bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Examining the presence and nature of delusions in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia syndromes
Authors: Kumfor Fiona , Liang Cheng Tao , Hazelton Jessica L. , Leyton Cristian E. , Kaizik Cassandra , Devenney Emma , Connaughton Emily , Langdon Robyn , Mioshi Eneida , Kwok John B. , Dobson‐Stone Carol , Halliday Glenda M. , Piguet Olivier , Hodges John R. , Landin‐Romero Ramon 
Published: February 2022

AbstractObjectivesAbnormal beliefs and delusions have been reported in some people with dementia, however, the prevalence of delusions, and their neurocognitive basis has been underexplored. This study aimed to examine the presence, severity, content and neural correlates of delusions in a large, well‐characterised cohort of dementia patients using a transdiagnostic, cross‐sectional approach.MethodsFour‐hundred and eighty‐seven people with dementia were recruited: 102 Alzheimer's disease, 136 behavioural‐variant frontotemporal dementia, 154 primary progressive aphasia, 29 motor neurone disease, 46 corticobasal syndrome, 20 progressive supranuclear palsy. All patients underwent neuropsychological assessment and brain magnetic resonance imaging, and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory was conducted with an informant, by an experienced clinician.ResultsIn our cohort, 48/487 patients (10.8%) had delusions. A diagnosis of behavioural‐variant frontotemporal dementia (18.4%) and Alzheimer's disease (11.8%) were associated with increased risk of delusions. A positive gene mutation was observed in 11/27 people with delusions. Individuals with frequent delusions performed worse on the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (p = 0.035), particularly on the orientation/attention (p = 0.022) and memory (p = 0.013) subtests. Voxel‐based morphometry analyses found that increased delusional psychopathology was associated with reduced integrity of the right middle frontal gyrus, right planum temporale and left anterior temporal pole.ConclusionOur results demonstrate that delusions are relatively common in dementia and uncover a unique cognitive and neural profile associated with the manifestation of delusions. Clinically, delusions may lead to delayed or misdiagnosis. Our results shed light on how to identify individuals at risk of neuropsychiatric features of dementia, a crucial first step to enable targeted symptom management.
miR‐579‐3p Controls Hepatocellular Carcinoma Formation by Regulating the Phosphoinositide 3‐Kinase–Protein Kinase B Pathway in Chronically Inflamed Liver
Authors: Quintavalle Cristina , Meyer‐Schaller Nathalie , Roessler Stephanie , Calabrese Diego , Marone Romina , Riedl Tobias , Picco‐Rey Silvia , Panagiotou Orestis A. , Uzun Sarp , Piscuoglio Salvatore , Boldanova Tuyana , Bian Chaoran B. , Semela David , Jochum Wolfram , Cathomas Gieri , Mertz Kirsten D. , Diebold Joachim , Mazzucchelli Luca , Koelzer Viktor H. , Weber Achim , Decaens Thomas , Terracciano Luigi M. , Heikenwalder Mathias , Hoshida Yujin , Andersen Jesper B. , Thorgeirsson Snorri S. , Matter Matthias S. 
Published: February 2022

Chronic liver inflammation causes continuous liver damage with progressive liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, which may eventually lead to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Whereas the 10‐year incidence for HCC in patients with cirrhosis is approximately 20%, many of these patients remain tumor free for their entire lives. Clarifying the mechanisms that define the various outcomes of chronic liver inflammation is a key aspect in HCC research. In addition to a wide variety of contributing factors, microRNAs (miRNAs) have also been shown to be engaged in promoting liver cancer. Therefore, we wanted to characterize miRNAs that are involved in the development of HCC, and we designed a longitudinal study with formalin‐fixed and paraffin‐embedded liver biopsy samples from several pathology institutes from Switzerland. We examined the miRNA expression by nCounterNanostring technology in matched nontumoral liver tissue from patients developing HCC (n = 23) before and after HCC formation in the same patient. Patients with cirrhosis (n = 26) remaining tumor free within a similar time frame served as a control cohort. Comparison of the two cohorts revealed that liver tissue from patients developing HCC displayed a down‐regulation of miR‐579‐3p as an early step in HCC development, which was further confirmed in a validation cohort. Correlation with messenger RNA expression profiles further revealed that miR‐579‐3p directly attenuated phosphatidylinositol‐4,5‐bisphosphate 3‐kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) expression and consequently protein kinase B (AKT) and phosphorylated AKT. In vitro experiments and the use of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology confirmed that miR‐579‐3p controlled cell proliferation and cell migration of liver cancer cell lines. Conclusion: Liver tissues from patients developing HCC revealed changes in miRNA expression. miR‐579‐3p was identified as a novel tumor suppressor regulating phosphoinositide 3‐kinase–AKT signaling at the early stages of HCC development.
