bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Liver and spleen volumes are associated with prognosis of compensated and decompensated cirrhosis and parallel its natural history
Authors: Romero‐Cristóbal Mario , Clemente‐Sánchez Ana , Peligros María‐Isabel , Ramón Enrique , Matilla Ana‐María , Colón Arturo , Alonso Sonia , Catalina María‐Vega , Fernández‐Yunquera Ainhoa , Caballero Aranzazu , García Rita , López‐Baena Jose Ángel , Salcedo María‐Magdalena , Bañares Rafael , Rincón Diego
Published: September 2022

Objective

Cirrhosis is characterized by the complex interplay among biological, histological and haemodynamic events. Liver and spleen remodelling occur throughout its natural history, but the prognostic role of these volumetric changes is unclear. We evaluated the relationship between volumetric changes assessed by multidetector computerised tomography (MDCT) and landmark features of cirrhosis.

Methods

We included consecutive cirrhotic patients who underwent liver transplantation (LT) or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resection in whom dynamic MDCT was available. Different volumetric indices were calculated. Fibrosis was evaluated by the collagen proportional area and Laennec sub‐stages. Correlation and logistic regression analysis were performed to explore associations of volumetric indexes and fibrosis with key prognostic features across the clinical stages of cirrhosis.

Results

185 patients were included (146 LT; 39 HCC); the predominant aetiology was viral hepatitis (51.35%); 65.9% had decompensated disease and 85.08% clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH). The standardised liver volume and liver‐spleen volume ratio negatively correlated with Model for End‐stage Liver Disease (MELD), albumin and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) and were significantly lower in decompensated patients. The liver segmental volume ratio (segments I–III/segments IV–VIII) best captured the characteristic features of the compensated phase, showing a positive correlation with HVPG and a good discrimination between patients with and without CSPH and varices. Volumetric changes and fibrosis severity were independently associated with key prognostic events, with no association between these two parameters.

Conclusions

Liver and spleen volumetric indices evolve differently along the natural history of cirrhosis and are associated with key prognostic factors in each phase, regardless of fibrosis severity and portal hypertension.
Aetiology, clinical parameters and outcome in 113 dogs surgically treated for septic peritonitis (2004–2020)
Authors: Shipov Anna , Lenchner Itzik , Milgram Josh , Libkind Rivka , Klainbart Sigal , Segev Gilad , Bruchim Yaron
Published: September 2022

Background

Septic peritonitis (SP) is a common life‐threatening condition. The aims of this study were to describe the aetiology, clinicopathological abnormalities, complications, treatment, outcome and prognosis of dogs with SP.

Methods

Records of 113 dogs diagnosed and surgically treated for SP between 2004 and 2020 were reviewed.

Results

Overall survival rate was 74.3%. Parameters at presentation that were significantly associated with mortality were lateral recumbency (p= 0.001) and elevated respiratory rate (p= 0.045). Hypotension during or after surgery (p < 0.001), liver injury (p < 0.001) and acute kidney injury (p < 0.001) were also more common in non‐survivors. The source of contamination, number of surgeries or the location of perforation in cases of gastrointestinal tract perforation were not associated with mortality. Delta glucose (serum vs. abdominal) was available in 36 out of 113 dogs and the difference was more than 20 mg/dl in only 22 of out 36 (61.1%) cases.

Conclusion

Liver and kidney injuries play a role in mortality, and early diagnosis and intervention are recommended to prevent multiple organ dysfunction and death. The reported high sensitivity of delta glucose is questionable in diagnosis of SP.
Facile Deoxygenative Reduction of a Bridging Carbonato Ligand with Silyl and Boryl 4,4’‐Bipyridinylidene Reagents
Authors: Clapson Marissa L. , Dubrawski Zachary S. , Piers Warren E. , Gelfand Benjamin S.
Published: September 2022

The reactivity of CO2 with a previously described PCcarbeneP cobalt(I) hydroxide is reported. Insertion of CO2 into the Co−OH bond followed by a dehydration reaction releasing water results in a cobalt(I) bridging carbonate species featuring fluctional κ1: κ1 and κ1: κ2 coordination of the central carbonate moiety. The reduction chemistry of the resulting cobalt(I) bridging carbonate species is explored utilizing deoxygenative reducing agents N,N′‐bis(trimethylsilyl)‐ and N,N′‐bis(pinacolatoboryl)‐4,4′‐bipyridinylidene. The three‐electron reduction produces the corresponding PCcarbeneP cobalt(I) siloxide or boroxide complex alongside a PCcarbeneP cobalt(0) monocarbonyl, silyl/boryl ether, and 4,4’‐bipyridine.
The Use of Diagrams in Planning for Report Writing
Authors: Manalo Emmanuel , Ohmes Laura
Published: September 2022

