bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using machine learning on tree‐ring data to determine the geographical provenance of historical construction timbers
Authors: Kuhl Eileen , Zang Christian , Esper Jan , Riechelmann Dana F. C. , Büntgen Ulf , Briesch Martin , Reinig Frederick , Römer Philipp , Konter Oliver , Schmidhalter Martin , Hartl Claudia
Published: March 2023

Dendroclimatology offers the unique opportunity to reconstruct past climate at annual resolution and wood from historical buildings can be used to extend such information back in time up to several millennia. However, the varying and often unclear origin of timbers affects the climate sensitivity of individual tree‐ring samples. Here, we compare tree‐ring width and density of 143 living larch (Larix decidua Mill.) trees at seven sites along an elevational transect from 1400 to 2200 m asl and 99 historical tree‐ring series to parametrize state‐of‐the‐art classification models for the European Alps. To achieve geographical provenance of the historical series, nine different supervised machine learning algorithms are trained and tested in their capability to solve our classification problem. Based on this assessment, we consider a tree‐ring density‐based and a tree‐ring width‐based dataset for model building. For each of these datasets, a general not species‐related model and a larch‐specific model including the cyclic larch budmoth influence are built. From the nine tested machine learning algorithms, Extreme Gradient Boosting showed the best performance. The density‐based models outperform the ring‐width models with the larch‐specific density model reaching the highest skill (f1 score = 0.8). The performance metrics reveal that the larch‐specific density model also performs best within individual sites and particularly in sites above 2000 m asl, which show the highest temperature sensitivities. The application of the specific density model for larch allows the historical series to be assigned with high confidence to a particular elevation within the valley. The procedure can be applied to other provenance studies using multiple tree growth characteristics. The novel approach of building machine learning models based on tree‐ring density features allows to omit a common period between reference and historical data for finding the provenance of relict wood and will therefore help to improve millennium‐length climate reconstructions.
Preclinical common data elements for general pharmacological studies (pharmacokinetic sample collection, tolerability, and drug administration). A report of the TASK3‐WG1A General Pharmacology Working Group of the ILAE/AES Joint Translational Task Force
Authors: Coles Lisa , Forcelli Patrick A. , Leclercq Karine , Katsarou Anna‐Maria , Klein Brian D. , Potschka Heidrun , Koehling Rudiger , Harte‐Hargrove Lauren , Galanopoulou Aristea S. , Metcalf Cameron S.
Published: March 2023

Growing concerns over rigor and reproducibility of preclinical studies, including consistency across laboratories and translation to clinical populations, have triggered efforts to harmonize methodologies. This includes the first set of preclinical common data elements (CDEs) for epilepsy research studies, as well as Case Report Forms (CRFs) for widespread use in epilepsy research. The General Pharmacology Working Group of the ILAE/AES Task Force (TASK3‐WG1A) has continued in this effort by adapting and refining CDEs/CRFs to address specific study design areas as they relate to preclinical drug screening: general pharmacology, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD), and tolerability. This work has expanded general pharmacology studies to include dose records, PK/PD, tolerability, and elements of rigor and reproducibility. Tolerability testing CRFs included rotarod and Irwin/Functional Observation Battery (FOB) assays. The material provided in the form of CRFs can be delivered for widespread use within the epilepsy research community.
Frequency‐Sensitivity of the seismic damage to suspended ceilings
Authors: Feng Yunxing , Li Qiqi , Qu Zhe
Published: March 2023

Seismic damage to suspended ceilings was frequently reported even in minor to moderate earthquakes and caused problems to immediate occupancy and quick recovery of buildings. While peak floor acceleration (PFA) has been exclusively used as an intensity measure for suspended ceilings, this study introduces a shake table test on minimum subassemblies of suspended ceilings under sinusoidal excitation to critically assess the rationality of this practice. The test results show a significant frequency‐sensitivity of the ceiling damage that, depending on the dominant frequencies, an excitation of a lower PFA might cause much severer damage than that of a higher PFA. A numerical model that captures the nonlinear interaction of the individual components in a suspended ceiling, that is, the main and cross runners, ceiling panels, a hanger, and enclosure angles, is established and calibrated to simulate the frequency‐sensitive behavior observed in the shake table tests. The model is then extended for suspended ceilings of realistic dimensions. Three‐dimensional fragility spectra of suspended ceilings under sinusoidal excitations are proposed to relate the extent of seismic damage with not only the PFA but also the excitation frequency. Boundaries of damage limit states can be defined by taking two‐dimensional sections on the fragility spectra, based on which, the influence of key factors on ceiling damage characteristics is illustrated.
Cytogenotoxicity Screening of Urban and Rural Marshes: An Integrated In Vivo Approach Coupling Fish and Plant-Based Tests Adapted for Low-Income Countries
Authors: Pepey Elodie , Conéjéro Geneviève , Ndrianaivo Elia Njara , Verdeil Jean-Luc , Mortillaro Jean-Michel , Boggio David , Raliniaina Modestine , Pouil Simon
Published: March 2023

