bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developmental dyscalculia is not associated with atypical brain activation: A univariate fMRI study of arithmetic, magnitude processing, and visuospatial working memory
Authors: Kwok Fu Yu , Wilkey Eric D. , Peters Lien , Khiu Ellyn , Bull Rebecca , Lee Kerry , Ansari Daniel
Published: November 2023

Functional neuroimaging serves as a tool to better understand the cerebral correlates of atypical behaviors, such as learning difficulties. While significant advances have been made in characterizing the neural correlates of reading difficulties (developmental dyslexia), comparatively little is known about the neurobiological correlates of mathematical learning difficulties, such as developmental dyscalculia (DD). Furthermore, the available neuroimaging studies of DD are characterized by small sample sizes and variable inclusion criteria, which make it problematic to compare across studies. In addition, studies to date have focused on identifying single deficits in neuronal processing among children with DD (e.g., mental arithmetic), rather than probing differences in brain function across different processing domains that are known to be affected in children with DD. Here, we seek to address the limitations of prior investigations. Specifically, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to probe brain differences between children with and without persistent DD; 68 children (8‐10 years old, 30 with DD) participated in an fMRI study designed to investigate group differences in the functional neuroanatomy associated with commonly reported behavioral deficits in children with DD: basic number processing, mental arithmetic and visuo‐spatial working memory (VSWM). Behavioral data revealed that children with DD were less accurate than their typically achieving (TA) peers for the basic number processing and arithmetic tasks. No behavioral differences were found for the tasks measuring VSWM. A pre‐registered, whole‐brain, voxelwise univariate analysis of the fMRI data from the entire sample of children (DD and TA) revealed areas commonly associated with the three tasks (basic number processing, mental arithmetic, and VSWM). However, the examination of differences in brain activation between children with and without DD revealed no consistent group differences in brain activation. In view of these null results, we ran exploratory, Bayesian analyses on the data to quantify the amount of evidence for no group differences. This analysis provides supporting evidence for no group differences across all three tasks. We present the largest fMRI study comparing children with and without persistent DD to date. We found no group differences in brain activation using univariate, frequentist analyses. Moreover, Bayesian analyses revealed evidence for the null hypothesis of no group differences. These findings contradict previous literature and reveal the need to investigate the neural basis of DD using multivariate and network‐based approaches to brain imaging.
Estimating the viscoelastic properties of the human brain at 7 T MRI using intrinsic MRE and nonlinear inversion
Authors: Burman Ingeberg Marius , Van Houten Elijah , Zwanenburg Jaco J. M.
Published: November 2023

Intrinsic actuation magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a phase‐contrast MRI technique that allows for in vivo quantification of mechanical properties of the brain by exploiting brain motion that arise naturally due to the cardiac pulse. The mechanical properties of the brain reflect its tissue microstructure, making it a potentially valuable parameter in studying brain disease. The main purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of reconstructing the viscoelastic properties of the brain using high‐quality 7 T MRI displacement measurements, obtained using displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) and intrinsic actuation. The repeatability and sensitivity of the method for detecting normal regional variation in brain tissue properties was assessed as secondary goal. The displacement measurements used in this analysis were previously acquired for a separate study, where eight healthy subjects (27 ± 7 years) were imaged with repeated scans (spatial resolution approx. 2 mm isotropic, temporal resolution 75 ms, motion sensitivity 0.35 mm/2π for displacements in anterior–posterior and left–right directions, and 0.7 mm/2π for feet–head displacements). The viscoelastic properties of the brain were estimated using a subzone based non‐linear inversion scheme. The results show comparable consistency to that of extrinsic MRE between the viscoelastic property maps obtained from repeated displacement measurements. The shear stiffness maps showed fairly consistent spatial patterns. The whole‐brain repeatability coefficient (RC) for shear stiffness was (mean ± standard deviation) 8 ± 8% relative to the mean whole‐brain stiffness, and the damping ratio RC was 28 ± 17% relative to the whole‐brain damping ratio. The shear stiffness maps showed similar statistically significant regional trends as demonstrated in a publicly available atlas of viscoelastic properties obtained with extrinsic actuation MRE at 50 Hz. The damping ratio maps showed less consistency, likely due to data‐model mismatch of describing the brain as a viscoelastic material under low frequencies. While artifacts induced by fluid flow within the brain remain a limitation of the technique in its current state, intrinsic actuation based MRE allow for consistent and repeatable estimation of the mechanical properties of the brain. The method provides enough sensitivity to investigate regional variation in such properties in the normal brain, which is likely sufficient to also investigate pathological changes.
Association between pregnant women fasting duration and neonatal hypoglycemia: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Makino Yuto , Kiguchi Takeyuki , Hayashi Kazumasa , Kato Noriko , Ueda Kentaro , Tanaka Taihei , Iwami Taku
Published: November 2023

Objective

To evaluate the association between maternal fasting time before delivery and the occurrence of hypoglycemia in neonates immediately after birth.

Methods

This prospective single‐center cohort study included pregnant women who delivered at the study institution between October 2021 and January 2023 and their neonates. The primary outcome was the incidence of neonatal hypoglycemia after birth, defined as a blood glucose level less than 47 mg/dL. Fasting time was categorized into quartiles, and the association between maternal fasting time and neonatal hypoglycemia was investigated. The crude or adjusted odds ratios of maternal fasting time for neonatal hypoglycemia were calculated using logistic regression analysis.

