bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Long‐term trends and drought: Spatiotemporal variation in juvenile sex ratios of North American ducks
Authors: Ellis Sage L. , Lohman Madeleine G. , Sedinger James S. , Williams Perry J. , Riecke Thomas V. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSex ratios affect population dynamics and individual fitness, and changing sex ratios can be indicative of shifts in sex‐specific survival at different life stages. While climate and landscape changes alter sex ratios of wild bird populations, long‐term, landscape scale assessments of sex ratios are rare. Further, little work has been done to understand changes in sex ratios in avian communities. In this manuscript, we analyze long‐term (1961–2015) data on five species of ducks across five broad climatic regions of the United States to estimate the effects of drought and long‐term trends on the proportion of juvenile females captured at banding. As waterfowl have a 1:1 sex ratio at hatch, we interpret changes in sex ratios of captured juveniles as changes in sex‐specific survival rates during early life. Seven of 12 species‐region pairs exhibited evidence for long‐term trends in the proportion of juvenile females at banding. The proportion of juvenile females at banding increased for duck populations in the western United States and typically declined for duck populations in the eastern United States. We only observed evidence for an effect of drought in two of the 12 species‐region pairs, where the proportion of females declined during drought. As changes to North American landscapes and climate continue and intensify, we expect continued changes in sex‐specific juvenile survival rates. More broadly, we encourage further research examining the mechanisms underlying long‐term trends in juvenile sex ratios in avian communities.
Relationship of alien species continues in a foreign land: The case ofPhytophthoraand AustralianBanksia(Proteaceae) in South African Fynbos
Authors: Qongqo Axola , Nchu Felix , Geerts Sjirk 
Published: July 2022

AbstractFungal invasions only recently started to receive more attention in invasion biology. This is largely attributed to little or non‐existent information about these inconspicuous organisms. Most invasion hypotheses focus on factors that increase invasion success; few try to explain why invasions fail. Here we hypothesize that a host–pathogen relationships can limit the invasiveness of an alien plant species in a novel range. To test this, we investigate whether the invasiveness of the Australian genus of Proteaceae,Banksia,in South Africa is determined by the alien and major invasive phytopathogen,Phytophthora cinnamomi. The presence ofP. cinnamomiinBanksiaroot and soil was evaluated using morphological and molecular techniques. Isolates were cultured onto selective media and polymerize chain reactions and internal transcribing spacers were used for identification. Acetone leaf extracts of 11Banksiaspp. were screened for antimicrobial activity againstP. cinnamomi, using the minimum inhibitory concentration assay. A total of 3840Banksiaindividuals from seven localities were surveyed.Phytophthora cinnamomiwas consistently isolated fromBanksiaspecies root and soil samples. Out of the 12Banksiaspecies that were screened for antimicrobial activity, four introduced species,B. burdettii,B. coccinea,Banksia hookeriana, andB. prionotesand the invasiveB. integrifoliaandB. ericifoliaexhibited relatively high antimicrobial activity againstP. cinnamomi(strain 696/12). We show that the phytopathogen in the native range has similar impact in the novel range and in doing so may limit invasion success ofBanksiaspecies with low antimicrobial activity.
Background DNA damage is higher in summer than winter in both free‐living and captive birds
Authors: Beattie Ursula K. , Estrada Rodolfo S. , Gormally Brenna M. G. , McVey Mitch , Romero L. Michael 
Published: July 2022

AbstractAlthough stress can cause overall damage to the genome, it is currently unknown whether normal background damage to DNA varies throughout the annual cycle. If DNA damage did vary seasonally, it would have major implications on environmental‐genomic interactions. We measured background DNA double‐stranded breaks using the neutral comet assay in five tissues (nucleated red blood cells, abdominal fat, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and liver) in four cohorts of house sparrows (Passer domesticus): free‐living summer, captives on a summer light cycle, free‐living winter, and captives on a winter light cycle. The experiment was designed to answer three questions: (1) Is red blood cell DNA damage representative of other tissues? (2) Is DNA damage in captive birds representative of DNA damage in free‐living birds? (3) Does DNA damage show seasonality? We found that (1) blood is a representative tissue, (2) captive animals are representative of free‐living animals, and (3) DNA damage is higher in the summer than in the winter. These data indicate that red blood cells can be an index of DNA damage throughout the body and that background levels of DNA damage show substantial seasonal variation. The latter result suggests the possibility that underlying molecular mechanisms of DNA damage and/or repair also change seasonally.
The protective role of FTY720 in promoting survival of allograft fat in mice
Authors: Yi Yi , Hu Wei‐Jie , Zhao Chong‐Ru , Xiong Ming‐Chen , Zhang Qi , Wu Yi‐Ping , Zeng Hong , Zeng Ning 
Published: July 2022