Effects of anthropogenic activities such as urbanization, population growth, and agriculture on water quality are major concerns particularly in low-income countries where water quality monitoring can be challenging. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the cytogenotoxic potential of water from urban and rural Malagasy marshes, coupling a fish (Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus) and a plant (Allium cepa) species as bioindicators. The fish and plants were exposed for 72 h to water sampled in the two locations investigated. Using the comet assay on fish erythrocytes, DNA strand breaks were assessed, while mitotic index and nucleolar alterations were estimated in cells of the plant root apex. Comet assays revealed significant DNA strand breaks to fish erythrocytes in both the marshes investigated while the mitotic index and nucleolar characteristics in the roots of A. cepa mainly highlighted potential cytotoxicity in the urban marsh. Our results demonstrate the advantages of coupling in vivo biological test systems to screen potential cytogenotoxicity of surface water in low-income countries where comprehensive data sets of aquatic contaminants are often lacking. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:1266–1275. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
International approaches to contamination management: Introduction to the RemTech Europe 2021 Special Series
Authors: Falconi Marco , Grenni Paola
Published: March 2023

Soil is a nonrenewable resource, and groundwater is a critical source of drinking water. Effective soil and water protection, assessment and, if affected, recovery from contamination are priorities around the world; eco-friendly interventions in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are favored objectives. These issues were discussed during the sixth RemTech Europe conference (https://www.remtechexpo.com/it/remtech-europe/remtech-europe), which focused on sustainable technologies for land and water remediation; environmental protection; and the rehabilitation, regeneration, and sustainable development of contaminated sites, encouraging diverse stakeholders to share cutting-edge technologies, case studies, and innovation. Effective, practical, and sustainable management of remediation is only possible if the projects are completed, which is supported when the participants start the remediation planning with this end in mind. Several strategies to support and achieve the finalization of sustainable remediation processes were discussed at the conference. Addressing these gaps were among the goals of the papers included in this special series, which were selected from the RemTech EU conference presentations. The papers include risk management plan case studies, bioremediation tools, and preventive measures for minimizing disaster impacts. Moreover, the use of common and shared international best practices for effective and sustainable contaminated site management, with policy alignment among the remediation stakeholders in different countries, was also reported. Finally, many regulatory gaps, for example, the lack of practical end-of-waste criteria for contaminated soils, were also discussed. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:910–912. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
Pain in desmoid‐type fibromatosis: Prevalence, determinants and prognosis value
Authors: Penel Nicolas , Bonvalot Sylvie , Le Deley Marie‐Cécile , Italiano Antoine , Tlemsani Camille , Pannier Diane , Leguillette Clémence , Kurtz Jean‐Emmanuel , Toulmonde Maud , Thery Julien , Orbach Daniel , Dubray‐Longeras Pascale , Verret Benjamin , Bertucci François , Guillemet Cécile , Laroche Lucie , Dufresne Armelle , Blay Jean‐Yves , Le Cesne Axel
Published: March 2023

