bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Misfolded protein oligomers induce an increase of intracellular Ca2+ causing an escalation of reactive oxidative species
Authors: Fani Giulia , La Torre Chiara Ester , Cascella Roberta , Cecchi Cristina , Vendruscolo Michele , Chiti Fabrizio
Published: August 2022

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the accumulation in the brain of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide in the form of senile plaques. According to the amyloid hypothesis, the aggregation process of Aβ also generates smaller soluble misfolded oligomers that contribute to disease progression. One of the mechanisms of Aβ oligomer cytotoxicity is the aberrant interaction of these species with the phospholipid bilayer of cell membranes, with a consequent increase in cytosolic Ca2+ levels, flowing from the extracellular space, and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here we investigated the relationship between the increase in Ca2+ and ROS levels immediately after the exposure to misfolded protein oligomers, asking whether they are simultaneous or instead one precedes the other. Using Aβ42-derived diffusible ligands (ADDLs) and type A HypF-N model oligomers (OAs), we followed the kinetics of ROS production and Ca2+ influx in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and rat primary cortical neurons in a variety of conditions. In all cases we found a faster increase of intracellular Ca2+ than ROS levels, and a lag phase in the latter process. A Ca2+-deprived cell medium prevented the increase of intracellular Ca2+ ions and abolished ROS production. By contrast, treatment with antioxidant agents prevented ROS formation, did not prevent the initial Ca2+ flux, but allowed the cells to react to the initial calcium dyshomeostasis, restoring later the normal levels of the ions. These results reveal a mechanism in which the entry of Ca2+ causes the production of ROS in cells challenged by aberrant protein oligomers.
Low-Power Low-Area Near-Lossless Image Compressor for Wireless Capsule Endoscopy
Authors: Turcza Pawel , Duplaga Mariusz
Published: August 2022

The paper presents the concept of a low-power, low-area, near-lossless image compressor for resource-constrained devices such as wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE). The compressor directly processes the raw data from the Bayer Color Filter Array (CFA) imager to avoid the high cost of color interpolation. To improve the efficiency of the compressor in terms of energy consumption, silicon area and compression ratio, the main part of the compressor, i.e., the entropy encoder, uses the existing correlations between the color components of a captured CFA image. The proposed image compressor requires only 12.4% of the memory needed by other high-quality CFA compressors based on the JPEG-LS standard. Despite this significant reduction in memory size, the proposed image compressor outperforms other state-of-the-art coding schemes on capsule endoscopy images. At the same time, it offers only slightly lower performance on standard test images. The proposed image compressor has been implemented as an intellectual property (IP) core using two different low-cost CMOS processes. The design, implemented in UMC 180 nm CMOS process, requires a very low silicon area (534 $$\times $$
×
426 $$\upmu $$
μ
m$$^{2}$$

2

) and consumes very low energy (22 $$\upmu $$
μ
J per a single 512 $$\times $$
×
512 image frame). Even higher energy efficiency (12 $$\upmu $$
μ
J per the same image frame) has the IP core implemented in the TSMC 130  nm CMOS process. Both of the selected technologies are low-cost and well-suited to implement a radio frequency transmitter and a low-power successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter in addition to the compressor to provide a cost-effective System on Chip for resource-constrained devices like WCE or wireless camera sensor network.
Structural variants in the barley gene pool: precision and sensitivity to detect them using short-read sequencing and their association with gene expression and phenotypic variation
Authors: Weisweiler Marius , Arlt Christopher , Wu Po-Ya , Van Inghelandt Delphine , Hartwig Thomas , Stich Benjamin
Published: August 2022

Key message

Structural variants (SV) of 23 barley inbreds, detected by the best combination of SV callers based on short-read sequencing, were associated with genome-wide and gene-specific gene expression and, thus, were evaluated to predict agronomic traits.

In human genetics, several studies have shown that phenotypic variation is more likely to be caused by structural variants (SV) than by single nucleotide variants. However, accurate while cost-efficient discovery of SV in complex genomes remains challenging. The objectives of our study were to (i) facilitate SV discovery studies by benchmarking SV callers and their combinations with respect to their sensitivity and precision to detect SV in the barley genome, (ii) characterize the occurrence and distribution of SV clusters in the genomes of 23 barley inbreds that are the parents of a unique resource for mapping quantitative traits, the double round robin population, (iii) quantify the association of SV clusters with transcript abundance, and (iv) evaluate the use of SV clusters for the prediction of phenotypic traits. In our computer simulations based on a sequencing coverage of 25x, a sensitivity > 70% and precision > 95% was observed for all combinations of SV types and SV length categories if the best combination of SV callers was used. We observed a significant (P < 0.05) association of gene-associated SV clusters with global gene-specific gene expression. Furthermore, about 9% of all SV clusters that were within 5 kb of a gene were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with the gene expression of the corresponding gene. The prediction ability of SV clusters was higher compared to that of single-nucleotide polymorphisms from an array across the seven studied phenotypic traits. These findings suggest the usefulness of exploiting SV information when fine mapping and cloning the causal genes underlying quantitative traits as well as the high potential of using SV clusters for the prediction of phenotypes in diverse germplasm sets.
Different patient and activity-related characteristics result in different injury profiles for patients with anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament injuries
Authors: Kaarre Janina , Zsidai Bálint , Winkler Philipp W. , Narup Eric , Horvath Alexandra , Svantesson Eleonor , Senorski Eric Hamrin , Musahl Volker , Samuelsson Kristian
Published: August 2022

