bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spin Textures and Berry Phases for Holes Confined in SiGe Mixed‐Alloy 2D Quantum Well System: Quantization of Berry Phase via Intersubband Interaction
Authors: Tojo Tatsuki , Takeda Kyozaburo
Published: September 2022

In their last article [Phys. Lett. A 2021, 389, 127091], the authors have extended the approach by considering crossings with the spin–orbit interaction (SOI) up to the second order and studied the spin texture and Berry phase of the heavy‐mass holes (HHs) confined in the SiGe 2D quantum well system. HHs cause quasi‐degeneracy via the intersub‐band interaction (ISI) working as Dirac‐like singularity, leading to the energy‐dependent Berry phase “quantized” by π. This π quantization is understandable by counting the number of quasi‐degenerate points in the Brillouin zone alongside recognizing the sign of the Berry curvature there. Herein, the remaining holes of the light‐mass holes (LHs) and separate holes (SHs) are studied. The spin textures and the Berry curvatures and phases are explored comprehensively, focusing on the competition between the Rashba and Dresselhaus SOIs via ISI. Comparisons with HHs elucidate that LHs and SHs cause similar quasi‐degeneracy through ISI, functioning as the Dirac‐like singularity. As such, the Berry phase is quantized by π, confirming the validity of the counting model irrespective of hole type. In some peculiar cases, HHs and LHs cause a possible sign inversion in the Berry phase, leading to zero Berry phase against temperature.
A comprehensive review on functionality of probiotics in edible packaging
Authors: Shivani Tholla Madana , Sathiavelu Mythili
Published: September 2022

Over the last few years, edible packaging has been employed in order to increase the health benefits of food and increasing its shelf‐life. Edible packaging is an alternative to typical food protection systems that is both environmentally and customer‐friendly. Concerns regarding healthy diet and well‐being have led to a worldwide surge in the usage of probiotic‐containing foods. This breakthrough has elicited the attention of scientists in the food industry, with an objective of producing novel probiotic foods and enhancing existing probiotic delivery techniques. In this context, edible packaging is being researched as a probiotic carrier with a vast array of applications. Probiotics have been added to a variety of foods and mixed into biopolymeric materials to create food packaging as a way to control foodborne pathogens, improve food safety and provide health benefits. The following review attempts to describe the edible packaging system with very current data, unexplored sources of probiotics and examines probiotics in edible packaging, its incorporation techniques and new breakthroughs in synbiotic edible packaging.
Somatization in Dermatology
Authors: Millington George W. M. , Shobajo Morinola T. , Wall James , Jafferany Mohammad
Published: September 2022

Medically unexplained dermatologic symptoms, such as pruritus, numbness and burning are known as somatization. These cutaneous symptoms can be very difficult to treat because of an absence of an objective explanation and they may not fit neatly into any known dermatological or psychiatric condition. These disorders are more commonly encountered in primary care and in dermatology, rather than in psychiatry. Certain skin disorders, for example, pruritus, could be a manifestation of somatization and others may predispose to somatic symptoms, for example, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Although there has been increasing research in the interconnection between psychiatry and dermatology, psychodermatology is a relatively new crossover discipline in clinical practice and recognition of psychodermatological conditions, such as cutaneous somatic disorders, can be difficult. Somatization may occur with or without the existence of a dermatological disease. When a dermatological disorder is present, somatization should be considered when the patient is worrying too much about their skin, spending too much time and energy on it and especially if the patient also complains of many non-cutaneous symptoms. Purely cutaneous somatic conditions include for example, the genital pain syndromes or Gardner–Diamond syndrome, characterized by unexplained bruising, which usually affects women. Effective management tools may include mindfulness therapies, pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants and cognitive conduct therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy can also be considered in extremely rare cases for treatment of severe somatization on a background of mood disorders. This paper discusses somatization, its relationship to immunodermatoses and its relevance to clinical practice.
Influence of Lump Ore Ratio and Shapes on the Particle Flow Behavior Inside the Direct Reduction Shaft Furnace by Discrete Element Modeling Model
Authors: Liao Haotian , Zong Yanbing , Li Kejiang , Bu Yushan , Bi Zhisheng , Jiang Chunhe , Liu Zhengjian , Zhang Jianliang
Published: September 2022

In recent years, with the attention given to hydrogen reduction‐related technologies, the parameter indicators of direct reduction in the shaft furnace have gained importance. Herein, the numerical simulation of the particle flow field in the shaft furnace is investigated with the help of discrete element method (DEM) model. In contrast to the subregional modeling and the single particle shape study of the previous studies, this study innovatively uses the real shape of the particles and the overall structure of the vertical furnace for modeling. The transient characteristics of solid particle flow under ten lump ore ratios and three shapes are considered. The results show that the mass fraction and the shape of lump ore have little effect on the particle falling speed, but have a significant effect on the particle segregation behavior. In addition, the void ratio responds to the permeability condition in the furnace, which is also influenced by the lump ore proportion and shape.
Hybrid Model for Predicting Oxygen Consumption in BOF Steelmaking Process Based on Cluster Analysis
Authors: Wang Dazhi , Bao Yanping , Gao Fang , Xing Lidong
Published: September 2022

