bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Connecting scalar amplitudes using the positive tropical Grassmannian
Authors: Cachazo Freddy , Umbert Bruno Giménez
Published: December 2024

Abstract

The biadjoint scalar partial amplitude, $$ {m}_n\left(\mathbbm{I},\mathbbm{I}\right) $$

m
n

I
I

, can be expressed as a single integral over the positive tropical Grassmannian thus producing a Global Schwinger Parameterization. The first result in this work is an extension to all partial amplitudes mn(α, β) using a limiting procedure on kinematic invariants that produces indicator functions in the integrand. The same limiting procedure leads to an integral representation of ϕ4 amplitudes where indicator functions turn into Dirac delta functions. Their support decomposes into Cn/2−1 regions, with Cq the qth-Catalan number. The contribution from each region is identified with a mn/2+1(α, $$ \mathbbm{I} $$
I
) amplitude. We provide a combinatorial description of the regions in terms of non-crossing chord diagrams and propose a general formula for ϕ4 amplitudes using the Lagrange inversion construction. We start the exploration of ϕp theories, finding that their regions are encoded in non-crossing (p – 2)-chord diagrams. The structure of the expansion of ϕp amplitudes in terms of ϕ3 amplitudes is the same as that of Green functions in terms of connected Green functions in the planar limit of Φp−1 matrix models. We also discuss possible connections to recent constructions based on Stokes polytopes and accordiohedra.
The temporal alignment of mental health consultations across family members: a study of Norwegian adolescents, their parents, and siblings
Authors: Wörn Jonathan , Balbo Nicoletta , Hank Karsten , Kravdal Øystein
Published: December 2024

Purpose

Mental health problems among adolescents have become more prevalent in recent years. Parents’ and siblings’ mental health might be affected by living with a depressed adolescent. This study examines how the mental health of family members develops in the years before and after an adolescent seeks help for depression.

Methods

Unique Norwegian register data that cover the full population are used to estimate models with individual fixed effects. The development in the probability of mental health consultations for parents and older siblings in families with a second-born adolescent seeking help for depression from a GP for the first time is compared to the respective development in families where the second-born adolescent has not had such health care consultation.

Results

Results indicate that adolescents’ depression consultations are associated with a simultaneous increase in mental health consultations in parents and siblings. Mothers and fathers are affected similarly, although the effect seems to be short-lived. Siblings experience a short-term increase in mental health consultations, in addition to a steeper long-term increase across the observation period, compared to peers in families where the second-born adolescent does not seek help for depression. Events that might affect the mental health of multiple family members simultaneously, specifically parental breakup and unemployment, did not explain the observed patterns.

Conclusion

Help-seeking for mental health problems is temporally aligned across family members. Intra- and intergenerational spillovers might contribute to this.
Children Centered Care: child and parent perspectives on a multi-faceted concept for magnetic resonance imaging without anesthesia – a survey
Authors: Runge Stine Bjerrum , Precht Helle , Jensen Ib Erik , Jensen Kim , Johannesen Tine Abildgaard , Pedersen Malene Roland Vils , Christensen Nicolaj Lyhne
Published: December 2024

Background

Anxiety-provoking healthcare procedures require specific child-friendly approaches. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can cause anxiety for children and general anesthesia (GA) is often used. We developed and tested a multi-faceted child-friendly concept, Children Centered Care, for MRI of children without GA.

Objective

To investigate children’s and parents’ individual experiences with the concept using a survey. The main aim was to evaluate comfort for children and sense of security for parents during unsedated MRI.

Materials and methods

In this prospective study of 265 children aged 4–10 years enrolled in 2016 and 2017, the Children Centered Care concept is compared to a standard setup. The concept included an interactive app, trained pediatric radiographers, a children’s lounge with a toy-scanner, and a child-friendly multimedia environment in the scanner room. A 25-item survey was used including a mix of open and closed questions, free text, and a visual analogue scale to evaluate self-reported child comfort.

Results

A total of 154 children were included in the Children Centered Care group and 111 in the standard group. Overall, the mean age was 8.5 years (range 4.0–10.9 years).

With Children Centered Care, child comfort increased (88% vs. 77%), P = 0.02. The app and toy-scanner were popular among children. More parents felt “very much” prepared (80% vs. 57%), P < 0.01, and “very much” secure (92% vs. 79%), P < 0.01.

Conclusion

With the use of a multi-faceted, child-friendly concept, MRI without GA is a feasible first choice for children aged 4–10 years, with high levels of comfort for children and parents.

Graphical Abstract
Anatomical and histological classification of the stellate ganglion: implications for clinical nerve blocks
Authors: Samrid Rarinthorn , King Mona , Pujol Jacie , Reina Miguel Angel , Iwanaga Joe , Tubbs R. Shane
Published: December 2024

Purpose

The stellate ganglion (SG), or cervicothoracic ganglion, is usually located anterior to the neck of the first rib. Various techniques, such as ultrasonographic imaging and fluoroscopic approaches, are used to assist in the anesthetic blockade of the SG. However, there are reported complications associated with SG block; some patients had medication-related or systemic side effects, and some had procedure-related or local side effects. So, understanding the anatomy of the SG is critical for diagnosis and treatment of nerve block accuracy and to avoid unnecessary nerve damage during surgical procedures. This study aimed to collect data for the gross shape of the SG and histologically investigate these different types.