In this study, we investigated 32 undergraduate university students’ use of diagrams in planning to write two coursework reports. For both reports, the students were asked to submit a diagrammatic plan for what they were going to write. Prior to their first plan, no instruction was provided about how to use diagrams for planning. However, prior to the second plan, the students were provided instruction on the use of sketchnoting, which is one method for creating visual notes and organizing ideas. For the first plan, only 31% actually submitted a diagram plan, with the majority submitting a text-based plan. However, for the second plan, the proportion who submitted a diagram plan increased to 66%, but they also reported experiencing more difficulty in creating their plans compared to those who submitted text-based plans. The students’ plans and reports were scored for various quality features, analysis of which revealed that, for the second report, diagram plans had a better logical structure than text plans. More importantly, second reports created with diagram plans were also found to have a better logical structure than those created with text plans. The findings indicate that many students require instruction to be able to create diagrammatic plans, but that creating such plans can be helpful in structuring their written work.
Sim-to-Real Neural Learning with Domain Randomisation for Humanoid Robot Grasping
Authors: Gäde Connor , Kerzel Matthias , Strahl Erik , Wermter Stefan
Published: September 2022

Collecting large amounts of training data with a real robot to learn visuomotor abilities is time-consuming and limited by expensive robotic hardware. Simulators provide a safe, distributable way to collect data, but due to discrepancies between simulation and reality, learned strategies often do not transfer to the real world. This paper examines whether domain randomisation can increase the real-world performance of a model trained entirely in simulation without additional fine-tuning. We replicate a reach-to-grasp experiment with the NICO humanoid robot in simulation and develop a method to autonomously create training data for a supervised learning approach with an end-to-end convolutional neural architecture. We compare model performance and real-world transferability for different amounts of data and randomisation conditions. Our results show that domain randomisation improves the transferability of a model and can mitigate negative effects of overfitting.
Learning Visually Grounded Human-Robot Dialog in a Hybrid Neural Architecture
Authors: Sun Xiaowen , Weber Cornelius , Kerzel Matthias , Weber Tom , Li Mengdi , Wermter Stefan
Published: September 2022

Conducting a dialog in human-robot interaction (HRI) involves complexities that are hard to reconcile by individual research or engineering works. Towards the development of a robotic dialog agent, we develop a verbal and visual instruction scenario in which a robot needs to enter into a dialog to resolve ambiguities. We propose a novel hybrid neural architecture to learn the robotic part of the interaction. A neural dialog state tracker learns to process the user input depending on visual inputs and dialog instances. It uses variables to allow certain generality to generate the robot’s physical or verbal actions. We train it on a new visual dialog dataset, test different forms of input representations, and validate the robot agent on unseen examples. We evaluate our hybrid neural network approach in handling an HRI conversation scenario that is extendable to a real robot. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the hybrid approach allows generalization to a large range of unseen visual inputs and verbal instructions.
Orbifolds by 2-groups and decomposition
Authors: Pantev Tony , Robbins Daniel G. , Sharpe Eric , Vandermeulen Thomas
Published: September 2022

Abstract

In this paper we study three-dimensional orbifolds by 2-groups with a trivially-acting one-form symmetry group BK. These orbifolds have a global two-form symmetry, and so one expects that they decompose into (are equivalent to) a disjoint union of other three-dimensional theories, which we demonstrate. These theories can be interpreted as sigma models on 2-gerbes, whose formal structures reflect properties of the orbifold construction.
COVID-19 rapid molecular point-of-care testing is effective and cost-beneficial for the acute care of trauma patients
Authors: Stolberg-Stolberg Josef , Jacob Elena , Kuehn Joachim , Hennies Marc , Hafezi Wali , Freistuehler Moritz , Koeppe Jeanette , Friedrich Alex W. , Katthagen J. Christoph , Raschke Michael J.
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the accuracy and cost benefit of a rapid molecular point-of-care testing (POCT) device detecting COVID-19 within a traumatological emergency department.

Background

Despite continuous withdrawal of COVID-19 restrictions, hospitals will remain particularly vulnerable to local outbreaks which is reflected by a higher institution-specific basic reproduction rate. Patients admitted to the emergency department with unknown COVID-19 infection status due to a- or oligosymptomatic COVID-19 infection put other patients and health care workers at risk, while fast diagnosis and treatment is necessary. Delayed testing results in additional costs to the health care system.

Methods

From the 8th of April 2021 until 31st of December 2021, all patients admitted to the emergency department were tested with routine RT-PCR and rapid molecular POCT device (Abbott ID NOW™ COVID-19). COVID-19-related additional costs for patients admitted via shock room or emergency department were calculated based on internal cost allocations.

Results

1133 rapid molecular tests resulted in a sensitivity of 83.3% (95% CI 35.9–99.6%), specificity of 99.8% (95% CI 99.4–100%), a positive predictive value of 71.4% (95% CI 29–96.3%) and a negative predictive value of 99.9% (95% CI 99.5–100%) as compared to RT-PCR. Without rapid COVID-19 testing, each emergency department and shock room admission with subsequent surgery showed additional direct costs of 2631.25€, without surgery of 729.01€.