The amount of oxygen blown into the converter directly affects the productivity of the converter and the quality of the molten steel, so it is crucial to accurately predict oxygen consumption. Herein, a hybrid model for predicting oxygen consumption in basic oxygen furnace steelmaking process is established. The oxygen consumption of converter is divided into two types: the determined oxygen consumption and the estimated oxygen consumption. The determined oxygen consumption is calculated by mechanism model. And the estimated oxygen consumption is calculated by statistical model. The method of cluster analysis is also introduced into the model. After clustering the data, a statistical model for predicting the estimated oxygen consumption in each subcategory is established, which further improves the prediction accuracy of the model. After dividing the original data into three categories, the hit rate of the hybrid model is 93.3%, when the relative errors of the model are restricted within 5%. As a result, the hybrid model is fully capable of predicting oxygen consumption in converters.
Risk factors and machine learning model for predicting hospitalization outcomes in geriatric patients with dementia
Authors: Wang Xin , Ezeana Chika F. , Wang Lin , Puppala Mamta , Huang Yan‐Siang , He Yunjie , Yu Xiaohui , Yin Zheng , Zhao Hong , Lai Eugene C. , Wong Stephen T. C.
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Geriatric patients with dementia incur higher healthcare costs and longer hospital stays than other geriatric patients. We aimed to identify risk factors for hospitalization outcomes that could be mitigated early to improve outcomes and impact overall quality of life.

Methods

We identified risk factors, that is, demographics, hospital complications, pre‐admission, and post‐admission risk factors including medical history and comorbidities, affecting hospitalization outcomes determined by hospital stays and discharge dispositions. Over 150 clinical and demographic factors of 15,678 encounters (8407 patients) were retrieved from our institution's data warehouse. We further narrowed them down to twenty factors through feature selection engineering by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Glmnet. We developed an explainable machine‐learning model to predict hospitalization outcomes among geriatric patients with dementia.

Results

Our model is based on stacking ensemble learning and achieved accuracy of 95.6% and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.757. It outperformed prevalent methods of risk assessment for encounters of patients with Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD) (4993), vascular dementia (VD) (4173), Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD) (3735), and other unspecified dementias (OUD) (2777). Top identified hospitalization outcome risk factors, mostly from medical history, include encephalopathy, number of medical problems at admission, pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections, falls, admission source, age, race, anemia, etc., with several overlaps in multi‐dementia groups.

Discussion

Our model identified several predictive factors that can be modified or intervened so that efforts can be made to prevent recurrence or mitigate their adverse effects. Knowledge of the modifiable risk factors would help guide early interventions for patients at high risk for poor hospitalization outcome as defined by hospital stays longer than seven days, undesirable discharge disposition, or both. The interventions include starting specific protocols on modifiable risk factors like encephalopathy, falls, and infections, where non‐existent or not routine, to improve hospitalization outcomes of geriatric patients with dementia.

Highlights

A total 15,678 encounters of Geriatrics with dementia with a final 20 risk factors.

Developed a predictive model for hospitalization outcomes for multi‐dementia types.

Risk factors for each type were identified including those amenable to interventions.

Top factors are encephalopathy, pressure ulcers, urinary tract infection (UTI), falls, and admission source.

With accuracy of 95.6%, our ensemble predictive model outperforms other models.
Contribution of wild edible plants to household livelihood in a semiarid Kondoa District, Tanzania
Authors: Mwajombe Anselm R. , Liwenga Emma T. , Mwiturubani Donald
Published: September 2022

Wild edible plants (WEPS) are an important source of nutrients and income particularly to poor households. However, information on how WEPS contribute to rural livelihoods varies due to heterogeneous methodologies and settings. This paper is based on a study that investigated the contribution of WEPs on rural livelihoods in semiarid Kondoa District, Dodoma Region, Tanzania. Mixed methods were used to collect data from 343 households (14.32%), comprising six focus group discussions and six key informant interviews with district officials. Findings show that whereas 97% of households use WEPs more on subsistence basis, 8.2% use it for income generation. Income generated from WEPs accounted for about 9.16% of household income, which is somewhat closely to other sources. More or less, prices are even higher than those of corn when compared with national figures. However, income generated from sale of WEPs, though substantial, is less accounted for in household capital assets, rather than satisfying the household's basic requirements. Thus, there is a need to recognize the role of WEPs to rural livelihoods in reducing vulnerability to food insecurity and developing interventions that can improve access to use and management of natural resources.
Tricyanated Ferrocenes; Isolation, structure, electrochemistry and DFT calculations
Authors: Blockhaus Tobias , Zott Fabian L. , Zehetmaier Peter M. , Klein‐Heßling Christian , Sünkel Karlheinz
Published: September 2022