Simultaneous parametrization of torsional and third‐neighbor interaction terms in force‐field development: The LLS‐SC algorithm
Authors: Gonçalves Yan M. H. , Kashefolgheta Sadra , Oliveira Marina P. , Hünenberger Philippe H. , Horta Bruno A. C. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe calibration of torsional interaction terms by fitting relative gas‐phase conformational energies against their quantum‐mechanical values is a common procedure in force‐field development. However, much less attention has been paid to the optimization of third‐neighbor nonbonded interaction parameters, despite their strong coupling with the torsions. This article introduces an algorithm termed LLS‐SC, aimed at simultaneously parametrizing torsional and third‐neighbor interaction terms based on relative conformational energies. It relies on a self‐consistent (SC) procedure where each iteration involves a linear least‐squares (LLS) regression followed by a geometry optimization of the reference structures. As a proof‐of‐principle, this method is applied to obtain torsional and third‐neighbor interaction parameters for aliphatic chains in the context of the GROMOS 53A6 united‐atom force field. The optimized parameter set is compared to the original one, which has been fitted manually against thermodynamic properties for small linear alkanes. The LLS‐SC implementation is freely available under http://github.com/mssm-labmmol/profiler.
Biochar application in biofiltration systems to remove nutrients, pathogens, and pharmaceutical and personal care products from wastewater
Authors: Maleki Shahraki Zahra , Mao Xinwei 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAlthough conventional on‐site wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) provide only primary treatment of domestic wastewater, removal of a limited level of nutrients (N, P), pathogens, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) could be achieved by such a treatment process. Biochar has the capacity to remove various contaminants and has been widely used as an ideal soil amendment in agriculture due to its persistence, superior nutrient‐retention properties, low cost, and ready availability. However, few applications on the use of biochar in onsite wastewater treatment have been explored. In this review, we systematically reviewed the applications of biochar in filtration‐based OWTSs for nutrient (N, P) removal and recovery as well as pathogen and PPCP removal. Although adsorption was the main mechanism for P, pathogen, and PPCP removal, biochar can also serve as the growth media for enhanced biological degradation, improves available alkalinity, and increases water holding capacity in the OWTSs. The biochar source, surface modification methods, and preparation procedures (e.g., pyrolysis temperature change) have significant effects on contaminant removal performance in biochar‐amended OWTSs. Specifically, contradictory results have been reported on the effect of pyrolysis temperature change on biochar removal performance (i.e., increased, decreased, or no change) of N, P, and PPCPs. Wastewater composition and environmental pH also play important roles in the removal of nutrients, pathogens, and PPCPs. Overall, biochar holds great potential to serve as an alternative filtration material or to be amended to the current OWTS to improve system performance in removing a variety of contaminants at low cost.
Infrared pulsed fiber laser‐produced silver‐109‐nanoparticles for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry of amino acids
Authors: Płaza‐Altamer Aneta , Kołodziej Artur , Nizioł Joanna , Ruman Tomasz 
Published: February 2022

AbstractApplication of monoisotopic cationic 109Ag nanoparticles (109AgNPs) obtained by pulsed fiber laser (PFL) 2D galvo‐scanner (GS) laser generated nanomaterial (LGN) for both high resolution laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and mass spectrometry imaging of amino acids is presented. Four amino acids, alanine, isoleucine, lysine, and phenylalanine were used as test compounds for quantification with matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mas (MALDI)‐type mass spectrometer. Comparison of commonly made manual measurements with semiautomatic mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) was performed providing very interesting findings. Amino acids were directly tested in 1 000 000‐fold concentration change conditions ranging from 1 mg/ml to 1 ng/ml, which equates to 500 ng to 500 fg of amino acid per measurement spot. Methods were also tested on samples of human blood plasma for quantification of endogenous amino acids.
