bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with COPD from the United States, South Korea, and Europe
Authors: Moreno-Martos David , Verhamme Katia , Ostropolets Anna , Kostka Kristin , Duarte-Sales Talita , Prieto-Alhambra Daniel , Alshammari Thamir M , Alghoul Heba , Ahmed Waheed-Ul-Rahman , Blacketer Clair , DuVall Scott , Lai Lana , Matheny Michael , Nyberg Fredrik , Posada Jose , Rijnbeek Peter , Spotnitz Matthew , Sena Anthony , Shah Nigam , Suchard Marc , Chan You Seng , Hripcsak George , Ryan Patrick , Morales Daniel 
Published: March 2022

Background: Characterization studies of COVID-19 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are limited in size and scope. The aim of the study is to provide a large-scale characterization of COVID-19 patients with COPD. Methods: We included thirteen databases contributing data from January-June 2020 from North America (US), Europe and Asia. We defined two cohorts of patients with COVID-19 namely a ‘diagnosed’ and ‘hospitalized’ cohort. We followed patients from COVID-19 index date to 30 days or death. We performed descriptive analysis and reported the frequency of characteristics and outcomes among COPD patients with COVID-19. Results: The study included 934,778 patients in the diagnosed COVID-19 cohort and 177,201 in the hospitalized COVID-19 cohort. Observed COPD prevalence in the diagnosed cohort ranged from 3.8% (95%CI 3.5-4.1%) in French data to 22.7% (95%CI 22.4-23.0) in US data, and from 1.9% (95%CI 1.6-2.2) in South Korean to 44.0% (95%CI 43.1-45.0) in US data, in the hospitalized cohorts. COPD patients in the hospitalized cohort had greater comorbidity than those in the diagnosed cohort, including hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Mortality was higher in COPD patients in the hospitalized cohort and ranged from 7.6% (95%CI 6.9-8.4) to 32.2% (95%CI 28.0-36.7) across databases. ARDS, acute renal failure, cardiac arrhythmia and sepsis were the most common outcomes among hospitalized COPD patients. Conclusion: COPD patients with COVID-19 have high levels of COVID-19-associated comorbidities and poor COVID-19 outcomes. Further research is required to identify patients with COPD at high risk of worse outcomes.
Meeting Corporate Renewable Power Targets
Authors: Trivella Alessio , Mohseni-Taheri Danial , Nadarajah Selvaprabu 
Published: March 2022

Several corporations have committed to procuring a percentage of their electricity demand from renewable sources by a future date. Long-term financial contracts with renewable generators based on a fixed strike price, known as virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs), are popular to meet such a target. We formulate rolling power purchases using a portfolio of VPPAs as a Markov decision process, accounting for uncertainty in generator availability and in the prices of electricity, renewable energy certificates, and VPPAs. Obtaining an optimal procurement policy is intractable. We consider forecast-based reoptimization heuristics consistent with practice that limit the sourcing of different VPPA types and the timing of new agreements. We extend these heuristics and introduce an information-relaxation based reoptimization heuristic, both of which allow for full sourcing and timing flexibilities. The latter heuristic also accounts for future uncertainties when making a decision. We assess the value of decision flexibility in rolling power purchases to meet a renewable target by numerically comparing the aforementioned policies and variants thereof on realistic instances involving a novel strike price stochastic process calibrated to data. Policies with full timing flexibility and no sourcing flexibility reduce procurement costs significantly compared with one with neither type of flexibility. Introducing sourcing flexibility in the former policies results in further significant cost reduction, thus providing support for using VPPA portfolios that are both dynamic and heterogeneous. Computing near-optimal portfolios of this nature entails using our information-relaxation based reoptimization heuristic because portfolios constructed via forecast-based reoptimization exhibit higher suboptimality. This paper was accepted by Ilia Tsetlin, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4354 .
Assessing Chilling Injury in Cucumber Seedlings Using Chlorophyll Fluorescence Based on a Quantum Genetic Algorithm and Support Vector Regression Model
Authors: Lu Miao , Yuan Kaikai , Li Bin , Gao Pan , Wu Huarui , Hu Jin 
Published: March 2022

