bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring open access orders
Authors: Murphy Ryan H.
Published: April 2023

This paper assesses how to quantitatively classify countries as conforming to the ideal of an ‘open access order’ in the spirit of Douglass North, John Joseph Wallis, and Barry Weingast's Violence and Social Orders. It does so by taking the harmonic mean of already existing measures of economic freedom, liberal democracy, and state capacity. Thirty-five countries out of 161 in 2020 were assessed to be open access orders. A main dataset is constructed for the years 1950 to present, and a supplementary dataset for select countries is constructed for years back to 1850. Switzerland has the highest index score for open access orders in 2020, is classified to be an open access order continuously since 1950, and is the first country to be classified as an open access order (in 1875).
How German vascular surgeons and angiologists judge walking exercise	for patients with PAD
Authors: Rother Ulrich , Dörr Gesine , Malyar Nasser , Müller Oliver J. , Steinbauer Markus , Ito Wulf , Cotta Livia , Espinola-Klein Christine , Heckenkamp Jörg , Behrendt Christian-Alexander
Published: April 2023

Summary: Background: To determine the physician’s perspective and perception on walking exercise as well as barriers in guideline-directed best medical treatment of patients with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Patients and methods: All members of the German Society for Vascular Surgery and Vascular Medicine and of the German Society for Angiology – Society for Vascular Medicine with valid email address were invited to participate in an electronic survey on walking exercise for treatment of intermittent claudication that was developed by the authors. Results: Amongst 3910 invited participants, 743 (19%) provided valid responses (33% females, 84% vascular surgery, 15% angiology). Thereof, 65% were employed by non-university hospitals, 16% by university institutions, and 18% by outpatient facilities. A mean of 14 minutes were spent per patient to counsel and educate, while only 53% responded they had enough time in everyday clinical practice. While 98% were aware of the beneficial impact of structured exercise training (SET) on pain free walking distance and 90% advise their patients to adhere to SET, only 44% provided useful guidance to patients to find local SET programmes and merely 42% knew how to prescribe SET as service that can be reimbursed by medical insurances. Approximately 35% knew a local SET programme and appropriate contact person. Health-related quality of life was assessed in a structured way by only 11%. Forty-seven percent responded that medical insurances should be responsible to implement and maintain SET programmes, while only 4% held hospital physicians responsible to achieve this task. Conclusions: This nationwide survey study amongst vascular specialists illustrates the current insufficient utilisation of SET as an evidence-based therapeutic cornerstone in patients with lower extremity PAD in Germany. The study also identified several barriers and flaws from the physician’s perspectives which should be addressed collectively by all health care providers aiming to increase the SET use and eventually its’ impact on patients with PAD.
The Expectations and Prospects for Quantitative Volcanology in the Upcoming Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) Era
Authors: Thompson James O. , Williams Daniel B. , Ramsey Michael S.
Published: April 2023

The Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) mission is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's planned Earth System Observatory. The mid/thermal infrared (MIR/TIR) portion of SBG will deliver high spatial and temporal resolution data designed (in part) to answer fundamental volcano science questions, as outlined in the 2018 Decadal Survey (DS). The planned 60 m spatial resolution, high TIR saturation temperature (∼500 K), and addition of two high temperature MIR bands (∼800–1200 K) will improve thermal feature and spatial variability detection across all volcanic surfaces, as well as limit data saturation over high temperature targets such as lava flows. However, the MIR/TIR part of the mission also has design aspects that will hinder volcanic science. The ability to derive accurate spectral information of volcanic, and indeed other geologic surfaces, is a function of the number and placement of the TIR bands. The originally proposed five TIR bands do not advance these diagnostic investigations beyond what is currently available. In fact, it may hinder them. Six or more TIR bands are vital for accurate assessment of mineral and glass abundances in volcanic deposits. The SBG MIR/TIR mission temporal resolution (3–5 days) will improve repeat coverage of volcanic systems, aiding in longer‐term monitoring, but observations of highly dynamic processes will not be possible, despite their importance in the 2018 DS. Most problematic is the proposed local overpass time of 12:30, which will result in cloudier scenes (especially in tropical/lower latitude regions) and complicate atmospheric corrections compared to the traditional morning overpass times of earlier TIR missions.
Time of Emergence for Altimetry‐Based Significant Wave Height Changes in the North Atlantic
Authors: Hochet Antoine , Dodet Guillaume , Sévellec Florian , Bouin Marie‐Noëlle , Patra Anindita , Ardhuin Fabrice
Published: April 2023

Satellite observations of significant wave height (Hs) have recently reached 30 years of continuous record. Is this length sufficient to detect the effect of anthropogenically forced climate change on wave height trends? Wave height decadal variability is influenced by a combination of internal variability and forced variability caused by both anthropogenic and natural forcing. Using a statistical model to derive Hs from sea level pressure field and exploiting ERA‐5 reanalysis data as well as 80 members of the Community Earth System Model v2 large ensemble, we show that, over the North Atlantic (NA), altimetry‐based Hs trends are mostly caused by internal variability. This suggests that Hs changes computed over the satellite era are not yet controlled by anthropogenic climate change. Starting from 1993, the date of emergence, defined as the date when the forced signal becomes dominant over the internal variability, is later than 2050 for Hs in the NA.
When the orbital degree of freedom meets higher-order topology
Authors: Li Jiazheng , Xiao Meng
Published: April 2023