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence, determinants and prognostic value of pain at diagnosis in patients with desmoid‐type fibromatosis (DF). We selected patients from the ALTITUDES cohort (NCT02867033), managed by surgery, active surveillance or systemic treatments, with pain assessment at diagnosis. Patients were invited to fill QLQ‐C30 questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. Determinants were identified using logistic models. Prognostic value on event‐free survival (EFS) was evaluated using the Cox model. Overall, 382 patients were included in the current study (median age: 40.2 years; 117 men). The prevalence of pain was 36%, without significant difference according to first‐line treatment (P = .18). In the multivariate analysis, pain was significantly associated with tumor size >50 mm (P = .013) and tumor site (P < .001); pain was more frequent in the neck and shoulder locations (odds ratio: 3.05 [1.27‐7.29]). Pain at baseline was significantly associated with poor quality of life (P < .001), depression (P = .02), lower performance status (P = .03) and functional impairment (P = .001); we also observed a nonsignificant association with anxiety (P = .10). In the univariate analysis, baseline pain was associated with poor EFS; the 3‐year EFS was 54% in patients with pain compared to 72% in those without pain. After adjustment for sex, age, size and line of treatment, pain was still associated with poor EFS (hazard ratio: 1.82 [1.23‐2.68], P = .003). One third of recently diagnosed patients with DF experienced pain, especially those with larger tumors and neck/shoulder locations. Pain was associated with unfavorable EFS after adjustment for the confounders.
Alkaline earth metals for osteogenic scaffolds: From mechanisms to applications
Authors: Weng Yihang , Jian Yujia , Huang Wenlong , Xie Zhuojun , Zhou Ying , Pei Xibo
Published: March 2023

Regeneration of bone defects is a significant challenge today. As alternative approaches to the autologous bone, scaffold materials have remarkable features in treating bone defects; however, the various properties of current scaffold materials still fall short of expectations. Due to the osteogenic capability of alkaline earth metals, their application in scaffold materials has become an effective approach to improving their properties. Furthermore, numerous studies have shown that combining alkaline earth metals leads to better osteogenic properties than applying them alone. In this review, the physicochemical and physiological characteristics of alkaline earth metals are introduced, mainly focusing on their mechanisms and applications in osteogenesis, especially magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), and barium (Ba). Furthermore, this review highlights the possible cross‐talk between pathways when alkaline earth metals are combined. Finally, some of the current drawbacks of scaffold materials are enumerated, such as the high corrosion rate of Mg scaffolds and defects in the mechanical properties of Ca scaffolds. Moreover, a brief perspective is also provided regarding future directions in this field. It is worth exploring that whether the levels of alkaline earth metals in newly regenerated bone differs from those in normal bone. The ideal ratio of each element in the bone tissue engineering scaffolds or the optimal concentration of each elemental ion in the created osteogenic environment still needs further exploration. The review not only summarizes the research developments in osteogenesis but also offers a direction for developing new scaffold materials.
The intersection of adverse childhood experiences and mental health concerns for youth involved in the child welfare system
Authors: Vieira Alyssa , Sheerin Kaitlin M. , Modrowski Crosby , Kemp Kathleen
Published: March 2023

The present study sought to identify if there is distinct mental health symptomology among child welfare‐involved youth depending on the category of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) endorsed. A chart review of child welfare‐involved youth (N = 129, ages 8–16) and caregiver reported ACEs and mental health/trauma symptoms was conducted. A K‐means cluster analysis used ACE scores to identify groups of youth along two dimensions: household dysfunction and child abuse/neglect. The first cluster identified had low ACE scores outside of their system involvement (n = 62), the second predominantly endorsed household dysfunctions (n = 37), and the third predominantly endorsed abuse/neglect (n = 30). One‐way analysis of variance tests revealed that youth in the systems‐only cluster differed from youth in the other groups, while the two high ACE category groups did not differ from each other on mental health/trauma symptoms. These results have important implications for the screening and treatment referral processes in the child welfare system.
The Impact of Sedative Hypnotic Drugs on Hallucinated Sexual Assault or Sexual Fantasies Involving Health Professionals: A Systematic Review
Authors: White Melody , White C. Michael
Published: March 2023

This article discusses the rare but serious occurrence of sedative hypnotic drug–induced sexual thoughts. We searched PubMed from the earliest date to February 7, 2023. Articles were selected if they provided data on sexual assault hallucinations or sexual fantasies associated with the use of sedative hypnotic drugs including benzodiazepines, propofol, nitric oxide, ether, chloroform, ketamine, or esketamine. Twenty‐two citations provided useful information, including 87 cases of hallucinations about sexual assault or sexual fantasy. In several of the cases, the environment and monitoring made the actual occurrence of sexual assault unlikely, but there was still significant anguish for the patients and the accused clinicians. In many of the cases, the places of the body where procedures were conducted coincided with the area of the body where the patients perceived the sexual assault or fantasy occurred. The higher the dose of sedative hypnotic administered, the greater the risk of experiencing a hallucination about sexual assault or sexual fantasy. The US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Events Reporting System has numerous occurrences in which “excessive sexual fantasies” and “abnormal dreams” were associated with the use of sedative hypnotic medication but also occurrences of “sexual abuse.” While sexual assault hallucinations or fantasies associated with sedative hypnotics are rare, it is imperative that health care providers take the necessary precautions and follow recommendations to provide safety for themselves and their patients.
Remedies for the housewife's nervousness: Life advice in Abraham Myerson's popular self‐help texts, 1920–1930
Authors: McLaughlin Matthew J.
Published: March 2023