Conclusion

Although rapid molecular COVID-19 testing can initially be more expensive than RT-PCR, subsequent cost savings, improved workflows and workforce protection outweigh this effect by far. The data of this study support the use of a rapid molecular POCT device in a traumatological emergency department.
Estimation of Physiologic Ability and Surgical Stress (E‐PASS) Predicts Postoperative Major Complications After Hepato‐Pancreato Biliary Surgery in the Elderly
Authors: Norimatsu Yu , Ito Kyoji , Takemura Nobuyuki , Inagaki Fuyuki , Mihara Fuminori , Kokudo Norihiro
Published: September 2022

Background

As society ages, an increasing number of elderly patients require hepato–pancreato–biliary (HPB) surgery. We investigated the risk factors for complications in elderly patients undergoing HPB surgery using surgical risk scoring models.

Methods

We retrospectively investigated 184 elderly patients (≥ 65 years old) who underwent HPB surgery, including the liver, pancreas, bile duct, and/or gallbladder resection, with exemption to simple cholecystectomy between January 2017 and December 2019. The surgical risk scoring models used included the Estimation of Physiological Ability and Surgical Stress (E‐PASS), Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM), and Geriatric 8 (G8). We evaluated the correlations between the scores and severe complications. Complications were classified as severe (Clavien–Dindo classification [C–D] ≥ III) or non‐severe (C–D ≤ II).

Results

Complications occurred in 78 patients (24 C–D ≥ III, 54 C–D ≤ II). Preoperative risk score (PRS), surgical stress score (SSS), and comprehensive risk score (CRS) were significantly higher in patients with C–D ≥ IIIa than in those with C–D ≤ II. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that PRS (P = 0.01) and SSS (P = 0.04) were independent predictive factors for severe complications. However, the POSSUM and G8 models showed no significant correlations to severe complications.

Conclusion

E‐PASS is a useful model for predicting complications in elderly patients undergoing HPB surgery.
Forebrain corticosteroid receptors promote post-myocardial infarction depression and mortality
Authors: Bruns Bastian , Daub Ricarda , Schmitz Thomas , Hamze-Sinno Maria , Spaich Sebastian , Dewenter Matthias , Schwale Chrysovalandis , Gass Peter , Vogt Miriam , Katus Hugo , Herzog Wolfgang , Friederich Hans-Christoph , Frey Norbert , Schultz Jobst-Hendrik , Backs Johannes
Published: September 2022

Myocardial infarction (MI) with subsequent depression is associated with increased cardiac mortality. Impaired central mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) equilibrium has been suggested as a key mechanism in the pathogenesis of human depression. Here, we investigate if deficient central MR/GR signaling is causative for a poor outcome after MI in mice. Mice with an inducible forebrain-specific MR/GR knockout (MR/GR-KO) underwent baseline and follow-up echocardiography every 2 weeks after MI or sham operation. Behavioral testing at 4 weeks confirmed significant depressive-like behavior and, strikingly, a higher mortality after MI, while cardiac function and myocardial damage remained unaffected. Telemetry revealed cardiac autonomic imbalance with marked bradycardia and ventricular tachycardia (VT) upon MI in MR/GR-KO. Mechanistically, we found a higher responsiveness to atropine, pointing to impaired parasympathetic tone of ‘depressive’ mice after MI. Serum corticosterone levels were increased but—in line with the higher vagal tone—plasma and cardiac catecholamines were decreased. MR/GR deficiency in the forebrain led to significant depressive-like behavior and a higher mortality after MI. This was accompanied by increased vagal tone, depleted catecholaminergic compensatory capacity and VTs. Thus, limbic MR/GR disequilibrium may contribute to the impaired outcome of depressive patients after MI and possibly explain the lack of anti-depressive treatment benefit.
Robot-assisted transthoracic hybrid esophagectomy versus open and laparoscopic hybrid esophagectomy: propensity score matched analysis of short-term outcome
Authors: Reinstaller Therese , Adolf Daniela , Lorenz Eric , Croner Roland S. , Benedix Frank
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Minimally invasive en-bloc esophagectomy is associated with a reduction of postoperative morbidity. This was demonstrated for both total minimally invasive and hybrid esophagectomy. However, little is known about any benefits of robotic assistance compared to the conventional minimally invasive technique, especially in hybrid procedures.

Methods

For this retrospective study, all consecutive patients who had undergone elective esophagectomy with circular stapled intrathoracic anastomosis using the open and the minimally invasive hybrid technique at the University Hospital Magdeburg, from January 2010 to March 2021 were considered for analysis.