The orbital degree of freedom (ODoF), which has a significant impact on exotic quantum states of matter and solid-state materials, has now been combined with higher-order topology. The experimental realization of a photonic p-orbital higher-order topological insulator can lead to exploring a wide range of novel topological phases involving the ODoF.
Repetitive administration of rituximab can achieve and maintain clinical remission in patients with MCD or FSGS
Authors: Osterholt Thomas , Todorova Polina , Kühne Lucas , Ehren Rasmus , Weber Lutz Thorsten , Grundmann Franziska , Benzing Thomas , Brinkkötter Paul Thomas , Völker Linus Alexander
Published: April 2023

Minimal change disease (MCD) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) are glomerulopathies associated with nephrotic syndrome. Primary forms of these diseases are treated with various regimes of immunosuppression. Frequently relapsing or glucocorticoid-dependent courses remain challenging. Here, a B-cell-depleting strategy with rituximab represents a salvage option although data are sparse in the adult population. In particular, there is limited evidence on the efficacy of restoring remission after initial successful treatment with rituximab and whether patients benefit from an individualized, relapse-based approach. We identified 13 patients who received multiple therapies with rituximab from the FOrMe-registry (NCT03949972), a nationwide registry for MCD and FSGS in Germany, or from the University Hospital of Cologne. Disease status, changes in serum creatinine, proteinuria, and time to relapse were evaluated. Relapse-free survival was compared to the patients’ previous therapy regimens. Through all treatment cycles, an improvement of disease activity was shown leading to a complete remission in 72% and partial remission in 26% after 3 ($$p<$$

p
<

0.001) and 6 months ($$p<$$

p
<

0.001). Relapse-free survival increased from 4.5 months (95%-CI 3–10 months) to 21 months (95%-CI 16–32 months) ($$p<$$

p
<

0.001) compared to previous immunosuppression regimens with no loss in estimated glomerular filtration over time (p = 0.53). Compared to continuous B-cell depletion, an individualized relapse-based approach led to a reduced rituximab exposure and significant cost savings. Relapse-based administration of rituximab in patients with MCD/FSGS with an initial good clinical response did not result in a decreased efficacy at a median follow-up duration of 110 months. Thus, reinduction therapies may provide an alternative to continuous B-cell-depletion and reduce the long-term side effects of continuous immunosuppression.
Observing temporal variation in hemolysis through photoacoustics with a low cost LASER diode based system
Authors: Banerjee Soumyodeep , Sarkar Sandip , Saha Shaibal , Hira Sumit K. , Karmakar Subhajit
Published: April 2023

Patients under hemolytic condition need continuous monitoring of lysis as depletion of Red Blood Cells (RBC) and the presence of antioxidant free hemoglobin (Hb) in excess amount due to hemolysis lead to severe deterioration of their health. Out of many modalities, Photoacoustics (PA) offers real time information noninvasively from deep lying blood vessels since Hb is the strongest chromophore in mammalian blood and the PA response of blood varies with the amount of Hb present. During hemolysis, total Hb content in blood however remains unchanged, thus, questions the use of PA in hemolysis detection. In this report, a hypothesis that the amplitude of the PA signal would not change with the amount of lysis is framed and tested by applying osmotic shock to the RBCs in hypotonic environment and the PA response is recorded over time using a low cost NIR based PA system. The experimental outcome indicates that PA amplitude falls off as lysis progresses in course of time consequently rejecting the hypothesis. The decaying PA response also carries the signature of RBC swelling during the early phase of lysis. The PA measurement can detect hemolysis as low as 1.7%. These findings further advocate transforming this NIR-PA system into a portable, noninvasive patient care device to monitor hemolysis in-vivo.
Joint estimation of survival and dispersal effectively corrects the permanent emigration bias in mark-recapture analyses
Authors: Badia-Boher Jaume A. , Real Joan , Riera Joan Lluís , Bartumeus Frederic , Parés Francesc , Bas Josep Maria , Hernández-Matías Antonio
Published: April 2023

Robust and reliable estimates of demographic parameters are essential to understand population dynamics. Natal dispersal is a common process in monitored populations and can cause underestimations of survival and dispersal due to permanent emigration. Here, we present a multistate Bayesian capture-mark-recapture approach based on a joint estimation of natal dispersal kernel and detection probabilities to address biases in survival, dispersal, and related demographic parameters when dispersal information is limited. We implement this approach to long-term data of a threatened population: the Bonelli’s eagle in Catalonia (SW Europe). To assess the method’s performance, we compare demographic estimates structured by sex, age, and breeding status in cases of limited versus large data scales, with those of classical models where dispersal and detection probabilities are estimated separately. Results show substantial corrections of demographic estimates. Natal dispersal and permanent emigration probabilities were larger in females, and consequently, female non-breeder survival showed larger differences between separate and joint estimation models. Moreover, our results suggest that estimates are sensitive to the choice of the dispersal kernel, fat-tailed kernels providing larger values in cases of data limitation. This study provides a general multistate framework to model demographic parameters while correcting permanent emigration biases caused by natal dispersal.
Alternative approach to the DART mission by the use of gravity assist maneuvers with the Moon and solar sails
Authors: Ribeiro Rebeca S. , Meireles Lucas G. , Prado Antônio F. B. A. , de Melo Cristiano F.
Published: April 2023