Varicella‐zoster virus reactivation is frequently detected in HIV‐infected individuals presenting with stroke
Authors: Marais Gert , Naidoo Michelle , McMullen Kate , Stanley Alan , Bryer Alan , van der Westhuizen Diederick , Bateman Kathleen , Hardie Diana Ruth 
Published: February 2022

AbstractInfections are an underappreciated cause of stroke, particularly in young and immunocompromised individuals. Varicella‐zoster virus (VZV) reactivation, particularly ophthalmic zoster, has been linked to increased risk of stroke but diagnosing VZV‐associated cerebral vasculopathy is challenging as neither a recent zoster rash, nor detectable levels of VZV DNA are universally present at stroke presentation. Detection of VZV IgG in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF‐VZVG) presents a promising alternative, but requires evaluation of individual blood‐CSF dynamics, particularly in the setting of chronic inflammatory states such as HIV infection. Consequently, its use has not been broadly adopted as simple diagnostic algorithms are not available. In this study looking at young adults presenting with acute stroke, we used an algorithm that includes testing for both VZV nucleic acids and CSF‐VZVG which was corrected for blood‐CSF barrier dynamics and poly‐specific immune activation. We found that 13 of 35 (37%), including 7 with a positive CSF VZV PCR, young HIV‐infected adults presenting with stroke, 3 of 34 (9%) young HIV‐uninfected adults presenting with stroke, and 1 of 18 (6%) HIV‐infected nonstroke controls demonstrated evidence of central nervous system reactivation of VZV.
Adapting the multilevel model for estimation of the reliable change index (RCI) with multiple timepoints and multiple sources of error
Authors: Morgan‐Lopez Antonio Alexander , Saavedra Lissette Maria , Ramirez Derek D. , Smith Luke M. , Yaros Anna Catherine 
Published: February 2022

AbstractObjectiveOne of the primary tools in the assessment of individual‐level patient outcomes is Jacobson and Truax, (1991’s) Reliable Change Index (RCI). Recent efforts to optimize the RCI have revolved around three issues: (a) extending the RCI beyond two timepoints, (b) estimating the RCI using scale scores from item response theory or factor analysis and (c) estimation of person‐ and time‐specific standard errors of measurement.MethodWe present an adaptation of a two‐stage procedure, a measurement error‐corrected multilevel model, as a tool for RCI estimation (with accompanying Statistical Analysis System syntax). Using DASS‐21 data from a community‐based mental health center (N = 379), we illustrate the potential for the model as unifying framework for simultaneously addressing all three limitations in modeling individual‐level RCI estimates.ResultsCompared to the optimal‐fitting RCI model (moderated nonlinear factor analysis scoring with measurement error correction), an RCI model that uses DASS‐21 total scores produced errors in RCI inferences in 50.8% of patients; this was largely driven by overestimation of the proportion of patients with statistically significant improvement.ConclusionEstimation of the RCI can now be enhanced by the use of latent variables, person‐ and time‐specific measurement errors, and multiple timepoints.
Activation of Henneguya ictaluri Actinospores by Nonictalurid Fish Species, with Implications for Management of Proliferative Gill Disease in Catfish Aquaculture
Authors: Richardson Bradley M. , Mischke Charles C. , Rosser T. Graham , Woodyard Ethan T. , Ware Cynthia , Wise David J. , Griffin Matt J. 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Proliferative gill disease (PGD), caused by the myxozoan Henneguya ictaluri, is an important parasitic disease in U.S. catfish aquaculture. Continuous exposure of Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus to the actinospore stage of H. ictaluri results in a severe inflammatory response at the gills, leading to morbidity and death. Previous work indicates that the chemical cues in fish mucus that are recognized by myxozoan actinospores are not host specific. Building on these findings, the potential decoy effects of nonictalurid fish to actinospores of H. ictaluri were evaluated. Exposure of actinospores to gill mucus from multiple nonictalurid fishes resulted in actinospore activation for all fish species tested. Based on these findings, experimental transmission trials with potential interceptor fish were conducted. Individual Channel Catfish were co-stocked with Western Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis at 0, 10, 25, or 50% of mean Channel Catfish biomass and exposed to 3,000 actinospores of H. ictaluri. Gill tissues were sampled at 24 h postchallenge, and parasite burden was estimated by H. ictaluri-specific quantitative PCR. Results revealed that Western Mosquitofish stocked at 25% and 50% of catfish biomass reduced H. ictaluri DNA in Channel Catfish gills more than threefold. In a second study, catfish were exposed to pond water collected from an active PGD outbreak in the presence of Western Mosquitofish stocked at 25% of catfish biomass. Channel Catfish were sampled at 24 h and at 7 d after the last pond water exposure. At 24 h postexposure, catfish that were co-stocked with Western Mosquitofish showed significantly lower H. ictaluri DNA than catfish stocked alone. This treatment effect was absent at 7 d postexposure, as parasite quantities within tissues had increased over 1,000×, with marked variability. Still, results indicate that the chemical cues that activate H. ictaluri actinospores are not specific to Channel Catfish. This work evinces a potential benefit of nonictalurid fish in combating H. ictaluri, suggesting that the presence of nonictalurid interceptor fish in catfish ponds may minimize PGD severity.