Results

The study included 663 pregnant women and 696 neonates. Compared with the reference group with a short fasting time of 4.3 h or less, the adjusted odds ratios for neonatal hypoglycemia were 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70–3.20) for middle fasting time (4.3–9.8 h), 4.05 (95% CI 2.02–8.56) for long fasting time (9.8–14.6 h), and 4.99 (95% CI 2.59–10.25) for very long fasting time (>14.6 h). In the subgroup analysis, the association between maternal fasting time and neonatal hypoglycemia showed different trends according to the mode of delivery.

Conclusion

Maternal fasting time over 9–10 h before delivery was associated with the occurrence of neonatal hypoglycemia. Obstetrical management, considering not only maternal safety but also neonatal hypoglycemia prevention, is required.
Photobiomodulation therapy alleviates repeated closed head injury‐induced anxiety‐like behaviors
Authors: Chen Zhe , Li Meng , Wu Chongyun , Su Yanlin , Feng Shu , Deng Qianting , Zou Peibin , Liu Timon Cheng‐Yi , Duan Rui , Yang Luodan
Published: November 2023

Repeated closed head injury (rCHI) is one of the most common brain injuries. Although extensive studies have focused on how to treat rCHI‐induced brain injury and reduce the possibility of developing memory deficits, the prevention of rCHI‐induced anxiety has received little research attention. The current study was designed to assess the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy in preventing anxiety following rCHI. The rCHI disease model was constructed by administering three repeated closed‐head injuries within an interval 5 days. 2‐min daily PBM therapy using an 808 nm continuous wave laser at 350 mW/cm2on the scalp was implemented for 20 days. We found that PBM significantly ameliorated rCHII‐induced anxiety‐like behaviors, neuronal apoptosis, neuronal injury, promotes astrocyte/microglial polarization to anti‐inflammatory phenotype, preserves mitochondrial fusion‐related protein MFN2, attenuates the elevated mitochondrial fission‐related protein DRP1, and mitigates neuronal senescence. We concluded that PBM therapy possesses great potential in preventing anxiety following rCHI.
Serum creatinine phosphokinase: A potential prognostic marker in assessing clinical severity with organophosphorus poisoning
Authors: Islam Ashekul , Chowdhury Dhiman , Palit Pulak Kanti , Sohel Md , Mozibullah Md. , Islam Mohammod Johirul , Al Mamun Abdullah , Datta Joyonti , Dev Annanya , Nath Pradip Kumar , Chowdhury Md Faisal Fahad , Nath Sabuj Kanti , Mujib Abu Syed Mohammed
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Organophosphorus compound (OPC) poisoning undoubtedly being a major concern in cultivation sites of the developing world, including Bangladesh. Two potential biomarkers, for example, serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), are widely used in OPC poisoning severity indicators in patients. In this study, we sought to correlate the severity score of acute OPC poisoning with CPK or LDH level and subsequently explore their prognostic value.

Methods

This study was performed on a total of 70 patients with OPC poisoning admitted to the inpatient care unit at a territory‐based hospital in Bangladesh. Sociodemographics and poison types were recorded, and severity was assessed according to Peradeniya Organophosphorus Poisoning (POP) scale. Serum CPK and LDH levels were measured and recorded.

Results

A total of seventy OPC patients were included with male to female ratio of 1.33:1, respectively, with a mean age of 28.7 ± 12.8 years. Chlorpyrifos and methylparathion were the most commonly utilized OP compounds, accounting for 42.9% and 28.6%, respectively. Among the OPC patients, the majority were married homemakers from rural areas. According to POP score, 55.7% and 37.1% of patients were categorized as mild and moderate, whereas very few were found to be severe. The mean serum CPK and LDH of OPC‐patients at admission time were 235.6 ± 79.8 IU/L and 348.3 ± 154.1 IU/L, respectively. Serum CPK, atropine dose and hospital stay strongly correlated with clinical severity.

Conclusion

We conclude that the serum CPK level strongly correlates with the degree of OPC poisoning and can be used as a predictor of the clinical intervention approaches.
Performance and mechanism of enhanced phenolic compounds treatment via mycelial pellets
Authors: Zhang Si , Dai Xuemin , Dang Zhiwen , Wang Shenyan
Published: November 2023

BACKGROUND

Biological enhancement in organic wastewater treatment is currently considered an effective and economical method. As a biomass carrier, mycelial pellets are attracting increasing attention, with substantial progress recently being made. To investigate their bioaugmentation effect as a biomass carrier, mycelial pellets with immobilized phenol‐degrading bacteria were applied in a sequencing batch reactor. The phenolic compound removal efficiency of the mycelial pellet‐enhanced system was then studied and compared to the control aerobic activated sludge‐enhanced system. Finally, the settling velocity, internal structure, and surface properties were studied to explore the main bioaugmentation mechanisms of the mycelial pellets.

RESULTS

The stable degradation effects of phenolic compounds and total organic carbon (TOC) were observed in both systems. In the mycelial pellet system, the biological removal efficiency was approximately 0.5 mg phenolic compounds L−1 d−1MLSS−1 and 0.4 mg TOC L−1 d−1MLSS−1, which was higher than the aerobic activated sludge system. Bioaugmentation by the pellets was mainly attributed to the structure of the connected macropores, the electrostatic attraction of positive charges, the adsorption of functional groups on the hypha surface, and flocculation due to the extracellular polymeric substances secreted on the pellet.