The formation of our Solar System and planetary defense strategies are among the priorities to be investigated in the next years by the space science community. As in-situ missions to small bodies (as comets and asteroids) are options to conduct these investigations, this paper proposes a combination of methodologies to produce low-cost transfers to near-earth asteroids (NEAs). Low-cost trajectories derived from retrograde periodic orbits around $${L}_{1}$$

L
1

are taken as a starting point for the escape of the Earth-Moon system and, as the vehicle exits the sphere of influence of Earth, the deployment of an adjustable solar sail guarantees the interception of the target in a predetermined position and time of flight. Different sail loadings (164, 61 and 30 g/m2) are tested and a case study to the NEA 65,803 Didymos is presented. The results show economies in the velocity increments required by the mission up to 8.48%, although a longer time of flight might be needed depending on the sail loading.
Endovascular embolization of visceral artery aneurysm: a retrospective study
Authors: Gong Chi , Sun Ming-Sheng , Leng Rui , Ren Hua-Liang , Zheng Kai , Wang Sheng-Xing , Zhu Ren-Ming , Li Chun-Min
Published: April 2023

To assess the safety and efficacy of endovascular embolization techniques, we compared the short- to medium-term prognosis of coil embolization for symptomatic visceral aneurysms (SVAA) and asymptomatic visceral aneurysms (ASVAA) to identify risk factors associated with 30-day mortality. Explore the symptom profile and intrinsic associations of SVAA. A retrospective study of 66 consecutive patients at two tertiary care hospitals from 2010 to 2020 compared the short- to mid-term outcomes of 22 symptomatic VAAs and 44 asymptomatic VAAs treated with coil embolization. Univariate and log-rank tests were used to analyze the prognostic impact of SVAA and ASVAA. SVAA group had significantly higher 30-day mortality than ASVAA group (2(9.1%) vs 0, P = 0.042), both patients who died had symptomatic pseudoaneurysms. Perioperative complications such as end-organ ischemia (P = 0.293) and reintervention (P = 1) were similar in both groups. No difference in event-free survival was identified between the two groups (P = 0.900), but we found that the majority of pseudoaneurysms were SVAA (4/5) and that they had a much higher event rate than true aneurysms. In addition, dyslipidemia may be an influential factor in the development of VAA (P = 0.010). Coil embolization is a safe and effective method of treatment for VAA. Most pseudoaneurysms have symptoms such as abdominal pain and bleeding, and in view of their risk, more attention should be paid to symptomatic patients and the nature of the aneurysm should be determined as soon as possible to determine the next stage of treatment.
Gait improvement with wearable cyborg HAL trunk unit for parkinsonian patients: five case reports
Authors: Uehara Akira , Kawamoto Hiroaki , Imai Hisamasa , Shirai Makoto , Sone Masatomi , Noda Sachiko , Sato Shigeto , Hattori Nobutaka , Sankai Yoshiyuki
Published: April 2023

Cybernic treatment involves the generation of an interactive bio-feedback loop between an individual’s nervous system and the worn cyborg Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL); this treatment has been applied for several intractable neuromuscular disorders. Thus, it is of interest to determine its potential for parkinsonian patients. This study confirmed the feasibility of using a HAL trunk unit to improve parkinsonian gait disturbance. HAL establishes functional and physical synchronization with the wearer by providing lateral cyclic forces to the chest in the form of somatosensory and motor cues. To confirm the feasibility of its use for improving parkinsonian gait disturbances, we conducted experiments with three Parkinson’s disease patients and two patients with progressive supranuclear palsy. During the experiments, the immediate effect of the intervention was assessed; all participants exhibited improvements in gait disturbance while wearing the HAL unit, and this improvement effect persisted without the HAL unit in two participants. Afterward, based on the assessment, we conducted a continuous intervention for one participant. In this intervention, the number of steps in the final experiment was significantly decreased compared with the initial state. These findings suggest that the proposed method is an option for treating parkinsonian patients to generate somatosensory and motor cues.
Comparison of rabbit corneal changes during different preservation techniques using optisol-GS and airlift
Authors: Tang Diya , Uematsu Masafumi , Harada Kohei , Mohamed Yasser Helmy , Kusano Mao , Inoue Daisuke , Kitaoka Takashi
Published: April 2023

A previous study suggested that the airlift condition is superior to the Optisol-GS condition for preserving the limbal tissue of the human cornea. The purpose of this research is to investigate a new preservation device that preserves the cornea while separating epithelial and endothelial areas. The differences after preserving the corneal epithelium under different conditions were compared. A total of 24 corneas of New Zealand rabbits were divided into four groups in which the corneal epithelia were submersed in Optisol-GS or under airlift conditions for 1 and 2 weeks at 4 $$^{\circ }$$