Results

In total, 137 patients (60.4%) had undergone open esophagectomy. In 45 patients (19.8%), the laparoscopic hybrid technique and in 45 patients (19.8%), the robot-assisted hybrid technique were applied. In propensity score matching analysis comparing the open with the robotic hybrid technique, significant differences were found in favor of the robotic technique (postoperative morbidity, p < 0.01; hospital length of stay, p < 0.01; number of lymph nodes retrieved, p = 0.048). In propensity score matching analysis comparing the laparoscopic with the robotic hybrid technique, a significant reduction of the rate of postoperative delayed gastric emptying (p = 0.02) was found for patients who had undergone robotic esophagectomy. However, the operation time was significantly longer (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

En-bloc esophagectomy using the robotic hybrid technique is associated with a significant reduction of postoperative morbidity and of the hospital length of stay when compared to the open approach. However, when compared to the laparoscopic hybrid technique, only few advantages could be demonstrated.
Development and validation of a high-performance thin-layer chromatography densitometric method for the simultaneous determination of novel 1-acridinyl-1,2,3-triazole derivatives
Authors: Abdel-Hafez Gehan A. , Aboraia Ahmed S. , Mohammad Abdel-Mabood I. , Youssef Adel F.
Published: September 2022

High-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method provides a simple, sensitive, and accurate analytical method for the simultaneous determination of certain synthesized 1-acridinyl-1,2,3-triazole derivatives without interference from starting materials and intermediates. Separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC silica gel 60F254 plates, using chloroform‒methanol (9:1, V/V) and hexane‒ethyl acetate (3:2, V/V) as mobile phases. Validation of the method was performed based on the basis of the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines in terms of linearity, sensitivity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, precision, selectivity, and specificity. Least-square equations were calculated for the studied compounds in the ranges of 25–500 and 10–500 ng/spot for ultraviolet (UV) and fluorescence measurements, respectively. Correlation coefficients (r) values were found ranging from 0.9913 to 0.9992 for analytes. The method provides selectivity and specificity which ensure that synthesized compounds are in the pure form without the interference of starting materials and intermediates. The detection limits for the studied compounds ranged from 11.02 to 51.09 ng/spot and 3.84 to 31.95 ng/spot and quantification limits were 33.39–154.82 ng/spot and 11.63–73.67 ng/spot for both spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric methods, respectively, indicating applicability for good qualitative and quantitative determination of members of this series at the nanogram concentration levels in biological fluids.
Circular economy strategies for combating climate change and other environmental issues
Authors: Yang Mingyu , Chen Lin , Wang Jiangjiang , Msigwa Goodluck , Osman Ahmed I. , Fawzy Samer , Rooney David W. , Yap Pow-Seng
Published: September 2022

Global industrialization and excessive dependence on nonrenewable energy sources have led to an increase in solid waste and climate change, calling for strategies to implement a circular economy in all sectors to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Here we review circular economy strategies with focus on waste management, climate change, energy, air and water quality, land use, industry, food production, life cycle assessment, and cost-effective routes. We observed that increasing the use of bio-based materials is a challenge in terms of land use and land cover. Carbon removal technologies are actually prohibitively expensive, ranging from 100 to 1200 dollars per ton of carbon dioxide. Politically, only few companies worldwide have set climate change goals. While circular economy strategies can be implemented in various sectors such as industry, waste, energy, buildings, and transportation, life cycle assessment is required to optimize new systems. Overall, we provide a theoretical foundation for a sustainable industrial, agricultural, and commercial future by constructing cost-effective routes to a circular economy.
Statistical Properties of a Virtual Cohort for In Silico Trials Generated with a Statistical Anatomy Atlas
Authors: La Mattina Antonino A. , Baruffaldi Fabio , Taylor Mark , Viceconti Marco
Published: September 2022

Osteoporosis-related hip fragility fractures are a catastrophic event for patient lives but are not frequently observed in prospective studies, and therefore phase III clinical trials using fractures as primary clinical endpoint require thousands of patients enrolled for several years to reach statistical significance. A novel answer to the large number of subjects needed to reach the desired evidence level is offered by In Silico Trials, that is, the simulation of a clinical trial on a large cohort of virtual patients, monitoring the biomarkers of interest. In this work we investigated if statistical aliasing from a custom anatomy atlas could be used to expand the patient cohort while retaining the original biomechanical characteristics. We used a pair-matched cohort of 94 post-menopausal women (at the time of the CT scan, 47 fractured and 47 not fractured) to create a statistical anatomy atlas through principal component analysis, and up-sampled the atlas in order to obtain over 1000 synthetic patient models. We applied the biomechanical computed tomography pipeline to the resulting virtual cohort and compared its fracture risk distribution with that of the original physical cohort. While the distribution of femoral strength values in the non-fractured sub-group was nearly identical to that of the original physical cohort, that of the fractured sub-group was lower than in the physical cohort. Nonetheless, by using the classification threshold used for the original population, the synthetic population was still divided into two parts of approximatively equal number.
Back to the Control Room: Managing Artistic Work
Authors: Reeves Stuart , Greiffenhagen Christian , Perry Mark
Published: September 2022