CONCLUSION

The excellent phenolic compound removal efficiency and bioaugmentation effect of the mycelial pellets suggest their potential to enhance organic wastewater treatment as a biomass carrier. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Setting the research agenda: involving parents in research on children who are HIV‐free
Authors: Bukasa Laurette L. , Namiba Angelina , Brown Matilda , Ndu'ngu Estelle , Nangwale Mercy , Letting Gillian , Chirwa Patricia , Thorne Claire , Tariq Shema
Published: November 2023

Introduction

There is growing interest in health, developmental and survival outcomes of children who are born HIV‐free to women living with HIV (children born HIV‐free). To date, the research agenda has been largely determined by researchers, funders and policy makers, with limited involvement of parents, who are key stakeholders. Researchers at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in partnership with community‐based organisation 4M Network of Mentor Mothers conducted two workshops with parents in March 2022 to establish research priorities for children born HIV‐free, and key considerations for methodological approaches both to research and engagement with the affected communities.

Discussion

When exploring research on children born HIV‐free, we consider the following: what aspects of current research are aligned with women and parents’ priorities, what is missing and what approaches would be preferred. A holistic approach to research on children born HIV‐free should be prioritised, focussing on a breadth of outcomes and how they intersect. Secondary use of existing data sources should be maximised to facilitate this, with a view of monitoring the long‐term effects of fetal antiretroviral drug exposure alongside other key health and developmental outcomes. Involving and engaging with parents, and children where possible, must be at the heart of research design to maximise relevance and impact of findings for the affected communities. Potential barriers to engaging with individuals who were children born HIV‐free include parental disclosure and individuals not identifying as a child born HIV‐free to a mother living with HIV. Stigma‐free language must be incorporated into the vocabulary of researchers and other stakeholders, avoiding reference to exposure; we propose the term “children born HIV‐free.”

Conclusions

Mothers and parents living with HIV should be involved in research about their children born HIV‐free and are key in identifying research priorities so that findings may translate into an impact on their children's health and wellbeing. Meaningful involvement of women living with HIV through trusted community partners is an effective mechanism by which to elicit views on research about their children.
A trial of nurturing care among children who are HIV‐exposed and uninfected in eSwatini
Authors: Ruff Andrea , Dlamini Xolisile , Nonyane Bareng AS , Simmons Nicole , Kochelani Duncan , Burtt Fiona , Mlotshwa Fakazi , Gama Ncamsile , Scheepers Esca , Schmitz Kathrin , Simelane Lethokuhle , Van Lith Lynn M. , Black Maureen M.
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Children who are HIV‐exposed and uninfected (CHEU) are a growing population at potential risk of poor neurocognitive development. We tested a nurturing care intervention on children's neurocognitive development and maternal depressive symptoms (primary) with mediation through caregiving activities (secondary).

Methods

This study was conducted among six intervention and nine comparison antenatal‐care/prevention of vertical transmission (ANC/PVT) HIV clinics in eSwatini. We enrolled pregnant women and measured infant development at 9 and 18 months. mothers2mothers (m2m) designed and implemented the clinic‐home‐community‐based intervention. We measured infants’ neurodevelopment, maternal depressive symptoms and caregiving activities with the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, HOME Inventory and Family Care Indicators. We fitted linear mixed effects regression models with clinic random effects to compare intervention versus comparison arms, and generalised structural equation models to evaluate mediation, adjusting for confounders.

Results

Mother‐infant pairs (n = 429) participated between January 2016 through May 2018. Socio‐demographic characteristics were balanced between arms except for higher rates of peri‐urban versus rural residence and single versus married mothers in the comparison group. The 18 month retention was 82% (180/220) intervention, 79% (166/209) comparison arm, with 25 infant deaths. Intervention MSEL scores were significantly, and modestly, higher in receptive language (55.7 [95% CI 54.6, 56.9] vs. 53.7 [95% CI 52.6, 54.8]), expressive language (42.5 [95% CI 41.6, 39.8] vs. 40.8 [95% CI 39.8, 41.7]) and composite MSEL (85.4 [95% CI 83.7, 84.5] vs. 82.7 [95% CI 81.0, 84.5]), with no difference in maternal depressive symptoms or in observations of mother‐child interactions. Intervention book‐sharing scores were higher (0.63 vs. 0.41) and mediated the effect on MSEL scores (indirect effect, p‐values ≤ 0.024). The direct effects on visual reception and expressive language scores were significantly higher in the intervention compared to the comparison arm (coefficients 1.93 [95% CI 0.26, 3.60] and 1.66 [95% CI 0.51, 2.79, respectively]).

Conclusions

Nurturing care interventions can be integrated into ANC/PVT clinic‐home‐community programmes. The intervention, mediated through interactive caregiving activities, increased language development scores among CHEU. Partnering with a local team, m2m, to design and implement a culturally relevant intervention illustrates the ability to impact parent‐child play and learning activities that are associated with children's neurodevelopment.
Strengthening the evidence to improve health outcomes of children with perinatal HIV exposure
Authors: Lee Sonia , Allison Susannah , Brouwers Pim
Published: November 2023

Introduction

The number of children exposed to HIV and possibly to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in utero and during breastfeeding and are uninfected (HEU) globally will continue to increase from the estimated 15.9 million in 2021.

