bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Variations in Medicare Advantage Switching Rates Among African American and Hispanic Medicare Beneficiaries With Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, by Sex and Dual Eligibility
Authors: Rivera-Hernandez Maricruz , Meyers David J , Kim Daeho , Park Sungchul , Trivedi Amal N 
Published: September 2022

AbstractObjectivesThe objective of this study was to identify rates of switching to Medicare Advantage (MA) among fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) by race/ethnicity and whether these rates vary by sex and dual-eligibility status for Medicare and Medicaid.MethodsData came from the Medicare Master Beneficiary Summary File from 2017 to 2018. The outcome of interest for this study was switching from FFS to MA during any month in 2018. The primary independent variable was race/ethnicity including non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic African American, and Hispanic beneficiaries. Two interaction terms among race/ethnicity and dual eligibility, and race/ethnicity and sex were included. The model adjusted for age, year of ADRD diagnosis, the number of chronic/disabling conditions, total health care costs, and ZIP code fixed effects.ResultsThe study included 2,284,175 FFS Medicare beneficiaries with an ADRD diagnosis in 2017. Among dual-eligible beneficiaries, adjusted rates of switching were higher among African American (1.91 percentage points [p.p.], 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.68–2.15) and Hispanic beneficiaries (1.36 p.p., 95% CI: 1.07–1.64) compared to non-Hispanic White beneficiaries. Among males, adjusted rates were higher among African American (3.28 p.p., 95% CI: 2.97–3.59) and Hispanic beneficiaries (2.14 p.p., 95% CI: 1.86–2.41) compared to non-Hispanic White beneficiaries.DiscussionAmong persons with ADRD, African American and Hispanic beneficiaries are more likely than White beneficiaries to switch from FFS to MA. This finding underscores the need to monitor the quality and equity of access and care for these populations.
Management of an emergency sample collection team under the setting of whole-community severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 nucleic acid testing
Authors: Lyu Yong-li , Rong Shan-jie , Sun Fei , Xiang Can , Li Jun-yi 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, a nucleic acid test is frequently conducted to identify positive cases. Compared with a hospital-based strategy, whole-community nucleic acid testing displays a unique advantage in rapid screening of a massive population. Yet a management plan to ensure ample and contamination-free sample collection is lacking.
The objective of the current study was to establish an efficient operational mode of whole-community nucleic acid testing by management of a sample collection team and to provide a reference for joint prevention work to contain the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Methods
The efficient operation of nucleic acid testing within the community was implemented by urgent setting up of sample collection teams, efficient allocation of medical supplies, optimization of management procedures and coordination among multiple working departments.

Results
A total of 21 585 nucleic acid samples were collected within 3 d, while no one was missed or experienced a cross infection. No falls, heatstroke, disputes or other adverse events occurred.

Conclusions
Under the emergency setting of nucleic acid testing of a large population, a management system with orderly organization, clear division of responsibilities and standardized operational procedures should be formulated.
Merger regulation in the digital economy and the forgotten goal of innovation
Authors: Schmidt Hedvig 
Published: September 2022

ABSTRACT
The pursuit of the consumer welfare goal has not achieved competitive markets but instead resulted in highly concentrated markets in the digital economy with one or two market leaders. Markets that should be dynamic and innovative are controlled by powerful online platforms that thwart innovation and eliminate potential rivals through killer acquisitions. This article argues that safeguarding innovation and in particular disruptive innovation should play a much more explicit part in the European Commission’s merger control especially in digital economy markets, where innovation is key to a healthy dynamic market. This could be achieved by adopting a stricter merger review process that places emphasis on whether innovation and potential competitors are negatively affected by the merger also in the long-run. The article argues that to achieve this a move away from the traditional price-based focus in merger reviews in line with the consumer welfare framework is required towards a structural approach that considers the impact on the market in the long-run and the dynamic aspects of the mergers under review, but this will occasionally require the Commission to say ‘no’ to mergers. The result however, would be the safeguarding of innovation, the key to a healthy economy in the EU.
Rapid Screening of Vaping Liquids by DART-MS
Authors: Falconer Travis M , Morales-Garcia Flavia 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
E-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury was reported in over 2800 cases from August 2019 to February 2020. Samples of vaping products were submitted for laboratory analysis in conjunction with investigation of the outbreak. A rapid screening method that was selective and sensitive for multiple analytes was required to aid in the investigation.

