bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coherent Structural and Functional Network Changes after Thalamic Lesions in Essential Tremor
Authors: Pohl Emily D.R. , Upadhyay Neeraj , Kobeleva Xenia , Purrer Veronika , Maurer Angelika , Keil Vera C. , Kindler Christine , Borger Valeri , Pieper Claus C. , Groetz Simon , Scheef Lukas , Maciaczyk Jaroslaw , Schild Hans , Vatter Hartmut , Klockgether Thomas , Radbruch Alexander , Attenberger Ulrike , Wüllner Ullrich , Boecker Henning
Published: June 2022

Background

Magnetic resonance–guided focused ultrasound of the ventral intermediate nucleus is a novel incisionless ablative treatment for essential tremor (ET).

Objective

The aim was to study the structural and functional network changes induced by unilateral sonication of the ventral intermediate nucleus in ET.

Methods

Fifteen essential tremor patients (66.2 ± 15.4 years) underwent probabilistic tractography and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during unilateral postural tremor‐eliciting tasks using 3‐T MRI before, 1 month (N = 15), and 6 months (N = 10) post unilateral sonication.

Results

Tractography identified tract‐specific alterations within the dentato‐thalamo‐cortical tract (DTCT) affected by the unilateral lesion after sonication. Relative to the treated hand, task‐evoked activation was significantly reduced in contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex and ipsilateral cerebellar lobules IV/V and VI, and vermis. Dynamic causal modeling revealed a significant decrease in excitatory drive from the cerebellum to the contralateral sensorimotor cortex.

Conclusions

Thalamic lesions induced by sonication induce specific functional network changes within the DTCT, notably reducing excitatory input to ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex in ET. ©[2022] International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Iterative static field map estimation for off‐resonance correction in non‐Cartesian susceptibility weighted imaging
Authors: Daval‐Frérot Guillaume , Massire Aurélien , Mailhe Boris , Nadar Mariappan , Vignaud Alexandre , Ciuciu Philippe
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Patient‐induced inhomogeneities in the magnetic field cause distortions and blurring during acquisitions with long readouts such as in susceptibility‐weighted imaging (SWI). Most correction methods require collecting an additional field map to remove these artifacts.

Theory

The static field map can be approximated with an acceptable error directly from a single echo acquisition in SWI. The main component of the observed phase is linearly related to and the echo time (TE), and the relative impact of non‐ terms becomes insignificant with >20 ms at 3 T for a well‐tuned system.

Methods

The main step is to combine and unfold the multi‐channel phase maps wrapped many times, and several competing algorithms are compared for this purpose. Four in vivo brain data sets collected using the recently proposed 3D spreading projection algorithm for rapid k‐space sampling (SPARKLING) readouts are used to assess the proposed method.

Results

The estimated 3D field maps generated with a 0.6 mm isotropic spatial resolution provide overall similar off‐resonance corrections compared to reference corrections based on an external acquisitions, and even improved for 2 of 4 individuals. Although a small estimation error is expected, no aftermath was observed in the proposed corrections, whereas degradations were observed in the references.

Conclusion

A static field map estimation method was proposed to take advantage of acquisitions with long echo times, and outperformed the reference technique based on an external field map. The difference can be attributed to an inherent robustness to mismatches between volumes and external maps, and diverse other sources investigated.
High‐fidelity tensor‐decomposition based matrix formation for isogeometric buckling analysis of laminated shells with solid‐shell formulation
Authors: Fan Kuan , Huang Zhengdong , Zeng Jiani , Wu Wenbo
Published: June 2022

The computation cost of matrix formation in isogeometric analysis can be drastically reduced by employing tensor decomposition, but the performance like accuracy and robustness still depends on the approach used to realize the low‐rank approximation for the nonpolynomial integral kernels. In the buckling analysis of laminated shells with solid‐shell model, the integral kernels are not smooth in the thickness direction due to their material and stress distribution and have a high complexity because the curvilinear coordinate systems are involved in the representation of anisotropic constitutive relations, which makes it more difficult to guarantee the decomposition accuracy. This paper proposes a robust high‐fidelity tensor‐decomposition based matrix formation method for stiffness matrix and geometric stiffness matrix of the isogeometric buckling analysis problem. The proposed method avoids using a spline approximation and employs the hierarchical block‐wise decomposition approach (HBD) to obtain a determinate decomposition result, which saves more time without loss of accuracy and produces less canonical ranks with a reliable procedure. Besides, the matrix calculation is partly independent of the number of layers, showing a higher efficiency when the number of layers is larger. Finally, several experiments with various Gaussian curvatures are implemented to validate the proposed method.
Improving the comprehensive energy storage performance of composite materials through the coupling effect of AgNbO3/PVDF nanocomposite
Authors: Chen Yingxi , Zhu Wenbo , Wang Xiucai , Chen Wenjun , Cai Weiqiang , Xiao Ze , Chen Jianwen
Published: June 2022