Methods

The SG from 31 formalin-fixed adult cadavers (59 sides) were studied. The prevalence and shape of the SG were recorded and photographed. Next, the SG for each type was examined histologically.

Results

The SG were classified into four types based on their shape: dumbbell, spindle, star, and inverted L shapes. The frequency of each type was as follows: spindle (47.46%), dumbbell (27.12%), star (23.73%), and L-inverted shapes (1.69%). Each type had a similar number of nerve cell bodies. Interestingly, the inverted-L shaped SG was histologically, discontinuous but grossly fused.

Conclusion

An improved understanding of the SG’s macro and microanatomy can help better understand patient presentations and improve clinical and surgical results in procedures performed near this important neck structure.
Ultra-high-resolution 40 keV virtual monoenergetic imaging using spectral photon-counting CT in high-risk patients for coronary stenoses
Authors: Fahrni Guillaume , Boccalini Sara , Lacombe Hugo , de Oliveira Fabien , Houmeau Angèle , Francart Florie , Villien Marjorie , Rotzinger David C. , Robert Antoine , Douek Philippe , Si-Mohamed Salim A.
Published: December 2024

Objectives

To assess the image quality of ultra-high-resolution (UHR) virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) at 40 keV compared to 70 keV, using spectral photon-counting CT (SPCCT) and dual-layer dual-energy CT (DECT) for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).

Methods and materials

In this prospective IRB-approved study, 26 high-risk patients were included. CCTA was performed both with an SPCCT in UHR mode and with one of two DECT scanners (iQOn or CT7500) within 3 days. 40 keV and 70 keV VMIs were reconstructed for both modalities. Stenoses, blooming artefacts, and image quality were compared between all four reconstructions.

Results

Twenty-six patients (4 women [15%]) and 28 coronary stenoses (mean stenosis of 56% ± 16%) were included. 40 keV SPCCT gave an overall higher quality score (5 [5, 5]) than 70 keV SPCCT (5 [4, 5], 40 keV DECT (4 [3, 4]) and 70 keV SPCCT (4 [4, 5]), p < 0.001). Less variability in stenosis measurement was found with SPCCT between 40 keV and 70 keV (bias: −1% ± 3%, LoA: 6%) compared with DECT (−6% ± 8%, LoA 16%). 40 keV SPCCT vs 40 keV DECT showed a −3% ± 6% bias, whereas 40 keV SPCCT vs 70 keV DECT showed a −8% ± 6% bias. From 70 keV to 40 keV, blooming artefacts did not increase with SPCCT (mean +2% ± 5%, p = 0.136) whereas they increased with DECT (mean +7% ± 6%, p = 0.005).

Conclusion

UHR 40 keV SPCCT VMIs outperformed 40 keV and 70 keV DECT VMIs for assessing coronary artery stenoses, with no impairment compared to 70 keV SPCCT VMIs.

Key Points

QuestionUse of low virtual mono-energetic images at 40 keV using spectral dual-energy and photon-counting CT systems is not yet established for diagnosing coronary artery stenosis.

FindingsUHR 40 keV SPCCT enhances diagnostic accuracy in coronary artery assessment.

Clinical relevanceBy combining spectral sensitivity with lower virtual mono-energetic imaging and ultra-high spatial resolution, SPCCT enhances coronary artery assessment, potentially leading to more accurate diagnoses and better patient outcomes in cardiovascular imaging.
Diagnostic and prognostic utility of bone morphogenetic protein 10 in acute dyspnea: a cohort study
Authors: Simonavicius Justas , Wussler Desiree , Belkin Maria , Luening Karoline , Lopez-Ayala Pedro , Strebel Ivo , Shrestha Samyut , Nowak Albina , Michou Eleni , Papachristou Androniki , Popescu Codruta , Kozhuharov Nikola , Sabti Zaid , Reiffer Zora , Hennings Elisa , Zimmermann Tobias , Diebold Matthias , Breidthardt Tobias , Mueller Christian
Published: December 2024

Background and aim

The possible clinical utility of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 10 (BMP10), a novel atrial-specific biomarker, is incompletely understood. We aimed to test the hypothesis that BMP10 has high diagnostic and prognostic accuracy in patients presenting with acute dyspnea.

Methods and results

In a multicenter diagnostic study, BMP10, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations were determined in patients presenting with acute dyspnea to the emergency department. The final diagnosis was centrally adjudicated by two independent cardiologists blinded to BMP10. Diagnostic accuracy for acute heart failure (AHF) was quantified using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). 720-day all-cause mortality and the composite of all-cause mortality or AHF rehospitalization were prognostic endpoints. Among 933 consecutive patients, 54% were adjudicated to have AHF. Patients with AHF had higher BMP10 concentrations (median 3.34 [IQR 2.55–4.35] ng/mL) compared to patients with other causes of acute dyspnea (2.04 [1.74–2.45] ng/mL, p < 0.001). The AUC of BMP10 was 0.85 (95%CI, 0.82–0.87), versus 0.79 (95%CI, 0.76–0.82, p < 0.001) for hs-cTnT and 0.91 (95%CI, 0.90–0.93, p < 0.001) for NT-proBNP. The combination of BMP10 with NT-proBNP (AUC 0.92, 95%CI, 0.90–0.94) did not significantly increase the AUC versus NT-proBNP alone. BMP10 was a powerful predictor of death and AHF rehospitalization, but did not provide incremental value to models including NT-proBNP.

