showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Outcomes of Diabetic Retinopathy Post-Bariatric Surgery in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
2021
Bariatric surgery is an emerging therapeutic approach for obese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, with proven benefits for achieving target glucose control and even remission of diabetes. However, the effect of bariatric surgery upon diabetic retinopathy is still a subject of debate as some studies show a positive effect while others raise concerns about potential early worsening effects. We performed a systematic review, on PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases regarding the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy in obese T2DM patients who underwent weight-loss surgical procedures. A total of 6375 T2DM patients were analyzed. Most cases remained stable after b…
Somatic symptoms in the Eastern and Western states of Germany 30 years after unification: Population-based survey analyses.
2021
Background Following German reunification, physical health indicators in the formerly separated states (German Democratic Republic- East/ Federal Republic of Germany-West) have converged. However, it remains unclear how these societal changes have impacted somatic complaints, a major indicator of physical and mental health. Therefore, we investigated how somatic symptom reporting in men and women evolved regarding residency. Methods We administered cross-sectional surveys representative of the German population with comparable sample size in 1994 (N = 3047), 2001 (N = 2050), 2013 (N = 2508) and 2019 (N = 2531) following random route procedure. Men and women aged 14-99 reported demographics …
Adult congenital heart disease: Special considerations for COVID-19 and vaccine allocation/prioritization
2021
Abstract Individuals with the highest risk for adverse outcomes of COVID-19 should be prioritized by the vaccine allocation policies. We have conducted a literature review of published studies, which comprehend congenital heart disease (CHD) and COVID-19, in order to present the overall evidences of both exposure and clinical risk of patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) and to propose a risk profile schema for those patients to be incorporated into vaccine distribution decisions.
Operaționalizarea experimentului în critica literară românească
2021
This study has a two-fold structure, in its first part exploring various models of experimental literature, proposed by researchers such as Gerald Prince and Warren Motte, as well as theoretical attempts to define and analyze experimental literature in Romania. The second part focuses on the quantitative analysis of keywords related to “the experimental” found in literary histories of Romanian literature authored by E. Lovinescu, G. Călinescu, Nicolae Manolescu, and Mihai Iovănel, as well as The General Dictionary of Romanian Literature and The Chronological Dictionary of the Romanian Novel. By simply searching several pointedly chosen terms in the corpus, a cartography of what is considere…
What determines the willingness to sanction violations of newly introduced social norms: Personality traits or economic preferences? evidence from th…
2021
Abstract Social norms govern human behavior and usually change slowly over time. While individuals’ willingness to sanction others is decisive for the enforcement of social norms and thus social stability, little is known about individual sanctioning behavior related to newly introduced social norms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have used various tools to rapidly and actively introduce the new norm of wearing a face mask; this offers a unique setting to study the determinants of individuals’ willingness to sanction a cooperation norm. In a nationwide online survey in Germany, we find that higher levels of conscientiousness and neuroticism, but none of the economic preferences (…
Second language comprehensibility and accentedness across oral proficiency levels : A comparison of two L1s
2021
Second language comprehensibility and accentedness are highly complex phenomena, and numerous studies have been conducted to better understand these constructs. However, research has seldom addressed L2 comprehensibility and accentedness in relation to speakers' proficiency in the target language. This study explores L2 English comprehensibility and accentedness across three proficiency levels. The speakers were 60 teenaged Finns, half of them speaking Finnish as their L1 and half speaking Finland-Swedish as their L1. Using 20-s speech samples, the comprehensibility and accentedness of the speakers were rated by 34 English-speaking teenagers on a 9-point scale. Comparisons were made regardi…
L’ammissibilità ratione personae dei ricorsi alla Corte europea di individui estremamente vulnerabili: uguaglianza sostanziale e tutela del diritto d…