Ceramic‐polymer nanocomposites with high energy storage density can achieve excellent energy storage performance and have a wide range of application prospects. Currently, it has been shown that the coupling effects have a great impact on improving the performance of dielectric composites, but increasing the breakdown strength of polymer nanocomposite is still a tremendous challenge to the achievement of high energy density under high voltages. The aim of this paper is to further investigate this problem and obtain AgNbO3/PVDF flexible composites by introducing a small amount of AgNbO3 ultrafine powder prepared by hydrothermal method into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF). The interfacial coupling effect within this nanocomposite with the coupling effects of nonlinear dielectric materials improves its energy storage capacity and electrical strength resistance. The energy density of the 2 wt% AgNbO3/PVDF composite film was raised to 16.5 J/cm3 at the electric breakdown strength of 391.7 MV/m, and its energy storage capacity is two to three times that of AgNbO3 lead‐free antiferroelectric ceramics. Finite element simulations showed the further enhancement of breakdown strength was ascribed to the local electric field and to the AgNbO3 ultrafine powder which blocked the breakdown path in the nanocomposites and coupling effects occurred with PVDF. Hence, the AgNbO3 ultrafine powder has a positive effect on improving the energy storage performance of flexible composites. The effects of nonlinear dielectric material coupling effects and interfacial coupling effects on the dielectric properties of composite dielectric materials are further investigated, which are important for the development of flexible high energy storage capacitors.
Views of patients and parents of children with genetic disorders on population‐based expanded carrier screening
Authors: Woudstra Anke J. , van den Heuvel Lieke M. , van Vliet‐Lachotzki Elsbeth H. , Dondorp Wybo , Lakeman Phillis , Haverman Lotte , van Langen Irene M. , Henneman Lidewij
Published: June 2022

Objective

Faster and cheaper next generation sequencing technologies have enabled expansion of carrier screening for recessive disorders, potentially facilitating population‐based implementation regardless of ancestry or family history. Little is known, however, about the attitudes regarding population‐based carrier screening among families with genetic disorders. This study assessed views among parents and patients with a recessive disorder and parents of children with Down syndrome (DS) on expanded carrier screening (ECS).

Method

In total, 85 patients with various recessive disorders, 110 parents of a child with a recessive disorder and 89 parents of a child with DS participated in an online survey in the Netherlands. Severity of recessive disorders was classified as mild/moderate or severe/profound.

Results

The majority of the (parents of) patients with a recessive disorder had a positive attitude towards population‐based ECS, including screening for their own or their child's disorder. DS parents were significantly less positive towards ECS. Subgroup analyses showed that the severity of the disorder, rather than being a patient or parent, influences the attitudes, beliefs and intention to participate in ECS.

Conclusion

Our findings have important implications for future implementation initiatives as they demonstrate the different perspectives from people with experiential knowledge with genetic disorders.
Registration of ‘S16‐14801C’: A high‐yielding determinate maturity group V soybean cultivar with multiple disease resistance, salt tolerance, and broad adaptation
Authors: Chen P. , Shannon G. , Vieira C. C. , Nascimento E. F. , Ali M. L. , Lee D. , Scaboo A. , Crisel M. , Smothers S. , Clubb M. , Nguyen H. T. , Li Z. , Mitchum M. G. , Bond J. , Meinhardt C. , Usovsky M. , Li S. , Mengistu A. , Zhang B. , Mozzoni L. , Robbins R. T. , Moseley D.
Published: June 2022

The demand for non–genetically modified soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars has steadily increased in the last decade due to changes in consumers’ preferences and the growth of specialty niche markets. To meet this growing demand, the University of Missouri–Fisher Delta Research, Extension, and Education Center soybean breeding program has developed and released ‘S16‐14801C’ (Reg. no. CV‐553, PI 699901). It is a high‐yielding determinate maturity group 5 early (relative maturity 5.0) conventional soybean cultivar with resistance to multiple diseases, including soybean cyst nematode races 2 (HG type 1.2.5.7) and 5 (HG Type 2.5.7), southern root‐knot nematode, reniform nematode, stem canker, and salt tolerance. S16‐14801C was tested in a total of 111 environments across 12 states from 2017 to 2021, outyielding the commercial checks (on average) of similar maturity in 75 environments. Given its high‐yielding performance, multiple disease resistance package, and wide adaptability, S16‐14801C represents a good cultivar choice for soybean growers across the U.S. southern states, especially for crop systems targeting premium contracts associated with specialty markets.
Electronegativity at the Shock Front
Authors: Rahm Martin
Published: June 2022

In this work, a scale for pressure‐adapted atomic electronegativity is used to make general predictions of bond polarity in H‐, C‐, N‐ and O‐based compounds experiencing shock conditions. The qualitative picture that emerges is one of increasing polarity of several bonds common in energetic materials. The general predictions made are compared to, and found to support, claims of ionic decomposition routes in compressed nitromethane and nitrate esters at high pressure. Changing electronegativity is also suggested as a factor driving the ionic disproportionation of various molecular phases with compression. Calculations using the eXtreme‐Pressure Polarizable Continuum Model (XP‐PCM) predict increasing energy differences between ground and excited states in non‐bonded H, C, N, and O atoms as a function of pressure. This data enables for a discussion on the reliability of electronegativity‐based rationales at more extreme thermodynamic conditions.
Lessons learned from the Barracas accident: Ammonium nitrate explosion during road transport
Authors: Baraza Xavier , Giménez Jaime , Pey Alexis , Rubiales Miriam
Published: June 2022