Purpose

To compare patient characteristics including patient sex, age, body mass index (BMI), activities at the time of injury and injury profiles in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Swedish National Knee Ligament Registry. Two study groups were created: (1) index ACL reconstruction (ACL group) and (2) index PCL reconstruction (PCL group). Between-group differences were investigated using Fisher’s exact test and Fisher’s non-parametric permutation test for dichotomous variables and continuous variables, respectively.

Results

Of 39,010 patients, 38,904 were ACL injuries. A larger proportion of patients with combined injuries to the PCL, meniscus and cartilage were female, aged > 25 years and with a BMI of > 35 kg/m2 compared with patients with combined injuries to the ACL, meniscus and cartilage. An isolated ACL injury was more commonly found in males, while all other injury profiles of ACL, including combined injuries with meniscus, cartilage and collateral ligament injuries, were more frequently observed in females. The PCL injuries were sustained either during pivoting sports, non-pivoting sports or were traffic-related.

Conclusion

Different patient characteristics (BMI, age and sex), and activities at the time of injury (sport- versus traffic-related activities), resulted in distinct injury profiles for the ACL and PCL groups. These findings provide valuable information of the way specific injury patterns of cruciate ligament injuries occur, and subsequently may help clinicians with the diagnostic process of ACL and PCL injuries.

Level of evidence

III.
Fourier restriction for smooth hyperbolic 2-surfaces
Authors: Buschenhenke Stefan , Müller Detlef , Vargas Ana
Published: August 2022

We prove Fourier restriction estimates by means of the polynomial partitioning method for compact subsets of any sufficiently smooth hyperbolic hypersurface in $$\mathbb {R}^3.$$

R

3

.

Our approach exploits in a crucial way the underlying hyperbolic geometry, which leads to a novel notion of strong transversality and corresponding “exceptional” sets. For the division of these exceptional sets we make crucial and perhaps surprising use of a lemma on level sets for sufficiently smooth one-variate functions from a previous article of ours.
Diagnostic yield of emergency MRI in non-traumatic headache
Authors: Happonen Tatu , Nyman Mikko , Ylikotila Pauli , Merisaari Harri , Mattila Kimmo , Hirvonen Jussi
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Non-traumatic headache is one of the most common neurological complaints in emergency departments. A relatively low diagnostic yield of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) among outpatients has been previously reported, but studies of emergency patients are lacking. We sought to determine the diagnostic yield of emergency MRI among outpatients presenting to the emergency department with non-traumatic headache.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed emergency MRI referrals in a tertiary hospital for non-traumatic headache over a five-year period. We recorded patient characteristics, relevant clinical information from the referrals, and imaging outcomes.

Results

In total, 696 emergency patients with non-traumatic headache underwent MRI, most within 24 h of presentation. Significant findings related to headache were found in 136 (20%) patients, and incidental findings in 22% of patients. In a multivariate model, the predisposing factors of the significant findings were age, smoking, nausea, and signs/symptoms of infection. The protective factors were numbness and history of migraine. A predictive clinical score reached only moderate performance.

Conclusion

Although emergency MRI shows headache-related findings in one in five patients, accurate prediction modeling remains a challenge, even with statistically significant predictors and a large sample size.
Exploration of k-edge-deficient temporal graphs
Authors: Erlebach Thomas , Spooner Jakob T.
Published: August 2022

A temporal graph with lifetime L is a sequence of L graphs $$G_1, \ldots ,G_L$$

G
1

,
…
,

G
L

, called layers, all of which have the same vertex set V but can have different edge sets. The underlying graph is the graph with vertex set V that contains all the edges that appear in at least one layer. The temporal graph is always connected if each layer is a connected graph, and it is k-edge-deficient if each layer contains all except at most k edges of the underlying graph. For a given start vertex s, a temporal exploration is a temporal walk that starts at s, traverses at most one edge in each layer, and visits all vertices of the temporal graph. We show that always-connected, k-edge-deficient temporal graphs with sufficient lifetime can always be explored in $$O(kn \log n)$$

O
(
k
n
log
n
)

time steps. We also construct always-connected, k-edge-deficient temporal graphs for which any exploration requires $$\varOmega (n \log k)$$

Ω
(
n
log
k
)

time steps. For always-connected, 1-edge-deficient temporal graphs, we show that O(n) time steps suffice for temporal exploration.
Optimized cell growth and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) synthesis from saponified spent coffee grounds oil
Authors: Ingram Haydn Rhys , Martin Risto John , Winterburn James Benjamin
Published: August 2022