Conclusion

BMP10 had a high diagnostic accuracy for AHF and high prognostic accuracy for death and AHF rehospitalization. However, it did not provide relevant incremental value to the current gold standard NT-proBNP.
The impact of myocardial injury on outcomes in TAVI patients
Authors: Stolte Thorald , Lopez-Ayala Pedro , Reichl Jakob , Pfenniger Anna , Allegra Giampiero , Leibundgut Gregor , Kaiser Christoph , Boeddinghaus Jasper , Mahfoud Felix , Mueller Christian , Nestelberger Thomas
Published: December 2024

Background

Peri-procedural myocardial injury (PPMI) has been commonly reported after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and may have a potential impact on outcomes. The recent update to the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-3 criteria for PPMI warrants a comparison with the preceding VARC-2 criteria to understand its implications on patient outcomes.

Aims

To assess the prognostic significance of PPMI as defined by VARC-3 versus VARC-2 in TAVI patients and evaluate the predictive value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) for adverse outcomes within 1 year post-TAVI.

Methods

Consecutive patients undergoing TAVI in a tertiary university hospital between December 2011 and June 2023, with hs-cTnT concentrations pre- and post-procedurally, were enrolled. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality at 1 year. Secondary outcomes were major cardiac adverse events (MACE), defined as a composite end point including all-cause mortality, unplanned reintervention, stroke, myocardial infarction, or major bleeding at 30 days and 1 year.

Results

Of 653 patients, 535 (82%) had elevated baseline serum hs-cTnT. It was a significant predictor of 1-year mortality and MACE, whereas post-TAVI hs-cTnT concentrations did not predict outcomes (HR: 1.5, p = 0.21 and HR: 0.943, p = 0.54). 367 (56%) of all patients met VARC-2 PPMI criteria, while only 24 (3.7%) met VARC-3 criteria. Patients meeting VARC-3 criteria had significantly more comorbidities and higher 1-year mortality (25% vs. 9%; p = 0.0047). VARC-2 criteria did not predict higher mortality (9% vs. 9%; p = 0.69).

Conclusions

Baseline hs-cTnT concentrations strongly predicted 1-year mortality and MACE, while post-procedure levels did not. VARC-3 criteria provided better prognostic discrimination than VARC-2.
Association of ability to rank sweet and fat taste intensities with sweet and fat food propensity ratios of children, adolescents and adults: the I.Family study
Authors: Jilani Hannah , Intemann Timm , Eiben Gabriele , Lauria Fabio , Lissner Lauren , Michels Nathalie , Molnár Dénes , Moreno Luis A. , Pala Valeria , Tornaritis Michael , Veidebaum Toomas , Ahrens Wolfgang , Hebestreit Antje ,   the I.Family consortium
Published: December 2024

Purpose

It is assumed that sensory taste perception shapes food choices and impacts dietary intake. However, this has rarely been studied in free living subjects of different age-groups with standardised methods. The present study investigated the association of the ability to rank sweet and fat taste intensities with consumption frequency of sweet and fatty foods in children, adolescents and adults from eight European countries.

Methods

In total, 461 children, 421 adolescents and 612 adults from the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort participated in sensory sweet and fat intensity rating tests. Sweet and fatty food consumption frequencies were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. The association between the ability to rank sweet and fat intensity with sweet and fatty food consumption frequencies was estimated using linear mixed regression models adjusting for weight status, country, sex, age and family affiliation.

Results

Across all age groups, the largest proportion of participants had medium sweet and fat taste intensity ranking abilities. The next largest proportion had low sweet and fat taste intensity rating abilities, while the smallest proportion had high intensity rating abilities to sweet and fat taste. A negative association of sweet and fat taste intensity ranking ability with sweet and fatty food consumption frequencies was found for children. In adolescents, the association was positive. In adults, there was no association.

Conclusion

It seems that the association of taste intensity ratings with food consumption frequencies during adolescence differs from the associations in children and adults. This could be due to hormonal changes during puberty, growth and maturation. Thus, further research focussing on maturation processes in association with taste perception during adolescence may be required.
Feature analysis and ensemble-based fault detection techniques for nonlinear systems
Authors: Bolboacă Roland , Haller Piroska , Genge Bela
Published: December 2024

Machine learning approaches play a crucial role in nonlinear system modeling across diverse domains, finding applications in system monitoring, anomaly/fault detection, control, and various other areas. With technological advancements, today such systems might include hundreds or thousands of sensors that generate large amounts of multivariate data streams. This inevitably results in increased model complexity. In response, feature selection techniques are widely employed as a means to reduce complexity, avoid the curse of high dimensionality, decrease training and inference times, and eliminate redundant features. This paper introduces a sensitivity-inspired feature analysis technique for regression tasks. Leveraging the energy distance on the model prediction errors, this approach performs both feature ranking and selection. Additionally, this paper introduces an ensemble-based unsupervised fault detection methodology that incorporates homogeneous units, specifically long short-term memory (LSTM) predictors and cumulative sum-based detectors. The proposed predictors utilize a variant of the teacher forcing (TF) algorithm during both the training and inference phases. Additionally, predictors are used to model the normal behavior of the system, whereas detectors are used to identify deviations from normality. The detector decisions are aggregated using a majority voting scheme. The validity of the proposed approach is illustrated on the two representative datasets, where numerous experiments are performed for feature selection and fault detection evaluation. Experimental assessment reveals promising results, even compared to well-established techniques. Nevertheless, the results also demonstrate the need to perform additional experiments with datasets originating from both simulators and real systems. Further possible refinements of the detection ensemble include the addition of heterogeneous units and other decision fusion techniques.
Int-HRL: towards intention-based hierarchical reinforcement learning
Authors: Penzkofer Anna , Schaefer Simon , Strohm Florian , Bâce Mihai , Leutenegger Stefan , Bulling Andreas
Published: December 2024