Objective
To develop a multi-analyte method capable of screening vaping liquid samples that consumed small amounts of sample, required minimal sample preparation and analysis time, employed automated data processing, and provided the necessary sensitivity and selectivity.

Methods
Vaping liquids were dissolved in acetonitrile and sampled with DIP-it® tips. The tips were analyzed by direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) and the resulting data processed with TraceFinder™ software. Laboratory-fortified samples consisting of various analytes and matrixes were evaluated prior to the analysis of submitted samples.

Results
The method was successful at detecting all target analytes in all matrixes evaluated, although the method detection limits varied by analyte/matrix combination: from 0.1% nicotine in poly(propylene glycol) average Mn 1000 (the lowest level evaluated) to 5.0% poly(ethylene glycol) average Mn 400 in cannabis concentrate. Results for the analysis of submitted samples by this method compared favorably to GC–MS and FTIR results.

Conclusion
The DART-MS method met the objective of speed, sensitivity, and selectivity (although certain cannabinoid isomers could not be distinguished). The method may be easily adapted or expanded for additional analytes.

Highlights
This is a simple DART-MS method for screening vaping liquids for substances of concern in less than 2 min per sample.
Optimized Box–Behnken Design Combined Response Surface Methodology to Determine Calcium and Iron Contents Using Visible, Atomic Emission and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry in Vegetables and Wastewater Samples
Authors: Al-Batty Sirhan , Haque S K Manirul , Rahman Nafisur , Hejaz Azmi Syed Najmul 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
Calcium and iron are crucial essential minerals. Iron is mainly responsible for transporting oxygen in the body and the immune system. In comparison, calcium’s primary function is in human bones and teeth. Due to that, it is vital to quantify the amount in vegetables.

Objective
Optimization and validation of three analytical procedures, visible, atomic emission spectrophotometry (AES), and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), were developed to determine calcium and iron in vegetables and wastewater samples using response surface methodology (RSM) via Box-Behnken design (BBD). The design helps to reduce experiment trials with selected variables to find a correlation between them and their respective dependent variables.

Methods
Method I was developed to quantify calcium in vegetables mixed with concentrated 3M HNO3 and heated to reflux as per the BBD. Then it was cooled, filtered, and completed with 3M HNO3 to be carried out utilizing AES and AAS. For method II, vegetables were mixed with nitric acid and sulfuric acid solution with an optimized 5M KSCN solution, which was computed using the AAS and visible spectrophotometry.

Results
First, percentage of water content was calculated for all vegetables, higher in malabar spinach and lower in peas. The calcium and iron contents were present within 0.59–2.68 mg and 35.8–211.5 mg, respectively, in 100 g of vegetables. The results showed a higher amount of iron was available in spinach and a lower amount in okra. In contrast, the highest calcium amount was present in broccoli and the lowest amount was in peas. The calcium and iron content were between 0.015–137.25 and 0.01–147.85 µg/mL in the wastewater samples.

Conclusions
These methods can help to determine the amount of calcium and iron for the quality control samples in research and development, food, and the environmental industry.