Spent coffee ground (SCG) oil is an ideal substrate for the biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by Cupriavidus necator. The immiscibility of lipids with water limits their bioavailability, but this can be resolved by saponifying the oil with potassium hydroxide to form water-soluble fatty acid potassium salts and glycerol. Total saponification was achieved with 0.5 mol/L of KOH at 50 °C for 90 min. The relationship between the initial carbon substrate concentration (C0) and the specific growth rate (µ) of C. necator DSM 545 was evaluated in shake flask cultivations; crude and saponified SCG oils were supplied at matching initial carbon concentrations (C0 = 2.9–23.0 g/L). The Han-Levenspiel model provided the closest fit to the experimental data and accurately described complete growth inhibition at 32.9 g/L (C0 = 19.1 g/L) saponified SCG oil. Peak µ-values of 0.139 h−1 and 0.145 h−1 were obtained with 11.99 g/L crude and 17.40 g/L saponified SCG oil, respectively. Further improvement to biomass production was achieved by mixing the crude and saponified substrates together in a carbon ratio of 75:25% (w/w), respectively. In bioreactors, C. necator initially grew faster on the mixed substrates (µ = 0.35 h−1) than on the crude SCG oil (µ = 0.23 h−1). After harvesting, cells grown on crude SCG oil obtained a total biomass concentration of 7.8 g/L and contained 77.8% (w/w) PHA, whereas cells grown on the mixed substrates produced 8.5 g/L of total biomass and accumulated 84.4% (w/w) of PHA.

Key points

• The bioavailability of plant oil substrates can be improved via saponification.

• Cell growth and inhibition were accurately described by the Han-Levenpsiel model.

• Mixing crude and saponified oils enable variation of free fatty acid content.
Reducing cardiac implantable electronic device–induced artefacts in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Vuorinen Aino-Maija , Lehmonen Lauri , Karvonen Jarkko , Holmström Miia , Kivistö Sari , Kaasalainen Touko
Published: August 2022

Objectives

Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED)–induced metal artefacts possibly significantly diminish the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly cardiac MR (CMR). Right-sided generator implantation, wideband late-gadolinium enhancement (LGE) technique and raising the ipsilateral arm to the generator during CMR scanning may reduce the CIED-induced image artefacts. We assessed the impact of generator location and the arm-raised imaging position on the CIED-induced artefacts in CMR.

Methods

We included all clinically indicated CMRs performed on patients with normal cardiac anatomy and a permanent CIED with endocardial pacing leads between November 2011 and October 2019 in our institution (n = 171). We analysed cine and LGE sequences using the American Heart Association 17-segment model for the presence of artefacts.

Results

Right-sided generator implantation and arm-raised imaging associated with a significantly increased number of artefact-free segments. In patients with a right-sided pacemaker, the median percentage of artefact-free segments in short-axis balanced steady-state free precession LGE was 93.8% (IQR 9.4%, n = 53) compared with 78.1% (IQR 20.3%, n = 58) for left-sided pacemaker (p < 0.001). In patients with a left-sided implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, the median percentage of artefact-free segments reached 87.5% (IQR 6.3%, n = 9) using arm-raised imaging, which fell to 62.5% (IQR 34.4%, n = 9) using arm-down imaging in spoiled gradient echo short-axis cine (p = 0.02).

Conclusions

Arm-raised imaging represents a straightforward method to reduce CMR artefacts in patients with left-sided generators and can be used alongside other image quality improvement methods. Right-sided generator implantation could be considered in CIED patients requiring subsequent CMR imaging to ensure sufficient image quality.

Key Points

• Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED)–induced metal artefacts may significantly diminish the diagnostic value of an MRI, particularly in cardiac MRIs.

• Raising the ipsilateral arm relative to the CIED generator is a cost-free, straightforward method to significantly reduce CIED-induced artefacts on cardiac MRIs in patients with a left-sided generator.

• Right-sided generator implantation reduces artefacts compared with left-sided implantation and could be considered in CIED patients requiring subsequent cardiac MRIs to ensure adequate image quality in the future.
Future directions in systemic treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer
Authors: Chen Kenneth , Kostos Louise , Azad Arun A.
Published: August 2022

The landscape of advanced prostate cancer treatment has evolved tremendously in past decades. The treatment paradigm has shifted from androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) alone to doublet combinations comprising ADT with docetaxel or an androgen receptor inhibitor, and now triplet therapy involving all 3 classes of agents. Robust clinical data has demonstrated survival benefits with this strategy of upfront treatment intensification. Subgroup analysis has alluded to the importance of tailoring treatment according to metastatic disease burden. However, defining the volume of disease is becoming increasingly controversial due to the advent of next generation molecular imaging. Several trials testing established agents in the castrate-resistant setting are now underway in metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer patients. As the treatment milieu is enriched earlier in the disease trajectory, future studies should elucidate biomarkers to further define specific patient populations who will benefit most from treatment intensification and/or de-escalation, with what agents and for what duration.
Vegetarian and vegan diets and the risk of cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
Authors: Dybvik Jarle Sæby , Svendsen Mette , Aune Dagfinn
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Vegetarian diets have been associated with reduced risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, results regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) overall and stroke are less clear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies on CVD, IHD and stroke risk among vegetarians or vegans versus nonvegetarians to clarify these associations.