While deep reinforcement learning (RL) agents outperform humans on an increasing number of tasks, training them requires data equivalent to decades of human gameplay. Recent hierarchical RL methods have increased sample efficiency by incorporating information inherent to the structure of the decision problem but at the cost of having to discover or use human-annotated sub-goals that guide the learning process. We show that intentions of human players, i.e. the precursor of goal-oriented decisions, can be robustly predicted from eye gaze even for the long-horizon sparse rewards task of Montezuma’s Revenge–one of the most challenging RL tasks in the Atari2600 game suite. We propose Int-HRL: Hierarchical RL with intention-based sub-goals that are inferred from human eye gaze. Our novel sub-goal extraction pipeline is fully automatic and replaces the need for manual sub-goal annotation by human experts. Our evaluations show that replacing hand-crafted sub-goals with automatically extracted intentions leads to an HRL agent that is significantly more sample efficient than previous methods.
BiA – I.D.A. – Notfallregister
Authors: Konrad Robert , Schuster Denise , Heppner Hans-Jürgen
Published: December 2024

Hintergrund

Die Sicherstellung der gesundheitlichen Versorgung der Bevölkerung im Zivilschutzfall obliegt den nach Landesrecht zuständigen Behörden, die der Bund bei Bedarf mit entsprechenden Maßnahmen unterstützt. Der meist über die regulären Rettungsdienstressourcen hinausgehende Umfang an Versorgungsbedarf von Betroffenen hängt stark von der Ursache des Einsatzgeschehens ab. Für die Vorplanung sowie die Einhaltung von Versorgungsstandards sind valide Daten erforderlich, die die versorgenden Hilfsorganisationen von Beginn an eine Eingruppierung in Soforthilfe, Übergangshilfe oder Wiederaufbauhilfe vornehmen sowie eventuelle Sonderversorgungsbedarfe erkennen lassen.

Ziel der Arbeit/Fragestellung

Welche Instrumente sind verfügbar, die valide Daten für eine Einschätzung und Pflegebedarfsplanung im Bevölkerungsschutz zur Verfügung stellen?

Material und Methoden

Recherche und Analyse geeigneter und öffentlich verfügbarer Pflegebedarfsplanungsinstrumente im Kontext Bevölkerungsschutz.

Ergebnisse

Standardisierte, frei verfügbare Bedarfsplanungsinstrumente mit konkreten Planungsvorschlägen für den Bevölkerungsschutz gibt es derzeit nicht. Dennoch sind vielversprechende Insellösungen verfügbar, die als gute Planungsgrundlage verwendet werden können.

Diskussion

Konkrete Vorgaben zur Unterbringung und Versorgung vulnerabler Gruppen mit Pflegebedarf sind in Betreuungskonzepten derzeit nur unzureichend oder gar nicht abgebildet. Eine Zusammenführung der im Netz verfügbaren Insellösungen würde ohne Weiteres eine standardisierte flächendeckende Nutzung zur Bedarfsplanung zulassen.

Graphic abstract
Unravelling driving conditions of rock and ice avalanches and resulting cascading processes in High Mountain Asia
Authors: Zhong Yan , Allen Simon , Li Dongfeng , Corona Christophe , Zheng Guoxiong , Liu Qiao , Stoffel Markus
Published: December 2024

Amplified climate warming and the tectonically active landscape in High Mountain Asia (HMA) have led to the occurrence of 60 well-documented large rock and/or ice avalanches (RIAs), resulting in at least 1366 fatalities and extensive negative impacts on ecosystems, water resources, infrastructure, and social stability. In this study, we analyzed historical RIAs in HMA using detailed topographic, climatic, glacier, permafrost, and geotechnical data, along with medium- and high-resolution satellite imagery, to identify 23 potential driving factors. Seismic activity, permafrost thaw, lithology, and changes in precipitation were identified as important driving factors for RIAs, while stream flow, stream order, glacier area, glacier slope, glacier length, height differences, and real length were identified as important driving factors for their cascading processes. Our analysis revealed that RIAs have mostly (86%) occurred on steep slopes (> 30°) at altitudes above 3000 m asl, with a prevalence of slopes facing northeast. Almost half of the RIAs produce cascading processes, which on average travel further and lead to a tenfold increase in fatalities compared to single events. Cascading processes are more likely to occur from smaller (glacier area < 3 km2), steeper-sloped (glacier slope > 30°) hanging glaciers. Debris volume, water volume, and topography are three main drivers of cascading processes. Medium-sized source volumes (106 m3 ~ 108 m3) are most susceptible to transform into cascading processes. Statistical analysis indicates that the probability of a RIA transforming into a cascading process significantly increases when the event occurs near high-flow river systems, amplifying potential disasters. These findings offer baseline information on RIA hazards and their cascading processes in HMA, facilitating improved hazard modelling and risk assessment.
Drought adaptation in Austrian agriculture: empirically based farmer types
Authors: Kropf Bernadette , Seebauer Sebastian , Larcher Manuela , Vogel Stefan , Mitter Hermine
Published: December 2024