1,2,3‐ Tricyanoferrocene and 1,3‐dibromo‐2,4,5‐tricyanoferrocene have been synthesized via metallation and usage of dimethylmalononitrile (DMMN) as cyanating agent. They are the first compounds where three nitrile functions could be introduced into the ferrocene sceleton. Further studies on the electrophilic cyanation of lithiated haloferrocenes [Fe(C5HmX4‐mLi)(C5H5)] (X=Cl, Br;m=0–3) show the formation of complex mixtures of cyano‐halo‐ferrocenes [Fe{C5HmX5‐m‐n(CN)n}(C5H5)] (m=0–3,n=0–3) most likely induced by “halogen‐dance” reactions. The molecular and crystal structures of [Fe{C5H2(CN)3}(C5H5)] and [Fe(C5Cl4CN)(C5H5)] are discussed. Cyclic voltametric studies of both tricyanoferrocenes show irreversible oxidations at very high potentials (Eonset≈845 mV and 945 mV, respectively, vs FcH/FcH+).
Forest Health
Authors: Rizzo Maria , Gasparini Patrizia
Published: September 2022

Forests mainly consist of long-lived trees or shrub species and are exposed to natural or human disturbances of different severities. They are essential components of the natural development of forest ecosystems, since by triggering natural selection and ecological succession processes, they can achieve the best status in terms of species composition and structure. Nevertheless, extreme events can cause serious economic or naturalistic losses and, in some cases, endanger specific forest ecosystems. Disturbance events that damage forests vary and include pests and diseases, fires, pollution, climate changes, overexploitation or inadequate silvicultural practices, excessive grazing and browsing, to name just a few. Health monitoring of forests is a necessary condition to provide useful information for the conservation of forest resources, as well as to support forest management practices aimed at increasing the resilience of forests and their adaptation capacity. Through ground surveys, the Italian national forest inventory INFC has classified the health condition of Italian forests and produced the estimates presented in the chapter. These concern the distribution of the Forest area by pathologies and damage presence, severity and cause. Estimates of the Forest area affected by defoliation, divided by defoliation class and localization of defoliation, are also presented.
Protective Function and Primary Designated Management Objective
Authors: Floris Antonio , Di Cosmo Lucio
Published: September 2022

In a framework of multiple services supplied simultaneously by forests, the protection against natural hazards is one of the most important. Forests deliver conservation of natural resources, including soil and water, and other environmental services. They slow water dispersion and allow for infiltration and percolation of rainwater, which recharges soil and underground water storage. Forest cover, moreover, protects soil from wind and water erosion, avalanches and landslides. INFC collects a wide range of information related to the protective function of Italian wooded areas. This chapter shows estimates regarding such physical site characteristics, as slope, land position and aspect which, together with tree canopy coverage and terrain roughness, can condition the protective role of forests. Inventory statistics on terrain instability and hydrogeological constraint, as defined by national laws, are shown as well, the latter being a basis of most national and regional regulations on forest management. Finally, the presence of a primary designated management objective has been assessed with a particular focus on direct and indirect protection. Estimates on such attributes are shown in the last section of this chapter.
Forest Carbon Stock
Authors: Di Cosmo Lucio , Gasparini Patrizia , Floris Antonio
Published: September 2022

Forests affect climate globally and have an important role in the global carbon cycle. Countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the agreements that followed, use national forest inventory data to estimate carbon sequestration related to land use, land use changes and forestry. Five terrestrial carbon pools are relevant for the estimation of carbon stocks and carbon stock changes under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol: soil, litter, belowground and aboveground biomass, and deadwood. The second Italian NFI (INFC2005) estimated the organic carbon stock stored within four out of the five pools and confirmed the major role of soil, which stored 57.6% of Italian forest organic carbon in the four pools studied. Estimating soil carbon change is challenging if the time elapsed between two assessment periods is not long, because the expected changes are small compared to the high carbon stock already present in soils. INFC2015 updated the estimates of the carbon stored in aboveground living biomass and in deadwood. The results are shown and commented on in Sects. 12.2 and 12.3. They allow for computation of the overall aboveground biomass carbon stock, i.e., the joined contribution of those two ecosystem components. Annual variation of carbon in growing stock is also due to carbon stored via growth and carbon removed with harvesting. These entries of the balance were estimated by INFC2015 and indicate that Italian forests act as carbon sinks; this is shown in Sect. 12.4.
Land Use and Land Cover Photointerpretation
Authors: Rizzo Maria , Gasparini Patrizia
Published: September 2022

