Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Craniotomy or Craniectomy for Acute Subdural Hematoma? Difference in Patient Characteristics and Outcomes at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract Objective This article compares the outcomes of patients with traumatic acute subdural hemorrhage (SDH) managed either with craniotomy (CO) or with decompressive craniectomy (DC). Methods In this single-center, retrospective analysis we included all adult patients with acute traumatic SDH who were treated either using CO or DC. Sixteen-year hospital data was reviewed for patient demographics, injury details, and hospital course. Outcomes were noted in terms of intraoperative blood loss, intensive care unit stay, need for tracheostomy, post-surgery Glasgow Coma Score (GCS; calculated immediately after surgery), delayed GCS (DGCS; calculated 1 week after surgery), and delayed Glasgow Outcome Score (DGOS) after 6 months of surgery. Postoperative complications were noted during hospital stay, while mortality was noted within 6 months of surgery for each patient. Results Patients who underwent DC were younger (mean age 34.4 ± 16.8 years vs. 42.4 ± 19.9 years in the CO group) ( p = 0.006). Patients who underwent DC also had worst degree of traumatic brain injury as per Marshall grade (62.4% patients with Marshall grade 4 in the DC group vs. only 41.2% patients in the CO group) ( p = 0.037). Mean size of hematoma was 23.8 ± 24.6 mm in the DC group versus 11.3 ± 8.2 mm in the CO group ( p = 0.001). Mean postop GCS was lower in the DC group; 8.0 ± 4 versus 10.8 ± 4 in the CO group ( p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in DGCS and DGOS between the DC and CO groups ( p = 0.76 and 0.90, respectively). Mortality rate was 24 (30.8%) in the DC group versus 18 (20.7%) in the CO group ( p = 0.14). Conclusion The patients who underwent DC were younger, had larger size hematoma, and poor Marshall grade. We did not find any significant difference in the outcomes of CO and DC for management of subdural hematoma.
Ultrasound Elastography for Characterization of Focal Liver Lesions

Abstract Focal liver lesions (FLL) are typically detected by conventional ultrasound or other imaging modalities. After the detection of FLL, further characterization is essential, and this can be done by contrast-enhanced imaging techniques, e.g., contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or by means of biopsy with histological evaluation. Elastographic techniques are nowadays integrated into high-end ultrasound systems and their value for the detection of severe liver fibrosis and cirrhosis has been shown in studies and meta-analyses. The use of an ultrasound elastographic technique for the differentiation of malignant and benign liver tumors is less well-established. This review summarizes the current data on utility and performance of ultrasound elastography for the characterization of FLL.
COSMOLOGICAL SINGULARITIES, EINSTEIN BILLIARDS AND LORENTZIAN KAC–MOODY ALGEBRAS

The structure of the general, inhomogeneous solution of (bosonic) Einstein-matter systems in the vicinity of a cosmological singularity is considered. We review the proof (based on ideas of Belinskii–Khalatnikov–Lifshitz and technically simplified by the use of the Arnowitt–Deser–Misner Hamiltonian formalism) that the asymptotic behavior, as one approaches the singularity, of the general solution is describable, at each (generic) spatial point, as a billiard motion in an auxiliary Lorentzian space. For certain Einstein-matter systems, notably for pure Einstein gravity in any spacetime dimension D and for the particular Einstein-matter systems arising in String Theory, the billiard tables describing asymptotic cosmological behavior are found to be identical to the Weyl chambers of some Lorentzian Kac–Moody algebras. In the case of the bosonic sector of supergravity in 11 dimensional spacetime the underlying Lorentzian algebra is that of the hyperbolic Kac–Moody group E10, and there exists some evidence of a correspondence between the general solution of the Einstein-three-form system and a null geodesic in the infinite dimensional coset space E10/K(E10), where K(E10) is the maximal compact subgroup of E10.
Evolutionary design of two-dimensional material Fabry–Perot structures for enhanced second harmonic generation

