bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of acute pancreatitis complications using routine blood parameters during early admission
Authors: Chen Xiubing , Ning Jing , Li Qing , Kuang Wenxi , Jiang Haixing , Qin Shanyu
Published: November 2022

Background

There have been many reports on biomarkers for predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP), but few studies on biomarkers for predicting complications; some simple and inexpensive indicators, in particular, are worth exploring.

Methods

We retrospectively collected clinical data of 809 AP patients, including medical history and results of routine blood tests, and grouped them according to the occurrence of complications. Differences in clinical characteristics between groups with and without complications were compared using t‐test or χ2 test. Receiver operating curve (ROC) and area under the curve were calculated to evaluate the ability of predicting the occurrence of complications for the routine blood parameters with statistical differences. Then, through univariate and multivariate analyses, independent risk factors closely associated with complications were identified. Finally, we built a three‐parameter prediction system and evaluated its ability to predict AP complications.

Results

Compared with the group without complications, the patients in the complication group had higher white blood cells, neutrophils, C‐reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and lower red blood cells and hemoglobin (Hb) (all p < .05), and most of them had severe pancreatitis. In addition, pseudocysts were more common in patients with alcoholic etiology, recurrence, low BMI, and high platelet (PLT) and plateletocrit. Acute respiratory failure was more common in patients with first onset and high mean PLT volume (MPV). Sepsis was more common in patients with lipogenic etiology, high MPV, and low lymphocytes. Infectious pancreatic necrosis was more common in patients with alcoholic etiology. Acute renal failure was more common in patients with monocytes and high MPV and low PLT. Multivariate analysis showed that PLT and ESR were risk factors for pseudocyst development. The ROC showed that the combination of Hb, PLT and ESR had a significantly higher predictive ability for pseudocyst than the single parameter.

Conclusion

Routine blood parameters can be used to predict the complications of AP. A predictive model combining ESR, PLT, and Hb may be an effective tool for identifying pseudocysts in AP patients.
Construction and analysis of expression profile of exosomal lncRNAs in pleural effusion in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Huang Xiaolu , Zhou Huixin , Yang Xiang , Shi Wenjing , Hu Lijuan , Wang Junjun , Zhang Fan , Shao Fanggui , Zhang Meijuan , Jiang Feng , Wang Yumin
Published: November 2022

Background

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a highly malignant tumor with a very low five‐year survival rate. In this study, we aimed to identify differentially expressed long‐chain non‐coding RNA (lncRNAs) and mRNAs from benign and malignant pleural effusion exosomes.

Methods

We used gene microassay and quantitative real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) to detect and verify differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in benign and malignant pleural effusion exosomes. Gene Ontology (GO) functional significance and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway significance enrichment analyses were performed to identify the difference in biological processes and functions between different mRNAs. We selected the lncRNA ZBED5‐AS1 with an upregulated differential fold of 3.003 and conducted a preliminary study on its cellular function.

Results

Gene microassay results revealed that 177 differentially expressed lncRNAs were upregulated, and 215 were downregulated. The top 10 upregulated were FMN1, AL118505.1, LINC00452, AL109811.2, CATG00000040683.1, AC137932.1, AC008619.1, AL450344.1, AC092718.6, and ZBED5‐AS1. The top 10 downregulated were TEX41, G067726, JAZF1‐AS1, AC027328.1, AL445645.1, AL022345.4, AC008572.1, AC123777.1, AC093714.1, and PHKG1. For the mRNAs, 79 were upregulated, and 123 were notably downregulated. GO analysis revealed that the upregulated differential mRNAs were mainly involved in “cellular response to acidic pH” (biological processes), “endoplasmic reticulum part” (cellular components), and “at DNA binding, cyclase activity” (molecular functions). KEGG pathways were found to be related to V. cholerae infection, Parkinson's disease, and cell adhesion molecules. RT‐qPCR showed that ZBED5‐AS1 was highly expressed in LUAD tissues, cells, and benign and malignant pleural fluid exosomes. Overexpression of ZBED5‐AS1 could significantly promote the proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation of LUAD cells, and knockdown had the opposite consequence.

Conclusion

The pleural effusion exosomes from patients with LUAD include several improperly expressed genes, and lncRNA‐ZBED5‐AS1 is a new biomarker that aids in our understanding of the occurrence and progression of LUAD.
High‐pitch, high temporal resolution, multi‐energy cardiac imaging on a dual‐source photon‐counting‐detector CT
Authors: Ahmed Zaki , Campeau David , Gong Hao , Rajendran Kishore , Rajiah Prabhakar , McCollough Cynthia , Leng Shuai
Published: November 2022

Objective

To measure the accuracy of material decomposition using a dual‐source photon‐counting‐detector (DS‐PCD) CT operated in the high‐pitch helical scanning mode and compare the results against dual‐source energy‐integrating‐detector (DS‐EID) CT, which requires use of a low‐pitch value in dual‐energy mode.