Most national forest inventories use remote sensing data, mainly aerial photos and orthophotos, for the preliminary classification of land use and cover in the inventory points, also for the purpose of estimating the forest area. The classification of land use and land cover during the first phase of the third Italian forest inventory INFC2015 was carried out by interpreting 4-band digital orthophotos (RGB colors and near infrared) in over 301,000 points located on a grid with quadrangular meshes of 1 km2. The classification system adopted includes three hierarchical levels, of which the first corresponds to the same level of the European CORINE Land Cover system and the subsequent ones aimed at highlighting the classes of inventory interest, for the subsequent stratification of the sample of points to be surveyed on the ground. A rigorous quality control procedure was implemented, during the photointerpretation and its conclusion, in order to assess the accuracy of the classifications and the extent of changes to and from forest land use and land cover.
Procedures for the Estimation of Forest Inventory Quantities
Authors: Dickson Maria Michela , Giuliani Diego
Published: September 2022

This chapter aims at illustrating the statistical procedures adopted to estimate the unknown values of the parameters of interest of the forest inventory. In particular, it firstly describes how the data collected during the second phase of the sampling plan have been used to estimate the areal extents of the different land use and cover categories. Secondly, it illustrates the procedures to properly estimate the total and density values of the quantities measured during the third phase of the survey campaign. These procedures were developed for INFC2005 and, as explained in this chapter, are still valid for INFC2015.
Plot Level Estimation Procedures and Models
Authors: Di Cosmo Lucio
Published: September 2022

Quantitative variable raw data recorded in the sample plots require pre-processing before the NFI estimators of totals and densities can be used to produce statistics. The objective of the plot level estimates is to estimate the variables of interest for each sample point expanded to the 1 km2 area of the cell that the point represents. The intensity and complexity of the computations vary considerably depending on the variable, the way it is obtained by the measured items (e.g., DBH measurement vs. basal area), whether all the items in the sample plot or only a subsample of them are measured, and the availability of models. The definitive result of the computations are tallies, volumes, biomass and carbon stocks but estimates of additional variables at intermediate steps may be needed (e.g., total tree height). This chapter describes the methods and the models used in INFC2015 for the estimation of the variables related to trees (e.g., tallies, basal area), small trees and shrubs (e.g., biomass, carbon stock), stumps (e.g., volume, biomass), stock variation (e.g., the wood annually produced by growth and that removed). Some of the models described were produced in view of the INFC needs, before and after it was established in 2001, while others were created during the NFI computation processes. Finally, the conversion factors needed to estimate the biomass of deadwood, saplings and shrubs were obtained through an additional field campaign of the second Italian NFI (INFC2005) and the following laboratory analyses.
Area and Characteristics of Italian Forests
Authors: Gasparini Patrizia , Di Cosmo Lucio , Floris Antonio
Published: September 2022

Awareness of exhaustible forest resources is not recent in human history; rather, it dates back to the late Middle Ages, when it became clear that some kind of planning was needed to utilise forest resources and to do so, assessment was necessary. Postponed in time, enlarged to a national scale and based on statistical sampling, compared to the inventory methods adopted at that time, modern NFIs are assigned to produce sound information necessary to support forest policies. Forest areas and composition, ownership, growing stock and increment, as well as management, silviculture and structural characters are among the variables assessed by NFIs. This chapter provides statistics on those variables. For areas, estimates are shown for Total wooded area, Forest, Other wooded land, and their distribution among inventory categories and forest types, which describe species composition. In addition, the chapter also addresses distribution by altitude classes. For stands characters, areas are shown by crown coverage, development stage and age class. Lastly, inventory statistics are given on the presence and amount of small trees and shrubs.
Philosophy and History of Environmental Education
Authors: Fang Wei-Ta , Hassan Arba’at , LePage Ben A.
Published: September 2022

In the first chapter, we discussed the definition of environmental education. In Chap. 2, we discuss environmental education based on the pragmatic view of environmental protection. This view is that the interpretation of the living environment is complicated, but because the process of human reasoning it is finite in nature. Our actions should be rooted in our past history, philosophy, and experience in environmental protection that may allow improvement of our physicalenvironment. The essential part of this process is the ability to recognize the components of our ecosystems that can be managed and when adaptation is the only option or survival.
Research Methods for Environmental Education
Authors: Fang Wei-Ta , Hassan Arba’at , LePage Ben A.
Published: September 2022

Research methods are the sum of knowledge, plans, strategies, tools, steps, and processes. In this chapter, we seek to understand the “research” nature of Environmental Education (EE), define the scope of research through a systematic investigation process by gathering and understanding past facts and discovering new facts through practical investigations, experiments, and verification methods to increase or modify the contemporary know-how in our environment. After exploring the history of EE, entering quantitative research on EE and qualitative research on EE, we use this chapter to improve the level of thinking of EE theory, using the learning methods of Benjamin S. Bloom, Harold R. Hungerford, and the emotionallearning theory of ABC. We aim to understand the value of post-environmental learning, strengthen our transcendental cognition of animate and inanimate objects by looking at these aspects objectively and have a more general and mature view of the biotic and abioticprocesses that shape the world around us.
Environmental Literacy
Authors: Fang Wei-Ta , Hassan Arba’at , LePage Ben A.
Published: September 2022