AbstractFat transplantation is widely used for soft‐tissue filling and wound repair. Owing to the biological changes in adipocytes in some metabolic diseases, allograft fat can provide a better source of donor fat than autologous fat. Fingolimod (FTY720) possesses a powerful immunomodulatory function. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of FTY720 in allogeneic fat transplantation. C57BL/6J mice that received allografts were randomly divided into two groups and treated with saline and FTY720, respectively. Fat graft samples were obtained at 1, 6, and 20 weeks posttransplantation. Graft volumes, graft structure, and immune cells were estimated using histological examination, immunohistochemistry, staining immunofluorescence (IF), and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in grafts was detected by qRT‐PCR. FTY720 treatment significantly enhanced allograft retention, structural integrity, and neovascularization, thereby demonstrating the potential of FTY720 in improving graft survival. Further IF staining showed that FTY720 increased regulatory T cell infiltration and reduced macrophage infiltration to some extent. FTY720 treatment also enhanced the expression of the anti‐inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)‐4 and IL‐10 and weakened the expression of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines TNF‐α and IL‐6. Furthermore, FTY720 treatment upregulated the expression of CD31 positive cells. This study demonstrated the potential efficacy of FTY720 in improving the graft survival rate of syngeneic fat allograft models, possibly by suppressing immune rejection and promoting angiogenesis. Therefore, this study offers key insights into the potential application of a drug‐assisted strategy to prolong allograft fat survival.
Postoperative Gabapentin's Effect on Opioid Consumption and Pain Control Following Sinonasal Surgery
Authors: Yang Hong‐Ho , Wu Tara J. , Suh Jeffrey D. , Wang Marilene B. , Holliday Michael A. , Beswick Daniel M. , Zhang Huan , Wells Christine , McCormick Justin , Maxim Tom , Regev Aviva , Chandy Zachariah K. , Lee Jivianne T. 
Published: July 2022

ObjectiveThis study investigates the impact of postoperative gabapentin on opioid consumption and pain control following endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and/or septoplasty.MethodsPatients who underwent ESS and/or septoplasty at a single institution from 2021 to 2022 were enrolled. All patients received postoperative hydrocodone‐acetaminophen for pain control. Half of the patients were also prescribed gabapentin for the first postoperative day in addition to hydrocodone‐acetaminophen. Subjects completed the Revised American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire 24 h and 7 days after surgery. We conducted a multivariable regression analysis to assess opioid consumption and improvement in pain scores in the first week between gabapentin and non‐gabapentin groups.ResultsA total of 102 subjects, 51 in each arm, were enrolled. The mean age was 52 years and 53% of participants were female. Controlling for important baseline demographic, clinical, and surgically related variables, the addition of postoperative gabapentin was associated with a 44% (9.5 mg from 21.6 mg) reduction in opioids consumed in the first postoperative week (B = −9.54, 95% C.I. = [−17.84, −1.24], p = 0.025). In addition, patients in both arms exhibited similar improvement in pain severity and sleep interference in the first 7 days (B = −1.59, 95% C.I. = [−5.03, 1.84], p = 0.36).ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the impact of postoperative gabapentin on opioid consumption and pain control following ESS and/or septoplasty. Our analysis demonstrated that postoperative gabapentin effectively reduced opioid use during the first postoperative week without compromising pain control.Level of Evidence3 Laryngoscope, 133:1065–1072, 2023
A circuit‐topology and cascade‐based de‐embedding for GaN transistor microwave characterization
Authors: Huang Fengyi , Wei Zhennan , Tang Xusheng , Zhang Youming , Jiang Nan 
Published: July 2022