Methods

A DS‐PCD CT and a DS‐EID CT were used to scan a cardiac motion phantom consisting of a 3‐mm diameter iodine cylinder. Iodine maps were reconstructed using DS‐PCD in high‐pitch mode and DS‐EID in low‐pitch mode. Image‐based circularity, diameter, and iodine concentration of the iodine cylinder were calculated and compared between the two scanners. With institutional review board approval, in vivo exams were performed with the DS‐PCD CT in high‐pitch mode. Images were qualitatively compared against patients with similar heart rates that were scanned with DS‐EID CT in low‐pitch dual‐energy mode.

Results

On iodine maps, the mean circularity was 0.97 ± 0.02 with DS‐PCD in high‐pitch mode and 0.95 ± 0.06 with DS‐EID in low‐pitch mode. The mean diameter was 2.9 ± 0.2 mm with DS‐PCD and 3.1 ± 0.2 mm with DS‐EID, both of which are close to the 3 mm ground truth. For DS‐PCD, the mean iodine concentration was 9.6 ± 0.8 mg/ml and this was consistent with the 9.4 ± 0.6 mg/ml value obtained with the cardiac motion disabled. For DS‐EID, the concentration was 12.7 ± 1.2 mg/ml with motion enabled and 11.7 ± 0.5 mg/ml disabled. The background noise in the iodine maps was 15.1 HU with DS‐PCD and 14.4 HU with DS‐EID, whereas the volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) was 3 mGy with DS‐PCD and 11 mGy with DS‐EID. On comparison of six patients (three on PCD, three on EID) with similar heart rates, DS‐PCD provided iodine maps with well‐defined coronaries even at a high heart rate of 86 beats per minute. Meanwhile, there were substantial motion artifacts in iodine maps obtained with DS‐EID for patients with similar heart rates.

Conclusion

In a cardiac motion phantom, DS‐PCD CT can perform accurate material decomposition in high‐pitch mode, providing iodine maps with excellent geometric accuracy and robustness to motion at approximately 38% of the dose for similar noise as DS‐EID CT.
Dedicated cone‐beam breast CT: Data acquisition strategies based on projection angle‐dependent normalized glandular dose coefficients
Authors: Tseng Hsin Wu , Karellas Andrew , Vedantham Srinivasan
Published: November 2022

Background

Dedicated cone‐beam breast computed tomography (CBBCT) using short‐scan acquisition is being actively investigated to potentially reduce the radiation dose to the breast. This would require determining the optimal x‐ray source trajectory for such short‐scan acquisition.

Purpose

To quantify the projection angle‐dependent normalized glandular dose coefficient () in CBBCT, referred to as angular , so that the x‐ray ray source trajectory that minimizes the radiation dose to the breast for short‐scan acquisition can be determined.

Materials and Methods

A cohort of 75 CBBCT clinical datasets was segmented and used to generate three breast models – (I) patient‐specific breast with heterogeneous fibroglandular tissue distribution and real breast shape, (II) patient‐specific breast shape with homogeneous tissue distribution and matched fibroglandular weight fraction, and (III) homogeneous semi‐ellipsoidal breast with patient‐specific breast dimensions and matched fibroglandular weight fraction, which corresponds to the breast model used in current radiation dosimetry protocols. For each clinical dataset, the angular was obtained at 10 discrete angles, spaced 36° apart, for full‐scan, circular, x‐ray source trajectory from Monte Carlo simulations. Model III is used for validating the Monte Carlo simulation results. Models II and III are used to determine if breast shape contributes to the observed trends in angular . A geometry‐based theory in conjunction with center‐of‐mass () based distribution analysis is used to explain the projection angle‐dependent variation in angular .

Results

The theoretical model predicted that the angular will follow a sinusoidal pattern and the amplitude of the sinusoid increases when the center‐of‐mass of fibroglandular tissue () is farther from the center‐of‐mass of the breast (). It also predicted that the angular will be minimized at x‐ray source positions complementary to the . The was superior to the in 80% (60/75) of the breasts. From Monte Carlo simulations and for homogeneous breasts (models II and III), the deviation in breast shape from a semi‐ellipsoid had minimal effect on angular and showed less than 4% variation. From Monte Carlo simulations and for model I, as predicted by our theory, the angular followed a sinusoidal pattern with maxima and minima at x‐ray source positions superior and inferior to the breast, respectively. For model I, the projection angle‐dependent variation in angular was 16.4%.

Conclusion

The heterogeneous tissue distribution affected the angular more than the breast shape. For model I, the angular was lowest when the x‐ray source was inferior to the breast. Hence, for short‐scan CBBCT acquisition with aligned with axis‐of‐rotation, an x‐ray source trajectory inferior to the breast is preferable and such an acquisition spanning 205° can potentially reduce the mean glandular dose by up to 52%.
Microstructure‐based effective stress for unsaturated frozen soils
Authors: Yin Xiao , Lai Yuanming , Liu Enlong
Published: November 2022