HighlightsA method is proposed to analyze chilling injury in cucumber seedlings.A mutual information method was adopted to determine model output.Different modeling approaches were compared for improving accuracy.The optimal model input type was determined and discussed.Abstract. Low temperature limits photosynthesis and leads to reduced production in plants. Accurate monitoring of the physiological state of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings and assessing their chilling injury are of great importance for the off-season cucumber industry. Dark chlorophyll fluorescence parameters have been proven to be efficient for revealing environmental stress on plant growth. We used seedlings of cucumber cultivar Bonai 14-3 to test a nested set of fluorescence parameters to assess the response characteristics of dark chlorophyll fluorescence parameters during eight days at low temperatures. Mutual information analysis showed that the dark chlorophyll fluorescence parameter Fv/Fo, an indicator of the potential activity of photosystem II, gave the strongest correlation with stage of chilling injury. We compared three Fv/Fo prediction models with different inputs, constructed using a quantum genetic algorithm support vector regression method. The model showed the highest accuracy when the inputs were Fv and Fo measured before low-temperature treatment, coupled with temperature, and duration. The coefficient of determination of the training and testing sets were both greater than 0.98. The root mean square error and the mean absolute error were both less than 0.15. This model was able to achieve accurate prediction of Fv/Fo for seedlings in a low-temperature environment, providing a potential method for non-destructive analysis and diagnosis of cucumber chilling injury. Keywords: Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, Low temperature, Mutual information, Prediction.
Effects of ivermectin treatment of backyard chickens on mosquito dynamics and West Nile virus transmission
Authors: Holcomb Karen M. , Nguyen Chilinh , Foy Brian D. , Ahn Michelle , Cramer Kurt , Lonstrup Emma T. , Mete Asli , Tell Lisa A. , Barker Christopher M. 
Published: March 2022

Background
Vector control strategies typically rely on pesticides to target mosquitoes involved in enzootic and zoonotic transmission of West Nile virus (WNV). Nevertheless, increasing insecticide resistance and a desire to reduce pesticide usage provide the impetus for developing alternative strategies. Ivermectin (IVM), an antiparasitic drug which is widely used in human and veterinary medicine, is a potential alternative for targeted control because Culex mosquitoes experience increased mortality following ingestion of IVM in bloodmeals.

Methodology/Principal findings
We conducted a randomized field trial to investigate the impact of treating backyard chicken flocks with IVM in urban neighborhoods across Davis, California on mosquito populations and WNV transmission dynamics. We observed a significant reduction in WNV seroconversions in treated vs. untreated chickens, suggesting a reduction in WNV transmission intensity around treated flocks. We also detected a reduction in parity rates of Cx. tarsalis near treated vs. untreated flocks and increased mortality in wild mosquitoes following a bloodmeal on treated chickens (IVM serum concentration > 5ng/mL) vs. chickens with IVM serum concentrations < 5 ng/mL. However, we did not find a significant difference in abundance or infection prevalence in mosquitoes between treatment groups associated with the reductions in seroconversions. Mosquito immigration from surrounding larval habitat, relatively low WNV activity in the study area, and variable IVM serum concentrations likely contributed to uncertainty about the impact.

Conclusions/Significance
Taken together, our results point to a reduction in WNV transmission due to the impact of IVM on Culex mosquito populations and support the ongoing investigation of oral administration of IVM to wild birds for local control of WNV transmission, although further work is needed to optimize dosing and understand effects on entomological endpoints.
Obesity and high myopia in children and adolescents: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Authors: Lee Sami , Lee Haeng-Jin , Lee Kyoung Geun , Kim Jihan 
Published: March 2022

Purpose
The prevalence of both obesity and myopia are increasing in Korean children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of obesity on the prevalence of myopia in Korean children and adolescents.

Methods
This study used the data of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VII conducted from 2016 to 2018. Of the 1237 children and adolescents aged 5–18 years who participated in the KNHANES VII and underwent ophthalmologic examinations for the survey, 1114 were selected for review, excluding those whose data on refractive error, family history of myopia, or waist circumference were missing. Body mass index (BMI) was classified into four groups: underweight (< 5th percentile), normal weight (≥ 5th percentile, < 85th percentile), overweight (≥ 85th percentile, < 95th percentile), and obese (≥ 95th percentile). Myopia was defined by the level of refractive error ≤ -0.5 diopters (D) and classified as mild (≤ -0.5 D, > -3.0 D), moderate (≤ -3.0 D, > -6.0 D), or high (≤ -6.0 D) myopia. The relationship between BMI and myopia was analyzed using complex sample logistic regression. Age and family history were corrected followed by an analysis of the odds ratios.