Highlights
Three validated analytical techniques quantify calcium and iron in vegetables and wastewater samples. The RSM–BBD optimized the method and determined its crucial factors.
Effects of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-D3) and 1-hydroxycholecalciferol (1-OH-D3) on serum bone biomarkers and calcium and phosphorus balance and concentrations of energy in diets without or with microbial phytase fed to sows in late gestation
Authors: Lee Su A , Torres-Mendoza Leidy J , Stein Hans H 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe objective was to test the hypothesis that supplementation of diets for gestating sows with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-D3) or 1-hydroxycholecalciferol (1-OH-D3) affects serum biomarkers for bone and increases Ca and P balance and the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE), and the concentrations of digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) in diets without or with microbial phytase. Sixty multiparous sows were allotted to 1 of 6 diets. Diets were formulated using a 3 × 2 factorial with 3 inclusions of supplemental vitamin D metabolite (no metabolite, 25-OH-D3, or 1-OH-D3) and 2 inclusion levels of microbial phytase (0 or 1,000 units). Sows were housed individually in metabolism crates and feces and urine were collected quantitatively. Results indicated that there was no difference in the ATTD of dry matter (DM) and GE and concentration of DE among the 3 diets containing microbial phytase, but the ATTD of DM and GE and concentration of DE was greater (P &lt; 0.05) in diets containing 1-OH-D3 compared with the diet without a vitamin D metabolite if phytase was not used (interaction; P &lt; 0.05). In diets without microbial phytase, ME was greater in diets containing either one of the 2 vitamin D metabolites than in the diet without a vitamin D metabolite, but among diets with microbial phytase, the ME of the 1-OH-D3 diet was less than of the 25-OH-D3 diet (interaction; P &lt; 0.05). No effect of microbial phytase on concentrations of DE and ME was observed. There was no interaction between supplementation of microbial phytase and vitamin D metabolites for Ca and P balances, and regardless of metabolite supplementation, use of microbial phytase increased (P &lt; 0.05) the ATTD and retention of Ca and P. Regardless of dietary phytase, the ATTD and retention of Ca and P increased (P &lt; 0.05) for sows fed a diet containing one of the vitamin D metabolites compared with sows fed the diet without a vitamin D metabolite. Serum biomarkers for bone resorption or bone tissue synthesis were not affected by experimental diets. In conclusion, the ATTD of DM and GE, concentrations of DE and ME, and Ca and P balance in phytase-free diets fed to sows in late gestation were increased by supplementation with 1-OH-D3 or 25-OH-D3, but no differences between the 2 vitamin D metabolites were observed. Supplementation of diets with microbial phytase increased Ca and P balance, but did not affect DE and ME of diets.
Comparative digestion and fermentation characteristics of low-tannin or high-tannin sorghum grain in the porcine gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Pan Long , Feng Shaoxuan , Li Wang , Zhu Weiyun 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
High-tannin sorghum grain (HTS) has been previously proved to contain lower apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients than low-tannin sorghum grain (LTS) for pigs. This study was conducted to identify in which segments (foregut or hindgut) of the intestinal tract of pigs the digestion of nutrients was mostly influenced, and to compare the digestion and fermentation characteristics of LTS and HTS in the porcine gastrointestinal tract. In experiment 1, HTS and LTS were digested by porcine pepsin and pancreatin to simulate small intestine digestion, and subsequently the undigested residues were incubated with fresh pig cecal digesta as inoculums for 48 h to simulate the porcine large intestine fermentation in vitro. The results revealed that the in vitro digestibility of air-dry matter, gross energy (GE), and crude protein (CP) was lower (P &lt; 0.05) in HTS than that in LTS, regardless of the simulated small intestine digestion or large intestine fermentation. The enzymatically unhydrolyzed residue of HTS decreased the accumulative gas production excluding the first 3 h and the short-chain fatty acid concentration including acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid in the fermented solutions (P &lt; 0.05), although it provided more nutrients as fermentation substrates (P &lt; 0.05). In experiment 2, 12 crossbred barrows (25.5 ± 2.5 kg body weight) with a T-cannula inserted in the distal ileum were randomly allotted to two diets (N = 6) to determine nutrient digestibility in the foregut (AID, apparent ileal digestibility) and in the hindgut of pigs (HGD, hindgut disappearance). The study lasted 10 d, with a 5 d adaption to the diets followed by a 3 d collection of feces and then a 2 d collection of ileal digesta. Diets included 96.6% HTS or LTS as the only source of dietary energy and nitrogen. The AID and ATTD of dry matter, GE, and CP in HTS were lower than those in LTS (P &lt; 0.05). There was no difference in HGD of nutrients between LTS and HTS. Eight out of fifteen amino acids in HTS had lower AID values (P &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, HTS provided lower small intestine digestibility of nutrients and lower large intestine fermentation parameters, implying that condensed tannins in sorghum grain may impede the nutrient digestibility in the foregut and limit the fermentability in the hindgut segment of pigs. Hence, digestion and fermentation characteristics of sorghum grain may vary depending on the condensed tannins.
Determination of Ethyl Glucuronide and Ethyl Sulfate in Dried Blood Spots by UHPLC–MS-MS: Method Validation and Assessment of Ethanol Exposure in Postmortem Samples from Road Traffic Victims
Authors: Tegner Mariane , Ott Isabela Ritter , Guterres Fernanda de Souza , de Barros Vinicius Monteagudo , Linden Rafael , Antunes Marina Venzon 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
The determination of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) in blood has been proposed in clinical and forensic applications to identify recent alcohol consumption. Also, there is a growing interest on the use of dried blood spots (DBS) in toxicological analysis, allowing increased stability of the analytes and simplifying sample transportation and storage. This study presents the development and validation of a method for quantifying EtG and EtS in DBS using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS-MS). The DBS samples were extracted with a mixture of methanol and acetonitrile (80:20 v/v) and analyzed using UHPLC–MS-MS with electrospray source in negative mode, after separation with a fluoro-phenyl stationary phase. Validation was performed according to the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Toxicology (SWGTOX) guidelines, with calibrations ranging from 0.10 to 18 µg/mL for EtG and 0.02 to 6 µg/mL for EtS. The analytes were stable in DBS stored from −20 to 45°C for 21 days. The method was successfully applied to capillary and venous DBS samples from 20 volunteers after ethanol ingestion and to DBS samples from 99 fatal victims of road traffic injuries. Capillary DBS was comparable to venous DBS and fresh whole blood in Passing–Bablok and Bland–Altman analysis, with correlation coefficients &gt;0.91 (P &lt; 0.001) for all comparisons. In postmortem application, the DBS EtG and EtS analysis indicated positive exposure to ethanol in 72.7% of the cases (EtG: 0.10–24.0 µg/mL and EtS: 0.03–4.11 µg/mL). The identification of ethanol consumption from blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) and EtG/EtS in DBS was in agreement in 98.6% of positive and 96.3% of negative cases (kappa 0.877, P &lt; 0.001), indicating a high level of concordance with BAC in assessing alcohol use in postmortem samples.
The Detoxification Enzymatic Responses of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) to Cantharidin
Authors: Sun Hong , Wang Pei , Wei Chunqi , Li Yifan , Zhang Yalin 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) is one of the most destructive pests of Brassicaceae vegetables. Cantharidin is an insect-derived defensive toxin, which has been reported to have toxicity to a variety of pests and especially lepidopteran pests. Although the toxicity of cantharidin on P. xylostella has been demonstrated, there is little information available on the specific detoxification response of P. xylostella against cantharidin. This study investigates the enzymatic response (including serine/threonine phosphatases [PSPs], carboxylesterases [CarEs], glutathione-S-transferases [GSTs], and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases [P450]) in P. xylostella to the sublethal and low lethal concentrations of cantharidin (LC10 and LC25). Results showed that the inhibitory activity of PSPs was increased and then decreased in vivo, while PSPs activity could be almost completely inhibited in vitro. Interestingly, the activities of detoxification enzymes (GST, CarE, and P450) in P. xylostella displayed a trend of decreasing and then increasing after exposure to the two concentrations of cantharidin. Notably, the increase in P450 enzyme activity was the most significant. The increasing trend of detoxification enzyme activity was congruent with the recovery trend of PSPs activity. This study contributes to our understanding of the detoxification mechanism of cantharidin in P. xylostella and helps in the further development of biogenic agents.
Men, Fatherhood, and the Regulation of Assisted Reproduction in Israel
Authors: Yakovi Gan-Or Nofar 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Research on law and reproduction is overwhelmingly focused on women. In contrast, very few studies offer similar riches surrounding men’s stakes in different reproductive contexts, leaving much to be uncovered about the gendered aspects of reproductive regulation. Using Israel as a case study, this article sheds light on how the law factors men into the regulation of assisted reproduction. By analysing policies that govern longstanding practices such as gamete donation, and more novel ones such as posthumous reproduction, this article shows how this body of law underestimates men’s desire to rear – not just to sire – children by valorising genetic lineage and treating their procreative stakes primarily as financial. In other instances, men’s access to principal routes to biological kinship has been contingent upon the presence of a caregiving mother or otherwise denied. Drawing from masculinities theory, this article argues that these doctrinal patterns correspond with masculine ideals underlying traditional perceptions of familial roles. Conceptualising men’s contribution to the reproductive equation as merely biological or financial results in a narrow, indeed stereotypical understanding of fatherhood as a relationship divested of nurture and care. Yet, recent changes in the Israeli reproductive landscape may signal a normative turn in the law’s relation to men, bringing assisted reproductive technology closer to fulfilling its potential to subvert long-held gender and familial norms.
Cosmological model-independent measurement of cosmic curvature using distance sum rule with the help of gravitational waves
Authors: Wang Yan-Jin , Qi Jing-Zhao , Wang Bo , Zhang Jing-Fei , Cui Jing-Lei , Zhang Xin 
Published: September 2022