Discussion

There are still significant gaps in our understanding of the impact of HIV and/or ART exposure in children who are HEU, in terms of prevalence/incidence and severity on health and wellbeing, and long after exposure has ended. While there have been substantial programmatic efforts to support the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, additional rigorous research is needed to better understand the biological, (psycho)social and structural factors contributing to optimal health for populations who are HEU. Furthermore, the best approaches to address and study the gaps in understanding also need to be explored. Given the scope of the problem including the large numbers of affected people as well as the often limited and competing in‐country resources for populations affected by HIV, novel methodologies, including multi‐level approaches and advanced analytics, need to be considered.

Conclusions

A growing population of children who are HEU are maturing into adolescence and young adulthood. Research to advance understanding of the possible negative long‐term effects of HIV and/or ART exposure in these youth is supported by the US National Institutes of Health. Both large epidemiological studies and smaller more comprehensive cohort studies may be required to address the complexity of the issue. Integrating both types of studies could allow the establishment of more reliable and validated predictions of which youth who are HEU are at the highest risk for specific negative health outcomes, such as mental health and neurocognitive disorders, and which interventional approaches may be most successful to address specific deficits both in terms of prevention and treatment. Finally, these goals can be more rapidly achieved with data science efforts, data harmonisation between studies and with sustainable data‐sharing practices. It is important to expand the commitment to research to identify biological, social and structural drivers, to develop screening tools, and impactful and contextually appropriate interventions to address the health and wellbeing of children who are HEU from birth through adulthood.
病理解剖することで診断に至った妊娠オウム病の1例(Postmortem diagnosis of gestational psittacosis: a case report)
Authors: 崇 宮内 , 祐太郎 平田 , 信也 福田
Published: November 2023

症例は20歳代女性，妊娠7か月の妊婦。感冒様症状を発症し，SARS–Cov–2（severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2），インフルエンザ抗原迅速検査は陰性であったが，その後急速に悪化し当院に紹介となった。来院時は意識障害，発熱，頻脈，頻呼吸を認めショック状態であった。子宮内の胎児は死亡した状態であった。血液検査，画像検査から肺炎による敗血症性ショックと診断し，メロペネムの投与，人工呼吸管理を開始してICUに入室した。細胞外液輸液，輸血，カテコラミン投与など集学的治療を行ったが，呼吸，循環は安定せず，症状増悪から約7時間で死亡した。原因不明のため家族の承諾を得て病理解剖を実施した。組織所見では肺，肝臓，腎臓に明らかな感染所見は認めないが，胎盤の絨毛間に好中球の集積を認めた。絨毛炎と臨床経過から妊娠オウム病が疑われ遺伝子検査を行ったところ，胎盤，肺，肝臓，脾臓からChlamydia psittaciの遺伝子が検出され，妊娠オウム病と診断した。妊娠オウム病は急性期の診断が困難であるが，急速に悪化し致死的な経過をたどることがある。妊婦に感冒様症状を認めた場合には妊娠オウム病を念頭に置いて診療にあたる必要がある。また，妊産婦の予期せぬ死亡に対しては，家族に丁寧な説明を行ったうえで病理解剖を行い，原因を追究することが勧められる。
Interventional radiologyと開腹手術のハイブリッド治療により救命し得た下大静脈損傷の1例(Hybrid therapy including interventional radiology and surgery for inferior vena cava injury: a case report)
Authors: 久美子 河野 , 誠昌 中村 , 憲一 児玉 , 努 白川 , 岬 村崎 , 翔吾 増田 , 啓介 元濵
Published: November 2023

医療が発達した現代でも下大静脈の損傷は救命が難しい損傷の一つである。近年，下大静脈に血管閉塞バルーンを留置し血流量を減少させて修復術に臨む方法や，カバードステントを使用するなど，interventional radiology（IVR）を併用した静脈損傷修復術が報告されている。今回我々は，開腹術に大動脈遮断バルーンや塞栓術などのIVRを併用することで，良好な視野のもと出血量を最小限にとどめ，下大静脈損傷を直接修復できた症例について報告し，静脈損傷に対する治療方針について考察した。患者は50歳代の女性。軽自動車助手席乗車中に電柱に衝突し，当院救急外来へ搬送された。受診時の造影CTで右腎静脈の引き抜き損傷を疑う所見を認めた。第1病日にダメージコントロール目的で，モリソン窩および小腸腸間膜損傷部にガーゼパッキングを行った。第2病日，循環動態が不安定な状態が続いたため，血管造影を行ったところ下大静脈と右腎静脈が分岐する周辺の下大静脈損傷が疑われた。腹腔内にガーゼパッキングを追加したものの，循環維持が難しく，外科的止血術を行う方針とした。まず右腎動脈塞栓術と下大静脈の右腎静脈分岐部頭側および尾側に大動脈遮断バルーン，左腎動脈に動脈閉塞バルーンカテーテルを留置した。各バルーンを膨らませて下大静脈の血流を減少させ，良好な視野を確保したうえで下大静脈損傷部位を縫合した。その後は集中治療と外科的処置を要したが，第62病日軽快退院できた。
Application of Intravoxel Incoherent Motion in Clinical Liver Imaging: A Literature Review
Authors: Wang Qi , Yu Guanghui , Qiu Jianfeng , Lu Weizhao
Published: November 2023

Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) modeling is a widely used double‐exponential model for describing diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) signal, with a slow component related to pure molecular diffusion and a fast component associated with microcirculatory perfusion, which compensates for the limitations of traditional DWI. IVIM is a noninvasive technique for obtaining liver pathological information and characterizing liver lesions, and has potential applications in the initial diagnosis and treatment monitoring of liver diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated that IVIM‐derived parameters are useful for evaluating liver lesions, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver fibrosis and liver tumors. However, the results are not stable. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize the current applications of IVIM in liver disease research, identify existing shortcomings, and point out the future development direction. In this review, we searched for studies related to hepatic IVIM‐DWI applications over the past two decades in the PubMed database. We first introduce the fundamental principles and influential factors of IVIM, and then discuss its application in NAFLD, liver fibrosis, and focal hepatic lesions. It has been found that IVIM is still unstable in ensuring the robustness and reproducibility of measurements in the assessment of liver fibrosis grade and liver tumors differentiation, due to inconsistent and substantial overlap in the range of IVIM‐derived parameters for different fibrotic stages. In the end, the future direction of IVIM‐DWI in the assessment of liver diseases is discussed, emphasizing the need for further research on the stability of IVIM‐derived parameters, particularly perfusion‐related parameters, in order to promote the clinical practice of IVIM‐DWI.

Level of Evidence

5

Technical Efficacy

Stage 3
Voice Change After Adenotonsillectomy in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Wang Sz‐Ting , Kang Kun‐Tai , Chang Chi‐Fen , Lin Ming‐Tzer , Hsu Wei‐Chung
Published: November 2023

Objective

Adenotonsillectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on children. Caregivers are often concerned about voice change after the procedure, and such concerns remain unsettled. This meta‐analysis analyzed voice change in children after adenotonsillectomy.

Data Sources

The PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases.

Review Methods

The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO. Two authors independently searched for articles using keywords “adenoidectomy,” “tonsillectomy, “voice,” “nasalance,”and “speech.” English articles specifying voice changes after adenotonsillectomy were pooled with standardized mean difference (SMD) using random‐effects model. Evaluation methods were computerized acoustic voice analysis, aerodynamic analysis, nasometer, rhinomanometry, evaluations from a speech‐language pathologist or otolaryngologist, and a caregiver assessment questionnaire.

Results

Twenty‐three studies with 2154 children were analyzed (mean age: 8.0 y; 58% boys; mean sample size: 94 children). Due to insufficient data for other outcome variables, this meta‐analysis only summarized changes in the computerized acoustic voice analysis 1 month and 3 months after surgery. The computerized acoustic analysis revealed significant changes in jitter (SMD = −0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.60 to −0.11), shimmer (SMD = −0.34; 95% CI: −0.57 to −0.11), and soft phonation index (SMD = −0.36; 95% CI: −0.57 to −0.15) at 1 month after surgery. Parameters including fundamental frequency, jitter, noise‐to‐harmonics ratio, and shimmer were not significantly changed at 3 months after surgery.

Conclusions

This meta‐analysis observed small improvements in jitter, shimmer, and soft phonation index 1 month after surgery. No significant effects were observed in voice outcomes 3 months after surgery. Laryngoscope, 134:2538–2550, 2024
Carbon emission risk and corporate employment creation: Evidence from a quasi‐natural experiment based on the Paris Agreement
Authors: Cheng Bo , Ma Yuye , Lu Shiyu
Published: November 2023

Under a difference‐in‐difference model, this paper takes China's signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016 as a quasi‐natural experimental event to identify the impact of carbon emission risks on a firm's employment creation and its mechanism. The results show that after this event, the employment creation level of high carbon emission risk firms has significantly increased by about 2.19% compared with that of low carbon emission firms. Moreover, increasing green technology innovation and attracting analysts' attention are two underlying channels. Furthermore, the carbon emission risk significantly improves firms' performance through the employment creation channel and makes the managers more optimistic.
Topology optimization of stability‐constrained structures with simple/multiple eigenvalues
Authors: Zhang Guodong , Khandelwal Kapil , Guo Tong
Published: November 2023

This work focuses on topology optimization formulations with linear buckling constraints wherein eigenvalues of arbitrary multiplicities can be canonically considered. The non‐differentiability of multiple eigenvalues is addressed by a mean value function which is a symmetric polynomial of the repeated eigenvalues in each cluster. This construction offers accurate control over each cluster of eigenvalues as compared to the aggregation functions such as ‐norm and Kreisselmeier–Steinhauser (K–S) function where only approximate maximum/minimum value is available. This also avoids the two‐loop optimization procedure required by the use of directional derivatives (Seyranian et al. Struct Optim. 1994;8(4):207‐227.). The spurious buckling modes issue is handled by two approaches—one with different interpolations on the initial stiffness and geometric stiffness and another with a pseudo‐mass matrix. Using the pseudo‐mass matrix, two new optimization formulations are proposed for incorporating buckling constraints together with the standard approach employing initial stiffness and geometric stiffness as two ingredients within generalized eigenvalue frameworks. Numerical results show that all three formulations can help to improve the stability of the optimized design. In addition, post‐nonlinear stability analysis on the optimized designs reveals that a higher linear buckling threshold might not lead to a higher nonlinear critical load, especially in cases when the pre‐critical response is nonlinear.
Liquid metal‐elastomer composites for water‐resilient soft electronics
Authors: Barron Edward J. , Williams Ella T. , Wilcox Brittan T. , Ho Dong Hae , Bartlett Michael D.
Published: November 2023