2021
The legal framework governing proceedings before the ECtHR does not deal with cases in which victims of human rights violations are not de jure and/or de facto capable of lodging applications with the Court. In the effort of overcoming such a procedural lacuna, the Court has established a test that, taking into consideration the extreme vulnerability of the victims (such as minors and persons with disabilities) and the seriousness of the alleged violations, allows NGOs to apply as their ‘de facto representatives’, provided that some other conditions are fulfilled. The Court’s approach, however, has not been always consistent and does not guarantee predictability and legal certainty. Moreove…
Extracellular Vesicles in neural cell interaction and CNS homeostasis
2021
Abstract Central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis critically depends on the interaction between neurons and glia cells. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) recently emerged as versatile messengers in CNS cell communication. EVs are released by neurons and glia in activity‐dependent manner and address multiple target cells within and outside the nervous system. Here, we summarize the recent advances in understanding the physiological roles of EVs in the nervous system and their ability to deliver signals across the CNS barriers. In addition to the disposal of cellular components via EVs and clearance by phagocytic cells, EVs are involved in plasticity‐associated processes, mediate trophic support a…
The H-graph with equal masses in terms of multiple polylogarithms
2021
The initial phase of the inspiral process of a binary system producing gravitational waves can be described by perturbation theory. At the third post-Minkowskian order a two-loop double box graph, known as H-graph contributes. We consider the case where the two objects making up the binary system have equal masses. We express all master integrals related to the equal-mass H-graph up to weight four in terms of multiple polylogarithms. We provide a numerical program which evaluates all master integrals up to weight four in the physical regions with arbitrary precision.
Healthy lifestyle and academic performance in middle school students from the region of Aragón (Spain)
2021
A healthy lifestyle is important to the present and future development and health of school age people. This study aims to analyze the relationship between daily lifestyle habits and academic performance in a sample of adolescents from the autonomous community of Aragon (Spain). We performed a cross-sectional study to analyze the lifestyle habits and academic performance of a total of 1745 7th and 8th grade middle school students during the academic year 2018–2019
Pili Torti: A Feature of Numerous Congenital and Acquired Conditions
2021
Pili torti is a rare condition characterized by the presence of the hair shaft, which is flattened at irregular intervals and twisted 180° along its long axis. It is a form of hair shaft disorder with increased fragility. The condition is classified into inherited and acquired. Inherited forms may be either isolated or associated with numerous genetic diseases or syndromes (e.g., Menkes disease, Björnstad syndrome, Netherton syndrome, and Bazex-Dupré-Christol syndrome). Moreover, pili torti may be a feature of various ectodermal dysplasias (such as Rapp-Hodgkin syndrome and Ankyloblepharon-ectodermal defects-cleft lip/palate syndrome). Acquired pili torti was described in numerous forms of …
Two new diterpenoids from kencur (Kaempferia galanga): Structure elucidation and chemosystematic significance
2021
Abstract Aromatic ginger or kencur (Kaempferia galanga L.) rhizomes are ground as a spice or pickled for consumption in south-east Asian cuisines; although widely used, until recently it has been less studied chemically than white and red ginger. Hydro-distillate extracts have identified several compounds that exhibit anticancer activity against select tumor cell lines in vitro, and most recently chemical analyses have focused on rhizome metabolites present in organic extracts. Here we report on two new diterpenoids including Δ8(14),15 polyhydroxlated isopimardienes, 1α-hydroperoxy-2α,6,7-trihydroxy-isopimara-6(7),8(14),15-triene (kaemgalangol E; 1) and 1α,7β-hydroxy-isopimara-8(14),15-dien…
Supported iridium catalysts for the total oxidation of short chain alkanes and their mixtures: Influence of the support
2021
13 figures, 3 tables.-- Supplementary information available.-- © 2020. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
GARP: A Key Target to Evaluate Tumor Immunosuppressive Microenvironment
2021