Farmers perceive and appraise climate change, related risks and opportunities as well as adaptation measures differently. Such differences are not well understood and rarely considered in extension services, outreach activities and agricultural policies. We aim to develop empirically based farmer types, who differ in their socio-cognitive and emotional processes towards droughts, their expected drought impacts, their appraisal of drought adaptation measures, and their previous and intended implementation of such measures. The Model of Private Pro-Active Adaptation to Climate Change provides the theoretical foundation for a three-phase procedure of semi-structured interviews, a standardized survey and a qualitative workshop. The principal component analysis reveals eight socio-cognitive and emotional processes of relevance for forming the famer types of drought adaptation: perceived opportunities resulting from droughts, perceived effectiveness of drought adaptation measures, negative affect towards droughts, perceived work effort and perceived social approval of drought adaptation measures, fatalism, trust in public measures, and perceived self-efficacy. Cluster analyses of these processes yield four types of Austrian farmers. The social implementers perceive themselves as capable, and drought adaptation measures as effective, socially approved, and effortless. The unaffected profiteers have hardly been affected by droughts and perceive beneficial impacts due to a decline in precipitation. The trusting fearfuls have already experienced severe drought impacts and express intense negative affect towards droughts. The passive fatalists focus on avoidance and do neither trust in important others nor in public measures. The identified farmer types of drought adaptation may support the design of climate and agricultural policy instruments and of tailor-made education and communication programs, for instance to increase self-efficacy and reduce fatalism.
The association between pre-pregnancy and first-trimester hair cortisol and preterm birth: a causal inference model
Authors: Chen Yinxian , Künzel Richard G. , Sanchez Sixto E. , Rondon Marta B. , Pinto Nelida I. , Sanchez Elena , Kirschbaum Clemens , Valeri Linda , Koenen Karestan C. , Gelaye Bizu
Published: December 2024

Adverse life events and chronic psychological distress before and during pregnancy have frequently been associated with preterm birth but the biological underpinnings remain unclear. We investigated the association between corticosteroid levels in pre-pregnancy and first-trimester hair and the risk of preterm birth. We followed N = 1,807 pregnant women from a prospective pre-birth cohort study in Lima, Perú. Hair samples were taken at the end of the first pregnancy trimester. The two most proximal 3 cm segments to the scalp (representing pre-pregnancy and first-trimester) were analyzed to obtain hair cortisol and cortisone concentrations (HCC and HCNC). Preterm birth was defined as birth < 37 completed gestational weeks. We constructed four generalized propensity scores for pre-pregnancy and first-trimester HCC and HCNC to create corresponding inverse probability weights before fitting marginal structural models for estimating the effect of HCC and HCNC on preterm birth risk. Pre-pregnancy Log HCC was not independently associated with preterm birth risk (RR = 0.97; 95%CI: 0.79, 1.19), nor was pre-pregnancy Log HCNC (RR = 0.84; 95%CI: 0.58, 1.20). In the first trimester, a one SD increase in Log HCC was associated with a 37% increased risk of preterm birth (95%CI: 1.11, 1.69), whereas Log HCNC was not significantly associated with preterm birth risk (RR = 1.20; 95%CI: 0.87, 1.65). Our findings show that chronic corticosteroid levels in early pregnancy are causally linked to preterm birth risk in pregnant Peruvian women. This finding contributes to understanding the biological underpinnings of preterm birth better to enhance its prevention.
Maternal fatty acid intake and human embryonic growth: the Rotterdam Periconception Cohort
Authors: Rubini Eleonora , van Rossem Lenie , Schoenmakers Sam , Willemsen Sten P. , Sinclair Kevin D. , Steegers-Theunissen Régine P. M. , Rousian Melek
Published: December 2024

The required intake of macronutrients by women during the periconceptional period for optimal fetal growth is the subject of ongoing investigation. Intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is positively associated with fetal neural development, growth velocity and birth weight. However, limited evidence indicates that PUFAs play a role in embryogenesis. We aim to investigate the associations between maternal PUFA dietary intake and first trimester embryonic volume (EV) and head volume (HV). In a prospective cohort study (2013–2020), 464 pregnant women at < 8 weeks of gestation were included. Maternal dietary intake of PUFAs, including omega 3 (docosahexaenoic acid, DHA and eicosapentaeonic acid, EPA) and 6, was obtained from food frequency questionnaires, and first trimester three-dimensional ultrasound examinations were performed to measure EV and HV using Virtual Reality techniques. More than 70% of the population had omega 3 intakes below recommendations. A higher intake of PUFAs was associated with a smaller embryonic HV/EV ratio after adjusting for confounders (EPA p = 0.012, DHA p = 0.015, omega 3 and 6 p < 0.001), but no associations were found with EV or HV alone. Omega 3 from fish oil supplements alone was not associated with embryonic growth. Strong adherence to a PUFA-rich dietary pattern was associated with a smaller embryonic HV/EV ratio (DHA and EPA-rich diet p = 0.054, PUFA-rich diet p = 0.002). It is important to increase awareness of the high prevalence of omega 3-deficiency among pregnant women, and the opportunity for prevention by increasing PUFA intake, thereby reducing the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes which originate during the periconceptional period.
Automatic text simplification for French: model fine-tuning for simplicity assessment and simpler text generation
Authors: Ormaechea Lucía , Tsourakis Nikos
Published: December 2024