Liquid metal‐elastomer composites have immense potential for emerging electronic applications due to their exceptional mechanical and functional properties. Underwater exploration is one area of interest for these composites, where divers or robots could benefit from wearable sensing, health monitoring, and energy harvesting. However, the influence of water submersion on liquid metal composites is not well understood. Here, the effect of underwater environments on the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of liquid metal composites exposed to month‐long aging is quantified. Under most conditions, liquid metal composites maintain their initial properties over the course of aging. However, for composites with high volume loadings of liquid metal ( = 80%) exposed to saltwater conditions, a decrease up to 70% in tensile modulus and up to 44% in thermal conductivity can occur. The aging environments were not shown to have an effect on the electrical conductivity of the composites. Liquid metal composites are then shown to outperform traditional copper electrodes after saltwater aging, demonstrating these soft, multifunctional composites as strong candidates for wearable, water‐resistant devices and machines.
Secondary structure and toxicity of lysozyme fibrils are determined by the length and unsaturation of phosphatidic acid
Authors: Ali Abid , Zhaliazka Kiryl , Holman Aidan P. , Kurouski Dmitry
Published: November 2023

A progressive aggregation of misfolded proteins is a hallmark of numerous pathologies including diabetes Type 2, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. As a result, highly toxic protein aggregates, which are known as amyloid fibrils, are formed. A growing body of evidence suggests that phospholipids can uniquely alter the secondary structure and toxicity of amyloid aggregates. However, the role of phosphatidic acid (PA), a unique lipid that is responsible for cell signaling and activation of lipid‐gated ion channels, in the aggregation of amyloidogenic proteins remains unclear. In this study, we investigate the role of the length and degree of unsaturation of fatty acids (FAs) in PA in the structure and toxicity of lysozyme fibrils formed in the presence of this lipid. We found that both the length and saturation of FAs in PA uniquely altered the secondary structure of lysozyme fibrils. However, these structural differences in PA caused very little if any changes in the morphology of lysozyme fibrils. We also utilized cell toxicity assays to determine the extent to which the length and degree of unsaturation of FAs in PA altered the toxicity of lysozyme fibrils. We found that amyloid fibrils formed in the presence of PA with C18:0 FAs exerted significantly higher cell toxicity compared to the aggregates formed in the presence of PA with C16:0 and C18:1 FAs. These results demonstrated that PA can be an important player in the onset and spread of amyloidogenic diseases.
Epidural analgesia and emergency delivery: exploring causal misconceptions
Authors: van den Bosch O. F. C. , Beenakkers I. C. M. , Boonstra L. , Papazova D. A. , Schyns‐van den Berg A. M. J. V.
Published: November 2023

Linked article: This Correspondence comments on Tabernée Heijtmeijer et al. Click here to view the article.
Numerical simulation of clogging of two types of emitters with similar properties
Authors: Ouarriche Hamza , El Bouhali Mohamed , Bouisfi Firdaouss , Bouziane Abdelkhalek , Zouine Ahmed , Assoudi Redouane , Chaoui Mohamed
Published: November 2023

The benefits of drip irrigation are numerous and include water savings, control of fertilizer applications, and improved water and energy use efficiency of irrigation. In these systems, the emitter is the most vulnerable component to clogging, which in critical states can cause a reduction in performance and shorten the life of the distribution system. It can also have several impacts on water, its economy, and its wastage. In the absence of adequate filtration and when the flow is through the narrow labyrinth channel of the emitter, clogging can be created by continuous deposition of solid particles, organic matter, dissolved salts, chemical precipitates, bacteria, and other impurities. It is obvious that it is impossible to physically visualize the hydraulic behavior of the flowing water in the labyrinths. However, due to the increasing performance of computational tools and simulation software, it is possible to simulate this flow through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), which has become one of the main techniques for describing the flow and deposition of the solid phase inside the emitter. This study aims to numerically simulate the behavior and the flow of the fluid inside two emitters, widely used in the industry, with different types but approximately identical flow rates. The fluid takes in its flow an inert solid suspension of fixed concentration. One of the emitters is compensating‐pressure, and the other is non‐compensating‐pressure; the numerical simulation model used is the RNG κ‐ε two‐phase model. The results showed that the regions affected by clogging are mainly the corners of the labyrinth channel and the recirculation vortex zones. The trajectory field plot reveals that as the clogging increases, the serpentine fluid threads become thinner.
Aviation Certification Powered by the Semantic Web Stack
Authors: Cuddihy Paul , Russell Daniel , Mertens Eric , Siu Kit , Archer Dave , Williams Jenny
Published: November 2023

Every deployed DoD system undergoes certification (or qualification, for military) to assess the software system’s fitness for use. Certification requires that human subject matter expert look over evidence and evaluate its conformance to standards such as DO-178C or the Risk Management Framework (RMF). Current practices are not keeping pace with the ever-increasing size of software systems and the amount of evidence required for their certification. This problem is further exasperated when platforms are comprised of systems of systems developed by multiple suppliers, each providing data generated by different tools, in different formats, and captured with different granularity. We demonstrate the application of W3C Semantic web technologies to perform efficient evidence curation under a military research program. This tech stack offers the right solutions for integrating data from heterogeneous sources and for performing graph-traversal queries across data that changes at a regular frequency.
The use of dual mobility cups in revision total hip arthroplasty for failed large head metal-on-metal bearings
Authors: Meriem Samir , Antoniadis Alexander , Palazzuolo Michele , Wegrzyn Julien
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Revision of failed large head metal-on-metal (MoM) total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a challenging procedure particularly to reconstruct acetabular bone defect due to osteolysis and to achieve hip stability due to soft tissue damages, both potentially caused by adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD). This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of dual mobility cup (DMC) constructs in revision THA for failed large head MoM bearings with a special attention to the occurrence of dislocation or re-revision.