Control rooms have long been a key domain of investigation in HCI and CSCW as sites for understanding distributed work and fragmented settings, as well as the role and design of digital technologies in that work. Although research has tended to focus mainly on ‘command and control’ configurations, such as rail transport, ambulance dispatch, air traffic and CCTV rooms, centres of coordination shaped by artistic and performative concerns have much to contribute. Our study examines how a professional team of artists and volunteers stage manage and direct the performance of a mixed reality game from a central control room, with remote runners performing live video streaming from the streets nearby to online players. We focus on the work undertaken by team members to bring this about, exploring three key elements that enable it. First, we detail how team members oriented to the work as an artistic performance produced for an audience, how they produced compelling, varied content for online players, and how the quality of the work was ongoingly assessed. Second, we unpack the organisational hierarchy in the control room’s division of labour, and how this was designed to manage the challenges of restricted informational visibility there. Third, we explore the interactional accomplishment of the performance by looking at the role of radio announcements from the event’s director to orchestrate how the performance developed over time. Announcements were used to resolve trouble and provide instructions for avoiding future performative problems; but more centrally, to give artistic direction to runners in order to shape the performance itself. To close we discuss how this study of a performance impacts CSCW’s understandings of control room work, how the problem of ‘diffuse’ tasks like artistic work is co-ordinated, and how orientations towards quality as an artistic concern is manifest in / as control room practices. We also reflect on hierarchical and horizontal control room arrangements, and the role of video as both collaborative resource and product.

Graphical abstract
Choice, Negotiation, and Pluralism: a Conceptual Framework for Participatory Technologies in Museum Collections
Authors: Hansson Karin , Dahlgren Anna Näslund
Published: September 2022

In an era of big data and fake news, museums’ collection practices are particularly important democratic cornerstones. Participatory technologies such as crowdsourcing or wikis have been put forward as a means to make museum collections more open and searchable, motivated by a desire for efficiency but also as a way to engage the public in the development of a more diverse and polyphonic heritage. However, there is a lack of a nuanced vocabulary to describe participatory technologies in terms of democracy. Without a deeper understanding of how technology shapes the overall structures, there is a risk that the tools instead undermine democratic ambitions.

Addressing the need to conceptualize democracy in these contexts, we therefore develop a framework for participatory technologies with an eye toward the long-term development and preservation of cultural heritage. In this framework different democratic processes intersect with democratic values, from a liberal conception of democracy to a more deliberative democracy, to an agonistic pluralism emphasizing the importance of acknowledging conflict and diversity.

To firmly ground our vocabulary in museum collection practices, we have investigated two cases from museums in the US that have opposite participatory strategies for enriching images with metadata; the Smithsonian Transcription Center, and the National Gallery of Art collection on Wikimedia Commons. These cases demonstrate how the framework can be used to identify patterns of participation showing the support for different values and processes.

Furthermore, our conceptual investigation points out a contradiction in Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) research, between the pluralism and conflicts emphasized in more critical and participatory design perspectives used in the development of design, and the features in the actual design of participatory technologies, emphasizing consistency and access.
Systematizing core properties of pairing-based attribute-based encryption to uncover remaining challenges in enforcing access control in practice
Authors: Venema Marloes , Alpár Greg , Hoepman Jaap-Henk
Published: September 2022

Attribute-based encryption (ABE) cryptographically implements fine-grained access control on data. As such, data can be stored by an entity that is not necessarily trusted to enforce access control, or an entity that is not even trusted to have access to the plaintext data at all. Instead, access control can be externally enforced by a trusted entity. Additionally, some multi-authority variants of ABE—which do not have a central authority—can effectively and securely implement access control in multiple-domain settings. Furthermore, ABE is the only cryptographic approach to fine-grained access control that does not require an online trusted third party during access requests, and thus provides better availability properties. The actual realization of these theoretical advantages in practice depends on whether current state-of-the-art ABE schemes support the necessary core properties. Much progress has been made in the last two decades in pairing-based ABE schemes, owing to their versatility and efficiency. In fact, it is possible to support most core properties under strong security guarantees, while incurring acceptable storage and computational costs. It is therefore a good time to ask ourselves whether pairing-based ABE has reached its full practical potential. To answer this question, we provide a comprehensive systematized overview of various existing pairing-based ABE schemes and their core properties. We also investigate the relationship between these core properties and real-world access control requirements. We show that a few challenges remain, that must be overcome for ABE to reach its full potential as a mechanism to implement efficient and secure access control in practice.
Reliability of electromyography during 2000 m rowing ergometry
Authors: Gee Thomas I. , Mulloy Franky , Gibbon Karl C. , Stone Mark R. , Thompson Kevin G.
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the reliability of surface electromyography (EMG) assessed at seven muscles during three repeated 2000 m rowing ergometer sessions.

Methods

Twelve male well-trained rowers participated in a repeated measures design, performing three 2000 m rowing ergometer sessions interspersed by 3–7 days (S1, S2, S3). Surface electrodes were attached to the gastrocnemius, biceps femoris, gluteus maximus, erector spinae, vastus medialis, rectus abdominis and latissimus dorsi for EMG analysis.