On March 9, 2004, a lorry transporting ammonium nitrate (AN) overturned. The load caught fire and exploded due to the self‐sustaining decomposition reactions of the AN. The consequences were two deaths, five injuries, and significant material damage in the form of destruction to vehicles and the highway. This article delves into the causes of the accident through root cause analysis techniques, such as fishbone, AcciMap and events and causal factors charting, which have demonstrated that the causes were not only physicochemical but also of an organizational nature. The explosion caused a crater 18 m in diameter, which would be equivalent to one caused by 11.4 tonnes of TNT. Through the relevant models, we have established the overpressure‐distance map, explaining the breakage of lorry windscreens located 100 m from the accident site, and the vibration of glass planes at a distance of some 4 km. This accident underscored the need to comply with the safety measures handed down by competent bodies: (a) avoid contamination of AN, especially with fuels; (b) prevent the AN from being exposed to heat; (c) isolate for a minimum distance of 800 m in all directions around the accident site; (d) in case of fire, flood the area from a distance and stay away from the fire.
Energy‐Efficient Photonic Memory Cell with Spatially Separated Recording/Erasing and Readout Channels
Authors: Makarov Mikhail , Minnullin Ramil , Sapegin Alexander , Korolev Dmitry
Published: June 2022

Phase‐change material Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) is a promising candidate for nonvolatile photonic devices due to its phase stability, different absorption coefficients in the amorphous and crystalline phase, and relatively fast response. Here, an energy‐efficient design of a photonic nonvolatile memory that stores its logical status as GST phase states is proposed. The device is based on the silicon‐on‐insulator (SOI) substrate and consists of the fourfold symmetric strip waveguide crossing incorporated with the square GST patch and a multimode interference (MMI) loop reflector. The distinctive feature of the proposed cell is two spatially separated recording/erasing and readout channels. One of the crossed waveguides is connected to the MMI loop reflector and used for recording/erasing. The other waveguide is used for readout. The numerical simulation of the light transmission through the device in question shows that the MMI loop reflector provides 45% and 80% higher absorption values in comparison with waveguide end reflector and straightforward transmission, respectively. This fact allows the more efficient utilization of the guided mode energy and makes the proposed photonic memory cell an attractive node element for photonic integrated circuits.
Local and non‐local atmospheric effects of abnormal soil moisture over Indochina during May and June
Authors: Dong Xuan , Chen Haishan , Zhou Yang , Sun Shanlei , Chotamonsak Chakrit , Wangpakapattanawong Prasit
Published: June 2022

Indochina is one of the key areas affecting the East Asian summer monsoon and its thermal condition can modulate the prevailing wind and water vapour transport, especially in the early stages of establishment of the summer monsoon. Previous studies emphasized the climatic effect of the seasonal‐averaged soil moisture (SM), but the subseasonal effects of land surface processes over Indochina are not clear yet. This study investigated the subseasonal effect of SM in Indochina on precipitation in southern China (SC) during May and June together with its relevant mechanism based on both statistical analysis and numerical experiments. Results show that increased SM in Indochina in May is closely associated with increased local (Indochina) precipitation and suppressed non‐local (SC) precipitation in June. The positive SM anomaly over Indochina can persist from May to June, cooling the atmosphere and increasing the specific humidity in the lower troposphere. Meanwhile, the potentially unstable lower troposphere and the ascending motion over Indochina result in strengthened upward moisture advection and condensational heating, which are conducive to forming an abnormal cyclonic circulation and increased precipitation over Indochina. To the northeast, an easterly wind anomaly appears in SC, leading to weakened moisture transport and decreased precipitation. When the SM decreases over Indochina, the opposite results are obtained. Moreover, through increasing and decreasing SM in Indochina in May, numerical experiments showed similar results to those of reanalysis data and further indicated that the moist and thermal processes of the SM anomaly over Indochina play distinct roles in affecting the atmosphere and regional precipitation. The moisture process mainly influences local precipitation, whereas the thermal process can change the precipitation non‐locally. This study highlights the significant local and non‐local impacts of SM in Indochina and could contribute to understanding the physical mechanisms of SM effects.
Determination of estrogens in human serum using a novel chemical derivatization–assisted liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry method
Authors: Kang Chong‐Xin , Fan Ru‐Ting , Xiao Hua‐Ming , Wang Xian
Published: June 2022

Rationale

Assessing estrogen concentrations in biological systems can provide valuable information on physiological processes, which is crucial for the early diagnosis of many diseases. Because estrogens are present in the human body in low concentrations and in a wide dynamic range, analytical methods with high sensitivity and specificity are required for their determination in complex biological matrices.