Methods

PubMed and Ovid Embase databases were searched through August 12, 2021. Prospective cohort studies reporting adjusted relative risk (RR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incidence or mortality from CVD, IHD and stroke, comparing vegetarians and vegans to nonvegetarians were included. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using ROBINS-I and the strength of evidence was assessed using World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) criteria. Summary RRs (95% CIs) were estimated using a random effects model.

Results

Thirteen cohort studies (844,175 participants, 115,392 CVD, 30,377 IHD, and 14,419 stroke cases) were included. The summary RR for vegetarians vs. nonvegetarians was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.79–0.92, I2 = 68%, n = 8) for CVD, 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71–0.88, I2 = 67%, n = 8) for IHD, 0.90 (95% CI: 0.77–1.05, I2 = 61%, n = 12) for total stroke, and for vegans vs. nonvegetarians was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.68–1.00, I2 = 0%, n = 6) for IHD. RoB was moderate (n = 8) to serious (n = 5). The associations between vegetarian diets and CVD and IHD were considered probably causal using WCRF criteria.

Conclusions

Vegetarian diets are associated with reduced risk of CVD and IHD, but not stroke, but further studies are needed on stroke. These findings should be considered in dietary guidelines.

Review registration

No review protocol registered.
Improving the safety of the Manchester triage system for children with congenital heart disease
Authors: Leeb Franziska , Sharma Ursula , Yeghiazaryan Lusine , Moll Henriëtte A. , Greber-Platzer Susanne
Published: August 2022

This study is a prospective evaluation of the validity of a Manchester triage system (MTS) modification for detecting under-triaged pediatric patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Children with CHD visiting the emergency unit of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital Vienna in 2014 were included. The MTS modification updated the prioritization of patients with complex syndromic diseases, specific symptoms related to chronic diseases, decreased general condition (DGC), profound language impairment, unknown medical history, or special needs. A four-level outcome severity index based on diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, admission to hospital, and follow-up strategies was defined as a reference standard for the correct clinical classification of the MTS urgency level. Of the 19,264 included children, 940 had CHD. Of this group, 266 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the modified triage method. The MTS modification was significantly more often applied in under-triaged (65.9%) than correctly or over-triaged (25%) children with CHD (p-value χ2 test < 0.0001, OR 5.848, 95% CI: 3.636–9.6).

Conclusion: The MTS urgency level upgrade modification could reduce under-triage in children with CHD. Applying a safety strategy concept to the MTS could mitigate under-triage in such a high-risk patient group.

What is Known:• The Manchester triage system is considered to be valid and reliable but tends to over-triage.• A study by Seiger et al. showed poor performance in children with chronic illnesses, especially in children with cardiovascular diseases.

What is New:• The MTS modification with one urgency level upgrade could decrease under-triage in children with congenital heart disease.• As reference standard a four level outcome severity index (OSI) was established to include diagnostic investigations, medical interventions, hospital admission or follow up visits in the assessment.
Prion strains viewed through the lens of cryo-EM
Authors: Manka Szymon W. , Wenborn Adam , Collinge John , Wadsworth Jonathan D. F.
Published: August 2022

Mammalian prions are lethal transmissible pathogens that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals. They consist of fibrils of misfolded, host-encoded prion protein (PrP) which propagate through templated protein polymerisation. Prion strains produce distinct clinicopathological phenotypes in the same host and appear to be encoded by distinct misfolded PrP conformations and assembly states. Despite fundamental advances in our understanding of prion biology, key knowledge gaps remain. These include precise delineation of prion replication mechanisms, detailed explanation of the molecular basis of prion strains and inter-species transmission barriers, and the structural definition of neurotoxic PrP species. Central to addressing these questions is the determination of prion structure. While high-resolution definition of ex vivo prion fibrils once seemed unlikely, recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and computational methods for 3D reconstruction of amyloids have now made this possible. Recently, near-atomic resolution structures of highly infectious, ex vivo prion fibrils from hamster 263K and mouse RML prion strains were reported. The fibrils have a comparable parallel in-register intermolecular β-sheet (PIRIBS) architecture that now provides a structural foundation for understanding prion strain diversity in mammals. Here, we review these new findings and discuss directions for future research.
The Complex Plank Problem, Revisited
Authors: Ortega-Moreno Oscar
Published: August 2022

Ball’s complex plank theorem states that if $$v_1,\dots ,v_n$$

v
1

,
⋯
,

v
n

are unit vectors in $${\mathbb {C}}^d$$

C

d

, and $$t_1,\dots ,t_n$$

t
1

,
⋯
,

t
n

are non-negative numbers satisfying $$\sum _{k=1}^nt_k^2 = 1$$

∑

k
=
1

n

t
k
2

=
1

, then there exists a unit vector v in $${\mathbb {C}}^d$$

C

d

for which $$|\langle v_k,v \rangle | \ge t_k$$

|

⟨

v
k

,
v
⟩

|
≥

t
k

for every k. Here we present a streamlined version of Ball’s original proof.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Prediction of gestational diabetes based on explainable deep learning and fog computing
Authors: El-Rashidy Nora , ElSayed Nesma E. , El-Ghamry Amir , Talaat Fatma M.
Published: August 2022