Methods

Between 2015 and 2019, 57 patients (64 THAs, 41 men, mean age = 65 ± 10 years) underwent revision for MoM THA with the use of DMC were prospectively included in our total joint registry. Mean time to revision was 11 ± 2.5 years. The causes for revision were adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD) in 49 THAs (76%), painful hip with elevated blood cobalt-chromium ions in seven (11%), and acetabular aseptic loosening in eight (13%). The revision was complete in 22 THAs (34%) and acetabular only in 42 (66%). Clinical and radiographic outcomes, complications, and re-revisions were evaluated at most recent follow-up.

Results

At mean follow-up of six ± 1.5 years, the pre- to postoperative Harris Hip Score improved from 74 ± 19 to 92 ± 4 (p = 0.004). Complications occurred in 11 cases (17%): five dislocations (8%), three periprosthetic infections (5%), two aseptic loosening of the acetabular component (3%), and two periprosthetic fractures (3%). Re-revision was required in six cases (9%).

Conclusion

The use of DMC is a reliable option to prevent instability and ensure a stable acetabular reconstruction in revision THA for failed large head MoM bearings. However, dislocation after revision remains a concern, particularly in cases of severe soft tissue damage related to ARMD.
Can effective porosity be used to estimate near-well protection zones in fractured chalk?
Authors: Kidmose Jacob , Nilsson Bertel , Klem Niels Korsholm , Pedersen Philip Grinder , Henriksen Hans Jørgen , Sonnenborg Torben O.
Published: November 2023

Protection of fractured carbonate aquifers is often based on a single-porosity description of a dual-porosity system. However, it is difficult to assess a trustworthy value of the effective porosity based on scientific principles; thus, a range of estimates is often suggested. The complexity of the problem is compounded by the fact that the effective porosity may be scale-dependent. This paper investigates whether it is possible to describe solute transport in fractured carbonate rocks with an equivalent porous medium model using a constant value of effective porosity. It is assumed that the dual-porosity model provides an acceptable description of transport mechanisms in fractured porous rock and that it is possible to estimate the parameters needed in the single-porosity models from results generated by the dual-porosity model. The effective porosity is estimated from the dual-porosity results that are used as targets. For Danish chalk, an effective porosity of 13% (11–17%) is estimated. However, it is demonstrated that the estimated effective porosity is only valid at the specific transport time (1 year) from which simulation results of the dual-porosity model were extracted. The effective porosity is shown to increase with travel time until equilibrium conditions are realised between the fractures and matrix, following which, the effective porosity equals the matrix porosity and will maintain this value at larger transport times. Assuming that the dual-porosity model provides a trustworthy description of solute transport in fractured chalk and limestone, a method to estimate the effective porosity of an equivalent porous medium model is presented.
The detrimental impact of high environmental temperature on physiological response, growth, milk production, and reproductive efficiency of ruminants
Authors: Habeeb Alsaied Alnaimy , Osman Samir F. , Teama Fatma E. I. , Gad Ahmed E.
Published: November 2023

The optimal environments for ruminants are air temperatures between 13 and 20 °C, winds between 5 and 18 km/h, humidity levels between 55 and 65%, and a moderate amount of sunlight. In tropical and subtropical regions, climate is the top factor restricting animal growth and reproductive efficiency. The digestive system, blood biochemical components, and hormones all go through a range of physiological changes at high temperatures. Ruminant animals respond to heat stress by drinking more water, breathing more quickly, panting, and raising their rectal temperatures while reducing their activity levels, intake of roughage, and rumination. Blood metabolites and biochemical modifications are negatively impacted by the concentration of blood biochemical components and hormonal levels, particularly those of anabolic hormones, which are decreased as a result of the animals’ exposure to high environmental temperatures. Changes in blood metabolite and hormone levels were influenced by the duration of exposure to high temperatures, the level of background heat, and the species, breed, and age of the animals. The major biological changes caused by heat stress have a negative impact on growth, milk production, and reproduction. Animals subjected to high environmental temperatures also undergo reductions in feed intake and feed efficiency. These changes eventually impair ruminant reproduction and production abilities.
Structurally Unstable Quadratic Vector Fields of Codimension Two: Families Possessing One Finite Saddle-Node and a Separatrix Connection
Authors: Artés Joan C.
Published: November 2023

This paper is part of a series of works whose ultimate goal is the complete classification of phase portraits of quadratic differential systems in the plane modulo limit cycles. It is estimated that the total number may be around 2000, so the work to find them all must be split in different papers in a systematic way so to assure the completeness of the study and also the non intersection among them. In this paper we classify the family of phase portraits possessing one finite saddle-node and a separatrix connection and determine that there are a minimum of 77 topologically different phase portraits plus at most 16 other phase portraits which we conjecture to be impossible. Along this paper we also deploy a mistake in the book (Artés et al. in Structurally unstable quadratic vector fields of codimension one, Birkhäuser/Springer, Cham, 2018) linked to a mistake in Reyn and Huang (Separatrix configuration of quadratic systems with finite multiplicity three and a$$M^0_{1,1}$$M1,10type of critical point at infinity. Report Technische Universiteit Delft, pp 95–115, 1995).
Effect of Block Size on Bearing Strength of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Recycled Aggregate Concrete
Authors: Fayed Sabry , Madenci Emrah , Özkiliç Yasin Onuralp , Tawfik Taher A.
Published: November 2023