Results

No differences existed between 2000 m sessions for EMG amplitude for any of the seven muscles (p = 0.146–0.979). Mean coefficient of variation of EMG for 6 of 7 muscles was ‘acceptable’ (12.3–18.6%), although classed as ‘weak’ for gastrocnemius (28.6%). Mean intra-class correlation coefficient values across muscles ranged from ‘moderate’ to ‘very large’ (0.31–0.89). Within-session EMG activation rates of vastus medialis were greater during 0–500 m and 1500–2000 m segments, compared with 500–1000 m and 1000–1500 m (p < 0.05). Values for biceps femoris and gluteus maximus were significantly higher during 1500–2000 m compared to 500–1000 m and 1000–1500 m (p < 0.05). The general pattern was for higher activation rates during 0–500 m and 1500–2000 m compared to 500–1000 m and 1000–1500 m. However, there were no between-sessions differences in EMG for any of the 500 m segments (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Reliability of EMG values over repeated 2000 m sessions was generally ‘acceptable’. However, EMG was seemingly not sensitive enough to detect potential changes in neural activation between-sessions, with respect to changes in pacing strategy.
The association between sport nutrition knowledge, nutritional intake, energy availability, and training characteristics with the risk of an eating disorder amongst highly trained competitive road cyclists
Authors: Cook Oliver , Dobbin Nick
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To determine the association between sport nutrition knowledge, nutritional intake, energy availability, and training characteristics with the risk of an eating disorder amongst highly trained competitive cyclists.

Methods

Using an observational cohort study design, 36 male cyclists (age = 23.1 ± 3.9 years) provided information on personal characteristics, training history and functional threshold power. The cyclists completed the sports nutrition knowledge questionnaire (SNKQ) and brief eating disorder in athletes questionnaire (BEDA-Q) before submitting a three-day food diary to quantify energy and macronutrient intake, and calculate energy availability.

Results

The estimated lean body mass, years training, weekly on-bike training and functional threshold power were 57.6 ± 3.9 kg, 5.9 ± 3.0 years, 16.4 ± 3.2 h and 355 ± 33 W, respectively. The mean score for the SNKQ was 60.0 ± 8.4% whilst the BEDA-Q score was 4.3 ± 4.1 AU. Training and rest day energy availability was 16 ± 18 kcal·kg eLBM−1 and 44 ± 14 kcal·kg eLBM−1, respectively. Associations between SNKQ with energy intake (r = 0.13, P = 0.553) and availability (r = 0.21, P = 0.345) were trivial to small. There was a large, negative association between SNKQ and BEDA-Q (r = –0.55, P = 0.006) suggesting that for every correct answer on the SNKQ, the BEDA-Q score reduced by 0.3 AU. All other association with the BEDA-Q were trivial to small (r = –0.29–0.27, all P > 0.05).

Conclusion

The results indicate that sport nutrition knowledge and energy intake was insufficient to match their training demand on training days. The large, negative association between SNKQ and BEDA-Q suggests that those highly trained cyclists with less sport nutrition knowledge may be at a greater risk of an eating disorder.
Risk assessment and spatio-temporal distribution of dissolved trace metals in Swarna, Sharavati and Kali estuaries, South-West Coast of India
Authors: Nishitha D’Souza , Sudheer Athiyarath Krishnan , Arun Kumar , Amrish Vadakkeveedu Narayan , Mahesh Gaddam , Udayashankar Harikripa Narayana , Balakrishna Keshava
Published: September 2022

Trace metals act as a limiting nutrient and prerequisite for primary productivity in marine environments. The distribution of metals in dissolved phase along the salinity gradients of Swarna, Sharavati and Kali estuaries in southwestern India, during post and pre-monsoon seasons, were studied. We have investigated the behaviour of trace metals in the estuarine environment and their extent of impact on human health and ecosystem. The study revealed, non-conservative behaviour of dissolved Mn, Fe, Ni, Cd and Co in the estuaries. Whereas Cu behaved non-conservatively in post-monsoon and conservatively in pre-monsoon seasons. Risk assessment studies revealed that higher chronic daily intake (CDI) in humans, through dermal pathway, in Swarna and Sharavati estuaries during post-monsoon, whereas it was during pre-monsoon season in the Kali estuary. Hazard Index values for the studied metals in adults and children are below risk thresholds, though children are more prone to health risk through the dermal pathway.
Dwell Fatigue Behavior of Two-Phase Ti-6Al-4V Alloy at Moderate Temperature
Authors: Ziaja Waldemar , Kawalec Andrzej
Published: September 2022

Fatigue life of titanium and titanium alloys is frequently reduced if the load holds at the maximum stress are introduced, which is termed dwell debit. Many factors affect dwell fatigue of titanium alloys, like stress state, level and ratio, alloy chemistry, microstructure and microtexture, holding time and temperature. Dwell sensitivity of titanium alloys is usually attributed to the phenomenon of load shedding, which is a time-dependent redistribution of stress from so-called ‘weak’ to ‘strong’ grains possessing different crystallographic orientations. Stress concentration leads to crack initiation and formation of quasi-cleavage facets in ‘strong’ grains. Another factor contributing to dwell sensitivity of titanium alloys is time dependent strain accumulation, which is observed even at room temperature. In the paper, the effect of load holds and volume fraction of primary α phase on the fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at the temperature of 150°C was investigated. Two variants of bi-modal microstructure of the alloy were obtained by means of the heat treatment. Stress controlled fatigue tests with and without hold time at maximum load and constant load creep test were carried out.
Backbone and side chain NMR assignment of the heme-nitric oxide/oxygen binding (H-NOX) domain from Nostoc punctiforme
Authors: Chasapi Styliani A. , Argyriou Aikaterini I. , Spyroulias Georgios A.
Published: September 2022

Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) is considered as the primary NO receptor across several known eukaryotes. The main interest regarding the biological role and its function, focuses on the H-NOX domain of the β1 subunit. This domain in its active form bears a ferrous b type heme as prosthetic group, which facilitates the binding of NO and other diatomic gases. The key point that still needs to be answered is how the protein selectively binds the NO and how the redox state of heme and coordination determines H-NOX active state upon binding of diatomic gases. H-NOX domain is present in the genomes of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, either as a stand-alone protein domain or as a partner of a larger polypeptide. The biological functions of these signaling modules for a wide range of genomes, diverge considerably along with their ligand binding properties. In this direction, we examine the prokaryotic H-NOX protein domain from Nostoc punctiforme (Npun H-NOX). Herein, we first report the almost complete NMR backbone and side-chain resonance assignment (1H, 13C, 15 N) of Npun H-NOX domain together with the NMR chemical shift-based prediction of the domain’s secondary structure elements.
Implantable defibrillator therapy and mortality in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy
Authors: Theuns D. A. , Verstraelen T. E. , van der Lingen A. C. J. , Delnoy P. P. , Allaart C. P. , van Erven L. , Maass A. H. , Vernooy K. , Wilde A. A. M. , Boersma E. , Meeder J. G.
Published: September 2022

Background

Primary prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (NICMP) remains controversial. This study sought to assess the benefit of ICD therapy with or without cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) in patients with NICMP. In addition, data were compared with real-world clinical data to perform a risk/benefit analysis.

Methods

Relevant randomised clinical trials (RCTs) published in meta-analyses since DANISH, and in PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases from 2016 to 2020 were identified. The benefit of ICD therapy stratified by CRT use was assessed using random effects meta-analysis techniques.

Results

Six RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Among patients without CRT, ICD use was associated with a 24% reduction in mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62–0.93; P = 0.008). In contrast, among patients with CRT, a CRT-defibrillator was not associated with reduced mortality (HR: 0.74, 95% CI 0.47–1.16; P = 0.19). For ICD therapy without CRT, absolute risk reduction at 3‑years follow-up was 3.7% yielding a number needed to treat of 27.

Conclusion

ICD use significantly improved survival among patients with NICMP who are not eligible for CRT. Considering CRT, the addition of defibrillator therapy was not significantly associated with mortality benefit compared with CRT pacemaker.
Preparation and Antibacterial Properties of Carvacrol-loaded Composite Microcapsules via Palygorskite-Stabilized Pickering Emulsions
Authors: Hui Aiping , Zhu Yongfeng , Yang Fangfang , Kang Yuru , Wang Aiqin
Published: September 2022

Essential oils (including carvacrol, CAR) have been used in the medicinal and health field because of their broad-spectrum antibacterial activities. However, the volatility and pungent odor are still the greatest obstacles to wider application. The purpose of the present study was to address those problems by encapsulating the antibacterial CAR in palygorskite (Plg) by integrating it into Pickering emulsions with complex coacervation. The CAR in Pickering emulsion was formed firstly by stabilization with the CAR-modified Plg; then, the emulsion droplets were embedded and fixed in the microcapsule through the subsequent complex coacervation process, which occurred between the quaternary ammonium salt of chitooligosaccharides (HACC) and sodium alginate (SA) via calcium ions. The microcapsules obtained were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results demonstrated that the microcapsules presented a nearly sphere-like shape with a mean diameter of 3.5 mm but had a porous interior structure. The Plg plays multiple roles in the preparation process, including increasing the emulsion stability, improving the encapsulation efficiency of CAR, and the thermostability of microcapsules. The microcapsules showed remarkable antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and inhibition rates toward E. coli and S. aureus reached 100% when the microcapsules were encapsulated with 15 or 20% of CAR, respectively. The microcapsules obtained could be used as antibacterial agents in food preservatives, animal feed, and other health-related consumer products.
Continuous Dynamic Update of Fuzzy Random Forests
Authors: Pascual-Fontanilles Jordi , Valls Aida , Moreno Antonio , Romero-Aroca Pedro
Published: September 2022