Three‐dimensional dynamic response of transversely isotropic saturated media subjected to transient loads
Authors: Ai Zhi Yong , Zhao Yong Zhi 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis paper investigates three‐dimensional (3D) transient responses of stratified transversely isotropic (TI) saturated media. Firstly, we transform the partial differential equations in Cartesian coordinates into ordinary differential equations (ODEs) for the convenience of solving. Then, we consider the transient load forms and apply the extended precise integration method (EPIM) to study the response of stratified TI saturated media. This paper involves the transverse isotropy of solid constituent, the permeable anisotropy of pore fluid, and various load forms including concentrated loadings and uniform rectangular loadings. The solution in the physical domain can be obtained through the numerical inversion of Laplace‐Fourier transform. Several examples are set up to verify the proposed theory and to investigate the influences of the transverse isotropy of solid constituent, the permeable anisotropy of pore fluid and the stratification of media.
Overactive bladder medication prescription trends from 2014 to 2018
Authors: Sripad Abhishek , Raker Christina , Shireman Theresa , Sung Vivian 
Published: February 2022

AbstractPurposeA growing literature points to an association between overactive bladder (OAB) medications and dementia. Given differences in side effects for extended‐release (ER) and immediate‐release (IR) anticholinergic formulations and beta‐3 agonists, we examined prescription utilization patterns in a national dataset of older adults from 2014 to 2018.MethodsWe performed a retrospective study using the Medicare Part D Drug Spending Dashboard, a publicly available database that includes data from outpatient pharmacy claims from 2014 to 2018 in the United States. We identified total claims and total spending on common OAB medications, and further assessed trends by anticholinergic burden by medication, and immediate and ER formulations.ResultsThere were 54.1 million claims for OAB medications, accounting for $10.1 billion (2018 United States dollars) in spending from 2014 to 2018. When considering beta‐agonist, mirabegron accounted for 13.1% of total claims and 29.0% of total spending. Mirabegron accounted for a greater proportion of OAB medication claims and spending during the 5 years from 5.7% to 20.1% and 11.3% to 44%, respectively. IR anticholinergics accounted for fewer total claims over this period, from 58.5% to 42.6%. ER formulations increased in proportion of all OAB medication total claims from 35.8% to 37.5% from 2014 to 2016, and decreased to 37.3% by 2018.ConclusionOAB medications and expenditures increased from 2014 to 2018. Mirabegron accounted for higher proportions and IR‐formulations for decreased proportions of each from 2014 to 2018. The impact on clinical outcomes is a key area for future investigation considering our findings.