Environmental literacy is an abstract concept and a subjective imagination. We see that this chapter discusses environmental educationlearningmotivations, awareness and sensitivity, values and attitudes, mobilization skills, mobilization experience, environmental behavior, and aesthetic literacy in the cultivation of literacy. The above connotations of environmental literacy all need to construct the inherent goodness of human beings. We particularly hope that environmental literacy can be externalized to achieve changes in human-friendly environmental behavior. In other words, if the environmental literacy of the entire population can be strengthened, we can work together to form environmental cohesion, cultivate modern socialcitizens, generate environmental collectiveconsciousness and awareness, and then based on the eternalbelief in naturaldecision-making and environmental protection. This could promote a comfortable space and a clean home for sustainable development. Therefore, from the process that human beings can perceive and understand the environment, we have experienced the awareness of environmental changes. We need to improve environmental literacy to form the transformation of the collectivehumanconsciousnessstructure, so as to be aware of the externalenvironment, that is the learning process. If, literacy is the overall effect of a learning process, then our final collectiveenvironmental consciousness will change from thought to proper behavior. These changes will affect the stage tasks of sustainable development. Then, based on empathy and awareness of all things, we should realize the sense of responsibility and eternal value as human beings, protect nature, and accept the challenges of future environmental changes.
Environmental Psychology
Authors: Fang Wei-Ta , Hassan Arba’at , LePage Ben A.
Published: September 2022

We explore environmental cognition, personality traits, social norms, environmental stress, and the healing environment. Cognition is the learning process of identifying the light, sound, smell, and feel of the space around us and then forming concepts of what we sense and then create visual images in our minds of what we are perceiving. This then allows us to respond appropriately to stimuli and what we believe to be true. Therefore, we review the cognitive theory of environmental learning and then move to an exploration of the social theory associated with environmental learning and our understanding of nature. The use of different epistemological methods gradually unlocks the influencing factors of environmental behaviors, such as personality traits and social norms with the objective of explaining socialbehavior. Finally, by understanding environmental stress, it becomes apparent that humanity needs redemption and healing through the power of nature, including nourishment of phytoncide, vitamin D, and the exposure to of outdoorenvironments such as forests and oceans to reduce stress. This then helps restore our physical and mental health and strengthens our thinking and decision-making processes.
Environmental Learning and Communication
Authors: Fang Wei-Ta , Hassan Arba’at , LePage Ben A.
Published: September 2022

Environmental learning is an act of communication. Whether it is self-directed learning, learning through teachers or professors, or learning through an online platform, all need a learningmedium and content. Therefore, environmental learning and communication in this chapter refer to how individuals, institutions, socialgroups, and cultural communities produce, share, accept, understand, and properly use the environmental information, and then utilize the relationship between humansociety and the environment through using environmental communication. In the interaction of the social network of humansociety, from interpersonal communication to virtual communities, modern humans need to participate in environmental decision-making to understand the problems that occur in the world’s environment through environmental media reports. Therefore, this chapter could be focused on “learning as process” and, see how to learn from theorized fields of studies. We may encourage that you may learn from spoken, written, audio-visual, image, and information exchanges through carriers such as learningfields, learning plans, learning mode, information transmission, and communication media. It is hoped that environmental learning and communication, through creation, adopt diverse communication methods and platforms to establish the correct environmental information pipeline.
Generalized parton distributions through universal moment parameterization: zero skewness case
Authors: Guo Yuxun , Ji Xiangdong , Shiells Kyle
Published: September 2022

Abstract

We present a global analysis program for the generalized parton distributions (GPDs) based on conformal moment expansion. We apply the strategy of universal moment parameterization to fit both the collinear parton distribution functions (PDFs) from phenomenology and generalized form factors from lattice calculations, and show that the parameterization is flexible enough to accommodate these constraints. In addition, we can also fit direct lattice calculations of GPDs from large-momentum effective theory. In this work we focus on the analysis of t-dependent PDFs which correspond to GPDs in the ξ → 0 limit. The strategy also applies to the ξ ≠ 0 region with extra parameters, and therefore can be fitted to experimental observables in the future. With a demonstrative example of fitted GPDs, we exhibit the quark transverse angular momentum densities of the proton as well as the impact parameter space distributions of quarks in both unpolarized and transversely polarized protons.
Regulatory T cells in rheumatoid arthritis: functions, development, regulation, and therapeutic potential
Authors: Yan Shuaifeng , Kotschenreuther Konstantin , Deng Shuya , Kofler David M.
Published: September 2022