Simple Summary Tumors are not only composed of cancer cells but also of various infiltrating cells constituting the tumor microenvironment (TME); all these cells produce growth factors which contribute to tumor progression and invasiveness. Among them, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) has been shown to be a potent immunosuppressive cytokine favoring cell proliferation and invasion and to be associated with resistance to anticancer treatments. Glycoprotein-A repetition predominant (GARP) plays a critical role in the activation of TGF-β1 and has been shown to be expressed at the membrane of cancer cells and also of regulatory T cells and platelets in the TME. An increased GARP expressio…
Immune-Mediated Desquamative Gingivitis and Optical Coherence Tomography Diagnostic Patterns: Clinical Implication from a Systematic Review
2021
Desquamative Gingivitis (DG) comprises heterogeneous clinical manifestations of numerous immune-mediated muco-cutaneous diseases. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has been proposed as a valuable diagnostic support even if, to date, there are no standardized OCT-diagnostic patterns applicable to DGs. A systematic review was performed to detect existing data on in vivo OCT diagnostic patterns of the most common immune-mediated DGs (i.e., pemphigus vulgaris, mucous membrane pemphigoid and oral lichen planus). It has been found that OCT exhibits specific patterns that address the diagnosis of DG by pemphigus vulgaris (i.e., intraepithelial unilocular blister, reduced epithelial thickness, pre…
Measuring job stress in transportation workers: psychometric properties, convergent validity and reliability of the ERI and JCQ among professional dr…
2021
Abstract Background The accumulated evidence has shown how professional drivers are, in psychosocial terms, among the most vulnerable workforces, and how their crashes (some of them preceded by stressful working conditions) constitute both an occupational and public health concern. However, there is a clear lack of validated tools for measuring stress and other key hazardous issues affecting transport workers, and most of the existing ones, frequently generic, do not fully consider the specific features that properly describe the work environment of professional driving. This study assessed the psychometric properties, convergent validity and consistency of two measures used for researching…
Identification of high-affinity phage-displayed VH fragments by use of a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring
2021
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Polarization properties of a fiber optic loop mirror
2021
Abstract In this work, we present the spectral polarization properties of a fiber optic loop mirror (FOLM) which includes a 50/50 coupler and 25-cm long highly birefringent (hi-bi) fiber. The modulation depth of the reflection/transmission spectra can be adjusted by twisting the hi-bi fiber at the splices by means of two azimuth rotators (AR). The results show that the polarization properties of the reflection strongly depends on the angle rotation. We found that it is possible to obtain reflection spectral polarization independence for any modulation depth with the proper parameters. The experimental behavior was confirmed by numerical simulations based on the Jones matrix formulation.
The Role of Parental Involvement in Youth Sport Experience: Perceived and Desired Behavior by Male Soccer Players
2021
Parents play a key role in the youth sports educational experience. They are responsible for the introduction of their children to physical or sporting education and their involvement has been associated with sport participation in early stages. The aims of this cross-sectional study were, first, to assess the perceived and desired parental involvement by children and, secondly, to examine their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with any specific behavior. 80 male soccer players filled the Parental Involvement in Sport Questionnaire (PISQ) before or after a training session in presence of a coach. PISQ results revealed excessive active involvement and pressure, insufficient praise and underst…
Anti-swing control of a hydraulic loader crane with a hanging load
2021
Abstract In this paper, anti-swing control for a hydraulic loader crane is presented. The difference between hydraulic and electric cranes are discussed to show the challenges associated with hydraulic actuation. The hanging load dynamics and relevant kinematics of the crane are derived to create the 2-DOF anti-swing controller. The anti-swing controller is added to the electro-hydraulic motion controller via feedforward. A dynamic simulation model of the crane is made, and the control system is evaluated in simulations with a path controller in actuator space. Simulation results show significant reduction in the load swing angle during motion. Experiments are carried out to verify the perf…
Three-Dimensional Classification of Lower Third Molars and Their Relationship to the Mandibular Canal.