Methods

To discover an appropriate derivatization reagent for estrogen mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, we compared five sulfonyl chloride derivatization reagents, namely 3‐methyl‐8‐quinolinesulfonyl chloride (MQSCl) and 8‐quinolinesulfonyl chloride (QSCl), 1‐methyl‐1H‐pyrazole‐4‐sulfonyl chloride, 1,2‐methyl‐imidazole‐5‐sulfonyl chloride, and dansyl chloride. By selecting the derivatization reagent with the best performance, we developed and validated a novel chemical derivatization–assisted‐liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry (CD‐LC‐ESI‐MS/MS) method to simultaneously determine the concentrations of estrone, estradiol, and estriol (E1, E2, and E3) in human serum.

Results

It was found that among the five investigated reagents, MQSCl‐derivatized estrogens presented the highest sensitivity using LC‐ESI‐MS/MS. Based on this discovery, MQSCl was chosen to derivatize the analyzed estrogens to assist LC‐ESI‐MS/MS analysis. The limit of quantification of E1, E2, and E3 was measured as 2.7, 4.6, and 5.1 pg/mL, respectively. Inter‐ and intra‐day precision, expressed as the coefficient of variation, was shown to be lower than 13.2% for all concentrations. The mean recovery was 72.4% overall, with good reproducibility at low, medium, and high concentrations in the calibration range.

Conclusions

The developed method was successfully applied to the quantitative determination of estrogens in clinical human serum from pediatric and adult women, demonstrating the suitability of estrogen analysis in the biological matrix at low concentration (pg/mL).
Greenhouse gas emissions and poverty alleviation nexus in the Economic Commission of West African States
Authors: Ngong Chi Aloysius , Onyejiaku Chinyere C. , Fonchamnyo Dobdinga Cletus , Forgha Njimanted Godfrey , Aloysius Njong Mom , Onwumere Josaphat Uchechukwu Joe
Published: June 2022

This paper investigates the nexus between greenhouse gas emissions and poverty alleviation in the Economic Commission of West African States between 1985 and 2020 applying autoregressive distributed lag and Granger causality techniques. The results reveal that carbon dioxide non‐significantly relates to gross domestic product per capita positively while nitrous oxide and foreign direct investment impacts gross domestic product per capita positively. Methane negatively impacts gross domestic product per capita. The governments should use conventions to regulate greenhouse gas emissions’ effects on environmental degradation regionally and globally. The study underscores that countries should diversify to cleaner energy sources. This would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Massive technological investment is required to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions’ negative impacts on the environment which create poverty. This policy implication ensures environmental sustainability and reverses the ugly trend of greenhouse gas emissions on poverty.
Correlation between magnetic resonance imaging and histological lesions in a case of meningoencephalomyelitis secondary to Neospora caninum infection in a greyhound
Authors: Albertini Guillaume Marc , Stabile Fabio , Yaffy Dylan , Suárez‐Bonnet Alejandro , Uriarte Ane
Published: June 2022

An 11‐year‐old, male, neutered raw fed greyhound was presented for a 2‐week history of progressive non‐lateralised, non‐painful ambulatory paraparesis, deteriorating acutely to non‐ambulatory tetraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and polymerase chain reaction tests confirmed the diagnosis of meningoencephalomyelitis secondary to Neospora caninum infection. Despite treatment, the patient deteriorated and was euthanased. Postmortem examination revealed diffuse areas of necrotising encephalomyelitis, multifocal non‐suppurative encephalomyelitis and areas of necrotising non‐suppurative cerebellitis. N. caninum parasitic cysts could also be identified. This is the first case report of correlated histological features and magnetic resonance imaging of meningoencephalomyelitis secondary to N. caninum. This case report was presented as an online poster presentation at the online 33rd ESVN‐ECVN symposium.
Whether implicit attitudes exist is one question, and whether we can measure individual differences effectively is another
Authors: Sripada Chandra
Published: June 2022

Questions about measurement of individual differences in implicit attitudes, which have been the focus so far in this exchange, should be distinguished from more general questions about whether implicit attitudes exist and operate in our minds. Theorists frequently move too quickly from pessimistic results regarding the first set of questions to pessimistic conclusions about the second. That is, they take evidence that indirect measures such as the implicit association test (IAT) disappoint as individual difference measures and use it to (mistakenly) suggest that people do not in fact have implicit attitudes directed at stigmatized groups. In this commentary, I dissect this mistake in detail, drawing key lessons from a parallel debate that has unfolded in cognitive science about “conflict tasks” such as the Stroop task. I argue that the evidence overall supports a nuanced conclusion: Indirect measures such as the IAT measure individual differences in implicit attitudes poorly, but they—via distinct lines of evidence—still support the view that implicit attitudes exist.