Abstract The integration of two-dimensional (2D) materials with resonant photonic structures is seen as a promising direction for enhancing its nonlinear optical response. The design of such heterogeneous resonant structures has often relied on multi-parameter sweeps to determine the optimized dimensions of resonant optical structure that results in good resonance characteristics, often in the absence of the 2D material. Such an approach is computationally intensive and may not necessarily result in efficient generation or collection of nonlinear signals from the designed structure. Here, we report hybrid-genetic optimization (HGA) based design and experimental demonstration of second harmonic generation (SHG) enhancement from Fabry–Perot structures of single and double multilayer gallium selenide (GaSe) flakes with bottom silicon dioxide, and index matched polymethyl methacrylate spacer/encapsulation layers. HGA technique utilized here speeds up the multilayer cavity design by 8.8 and 89-times for the single and double GaSe structures when compared to the full parameter-sweep, with measured SHG enhancement of 128- and 400-times, respectively, when compared to a reference sample composed of GaSe layer of optimized thickness on 300 nm silicon dioxide layer. SHG conversion efficiencies obtained from the HGA structures are 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than previous reports on 2D material integrated resonant metasurfaces or Bragg cavities.
Estimation and predictors of direct hospitalisation expenses and in-hospital mortality for patients who had a stroke in a low-middle income country: evidence from a nationwide cross-sectional study in Iranian hospitals

Objective Stroke is the second most prevalent cardiovascular disease in Iran. This study investigates the estimation and predictors of hospitalisation expenses and in-hospital mortality for patients who had a stroke in Iranian hospitals. Setting Patients who had a stroke in Iran between 2019 and 2020 were identified through the data collected from the Iran Health Insurance Organization and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. This study is the first to conduct a pervasive, nationwide investigation. Design This is a cross-sectional, prevalence-based study. Generalised linear models and a multiple logistic regression model were used to determine the predictors of hospitalisation expenses and in-hospital mortality for patients who had a stroke. Participants A total of 19 150 patients suffering from stroke were studied. Results Mean hospitalisation expenses per patient who had a stroke in Iran amounted to US$590.91±974.44 (mean±SD). Mean daily hospitalisation expenses per patient who had a stroke were US$55.18±37.89. The in-hospital mortality for patients who had a stroke was 18.80%. Younger people (aged ≤49 years) had significantly higher expenses than older patients. The OR of in-hospital mortality in haemorrhagic stroke was significantly higher by 1.539 times (95% CI, 1.401 to 1.691) compared with ischaemic and unspecified strokes. Compared with patients covered by the rural fund, patients covered by Iranian health insurance had significantly higher costs by 1.14 times (95% CI, 1.186 to 1.097) and 1.319 times (95% CI, 1.099 to 1.582) higher mortality. There were also significant geographical variations in patients who had a stroke’s expenses and mortality rates. Conclusion Applying cost-effective stroke prevention strategies among the younger population (≤49 years old) is strongly recommended. Migration to universal health insurance can effectively reduce the inequality gap among all insured patients.
Additional Boundary Conditions: An Historical Mistake

Since their introduction by Pekar in 1956, additional boundary conditions (ABC's) have been used in innumerable papers and in different ways to calculate the reflectivity for frequencies where more than one wave can propagate in a dielectric medium, particularly in connection with the polariton problem. Regarding the surface as a source of radiation into the medium this long lasting problem is removed demonstrating a unique solution to exist if, as usually assumed, the thickness of the surface layer is small compared with the wavelength. The analysis applies to any medium described by a dielectric function $\ensuremath{\varepsilon}(q,\ensuremath{\omega})$. Half-space and slab geometry are studied in general, and simple analytical results are provided for the polariton problem. The method is then further utilized to consider exactly spatial dispersion in the retarded photon Green's function.
European comparison of short gauge block measurement by interferometry