AbstractWe present a novel approach to the de‐embedding for transistor microwave modeling based on a cascade configuration with an open‐thru structure. The thru dummy is represented by a π‐type circuit topology including a series branch and a shunt branch without resorting to a specific lumped‐element equivalent circuit. The proposed method provides a simple way for de‐embedding with a high accuracy similar to the conventional approaches based on complicated multiple‐thru structures.
Effects of plastic deformation and failure on the folding behavior of non‐crosslinked ethylene propylene diene terpolymer composites
Authors: Tobusawa Taiki , Akasaka Shuichi , Asai Shigeo 
Published: July 2022

AbstractIn this study, the effects of plastic deformation and failure of the folded part on the folding behavior of non‐crosslinked ethylene propylene diene terpolymer/paraffin oil/silica gel composites were investigated. The folding behavior was evaluated by the residual fold angle of a folded specimen; a lower fold angle indicates an enhanced folding performance. The fold angle decreased with increasing oil and silica content and was correlated with the tensile yield strain, which is generally related to plastic deformation. Furthermore, the test speed dependence of the fold angle for each set of oil contents and test temperatures was investigated. The fold angle decreased with a decrease in the test speed and an increase in the test temperature. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the low‐fold angle, which indicates an improvement in the folding behavior, was caused by the destruction (voids, crazes, and cracks) of the folded part.
Removal of photoredox catalysts from polymers synthesized by organocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization
Authors: Chism Katherine A. , Corbin Daniel A. , Miyake Garret M. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractOrganocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization (O‐ATRP) is a method of producing polymers with precise structures under mild conditions using organic photoredox catalysts (PCs). Due to the unknown toxicity of PCs and their propensity to introduce color in polymers synthesized by this method, removal of the PC from the polymer product can be important for certain applications of polymers produced using O‐ATRP. Current purification methods largely rely on precipitation to remove the PC from the polymer, but a more effective and efficient purification method is needed. In this work, an alternative purification method relying on oxidation of the PC to PC·+ followed by filtration through a plug to remove PC·+ from the polymer and removal of the volatiles was developed. A range of chemical oxidants and stationary phases were tested for their ability to remove PCs from polymers, revealing chemical oxidation by N‐bromosuccinimide followed by a filtration through a silica plug can remove up to 99% of the PC from poly(methyl methacrylate). Characterization of the polymer before and after purification demonstrated that polymer molecular weight, dispersity, and chain‐end fidelity are not signficantly impacted by this purification method. Finally, this purification method was tested on a range of dihydrophenazine, phenoxazine, dihydroacridines, and phenothiazine PCs, revealing the strength of the chemical oxidant must match the oxidation potential of the PC for effective purification.
Psychological status of mothers of children with cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia
Authors: Ramasli Gursoy Tugba , Sismanlar Eyuboglu Tugba , Aslan Ayse T. , Emiralioglu Nagehan , Pekcan Sevgi , Buyukkaya Eda Z. , Hangul Melih , Kose Mehmet , Soysal Sebnem , Budakoglu Isil I. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractObjectivesWe aimed to investigate depression, burnout, attitude, and burden of caregivers of children with cystic fibrosis (CF), and especially caregivers of children with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) due to limited number of studies on this topic, and to compare them according to their children's clinical status.MethodsClinical features and demographic data of children and their families were asked from caregivers in four pediatric pulmonology centers. Beck Depression Inventory, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale, and Parental Attitude Research Instrument were administered to caregivers in both groups. Results were compared between the two groups.ResultsIn total, 131 children with CF and 39 with PCD and their caregivers were involved in the study. All primary caregivers were mothers in both groups. Depression, burnout, and burden scores of mothers of children with CF were significantly higher than mothers of children with PCD (p = 0.017, p = 0.024, p = 0.038, respectively). Burnout was higher in both CF and PCD groups with low family income (p = 0.022, p = 0.034). Number of hospital visits in the previous 6 months was correlated with burnout in both CF and PCD groups (r = 0.207, p = 0.034; r = 0.352, p = 0.044).ConclusionsAlthough mothers with children with CF have higher levels of depression, burnout, burden, and negative attitudes toward children than mothers with children with PCD, these are also significantly high in mothers with children with PCD. Psychological problems of mothers of children with CF and PCD may increase with frequent hospital visits, hospitalizations, low family income, number of children, and chronic disease in another child.
High‐order leader‐follower tracking control under limited information availability
Authors: Yan Chuan , Yang Tao , Fang Huazhen 
Published: July 2022