∘

C. Transparency, optical coherence tomography (OCT), hematoxylin and eosin (H &E) staining, and epithelial migration tests were used to assess corneal status. The epithelial migration examination showed significantly greater migration ability after the airlift condition. Corneas in the 1-week Optisol-GS group were the most transparent, followed by the 1-week airlift group. OCT showed a progressive increase in corneal thickness to the end of the study. H &E staining showed that the epithelial cells retained intact cellular structure and morphology of the cells for both 1-week-preserved groups. However, there was disruption of the corneal epithelial cell structure for both 2-week-preserved groups. Corneal epithelium preserved under the hypothermic airlift condition was comparable to that under the Optisol-GS condition.
Feasibility of neural network metamodels for emulation and sensitivity analysis of radionuclide transport models
Authors: Turunen Jari , Lipping Tarmo
Published: April 2023

In this paper we compare the outputs of neural network metamodels with numerical solutions of differential equation models in modeling cesium-137 transportation in sand. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were trained with differential equation simulation results. Training sets of various sizes (from 5120 to 163,840) were used. First order and total order Sobol methods were applied to both models in order to test the feasibility of neural network metamodels for sensitivity analysis of a radionuclide transport model. Convolutional neural networks were found to be capable of emulating the differential equation models with high accuracy when the training set size was 40,960 or higher. Neural network metamodels also gave similar results compared with the numerical solutions of the partial differential equation model in sensitivity analysis.
In-vitro biological evaluation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethoxy-biphenyl-4,4′-diol and molecular docking studies on trypanothione reductase and Gp63 from Leishmania amazonensis demonstrated anti-leishmania potential
Authors: Schirmann Jéseka G. , Bortoleti Bruna T. S. , Gonçalves Manoela D. , Tomiotto-Pellissier Fernanda , Camargo Priscila G. , Miranda-Sapla Milena M. , Lima Camilo H. S. , Bispo Marcelle L. F. , Costa Idessania N. , Conchon-Costa Ivete , Pavanelli Wander R. , Dekker Robert F. H. , Barbosa-Dekker Aneli M.
Published: April 2023

Available treatments for leishmaniasis have been widely used since the 1940s but come at a high cost, variable efficacy, high toxicity, and adverse side-effects. 3,3′,5,5′-Tetramethoxy-biphenyl-4,4′-diol (TMBP) was synthesized through laccase-catalysis of 2,6-dimethoxyphenol and displayed antioxidant and anticancer activity, and is considered a potential drug candidate. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the anti-leishmanial effect of TMBP against promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania (L.) amazonensis and investigated the mechanisms involved in parasite death. TMBP treatment inhibited the proliferation (IC50 0.62–0.86 µM) and induced the death of promastigote forms by generating reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial dysfunction. In intracellular amastigotes, TMBP reduced the percentage of infected macrophages, being 62.7 times more selective to the parasite (CC50 53.93 µM). TMBP did not hemolyze sheep erythrocytes; indicative of low cytotoxicity. Additionally, molecular docking analysis on two enzyme targets of L. amazonensis: trypanothione reductase (TR) and leishmanolysin (Gp63), suggested that the hydroxyl group could be a pharmacophoric group due to its binding affinity by hydrogen bonds with residues at the active site of both enzymes. TMBP was more selective to the Gp63 target than TR. This is the first report that TMBP is a promising compound to act as an anti-leishmanial agent.
Feeding an unsalable carrot total-mixed ration altered bacterial amino acid degradation in the rumen of lambs
Authors: Forwood Daniel L. , Innes David J. , Parra Mariano C. , Stark Terra , de Souza David P. , Chaves Alex V. , Meale Sarah J.
Published: April 2023

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of a total-mixed ration including unsalable carrots at 45% DM on the rumen microbiome; and the plasma, rumen and liver metabolomes. Carrots discarded at processing were investigated as an energy-dense substitute for barley grain in a conventional feedlot diet, and improved feed conversion efficiency by 25%. Here, rumen fluid was collected from 34 Merino lambs at slaughter (n = 16 control; n = 18 carrot) after a feeding period of 11-weeks. The V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced to profile archaeal and bacterial microbe communities. Further, a comprehensive, targeted profile of known metabolites was constructed for blood plasma, rumen fluid and biopsied liver metabolites using a gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) metabolomics approach. An in vitro batch culture was used to characterise ruminal fermentation including gas and methane (CH4) production. In vivo rumen microbial community structure of carrot fed lambs was dissimilar (P < 0.01; PERMANOVA), and all measures of alpha diversity were greater (P < 0.01), compared to those fed the control diet. Unclassified genera inBacteroidales(15.9 ± 6.74% relative abundance; RA) were more abundant (P < 0.01) in the rumen fluid of carrot-fed lambs, while unclassified taxa in theSuccinivibrionaceaefamily (11.1 ± 3.85% RA) were greater (P < 0.01) in the control. The carrot diet improved in vitro ruminal fermentation evidenced as an 8% increase (P < 0.01) in DM digestibility and a 13.8% reduction (P = 0.01) in CH4on a mg/ g DM basis, while the control diet increased (P = 0.04) percentage of propionate within total VFA by 20%. Fourteen rumen fluid metabolites and 27 liver metabolites were influenced (P ≤ 0.05) by diet, while no effect (P ≥ 0.05) was observed in plasma metabolites. The carrot diet enriched (impact value = 0.13;P = 0.01) the tyrosine metabolism pathway (acetoacetic acid, dopamine and pyruvate), while the control diet enriched (impact value = 0.42;P ≤ 0.02) starch and sucrose metabolism (trehalose and glucose) in rumen fluid. This study demonstrated that feeding 45% DM unsalable carrots diversified bacterial communities in the rumen. These dietary changes influenced pathways of tyrosine degradation, such that previous improvements in feed conversion efficiency in lambs could be explained.
Visual perceptual load and processing of somatosensory stimuli in primary and secondary somatosensory cortices
Authors: Peters Antje , Brockhoff Laura , Bruchmann Maximilian , Dellert Torge , Moeck Robert , Schlossmacher Insa , Straube Thomas
Published: April 2023