Automatic text simplification models face the challenge of generating outputs that, while being indeed simpler, still retain some complexity. This stems from the inherently relative nature of simplification, wherein a given text is transformed into a relatively simpler version, which does not necessarily equate to simple. We thus aim to propose a finer-grained method to assess sentence complexity in French. Our solution comprises three models, in which two address absolute and relative sentence complexity assessment, while the third focuses on measuring simplicity gain. By employing this triad of models, we aim to offer a comprehensive approach to qualify and quantify sentence simplicity. Our approach utilizes FlauBERT, fine-tuned for classification and regression tasks. Based on our three-dimensional complexity analysis, we provide the WiViCo dataset, comprising 46,525 aligned complex-simpler pairs, which is further leveraged to fine-tune different FLAN-T5-based language models for simplified text generation. In this context, we perform different evaluation tasks that contrast human evaluations with BLEU and SARI metrics for the generated simplifications, the models’ computational efficiency and environmental impact.
Electrical cardiometry for non-invasive cardiac output monitoring: a method comparison study in patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery
Authors: Greiwe Gillis , Saad Rami , Hapfelmeier Alexander , Neumann Niklas , Tariparast Pischtaz , Saugel Bernd , Flick Moritz
Published: December 2024

Cardiac output can be estimated non-invasively by electrical cardiometry with the ICON® monitor (Osypka Medical GmbH, Berlin, Germany). Conflicting results have been reported regarding the cardiac output measurement performance of electrical cardiometry. In this prospective method comparison study, we compared cardiac output measured using electrical cardiometry (EC-CO; test method) with cardiac output measured using intermittent pulmonary artery thermodilution (PATD-CO; reference method) in patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. We calculated the mean of the differences with 95%-limits of agreement (95%-LOA) and their corresponding 95%-confidence intervals (95%-CI) using Bland–Altman analysis and calculated the percentage error. We also analyzed trending using four-quadrant plot analysis. We analyzed 157 paired cardiac output measurements of 41 patients. Mean ± standard deviation PATD-CO was 5.1 ± 1.3 L/min and mean EC-CO was 5.3 ± 1.3 L/min. The mean of the differences ± SD between PATD-CO and EC-CO was −0.2 (95%-CI −0.5 to 0.2) ± 1.2 L/min with a lower 95%-LOA of −2.6 (95%-CI −3.1 to −2.0) L/min and an upper 95%-LOA of 2.3 (95%-CI 1.6 to 2.9) L/min. The percentage error was 47% (95%-CI, 37 to 56%). The concordance rate for cardiac output changes was 48%. In this study, the agreement between EC-CO and PATD-CO was not clinically acceptable in patients after CABG surgery. The trending ability of EC-CO was poor.
Validating the Core Set for Vocational Rehabilitation in a Population of Cancer Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Paltrinieri Sara , Pellegrini Martina , Costi Stefania , Fugazzaro Stefania , Vicentini Massimo , Mancuso Pamela , Giorgi Rossi Paolo
Published: December 2024

Purpose

The Core Set for Vocational Rehabilitation (CS-VR), a checklist based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), captures the work functioning of individuals requiring VR. By listening to cancer survivors’ experiences and stakeholders’ perspectives, the CS-VR-Onco of 85 ICF-based categories was obtained. The aim of this study was to assess the concurrent validity of the CS-VR-Onco by measuring this tool’s ability to detect differences among cancer survivors in terms of perceived return to work (RTW)-related difficulties.

Methods

A sample of 300 working-age individuals with a first diagnosis of cancer was selected through the local Cancer Registry. Of these 300, those employed individuals who had returned to work were deemed eligible. Through a guided interview, participants reported and described their perceived RTW-related difficulties using the terminology of the CS-VR-Onco. Frequencies and means were used to compare the results of (a) cancer survivors who reported having had difficulties with those who had not, and (b) cancer survivors who had undergone chemotherapy (CT) with those who had not.

Results

Of the 104 respondents, 35 cancer survivors (Group 1) reported having had RTW-related difficulties and CS-VR-Onco-described problems, while 54 reported no difficulties but did highlight some problems (Group 2), and 15 reported neither difficulties nor problems (Group 3). The categories of the CS-VR-Onco that were prioritized were similar across groups, but Group 1 had higher frequencies than did Group 2 + 3 in 69 categories out of 85. In the second comparison, 40 cancer survivors who had undergone CT had higher frequencies than did 64 cancer survivors who had not undergone CT, but this trend was not applicable to 23 categories of the CS-VR-Onco. Seven categories were not reported as problems by all participants.