Current knowledge on unsaturated soils suggests that the effective stress should be related to soil microstructures, by which the immobile water attached to the soil solid in micropores and the free water mainly governed by capillary effects in relatively large pores can be distinguished. Paying attention to this knowledge, the micro‐ and macroscopic degrees of saturation to separate micro‐ and macropores occupied by the equivalent water (ice and liquid water) are used and the microstructurally based effective stress for unsaturated frozen soils is proposed using the first law of thermodynamics and the mixture theory. The formulated effective stress considers morphological and mechanical differences of ice in two porosity scales, and can reduce to familiar forms under various assumptions for both frozen–unfrozen and saturated–unsaturated states. Regarding the mixture of microscopic ice and soil particles as the solid skeleton, the elastic bulk modulus of the solid matrix for frozen soils in the regime of compressible solids has also been derived. In addition, other emerging energy‐conjugate pairs have been identified and the second law of thermodynamics is employed to obtain the dissipation inequality in the regime of inelastic deformation for unsaturated frozen soils. The theoretical work presented in this paper could provide an important insight into mechanical constitutive study for unsaturated (saturated) frozen soils in cold regions engineering.
Meet the needs of adult transfer students
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: November 2022

Between 35 and 40 million students in the United States have earned some credit but not a degree, said Marc Booker, Ph.D., Vice Provost of Strategy at the University of Phoenix. He spoke at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers Transfer & Technology Summit, held online.
Embody gratitude as a leadership trait
Authors: Hodges Dawn Z.
Published: November 2022

In this column, I often discuss developing skills to enhance your leadership skillset or toolbox. Thanksgiving, or actively practicing gratitude, is one of those characteristics that will make you a better leader. I go back and forth with myself to determine if thanksgiving is a skill to develop or whether it is a personality trait. I choose to believe even those who have never spent time contemplating things for which to be grateful can become a person filled with thanksgiving through intentional practice.
Lymphoma‐associated mutations in autoreactive memory B cells of patients with Sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Bende Richard J , Slot Linda M , Kwakkenbos Mark J , Wormhoudt Thera AM , Jongejan Aldo , Verstappen Gwenny M , van Kampen Antoine CM , Guikema Jeroen EJ , Kroese Frans GM , van Noesel Carel JM
Published: November 2022

We recently demonstrated that normal memory B lymphocytes carry a substantial number of de novo mutations in the genome. Here, we performed exome‐wide somatic mutation analyses of bona fide autoreactive rheumatoid factor (RF)‐expressing memory B cells retrieved from patients with Sjӧgren's syndrome (SS). The amount and repertoire of the de novo exome mutations of RF B cells were found to be essentially different from those detected in healthy donor memory B cells. In contrast to the mutation spectra of normal B cells, which appeared random and non‐selected, the mutations of the RF B cells were greater in number and enriched for mutations in genes also found mutated in B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphomas. During the study, one of the SS patients developed a diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) out of an RF clone that was identified 2 years earlier in an inflamed salivary gland biopsy. The successive oncogenic events in the RF precursor clone and the DLBCL were assessed. In conclusion, our findings of enhanced and selected genomic damage in growth‐regulating genes in RF memory B cells of SS patients together with the documented transformation of an RF‐precursor clone into DLBCL provide unique novel insight into the earliest stages of B‐cell derailment and lymphomagenesis. © 2022 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Crosslinking modification of poly(arylene ether nitriles) (PEN) based on the synergistic polymerization of aromatic methylene and mono‐cyano
Authors: Hong Jinlang , He Xian , Zhu Zhengzhu , Pu Yu , Zeng Ke , Yang Gang
Published: November 2022

In order to improve the heat‐resistance of poly(arylene ether nitriles) (PEN), a novel mono‐cyano crosslinking strategy—heat‐induced synergistic polymerization of aromatic methylene and mono‐cyano is proposed and applied in the PEN system. A self‐crosslinkable PEN containing aromatic methylene moieties (PEN‐F) is synthesized by a simple solution polycondensation. PEN‐F can significantly crosslink during relatively mild heat treatment at 300–325°C without any catalyst, transferring from thermoplastic polymers to thermosetting polymers. XRD, FTIR, TGA, DSC and DMA are applied to evaluate the crystallinity, structural evolution and thermal properties of PEN‐F before and after crosslinking. The results suggest that the uncured PEN‐F is amorphous and soluble in some common solvents (THF, DMAc, NMP, etc.). After curing, the heat and solvent resistance of PEN‐F improve remarkably. Especially, the resulting crosslinked product PEN‐F‐325 exhibits a high glass transition temperature (Tg) value of 320°C measured by DMA, increased by 148°C compared to uncured PEN‐F (Tg = 172°C), potentially applicable for high temperature services.
Saturation of Hysteretic Effect in Current–Voltage Characteristics of Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Ranpariya Spandan , Sinha Dhirendra Kumar
Published: November 2022

The current–voltage characteristic curves of a perovskite solar cell (PSC) show a hysteretic effect. The effect is quantified as a hysteresis index (HI), which is a measure of the degree of hysteresis. The higher the value of the HI, the higher is the hysteretic effect. HI is determined by varying the thickness of the perovskite layer while keeping the interfacial layer constant and vice versa. It is observed that the value of the HI increases from 0.10 to 0.57 with increasing the thickness of the perovskite layer from 100 to 400 nm and saturates beyond 400 nm. In contrast, the value of HI is observed to remain constant at 0.57 over the entire variation of interfacial thickness. The observations are correlated with the number of trap‐states and ionic effects, inherently present in the perovskite and interface layers. The saturation of hysteretic effects beyond 400 nm is proposed to be due to the effective saturation of the screening effect produced by the mobile ions. The work highlights the combined role of trap‐states and ionic effects in controlling the hysteresis and provides an insight to optimize the PSCs to minimize the hysteretic effect, leading to a reliable power conversion efficiency.
Structural, electronic, and nonlinear optical properties of small silver clusters doped graphyne and pyrazine‐modified graphyne: A computational and comparative study
Authors: Hou Na , Fang Xiao‐Hui , Liu Ting‐Ting
Published: November 2022

