and marked differences in RAT performance for these Omicron subvariants.
A machine learning approach for cross-domain plant identification using herbarium specimens
Authors: Chulif Sophia , Lee Sue Han , Chang Yang Loong , Chai Kok Chin 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe preservation of plant specimens in herbaria has been carried out for centuries in efforts to study and confirm plant taxa. With the increasing collection of herbaria made available digitally, it is practical to use herbarium specimens for the automation of plant identification. They are also substantially more accessible and less expensive to obtain compared to field images. In fact, in remote and inaccessible habitats, field images of rare plant species are still immensely lacking. As a result, rare plant species identification is challenging due to the deficiency of training data. To address this problem, we investigate a cross-domain adaptation approach that allows knowledge transfer from a model learned from herbarium specimens to field images. We propose a model called Herbarium–Field Triplet Loss Network (HFTL network) to learn the mapping between herbarium and field domains. Specifically, the model is trained to maximize the embedding distance of different plant species and minimize the embedding distance of the same plant species given herbarium–field pairs. This paper presents the implementation and performance of the HFTL network to assess the herbarium–field similarity of plants. It corresponds to the cross-domain plant identification challenge in PlantCLEF 2020 and PlantCLEF 2021. Despite the lack of field images, our results show that the network can generalize and identify rare species. Our proposed HFTL network achieved a mean reciprocal rank score of 0.108 and 0.158 on the test set related to the species with few training field photographs in PlantCLEF 2020 and PlantCLEF 2021, respectively.
Employing deep learning for sex estimation of adult individuals using 2D images of the humerus
Authors: Venema Javier , Peula David , Irurita Javier , Mesejo Pablo 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBiological profile estimation, of which sex estimation is a fundamental first stage, is a really important task in forensic human identification. Although there are a large number of methods that address this problem from different bone structures, mainly using the pelvis and the skull, it has been shown that the humerus presents significant sexual dimorphisms that can be used to estimate sex in their absence. However, these methods are often too subjective or costly, and the development of new methods that avoid these problems is one of the priorities in forensic anthropology research. In this respect, the use of artificial intelligence may allow to automate and reduce the subjectivity of biological profile estimation methods. In fact, artificial intelligence has been successfully applied in sex estimation tasks, but most of the previous work focuses on the analysis of the pelvis and the skull. More importantly, the humerus, which can be useful in some situations due to its resistance, has never been used in the development of an automatic sex estimation method. Therefore, this paper addresses the use of machine learning techniques to the task of image classification, focusing on the use of images of the distal epiphysis of the humerus to classify whether it belongs to a male or female individual. To address this, we have used a set of humerus photographs of 417 adult individuals of Mediterranean origin to validate and compare different approaches, using both deep learning and traditional feature extraction techniques. Our best model obtains an accuracy of 91.03% in test, correctly estimating the sex of 92.68% of the males and 89.19% of the females. These results are superior to the ones obtained by the state of the art and by a human expert, who has achieved an accuracy of 83.33% using a state-of-the-art method on the same data. In addition, the visualization of activation maps allows us to confirm not only that the neural network observes the sexual dimorphisms that have been proposed by the forensic anthropology literature, but also that it has been capable of finding a new region of interest.
Mind the gap—the use of sodium fluoresceine for resection of brain metastases to improve the resection rate
Authors: Kerschbaumer Johannes , Demetz Matthias , Krigers Aleksandrs , Pinggera Daniel , Spinello Antonio , Thomé Claudius , Freyschlag Christian F. 
Published: November 2022

Abstract

Introduction and purpose
Brain metastases appear to be well resectable due to dissectable tumor margins, but postoperative MRI quite often depicts residual tumor with potential influence on tumor control and overall survival. Therefore, we introduced sodium fluoresceine into the routine workflow for brain metastasis resection. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the use of fluorescence-guided surgery has an impact on postoperative tumor volume and local recurrence.

Material and methods
We retrospectively included patients who underwent surgical resection for intracranial metastases of systemic cancer between 11/2017 and 05/2021 at our institution. Tumor volumes were assessed pre- and postoperatively on T1-CE MRI. Clinical and epidemiological data as well as follow-up were gathered from our prospective database.

Results
Seventy-nine patients (33 male, 46 female) were included in this study. Median preoperative tumor volume amounted to 11.7cm3 and fluoresceine was used in 53 patients (67%). Surgeons reported an estimated gross total resection (GTR) in 95% of the cases, while early postoperative MRI could confirm GTR in 72%. Patients resected using fluoresceine demonstrated significantly lower postoperative residual tumor volumes with a difference of 0.7cm3 (p = 0.044) and lower risk of local tumor recurrence (p = 0.033). The use of fluorescence did not influence the overall survival (OS). Postoperative radiotherapy resulted in a significantly longer OS (p = 0.001).