Conclusion

The CS-VR-Onco identified more problems in cancer survivors who reported RTW-related difficulties and differences between cancer survivors who had undergone CT and those who had not. These results contribute to assessing the preliminary validity of the tool.
Fostering Knowledge and Awareness about Healthy Nutrition through Science-based Educational Escape Games
Authors: Barak Miri , Yachin Tal
Published: December 2024

The prevalence of diseases stemming from poor nutrition emphasizes the importance of educating people about healthy eating habits. One approach to achieving this is through educational escape games, which embody the features of a situated learning environment. Utilized the situated learning theory as a theoretical and methodological framework, the goal of our study was to examine the role of science-based educational escape games in facilitating knowledge construction and awareness about healthy nutrition. The study was conducted in the setting of a science teacher preparation program, where 165 preservice science teachers were engaged in an escape game named Zombie Attack about proteins in food and the human body. The study applied the pretest-posttest design, in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently before and after game participation. The findings showed that the escape game experience had a positive effect on the participants’ knowledge gain associated with topics such as energy of macronutrients, protein percent daily value, and proteins in the body. With regards to awareness about healthy nutrition, the study identified five types: Health, Composition, Environment, Source, and Ethics, with a significant gain in all categories following the escape game experience. Overall, the study advocates the use of escape games as a method for fostering interactive learning of scientific concepts, encouraging collaborative problem-solving, and facilitating self-reflection activities.
Wie können Lehrkräfte grammatische Fähigkeiten im Grundschulalltag ökonomisch diagnostizieren?
Authors: Paul Michèle , Grosche Michael
Published: December 2024

Grammatische Fähigkeiten sind zentral für den schulischen Erfolg und gleichzeitig noch eine herausfordernde Erwerbsaufgabe für Grundschulkinder. Um den grammatischen Sprachstand von Grundschulkindern ökonomisch zu ermitteln, eignen sich insbesondere zweistufige Diagnostiken (Stufe 1: Screening mit gesamter Klasse, Stufe 2: Einzeldiagnostik). Ziel dieser Studie ist die Entwicklung eines zeitsparenden grammatischen Diagnoseverfahrens für den Grundschulalltag. Der Beitrag beschreibt die Evaluation eines selbstentwickelten Screenings namens Monsterspiel auf Stufe 1 an einer Stichprobe von 540 Grundschulkindern. Die Bewertung der prädiktiven Leistung des Monsterspiels erfolgt im Kontrast zu einem Einschätzungsbogen sowie einer Globalfrage für Lehrkräfte. Die adaptierte Profilanalyse nach Grießhaber dient als Stufe 2 der Diagnostik. Die Güteindizes zur prognostischen Validität zeigen, dass das Monsterspiel gutes Potenzial hat, als Screening auf Stufe 1 zur Erfassung der grammatischen Fähigkeiten Verbendstellung und Kasusmarkierung für Akkusativ und Dativ eingesetzt zu werden.
Effect of silt fines on the undrained monotonic behavior of compacted tuff soil
Authors: Ezziane Mohammed , Henni Ahmed Djafar , Denine Sidali , Benyahia Bilal Ahmed , Boumezerane Djamalddine
Published: December 2024

The present study explores the influence of silt content on the undrained monotonic behavior of compacted tuff. All undrained triaxial tests were performed at both relative densities D
r = 50 and 90% and compacted with the optimum water content on tuff soil mixed with silt in the range of 0 to 50%. Experimental results show that adding fines content (FC) up to 20% increases the resistance of dense compacted tuff (D
r = 90%) by about 35% for 100 kPa of confining pressure, and the addition of 10% silt fines results in a maximum increase of 15.71% in the medium dense state specimen (D
r = 50%). The deviator stress reveals a decrease by adding more than 20% of silt. Moreover, the soil cohesion was found to attain maximum values with the optimum silt percentage of FC = 10% for medium-density samples (D
r = 50%) and FC = 20% for dense samples (D
r = 90%), respectively. Finally, the study showed a direct correlation between the cohesion of the soil prepared in a dense state (D
r = 90%) and the soil’s maximum dry density (MDD). In particular, the maximum dry density corresponds to a higher cohesion.
Optimizing Oil-Contaminated Wastewater Purification with Polypropylene Thread Waste
Authors: Gruzinova Valerija , Romanovski Valentin
Published: December 2024

The increasing generation of oil-containing wastewater poses significant environmental challenges, necessitating the development of effective and sustainable filtration materials. Polypropylene thread scraps, a waste product from textile manufacturing, present a potential low-cost alternative to industrially produced polypropylene fibrous filters. This study evaluates the filtration properties of these scraps to determine their viability for oil product removal from wastewater. The polypropylene thread scraps exhibited promising physical characteristics: a fiber diameter range of 10–120 μm, bulk density between 100 and 200 kg/m3, total porosity of 78–89%, and a specific surface area of 75 m2/kg. Their hydrophobic nature is comparable to that of commercial polypropylene filter materials. Experimental studies demonstrated that the thread scraps could effectively remove oil products at a 70% efficiency, with a maximum specific wastewater volume of 8 L/g. The oil capacity for oil products was measured at 51.1 mg/g, which decreased to 36.2 mg/g after regeneration by washing with hot water at 70 °C. The optimal filtration parameters were identified as a material packing density of 65 kg/m3, filtration speed of 3.5 m/h, and a loading height of 1.5 m, achieving removal efficiencies of 82.0% for oil products and 91.5% for suspended solids. Polypropylene thread scraps demonstrate significant potential as a sustainable filtration material for oil-containing wastewater, offering comparable performance to industrial filters. Their ability to be regenerated and reused further enhances their cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits. This research supports the use of polypropylene thread scraps as a viable solution for wastewater treatment, contributing to waste reduction and improved environmental management.