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the pregnancy complications that endangers both mothers and babies. GDM is usually diagnosed at 22–26 weeks of gestation. However, early prediction is preferable because it may decrease the risk. The continuous monitoring of the mother’s vital signs helps in predicting any deterioration during pregnancy. The originality of this research is to provide a comprehensive framework for pregnancy women monitoring. The proposed Data Replacement and Prediction Framework consists of three layers, which are: (i) Internet of things (IoT) Layer, (ii) Fog Layer, and (iii) Cloud Layer. The first layer used IoT sensors to aggregate vital signs from pregnancies using invasive and non-invasive sensors. The vital signs are then transmitted to fog nodes to be processed and finally stored in the cloud layer. The main contribution in this research is located in the fog layer producing the GDM module to implement two influential tasks which are as follows: (i) Data Finding Methodology (DFM), and (ii) Explainable Prediction Algorithm (EPM) using DNN. First, the DFM is used to replace the unused data to free up the cache space for new incoming data items. The cache replacement is very important in the case of the healthcare system as the incoming vital signs are frequent and must be replaced continuously. Second, the EPM is used to predict the occurrence of GDM in the second trimester of the pregnancy. To evaluate our model, we extracted data from 16,354 pregnant women from the medical information mart for intensive care (MIMIC III) benchmark dataset. For each woman, vital signs, demographic data, and laboratory tests were aggregated. The results of the prediction model are superior to the state-of-the-art (ACC = 0.957, AUC = 0.942). Regarding explainability, we used Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) framework to provide local and global explanations for the developed models. Overall, the proposed framework is medically intuitive and allows the early prediction of GDM with a cost-effective solution.
Sacroiliac innervation
Authors: Steinke Hanno , Saito Toshiyuki , Kuehner Janne , Reibetanz Uta , Heyde Christoph-Eckhard , Itoh Masahiro , Voelker Anna
Published: August 2022

Purpose

To investigate the innervation pattern of the sacroiliac region, especially with regard to the sacroiliac joint (SIJ). Dorsal SIJ innervation was analyzed and described. Our main hypothesis was that nerves reach the SIJ dorsally, passing ligamental compartments, as this would explain dorsal SIJ pain.

Methods

To examine sacroiliac innervation, we followed the nerves in over 50 specimens over several years. Plastinated slices were evaluated, nerves in the region were stained histologically, and the data were summarized as 3D models.

Results

The Rami communicans and posterior branches of the spinal nerves and their branches that form a dorsal sacral plexus and communicating branches, together with corresponding vessels, were observed to form neurovascular bundles embedded by tiny fatty connectives in gaps and tunnels. Branches of L5-S1 pass the inner sacroiliac ligaments (the interosseous sacroiliac ligament and axial interosseous ligament). The outer sacroiliac ligaments (posterior sacroiliac ligaments, long posterior sacroiliac ligament, sacrotuberal ligament, thoracolumbar fascia) are passed by the S1-S4 branches. However, although the paths of these nerves are in the direction of the SIJ, they do not reach it. It is possible that impingement of the neurovascular bundles may result in pain. Moreover, the gaps and tunnels connect to the open dorsal SIJ.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that Bogduk’s term “sacroiliac pain” correlates to “sacroiliac innervation”, which consists of “inner-” and “outer sacroiliac ligament innervation”, and to ventral “SIJ pain”. The watery gaps and tunnels observed could play a significant role in innervation and thus in the origins of SIJ pain.

Level of evidence

Individual cross-sectional studies with consistently applied reference standard and blinding.
Finite Element Analysis of Expansive Bedrock Considering Electro-chemo-mechanical Coupling Phenomena in Crystal Layers of Clay Minerals and Internal Structural Degradation
Authors: Hoshi Keitaro , Yamada Shotaro , Kyoya Takashi
Published: August 2022

This research proposes a novel model targeting expansive bedrock by combining an elastoplastic model considering electro-chemo-mechanical phenomena with the Cam-clay model, based on considerations of cementation and its degradation owing to plastic deformation. Additionally, tunnel excavation and swelling analyses are demonstrated by incorporating the proposed model into a finite element analysis code. Specifically, swelling analysis is conducted by decreasing the bedrock ion concentration and by considering the groundwater supply to the tunnel. The simulation results indicate that considerable swelling occurs in a limited area, such as the bottom part of the tunnel, even though changes in ion concentration are uniformly set in the entire analysis area; moreover, swelling phenomena develop instantaneously analogous to the observational records. The simulation reveals that shear stress increases while excavating an area and that softening with plastic expansion occurs in bedrock skeleton owing to decreasing ion concentration. In addition, the yielding of the bedrock skeleton triggers a rapid internal structural degradation and swelling of the clay mineral interlaminar layers based on simulations. Thus, this study clarifies the tunnel swelling deformation mechanism as an interaction problem between coupled electro-chemo-mechanical phenomena occurring in crystal layers and a plastic phenomenon involving the internal structural degradation of the bedrock skeleton.
Surgical safety checklists for dental implant surgeries—a scoping review
Authors: Kupka Johannes Raphael , Sagheb Keyvan , Al-Nawas Bilal , Schiegnitz Eik
Published: August 2022

Objectives

In both elective surgeries and aviation, a reduction of complications can be expected by paying attention to the so-called human factors. Checklists are a well-known way to overcome some of these problems. We aimed to evaluate the current evidence regarding the use of checklists in implant dentistry.

