bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Screening for obstructive sleep apnea in elderly: performance of the Berlin and STOP-Bang questionnaires and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale using polysomnography as gold standard
Authors: Godoy Paulo Henrique , Nucera Ana Paula Cassetta dos Santos , Colcher Andressa de Paiva , de-Andrade Jéssica Escorcio , Alves Davi da Silveira Barroso 
Published: February 2022

Objectives Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects approximately one third of the population and can reach 90% prevalence in the elderly. There are screening tools to track the disease, however, their performance may differ according to population characteristics. This study aims to determine sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, likelihood ratio and accuracy of the Berlin (BQ) and STOP-Bang (S-Bang) questionnaires and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), comparing their performances, using polysomnography (PSG) as a gold standard, in a sample of elderly.
Methods The study was cross-sectional, retrospective, included patients aged 60 or older who underwent PSG type 1, regardless of the BQ, S-Bang and ESS results, during the period of June 1, 2017 to April 30, 2019. OSA diagnosis was by PSG in which the hypopnea apnea index was greater than or equal to 5.
Results Sixty- two patients were evaluated; the prevalence of OSA was 72.58%. The mean age in the sample with OSA was 73.0 sd 8.4 years and without it was 74.7 sd 8.1 years. The sample was predominantly female, 58.1% with OSA. The BQ showed the best results for specificity, predictive value, likelihood ratio and accuracy. S-Bang had the best result for sensitivity and ESS showed the worst results. The BQ odds ratio showed that an individual with a positive BQ has 335% more chance of developing OSA.
Conclusion The QB showed the best performance in the measures for identifying OSA, for a sample of elderly individuals, with a predominance of females and a high prevalence of the disease.
Sleep quality problems in Thai medical students
Authors: Thaipisuttikul Papan , Theansukont Thongthai , Boonmueng Ratima , Wisajun Pattarabhorn 
Published: February 2022

Objective To explore sleep quality and daytime sleepiness problems in medical students at Ramathibodi Hospital.
Methods This was a cross-sectional study. Data were collected using questionnaires. The questionnaires included (1) Demographic and personal data, (2) The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality problem assessment and (3) The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) for daytime sleepiness assessment.
Results Of 691 medical students, 165 (23.9%) completed questionnaires. The prevalence of poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness were 63.6% and 41.8%, respectively. After adjusted for age and relationship concern, academic concern (prevalence ratio 1.46) and nighttime activity without screen (prevalence ratio 1.43) were associated significantly with sleep quality problem. No factor was associated with daytime sleepiness.
Discussion Interventions to reduce academic burdens should be promoted to improve sleep problems in medical students. Further studies in larger groups of medical students using both subjective and objective measurements should be done in the future.
Buy Now
Authors: West Emily 
Published: February 2022

How Amazon combined branding and relationship marketing with massive distribution infrastructure to become the ultimate service brand in the digital economy.
Amazon is ubiquitous in our daily lives—we stream movies and television on Amazon Prime Video, converse with Alexa, receive messages on our smartphone about the progress of our latest orders. In Buy Now, Emily West examines Amazon's consumer-facing services to investigate how Amazon as a brand grew so quickly and inserted itself into so many aspects of our lives even as it faded into the background, becoming a sort of infrastructure that can be taken for granted. Amazon promotes the comfort and care of its customers (but not its workers) to become the ultimate service brand in the digital economy.
West shows how Amazon has cultivated personalized, intimate relationships with consumers that normalize its outsized influence on our selves and our communities. She describes the brand's focus on speedy and seamless ecommerce delivery, represented in the materiality of the branded brown box; the positioning of its book retailing, media streaming, and smart speakers as services rather than sales; and the brand's image control strategies. West considers why pushback against Amazon's ubiquity and market power has come mainly from among Amazon's workers rather than its customers or competitors, arguing that Amazon's brand logic fragments consumers as a political bloc. West's innovative account, the first to examine Amazon from a critical media studies perspective, offers a cautionary cultural study of bigness in today's economy.
Methodological approaches for estimating populations of the endangered dhole Cuon alpinus
Authors: Punjabi Girish A. , Havmøller Linnea Worsøe , Havmøller Rasmus Worsøe , Ngoprasert Dusit , Srivathsa Arjun 
Published: February 2022

