bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Autologe Serumaugentropfen bei therapieresistenten Epitheldefekten der Kornea
Authors: Weischnur Laura , Xanthopoulou Kassandra , Munteanu Cristian , Leonhard Marie , Daas Loay , Seitz Berthold 
Published: June 2022

ZusammenfassungHintergrundZiel der Studie war es, den Einfluss einer simultanen Amnionmembrantransplantation (AMT), des Hornhaut(HH)-Status (eigene HH vs. Transplantat [TPL]) und der Grunderkrankung auf die Erfolgs- und Rezidivraten des autologen Serums (AS) bei therapieresistenten Epitheldefekten zu evaluieren.Patienten und MethodenVon 2007 bis 2019 wurden 990 Therapien mit AS an 703 Augen von 645 Patienten retrospektiv untersucht. Erfasst wurden das Vorliegen einer Erosio oder Ulkus, die Anwendung einer AMT, der HH-Status und die Grunderkrankung. Zielgrößen waren die Epithelschlussrate innerhalb 4 Wochen und die Rezidivrate nach Epithelschluss. Die mediane Beobachtungszeit betrug 50 Monate.ErgebnisseEin Epithelschluss zeigte sich bei 73,6 % und ein Rezidiv bei 27,4 %. Eine AMT wurde signifikant häufiger bei Ulzera (p < 0,001) und Rezidiven (p = 0,048) angewandt. Ohne AMT ergab sich eine signifikant höhere Epithelschlussrate (p < 0,001) und schnellere Heilungstendenz (p < 0,001). Es bestand kein Unterschied zwischen der eigenen HH und dem TPL in der Epithelschlussrate (p = 0,47). Auf dem TPL zeigte sich eine signifikant höhere Rezidivrate (p = 0,004) und ein schnelleres Rezidivauftreten (p = 0,03), v. a. ≤6 Monate nach Epithelschluss. Die Grunderkrankungen zeigten einen signifikanten Unterschied in der Epithelschluss- (p = 0,02) und Rezidivrate (p < 0,001) mit höchstem Erfolg bei HH-Dystrophien und geringstem bei kongenitaler Aniridie.SchlussfolgerungenDas AS stellt eine effektive Therapieoption bei therapieresistenten Epitheldefekten dar. Es zeigt auf dem TPL eine hohe Erfolgsrate bei zugleich höherer Rezidivneigung. Bei simultaner AMT ist wegen der erhöhten Komplexität des zugrunde liegenden Problems mit geringeren Erfolgsraten zu rechnen. Das AS ist bei verschiedenen Grunderkrankungen erfolgreich einsetzbar, mit Limitationen bei der kongenitalen Aniridie.
Semi-supervised and personalized federated activity recognition based on active learning and label propagation
Authors: Presotto Riccardo , Civitarese Gabriele , Bettini Claudio 
Published: June 2022

AbstractOne of the major open problems in sensor-based Human Activity Recognition (HAR) is the scarcity of labeled data. Among the many solutions to address this challenge, semi-supervised learning approaches represent a promising direction. However, their centralized architecture incurs in the scalability and privacy problems that arise when the process involves a large number of users. Federated learning (FL) is a promising paradigm to address these problems. However, the FL methods that have been proposed for HAR assume that the participating users can always obtain labels to train their local models (i.e., they assume a fully supervised setting). In this work, we propose FedAR: a novel hybrid method for HAR that combines semi-supervised and federated learning to take advantage of the strengths of both approaches. FedAR combines active learning and label propagation to semi-automatically annotate the local streams of unlabeled sensor data, and it relies on FL to build a global activity model in a scalable and privacy-aware fashion. FedAR also includes a transfer learning strategy to fine-tune the global model on each user. We evaluated our method on two public datasets, showing that FedAR reaches recognition rates and personalization capabilities similar to state-of-the-art FL supervised approaches. As a major advantage, FedAR only requires a very limited number of annotated data to populate a pre-trained model and a small number of active learning questions that quickly decrease while using the system, leading to an effective and scalable solution for the data scarcity problem of HAR.
Positioning performance of the Neustrelitz total electron content model driven by Galileo Az coefficients
Authors: Cahuasquí Juan Andrés , Hoque Mohammed Mainul , Jakowski Norbert 
Published: June 2022