A set of seven gauge blocks was circulated and calibrated by ten European national metrology institutes and one accredited laboratory. Measurements were made of central length, variation in length, flatness and, where possible, of the coefficient of thermal expansion. Agreement on the measurement results for the central length is excellent. It lies roughly within ±20 nm and seems to depend less on length than on the quality of the measurement faces, their wringing capability and the skill of the operator. The measurements of flatness and variation in length, on the other hand, differ substantially from one to another. A comparison of these results is difficult, however, since in practical measurements, the border zone defined by the standard is not quantitatively implemented. The few reported measurements of the thermal expansion coefficient are in good agreement. The comparison reflects the state of the art of gauge block calibration in Western European national metrology institutes. It also raises the question of whether the tolerances for flatness and variation in length can be checked interferometrically with reasonable effort.
Effects of Corporate Governance Mechanisms on Climate Change Disclosures: Evidence from Listed Banks in an Emerging Economy

This study examines the effects of corporate governance mechanisms on climate change disclosure in Bangladeshi-listed banks. The corporate governance mechanisms used in the study were board size, board meetings, board independence, audit committee size, audit committee independence and audit committee meetings. A climate change disclosure index (CCDI) was developed to assess the sample banks’ climate change disclosures. From 2013 to 2018, data on climate change disclosures and corporate governance mechanisms were collected from the annual reports of all 30 listed banks. Employing a feasible GLS (FGLS) model for panel data, the findings demonstrated that increasing audit committee meetings, independent directors on the board and audit committee size positively and significantly increased climate change disclosures of listed banks in Bangladesh. Unlike prior climate change research on listed banks in Bangladesh, this study has included the audit committee attributes and the sponsor-directors’ ownership as determinants of climate change disclosures. This research offered a novel viewpoint on the significant positive impact of sponsor-directors’ ownership on climate change information disclosure. These findings have practical implications for governments, regulatory authorities, investors, green groups and other organisations working on climate change issues in the country.
Impact of Corporate Hedging and ESG on Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from Indonesian Energy Firms

Corporate hedging and environmental, social and governance (ESG) affect the transparency of a firm’s information environment because they can reduce information asymmetry and volatility of cash flow. Focus of this research investigates the impact of corporate hedging, as a risk management strategy, and ESG on stock price crash risk in Indonesian energy firms. This study finds that both hedging and ESG do not affect stock crash risk. This may be caused by a natural hedge conducted by the company. Another explanation is, most energy companies in Indonesia that use hedging do not report the proportion of the amount of hedging on the company’s financial statements. Further, this study fails to find the effect of ESG on stock crash risk. This finding corroborates Silva (2022), who states that the benefit of ESG is less effective in developing countries like Indonesia, which are characterised by weak investor protection and regulation enforcement.
Development of emotional intelligence and assertiveness in physiotherapy students and effects of clinical placements

ABSTRACT Background Emotional intelligence (EI) and assertiveness are key abilities for physiotherapists. Clinical placements seem to affect students’ development of EI and assertiveness, and their construction of the professional role. Purpose This study aims to compare the EI of physiotherapy students with students from other health professions and explore the evolution of EI and assertiveness in physiotherapy students throughout their university education, focusing on the influence of clinical practice. Method Students (N = 753) completed a self-administered questionnaire to measure emotional intelligence (TMMS 24), assertiveness (CSES), and sociodemographic variables. Results EI levels were adequate and very similar across the three disciplines. Regarding assertiveness, physiotherapy students in year 4 obtained significantly higher levels than students in years 1, 2, and 3. Significant correlations (rs (207) = 0.35, p < . 001) were found between assertiveness and the number of modules of clinical practice. Conclusion This study contributes with further evidence on the improvement of assertiveness in physiotherapy students through their university education and, in particular, with clinical placements. Practical implications highlight the importance of training in EI and assertiveness during university, coupled with clinical placements, in order to prepare for an effective and satisfactory professional life.
Anomalous flow profile due to the curvature effect on slip length

Einzel, Panzer, and Liu [Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 2269 (1990)] suggest that the slip boundary condition for a fluid moving near a wall is modified by the radius of curvature of the surface. Using particle simulations of a microscopic flow between concentric cylinders we qualitatively confirm their prediction and point out that the effect is seen in a limiting case derived by Maxwell [Nature (London) 16, 244 (1877)].
Biopolymer blends based on poly(lactic acid) and polyamide for durable applications