Large carnivores are important for maintaining ecosystem integrity and attract much research and conservation interest. For most carnivore species, estimating population density or abundance is challenging because they do not have unique markings for individual identification. This hinders status assessments for many threatened species, and calls for testing new methodological approaches. We examined past efforts to assess the population status of the endangered dhole (Cuon alpinus), and explored the application of a suite of recently developed models for estimating their populations using camera-trap data from India’s Western Ghats. We compared the performance of Site-Based Abundance (SBA), Space-to-Event (STE), and Time-to-Event (TTE) models against current knowledge of their population size in the area. We also applied two of these models (TTE and STE) to the co-occurring leopard (Panthera pardus), for which density estimates were available from Spatially Explicit Capture–Recapture (SECR) models, so as to simultaneously validate the accuracy of estimates for one marked and one unmarked species. Our review of literature (n = 38) showed that most assessments of dhole populations involved crude indices (relative abundance index; RAI) or estimates of occupancy and area of suitable habitat; very few studies attempted to estimate populations. Based on empirical data from our field surveys, the TTE and SBA models overestimated dhole population size beyond ecologically plausible limits, but the STE model produced reliable estimates for both the species. Our findings suggest that it is difficult to estimate population sizes of unmarked species when model assumptions are not fully met and data are sparse, which are commonplace for most ecological surveys in the tropics. Based on our assessment, we propose that practitioners who have access to photo-encounter data on dholes across Asia test old and new analytical approaches to increase the overall knowledge-base on the species, and contribute towards conservation monitoring of this endangered carnivore.
FILTRAÇÃO EM MÚLTIPLAS ETAPAS (FiME) MODIFICADA POR MATERIAIS NÃO CONVENCIONAIS
Authors: Almeida Tiago Silva de , Lima Anderson de Jesus , Souza Lucas de Araújo , Michelan Denise Conceição de Góis Santos 
Published: February 2022

Dentre as técnicas disponíveis para tratamento de água para abastecimento humano, pesquisas apontam a filtração em múltiplas etapas (FiME) como alternativa para algumas limitações da filtração lenta pelos tradicionais filtros de areia. Com o objetivo de amortecer picos de cor e turbidez da água afluente, a FiME propõe uma ou mais etapas de filtração antecedentes aos filtros lentos, podendo incorporar materiais não convencionais e resíduos na composição dos leitos filtrantes das suas etapas de filtração, agregando viés ambiental e econômico. Assim, o trabalho avaliou a eficiência do tratamento do sistema de FiME composto por três unidades de filtração ligadas em série, com meios filtrantes compostos por manta não tecida, resíduo de cerâmica vermelha e fibras de coco. O sistema piloto operou sob taxa de filtração de 3 m3/m2 dia ± 10%, em regime intermitente, através de dois Estágios distintos (Estágios 1 e 2). O monitoramento do sistema, associado às análises estatísticas realizadas, não evidenciou diferenças significativas entre os desempenhos alcançados nos dois Estágios. Os pré-filtros apresentaram eficiências médias de remoção de cor aparente de 60% e 46% para os Estágios 1 e 2, respectivamente, ao passo em que a eficiência média de remoção de turbidez alcançada foi de 64% no Estágio 1 e 57% para o Estágio 2, baseando-se, sobretudo, na capacidade de adsorção dos resíduos cerâmicos. A adição das camadas de manta não tecida foi pouco expressiva sobre a eficiência dos filtros, entretanto pôde agregar estabilidade na operação destes, haja vista os baixos Índices de Decaimento da Qualidade da Água (IDQA) alcançados.
Tuning the Hydrophilic–Hydrophobic Balance of Molecular Polymer Bottlebrushes Enhances their Tumor Homing Properties
Authors: Ramamurthi Parathan , Zhao Zhongchao , Burke Eamonn , Steinmetz Nicole F. , Müllner Markus 
Published: February 2022