Load theory assumes that neural activation to distractors in early sensory cortices is modulated by the perceptual load of a main task, regardless of whether task and distractor share the same sensory modality or not. While several studies have investigated the question of load effects on distractor processing in early sensory areas, there is no functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study regarding load effects on somatosensory stimuli. Here, we used fMRI to investigate effects of visual perceptual load on neural responses to somatosensory stimuli applied to the wrist in a study with 44 participants. Perceptual load was manipulated by an established sustained visual detection task, which avoided simultaneous target and distractor presentations. Load was operationalized by detection difficulty of subtle or clear color changes of one of 12 rotating dots. While all somatosensory stimuli led to activation in somatosensory areas SI and SII, we found no statistically significant difference in brain activation to these stimuli under high compared to low sustained visual load. Moreover, exploratory Bayesian analyses supported the absence of differences. Thus, our findings suggest a resistance of somatosensory processing to at least some forms of visual perceptual load, possibly due to behavioural relevance of discrete somatosensory stimuli and separable attentional resources for the somatosensory and visual modality.
Food provisioning to Pardosa spiders decreases the levels of tissue-resident endosymbiotic bacteria
Authors: Řezáč Milan , Řezáčová Veronika , Gloríková Nela , Némethová Ema , Heneberg Petr
Published: April 2023

The diversity, host specificity, and physiological effects of endosymbiotic bacteria in spiders (Araneae) are poorly characterized. We used 16S rDNA sequencing to evaluate endosymbionts in the cephalothorax and legs of a wolf spider Pardosa agrestis. We tested the effects of feeding once or twice daily with fruit flies, aphids, or starved and compared them to those of syntopically occurring Pardosa palustris. The feeding increased traveled distance up to five times in some of the groups provisioned with food relative to the starved control. The Shannon diversity t-test revealed significant differences between these component communities of the two spider species. The increased frequency of feeding with fruit flies, but not aphids, increased the dominance and decreased the alpha diversity of OTUs. The obligate or facultative endosymbionts were present in all analyzed spider individuals and were represented mostly by Rickettsiella, Rhabdochlamydia, Spiroplasma, and the facultative intracellular parasite Legionella. Vertically transmitted endosymbionts were less common, represented by Wolbachia pipientis and Rickettsia sp. H820. The relative abundance of Mycoplasma spp. was negatively correlated with provisioned or killed aphids. In conclusion, the tissues of Pardosa spiders host tremendously diverse assemblages of bacteria, including obligate or facultative endosymbionts, with yet unknown phenotypic effects.
Reduction of thyroid radioactive iodine exposure by oral administration of cyclic oligosaccharides
Authors: Nishi Kodai , Hirota Masahiro , Higaki Shogo , Shiraishi Shinya , Kudo Takashi , Matsuda Naoki , Ito Shigeki
Published: April 2023

Alpha-cyclodextrin, a six d-glucose cyclic oligosaccharide, has several applications in food and pharmaceuticals, but has also been reported to retain iodine in a stable manner for 16 months. Radioactive iodine, which may cause thyroid cancer and hypofunction, must be properly managed. If the absorption of radioactive iodine is suppressed, it can be expected to lead to a reduction in thyroid exposure. This study clarified the inhibition of radioactive iodine absorption by the oral administration of α-cyclodextrin in a murine model using direct measurement of single photon emission computed tomography. The uptake of radioactive iodine into the thyroid gland in mice administered with radioactive iodine and an α-cyclodextrin solution was approximately 40% lower after 24 h. The finding that oral uptake of α-cyclodextrin has an inhibitory effect on the transfer of radioactive iodine to the thyroid gland has potential for application in many fields such as food, pharmaceuticals, nuclear emergency preparedness, and medicine.
Serum levels of erythropoietin in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and anemia
Authors: Rezvani Alireza , Masoompour Seyed Masoom , Azarpira Negar , Monjazeb Raha , Akbarzadeh Majid , Salimi Maryam , Shahriarirad Reza
Published: April 2023