Fuzzy random forests are well-known machine learning classification mechanisms based on a collection of fuzzy decision trees. An advantage of using fuzzy rules is the possibility to manage uncertainty and to work with linguistic scales. Fuzzy random forests achieve a good classification performance in many problems, but their quality decreases when they face a classification problem with imbalanced data between classes. In some applications, e.g., in medical diagnosis, the classifier is used continuously to classify new instances. In that case, it is possible to collect new examples during the use of the classifier, which can later be taken into account to improve the set of fuzzy rules. In this work, we propose a new iterative method to update the set of trees in the fuzzy random forest by considering trees generated from small sets of new examples. Experiments have been done with a dataset of diabetic patients to predict the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, and with a dataset about occupancy of an office room. With the proposed method, it has been possible to improve the results obtained when using only standard fuzzy random forests.
Australian Politics in the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Jackson Stewart , Lelliott Joff , Brincat Shannon , Bourne Josephine , Economou Nick
Published: September 2022

The global political environment in the twenty-first century is proving dynamic and challenging for Australian policymakers and political institutions. Australian Politics in the Twenty-first Century contextualises the Australian political landscape through an institutional lens. It examines the legislative and judicial bodies, minor parties, lobby groups, the media and the citizenry, providing historical and contemporary facts, explaining political issues and examining new challenges. The second edition has been updated to reflect the application of political theories in today's civic environment. New spotlight boxes highlight issues including marriage equality, COVID-19 and federalism, the inclusion of First Nations peoples in the political system, and gender equality in public policy. Short-answer, reflection, research and discussion questions encourage students to test and extend their knowledge of each topic and to clearly link theory to practice. Written in an accessible and engaging style, Australian Politics in the Twenty-First Century is an invaluable introduction to the Australian political system.
ESTIMATION OF FUTURE DISCRETIONARY BENEFITS IN TRADITIONAL LIFE INSURANCE
Authors: Gach Florian , Hochgerner Simon
Published: September 2022

In the context of life insurance with profit participation, the future discretionary benefits (FDB), which are a central item for Solvency II reporting, are generally calculated by computationally expensive Monte Carlo algorithms. We derive analytic formulas to estimate lower and upper bounds for the FDB. This yields an estimation interval for the FDB, and the average of lower and upper bound is a simple estimator. These formulae are designed for real world applications, and we compare the results to publicly available reporting data.
Sudan’s Normalization with Israel: A Break with the Past or Another Phase of Extraversion?
Authors: Tawfik Rawia
Published: September 2022

Sudan’s decision to normalize relations with Israel sparked controversy about its reasons for doing so and the potential impact on the country’s fragile political transition. The decision was mostly attributed to American pressures, new regional alliances, and Sudan’s economic crisis. Tawfik offers a different perspective by linking Sudan’s normalization with Israel to domestic power rivalries, suggesting that Sudanese political actors at critical historical moments have sought Israeli patronage to strengthen their power positions and exploring the potential implications of normalization on civil-military relations. In addition to relying on secondary sources, Tawfik draws conclusions based on official documents and interviews with Sudanese officials published by various news outlets.
A Simulation Model of Escapable and Non-Escapable Areas from Which Pregnant Women Can Reach Tsunami Evacuation Buildings: The Case in 110 Elementary School Districts in Nagoya City, Aichi, Japan
Authors: Miyagawa Shoko , Hattori Ritsuko , Hattori Kanetoshi
Published: September 2022

Objective:

The objective of this study was to establish a method for evaluating the possibility of pregnant women evacuating to tsunami evacuation buildings in coastal areas affected by tsunami.

Methods:

We used data published by the Japanese government and a general-purpose geographic information system to develop a simulation method for evaluating the possibility of evacuation. The data included the number of pregnant women in each elementary school district, tsunami inundation forecast maps, location information of tsunami evacuation buildings, and the number of ordinary buildings. We used our method to conduct a tsunami evacuation possibility simulation for pregnant women in each elementary school district in 7 wards of Nagoya, Japan.

Results:

Dense population areas at low elevations are high-risk areas from which many pregnant women may not be able to evacuate. Districts with evenly distributed tsunami evacuation buildings tend to have a lower risk.

Conclusions:

The proposed simulation method was able to determine the risk in elementary school districts in densely populated low-lying areas. However, it is suggested that the risk tends to be estimated higher in school districts where there are differences in elevation and the building distribution is not uniform.
Vavřička v. Czech (Eur. Ct. H.R.)
Authors: Toebes Brigit
Published: September 2022

On April 8, 2021, the Grand Chamber of European Court of Human Rights delivered an eagerly awaited judgment in the case of Vavřička and Others v. The Czech Republic. It addressed the question of mandatory vaccination in the light of the right to respect for private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Meta Platforms Ireland v. Bundesverband Der Verbraucherzentralen Und Verbraucherverbaende (VZVB) (C.J.E.U.)
Authors: Propp Kenneth
Published: September 2022

The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was originally conceived as a means of fully harmonizing data protection law across the territory of the European Union. As a regulation, the GDPR has direct and uniform effect in member state law without the need for member states to adopt national implementing laws. However, as the European Court of Justice (ECJ) acknowledged in its well-known 2021 Facebook Ireland judgment, the GDPR as finally adopted contains a number of optional provisions that allow member states a margin of discretion to limit or expand its scope.