AbstractNanoparticle (NP)‐based drug delivery systems are promising in anticancer therapy, capable of delivering cargo with superior selectivity and achieving enhanced tumor accumulation compared to small‐molecule therapeutics. As more efforts are being devoted to NP development, molecular polymer bottlebrushes (MPBs) have gained attention as a potential drug delivery vehicle. To date, the influence of various MPB parameters such as size, shape, and surface charge in determining tumor penetrability have been systematically probed. However, the role of amphiphilicity, specifically the hydrophilic–hydrophobic balance, remains unexplored. In this study, a series of MPBs are employed with varied hydrophobicity levels to reveal a dependence between MPB composition, cell association, and tumor homing. The data indicates that increasing levels of hydrophobicity in MPBs (to a certain level) demonstrate only marginal effects in vitro but reveals enhanced tumor homing in a mouse model of ovarian cancer in vivo, where more hydrophilic MPBs exhibit low tissue deposition and low tumor homing. In contrast, more hydrophobic MPBs show significant tumor accumulation and homing due to their engineered hydrophobicity.
Species, clover‐inclusion, and nitrogen fertilizer effects on sod tensile strength of fine fescue taxa
Authors: Braun Ross C. , Patton Aaron J. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIncreasing fertilization rates from 0 to 49 kg N ha−1 during establishment of fine fescue (Festuca spp.) taxa can promote faster grow‐in; however, the influence on sod production (tensile strength and handling) is unknown. More information is needed on both fine fescue taxa and the effects N fertilizer or inclusion of clover (Trifolium spp.) during establishment on sod strength. Field experiments were repeated in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 in Indiana to quantify differences among four fine fescue taxa and N fertilizer or clover‐inclusion effects on sod production. Six N fertilizer levels ranged from 0 to 122.5 kg N ha−1 during the first 8 weeks after planting (WAP), and two treatments consisted of inclusion of either annual or perennial clover + 0 kg N ha−1 at seeding. Sod harvest variables were measured at harvests from 9 to 12 months after planting (MAP). Results indicate fine fescue growth habit characteristics play a large role in sod strength differences. The highest to lowest sod strength and handling was ranked as follows: strong creeping red fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. rubra Gaudin) > slender creeping red fescue [F. rubra ssp. littoralis (G. Mey.) Auquier] ≥ Chewings fescue (F. rubra ssp. commutata Gaudin) ≥ hard fescue (F. brevipila Tracey). A minimal effect on sod strength and handling at multiple sod harvests (9–12 MAP) was observed from increasing N fertilizer levels during first 8 wk of establishment or from clover inclusion.
Extruded monoliths for gas separation processes: Height equivalent to a theoretical plate and pressure drop correlations
Authors: Mennitto Roberto , Sharma Ishan , Brandani Stefano 
Published: February 2022