The electronic and second‐order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of small Agnclusters (n = 1 to 3) doped graphyne (GY) and pyrazine‐modified graphyne (pyGY) have been investigated employing (time‐dependent) density functional theory calculations. A large triangular hole of GY provides an efficient site to accommodate the Agncluster, and an Ag atom prefers to be located in the center of the pyGY, interacting with the two pyridine N atoms. The silver clusters have strong interactions with GY/pyGY, and the intramolecular charge transfer is significant for determining NLO properties. The first hyperpolarizability (β0) values can be modulated by the introduction of silver clusters. The results show that the second‐order NLO response of Ag2/Ag3doped pyGY complex is stronger than that of corresponding Ag2/Ag3doped GY complex, while theβ0for single Ag doped GY is significantly higher than that of Ag@pyGY. Hence, the NLO responses of these complexes depend on the size of the clusters and the type of nanosheets. All complexes exhibit excellent transparency in the deep ultraviolet region, especially Ag3@GY/pyGY. These results suggest that these Agnclusters doped GY/pyGY are excellent candidates for potential applications in optical devices.
Secondary Anti‐Solvent Treatment for Efficient 2D Dion–Jacobson Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Jin Lu , Ren Ningyu , Wang Pengyang , Li Renjie , Xue Qifan , Huang Fei , Zhang Xiaobo , Zhao Ying , Zhang Xiaodan
Published: November 2022

Surface defects‐mediated nonradiative recombination plays a critical role in the performance and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and surface post‐treatment is widely used for efficient PSCs. However, the commonly used surface passivation strategies are one‐off and the passivation defect ability is limited, which can only solve part of the defects in the topmost surface area. Here, a secondary anti‐solvent strategy is proposed to further reduce surface defects based on conventional surface passivation for the first time. Based on this, the crystallization quality of 2D Dion–Jacobson perovskite is enhanced and the surface defects density is further reduced by nearly two orders. In addition, a gradient structure of perovskite with n = 2 phases located at the top of the film and 3D‐like phases located at the bottom of the film can also be obtained. The modulated perovskite film boosts the efficiency of 2D perovskites (n = 5) up to 19.55%. This strategy is also very useful in other anti‐solvent processed perovskite dipping systems, which paves a promising avenue for minimizing surface defects toward highly efficient perovskite devices.
Red‐Light‐Driven CO2Photoreduction into CH4and CO Enabled by Narrow‐Gap Conjugated Microporous Polymers
Authors: Wu Wei , Dai Chunhui , Wu Miaomiao , Chen Yong , Zeng Chao , Li Fei
Published: November 2022

Herein, selective CO2photoreduction into CH4and CO with red light using conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) at room temperature is reported. By incorporating electron‐rich pyrene and electron‐deficient fluorenone derivatives in the polymer networks to constructing intramolecular donor–acceptor system, the resulting three polymers show very broad light absorption covered from 350 to 1000 nm, with narrow gaps of 1.61–1.74 eV. In the presence of triethanolamine and 1‐benzyl‐1,4‐dihydronicotinamide as the sacrificial agents, P3 exhibits the best visible‐light reduction activity, with CH4and CO evolution rates of 932.9 and 943.4 μmol h−1 g−1, respectively. Most significantly, under the irradiation of red light (>600 nm), high evolution rates of CH4and CO for P3 are achieved at 293.7 and 282.6 μmol h−1 g−1, as well as nearly 100% reaction selectivity. The better performance of P3 than P1 and P2 can be ascribed to the high absorption toward CO2and improved charge transfer under light irradiation. This work opens great opportunities for designing broadband‐responsive CMPs for solar‐driven photocatalytic conversion.
Celestial amplitudes as AdS-Witten diagrams
Authors: Casali Eduardo , Melton Walker , Strominger Andrew
Published: November 2022

Abstract

Both celestial and momentum space amplitudes in four dimensions are beset by divergences resulting from spacetime translation and sometimes scale invariance. In this paper we consider a (linearized) marginal deformation of the celestial CFT for Yang-Mills theory which preserves 2D conformal invariance but breaks both spacetime translation and scale invariance and involves a chirally coupled massive scalar. The resulting MHV celestial amplitudes are completely finite (apart from the usual soft and collinear divergences and isolated poles in the sum of the weights) and take the canonical CFT form. Moreover, we show they can be simply rewritten in terms of AdS3-Witten contact diagrams which evaluate to the well-known D-functions, thereby forging a direct connection between flat and AdS holography.
Superpotentials from singular divisors
Authors: Gendler Naomi , Kim Manki , McAllister Liam , Moritz Jakob , Stillman Mike
Published: November 2022

Abstract

We study Euclidean D3-branes wrapping divisors D in Calabi-Yau orientifold compactifications of type IIB string theory. Witten’s counting of fermion zero modes in terms of the cohomology of the structure sheaf $$ {\mathcal{O}}_D $$