AbstractLimited information availability represents a fundamental challenge for control of multi‐agent systems, since an agent often lacks sensing capabilities to measure certain states of its own and can exchange data only with its neighbors. The challenge becomes even greater when agents are governed by high‐order dynamics. The present work is motivated to conduct control design for linear and nonlinear high‐order leader‐follower multi‐agent systems in a context where only the first state of an agent is measured. To address this open challenge, we develop novel distributed observers to enable followers to reconstruct unmeasured or unknown quantities about themselves and the leader and on such a basis, build observer‐based tracking control approaches. We analyze the convergence properties of the proposed approaches and validate their performance through simulation.
Exposure to fluopimomide at sublethal doses causes oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans regulated by insulin/insulin‐like growth factor 1‐like signaling pathway
Authors: Zhang Weiping , Liu Huimin , Fu Guanghan , Li Yujie , Ji Xiaoxue , Zhang Shouan , Wei Min , Qiao Kang 
Published: July 2022

AbstractFluopimomide is an innovative pesticide, widely used for agricultural pest management; however, little is known about its effect on non‐target organisms. This study was designed to assess the potential risk of fluopimomide and the molecular mechanisms using Caenorhabditis elegans, a common model animal. The oxidative stress‐related indicators were analyzed in C. elegans after exposure to fluopimomide for 24 h at three sublethal doses (0.2, 1.0, and 5.0 mg/L). The results demonstrated that sublethal exposure to fluopimomide adversely affected the nematodes growth, locomotive behaviors, reproduction, and lifespan, accompanying with enhanced of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lipid and lipofuscin accumulation, and malondialdehyde content. In addition, exposure to fluopimomide significantly inhibited antioxidant systems including superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S‐transferase, and glutathione in the nematodes. Moreover, the expression of oxidative stress‐related genes of sod‐3, hsp‐16.1, gst‐4, ctl‐2, daf‐16, and daf‐2 were significantly down‐regulated, while the expression of skn‐1 was significantly up‐regulated. Further evidence revealed that daf‐16 and skn‐1 mutant strains of C. elegans significantly decreased ROS production upon fluopimomide exposure compared with the wild‐type nematodes. Overall, our findings indicated that exposure to fluopimomide at sublethal doses caused oxidative damage, mainly associated with insulin/IGF‐1‐like signaling pathway in C. elegans. This is the first report of potential toxic effects of fluopimomide even at low concentrations, providing a new insight into the mechanisms of toxicity to C. elegans by fluopimomide.
Prediction of the Impact of the End of year Festivities on the Local Epidemiology of COVID-19 Using Agent-Based Simulation with Hidden Markov Models
Authors: Engler Camila , Pais Carlos Marcelo , Saavedra Silvina , Juarez Emanuel , Rufiner Hugo Leonardo 
Published: July 2022

AbstractTowards the end of 2020, as people changed their usual behavior due to end of year festivities, increasing the frequency of meetings and the number of people who attended them, the COVID-19 local epidemic’s dynamic changed. Since the beginnings of this pandemic, we have been developing, calibrating and validating a local agent-based model (AbcSim) that can predict intensive care unit and deaths’ evolution from data contained in the state electronic medical records and sociological, climatic, health and geographic information from public sources. In addition, daily symptomatic and asymptomatic cases and other epidemiological variables of interest disaggregated by age group can be forecast. Through a set of Hidden Markov Models, AbcSim reproduces the transmission of the virus associated with the movements and activities of people in this city, considering the behavioral changes typical of local holidays. The calibration and validation were performed based on official data from La Rioja city in Argentina. With the results obtained, it was possible to demonstrate the usefulness of these models to predict possible outbreaks, so that decision-makers can implement the necessary policies to avoid the collapse of the health system.
Artificial Intelligence, eHealth – die Bedeutung für Patient*innen
Authors: Löffler-Stastka Henriette , Dietrich Dietmar , Sauter Thilo 
Published: July 2022