AbstractExtruded monoliths are generally adopted in the chemical industry for the advantage of reduced pressure drops at high throughput, but a systematic procedure to evaluate their performance is not readily available. Key performance indicators for a monolith are the height equivalent to a theoretical plate (HETP) and the pressure drop of its channels. This contribution presents for the first time a systematic approach to the analysis of several extruded monoliths of industrial relevance. A procedure to derive the HETP correlation for an arbitrary extruded monolith is presented, and pressure drop correlations from literature are reviewed. The HETP correlations have been validated against three dimensional (3D) numerical simulations. A reduced‐order model is derived from the HETP and is shown to capture the overall dynamics of the 3D simulations with high accuracy without adjustable parameters. Finally, a comparison between the extruded monoliths and packed beds is reported and includes pressure drops.
Did prioritizing essential workers help to achieve racial/ethnic equity in early COVID‐19 vaccine distribution? The LA pandemic surveillance cohort study
Authors: Nicholas Will , Sood Neeraj , Lam Chun Nok , Kotha Rani , Hu Howard , Simon Paul 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundMost US states and counties prioritized essential workers for early access to COVID‐19 vaccines due to their heightened occupational risk. Racial/ethnic groups most impacted by COVID‐19 are overrepresented among essential workers. This study estimates the effects of prioritizing essential workers on racial/ethnic equity in COVID‐19 vaccination.MethodsSurvey data were collected from 5500 Los Angeles County adult residents in March and April 2021. Multivariate regression models were used to assess marginal changes in probabilities of vaccination attributable to essential worker status by race/ethnicity. These probabilities were multiplied by population proportions of essential workers in each racial/ethnic group to estimate the effects of prioritizing essential workers on vaccine equity in the population.ResultsWhile Latinos (24.9%), Blacks (22.4%), and Asians (21.4%) were more likely to be prioritized essential workers than Whites (14.3%), their marginal gains in vaccine uptake due to their essential worker status did not significantly differ from that of Whites. At the population‐level, prioritizing vaccines for essential workers increased the probabilities of vaccination by small and similar amounts among Asians (5.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.3%, 7.5%), Blacks (4.0%; 95% CI: 1.7%, 6.5%), Latinos (3.7%; 95% CI: 2.3%, 5.1%), and Whites (2.9%; 95% CI :1.9%, 3.9%).ConclusionsPrioritizing essential workers did not provide proportionally greater early vaccine uptake benefits to racial/ethnic groups that were disproportionately affected by COVID‐19. Early prioritization of essential workers during vaccine campaigns is an important but insufficient strategy for reducing racial/ethnic disparities in early vaccine uptake. Additional strategies addressing access and trust are needed to achieve greater equity in vaccine distribution.
Poor pulmonary function is associated with mild cognitive impairment, its progression to dementia, and brain pathologies: A community‐based cohort study
Authors: Wang Jiao , Dove Abigail , Song Ruixue , Qi Xiuying , Ma Jun , Bennett David A. , Xu Weili 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIntroductionThe relationship between pulmonary function (PF) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, and brain pathologies remains unclear.MethodsA total of 1312 dementia‐free participants, including a cognitively intact group (n = 985) and an MCI group (n = 327), were followed for up to 21 years to detect incident MCI and dementia. PF was assessed at baseline with a composite score and tertiled. Over follow‐up, 540 participants underwent autopsies for neuropathological assessment.ResultsCompared to the highest PF, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of the lowest PF were 1.95 (1.43‐2.66) for MCI in the cognitively intact group and 1.55 (1.03‐2.33) for dementia in the MCI group. Low PF was further related to Alzheimer's disease pathology (odds ratio [OR] 1.32, 95% CI 1.19‐1.47) and vascular pathology (OR 3.05, 95% CI 1.49‐6.25).DiscussionLow PF increases MCI risk and accelerates MCI progression to dementia. Both neurodegenerative and vascular mechanisms may underlie the PF‐dementia association.
Does fish growth respond to fishing restrictions within Marine Protected Areas? A case study of the striped red mullet in the south‐west Adriatic Sea (central Mediterranean)
Authors: Carbonara Pierluigi , Ciccolella Alessandro , De Franco Francesco , Palmisano Michele , Bellodi Andrea , Lembo Giuseppe , Neglia Cosmidano , Spedicato Maria Teresa , Zupa Walter , Guidetti Paolo 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Some of the factors that influence fish growth are intrinsic (e.g. genetic and physiological), while others are environmentally driven (e.g. temperature, food availability). Growth, therefore, has biological but also ecological implications, as it is influenced by the environment in terms of energy flow.
In this study, the growth patterns of the striped red mullet, Mullus surmuletus, inside the buffer zone of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Torre Guaceto and in two locations (Monopoli and Molfetta) outside the MPA were investigated in the south Adriatic Sea (central Mediterranean).
The growth parameters for the female population fraction were estimated using the otolith back‐calculation technique: predicted asymptotic length (infinity) (TL∞) = 313.781 mm, growth coefficient (K) = 0.236 year−1 and prenatal length (t0) = −1.255 year for Molfetta; TL∞ = 342.988 mm, K = 0.173 year−1 and t0 = −1.828 year for Monopoli; TL∞ = 404.394 mm, K = 0.199 year−1 and t0 = −1.037 year for Torre Guaceto MPA. The results showed a significantly higher growth rate of female specimens of M. surmuletus, particularly 2 years and older, obtained from inside the MPA compared to those taken at the two outside locations.
These findings suggest that fishing restrictions in the buffer zone of the MPA (where fish are more abundant and bigger) could be a more powerful driver for boosting individual fish growth than the mere ‘density effect’, which would have suggested lower growth rates associated with higher population densities.
Comparing the uncomparable? An investigation of car manufacturers' climate performance
Authors: Boiral Olivier , Brotherton Marie‐Christine , Rivaud Léo , Talbot David 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe objective of this study is to investigate the interfirm comparability of climate performance disclosed in the sustainability reports produced by car manufacturers that have been criticized over the past few years. The in‐depth content analysis of the data disclosed by 17 car manufacturers over the period of 2014 to 2017, covering the five main climate indicators from the Global Reporting Initiative standard, shows that it is impossible to make meaningful comparisons between companies' performance, regardless of the intrinsic reliability of the data disclosed. A detailed examination of the data obtained highlights the four main difficulties that prevent a rigorous and credible ranking of the climate performance disclosed in the sustainability reports: the fuzzy and eclectic measurement methods employed, the unclear and heterogeneous scope of measurement, the noncompliance and lack of standardization of the reported data, and the inconsistencies in and inappropriate contextualization of disclosed information. The use of three complementary theoretical lenses—functionalist, critical, and postmodern—allows for a better understanding of the reasons underlying these problems. Contributions to the literature are set out, particularly on the measurability and comparability of sustainability performance. The practical implications of the study and avenues for future research are also explained.
Bubble dynamics in 2‐D gas–solid fluidized bed with Geldart A or Geldart B particles by image processing method
Authors: Han Bowen , Sun Zeneng , Zhu Jesse , Fu Zhijie , Kong Xiangwei , Barghi Shahzad 
Published: February 2022