The important association of erythropoietin (EPO) serum levels and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with anemia has been inadequately studied and remains a controversial issue. We aimed to shed light on this matter by comparing EPO levels in anemic and non-anemic COPD patients, along with a review of published literature. This cross-sectional study was conducted on COPD patients referred to the pulmonary clinic of Shahid Faghihi Hospital and Motahari clinic, Shiraz, Iran, for one year. We measured complete blood count, red blood cell indices, serum iron, TIBC and ferritin levels, serum EPO levels, and body mass index. Among 35 patients in this study, 28 males and 7 females were enrolled with a mean age of 54.57 ± 8.07 years. The average Forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1) was 37.26 ± 7.33% and FEV1/FVC was 0.46 ± 0.12. Mean EPO levels were 30.29 ± 2.066 mU/mL. No statistically significant association was observed among erythropoietin levels and Hb, COPD severity, and age. There was no significant difference in EPO levels between anemic and non-anemic patients. EPO level, against the traditional expectation, didn’t increase in COPD patients. EPO production also didn’t compensate for the anemia of chronic disease which considers as a common comorbid disorder in these patients.
Enhanced electrochromic properties of WO3/ITO nanocomposite smart windows
Authors: An Feng Hui , Yuan Yu Zheng , Liu Jian Qiang , He Meng Dong , Zhang Bo
Published: April 2023

Tungsten oxide is regarded as the most promising electrochromic material owing to its continuously tunable optical properties, low cost, and high coloration efficiency.
Synthesis of mesoporous SiO2–CeO2 hybrid nanostructures with high catalytic activity for transamidation reaction
Authors: Sharma Manu , K Harikrishnan , Gaur Umesh Kumar , Ganguli Ashok K.
Published: April 2023

Mechanism of transamidation reaction between acetamide and N-heptyl amine to yield N-heptyl acetamide, catalyzed by mesoporous SiO2–CeO2 hybrid nanostructures.
Green removal of unpleasant volatiles from soapberry (Sapindus mukorossi) extracts by two-phase microbial fermentation fortified with pomelo peel waste
Authors: Nguyen Quoc-Duy , La Quoc-Duy , Nguyen Nhu-Ngoc , Nguyen Thi-Ngoc-Lan
Published: April 2023

The microbial fermentation by yeast and lactic acid bacteria fortified with pomelo peel waste was performed to purify and improve smell of soapberry extract.
Synaptic plasticity and learning behaviour in multilevel memristive devices
Authors: Asif M. , Singh Yogesh , Thakre Atul , Singh V. N. , Kumar Ashok
Published: April 2023

This research explores a novel two-terminal heterostructure of the Pt/Cu2Se/Sb2Se3/FTO memristor, which exhibited essential biological synaptic functions.
In Support of a Public Health Approach to Late Talking
Authors: Neiling Sarah Lynn , Cutshaw Christina A.
Published: April 2023

Purpose:

This article aims to support and extend Di Sante and Potvin's (2022) viewpoint, “We Need to Talk About Social Inequalities in Language Development,” by providing additional detail on a proposed public health approach to language development and late talking specifically. A public health approach can be a model for the field of speech-language pathology to improve child language across social gradients and reduce inequities in late talking.

Method:

A public health approach is defined and compared to the clinical approach. A proposal for how a public health approach could be applied to address inequities in late talking is described.

Conclusions:

A public health approach merits consideration by leaders and institutions in the field of speech-language pathology. This approach draws attention to the role of social determinants of language development and the need to address structures and systems that not only support clinical intervention to address disorders but also that focus on prevention of late talking and promotion of healthy language development. A public health approach requires engaging stakeholders outside the field of speech-language pathology, thus strengthening opportunities for progress.
Features of Cognitive Ability and Central Auditory Processing of Preschool Children With Minimal and Mild Hearing Loss
Authors: Ji Hui , Yu Xinyue , Xiao Zhenglu , Zhu Huiqin , Liu Panting , Lin Huanxi , Chen Renjie , Hong Qin
Published: April 2023

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the current status of cognitive development and central auditory processing development of preschool children with minimal and mild hearing loss (MMHL) in Nanjing, China.

Method:

We recruited 34 children with MMHL and 45 children with normal hearing (NH). They completed a series of tests, including cognitive tests (i.e., Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and Continuous Performance Test), behavioral auditory tests (speech-in-noise [SIN] test and frequency pattern test), and objective electrophysiological audiometry (speech-evoked auditory brainstem response and cortical auditory evoked potential). In addition, teacher evaluations and demographic information and questionnaires completed by parents were collected.

Results:

Regarding cognitive ability, statistical differences in the verbal comprehensive index, full-scale intelligence quotient, and abnormal rate of attention test score were found between the MMHL group and the NH group. The children with MMHL performed poorer on the SIN test than the children with NH. As for the auditory electrophysiology of the two groups, the latency and amplitude of some waves of the speech-evoked auditory brainstem response and cortical auditory evoked potential were statistically different between the two groups. We attempted to explore the relationship between some key indicators of auditory processing and some key indicators of cognitive development.

Conclusions:

Children with MMHL are already at increased developmental risk as early as preschool. They are more likely to have problems with attention and verbal comprehension than children with NH. This condition is not compensated with increasing age during the preschool years. The results suggest a possible relationship between the risk of cognitive deficit and divergence of auditory processing.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22670473
Speech-Language Pathology Treatment of Cognitive-Communication Deficits in School-Aged Children With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Scoping Review
Authors: Crook Libby , Riccardi Jessica S. , Ruddock Hannah S. , Ciccia Angela
Published: April 2023

Purpose:

The purpose of this scoping review was to synthesize the current evidence-based treatment practices used with school-aged children with any severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that could benefit the practice of speech-language pathologists (SLPs).