Graphical abstract
Medicated and multifunctional composite alginate-collagen-hyaluronate based scaffolds prepared using two different crosslinking approaches show potential for healing of chronic wounds
Authors: Afzali Meena , Esfandiaribayat Nessa , Boateng Joshua
Published: December 2024

Chronic wounds present significant challenges with high morbidity and mortality. A cost-effective dressing that can absorb large exudate volumes, is hemostatic and therapeutically active is of current interest. This study compares two crosslinking approaches on composite scaffolds comprising fish collagen (FCOL), hyaluronic acid (HA) and sodium alginate (SA) by respectively targeting HA and SA. Crosslinking involved reacting HA with polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDE)/itaconic acid (IT) (IPC scaffolds) or SA with calcium chloride (CC scaffolds) and the crosslinked gels (with/without BSA) freeze-dried. Selected optimized formulations were loaded with basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) as medicated scaffold dressings. NMR and FTIR spectroscopies (crosslinking/component interactions), SEM (morphology), texture analysis (mechanical strength/adhesion), and exudate handling were used to characterize the physico-chemical properties of the scaffolds. Protein (BSA) release profiles, hemostasis, biocompatibility and wound closure were assessed using HPLC, whole blood and methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and scratch assays respectively. The CC SA:FCOL:HA scaffolds showed improved mechanical strength, porosity, water vapor transmission rate, retained structural integrity after absorbing 50% exudate and promoted cell proliferation. The IPC scaffolds showed enhanced structural integrity, excellent hemostasis, retained three times more exudate than non-crosslinked scaffolds and provided acceptable pore size for cell adhesion and proliferation. The results show potential of CC and IPC SA:FCOL:HA scaffolds as medicated dressings for delivering proteins to chronic wounds. The study’s significance lies in their potential use as multifunctional, multi-targeted and therapeutic dressings to overcome challenges with chronic wounds and use as delivery platforms for other therapeutic agents for chronic wound healing.

Graphical Abstract
Structural health monitoring of offshore wind turbines using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS)
Authors: Xu James T. , Luo Linqing , Saw Jaewon , Wang Chien-Chih , Sinha Sumeet K. , Wolfe Ryan , Soga Kenichi , Wu Yuxin , DeJong Matthew
Published: December 2024

This paper presents the results of a first of its kind application and validation of fiber optic strain sensing for structural health monitoring of offshore wind turbines. A full-scale wind turbine was tested at the University of California, Berkeley’s shaking table. The test employed two Rayleigh-based Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) technologies to monitor dynamic strain profiles in a wind turbine that was subjected to strains representative of a typical offshore wind turbine environment. The two technologies used were Optical Frequency-Domain Reflectometry (OFDR), which can measure strain (tens of meters), and Phase-sensitive Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry ($$\phi$$
ϕ
-OTDR), a technology used in DAS, which can measure strain over large distances (several kilometers). Target dynamic strain profiles were determined prior to testing using a prototype floating offshore wind turbine simulated in the computational software, OpenFAST. Fiber optic cables were installed onto a wind turbine tower in different orientations to capture global tower deformations and local strain. First, a quasi-static bend test of the entire tower was conducted to calibrate the sensing techniques. Second, the tower was mounted on a six degree of freedom shake table and was subjected to multi-directional (translational and rotational) shaking to induce dynamic strain profiles similar to offshore conditions. Different configurations of loose bolts at the turbine flange connections were also tested to evaluate the proposed sensing approach. The results show good agreement between $$\phi$$
ϕ
-OTDR and OFDR measurements and show that the technologies captured both local and global structural phenomena; the effect of loose bolts on strain response was readily identified. In addition, numerous lessons on effective sensing installation techniques were identified. $$\phi$$
ϕ
-OTDR’s ability to accurately capture dynamic strain over large distances makes it a promising candidate for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of large civil systems, though mitigating vibration noise is essential to measure small strains accurately.
Differences in plant availability of phosphorus and potassium in pelletized and granulated biochar for an Andisol
Authors: Kameyama Koji , Kubota Yuki , Iwata Yukiyoshi
Published: December 2024

Biochar will be broken into tiny pieces for processes of production, transportation, and application, which causes dust emissions for those processes. Particulate matter (PM) released from biochar may have negative effects on human health and increase the atmospheric burden of shortwave absorbing black carbon aerosols. Pelletizing feedstock before the thermochemical conversion is expected to reduce the emission of PM in the processing and post-processing phases. Effects of application of pelletized biochar, produced from broiler manure at different pyrolysis temperatures, into an Andisol on soil physicochemical properties and crop yields have been investigated in this study. Effects of pelletizing and pyrolysis temperatures (400, 600, and 800 °C) on dissolution properties and soil physicochemical properties were completely different between phosphorus and potassium. Pelletized broiler manure–derived biochar can be used as fast-release potassium fertilizer regardless of pyrolysis temperatures. In contrast, the extraction pattern of phosphorus contained in the biochar significantly differed by pelletizing and pyrolysis temperatures. Plant dry yields and phosphorus uptakes in soils amended with granulated broiler manure-derived biochar were significantly higher than those in soils amended with pelletized broiler manure-derived biochar (e.g., 3.4 times larger in 800 °C). This result suggests that the breakdown of pelletized biochar into granulated biochar could improve interaction between phosphorus contained in biochar and roots. Pelletized biochar will be transformed into granulated biochar through the freeze–thaw cycle, dry–wet cycle, and rotary tillage over the long term. Therefore, pelletized biochar derived from broiler manure at higher pyrolysis temperatures can be novel phosphorus-supplying amendments over the long term.

Graphical abstract