O
D

applies when D is smooth, but we argue that effective divisors of Calabi-Yau threefolds typically have singularities along rational curves. We generalize the counting of fermion zero modes to such singular divisors, in terms of the cohomology of the structure sheaf $$ {\mathcal{O}}_{\overline{D}} $$

O

D
¯

of the normalization$$ \overline{D} $$

D
¯

of D. We establish this by detailing compactifications in which the singularities can be unwound by passing through flop transitions, giving a physical incarnation of the normalization process. Analytically continuing the superpotential through the flops, we find that singular divisors whose normalizations are rigid can contribute to the superpotential: specifically, $$ {h}_{+}^{\bullet}\left({\mathcal{O}}_{\overline{D}}\right)=\left(1,0,0\right) $$

h
+
•

O

D
¯

=

1
0
0

and $$ {h}_{-}^{\bullet}\left({\mathcal{O}}_{\overline{D}}\right)=\left(0,0,0\right) $$

h
−
•

O

D
¯

=

0
0
0

give a sufficient condition for a contribution. The examples that we present feature infinitely many isomorphic geometric phases, with corresponding infinite-order monodromy groups Γ. We use the action of Γ on effective divisors to determine the exact effective cones, which have infinitely many generators. The resulting nonperturbative superpotentials are Jacobi theta functions, whose modular symmetries suggest the existence of strong-weak coupling dualities involving inversion of divisor volumes.
Deformation behavior in tube bending: a comparative study of compression bending and rotary draw bending
Authors: Tronvoll Sigmund A. , Ma Jun , Welo Torgeir
Published: November 2022

As the first study in the field regarding CB, this paper investigates the implications of interchanging between RDB and CB through manufacturing bends with various angles and investigates the difference between the two methods in form of springback, cross section compression and widening, cross section shape and wall thinning/thickening. The experiments conducted consists of aluminum alloy 6060-T4 round tubes of 60 mm diameter and 3 mm wall thickness, bent around 222 mm radius tooling with various bend angles. In this case, we have found that CB is capable of manufacturing bends with quality near those manufactured by RDB with less springback, however with a dimensional penalty regarding increased deformation of the cross section.
Influence of interdisciplinary frailty screening on perioperative complication rates in elderly ovarian cancer patients: results of a retrospective observational study
Authors: Anic Katharina , Varchola Jakub , Schmidt Mona Wanda , Schwab Roxana , Linz Valerie Catherine , Schmidt Marcus , Hardt Roland , Hartmann Erik Kristoffer , Ruckes Christian , Hasenburg Annette , Battista Marco Johannes
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Frailty is a frequent and underdiagnosed multidimensional age-related syndrome, involving decreased physiological performance reserves and marked vulnerability against major stressors. To standardize the preoperative frailty assessment and identify patients at risk of adverse surgical outcomes, commonly used global health assessment tools were evaluated. We aimed to assess three interdisciplinary preoperative screening assessments to investigate the influence of frailty status with in-hospital complications irrespective of surgical complexity and radicality in older women with ovarian cancer (OC).

Methods

Preoperative frailty status was examined by the G8 geriatric screening tool (G8 Score-geriatric screening), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS-oncological screening), and American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status System (ASA PS-anesthesiologic screening). The main outcome measures were the relationship between perioperative laboratory results, intraoperative surgical parameters and the incidence of immediate postoperative in-hospital complications with the preoperative frailty status.

Results

116 consecutive women 60 years and older (BMI 24.8 ± 5.2 kg/m2) with OC, who underwent elective oncological surgery in University Medical Center Mainz between 2008 and 2019 were preoperatively classified with the selected global health assessment tools as frail or non-frail. The rate of preoperative anemia (hemoglobin ≤ 12 g/dl) and perioperative transfusions were significantly higher in the G8-frail group (65.9% vs. 34.1%; p = 0.006 and 62.7% vs. 41.8%, p = 0.031; respectively). In addition, patients preoperatively classified as G8-frail exhibited significantly more postoperative clinical in-hospital complications (27.8% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.045) independent of chronological age and BMI. In contrast, ECOG PS and ASA PS did not predict the rates of postoperative complications (all p values > 0.05). After propensity score matching, the complication rate in the G8-frail cohort was approximately 1.7 times more common than in the G8-non-frail cohort.

Conclusion

Preoperative frailty assessment with the G8 Score identified elderly women with OC recording a significantly higher rate of postoperative in-hospital complications. In G8-frail patients, preoperative anemia and perioperative transfusions were significantly more recorded, regardless of chronological age, abnormal BMI and surgical complexity. Standardized preoperative frailty assessment should be added to clinical routine care to enhance risk stratification in older cancer individuals for surgical patient-centered decision-making.
Manual action re-planning interferes with the maintenance process of working memory: an ERP investigation
Authors: Gunduz Can Rumeysa , Schack Thomas , Koester Dirk
Published: November 2022