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that mainly affects the joints but also leads to systemic inflammation. Auto-reactivity and dysregulation of self-tolerance are thought to play a vital role in disease onset. In the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, disturbed immunosuppressive properties of regulatory T cells contribute to the dysregulation of immune homeostasis. In RA patients, the functions of Treg cells and their frequency are reduced. Therefore, focusing on the re-establishment of self-tolerance by increasing Treg cell frequencies and preventing a loss of function is a promising strategy for the treatment of RA. This approach could be especially beneficial for those patients who do not respond well to current therapies. In this review, we summarize and discuss the current knowledge about the function, differentiation and regulation of Treg cells in RA patients and in animal models of autoimmune arthritis. In addition, we highlight the therapeutic potential as well as the challenges of Treg cell targeting treatment strategies.
Validation of a Manual Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Device (PragmaVAC) for Acute and Chronic Wounds: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial
Authors: Hariri Mahmoud , Maaz Bakry , Netfagi Measser , Alawa Jude , Sattouf Ahmad , Dubies Hussam Alden , Alahmad Jehad , Seyitisa Muhammet Fuat , Godier‐Furnemont Amandine , Ghali Abedalkarem , Ghandour Ahmad , Abdullah Zohair , Alsaleh Munther , Almousa Ibrahim , Habib Waiel , Alshaer Hisham
Published: September 2022

Background

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is an alternative to the standard gauze dressings for wound treatment. Due to limited health resources, poor electrical supply, and high costs, NPWT in resource‐constrained settings is inaccessible. In conflict‐affected settings, civilian injuries typically involve traumatic wounds or chronic wound infections that affect the extremities.

Methods

PragmaVAC® is a manually operated NPWT device designed to increase accessibility to NPWT without the need of electrical power. We aimed to determine the clinical efficacy of PragmaVAC through a controlled, non‐blinded open‐label clinical trial in a resource‐constrained locality. The endpoint was formation of granulation tissue sufficient for wound closure.

Results

Fifty‐nine patients qualified for analysis (19 Gauze; 40 PragmaVAC). The mean age of participants was 49.25 years, 55.9% were male, and 42.4% were diabetic. Forty three wounds (72.9%) were acute, 44 wounds (74.6%) were clean‐contaminated, and 34 wounds (57.6%) were localized to the lower limb. The average duration of treatment was 15.3 days in PragmaVAC vs 36.5 days in control, p = 0.013. Similarly, PragmaVAC required fewer number of dressing changes 2.7 vs 23.2 times, p < 0.0001, at a lower frequency of dressings 0.22/day vs 0.73/day, in the control group, p < 0.0001.

Conclusions

PragmaVAC is associated with accelerated healing and less frequent requirement of dressing changes. The introduction of a manually operated, low‐cost device in resource‐constrained settings presents an opportunity to improve wound care outcomes, decrease interventions, and optimize usage of material and human resources.
Percutaneous Large-Bore Pulmonary Thrombectomy with the FlowTriever Device: Initial Experience in Intermediate-High and High-Risk Patients
Authors: Luedemann W. M. , Zickler D. , Kruse J. , Koerner R. , Lenk J. , Erxleben C. , Torsello G. F. , Fehrenbach U. , Jonczyk M. , Guenther R. W. , De Bucourt M. , Gebauer B.
Published: September 2022

Objectives

This retrospective cohort study investigates outcomes of patients with intermediate-high and high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) who were treated with transfemoral mechanical thrombectomy (MT) using the large-bore Inari FlowTriever aspiration catheter system.

Material and Methods

Twenty-seven patients (mean age 56.1 ± 15.3 years) treated with MT for PE between 04/2021 and 11/2021 were reviewed. Risk stratification was performed according to European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. Clinical and hemodynamic characteristics before and after the procedure were compared with the paired Student’s t test, and duration of hospital stay was analyzed with the Kaplan–Meier estimator. Procedure-related adverse advents were assessed.

Results

Of 27 patients treated, 18 were classified as high risk. Mean right-to-left ventricular ratio on baseline CT was 1.7 ± 0.6. After MT, a statistically significant reduction in mean pulmonary artery pressures from 35.9 ± 9.6 to 26.1 ± 9.0 mmHg (p = 0.002) and heart rates from 109.4 ± 22.5 to 82.8 ± 13.8 beats per minute (p < 0.001) was achieved. Two patients died of prolonged cardiogenic shock. Three patients died of post-interventional complications of which a paradoxical embolism can be considered related to MT. One patient needed short cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the procedure due to clot displacement. Patients with PE as primary driver of clinical instability had a median intensive care unit (ICU) stay of 2 days (0.5–3.5 days). Patients who developed PE as a complication of an underlying medical condition spent 11 days (9.5–12.5 days) in the ICU.