Method:

A scoping review of the literature was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Included studies were assigned thematic labels based on a modified version of the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System.

Results:

A total of 27 articles that covered 16 different treatment approaches met inclusion criteria for this study. Most studies included adolescent or teenage participants with moderate–severe TBIs. Treatment targets included executive functioning (
n
= 15), social competence (
n
= 6), postconcussive symptoms (
n =
5), behavior (
n =
3), family functioning (
n =
1), and health-related quality of life (
n =
1). The majority of current interventions for school-aged children with TBI include a multidisciplinary approach and components of family involvement education.

Conclusions:

Further research is needed on interventions that are specifically implemented by SLPs as well as protocols that include more heterogeneous samples (e.g., varied sociodemographic factors and injury severity) to allow for the development and testing of ecologically valid intervention practice. SLPs can use the results of this scoping review to individualize treatment based on the child's areas of need while considering individual characteristics and to provide person-centered intervention for children with school-aged TBI.
Factors Associated With Resident Intake of Thickened Liquids in Long-Term Care
Authors: Werden Abrams Sophia , Keller Heather , Carrier Natalie , Lengyel Christina , Slaughter Susan E. , Namasivayam-MacDonald Ashwini
Published: April 2023

Purpose:

Hydration is essential for health; however, long-term care (LTC) residents consume less fluid than is recommended, which may contribute to dehydration. Residents who drink thickened liquids likely consume even less than peers. Therefore, the aims of this study were to (a) determine if LTC residents who drink thickened liquids consume less fluid compared to those consuming thin liquids and (b) determine factors associated with fluid intake of residents who drink thickened liquids.

Method:

Participants who drank thickened liquids (
n
= 68) were compared with participants who drank thin liquids (
n
= 68). Fluid intake, cognition, diet prescription, and mealtime challenges were compared between groups. A stepwise multiple regression model assessed variables associated with fluid intake of residents who consumed thickened fluids.

Results:

All participants consumed less than recommended fluid volumes. No statistically significant difference was found in fluid intake between groups; however, the group consuming thickened liquids drank less than those consuming thin liquids. The thickened liquid group was also more likely to eat a modified diet, had higher levels of cognitive impairment, and had more mealtime challenges requiring more assistance. As age increased, thickened liquid intake decreased across study participants.

Conclusion:

These results highlight the need for interventions in LTC to support fluid intake in this vulnerable population.
Weakly supervised machine learning
Authors: Ren Zeyu , Wang Shuihua , Zhang Yudong
Published: April 2023

Supervised learning aims to build a function or model that seeks as many mappings as possible between the training data and outputs, where each training data will predict as a label to match its corresponding ground‐truth value. Although supervised learning has achieved great success in many tasks, sufficient data supervision for labels is not accessible in many domains because accurate data labelling is costly and laborious, particularly in medical image analysis. The cost of the dataset with ground‐truth labels is much higher than in other domains. Therefore, it is noteworthy to focus on weakly supervised learning for medical image analysis, as it is more applicable for practical applications. In this review, the authors give an overview of the latest process of weakly supervised learning in medical image analysis, including incomplete, inexact, and inaccurate supervision, and introduce the related works on different applications for medical image analysis. Related concepts are illustrated to help readers get an overview ranging from supervised to unsupervised learning within the scope of machine learning. Furthermore, the challenges and future works of weakly supervised learning in medical image analysis are discussed.
An artificial systems, computational experiments and parallel execution‐based surface electromyogram‐driven anti‐disturbance zeroing neurodynamic strategy for upper limb human‐robot interaction control
Authors: Liu Yongbai , Liu Keping , Wang Gang , Zhang Jiliang , Chou Yao , Sun Zhongbo
Published: April 2023

In recent years, intelligent robots are extensively applied in the field of the industry and intelligent rehabilitation, wherein the human‐robot interaction (HRI) control strategy is a momentous part that needs to be ameliorated. Specially, the efficacy and robustness of the HRI control algorithm in the presence of unknown external disturbances deserve to be addressed. To deal with these urgent issues, in this study, artificial systems, computational experiments and a parallel execution intelligent control framework are constructed for the HRI control. The upper limb‐robotic exoskeleton system is re‐modelled as an artificial system. Depending on surface electromyogram‐based subject's active motion intention in the practical system, a non‐convex function activated anti‐disturbance zeroing neurodynamic (NC‐ADZND) controller is devised in the artificial system for parallel interaction and HRI control with the practical system. Furthermore, the linear activation function‐based zeroing neurodynamic (LAF‐ZND) controller and proportional‐derivative (posterior deltoid (PD)) controller are presented and compared. Theoretical results substantiate the global convergence and robustness of the proposed controller in the presence of different external disturbances. In addition, the simulation results verify that the NC‐ADZND controller is better than the LAF‐ZND and the PD controllers in respect of convergence order and anti‐disturbance characteristics.
Measurement of Cosmic-ray Energy Spectrum with the TALE Detector in Hybrid Mode
Authors: Oshima Hitoshi , Fujita Keitaro , Ogio Shoichi , Sako Takashi
Published: April 2023