This article is categorized under:

Psychology > Theory and Methods
Literary Tombs and Archaeological Knowledge in the Twelfth-Century ‘Romances of Antiquity’
Authors: Howell Naomi
Published: June 2022

This chapter explores intertextual and intermedial encounters between imaginative literature and archaeological knowledge in Western Europe in the second half of the twelfth century. Several of the popular ‘romans d’antiquités’ from this period, such as the anonymous Roman d’Eneas (c. 1160), Benoît de Sainte-Maure’s Roman de Troie (c. 1165), and Heinrich von Veldeke’s Eneit (1170–1788), feature elaborate ekphrastic descriptions of the tombs of legendary heroes and warriors. Although the romances of antiquity are works of fiction, their descriptions of ancient burial practices reflect the influence of written accounts of actual tomb openings and exhumations in the preceding century. Thus, the description of the burial of Pallas in the Roman d’Eneas is partly modeled on the chronicler William of Malmesbury’s account of the discovery of the ‘real’ tomb of Pallas in Rome, c. 1045. Similarly, in the Roman de Troie, the tomb of Hector with its distinctive enthroned burial is based in part on accounts of the opening of the tomb of Charlemagne by Otto III in the year 1000. Reading these romances alongside their archaeological intertexts sheds new light on the complex historical awareness of these literary works and the interpretative communities that received them.
Occupational Therapy
Authors: Kwan Polly
Published: June 2022

Occupational therapy aims to engage individuals in meaningful tasks to improve and maintain their performance and quality of life. At the Walker Unit, occupational therapists assist young people to increase their independence and overall mental wellbeing through practical daily activities in the home and community, and through sensory-based interventions. Sensory approaches facilitate self-regulation in regards to both physiological and emotional arousal. Young people with mental health problems also have unique sensory experiences and needs, which should be understood by clinicians and caregivers to promote a sensory supportive experience to aid their recovery. The Walker Unit has embraced the sensory framework, incorporating the use of sensory-based interventions into treatment and everyday living.
Food and Eating
Authors: Currell Kia , Kwan Polly
Published: June 2022

The Walker Unit recognises the role of good nutrition to help support a young person’s growth and mental health. An experienced dietician and chef work closely with patients, families and staff to ensure dietary needs and meal preferences are managed to support good mental and physical health. The multidisciplinary team at the Walker Unit have experience managing difficult and complex eating behaviours that can present along with severe mental illness. These include restrictive and avoidant eating behaviours, overeating and binge eating, compensatory behaviours following eating, poor eating routines, increased appetite and cardiometabolic side effects of some treatments. The Walker Unit team recognise that these complex eating behaviours may require management from different and often creative angles which require the skillset of a multidisciplinary team.
Nursing Care
Authors: Hoare Steve , Ho Stephen
Published: June 2022

Of all professional groups, the nurses at the Walker Unit have, undoubtedly, the greatest contact with patients. Much of this contact is informal, through supervision of activities of daily living and unstructured time. Nursing staff are the guardians for maintaining environmental safety and undertake searches of young people returning to the unit and regular environmental searches to ensure young people have no access to implements used for self-harming. Responding to duress alarms and the emergency administration of parenteral medication is also a common occurrence. Various ways of coordinating care have been trialled. In an effort to increase the likelihood patients will interact with a familiar nurse, the Walker Unit presently organises the nursing workforce into three teams that are allocated specific patients.
Family Therapy
Authors: Sarmiento Karen , Feijo Isabelle
Published: June 2022

The hospitalisation of a young person, particularly over an extended period of time, inevitably impacts on the entire family. Prior to admission to the Walker Unit, the young person and their family will have typically engaged with several other inpatient services and will have been exposed to a range of psychological and pharmacological treatments, with mixed results. However when discharged into the same unchanged family milieu, a deterioration can occur resulting in rehospitalisation and the need for further intensive care. By the time families arrive at a Walker admission, they are probably suffering treatment fatigue due to the impact of long hospitalisation and the impact of chronic mental illness. This needs to be overcome.
Emergent neutrinos from heavy messengers
Authors: Anastasopoulos Pascal , Kiritsis Elias
Published: June 2022

Abstract

Fermionic bound states (mesinos) of messengers can play the role of right-handed neutrinos and due to their heavy masses they can realize the seesaw mechanism providing light and heavy sterile neutrinos. We study simple models with a single mesino to present the proof of principle. We extend our analysis to three mesino states where after the seesaw mechanism, three light and several heavy sterile neutrinos are obtained.
Soft gluon resummation for associated squark-electroweakino production at the LHC
Authors: Fiaschi Juri , Fuks Benjamin , Klasen Michael , Neuwirth Alexander
Published: June 2022

Abstract

We perform a threshold resummation calculation for the associated production of squarks and electroweakinos at the LHC to the next-to-leading logarithmic (NLL) accuracy. Analytical results for the process-dependent soft anomalous dimension and the hard matching coefficient are presented. The resummed results are matched to fixed-order predictions at next-to-leading order (NLO) in QCD, which are generalised to scenarios with non-universal squark masses and mixings. Numerically, the NLL contributions increase the total NLO cross section by 2% to 6% for squark masses ranging from 1 TeV to 3 TeV, respectively, and they reduce the dependence of the predictions on the factorisation and renormalisation scales from typically ±10% to below ±5%. Our NLO and NLO+NLL calculations have been implemented in the publicly available program Resummino.
Einfluss des Rauchens auf den Gastrointestinaltrakt
Authors: Popp Sabine , Mang Thomas , Scharitzer Martina
Published: June 2022

Hintergrund

Nikotin ist ein hochwirksames Suchtgift, das bei regelmäßiger Einnahme chronische oder unheilbare Erkrankungen und somit eine eingeschränkte Lebensqualität zur Folge haben kann.