Methods

An electronic literature search was conducted in the following databases: CINHAL, Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library until March 2022. Based on the results and additional literature, a preliminary checklist for surgical implant therapy was designed.

Results

Three publications dealing with dental implants and checklists were identified. One dealt with the use of a checklist in implant dentistry and was described as a quality assessment study. The remaining two studies offered suggestions for checklists based on literature research and expert opinion.

Conclusions

Based on our results, the evidence for the use of checklists in dental implantology is extremely low. Considering the great potential, it can be stated that there is a need to catch up. While creating a new implant checklist, we took care of meeting the criteria for high-quality checklists. Future controlled studies will help to place it on a broad foundation.

Clinical relevance

Checklists are a well-known way to prevent complications. They are especially established in aviation, but many surgical specialties and anesthesia adopt this successful concept. As implantology has become one of the fastest-growing areas of dentistry, it is imperative that checklists become an integral part of it.
Killing pain?: a population-based registry study of the use of prescription analgesics, anxiolytics, and hypnotics among all children, adolescents and young adults in Norway from 2004 to 2019
Authors: Stangeland Helle , Handal Marte , Skurtveit Svetlana Ondrasova , Aakvaag Helene Flood , Dyb Grete , Wentzel-Larsen Tore , Baumann-Larsen Monica , Zwart John Anker , Storheim Kjersti , Stensland Synne Øien
Published: August 2022

The ongoing opioid epidemic has been a global concern for years, increasingly due to its heavy toll on young people’s lives and prospects. Few studies have investigated trends in use of the wider range of drugs prescribed to alleviate pain, psychological distress and insomnia in children, adolescents and young adults. Our aim was to study dispensation as a proxy for use of prescription analgesics, anxiolytics and hypnotics across age groups (0–29 years) and sex over the last 15 years in a large, representative general population. The study used data from a nationwide prescription database, which included information on all drugs dispensed from any pharmacy in Norway from 2004 through 2019. Age-specific trends revealed that the prevalence of use among children and adolescents up to age 14 was consistently low, with the exception of a substantial increase in use of melatonin from age 5. From age 15–29, adolescents and young adults used more prescription drugs with increasing age at all time points, especially analgesics and drugs with higher potential for misuse. Time trends also revealed that children from age 5 were increasingly dispensed melatonin over time, while adolescents from age 15 were increasingly dispensed analgesics, including opioids, gabapentinoids and paracetamol. In contrast, use of benzodiazepines and z-hypnotics slightly declined in young adults over time. Although trends were similar for both sexes, females used more prescription drugs than their male peers overall. The upsurge in use of prescription analgesics, anxiolytics and hypnotics among young people is alarming.

Trial registration The study is part of the overarching Killing Pain project. The rationale behind the Killing Pain research was pre-registered through ClinicalTrials.gov on April 7, 2020. Registration number NCT04336605; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT04336605.
From representations to servomechanisms to oscillators: my journey in the study of cognition
Authors: Cheng Ken
Published: August 2022

The study of comparative cognition bloomed in the 1970s and 1980s with a focus on representations in the heads of animals that undergird what animals can achieve. Even in action-packed domains such as navigation and spatial cognition, a focus on representations prevailed. In the 1990s, I suggested a conception of navigation in terms of navigational servomechanisms. A servomechanism can be said to aim for a goal, with deviations from the goal-directed path registering as an error. The error drives action to reduce the error in a negative-feedback loop. This loop, with the action reducing the very signal that drove action in the first place, is key to defining a servomechanism. Even though actions are crucial components of servomechanisms, my focus was on the representational component that encodes signals and evaluates errors. Recently, I modified and amplified this view in claiming that, in navigation, servomechanisms operate by modulating the performance of oscillators, endogenous units that produce periodic action. The pattern is found from bacteria travelling micrometres to sea turtles travelling thousands of kilometres. This pattern of servomechanisms working with oscillators is found in other realms of cognition and of life. I think that oscillators provide an effective way to organise an organism’s own activities while servomechanisms provide an effective means to adjust to the organism’s environment, including that of its own body.
The value of EEG attenuation in the prediction of outcome in COVID-19 patients
Authors: Marinelli Lucio , Pappalardo Irene , Robba Chiara , Saitta Laura , Cabona Corrado , Battaglini Denise , Casaleggio Monia , Bellini Anna , Ferrari Alessandra , Brunetti Iole , Villani Flavio
Published: August 2022

Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, electroencephalography (EEG) proved to be a useful tool to demonstrate brain involvement. Many studies reported non-reactive generalized slowing as the most frequent pattern and epileptiform activity in a minority of patients.