ABSTRACT Polymer blends between PLA and PA11 by reactive blending for durable application were investigated. Ethylene-acrylic ester-glycidyl methacrylate (EAG) and Ethylene-acrylic ester-maleic anhydride (EAM) were used as compatibilizers. The SEM results revealed the excellent dispersion of PA11 particles in PLA matrix. The EAG addition caused the smaller PA11 particles size than EAM addition. The MFI of blends increased with PA11 increase. The blend at 90/10 ratio showed the highest mechanical properties. After the accelerated weathering test, the specimen appearance changed and degraded. PLA/PA11/EAM exhibited the lower mechanical properties than PLA/PA11/EAG due to the differences of chemical structures between compatibilizers. Graphical Abstract
The effect of sea surface temperature and deforestation on the mid‐summer drought over Mexico and Central America

We analyse the effects of deforestation and the projected differential sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies between the tropical North Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific on the mid‐summer drought (MSD) over southern Mexico and Central America. To address these issues, we performed a set of three 6‐year (1996–2001) sensitivity experiments with RegCM4 driven by the ERA‐Interim reanalysis and employing different SST (projected end of century patterns under the RCP8.5 scenario) and vegetation (turning forest landuse into grass) configurations. The model domain follows the specifications of the COrdinated Regional Downscaling EXperiment (CORDEX) for Central America. Results indicate that projected SST patterns cause the MSD signal to almost disappear from the regional mean annual cycle, with its spatial extent decreasing from ~82 to ~48%. In the vegetation sensitivity experiment, the MSD intensity increases along the Pacific coast and Central America, while the MSD spatial extent remains almost unchanged. These regional changes in MSD can be explained in terms of the regional precipitation response to deforestation, primarily due to changes in vertical moisture advection.
Astrocyte glucocorticoid signaling mediates cognitive impairment induced by early-life stress

Early-life stress can have lifelong consequences, enhancing stress susceptibility and resulting in behavioural and cognitive deficits. While the effects of early-life stress (ELS) on neuronal function have been well-described, we still know very little about the contribution of nonneuronal brain cells to the cellular and behavioural adaptations following ELS. Here, using a rodent model of ELS, we report that astrocytes play a key role in mediating the impact of stress on amygdala-dependent behaviour and synaptic plasticity during adolescence. We report that ELS induces generalisation of fear, associated with increased levels of circulating corticosterone and activation of glucocorticoid receptors in astrocytes. In addition, we identify astrocyte glucocorticoid receptors as targets, mediating ELS-induced cognitive and synaptic impairments. This work establishes astrocytes as key elements in amygdala-dependent memory, and as central mediators of the effects of stress on cognitive function via stress hormone signalling pathways. Summary ELS impairs lateral amygdala-dependent cognition and synaptic plasticity during adolescence. Stress-induced behavioural changes were associated with astrocyte dysfunction in the lateral amygdala. Genetic disruption of astrocyte function in the lateral amygdala replicated the cognitive and synaptic impairments induced by stress. ELS induced a latent increase in blood glucocorticoid levels during adolescence. Ablating glucocorticoid signalling in astrocytes rescued cognitive impairments induced by ELS.
Different neuroendocrine cell types in the pars intercerebralis of Periplaneta americana produce their own specific IGF-related peptides

Of the nine genes of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, coding for peptides related to insulin and insulin-like growth factor, seven show significant expression in the central nervous system as demonstrated by the polymerase chain reaction on reverse transcribed RNA. In situ hybridisation shows that five of those are expressed by cells in the pars intercerebralis. Antisera raised to the predicted peptides show that these cells are neuroendocrine in nature and project to the corpora cardiaca. Interestingly, there are at least three cell types that each express different genes. This contrasts with Drosophila where a single cell type expresses a number of genes expressing several such peptides. Whereas in Drosophila the neuroendocrine cells producing insulin-like peptides also express sulfakinins, the arthropod orthologs of gastrin and cholecystokinin, in Periplaneta the sulfakinins are produced by different cells. Other neuropeptides known to be produced by the pars intercerebralis in Periplaneta and other insect species, such as the CRF-like diuretic hormone, neuroparsin, leucokinin or myosuppressin, neither colocalize with an insulin-related peptide. The separate cellular localization of these peptides and the existence of multiple insulin receptors in this species implies a more complex regulation by insulin and IGF-related peptides in cockroaches than in the fruit fly.
Photosynthetic capacity in seagrass seeds and early-stage seedlings of Zostera marina L