ZusammenfassungZur Etablierung von eHealth-Konzepten bedarf es konsequenter Zusammenarbeit zwischen Techniker*innen und Ärzt*innen, um der Komplexität des Menschen, seiner Bedürfnisse und Leidenszustände sowie deren adäquater Behandlung gerecht zu werden. Die Annäherung der Technik sowie eine kritische Sicht zu einfachen Artificial-Intelligence(AI)-Lösungen werden durch Darstellung eines Fallbeispiels der somatischen Belastungsstörung diskutiert.
Real-world data on efficacy and safety of azacitidine therapy in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia in China: results from a multicenter, retrospective study
Authors: Xu Yu , Guo Rong , Miao Miao , Zhang Guangsen , Lan Jianping , Jin Jie 
Published: July 2022

SummaryChronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a rare and aggressive myeloid malignancy with overlapped features of myelodysplastic syndromes/myeloproliferative neoplasms. Azacitidine (AZA), a hypomethylating agent, has been approved for the treatment of CMML in China, but real-world data are limited. Medical records of CMML patients who had received subcutaneously injected AZA were reviewed from January 2018 at five participating sites in China. Response was assessed according to the modified International Working Group (IWG 2006) criteria. Between January 2018 and November 2020, a total of 24 patients with CMML were included with a median age of 63 years. Patients received a median of 3 cycles of AZA treatment (range, 1–8). Overall response rate (ORR) was 37.5% (9 of 24); CR rate, PR rate, and mCR/HI rate were 8.3% (n = 2), 8.3% (n = 2), and 20.8% (n = 5), respectively. At a median duration of follow-up of 14.0 months (range 0.0–22.0 months), the median overall survival (OS) was 23.0 months. Univariate analysis revealed that ≥ 3 cycles of treatment was significantly associated with a higher 1-year OS rate compared with < 3 cycles of AZA treatment. Treatment was generally well-tolerated. The most common (> 10%) AEs were thrombocytopenia (n = 7, 29.2%), pneumonitis (n = 4, 16.7%) and fever (n = 3, 12.5%). This study provides valuable real-life data in China on the treatment schedules, efficacy and safety of AZA in the treatment of CMML.
Strain and Temperature Discrimination Based on a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer With Cascaded Single Mode Fibers
Authors: Xiao Shiying , Wu Beilei , Sun Chunran , Wang Zixiao , Jiang Youchao 
Published: July 2022

AbstractAn in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer is proposed for the discrimination of strain and temperature. The sensor is based on two cascaded standard single mode fibers using three peanut tapers fabricated by simple splicing. The cascaded structure excites more frequency components, which induce four sets of interference dips in the transmission spectrum. One set of the spectrum dips have different sensitivities to temperature and strain from those of the other three. The sensor can discriminate strain and temperature by monitoring the wavelength shifts of two spectrum dips. Repeated experiments are taken both for strain and temperature increasing and decreasing scenarios. Experimental results show that Dip 1 has an average strain sensitivity of −0.911 pm/µε and an average temperature sensitivity of 49.98 pm/°C. The strain sensitivity for Dip 2 is negligible and its average temperature sensitivity is 60.52 pm/°C The strain and temperature resolutions are ±3.82 µε and ±0.33 °C.
Fatigue, Fracture, and Crack Arrest from Bending Induced Pre-strain in Superelastic Nitinol
Authors: Malito Louis G. , Briant Paul L. , Bowers Matthew L. , Easley Sarah , Schaffer Jeremy E. , James Brad 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe present study evaluates the fatigue and fracture performance of electropolished Nitinol wire apex specimens subjected to a range of initial bending crimp/pre-strains to determine how the fatigue behavior may be modified by compressive strains and residual stress. Three extrados (tensile) crimp/pre-strain conditions (8, 12, and 14.5%) were investigated. Specimens were fatigue cycled in unidirectional bending up to 107 cycles at 37 °C and 1.5% mean strain. High bending crimp/pre-strains were observed to decrease the probability of fatigue fracture for higher strain amplitudes at 107 cycles. Bend intrados fatigue cracks were observed to initiate and arrest at crimp/pre-strains of 12 and 14.5%. These fatigue cracks were arrested at lengths corresponding to the amount of far-field compressive load applied. Finally bending fatigue initiation and fracture in Nitinol was observed to change from the tensile strain surface (extrados) to the compressive surface (intrados) depending on the amount of bending pre-strain applied.