AbstractGas bubbles in a two‐dimensional gas–solid fluidized bed were identified using an image processing method to characterize the bubble dynamics in a binary fluidization system. The magnetite, sand (two types), and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst particles belonging to Geldart groups A and B were used as the particulate materials. Image processing and MATLAB were applied for bubble size and velocity measurements. Bubble properties and bed expansion in fluidized beds of those four types of particles were studied. Bubble size and bubble rise velocity were found to increase with the distance above the gas distributor and excess gas velocity. Geldart A particles have a higher bed expansion than Geldart B particles due to the large number of small bubbles in the bed. A new empirical correlation for estimating bubble diameter along the bed height was proposed, giving good agreement with the experimental data.
Regulation of Epstein–Barr virus‐induced molecule 2 in immune responses
Authors: Liu Fangming , Zou Dongxiu , Spada Claudio , Wang Xiangdong 
Published: February 2022

AbstractEpstein–Barr virus‐induced molecule 2 (EBI2) is well known as a chemotactic receptor for B cells, T cells, dendritic cells (DCs) and other various cell populations. With the deepening of research, it is thought that EBI2 may also play a key role in functional responses, such as immune regulation, differentiation and tissue homeostasis. An abnormal expression of EBI2 has been considered to be associated with diseases, including inflammation and chronic diseases. In this review, we expounded the molecular mechanism of activation of EBI2 stimulated by its most effective agonist, 7α, 25‐OHC, and discussed typical research findings on EBI2 in immune control in recent decades. In addition, diseases caused by unusual EBI2 regulation have also been discussed, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In conclusion, EBI2 has been potentially regarded as a therapeutic target for chronic inflammation.
Ferroptosis‐associated cholesterol metabolism regulated by p85α in human bronchial epithelial cells with smoking
Authors: Li Liyang , Wang Xiangdong 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation, airflow obstruction, and lung damage resulting from multiple causes, in particular the exposure to cigarette smoke. Growing evidence supports an important role for lipid metabolism in the development of COPD, where ferroptosis plays a critical role in lipid metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) in the induction and formation of ferroptosis and its potential relation with intracellular cholesterol accumulation.MethodsFilipin III staining and cholesterol content assay kit were used to detect intracellular cholesterol level. BODIPY C11 581/591 and malondialdehyde (MDA) assay kit were used to detect lipid perioxidation. Quantitative RT‐PCR was used to detect the mRNA level of ferroptosis‐related and cholesterol‐related genes. The protein expression of phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway and related proteins were analyzed by Western blot.ResultsWe found that CSE and exogenous cholesterol induced ferroptosis, while the ferroptosis agonist increased intracellular cholesterol levels. The inhibition of ferroptosis activated the cholesterol efflux and synthesis. We also found regulatory roles of PI3K/AKT pathway, especially the role of p85α, in the development of ferroptosis.ConclusionsCSE‐induced ferroptosis in human bronchial epithelia changed intracellular cholesterol homeostasis. The interaction between cholesterol metabolism and ferroptosis may play an important role in the development of COPD.