A comparative assessment of chemical, mechanical, and thermal characteristics of treated oil palm/pineapple fiber/bio phenolic composites
Authors: Awad Sameer A. , Jawaid Mohammad , Fouad Hassan , Saba Naheed , Dhakal Hom Nath , Alothman Othman Y. , Khalaf Eman M. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIn this study, the alkali‐treated and untreated hybrid fibers incorporated with bio phenolic matrix to enhance the chemical interactions, mechanical and thermal properties have been investigated. The oil palm fiber (OPF) and pineapple fiber (PALF) were utilized as reinforcements into bio phenolic resin. The improvements in chemical interactions were monitored by the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The modifications of the surface for hybrid natural fibers (OPF/PALF) were enhanced in comparison to pure fiber composites. The composites' dynamic mechanical behavior such as storage modulus, loss modulus, and damping properties were also investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis analyzed the performance of untreated (OPF and PALF) and treated (OPF/OPF) composites at elevated temperature and observed adequate interfacial bonding as a result of the improvements in thermal stability. The results presented that alkali) NaOH(incorporation in hybrid composites (OPF/PALF) results in increased the tensile strength and modulus among all composites. Furthermore, the tensile strength and modulus improved to the maximum value for treated 50% PALF composite compared to other composites. The hybridisation of treated alkali (5% NaOH/50% PALF) fiber shows best performance on tensile strength and modulus with 33.3 and 7535.2 MPa, respectively compared to other composites. The alkali‐treated hybrid composites (NaOH/1OPF.1PALF) exhibited the greatest flexural strength (99.8 MPa) and modulus (8813.1 MPa). The enhancement of the interfacial adhesion between pure and hybrid fiber composites and bio phenolic matrix through the mercerisation of OPF and PALF fibers reinforced composite played an essential role in improving the mechanical properties of composites via alkali treatment with NaOH solution. Natural fiber reinforced composites are commercially attractive for high‐volume applications; while their properties can be improved by adding alkali solution as stabilizers. It can be recommended from the findings of this study that the alkali treatment (5% NaOH) can be used to enhance the efficiency of agriculture waste biomass. Additionally, the hybridization of bio‐fiber composites has potential to develop novel type of biodegradable and sustainable composites suitable for various industrial and engineering applications.
Statistical process control of overdispersed count data based on one‐parameter Poisson mixture models
Authors: Jesus Bruno D. , Ferreira Paulo H. , Boaventura Laion L. , Fiaccone Rosemeire L. , Bertoli Wesley , Ramos Pedro L. , Louzada Francisco 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe Poisson distribution is a discrete model widely used to analyze count data. Statistical control charts based on this distribution, such as the and charts, are relatively well‐established in the literature. Nevertheless, many studies suggest the need for alternative approaches that allow for modeling overdispersion, a phenomenon that can be observed in several fields, including biology, ecology, healthcare, marketing, economics, and industry. The one‐parameter Poisson mixture distributions, whose literature is extensive and essential, can model extra‐Poisson variability, accommodating different overdispersion levels. The distributions belonging to this class of models, including the Poisson‐Lindley (PL), Poisson‐Shanker (PSh), and Poisson‐Sujatha (PSu) models, can thus be used as interesting alternatives to the usual Poisson and COM‐Poisson distributions for analyzing count data in several areas. In this paper, we consider the class of probabilistic models mentioned above (as well as the cited three members of such a class) to develop novel and useful statistical control charts for counting processes, monitoring count data that exhibit overdispersion. The performance of the so‐called one‐parameter Poisson mixture charts, namely the ‐, ‐, and ‐ charts, is measured by the average run length in exhaustive numerical simulations. Some data sets are used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed methodology.
Rationally Designed Three‐Layered TiO2@amorphous MoS3@Carbon Hierarchical Microspheres for Efficient Potassium Storage
Authors: Huang Man , Xi Baojuan , Mi Liwei , Zhang Zhengchunyu , Chen Weihua , Feng Jinkui , Xiong Shenglin 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAmorphous MoS3 has been an attractive electrode material for sodium−ion batteries and lithium−sulfur batteries. However, the potassium storage capability of amorphous MoS3 remains unreported. Herein, the construction of hybrid hierarchical microspheres composed of amorphous MoS3 nanosheets dual‐confined with TiO2 core, and nitrogen‐doped carbon shell layer (denoted as TiO2@A‐MoS3@NC) via a self‐templating method, combined with a low‐temperature sulfurization process as a new anode material for potassium−ion batteries (PIBs), is reported. Benefitting from the unique structural merits including unique 1D chain structure, disordered arrangement of atoms and a large number of defects of amorphous MoS3, more active heterointerfacial sites, effectively mitigated volume change, good electrical contact, and easy K+ ion migration, the TiO2@A‐MoS3@NC microspheres exhibit excellent potassium‐storage performance with high specific capacity, superior rate capability, and cycling stability.