Results
Compared to those with normal weights (controls), being underweight, overweight, or obese showed no significant odds of developing mild and moderate myopia. Conversely, when compared with that of controls, the odds ratio of developing high myopia in the underweight, overweight, and obese groups was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.22–2.65), 1.37 (95% CI, 0.51–3.66), and 3.77 (95% CI, 1.98–7.16), respectively. Furthermore, in a separate analysis by sex and BMI, the odds ratio of developing high myopia was 2.84 (95% CI, 1.10–7.35) in boys with obesity and 4.23 (95% CI,1.19–15.09) and 5.04 (95% CI,1.77–14.34) in overweight and obese girls, respectively.

Conclusions
An association exists between obesity in childhood and adolescence and high myopia. Being overweight in girls was also found to be associated with high myopia. Thus, efforts to maintain a healthy weight during childhood and adolescence are of great importance.
Recruitment in randomized clinical trials: The MeMeMe experience
Authors: Baldassari Ivan , Oliverio Andreina , Krogh Vittorio , Bruno Eleonora , Gargano Giuliana , Cortellini Mauro , Casagrande Alice , Di Mauro Maria G. , Venturelli Elisabetta , Del Sette Cerulli Daniela , Manuela Bellegotti , Berrino Franco , Pasanisi Patrizia 
Published: March 2022

Introduction
Recruitment is essential for the success of clinical trials. We are conducting a randomized clinical trial to test the effect of a Mediterranean dietary intervention with or without 1700 mg/day of metformin for the prevention of age-related chronic diseases, the MeMeMe trial (Trial registration number: EudraCT number: 2012-005427-32 ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02960711). MeMeMe recruiting experience, highlighting strengths, limitations encountered and results is reported.

Patients and methods
Statistical analysis focused on the reasons for withdrawal according to the recruitment method (“active” versus “passive” criterion) and the time of withdrawal. Logistic regression models were used to explore the associations between the risk of withdrawal and sex, recruitment method, randomization arm, and with markers of compliance to the intervention, such as one-year change in body weight.

Results
Out of 2035 volunteers, 660 (32.4%) were recruited “actively” and 1375 (67.6%) “passively”. Among people who dropped out of the trial after randomization, there were 19.5% for the “active” and 22.0% for the “passive” method (p = 0.28). The risk of withdrawal was significantly higher in women (OR:1.91; 95% CI:1.17–3.12; p = 0.01), in volunteers older at recruitment (OR:1.25; 95% CI:1.07–1.45; p = 0.004), and in those with a higher BMI at baseline (OR:1.23; 95% CI:1.07–1.43; p = 0.004). Volunteers who lost at least 2 kg (the median weight change) in the first year of intervention were significantly less (53%) likely to withdraw from the trial (OR:0.48; 95% CI:0.30–0.75; p = 0.001).

Conclusion
Our findings suggest that the “passive” recruitment method was more effective than the “active” one to advance recruitment. The benefits of “passive” recruitment hardly outweighed the drawbacks.

Trial registration
Trial registration number: EudraCT number: 2012-005427-32. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02960711.
Association between urinary N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase activity–urinary creatinine concentration ratio and risk of disability and all-cause mortality
Authors: Tanaka Shin-ichiro , Fujioka Yoshio , Tsujino Takeshi , Ishida Tatsuro , Hirata Ken-ichi 
Published: March 2022

Background
Recent studies have suggested that chronic kidney disease is associated with cardiovascular disease, dementia, and frailty, all of which cause disability and early death. We investigated whether increased activity of urinary N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (NAG), a marker of kidney injury, is associated with risk of disability or all-cause mortality in a general population.

Methods
Follow-up data from the Hidaka Cohort Study, a population-based cohort study of members of a Japanese rural community, were obtained via questionnaires completed by participants or their relatives. Multivariable analyses were used to investigate relations between urinary NAG activity–urinary creatinine concentration ratio and risk of disability or all-cause mortality.