Conclusion

In this small study population of predominantly high-risk PE patients, large-bore MT without adjunctive thrombolysis was feasible with an acceptable procedure-related complication rate.
Novel anatomical findings with implications on the etiology of the piriformis syndrome
Authors: Larionov Alexey , Yotovski Peter , Filgueira Luis
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The cause of the piriformis-related pelvic and extra-pelvic pain syndromes is still not well understood. Usually, the piriformis syndrome is seen as extra-pelvic sciatica caused by the entrapment of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis in its crossing through the greater sciatic foramen. However, the piriformis muscle may compress additional nerve structures in other regions and cause idiotypic pelvic pain, pelvic visceral pain, pudendal neuralgia, and pelvic organ dysfunction. There is still a lack of detailed description of the muscle origin, topography, and its possible relationships with the anterior branches of the sacral spinal nerves and with the sacral plexus. In this research, we aimed to characterize the topographic relationship of the piriformis with its surrounding anatomical structures, especially the anterior branches of the sacral spinal nerves and the sacral plexus in the pelvic cavity, as well as to estimate the possible role of anatomical piriformis variants in pelvic pain and extra-pelvic sciatica.

Methods

Human cadaveric material was used accordingly to the Swiss Academy of Medical Science Guidelines adapted in 2021 and the Federal Act on Research involving Human Beings (Human Research ACT, HRA, status as 26, May 2021). All body donors gave written consent for using their bodies for teaching and research. 14 males and 26 females were included in this study. The age range varied from 64 to 97 years (mean 84 ± 10.7 years, median 88).

Results

three variants of the sacral origin of the piriformis were found when referring to the relationship between the muscle and the anterior sacral foramen. Firstly, the medial muscle origin pattern and its complete covering of the anterior sacral foramen by the piriformis muscle is the most frequent anatomical variation (43% in males, 70% in females), probably with the most relevant clinical impact. This pattern may result in the compression of the anterior branches of the sacral spinal nerves when crossing the muscle.

Conclusions

These new anatomical findings may provide a better understanding of the complex piriformis and pelvic pain syndromes due to compression of the sacral spinal nerves with their somatic or autonomous (parasympathetic) qualities when crossing the piriformis.
Cross domain fusion for spatiotemporal applications: taking interdisciplinary, holistic research to the next level
Authors: Renz Matthias , Kröger Peer , Koschmider Agnes , Landsiedel Olaf , Tavares de Sousa Nelson
Published: September 2022

Exploiting the power of collective use of complementing data sources for the discovery of new correlations and findings offers enormous additional value compared to the summed values of isolated analysis of the individual information sources. In this article, we will introduce the concept of “cross domain fusion” (CDF) as a machine learning and pattern mining driven and multi-disciplinary research approach for fusing data and knowledge from a variety of sources enabling the discovery of answers of the question to be examined from a more complete picture. The article will give a basic introduction in this emerging field and will highlight examples of basic CDF tasks in the field of marine science.
Synthesis and characterization of functionalized modified PVC-chitosan as antimicrobial polymeric biomaterial
Authors: Rabie Samira T. , Abdel-Monem Reham A. , Darwesh Osama M. , Gaballah Samir T.
Published: September 2022

Amino acetic acid modified poly(vinyl chloride), MPVC, was obtained by chemical modification of PVC using glycine methyl ester. MPVC was used as a precursor to prepare some functionalized MPVC conjugates to be used in biomedical applications. MPVC-Cs was prepared by the chemical reaction of MPVC with chitosan as a natural polymer in absence and presence of epichlorohydrin (Ech) as a crosslinking agent. Further chemical modification was performed by the reaction of MPVC with Cs and salicylic acid in the absence in presence of Ech via one-pot reaction. The chemical structure of the formed MPVC, MPVC-Cs, MPVC-Cs/POH, MPVC-Cs/SA and MPVC-Cs/POH/SA was confirmed by the FTIR spectroscopic analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The antibacterial activity of the prepared MPVC and its conjugates was investigated against two Gram +ve bacteria (Staphylococcus aurous and Listeria monocytogenes) and (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi) as Gram −ve bacteria in addition to the Catondida albicans as yeast. Minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) was also determined for the prepared materials.
A general framework for spatial GARCH models
Authors: Otto Philipp , Schmid Wolfgang
Published: September 2022

In time-series analysis, particularly in finance, generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) models are widely applied statistical tools for modelling volatility clusters (i.e., periods of increased or decreased risk). In contrast, it has not been considered to be of critical importance until now to model spatial dependence in the conditional second moments. Only a few models have been proposed for modelling local clusters of increased risks. In this paper, we introduce a novel spatial GARCH process in a unified spatial and spatiotemporal GARCH framework, which also covers all previously proposed spatial ARCH models, exponential spatial GARCH, and time-series GARCH models. In contrast to previous spatiotemporal and time series models, this spatial GARCH allows for instantaneous spill-overs across all spatial units. For this common modelling framework, estimators are derived based on a non-linear least-squares approach. Eventually, the use of the model is demonstrated by a Monte Carlo simulation study and by an empirical example that focuses on real estate prices from 1995 to 2014 across the postal code areas of Berlin. A spatial autoregressive model is applied to the data to illustrate how locally varying model uncertainties (e.g., due to latent regressors) can be captured by the spatial GARCH-type models.
The effect of high-throughput vitrification of human ovarian cortex tissue on follicular viability: a promising alternative to conventional slow freezing?
Authors: Schallmoser Andreas , Einenkel Rebekka , Färber Cara , Emrich Norah , John Julia , Sänger Nicole
Published: September 2022

Background

The standard procedure most frequently used for ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) is slow freezing, while vitrification has been proposed as promising alternative and has built an impressive catalog of success in fertility laboratories regarding cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos.