ABSTRACT
Although the cosmic curvature has been tightly constrained in the standard cosmological model using observations of cosmic microwave background anisotropies, it is still of great importance to independently measure this key parameter using only late-Universe observations in a cosmological model-independent way. The distance sum rule in strong gravitational lensing (SGL) provides such a way, provided that the three distances in the sum rule can be calibrated by other observations. In this paper, we propose that gravitational waves (GWs) can be used to provide the distance calibration in the SGL method, which can avoid the dependence on distance ladder and cover a wider redshift range. Using the simulated GW standard siren observation by the Einstein Telescope as an example, we show that this scheme is feasible and advantageous. We find that ΔΩk ≃ 0.17 with the current SGL data, which is slightly more precise than the case of using SN to calibrate. Furthermore, we consider the forthcoming LSST survey that is expected to observe many SGL systems, and we find that about 104 SGL data could provide the precise measurement of ΔΩk ≃ 10−2 with the help of GWs. In addition, our results confirm that this method of constraining Ωk is strongly dependent on lens models. However, obtaining a more accurate phenomenological model for lens galaxies is highly predictable as future massive surveys observe more and more SGL samples, which will significantly improve the constraint of cosmic curvature.
Flare kernels may be smaller than you think: modelling the radiative response of chromospheric plasma adjacent to a solar flare
Authors: Osborne Christopher M J , Fletcher Lyndsay 
Published: September 2022