In 1920, the psychiatrist Abraham Myerson published a self‐help book titled The Nervous Housewife. In his book, he argued that the living conditions in urban‐industrial America were responsible for a significant increase in the number of housewives who suffered from nervous symptoms. He also warned that women were consequently becoming increasingly discontent with the role and were beginning to desire a life outside motherhood and housewifery. Accordingly, The Nervous Housewife offered housewives and their husbands directions on how to improve her living conditions. This would allow readers to manage and prevent the emergence of nervous symptoms so that women would continue to desire a life as housewife and mother. Throughout the 1920s, Myerson would continue to publish health advice for housewives on how they could manage and eliminate their nervous symptoms. This article analyzes how Myerson connected the everyday experiences and conditions of the housewife's life to her nervousness in his texts and reveals how his motivation was to keep women satisfied with what he deemed was their proper societal role, that of housewife and mother. In doing so, it will also compare his work to other self‐help texts on nervousness to illuminate how his how‐to guide was innovative, while examining both scholarly and popular reviews of his book to reveal what his peers and readers perceived as the benefits of his advice.
Using Raman spectroscopy to detect scytonemin of epiliths and endoliths from marble, serpentinite and gypsum
Authors: Jehlička Jan , Culka Adam , Němečková Kateřina , Mareš Jan
Published: March 2023

Here, we present Raman spectra showing the presence and distribution of scytonemin and carotenoids in epilithic and endolithic colonisations from temperate locations in Central Europe and Sicily. In the Bohemian Massif, marble and serpentinitic cyanobacterial epiliths dominated by cyanobacteria Scytonema, Stigonema, Hassallia, Gloeocapsopsis and Gloeocapsa were investigated using light microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Scytonemin was a common dark pigment, accompanied by carotenoids and gloeocapsin on the marbles from Opolenec and on serpentinites from Holubov (South Bohemia). Raman spectra from other sites originated from endolithic colonisations of gypsum. They were located in the Carpathian foredeep (Badenian, Silesian unit, eastern Poland) and in Messinian complexes in the Mediterranean area (Sicily). Similarly to the previous localities, almost ubiquitous occurrence of scytonemin confirmed the presence of cyanobacterial colonisations. Obtained findings are important from the spectroscopic point of view. Additionally, comparing results from several sites confirmed the common occurrence of scytonemin in both endoliths and epiliths from areas that cannot be considered climatically extreme, although they experience rapid fluctuations in temperature, humidity and UV irradiation on the exposed rocky substrates.
Effects of different protectants on the IgY content and physico‐chemical properties of spray‐dried egg yolk powder
Authors: Ang Yuan , Cao Weiwei , Wang Zhe , Li Linlin , Zhao Mengyue , Liu Zhiqin , Jin Xin , Jin Jiuyu , Dong Jingyin , Zhang Yan , Bhandari Bhesh , Ren Guangyue , Duan Xu
Published: March 2023

Background

Egg yolk powder (EYP) with high immunoglobulin of yolk (IgY) content and good solubility is in great demand in the market of functional foods. In this article, the properties of spray‐dried EYP with the addition of five protectants (maltodextrin, trehalose, mannitol, maltitol and sucrose) were investigated.

Results

All the protectants increased IgY activity and solubility of EYP. Among them, EYP with maltodextrin displayed the highest activity of IgY (27.11 mg/g), the highest solubility (66.39%) and the lowest surface hydrophobicity. Moreover, the average particle size of EYP with maltodextrin was the smallest (9.78 μm). The egg yolk particles obtained by adding the protectants are more uniformly distributed and have smaller particle size. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the structural integrity of the proteins, indicating that the protectants addition enhanced the hydrogen bonding forces between the EYP protein molecules.