AbstractTo aid single-frequency GNSS users, the Neustrelitz Total Electron Content Model (NTCM) has been proposed as an adequate solution to mitigate propagation errors besides the GPS Klobuchar and Galileo NeQuick models. Using the three effective ionization coefficients broadcast in the Galileo navigation message as driver parameters, the version NTCM-GlAzpar, in general, performs equal to or better than NeQuickG when compared to the total electron content domain. In this work, we performed a global statistical validation of the NTCM-GlAzpar model in the position domain by comparing its results with the results of the Klobuchar and NeQuickG models for the first time. For this purpose, we used the GNSS analysis tool gLAB and its customization capabilities in the Standard Point Positioning mode. The data used for model validation correspond to a one-month period of perturbed solar and geomagnetic activity (December 2014) and another one-month period of quiet conditions (December 2019). The data have a worldwide coverage with up to 73 IGS stations. The statistical analysis of the hourly average 3D position error shows that the root mean squared (RMS) values of the Klobuchar model are 6.71 and 2.75 m for the perturbed and quiet conditions, respectively, whereas the NeQuickG model has RMS values of 4.61 and 2.35 m. In comparison, the corresponding RMS values of 4.36 and 2.32 m of the NTCM-GlAzpar model confirm its better positioning performance for both periods. However, we identify also that the performance of NTCM-GlAzpar slightly worsens toward higher latitudes and at night local time. Simple software adaptations and a low computational cost make NTCM-GlAzpar an alternative practicable algorithm to improve the accuracy of GNSS single-frequency applications.
Bridging Theories for Ecosystem Stability Through Structural Sensitivity Analysis of Ecological Models in Equilibrium
Authors: Kuiper Jan J. , Kooi Bob W. , Peterson Garry D. , Mooij Wolf M. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractEcologists are challenged by the need to bridge and synthesize different approaches and theories to obtain a coherent understanding of ecosystems in a changing world. Both food web theory and regime shift theory shine light on mechanisms that confer stability to ecosystems, but from different angles. Empirical food web models are developed to analyze how equilibria in real multi-trophic ecosystems are shaped by species interactions, and often include linear functional response terms for simple estimation of interaction strengths from observations. Models of regime shifts focus on qualitative changes of equilibrium points in a slowly changing environment, and typically include non-linear functional response terms. Currently, it is unclear how the stability of an empirical food web model, expressed as the rate of system recovery after a small perturbation, relates to the vulnerability of the ecosystem to collapse. Here, we conduct structural sensitivity analyses of classical consumer-resource models in equilibrium along an environmental gradient. Specifically, we change non-proportional interaction terms into proportional ones, while maintaining the equilibrium biomass densities and material flux rates, to analyze how alternative model formulations shape the stability properties of the equilibria. The results reveal no consistent relationship between the stability of the original models and the proportionalized versions, even though they describe the same biomass values and material flows. We use these findings to critically discuss whether stability analysis of observed equilibria by empirical food web models can provide insight into regime shift dynamics, and highlight the challenge of bridging alternative modelling approaches in ecology and beyond.
Evaluation of the in vitro acaricidal activity of ethanol extracts of seven Chinese medicinal herbs on Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Acari: Macronyssidae)
Authors: Jian Yichen , Li Shijie , Li Dongliang , Ning Changshen , Zhang Sumei , Jian Fuchun , Si Hongbin 
Published: June 2022