Objective

To investigate the prevalence of diffuse unreactive background attenuation or suppression and its correlation with outcome in a cohort of COVID-19 patients.

Methods

The EEGs recorded during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic were retrospectively evaluated to identify the main pattern and focus on the occurrence of a low-voltage background, either attenuated (10–20 μV) or suppressed (< 10 μV). We sought a correlation between in-hospital mortality and low-voltage EEG. In a subsample of patients, biomarkers of inflammation, hypoxemia and organ failure were collected. Brain imaging was also evaluated.

Results

Among 98 EEG performed in 50 consecutive patients, diffuse unreactive slowing was the most prevalent pattern (54%), followed by unreactive attenuation or suppression pattern (26%), being the latter significantly correlated with an unfavourable outcome (p = 0.0004). Survivors showed significantly lower interleukine-6 values compared to non-survivors. Patients with attenuated EEG and non-survivors also showed lower PaO2/FiO2 values. Neuroradiological findings were very heterogeneous with a prevalence of lesions suggestive of a microangiopathic substrate.

Conclusions

EEG attenuation or suppression may be more frequent than previously reported and significantly associated with a poor outcome. SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in encephalopathy and reduced EEG voltage through mechanisms that are still unknown but deserve attention given its negative impact on prognosis.
Long-term oncological outcomes after local excision of T1 rectal cancer
Authors: Leijtens J. W. A. , Smits L. J. H. , Koedam T. W. A. , Orsini R. G. , van Aalten S. M. , Verseveld M. , Doornebosch P. G. , de Graaf E. J. R. , Tuynman J. B.
Published: August 2022

Background

A growing proportion of patients with early rectal cancer is treated by local excision only. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term oncological outcomes and the impact of local recurrence on overall survival for surgical local excision in pT1 rectal cancer.

Methods

Patients who only underwent local excision for pT1 rectal cancer between 1997 and 2014 in two Dutch tertiary referral hospitals were included in this retrospective cohort study. The primary outcome was the local recurrence rate. Secondary outcomes were distant recurrence, overall survival and the impact of local recurrence on overall survival.

Results

A total of 150 patients (mean age 68.5 ± 10.7 years, 57.3% males) were included in the study. Median length of follow-up was 58.9 months (range 6–176 months). Local recurrence occurred in 22.7% (n = 34) of the patients, with a median time to local recurrence of 11.1 months (range 2.3–82.6 months). The vast majority of local recurrences were located in the lumen. Five-year overall survival was 82.0%, and landmark analyses showed that local recurrence significantly impacted overall survival at 6 and 36 months of follow-up (6 months, p = 0.034, 36 months, p = 0.036).

Conclusions

Local recurrence rates after local excision of early rectal cancer can be substantial and may impact overall survival. Therefore, clinical decision-making should be based on patient- and tumour characteristics and should incorporate patient preferences.
Electrochemical treatment of wastewater to remove contaminants from the production and disposal of plastics: a review
Authors: Malinović Borislav N. , Markelj Jernej , Žgajnar Gotvajn Andreja , Kralj Cigić Irena , Prosen Helena
Published: August 2022

Wastewater is major source of contaminants originating from the production, usage, and disposal of plastic materials. Due to their poor biodegradability of these contaminants in municipal wastewater treatment plants, additional advanced oxidation processes such as electrochemical treatments have been developed to improve the standard biological treatment. Here we review the applications of electrochemical treatments of wastewater for the removal of the following plastic contaminants: bisphenol A, phthalic acid esters, and benzotriazoles. We present the effectiveness of treatment in terms of contaminant removal and mineralization; the identification of transformation products; toxicity assessment; and process energy requirements. In the present review, we have focused on the applications of electrochemical treatments of wastewater for the removal of three important groups of contaminants originating mainly from plastics: bisphenol A, phthalic acid esters, and benzotriazoles. The review focuses on the research of electrochemical treatments for these contaminants from the last five years. The papers are assessed from the point of i) effectiveness of treatment in terms of contaminant removal and mineralization; ii) identification of transformation products; iii) toxicity assessment; iv) processes’ energy requirements. Electrochemical treatments were confirmed to be a viable option for the removal of selected contaminants from wastewater.
Haemosporidians from a Neglected Group of Terrestrial Wild Birds in the Peruvian Amazonia
Authors: González-Olvera Merit , Hernandez-Colina Arturo , Pérez Jocelyn G. , Ulloa Gabriela M. , Montero Stephanie , Maguiña Jorge L. , Lescano Andrés G. , Santolalla Meddly L. , Baylis Matthew , Mayor Pedro
Published: August 2022