Methods

We developed and evaluated a high-throughput protocol for vitrification of human ovarian tissue suitable for clinical processing. Follicular viability was assessed via calcein staining prior and after cryopreservation analyzing ovarian tissue of a cohort of 30 patients.

Results

We found no significant differences regarding follicular viability between slow frozen and vitrified cortex tissue samples 24 h after thawing and rapid warming. Follicular viability of thawed and rapid warmed samples was not significantly different in comparison to fresh samples, indicating high proportions of follicular survival rates with both methods.

Conclusions

High-throughput vitrification is a promising option in a clinical setting. More research is required to determine the status of other tissue-specific quality indicators potentially influencing on autotransplantation.
Inferences on the magmatic plumbing system at Stromboli volcano (Italy) from trace element geochemistry of matrix glasses and minerals in different types of explosive eruptions
Authors: Landi Patrizia , D’Oriano Claudia , Petrelli Maurizio , Nazzari Manuela , Andronico Daniele
Published: September 2022

Stromboli (Italy) is a basaltic volcano characterized by persistent, mild strombolian activity, occasionally interrupted by lava effusion and more violent explosive events, named major explosions and paroxysms depending on their intensity and magnitude. The normal activity is fed by a shallow and degassed highly porphyritic (HP) shoshonitic basalt carrying about 50 vol.% crystals settled in a shoshonitic glassy matrix (K2O > 3.8 wt.%). The more energetic explosions erupt a deep, volatile-rich, low-porphyritic (LP) magma with < 10 vol.% crystals in a shoshonitic basaltic glassy matrix (K2O < 2.4 wt.%). Products with intermediate glass composition are also found in the more violent explosive events. In this study, we present a new data set of major and trace element contents in matrix glasses and minerals performed in products from different types of explosive activity that occurred at Stromboli between 1998 and 2020. This large data set is used to put constraints on the evolution and architecture of the intermediate plumbing system, where the transformation from LP to HP occurs. Results indicate that, compared to paroxysms, the glassy matrices of the LP pumices from major explosions are richer in incompatible trace elements (and K2O wt.%) due to < 15 wt.% fractionation of clinopyroxene and olivine. This points to a chemical zoning of the deep reservoir and suggests that major explosions are fed by magmas residing in its upper part. Among the major explosions, the homogeneous intermediate glasses in the products from the 19 July 2020 event originate from the interplay of mixing and crystal fractionation processes. The crystallization of euhedral microphenocrysts of An-rich plagioclase suggests that batches of magma can pond and crystallize for few days (< 11) at the base of the intermediate zone of the plumbing system, at pressure coinciding with the entering of plagioclase into the system (< 100 MPa). As a relevant point for understanding the pre- and syn-eruptive magma dynamics, data indicate a positive correlation between the magnitude of the explosions and the depth of the supply magma.
Imposed positive defocus changes choroidal blood flow in young human subjects
Authors: Swiatczak Barbara , Schaeffel Frank , Calzetti Giacomo
Published: September 2022

Purpose

It has previously been found that imposing positive defocus changes axial length and choroidal thickness after only 30 min. In the present study, we investigated whether these changes may result from an altered choroidal blood flow.

Methods

Eighteen young adult subjects watched a movie from a large screen (65 in.) in a dark room at 2 m distance. A 15-min wash-out period was followed by 30 min of watching the movie with a monocular positive defocus (+ 2.5D). Changes in axial length and ocular blood flow were measured before and after the defocus, by using low-coherent interferometer (LS 900, Haag-Streit, Switzerland) and a laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) RetFlow unit (Nidek Co., LTD, Japan), respectively. Three regions were analyzed: (1) the macular area, where choroidal blood flow can be measured, (2) the optic nerve head (ONH), and (3) retinal vessel segments.

Results

Changes in choroidal blood flow were significantly and negatively correlated with changes in axial length that followed positive defocus in exposed eyes (R =  − 0.67, p < 0.01). The absolute values of changes in choroidal blood flow in the defocused eyes were significantly larger than in the fellow control eyes (2.35 ± 2.16 AU vs. 1.37 ± 1.44 AU, respectively, p < 0.05). ONH and retinal blood flow were not associated with the induced changes in axial length.

Conclusions

Positive defocus selectively alters choroidal, but not retinal or ONH blood flow in young human subjects after short-term visual exposure. The results suggest that blood flow modulation is involved in the mechanism of choroidal responses to optical defocus.