AbstractOrnithonyssus sylviarum (Acari: Macronyssidae) is a common ectoparasite that feeds on the blood of poultry. Following infestation, this mite will cause symptoms such as weight loss, anemia, and decreased egg production. To explore green and safe drugs for the prevention and treatment of O. sylviarum, this study evaluated the effects of ethanol extracts of seven Chinese medicinal herbs—Leonurus artemisia (motherwort), Illicium verum (star anise), Cinnamomum cassia (cinnamon), Hibiscus syriacus, Artemisia argyi (Chinese mugwort), Taraxacum sp. (dandelion), and Syzygium aromaticum (clove)—on O. sylviarum at different life stages. The results showed that different methods of administration affected the acaricidal efficacy of these plant extracts on O. sylviarum. After 6 h of administration with the fumigation method, the acaricidal efficacy of S. aromaticum on adults, nymphs and larvae of O. sylviarum reached 100%. 30 min after administration with the infiltration method, S. aromaticum, H. syriacus and L. artemisia showed acaricidal effects on adults and nymphs of O. sylviarum reaching 100%. In another experiment evaluating the inhibition of egg hatching of O. sylviarum with alcohol extracts of these seven herbs, at 48 h after treatment, A. argyi and C. cassia showed inhibition rates of 19.4%. The results of this study indicate that S. aromaticum induced mortality at all stages of O. sylviarum, whereas A. argyi was found to be the most effective at inhibiting the mite’s egg hatching among the seven herbs. These herbs can therefore be used as potential substitutes for chemical pesticides to prevent and control O. sylviarum. These results provide practical knowledge for the control of O. sylviarum.
Severe tropical cyclones over southwest Pacific Islands: economic impacts and implications for disaster risk management
Authors: Deo Anil , Chand Savin S. , McIntosh R. Duncan , Prakash Bipen , Holbrook Neil J. , Magee Andrew , Haruhiru Alick , Malsale Philip 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Tropical cyclones (TCs) are amongst the costliest natural hazards for southwest Pacific (SWP) Island nations. Extreme winds coupled with heavy rainfall and related coastal hazards, such as large waves and high seas, can have devastating consequences for life and property. Effects of anthropogenic climate change are likely to make TCs even more destructive in the SWP (as that observed particularly over Fiji) and elsewhere around the globe, yet TCs may occur less often. However, the underpinning science of quantifying future TC projections amid multiple uncertainties can be complex. The challenge for scientists is how to turn such technical knowledge framed around uncertainties into tangible products to inform decision-making in the disaster risk management (DRM) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) sector. Drawing on experiences from past TC events as analogies to what may happen in a warming climate can be useful. The role of science-based climate services tailored to the needs of the DRM and DRR sector is critical in this context. In the first part of this paper, we examine cases of historically severe TCs in the SWP and quantify their socio-economic impacts. The second part of this paper discusses a decision-support framework developed in collaboration with a number of agencies in the SWP, featuring science-based climate services that inform different stages of planning in national-level risk management strategies.
Discovery of eQTL Alleles Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case–Control Study
Authors: Hickman Allison R. , Selee Bradley , Pauly Rini , Husain Benafsh , Hang Yuqing , Feltus Frank Alex 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by challenges in social communication as well as repetitive or restrictive behaviors. Many genetic associations with ASD have been identified, but most associations occur in a fraction of the ASD population. Here, we searched for eQTL-associated DNA variants with significantly different allele distributions between ASD-affected and control. Thirty significant DNA variants associated with 174 tissue-specific eQTLs from ASD individuals in the SPARK project were identified. Several significant variants fell within brain-specific regulatory regions or had been associated with a significant change in gene expression in the brain. These eQTLs are a new class of biomarkers that could control the myriad of brain and non-brain phenotypic traits seen in ASD-affected individuals.
Provocation and localization of atrial ectopy in patients with atrial septal defects
Authors: O’Neill Louisa , Sim Iain , O’Hare Daniel , Whitaker John , Mukherjee Rahul K. , Niederer Steven , Wright Matthew , Ezzat Vivienne , Rosenthal Eric , Jones Matthew I. , Frigiola Alessandra , O’Neill Mark D. , Williams Steven E. 
Published: June 2022

Abstract

Background
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with atrial septal defects (ASDs), but the mechanism of arrhythmia in these patients is poorly understood. We hypothesised that right-sided atrial ectopy may predominate in this cohort. Here, we aimed to localise the origin of spontaneous and provoked atrial ectopy in ASD patients.

Methods
Following invasive calibration of P-wave axes, 24-h Holter monitoring was used to determine the chamber of origin of spontaneous atrial ectopy. Simultaneous electrogram recording from multiple intra-cardiac catheters was used to determine the chamber of origin of isoprenaline-provoked ectopy. Comparison was made to a group of non-congenital heart disease AF patients.