Haemosporidians are a widespread group of blood parasites transmitted by vectors. Despite their relevance for bird conservation, few studies have been conducted in the Amazonia and even less in terrestrial wild birds. We analysed blood samples from 168 game birds, collected from 2008 to 2015 by subsistence hunters of an indigenous rural community in the Peruvian Amazonia. DNA was tested for Haemoproteus spp., Plasmodium spp. and Leucocytozoon spp. and positive amplicons were sequenced and curated for phylogenetic analysis. Haemosporidian prevalence was 72% overall, 66.7% for Haemoproteus spp. and 5.4% for Plasmodium spp. and respectively by bird species: Spix’s Guan (Penelope jacquacu,n = 72) 87.5% and 0%, Razor-billed Curassow (Mitu tuberosum,n = 45) 77.8% and 6.7%, White-winged Trumpeter (Psophia leucoptera,n = 20) 6.3% and 12.5%, Blue-throated Piping-guan (Pipile cumanensis,n = 16) 73.3% and 6.7%, and Great Tinamou (Tinamus major,n = 15) 10% and 15%. Leucocytozoon spp. was not found. P. leucoptera and T. major were less likely to be infected with Haemoproteus spp. Fruit abundance had a negative association with Haemoproteus spp. prevalence and precipitation was negatively associated with Plasmodium spp. prevalence. The 106 sequences examined represented 29 lineages, 82.8% of them were new lineages (Plasmodiumn = 3, Haemoproteusn = 21). Novel host-parasite associations and lineages were unveiled, including probably new species of Plasmodium spp. Our results highlight the scientific value of alternative sampling methods and the collaboration with local communities.
Pricing interest rate derivatives under volatility uncertainty
Authors: Hölzermann Julian
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we study the pricing of contracts in fixed income markets under volatility uncertainty in the sense of Knightian uncertainty or model uncertainty. The starting point is an arbitrage-free bond market under volatility uncertainty. The uncertainty about the volatility is modeled by a G-Brownian motion, which drives the forward rate dynamics. The absence of arbitrage is ensured by a drift condition. Such a setting leads to a sublinear pricing measure for additional contracts, which yields either a single price or a range of prices and provides a connection to hedging prices. Similar to the forward measure approach, we define the forward sublinear expectation to simplify the pricing of cashflows. Under the forward sublinear expectation, we obtain a robust version of the expectations hypothesis, and we show how to price options on forward prices. In addition, we develop pricing methods for contracts consisting of a stream of cashflows, since the nonlinearity of the pricing measure implies that we cannot price a stream of cashflows by pricing each cashflow separately. With these tools, we derive robust pricing formulas for all major interest rate derivatives. The pricing formulas provide a link to the pricing formulas of traditional models without volatility uncertainty and show that volatility uncertainty naturally leads to unspanned stochastic volatility.
Match them up: visually explainable few-shot image classification
Authors: Wang Bowen , Li Liangzhi , Verma Manisha , Nakashima Yuta , Kawasaki Ryo , Nagahara Hajime
Published: August 2022

Few-shot learning (FSL) approaches, mostly neural network-based, assume that pre-trained knowledge can be obtained from base (seen) classes and transferred to novel (unseen) classes. However, the black-box nature of neural networks makes it difficult to understand what is actually transferred, which may hamper FSL application in some risk-sensitive areas. In this paper, we reveal a new way to perform FSL for image classification, using a visual representation from the backbone model and patterns generated by a self-attention based explainable module. The representation weighted by patterns only includes a minimum number of distinguishable features and the visualized patterns can serve as an informative hint on the transferred knowledge. On three mainstream datasets, experimental results prove that the proposed method can enable satisfying explainability and achieve high classification results. Code is available at https://github.com/wbw520/MTUNet.
Modulation of Boundary-Layer Stability and the Surface Energy Budget by a Local Flow in Central Alaska
Authors: Maillard Julia , Ravetta François , Raut Jean-Christophe , Fochesatto Gilberto J. , Law Kathy S.
Published: August 2022

The pre-ALPACA (Alaskan Layered Pollution And Chemical Analysis) 2019 winter campaign took place in Fairbanks, Alaska, in November–December 2019. One objective of the campaign was to study the life-cycle of surface-based temperature inversions and the associated surface energy budget changes. Several instruments, including a 4-component radiometer and sonic anemometer were deployed in the open, snow-covered University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Campus Agricultural Field. A local flow from a connecting valley occurs at this site. This flow is characterized by locally elevated wind speeds (greater than 3 m s$$^{-1}$$

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) under clear-sky conditions and a north-westerly direction. It is notably different to the wind observed at the airport more than 3.5 km to the south-west. The surface energy budget at the UAF Field site exhibits two preferential modes. In the first mode, turbulent sensible heat and net longwave fluxes are close to 0 W m$$^{-2}$$

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, linked to the presence of clouds and generally low winds. In the second, the net longwave flux is around − 50 W m$$^{-2}$$

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and the turbulent sensible heat flux is around 15 W m$$^{-2}$$

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, linked to clear skies and elevated wind speeds. The development of surface-based temperature inversions at the field is hindered compared to the airport because the local flow sustains vertical mixing. In this second mode the residual of the surface energy budget is large, possibly due to horizontal temperature advection.