The current study investigated the re-planning of the grasping movements, its functional interactions with working memory (WM), and underlying neurophysiological activity. Mainly, the current study investigated the movement re-planning interference with WM domains (verbal, visuospatial) and processes (maintenance, retrieval). We combined a cognitive-motor dual-task paradigm with an EEG setting. Thirty-six participants completed the verbal and visuospatial versions of a WM task concurrently with a manual task which required performing a grasp-and-place movement by keeping the initial movement plan (prepared movement condition) or changing it for reversing the movement direction (re-planned movement condition). ERPs were extracted for the prepared and re-planned conditions in the verbal and visuospatial tasks separately during the maintenance and retrieval processes. ERP analyses showed that during the maintenance process of both the verbal and visuospatial tasks, the re-planned movements compared to the prepared movements generated a larger positive slow wave with a centroparietal maximum between 200 and 700. We interpreted this ERP effect as a P300 component for the re-planned movements. There was no ERP difference between the planned and re-planned movements during the retrieval process. Accordingly, we suggest that re-planning the grasp-and-place movement interfered at least with the maintenance of the verbal and visuospatial domains, resulting in the re-planning costs. More generally, the current study provides the initial neurophysiological investigations of the movement re-planning–WM interactions during grasping movements, and contributes to a better understanding of the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying manual action flexibility.
Stahlrecycling – Potenziale und Herausforderungen für innovatives und nachhaltiges Recycling
Authors: Dworak Sabine , Fellner Johann , Beermann Martin , Häuselmann Monika , Schenk Johannes , Michelic Susanne , Cejka Julian , Sakic Amin , Mayer Jakob , Steininger Karl
Published: November 2022

Stahlschrott ist ein wesentlicher Sekundärrohstoff im Stahlherstellungsprozess und ein wichtiger Grundpfeiler für eine CO2-arme Stahlindustrie. Im Vergleich zur Stahlproduktion durch die Primärroute benötigt das Einschmelzen von Stahlschrott weniger Ressourcen und birgt somit sowohl umwelttechnische als auch wirtschaftliche Vorteile. Ein erhöhtes und optimiertes Recycling von Stahlschrott zur Erzeugung von Hochleistungsstählen setzt jedoch genaue Kenntnisse über verfügbare Schrottqualitäten voraus. Insbesondere Altschrottklassen können die geforderten Qualitätskriterien hinsichtlich ihrer Zusammensetzung nicht erfüllen.

Die gegenständliche, interdisziplinäre Arbeit untersucht Optimierungspotenziale für ein nachhaltiges Recycling von Stahl in Österreich. Dabei wurde die Schrottverfügbarkeit quantitativ und auch qualitativ durch eine Materialfluss- und qualitative Material-Pinch-Analyse ermittelt. Die Ergebnisse wurden durch Stakeholderbefragungen untermauert. Im Zuge der Stakeholderbefragungen wurde auch der Innovationsbedarf der Branche ermittelt. Weiters wurden werkstofftechnologische Auswirkungen für Prozesse und Produkte analysiert und zusammengefasst.

Durch den erhöhten Schrotteinsatz, vor allem durch Altschrott, kommt es zu erhöhten Anteilen an Begleitelementen in der Stahlproduktion. Die Arbeit zeigt, dass der Anteil an Altschrott am Gesamtschrottaufkommen bis zu 75 % erreichen wird, gegenwärtig aber aufgrund des aktuellen Schrotthandlings und damit einhergehenden Verunreinigungen nur ein Teil des Altschrotts tatsächlich auch innereuropäisch bzw. in Österreich für die Erzeugung von Hochleistungsstählen ausgenutzt werden kann. Durch verbesserte Vorsortierung, Entfernung der unerwünschten Begleitelemente durch sekundärmetallurgische Prozesse und durch besseres Verständnis der Wechselwirkung unterschiedlicher Begleitelemente kann das vorhandene Schrottpotenzial besser ausgeschöpft werden. Die Nutzung der in sekundären Rohstoffen gespeicherten „grauen“ Energie ermöglicht nicht nur für den Stahlsektor selbst eine effektive Entwicklungsoption Richtung Klimaneutralität, sondern auch für andere volkswirtschaftliche Bereiche durch insgesamt reduzierten Primärenergiebedarf und Senkung des Fußabdrucks zahlreicher Wertschöpfungsketten.
Prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis among people with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Kantzanou Maria , Karalexi Maria A. , Theodoridou Kalliopi , Kostares Evangelos , Kostare Georgia , Loka Thalia , Vrioni Georgia , Tsakris Athanassios
Published: November 2022

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection expressing different clinical phenotypes. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is considered an opportunistic infection among people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The objective of this review was to identify published data on the prevalence of Leishmania spp. infection among PWH and to define particular determinants that affect critically the epidemiological characteristics of VL-HIV coinfection and, potentially, its burden on public health. Two independent reviewers conducted a systematic literature search until June 30, 2022. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models to calculate the summary prevalence and respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) of leishmaniasis among PWH. Meta-regression analysis was performed to investigate the impact of putative effect modifiers, such as the mean CD4 cell count, on the major findings. Thirty-four studies were eligible, yielding a summary prevalence of 6% (95%CI, 4–11%) for leishmaniasis (n = 1583) among PWH (n = 85,076). Higher prevalence rates were noted in Asia (17%, 95%CI, 9–30%) and America (9%, 95%CI, 5–17%) than in Europe (4%, 95%CI, 2–8%). Prevalence rates were significantly mediated by the age, sex, and CD4 cell count of participants. Heterogeneity remained significant in all meta-analyses (p < 0.0001). In the majority of included studies, people were coinfected with HIV and Leishmania species associated with VL, as opposed to those associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis. No sign of publication bias was shown (p = 0.06). Our summary of published studies on leishmaniasis among PWH is important to provide prevalence estimates and define potential underlying factors that could guide researchers to generate and further explore specific etiologic hypotheses.
Logic model for opioid safety in chronic non-malignant pain management, an in-depth qualitative study
Authors: Iqbal Ayesha , Knaggs Roger , Anderson Claire , Toh Li Shean
Published: November 2022