Results
A total of 1182 participants were followed up for a median of 12.4 years. The endpoints were receipt of support under the public long-term care insurance program, and all-cause mortality. A total of 122 participants (10.3%) were reported to be receiving long-term care and 230 (19.5%) had died. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors along with physical activity, and using the quartile 1 results as a reference, the odds ratio (OR) for disability was 2.12 [95% confidence interval (95% confidence interval [CI]), 1.04–4.33; p = 0.038) and the hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was 1.65 (95% CI, 1.05–2.62; p = 0.031) in participants with urinary NAG/creatinine ratio in quartile 4. Similar results were obtained in participants without proteinuria: OR for disability, 2.46 (95% CI, 1.18–5.16; p = 0.017); and HR for all-cause mortality, 1.62 (95% CI, 1.00–2.63; p = 0.049).

Conclusions
Increased urinary NAG/creatinine ratio was associated with risk of disability or all-cause mortality in a general population.
Prognostic indicators of disease progression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A literature review and evidence synthesis
Authors: Ferizovic Nermina , Summers Jessica , de Zárate Igor Beitia Ortiz , Werner Christian , Jiang Joel , Landfeldt Erik , Buesch Katharina 
Published: March 2022

BackgroundDuchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rare, severely debilitating, and fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive muscle degeneration. Like in many orphan diseases, randomized controlled trials are uncommon in DMD, resulting in the need to indirectly compare treatment effects, for example by pooling individual patient-level data from multiple sources. However, to derive reliable estimates, it is necessary to ensure that the samples considered are comparable with respect to factors significantly affecting the clinical progression of the disease. To help inform such analyses, the objective of this study was to review and synthesise published evidence of prognostic indicators of disease progression in DMD. We searched MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase (via Ovid) and the Cochrane Library (via Wiley) for records published from inception up until April 23 2021, reporting evidence of prognostic indicators of disease progression in DMD. Risk of bias was established with the grading system of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM).ResultsOur search included 135 studies involving 25,610 patients from 18 countries across six continents (Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America). We identified a total of 23 prognostic indicators of disease progression in DMD, namely age at diagnosis, age at onset of symptoms, ataluren treatment, ATL1102, BMI, cardiac medication, DMD genetic modifiers, DMD mutation type, drisapersen, edasalonexent, eteplirsen, glucocorticoid exposure, height, idebenone, lower limb surgery, orthoses, oxandrolone, spinal surgery, TAS-205, vamorolone, vitlolarsen, ventilation support, and weight. Of these, cardiac medication, DMD genetic modifiers, DMD mutation type, and glucocorticoid exposure were designated core prognostic indicators, each supported by a high level of evidence and significantly affecting a wide range of clinical outcomes.ConclusionThis study provides a current summary of prognostic indicators of disease progression in DMD, which will help inform the design of comparative analyses and future data collection initiatives in this patient population.
Effects of chronic mild hyperoxia on retinal and choroidal blood flow and retinal function in the DBA/2J mouse model of glaucoma
Authors: Muir Eric R. , Chandra Saurav B. , Narayanan Divya , Zhang Vincent , Zhang Ike , Jiang Zhao , Kiel Jeffrey W. , Duong Timothy Q. 
Published: March 2022

Purpose
To test the hypothesis that mild chronic hyperoxia treatment would improve retinal function despite a progressive decline in ocular blood flow in the DBA/2J mouse model of glaucoma.

Materials and methods
DBA/2J mice were treated with chronic mild hyperoxia (30% O2) beginning at 4.5 months of age or were untreated by giving normal room air. Retinal and choroidal blood flow (RBF and ChBF, respectively) were measured at 4, 6, and 9 months of age by MRI. Blood flow was additionally measured under hypercapnia challenge (5% CO2 inhalation) to assess vascular reactivity. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured using a rebound tonometer at the same time points. Scotopic flash electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded at 9 months of age.