For the safe transmission of loads to concrete supports, such as column-foundations, corbels, bridge pedestals, post-tension members, support anchorages, and other forms of superstructure supports, the concrete bearing strength is considered an essential design parameter. The usage of recycled aggregate within concrete is considered environmentally friendly since it diverts rubbish from bulldozing and preserves natural resources. End-hooked steel fibre is an almost substantial enhancer for recycled aggregate concrete characteristics. Never before has the bearing behavior of recycled aggregate concrete been evaluated. Thus, this study provides an experimental evaluation of the bearing strength of steel fiber-reinforced recycled aggregate concrete at different replacement levels (0, 10, 20, 30, 50, and 100%) of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). The used fraction quantities of steel fiber were 0.5%, 1.5%, and 2%. Three sizes of blocks were manufactured (100 × 100 × 100 mm, 150 × 150 × 150 mm, and 250 × 250 × 250 mm). The ratio of concrete block area to bearing area (A2/A1) was kept constant at 2.5 for all three block sizes. The primary purpose of this research was to examine the impact of block size on bearing stiffness, ultimate slip, and ultimate bearing strength. The findings demonstrated that the bearing stiffness and bearing strength reduced as the block size increased. To assess the ultimate bearing stiffness/strength and normalised ultimate bearing slip, analytical models were employed to develop new proposed equations that unaccounted for the impact of compressive strength, RCA, reinforcing index of steel fibre, and block size. In addition, this research led to the creation of a modified ACI 318 formula that accurately forecasts the bearing strength of concrete depending on block size.
On heat equations associated with fractional harmonic oscillators
Authors: Bhimani Divyang G. , Manna Ramesh , Nicola Fabio , Thangavelu Sundaram , Trapasso S. Ivan
Published: November 2023

We establish some fixed-time decay estimates in Lebesgue spaces for the fractional heat propagator $$e^{-tH^{\beta }}$$

e

-
t

H
β

, $$t, \beta >0$$

t
,
β
>
0

, associated with the harmonic oscillator $$H=-\Delta + |x|^2$$

H
=
-
Δ
+

|
x
|

2

. We then prove some local and global wellposedness results for nonlinear fractional heat equations.
Multi-physics Approach to Predict Fatigue Behavior of High Strength Aluminum Alloy Repaired via Additive Friction Stir Deposition
Authors: Palya N. I. , Fraser K. A. , Hong Y. , Zhu N. , Williams M. B. , Doherty K. , Allison P. G. , Jordon J. B.
Published: November 2023

A smooth particle hydrodynamic (SPH) simulation of an additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) repair was used to inform a multi-physics approach to predict the fatigue life of a high strength aluminum alloy. The AFSD process is a solid-state layer-by-layer additive manufacturing approach in which a hollow tool containing feedstock is used to deposit material. While an understanding of the evolving microstructures is necessary to predict material performance, the elevated temperatures and strain rates associated with severe plastic deformation processes (SPDP) make accurate collection of experimental data within AFSD difficult. Without the ability to experimentally determine material history within the AFSD process, an SPH model was employed to predict the thermomechanical history. The SPH simulation of an AFSD repair was used to inform several microstructural models to predict material history during and after processing with AFSD and a post-processing heat treatment. These microstructure models are then used to inform a mechanistic microstructure and performance model to predict the fatigue life of an AFSD repair in AA7075.
Tessellation-valued processes that are generated by cell division
Authors: Martínez Servet , Nagel Werner
Published: November 2023

Processes of random tessellations of the Euclidean space
$\mathbb{R}^d$
,
$d\geq 1$
, are considered that are generated by subsequent division of their cells. Such processes are characterized by the laws of the life times of the cells until their division and by the laws for the random hyperplanes that divide the cells at the end of their life times. The STIT (STable with respect to ITerations) tessellation processes are a reference model. In the present paper a generalization concerning the life time distributions is introduced, a sufficient condition for the existence of such cell division tessellation processes is provided, and a construction is described. In particular, for the case that the random dividing hyperplanes have a Mondrian distribution—which means that all cells of the tessellations are cuboids—it is shown that the intrinsic volumes, except the Euler characteristic, can be used as the parameter for the exponential life time distribution of the cells.
The National Legislatures in the Enlargement of Mercosur: Paraguay’s Acceptance of Venezuela and Bolivia
Authors: Araujo André Leite
Published: November 2023

Regional integration blocs are subject to the admission of new members, which must be approved by domestic institutions. This article analyzes how the incorporation of Venezuela and Bolivia into Mercosur passed in the Paraguayan Congress. While the first case lasted from 2007 to 2013, demonstrating parliamentary opposition, the second episode took place between 2015 and 2016, suggesting convergence between the executive and legislative branches on the issue. Using process tracing, the unveiled mechanism shows how government and opposition forces act to alter the duration of the bill in Congress and that political parties have a pendular behavior according to political cleavages. Moreover, the findings of this study suggest the existence of a parliamentary veto power in foreign affairs and the importance of having homogeneous coalitions to achieve faster approvals.