The TA Low-energy Extension (TALE) experiment extends the energy range observed by the TA experiment to below 1016 eV. We aim to study the transition from galactic to extragalactic cosmic rays. The TALE detector is a hybrid apparatus composed of fluorescence telescopes and surface detectors. The surface detectors are arranged to be suitable for hybrid energy spectrum measurements in the low-energy region. We measured the energy spectrum with the 392 hours observation data of the TALE hybrid detector. This energy spectrum measurement will play an important role in understanding the transition from cosmic rays of galactic origin to those of extragalactic origin.
2022 report from the Auger-TA working group on UHECR arrival directions
Authors: di Matteo A. , Anchordoqui L. , Bister T. , de Almeida R. , Deligny O. , Deval L. , Farrar G. , Giaccari U. , Golup G. , Higuchi R. , Kim J. , Kuznetsov M. , Mariş I. , Rubtsov G. , Tinyakov P. ,   F. Urban for the Pierre Auger,   Telescope Array collaborations
Published: April 2023

After over 60 years, the powerful engines that accelerate ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) to the formidable energies at which we observe them from Earth remain mysterious. Assuming standard physics, we expect UHECR sources to lie within the local Universe (up to a few hundred Mpc). The distribution of matter in the local Universe is anisotropic, and we expect this anisotropy to be imprinted on the distribution of UHECR arrival directions. Even though intervening intergalactic and Galactic magnetic fields deflect charged UHECRs and can distort these anisotropies, some amount of information on the distribution of the sources is preserved. In this proceedings contribution, we present the results of the joint Pierre Auger Observatory and Telescope Array searches for (a) the largest-scale anisotropies (the harmonic dipole and quadrupole) and (b) correlations with a sample of nearby starburst galaxies and the 2MRS catalogue tracing stellar mass within 250 Mpc. This analysis updates our previous results with the most recent available data, notably with the addition of 3 years of new Telescope Array data. The main finding is a correlation between the arrival directions of 12.1%−3.1%+4.5% of UHECRs detected with E ≥ 38 EeV by Auger or with E ≳ 49 EeV by TA and the positions of nearby starburst galaxies on a 15.1°−3.0°+4.6° angular scale, with a 4.7σ post-trial significance, up from 4.2σ obtained in our previous study.
Search for the large-scale cosmic-ray anisotropies using the TA and TALE surface detector arrays
Authors: Kimura Yusuke , Fujii Toshihiro , Ogio Shoichi , Tsunesada Yoshiki
Published: April 2023

Origins of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are still largely unknown. In particular, the “2nd knee” around 1017 eV could be related to a transition of origins from the galactic to extra-galactic sources. In this scenario, one would expect the large-scale anisotropies of UHECRs to change over the 2nd knee region. We search for large-scale anisotropies using data taken from surface detector (SD) arrays of the Telescope Array experiment (TA), the largest cosmic-ray detector in the northern hemisphere, and from its low energy extension, the Telescope Array Low-energy Extension (TALE). In this contribution, we report on preliminary results in the search for the large-scale cosmic-ray anisotropies with 11-years TA SD and two-years TALE SD data.
Estimation and reduction of the biases by the galactic magnetic field on the UHECR correlation studies
Authors: Higuchi Ryo , Sako Takashi , Fujii Toshihiro , Kawata Kazumasa , Kido Eiji
Published: April 2023

The correlation studies between ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) anisotropy and source candidates are keys to understand the origin of UHECRs. Especially, studies with consideration of source models, magnetic fields, and mass compositions are necessary. We estimated the biases caused by the coherent deflection due to the galactic magnetic field (GMF) in the previous maximum-likelihood analysis for searching the UHECR sources (Aab et al. 2018, Abbasi et al. 2018). In our work with simulated mock datasets, we find that the anisotropic fraction fani is estimated systematically lower than the true value when we ignore the effect caused by the GMF. We also develop the maximum-likelihood method which includes the GMF model and confirm that the estimated parameters would be improved. We apply the method to the observational datasets obtained from the Telescope Array and Auger experiments.
Starburst Nuclei and Cosmic-Rays Transport Mechanisms: Future Opportunities for Neutrino Astronomy and Beyond Standard Model Studies
Authors: Ambrosone Antonio , Chianese Marco , Fiorillo Damiano F.G. , Marinelli Antonio , Miele Gennaro
Published: April 2023

Experimental observations have demonstrated a strong correlation between star-forming processes and gamma-ray luminosities, giving strong hints about the nature of the Cosmic-Rays (CRs) transport mechanisms inside Starburst Nuclei. In this contribution, we discuss the imprints on nearby Starburst galaxies (SBGs) gamma-ray spectra left by different CR transport models, quantifying the potentiality of future telescopes to distinguish between them. We also investigate the possibility of constraining the properties of light Dark Matter (DM) particles exploiting the peculiar nature of CR transport inside SBNs. We show that the property of scattering between high-energy CRs and DM particles leads to observable features, thereby posing stringent constraints on the DM parameter space.