Fragestellung

Das Ziel dieser Übersichtsarbeit besteht darin, mögliche gesundheitliche Folgen des Rauchens auf den Gastrointestinaltrakt aufzuzeigen und einen Überblick über raucherassoziierte neoplastische und nichtneoplastische gastrointestinale Erkrankungen zu geben.

Material und Methode

Anhand einer ausführlichen Literaturrecherche wird der aktuelle Wissensstand zu raucherassoziierten Folgen auf den Gastrointestinaltrakt dargestellt.

Ergebnisse

Rauchen ist ein wesentlicher Risikofaktor für die Entstehung neoplastischer und nichtneoplastischer Erkrankungen des gesamten Gastrointestinaltrakts. Diese weisen in der radiologischen Bildgebung allerdings keine spezifischen, raucherassoziierten Merkmale auf.

Schlussfolgerung

Die Kenntnis einer Raucheranamnese sowie möglicher Auswirkungen von Nikotin auf den Gastrointestinaltrakt können in der radiologischen Bildinterpretation hilfreich sein sowie die diagnostische Entscheidungsfähigkeit und Genauigkeit verbessern.
COVID-19 ethnic inequalities in mental health and multimorbidities: protocol for the COVEIMM study
Authors: Impara E. , Bakolis I. , Bécares L. , Dasch H. , Dregan A. , Dyer J. , Hotopf M. , Stewart R. J. , Stuart R. , Ocloo J. , Das-Munshi J.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated ethnic health inequalities, particularly in people with multiple long-term health conditions, the interplay with mental health is unclear. This study investigates the impact of the pandemic on the association of ethnicity and multimorbidity with mortality/service use among adults, in people living with severe mental illnesses (SMI).

Methods

This study will utilise secondary mental healthcare records via the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) and nationally representative primary care records through the Clinical Practice Interactive Research Database (CPRD). Quasi-experimental designs will be employed to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on mental health service use and excess mortality by ethnicity, in people living with severe mental health conditions. Up to 50 qualitative interviews will also be conducted, co-produced with peer researchers; findings will be synthesised with quantitative insights to provide in-depth understanding of observed associations.

Results

81,483 people in CRIS with schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar or affective disorder diagnoses, were alive from 1st January 2019. Psychiatric multimorbidities in the CRIS sample were comorbid somatoform disorders (30%), substance use disorders (14%) and personality disorders (12%). In CPRD, of 678,842 individuals with a prior probable diagnosis of COVID-19, 1.1% (N = 7493) had an SMI diagnosis. People in the SMI group were more likely to die (9% versus 2% in the non-SMI sample) and were more likely to have mental and physical multimorbidities.

Conclusion

The effect of COVID-19 on people from minority ethnic backgrounds with SMI and multimorbidities remains under-studied. The present mixed methods study aims to address this gap.
Adjacent cartilage tissue structure after successful transplantation: a quantitative MRI study using T2 mapping and texture analysis
Authors: Janacova Veronika , Szomolanyi Pavol , Kirner Alexandra , Trattnig Siegfried , Juras Vladimir
Published: June 2022

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess the texture of repair tissue and tissue adjacent to the repair site after matrix-associated chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) of the knee using gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture analysis of T2 quantitative maps.

Methods

Twenty patients derived from the MRI sub-study of multicenter, single-arm phase III study underwent examination on a 3 T MR scanner, including a T2 mapping sequence 12 and 24 months after MACT. Changes between the time points in mean T2 values and 20 GLCM features were assessed for repair tissue, adjacent tissue, and reference cartilage. Differences in T2 values and selected GLCM features between the three cartilage sites at two time points were analyzed using linear mixed-effect models.

Results

A significant decrease in T2 values after MACT, between time points, was observed only in repair cartilage (p < 0.001). Models showed significant differences in GLCM features between repair tissue and reference cartilage, namely, autocorrelation (p < 0.001), correlation (p = 0.015), homogeneity (p = 0.002), contrast (p < 0.001), and difference entropy (p = 0.047). The effect of time was significant in a majority of models with regard to GLCM features (except autocorrelation) (p ≤ 0.001). Values in repair and adjacent tissue became similar to reference tissue over time.

Conclusions

GLCM is a useful add-on to T2 mapping in the evaluation of knee cartilage after MACT by increasing the sensitivity to changes in cartilage structure. The results suggest that cartilage tissue adjacent to the repair site heals along with the cartilage implant.

Key Points

• GLCM is a useful add-on to T2mapping in the evaluation of knee cartilage after MACT by increasing the sensitivity to changes in cartilage structure.

• Repair and adjacent tissue became similar to reference tissue over time.