Discussion
While GTR rates may be overrated, the use of intraoperative fluorescence may help neurosurgeons to achieve a more radical resection. Fluoresceine seems to facilitate surgical resection and increase the extent of resection thus reducing the risk for local recurrence.
Neurodevelopmental disturbances in schizophrenia: evidence from genetic and environmental factors
Authors: Schmitt Andrea , Falkai Peter , Papiol Sergi 
Published: November 2022

AbstractSince more than 3 decades, schizophrenia (SZ) has been regarded as a neurodevelopmental disorder. The neurodevelopmental hypothesis proposes that SZ is associated with genetic and environmental risk factors, which influence connectivity in neuronal circuits during vulnerable developmental periods. We carried out a non-systematic review of genetic/environmental factors that increase SZ risk in light of its neurodevelopmental hypothesis. We also reviewed the potential impact of SZ-related environmental and genetic risk factors on grey and white matter pathology and brain function based on magnetic resonance imaging and post-mortem studies. Finally, we reviewed studies that have used patient-derived neuronal models to gain knowledge of the role of genetic and environmental factors in early developmental stages. Taken together, these studies indicate that a variety of environmental factors may interact with genetic risk factors during the pre- or postnatal period and/or during adolescence to induce symptoms of SZ in early adulthood. These risk factors induce disturbances of macro- and microconnectivity in brain regions involving the prefrontal, temporal and parietal cortices and the hippocampus. On the molecular and cellular level, a disturbed synaptic plasticity, loss of oligodendrocytes and impaired myelination have been shown in brain regions of SZ patients. These cellular/histological phenotypes are related to environmental risk factors such as obstetric complications, maternal infections and childhood trauma and genetic risk factors identified in recent genome-wide association studies. SZ-related genetic risk may contribute to active processes interfering with synaptic plasticity in the adult brain. Advances in stem cell technologies are providing promising mechanistic insights into how SZ risk factors impact the developing brain. Further research is needed to understand the timing of the different complex biological processes taking place as a result of the interplay between genetic and environmental factors.
Probability distribution characteristics of summer extreme precipitation in Xinjiang, China during 1970–2021
Authors: Aihaiti Ailiyaer , Wang Yu , Ali Mamtimin , Zhu Lianhua , Liu Junjian , Zhang Hailiang , Gao Jiacheng , Wen Cong , Song Meiqi 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBased on the daily precipitation data of 96 stations in Xinjiang, China, from 1970 to 2021, the trend of summer extreme precipitation indices and their regional characteristics are analyzed. The generalized extreme value (GEV) model is used to investigate the probability distribution characteristics of summer extreme precipitation indices in northern, southern, and eastern Xinjiang. The results show that (1) The summer maximum 1-day precipitation (RX1day) and maximum 5-day precipitation (RX5day) of most stations in Xinjiang showed an increasing trend, while the summer consecutive dry days (CDD) showed a decreasing trend. (2) The climatology (mean intensity) of RX1day, RX5day, and CDD at most stations in northern Xinjiang were more than 10 mm, more than 15 mm, and less than 25 days, respectively, while those at most stations in southern and eastern Xinjiang were less than 10 mm, less than 15 mm, and more than 25 days. The regional averaged climatology and inter-annual variability of RX1day/RX5day (CDD) in southern and eastern Xinjiang were smaller (larger) than that in northern Xinjiang. (3) The 20-year return level (RL20) of RX1day, RX5day, and CDD at stations in northern Xinjiang were 19.38–56.57 mm, 28.05–70.91 mm, and 22.51–51.05 days, respectively. The RL20 of RX1day, RX5day, and CDD at stations in southern Xinjiang were 21.31–46.07 mm, 23.99–72.89 mm, and 14.94–89.80 days, respectively. The RL20 of RX1day, RX5day, and CDD at stations in eastern Xinjiang were 8.89–36.36 mm, 10.13–50.66 mm, and 26.75–92.00 days, respectively. Compared with northern Xinjiang, there were lesser RX1day and RX5day events, with weaker intensity and smaller variability in southern and eastern Xinjiang. And the CDD events were opposite.
A single-domain spectral solver for spatially nonsmooth differential equations of quasistatic solid mechanics in polar coordinates
Authors: Perchikov Nathan , Diehl Martin 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIn the present work, a spectral solver is developed for integration of certain differential equations of solid mechanics, namely static stress equilibrium in composite materials, described in cylindrical or spherical polar coordinates. The spectral approach is encompassed in approximating the displacement field using expansion into a series of Chebyshev polynomials in the radial coordinate and complex exponents in the angular direction. Consequently, differential operators in real space become algebraic operators in spectral space. The spatial heterogeneity and metric non-flatness pertinent to polar geometry are addressed by an iterative strategy, employing both second-order and first-order iterative solvers. The essence of the new contribution is in addressing the difficulty posed by the inherent nonsmoothness present in composite materials and the polar singularity. The interplay of the two produces instability, which is resolved in the proposed approach, specifically by using a new efficient linesearch algorithm, appropriate for the studied class of problems. The method is illustrated by analysis of 1D and 2D linear-elastic and linear-elastic–perfectly plastic response of composites to prescribed radial surface displacement. The developed method allows performing stress homogenization on polar representative volume elements, which has its conceptual advantages, while allowing similar runtime (for sufficient computing resources and an iterative strategy) to the one exhibited by spectral analysis in Cartesian coordinates.
Aberrant splicing caused by exonic single nucleotide variants positioned 2nd or 3rd to the last nucleotide in the COL4A5 gene
Authors: Okada Eri , Aoto Yuya , Horinouchi Tomoko , Yamamura Tomohiko , Ichikawa Yuta , Tanaka Yu , Ueda Chika , Kitakado Hideaki , Kondo Atsushi , Sakakibara Nana , Suzuki Ryota , Usui Joichi , Yamagata Kunihiro , Iijima Kazumoto , Nozu Kandai 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackground and objectivesThe evident genotype–phenotype correlation shown by the X-linked Alport syndrome warrants the assessment of the impact of identified gene variants on aberrant splicing. We previously reported that single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in the last nucleotide of exons inCOL4A5cause aberrant splicing. It is known that the nucleotides located 2nd and 3rd to the last nucleotides of exons can also play an essential role in the first step of the splicing process. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether SNVs positioned 2nd or 3rd to the last nucleotide of exons inCOL4A5resulted in aberrant splicing.MethodsWe selected eight candidate variants: six from the Human Gene Variant Database Professional and two from our cohort. We performed anin-vitrosplicing assay and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for messenger RNA obtained from patients, if available.ResultsThe candidate variants were initially classified into the following groups: three nonsense, two missense, and three synonymous variants. Splicing assays and RT-PCR for messenger RNA revealed that six of the eight variants caused aberrant splicing. Four variants, initially classified as non-truncating variants, were found to be truncating ones, which usually show relatively more severe phenotypes.ConclusionWe revealed that exonic SNVs positioned 2nd or 3rd to the last nucleotide of exons in theCOL4A5were responsible for aberrant splicing. The results of our study suggest that attention should be paid when interpreting the pathogenicity of exonic SNVs near the 5′ splice site.
“Contingent power extension” and regional (dis)integration: China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its consequences for the EU
Authors: Gurol Julia , Rodríguez Fabricio 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIn this article, we explore the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a case of “Contingent Power Extension” (CPE) towards the European Union (EU), assessing its implications for regional (dis)integration in the latter. CPE is a conceptual prism that interprets the BRI as a polymorphous, dynamic, and context-specific mechanism through which Chinese foreign policy elites intend to convey, amplify, and legitimize the regime’s power-reach into other regions, including the EU. Along two examples—the 14 + 1 Cooperation Forum and the Port of Genoa in Italy—we examine the power dynamics of the BRI by tracing (a) the processual impact of power extension towards the EU and (b) the (un)intended consequences for the EU in terms of (dis)integration. The findings of our analysis provide an insight into the multicausal relations between the BRI and European (dis)integration not as a static outcome but rather as a contested process of struggle. The article concludes by discussing whether and how the EU can strengthen its own institutional foundations and use its systemic leverage to respond to the BRI while enhancing regional integration in the process.
Irruptions of Pine Grosbeaks pulled by Rowanberry peaks in southern areas
Authors: Dale Svein 
Published: November 2022