Results
Amongst ASD patients, a right-sided origin for spontaneous atrial ectopy was significantly more prevalent than a left-sided origin (24/30 patients with right-sided ectopy vs. 14/30 with left-sided ectopy, P = 0.015). Amongst AF patients, there was no difference in the prevalence of spontaneous right vs. left-sided ectopy. For isoprenaline-provoked ectopy, there was no significant difference in the proportions of patients with right-sided or left-sided ectopy in either group.

Conclusions
When spontaneous atrial ectopy occurs in ASD patients, it is significantly more prevalent from a right-sided than left-sided origin. Isoprenaline infusion did not reveal the predilection for right-sided ectopy during electrophysiology study.
Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase SHP2 Controls Interleukin-8 Expression in Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Amante Romain J. , Auf der Maur Priska , Richina Veronica , Sethi Atul , Iesmantavicius Vytautas , Bonenfant Debora , Aceto Nicola , Bentires-Alj Mohamed 
Published: June 2022

AbstractTreatment of metastasis remains a clinical challenge and the majority of breast cancer-related deaths are the result of drug-resistant metastases. The protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 encoded by the proto-oncogene PTPN11 promotes breast cancer progression. Inhibition of SHP2 has been shown to decrease metastases formation in various breast cancer models, but specific downstream effectors of SHP2 remain poorly characterized. Certain cytokines in the metastatic cascade facilitate local invasion and promote metastatic colonization. In this study, we investigated cytokines affected by SHP2 that could be relevant for its pro-tumorigenic properties. We used a cytokine array to investigate differentially released cytokines in the supernatant of SHP2 inhibitor-treated breast cancer cells. Expression of CXCL8 transcripts and protein abundance were assessed in human breast cancer cell lines in which we blocked SHP2 using shRNA constructs or an allosteric inhibitor. The impact of SHP2 inhibition on the phospho-tyrosine-proteome and signaling was determined using mass spectrometry. From previously published RNAseq data (Aceto et al. in Nat. Med. 18:529–37, 2012), we computed transcription factor activities using an integrated system for motif activity response analysis (ISMARA) (Balwierz et al. in Genome Res. 24:869–84, 2014). Finally, using siRNA against ETS1, we investigated whether ETS1 directly influences CXCL8 expression levels. We found that IL-8 is one of the most downregulated cytokines in cell supernatants upon SHP2 blockade, with a twofold decrease in CXCL8 transcripts and a fourfold decrease in IL-8 protein. These effects were also observed in preclinical tumor models. Analysis of the phospho-tyrosine-proteome revealed that several effectors of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway are downregulated upon SHP2 inhibition in vitro. MEK1/2 inhibition consistently reduced IL-8 levels in breast cancer cell supernatants. Computational analysis of RNAseq data from SHP2-depleted tumors revealed reduced activity of the transcription factor ETS1, a direct target of ERK and a transcription factor reported to regulate IL-8 expression. Our work reveals that SHP2 mediates breast cancer progression by enhancing the production and secretion of the pro-metastatic cytokine IL-8. We also provide mechanistic insights into the effects of SHP2 inhibition and its downstream repercussions. Overall, these results support a rationale for targeting SHP2 in breast cancer.
In vivo measurement of skin heat capacity: advantages of the scanning calorimetric sensor
Authors: Rodriguez de Rivera Pedro Jesús , Rodriguez de Rivera Miriam , Socorro Fabiola , Rodriguez de Rivera Manuel 
Published: June 2022