2021
PURPOSE To develop a novel classification making full use of radiographic three-dimensional (3D) information to describe the position, geometric configuration of a mandibular third molar (M3M) and its spatial relation to neighboring structures such as the mandibular canal (MC). The classification presented in this study helps to establish a common language and serves as a framework for further studies, for example, on 3D parameters influencing prognosis of the M3M and level of difficulty associated with its removal. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 8 parameters were included in the classification including position, the cranio-caudal height, the number of roots of the M3M as well as its spat…
Is Oxidative Stress the Link Between Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, Sleep Disruption, and Oligodendrocyte Dysfunction in the Onset of Alzheimer’s Dis…
2021
Oxidative stress is an early occurrence in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and one of its proposed etiologic hypotheses. There is sufficient experimental evidence supporting the theory that impaired antioxidant enzymatic activity and increased formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) take place in this disease. However, the antioxidant treatments fail to stop its advancement. Its multifactorial condition and the diverse toxicological cascades that can be initiated by ROS could possibly explain this failure. Recently, it has been suggested that cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) contributes to the onset of AD. Oxidative stress is a central hallmark of CSVD and is depicted as …
Days of the Cavemen? : Adorno, Spengler, and the Anatomy of Caesarism
2021
Abstract This article addresses the controversial question of Theodor W. Adorno’s debt to right-wing Zivilisationskritik by a close reading of his essay “Spengler after the Decline” (1950). The article shows that despite Adorno’s harsh polemics against Oswald Spengler’s Decline of the West (1918, 1922), he sought to make Spengler’s analysis of Weimar Germany’s undemocratic tendencies—“Caesarism”—serve progressive ends. However, Adorno’s essay was not just an effort at “coming to terms with the past” in Adenauerian West Germany. Reading the essay’s original 1941 version together with Adorno’s correspondence with Max Horkheimer sheds light on Spengler as an overlooked key (next to Max Weber, …
Endocrinology in the time of covid-19: A rapid evolution of knowledge and care
2021
American singer-writer and visual artist Bob Dylan produced the song “The Times They Are a-Changin” in the 1960s, which became a rallying cry for the civil rights and anti-war movements in that decade [...]
Differential cross sections and product ro-vibrational distributions for 16O+36O2 and 18O+32O2 exchange reactions
2021
Abstract We report the rotational-state resolved integral cross sections and differential cross sections for 18O + 16O16O (v = 0, j = 1) → 18O16O ( v ′ = 0, j ′ ) + 16O and 16O + 18O18O (v = 0, j = 1) → 18O16O ( v ′ = 0, j ′ ) + 18O reactions obtained using time-independent quantum mechanical method on an ab initio potential energy surface of ozone [Dawes et al. J. Chem. Phys.135, 081102(2011)]. The results for both the reactions in the collision energy range of 0.001 – 0.1 eV are presented and discussed the isotopic effects found. The present results are compared with the earlier experimental and theoretical results reported in the literature.
Authentication of berries and berry-based food products.
2021
Abstract Berries represent one of the most important and high-valued group of modern-day health-beneficial “superfoods” whose dietary consumption has been recognized to be beneficial for human health for a long time. In addition to being delicious, berries are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and several bioactive compounds, including carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and hydrolysable tannins. However, due to their high value, berries and berry-based products are often subject to fraudulent adulteration, commonly for economical gain, but also unintentionally due to misidentification of species. Deliberate adulteration often comprises the substitution of high-value berries with lower valu…
Critica ideologică în epoca limbajului administrativ de stânga: o istorie New Left a literaturii române contemporane
2021
As Teodora Dumitru (2016) has convincingly argued in the case of Romanian literary critic Eugen Lovinescu, the evaluation of literature he proposed along his History of Contemporary Romanian Literature (1926-1929) was guided by a solid liberal and bourgeois drive. Claiming the autonomy of the aesthetics, Lovinescu actually built an urban bourgeois literary canon in his effort to systematize the local literary material. Almost 100 years later, Mihai Iovănel’s History of Contemporary Romanian Literature: 1990-2020 (2021) proceeds to a similar effort, but through the lens of New Left critical theory. Both Lovinescu and Iovănel use what I call the administrative language of their time: Lovinesc…
A singular (p,q)-equation with convection and a locally defined perturbation
2021
Abstract We consider a parametric Dirichlet problem driven by the ( p , q ) -Laplacian and a reaction which is gradient dependent (convection) and the competing effects of two more terms, one a parametric singular term and a locally defined perturbation. We show that for all small values of the parameter the problem has a positive smooth solution.
Risk of digestive cancers in a cohort of 69 460 five-year survivors of childhood cancer in Europe: the PanCareSurFup study.