Results
Both ChBF and RBF were reduced and significantly affected by age (p < 0.01), but neither were significantly affected by O2-treatment (p > 0.05). ChBF significantly increased in response to hypercapnia (p < 0.01), which was also unaffected by O2-treatment. Significant effects of age (p < 0.001) and of the interaction of age with treatment (p = 0.028) were found on IOP. IOP significantly decreased in O2-treated mice at 6 months compared to 4 months of age (p < 0.001), while IOP trended to increase with age in untreated mice. The amplitude of the b-wave from ERG was significantly increased in O2-treated DBA/2J compared to the untreated mice (p = 0.012), while the a-wave and oscillatory potentials were not significantly affected (p > 0.05).

Conclusion
This study investigated the effects of chronic mild hyperoxia on retinal function and on retinal and choroidal blood flow in a mouse model of glaucoma. Retinal function was improved in the O2-treated mice at late stage, despite a progressive decline of RBF and ChBF with age that was comparable to untreated mice.
Se persuader de ne penser à rien
Authors: Breeur Roland 
Published: March 2022

I would like to suggest how Descartes seems to combine two kinds of "idiocy" in his work: In the first, he urges us to strip ourselves of our accumulated knowledge from early childhood, in order to enter again "ignorant into this world". In short, we must cultivate a form of idiocy before we can stimulate our cognitive power. And yet, in his letters to Elizabeth, he advises those who are too persistent in pursuing serious meditations (for example on the relationship between soul and body) to refrain from doing philosophy: instead, like an ignorant, one should "give all one's time to the relaxation of the senses and the rest of the mind" (FA III, 45).
What is the relation between these two forms of "ignorance"; this is the content of my article.
Pourquoi parler d'union corps/esprit chez Spinoza?
Authors: Jaquet Chantal 
Published: March 2022

The paper examines the reasons why Spinoza speaks of an union body/mind instead of an unity. Indeed, according to Ethics II, XXI, scholium, « the mind and the body are one and the same individual, which is conceived now under the attribute of thought, now under the attribute of extension ». The term union implies the conjunction of two things and seems paradoxical because we deal with one and the same individual. Therefore it involves analysing the new meaning of the psychophysical union first, then showing the persistence of a classical meaning of the union concerning not so much the intermodal relation between body and mind as the intramodal relation between their parts.
Large Hepatic Adenomas and Hepatic Adenomatosis: A Multicenter Study of Risk Factors, Interventions, and Complications
Authors: Lammert Craig , Toal Emily , Mathur Karan , Khungar Vandana , House Michael , Roberts Lewis R. , Reddy K. Rajender , Chalasani Naga 
Published: March 2022

INTRODUCTION:
Beyond oral contraceptives (OCs), metabolic factors have been suggested to increase the risk of hepatocellular adenoma (HCA). The impact of risks remains poorly defined, particularly among men and those with adenomatosis. Thus, we aimed to examine HCA clinical and outcome characteristics through a large multicenter cohort.

METHODS:
HCA diagnosis was made based on a combination of clinical, radiologic, and histologic criteria. Patient and clinical data including follow-up imaging, complications, and interventions were collected between 2004 and 2018 from 3 large academic centers.

RESULTS:
Among 187 patients (163 female and 24 male) with HCA, 75 had solitary HCA, 58 had multiple HCAs, and 54 had adenomatosis. Over a median follow-up of 3.3 years (quartile 1: 1.2, quartile 3: 8.8), 34 patients (18%) had radiologic interventions, 41 (21%) had surgical resections, 10 (5%) developed tumoral hemorrhage, and 1 had malignant transformation. OC and corticosteroid use were present in 70% and 16%, respectively. Obesity (51%), type 2 diabetes (24%), hypertension (42%), and hypertriglyceridemia (21%) were also common. Metabolic comorbidities were more common in patients with large HCAs and adenomatosis. Compared with women, men had less hepatic steatosis (4% vs 27%), smaller HCAs (2.3 cm vs 4.4 cm), and more corticosteroid use (38% vs 11%) (P < 0.05 for all). With OC cessation, 69% had a decrease in size of HCA, but 25% eventually required advanced interventions.

DISCUSSION:
In this large HCA cohort, obesity and metabolic comorbidities were important risk factors associated with large HCAs and adenomatosis. Long-term adverse outcomes were infrequent, 5% had tumor hemorrhage, and 1 patient exhibited malignant transformation.