ABSTRACT
Numerical models of solar flares typically focus on the behaviour of directly heated flare models, adopting magnetic-field-aligned, plane-parallel methodologies. With high spatial- and spectral-resolution ground-based optical observations of flares, it is essential also to understand the response of the plasma surrounding these strongly heated volumes. We investigate the effects of the extreme radiation field produced by a heated column of flare plasma on an adjacent slab of chromospheric plasma, using a two-dimensional radiative transfer model and considering the time-dependent solution to the atomic level populations and electron density throughout this model. The outgoing spectra of H α and Ca ii 854.2 nm synthesized from our slab show significant spatial-, time-, and wavelength-dependent variations (both enhancements and reductions) in the line cores, extending of the order of 1 Mm into the non-flaring slab due to the incident transverse radiation field from the flaring boundary. This may lead to significant overestimates of the sizes of directly heated flare kernels, if line-core observations are used. However, the radiation field alone is insufficient to drive any significant changes in continuum intensity, due to the typical photospheric depths at which they form, so continuum sources will not have an apparent increase in size. We show that the line formation regions near the flaring boundary can be driven upwards in altitude by over 1 Mm despite the primary thermodynamic parameters (other than electron density) being held horizontally uniform. This work shows that in simple models these effects are significant and should be considered further in future flare modelling and interpretation.