AbstractSeveral species of owls and seed-eating birds breeding in boreal forests may occur irruptively in areas south of their regular wintering range. One common explanation is that they may be forced to move south if food supplies have crashed (push hypothesis). Little attention has been devoted to the alternative idea that the birds are drawn towards abundant food further south (pull hypothesis), even if they could overwinter further north. I evaluate these two hypotheses (push or pull) using data on winter irruptions of the Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) and one main type of winter food, seeds in berries of Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia). Grosbeak numbers during winter in southern Norway and Sweden usually peaked at 2–3 year intervals during 1959–2020, and Rowanberries in Norway peaked at 2–3 year intervals during 1980–2020. Pine Grosbeak peaks coincided with Rowanberry peaks in most years, and annual number of grosbeaks was positively correlated with the Rowanberry index. However, even in irruption years grosbeaks moved north already in January–February, inconsistent with the push hypothesis. Furthermore, Rowan masting in Norway and Finland usually had synchronous cycles, implying that irruptions were triggered even when Rowans had large crops close to the most likely origin of irruptions, opposite to what is expected by the push hypothesis. Thus, available evidence is most consistent with the pull hypothesis: Pine Grosbeaks move south in winters with high Rowanberry abundance and exploit this resource until it is gone by mid-winter, and then return to northern areas.