Background

Opioids are commonly used for the management of chronic non-malignant pain in Pakistan; but there is a lack of literature around precursors or motivators in the use of opioids.

Aim

The study holistically explored factors contributing towards the unsafe use of opioids and identifies strategies to overcome them.

Method

Exploratory qualitative methods using interviews, focus groups and non-participant observational case studies were used. Interviews and focus groups were carried out face-to-face as well as virtually and observations were conducted in community pharmacies in Islamabad and Khyber Pukhtoon Khuwa province, Pakistan. Data were collected from 4 stakeholder groups; pharmacy policy makers (n = 11), people with chronic non-malignant pain (n = 14), doctors (n = 31) and community pharmacists (n = 36) by purposive critical case sampling method. Data were analysed inductively using reflexive thematic analysis and then deductively mapped to a social ecological framework. Non-participant observations were analysed using a cross case synthesis using explanation building technique. Data from all three methods were triangulated to develop a logic model.

Results

Identified factors at macro (regulation), meso (social perceptions of pain and opioids) and micro levels (uncontrolled pain, self-medication, health literacy) and strategies are presented holistically and were used to develop a logic model for the prevention and mitigation of factors currently causing unsafe use of opioids.

Conclusion

The study provides an in-depth view of factors contributing towards diversion of pharmaceutical opioids and can help guide national and international policy makers in their future initiatives to promote safe use of opioids in the management of chronic non-malignant pain in Pakistan.
Metabolic changes during exclusive enteral nutrition in pediatric Crohn’s disease patients
Authors: Marques Jair G. , Schwerd Tobias , Bufler Philip , Koletzko Sibylle , Koletzko Berthold
Published: November 2022

Background and aims

Exclusive enteral nutrition is recommended as a first-line treatment in active pediatric Crohn’s Disease, but its mechanism of action is still not clear. We aimed to assess alterations in the metabolic profile of newly diagnosed pediatric Crohn’s Disease patients before and during exclusive enteral nutrition therapy.

Methods

Plasma samples from 14 pediatric Crohn’s Disease patients before and after 3–4 weeks on exclusive enteral nutrition were analyzed using mass spectrometry. T-test, fold change and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis were used for mining significant features. Correlation analysis was performed between the annotated features and the weighted pediatric Crohn’s disease activity index using Pearson r distance.

Results

Among the 13 compounds which decreased during exclusive enteral nutrition, most are related to diet, while one is a bacterial metabolite, Bacteriohopane-32,33,34,35-tetrol. The phosphatidic acid metabolite PA(15:1/18:0) was significantly reduced and correlated with the weighted pediatric Crohn’s disease activity index. Lipids increased during exclusive enteral nutrition therapy included phosphatidylethanolamines; PE(24:1/24:1), PE(17:2/20:2) and one lactosylceramide; LacCer(d18:1/14:0).

Conclusion

Food additives and other phytochemicals were the major metabolites, which decreased following the exclusion of a regular diet during exclusive enteral nutrition. An alteration in bacterial biomarkers may reflect changes in intestinal microbiota composition and metabolism. Thus, metabolomics provides an opportunity to characterize the molecular mechanisms of dietary factors triggering Crohn’s Disease activity, and the mechanisms of action of exclusive enteral nutrition, thereby providing the basis for the development and evaluation of improved intervention strategies for prevention and treatment.
Systematic analysis of the expression profile and prognostic significance of m6A regulators and PD-L1 in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Kong Fanhua , Wang Kunpeng , Wang Liezhi
Published: November 2022

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor with poor prognosis. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification has dual biological functions in RNA modification and plays an important role in HCC.

Methods

The GEO, TCGA, ONCOMINE, UALCAN, GEPIA, Kaplan–Meier plotter, cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics, STRING and TIMER2 databases were used for bioinformatic analyses. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to detect the expression of m6A regulators in HCC tissues.

Results

The transcription of m6A regulators was upregulated in patients with HCC, and overexpression of YTHDF1/2, YTHDC1, RBM15 and METTL3 was significantly correlated with clinical stages of HCC. In addition, downregulation of ZC3H13 and METTL14 and upregulation of other m6A regulators were associated with a poor prognosis. A high mutation rate (89%) of m6A regulators was also observed in patients with HCC, and mutations in methylation regulators were associated with poor overall survival and disease-free survival. Finally, the expression of the YTHDF family was significantly associated with immune infiltration in the HCC microenvironment.