• The results suggest that cartilage tissue adjacent to the repair site heals along with the cartilage implant.
The development of a minimum dataset for MRI reporting of anorectal fistula: a multi-disciplinary, expert consensus process
Authors: Iqbal Nusrat , Sackitey Charlene , Gupta Arun , Tolan Damian , Plumb Andrew , Godfrey Edmund , Grierson Catherine , Williams Andrew , Brown Steven , Maxwell-Armstrong Charles , Anderson Iain , Selinger Christian , Lobo Alan , Hart Ailsa , Tozer Phil , Lung Phillip
Published: June 2022

There are a range of sphincter-preserving procedures available to treat anorectal fistula, some of which can be precluded, or rendered more optimal by specific features of fistula anatomy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard modality for assessing anorectal fistula. To maximise clinical utility, the MRI report should accurately describe these clinically relevant features. We aimed to develop a minimum dataset for reporting MRI of anorectal fistula, in order to improve the assessment and management of these patients. A longlist of 70 potential items for the minimum dataset was generated through systematic review of the literature. This longlist was presented to radiologists, surgeons and gastroenterologists in an online survey to understand the features that shape current clinical practice. The longlist and survey results were then presented to an expert consensus panel to generate the final minimum dataset through discussion and anonymous voting. The final minimum dataset details the general characteristics, features of the internal and external openings, path of the fistula through the sphincters and any associated extensions and collections that should be described in all MRI reports for anal fistula. Additional surgical and perianal Crohn’s disease subsets were developed to indicate the features that aid decision-making for these patients, in addition to a minimum dataset for the clinical request. This study represents a multi-disciplinary approach to developing a minimum dataset for MRI reporting of anal fistula, highlighting the most important features to report that can assist in clinical decision-making.

Key Points

• This paper recommends the minimum features that should be included in all MRI reports for the assessment of anal fistula, including Parks classification, number of tracts, features of the internal and external opening, path of the tract through the sphincters, the presence and features of extensions and collections.

• Additional features that aid decision-making for surgery or in the presence of Crohn’s disease have been identified.

• The items that should be included when requesting an MRI are specified.
Effects of onshore development and damselfish (Stegastes nigricans) on coral richness in Opunohu Bay and Cook’s Bay in Moorea, French Polynesia
Authors: Blanchette Allison , Spies Brenton , Eminhizer Shannon , Franco Nancy , Gu Kelly , Turba Rachel , Jacobs David
Published: June 2022

The fringing reefs in Opunohu Bay and Cook’s Bay in Moorea, French Polynesia are an important component of Moorea’s fringing reef system, as they comprise approximately 20% of the island’s perimeter. The two bays are assumed to have differing benthic communities due to differences in onshore land development and freshwater input, but observational studies of their benthic communities are rarely published. To address this information gap, we conducted a quadrat-based benthic survey to determine important drivers of coral spatial variation throughout the bays. Interestingly, we found that coral taxonomic richness and cover did not significantly vary between bays, and corals only declined at the sites nearest freshwater input. Instead, coral richness was significantly greater when the territorial herbivorous damselfishStegastes nigricanswas present. The majority of the corals we documented were relatively small (88% < 10 cm diameter), thus our results support a positive effect ofS. nigricanson young coral diversity.Stegastes nigricanscould potentially be creating a refuge inside their territories from scraper herbivores for many non-dominant corals, although other potential mechanisms and the context of these benefits warrant further investigation. We conclude that, on the fringing reefs of Moorea’s two major bays, spatial variation in coral richness is more strongly associated with patches ofS. nigricansterritories than larger-scale differences in onshore land development and distance from freshwater input.
CERVI: collaborative editing of raster and vector images
Authors: Bath Ulrike , Shekhar Sumit , Egbert Julian , Schmidt Julian , Semmo Amir , Döllner Jürgen , Trapp Matthias
Published: June 2022

Various web-based image-editing tools and web-based collaborative tools exist in isolation. Research focusing to bridge the gap between these two domains is sparse. We respond to the above and develop prototype groupware for real-time collaborative editing of raster and vector images in a web browser. To better understand the requirements, we conduct a preliminary user study and establish communication and synchronization as key elements. The existing groupware for text documents or presentations handles the above through well-established techniques. However, those cannot be extended as it is for raster or vector graphics manipulation. To this end, we develop a document model that is maintained by a server and is delivered and synchronized to multiple clients. Our prototypical implementation is based on a scalable client–server architecture: using WebGL for interactive browser-based rendering and WebSocket connections to maintain synchronization. We evaluate our work qualitatively through a post-deployment user study for three different scenarios. For quantitative evaluation, we perform a thorough performance measure on both client and server side, thereby identifying design recommendations for future concurrent image-editing software(s).
Neural network adaption for depth sensor replication
Authors: Kunert Christian , Schwandt Tobias , Nadar Christon R. , Broll Wolfgang
Published: June 2022

In recent years, various depth sensors that are small enough to be used with mobile hardware have been introduced. They provide important information for use cases like 3D reconstruction or in the context of augmented reality where tracking and camera data alone would be insufficient. However, depth sensors may not always be available due to hardware limitations or when simulating augmented reality applications for prototyping purposes. In these cases, different approaches like stereo matching or depth estimation using neural networks may provide a viable alternative. In this paper, we therefore explore the imitation of depth sensors using deep neural networks. For this, we use a state-of-the-art network for depth estimation and adapt it in order to mimic a Structure Sensor as well as an iPad LiDAR sensor. We evaluate the network which was pre-trained on NYU V2 directly as well as several variations where transfer learning is applied in order to adapt the network to different depth sensors while using various data preprocessing and augmentation techniques. We show that a transfer learning approach together with appropriate data processing can enable an accurate modeling of the respective depth sensors.
Familial Mediterranean fever may mimic acute appendicitis in children
Authors: Wekell Per , Wester Tomas
Published: June 2022

Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency in children. Diagnosis and management are often straightforward. However, familial Mediterranean fever is an important condition to consider in the assessment of children with acute abdominal pain, particularly in children with an origin in eastern Mediterranean basin where the disease is common. The key feature of familial Mediterranean fever is relapsing episodes of fever and serositis including peritonitis, pleurisy, or arthritis. The disease is treated with colchicine that prevents acute attacks, control subclinical inflammation between the attacks and the long-term complication of amyloidosis. The acute attacks may be a challenge to identify and distinguish from other causes of acute abdomen, including acute appendicitis, but also small bowel obstruction. Ultrasound and CT scan findings are nonspecific during acute attacks of familial Mediterranean fever, but imaging is useful to identify acute appendicitis and small bowel obstruction. The purpose of this article was to increase the awareness and knowledge of familial Mediterranean fever and provide support for the paediatric surgeon in the clinical care of these children in parts of the world where familial Mediterranean fever is rare.
Reduction of A-to-I RNA editing in the failing human heart regulates formation of circular RNAs
Authors: Kokot Karoline E. , Kneuer Jasmin M. , John David , Rebs Sabine , Möbius-Winkler Maximilian N. , Erbe Stephan , Müller Marion , Andritschke Michael , Gaul Susanne , Sheikh Bilal N. , Haas Jan , Thiele Holger , Müller Oliver J. , Hille Susanne , Leuschner Florian , Dimmeler Stefanie , Streckfuss-Bömeke Katrin , Meder Benjamin , Laufs Ulrich , Boeckel Jes-Niels
Published: June 2022

Alterations of RNA editing that affect the secondary structure of RNAs can cause human diseases. We therefore studied RNA editing in failing human hearts. Transcriptome sequencing showed that adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing was responsible for 80% of the editing events in the myocardium. Failing human hearts were characterized by reduced RNA editing. This was primarily attributable to Alu elements in introns of protein-coding genes. In the failing left ventricle, 166 circRNAs were upregulated and 7 circRNAs were downregulated compared to non-failing controls. Most of the upregulated circRNAs were associated with reduced RNA editing in the host gene. ADAR2, which binds to RNA regions that are edited from A-to-I, was decreased in failing human hearts. In vitro, reduction of ADAR2 increased circRNA levels suggesting a causal effect of reduced ADAR2 levels on increased circRNAs in the failing human heart. To gain mechanistic insight, one of the identified upregulated circRNAs with a high reduction of editing in heart failure, AKAP13, was further characterized. ADAR2 reduced the formation of double-stranded structures in AKAP13 pre-mRNA, thereby reducing the stability of Alu elements and the circularization of the resulting circRNA. Overexpression of circAKAP13 impaired the sarcomere regularity of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. These data show that ADAR2 mediates A-to-I RNA editing in the human heart. A-to-I RNA editing represses the formation of dsRNA structures of Alu elements favoring canonical linear mRNA splicing and inhibiting the formation of circRNAs. The findings are relevant to diseases with reduced RNA editing and increased circRNA levels and provide insights into the human-specific regulation of circRNA formation.
Peripheral eosinophil count and eosinophil-to-lymphocyte ratio are associated with revision sinus surgery
Authors: Bayer Karina , Hamidovic Selmir , Brkic Faris F. , Besser Gerold , Mueller Christian A. , Liu David T.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The aim of this study was to assess whether hematological indices of the peripheral blood are associated with revision surgery in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).

Methods

This retrospective, cross-sectional, single-center study included 541 CRS patients that underwent ESS. Demographics and laboratory parameters were retrieved, and group comparisons were performed. We computed binary logistic regression models to associate clinical characteristics (i.e., aeroallergen allergies, asthma, presence of nasal polyps), absolute blood counts of different leukocyte types (i.e., lymphocytes, neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils), and hematological indices of the peripheral blood [i.e., neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), basophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (BLR), eosinophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (ELR), and eosinophil-to-neutrophil ratio (ENR)] with revision surgery as outcome.

Results

The study population included 435 primary surgeries and 106 revision cases. Patients undergoing revision ESS showed significantly higher absolute preoperative eosinophil counts (381.6 ± 265.6 per µl), ELR (0.205 ± 0.195), and ENR (0.105 ± 0.074) compared to primary cases (all p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed higher odds for revision surgery in patients higher in age (β = 1.026, p < 0.001), with presence of aeroallergen allergies (β = 1.865, p = 0.011), presence of asthma (β = 3.731, p = 0.001), higher preoperative eosinophil counts (β = 1.002, p < 0.001), and higher ELR (β = 155.663, p = 0.015).

Conclusions

We found that higher peripheral eosinophil count and higher ELR were associated with revision ESS in CRS patients. Preoperative assessment of hematological indices of the peripheral blood might be a valuable indicator of disease severity, thus facilitating better treatment selection.