Summary In many terrestrial seeds, photosynthetic activity supplies O2 to the developing plant embryo to sustain aerobic metabolism and enhance biosynthetic activity. However, whether seagrass seeds possess similar photosynthetic capacity to alleviate intra-seed hypoxic stress conditions is unknown. We used a novel combination of microscale variable chlorophyll fluorescence imaging, a custom-made O2 optode microrespirometry system, and planar optode O2 imaging, to determine the O2 microenvironment and photosynthetic activity in developing seeds and seedlings of seagrass (Z. marina L.). Developing, sheath-covered seeds exhibited high O2 concentrations in the photosynthetic active seed sheath and low O2 concentrations in the center of the seed at the position of the embryo. In light, photosynthesis in the seed sheath increased O2 availability in central parts of the seed enabling enhanced respiratory energy generation for biosynthetic activity. Early-stage seedlings also displayed photosynthetic capacity in hypocotyl and cotyledonary tissues, which may be beneficial for seedling establishment. Sheath O2 production is important for alleviating intra-seed hypoxic stress and can increase endosperm storage activity improving the conditions for successful seed maturation and germination.
Anomalous diffusion of E. coli under microfluidic confinement and chemical gradient

We report a two-layer microfluidic device to study the combined effect of confinement and chemical gradient on the motility of wild type E. coli. We track individual E. coli in 50μm and 10μm wide channels, with a channel height of 2. 5μm, to generate quasi-2D conditions. We find that contrary to expectations, bacterial trajectories are super-diffusive even in absence of a chemical (glucose) gradient. The superdiffusive behaviour becomes more pronounced on introduction of a chemical gradient or on strengthening the lateral confinement. Runlength distributions for weak confinement in absence of chemical gradients follow an exponential distribution. Both confinement and chemoattraction induce deviations from this behaviour, with the runlength distributions approaching a power-law form under these conditions. Both confinement and chemoattraction suppress large angle tumbles as well. Our results suggest that wild-type E. coli modulates both its runs and tumbles in a similar manner under physical confinement and chemical gradient.
Awake Hippocampal-Cortical Co-reactivation Is Associated with Forgetting

Systems consolidation theories posit that consolidation occurs primarily through a coordinated communication between hippocampus and neocortex (McClelland and O’Reilly 1995; Kumaran et al., 2016; Moscovitch and Gilboa, 2022). Recent sleep studies in rodents have shown that hippocampus and visual cortex replay the same information at temporal proximity (“co-replay”) (Ji & Wilson, 2007; Lansink et al., 2009; Wierzynski et al., 2009; Peyrache et al., 2009). We developed a novel TR-based co-reactivation (TRCR) analysis method to study hippocampal-cortical co-replays in humans using functional MRI. Thirty-six young adults completed an image (face or scene)-location paired associate encoding task in the scanner, which were preceded and followed by resting state scans. We identified post-encoding rest TRs (+/− 1) that showed neural reactivation of each image-location trials in both hippocampus (HPC) and category-selective cortex (fusiform face area, FFA). This allowed us to characterize temporally proximal coordinated reactivations (“co-reactivations”) between HPC and FFA. Moreover, we found that increased HPC-FFA co-reactivations were associated with incorrectly recognized trials after a 1-week delay (p = 0.004). Finally, we found that these HPC-FFA co-reactivations were also associated with trials that were initially correctly recognized immediately after encoding but were later forgotten in 1-day (p = 0.043) and 1-week delay period (p = 0.031). We discuss these results from a trace transformation perspective (Winocur and Moscovitch, 2011; Sekeres et al., 2018) and speculate that HPC-FFA co-reactivations may be integrating related events, at the expense of disrupting event-specific details, hence leading to forgetting.