AbstractMeasurement of the heat capacity of human tissues is mainly performed by differential scanning calorimetry. In vivo measurement of this property is an underexplored field. There are few instruments capable of measuring skin heat capacity in vivo. In this work, we present a sensor developed to determine the heat capacity of a 4 cm2 skin area. The sensor consists of a thermopile equipped with a programmable thermostat. The principle of operation consists of a linear variation of the temperature of the sensor thermostat, while the device is applied to the skin. To relate the heat capacity of the skin with the signals provided by the sensor, a two-body RC model is considered. The heat capacity of skin varies between 4.1 and 6.6 JK−1 for a 2 × 2 cm2 area. This magnitude is different in each zone and depends on several factors. The most determining factor is the water content of the tissue. This sensor can be a versatile and useful tool in the field of physiology.
Safety-constrained reinforcement learning with a distributional safety critic
Authors: Yang Qisong , Simão Thiago D. , Tindemans Simon H. , Spaan Matthijs T. J. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractSafety is critical to broadening the real-world use of reinforcement learning. Modeling the safety aspects using a safety-cost signal separate from the reward and bounding the expected safety-cost is becoming standard practice, since it avoids the problem of finding a good balance between safety and performance. However, it can be risky to set constraints only on the expectation neglecting the tail of the distribution, which might have prohibitively large values. In this paper, we propose a method called Worst-Case Soft Actor Critic for safe RL that approximates the distribution of accumulated safety-costs to achieve risk control. More specifically, a certain level of conditional Value-at-Risk from the distribution is regarded as a safety constraint, which guides the change of adaptive safety weights to achieve a trade-off between reward and safety. As a result, we can compute policies whose worst-case performance satisfies the constraints. We investigate two ways to estimate the safety-cost distribution, namely a Gaussian approximation and a quantile regression algorithm. On the one hand, the Gaussian approximation is simple and easy to implement, but may underestimate the safety cost, on the other hand, the quantile regression leads to a more conservative behavior. The empirical analysis shows that the quantile regression method achieves excellent results in complex safety-constrained environments, showing good risk control.
First Nations’ interactions with underground storage organs in southwestern Australia, a Mediterranean climate Global Biodiversity Hotspot
Authors: Lullfitz Alison , Knapp Lynette , Cummings Shandell , Hopper Stephen D. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAims and backgroundUnderground storage organs (USOs) have long featured prominently in human diets. They are reliable year-round resources, especially valuable in seasonal climates. We review a significant but scattered literature and oral recounts of USOs utilised by Noongar people of the Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR). USOs are important to First Nations cultures in other geophyte-rich regions with Mediterranean climate, with specialist knowledge employed, and productive parts of the landscape targeted for harvest, with likely ecological interactions and consequences.MethodsWe have gathered Noongar knowledge of USOs in the SWAFR to better understand the ecological role of Noongar-USO relationships that have existed for millennia.ResultsWe estimate that 418 USO taxa across 25 families have Noongar names and/or uses. Additionally, three USO taxa in the SWAFR weed flora are consumed by Noongar people. We found parallels in employment of specific knowledge and targeted ecological disturbance with First Nations’ practice in other geophyte-rich floristic regions. We found that only in 20% of cases could we identify the original source of recorded USO knowledge to an acknowledged Noongar person.ConclusionThis review identified that traditional Noongar access to USOs is taxonomically and geographically extensive, employing specific knowledge and technology to target and maintain resource rich locations. However, we also found a general practice of ‘extractive’ documentation of Noongar plant knowledge. We identify negative implications of such practice forNoongar people and SWAFR conservation outcomes and assert ways to avoid this going forward, reviving Noongar agency to care for traditional Country.
On the rational resolution of (deep) disagreements
Authors: Popa Eugen Octav 
Published: June 2022

AbstractDisagreements come in all shapes and sizes, but epistemologists and argumentation theorists have singled out a special category referred to as deep disagreements. These deep disagreements are thought to pose philosophical and practical difficulties pertaining to their rational resolution. In this paper, I start with a critique of the widespread claim that deep disagreements are qualitatively different from normal disagreements because they arise from a difference in ‘fundamental principles’ or ‘hinge commitments.’ I then defend the following two claims: (1) All disagreements are deep to the extent that they are actual disagreements. This first claim implies, I will argue, that disagreements typically regarded as normal (‘shallow’) can be explained away as misunderstandings or communicative mishaps. (2) The resolution of a disagreement can be rational either through a joint experience of mutually recognized facts or through an exchange of arguments that leads to a reformulation of the disagreement that, in this new form, lends itself to a resolution through a joint experience of mutually recognized facts. I conclude with a reflection on the consequences of these two theses for the idea of deep disagreement and that of rational resolution.