2021
BackgroundSurvivors of childhood cancer are at risk of subsequent primary neoplasms (SPNs), but the risk of developing specific digestive SPNs beyond age 40 years remains uncertain. We investigated risks of specific digestive SPNs within the largest available cohort worldwide.MethodsThe PanCareSurFup cohort includes 69 460 five-year survivors of childhood cancer from 12 countries in Europe. Risks of digestive SPNs were quantified using standardised incidence ratios (SIRs), absolute excess risks and cumulative incidence.Results427 digestive SPNs (214 colorectal, 62 liver, 48 stomach, 44 pancreas, 59 other) were diagnosed in 413 survivors. Wilms tumour (WT) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivors…
Gamma-valerolactone from levulinic acid and its esters: Substrate and reaction media determine the optimal catalyst
2021
13 figures, 7 tables.-- © 2021. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Direct oral anticoagulants for the treatment of pulmonary embolism in patients with renal impairment.
2021
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with adverse outcomes and substantial morbidity and mortality. Patients with PE often have renal impairment because of shared risk factors and close links between the renal and cardiovascular systems. Furthermore, patients with PE and renal impairment are at increased risk of recurrent thrombosis. Therefore, anticoagulation is crucial to treat the acute event, prevent recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), and optimize patient outcomes. However, when treated with an anticoagulant, patients with renal impairment also have an elevated risk of bleeding. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are the first-choice treatment for acute VTE in eligible patients. H…
The Pion Single-Event Latch-Up Cross Section Enhancement: Mechanisms and Consequences for Accelerator Hardness Assurance
2021
Pions make up a large part of the hadronic environment typical of accelerator mixed fields. Characterizing device cross sections against pions is usually disregarded in favor of tests with protons, whose single-event latch-up (SEL) cross section is, nonetheless, experimentally found to be lower than that of pions for all energies below 250 MeV. While Monte Carlo simulations are capable of reproducing such behavior, the reason for the observed pion cross-section enhancement can only be explained by a deeper analysis of the underlying mechanisms dominating proton–silicon and pion–silicon reactions. The mechanisms dominating the SEL response are found to vary with the energy under consideratio…
Impact of anionic system modification on the desired properties for CuGa(S1−Se )2 solid solutions
2021
Abstract One of promising directions of the modern solar cells’ development is related to the use of the ternary chalcopyrite crystals (CuInS2, CuGaS2 etc.) and their solid solutions as efficient light absorbing layers. Unfortunately, so far there is no systematic research linking chemical composition to useful properties allowing their optimization to increase the efficiency of solar cells. Therefore, we report the results of the detailed theoretical studies of the structural, electronic, and optical properties for the series of CuGa(S1−xSex)2 solid solutions (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) in the framework of the density functional theory. For this purpose, crystal structures are analyzed wit…
Lead provenance for medieval decorated tile glazes from Brittany and Anjou (13th-14th c.)
2021
International audience; Medieval pavements composed of lead-glazed tiles decorated with a variety of techniques continue to inspire questions about the organisation of glaze manufacture, and the supply and origin of lead materials. The tiles analysed in this study are from Suscinio I (a 13th-century pavement) and Suscinio II (a 14th-century pavement), at the Château of Suscinio in Brittany, and also from the 14th-century pavement at the fortified manor house in Brain-sur-Allonnes, Anjou. Lead isotope analysis (LIA) was used to examine samples from 44 lead-glazed tiles, 29 of which are transparent, while 15 are tin-opacified (an exogenous technique in these regions during this period). Five …
T cell–mediated response to SARS‐CoV‐2 in liver transplant recipients with prior COVID‐19
2021
Abstract Whether immunosuppression impairs severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2‐specific T‐cell‐mediated immunity (SARS‐CoV‐2‐CMI) after liver transplantation (LT) remains unknown. We included 31 LT recipients in whom SARS‐CoV‐2‐CMI was assessed by intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) and interferon (IFN)‐γ FluoroSpot assay after a median of 103 days from COVID‐19 diagnosis. Serum SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA. A control group of non‐transplant immunocompetent patients were matched (1:1 ratio) by age and time from diagnosis. Post‐transplant SARS‐CoV‐2‐CMI was detected by ICS in 90.3% (28/31) of recipients, with higher proportions for IFN‐γ‐producing CD4+ than …