Conclusion

m6A regulators and programmed death-ligand 1 may play an important role in the tumorigenesis and immune invasion and escape of HCC and may be risk factors affecting the survival of patients with HCC.
Microextraction procedures for preconcentration of Fe (III) in water and food samples prior to colorimetric detection: a comparative study
Authors: Zedan Hanan E. , Mortada Wael I. , Khalifa Magdi E.
Published: November 2022

Two extraction procedures, namely dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop (DLLME-SFOD), have been compared for the spectrophotometric determination of Fe (III). In both procedures, Fe (III) was extracted after complexation with gallic acid in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Tetrachloroethylene and 1-undecanol were used as extraction solvents in DLLME and DLLME-SFOD, respectively, while acetone was used as dispersing solvents. The effects of various experimental parameters (solution pH, the concentration of ligand and CTAB, as well as nature and amount of extraction and disperser solvents) on the extraction efficiency were investigated. Under optimum conditions, the calibration graphs were linear in the range of 50.0–650.0 and 8.0–800.0 μg L−1 and the detection limits were 15.0 and 5.0 μg L−1 for DLLME and DLLME-SFOD, respectively. The presence of NaCl, up to 1.0% (w/v) did not impact the extraction procedures. The analyte was good tolerated in the presence of most concomitant ions. The procedures were applied for the determination of Fe (III) in standard reference materials and real samples with good recoveries (95.5–99.0%) for DLLME-SFOD while poor recoveries (68.0–82.5%) were obtained when DLLME was applied. The analytical figures of the procedures were comparable with those listed in the literature and it could be concluded that DLLME-SFOD may be considered one of the best tools used for preconcentration of Fe (III), owing to its simplicity, time-saving and the possibility of using in conventional analytical laboratories.

Graphical abstract
Do heritable immune responses extend physiological individuality?
Authors: Juliane Veigl Sophie
Published: November 2022

Immunology and its philosophy are a primary source for thinking about biological individuality. Through its discriminatory function, the immune system is believed to delineate organism and environment within one generation, thus defining the physiological individual. Based on the paradigmatic instantiations of immune systems, immune interactions and, thus, the physiological individual are believed to last only for one generation. However, in recent years, transgenerationally persisting immune responses have been reported in several phyla, but the consequences for physiological individuality have not yet been explored. In this article, I will introduce an invertebrate immune system that is RNA-based and operates through a heritable silencing/licensing paradigm. I will discuss how such a perspective on immune systems can illuminate our conceptions of individuality. I will particularly introduce an account of immunological individuality that is not restricted to one generation.
Citizen Science and Monitoring Forest Pests: a Beneficial Alliance?
Authors: de Groot Maarten , Pocock Michael J. O. , Bonte Jochem , Fernandez-Conradi Pilar , Valdés-Correcher Elena
Published: November 2022

Purpose of the Review

One of the major threats to tree health, and hence the resilience of forests and their provision of ecosystem services, is new and emerging pests. Therefore, forest health monitoring is of major importance to detect invasive, emerging and native pest outbreaks. This is usually done by foresters and forest health experts, but can also be complemented by citizen scientists. Here, we review the use of citizen science for detection and monitoring, as well as for hypothesis-driven research and evaluation of control measures as part of forest pest surveillance and research. We then examine its limitations and opportunities and make recommendations on the use of citizen science for forest pest monitoring.

Recent Findings

The main opportunities of citizen scientists for forest health are early warning, early detection of new pests, monitoring of impact of outbreaks and scientific research. Each domain has its own limitations, opportunities and recommendations to follow, as well as their own public engagement strategies. The development of new technologies provides many opportunities to involve citizen scientists in forest pest monitoring. To enhance the benefits of citizen scientists’ inclusion in monitoring, it is important that they are involved in the cocreation of activities.

Future monitoring and research may benefit from tailor-made citizen science projects to facilitate successful monitoring by citizen scientists and expand their practice to countries where the forest health sector is less developed. In this sense, citizen scientists can help understand and detect outbreaks of new pests and avoid problems in the future.
The role of leadership in educational innovation: a comparison of two mathematics departments’ initiation, implementation, and sustainment of active learning
Authors: Funk Rachel , Uhing Karina , Williams Molly , Smith Wendy M.
Published: November 2022

Several studies have shown that the use of active learning strategies can help improve student success and persistence in STEM-related fields. Despite this, widespread adoption of active learning strategies is not yet a reality as institutional change can be difficult to enact. Accordingly, it is important to understand how departments in institutions of higher education can initiate and sustain meaningful change. We use interview data collected from two institutions to examine how leaders at two universities contributed to the initiation, implementation, and sustainability of active learning in undergraduate calculus and precalculus courses. At each institution, we spoke to 27 stakeholders involved in changes (including administrators, department chairs, course coordinators, instructors, and students). Our results show that the success of these changes rested on the ability of leaders to stimulate significant cultural shifts within the mathematics department. We use communities of transformation theory and the four-frame model of organization change in STEM departments in order to better understand how leaders enabled such cultural shifts. Our study highlights actions leaders may take to support efforts at improving education by normalizing the use of active learning strategies and provides potential reasons for the efficacy of such actions. These results underscore the importance of establishing flexible, distributed leadership models that attend to the cultural and operational norms of a department. Such results may inform leaders at other institutions looking to improve education in their STEM departments.