Conclusion

The addition of protectants can significantly improve the IgY content, solubility and structural stability of EYP. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Patient and caregiver experience with telehealth for surgical cancer care: A qualitative study
Authors: Nguyen Oliver T. , Mason Arianna , Khanna Neel , Charles Dannelle , Naso Cristina , Hong Young‐Rock , Sprow Olivia , Alishahi Tabriz Amir , Turner Kea , Spiess Philippe , Patel Krupal B.
Published: March 2023

Introduction

The COVID‐19 pandemic led to telemedicine adoption for many medical specialties, including surgical cancer care. To date, the evidence for patient experience of telemedicine among patients with cancer undergoing surgery is limited to quantitative surveys. Thus, this study qualitatively assessed the patient and caregiver experience of telehealth visits for surgical cancer care.

Methods

We conducted semistructured interviews with 25 patients with cancer and three caregivers who had completed a telehealth visit for preanesthesia or postoperative visits. Interviews covered visit descriptions, overall satisfaction, system experience, visit quality, what roles caregivers had, and thoughts on what types of surgery‐related visits would be appropriate through telehealth versus in‐person.

Results

Telehealth delivery for surgical cancer care was generally viewed positively. Multiple factors influenced the patient experience, including prior experience with telemedicine, ease of scheduling visits, smooth connection experiences, having access to technical support, high communication quality, and visit thoroughness. Participants identified use cases on telehealth for surgical cancer care, including postoperative visits for uncomplicated surgical procedures and educational visits.

Conclusions

Patient experiences with telehealth for surgical care are influenced by smooth system experiences, high‐quality patient‐clinician communications, and a patient‐centered focus. Interventions are needed to optimize telehealth delivery (e.g., improve telemedicine platform usability).
Reflectance confocal microscopic visualization of melanocytic bodies in the stratum corneum overlying acral lentiginous melanoma
Authors: Natarelli Nicole , Hanlon Katharine , Chen Wei‐Shen , Grichnik James M. , Zager Jonathan S. , Correa‐Selm Lilia
Published: March 2023

Background

We present a case of RCM evaluation of ALM surgical margins demonstrating intracorneal melanocytic bodies overlying subsequently confirmed melanoma in situ by histopathology.

Case Presentation

A 73‐year‐old male with a history of acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) of the right great toe presented to our clinic for evaluation of positive surgical margins. The positive margin was localized for examination and subsequent biopsy with reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) which allowed targeted re‐resection of the area of concern. Three punch biopsies were obtained in the area of concern, which confirmed residual melanoma in situ. Immunostains confirmed the cellular remnants in the stratum corneum were melanocytic. To correlate the intra stratum corneum findings seen with confocal to the histopathology, a 3D rendering of a stack of images was used to demonstrate the location.

Discussion

Typically, acral surfaces are challenging to examine with RCM due to the limited ability of light to penetrate thickened stratum corneum; however, we observed unique cellular features with confocal. Scattered hyper‐reflective pleomorphic cells consistent with melanocytes were observed in the stratum corneum, although the visualized underlying epidermis appeared normal. Confocal microscopy may aid in diagnosis and management of ALM, especially in the context of positive surgical margins.
An improved method for evaluating LINAC isocenter
Authors: Zacharopoulos Nicholas G. , Fenyes David A.
Published: March 2023

Background

The traditional approach to medical linear accelerator (LINAC) isocenter quality assurance is to compare the radius of the LINAC isocenter, determined via analysis of Winston‐Lutz (WL) dataset, to a threshold in order to approve the LINAC for clinical use. This scalar metric provides little insight into beam‐to‐target accuracy with gantry and couch motion.

Purpose

To develop a method for verifying isocenter with increased sensitivity over traditional WL techniques by accounting for geometric errors that could normally be overlooked.

Methods

From WL images, we construct radiation beam axis and marker shift locations in a 3D coordinate system. These axes and shift positions are used to construct a new isocenter performance metric, the ‐matrix, which predicts direction and magnitude of beam‐to‐target errors across combinations of couch and gantry position. We introduce clinical isocenter as the location optimizing a cost function derived from the ‐matrix, which serves as an optimal target for tumor positioning. We demonstrated these techniques on a clinical LINAC with an initial randomly positioned marker which was subsequently repositioned based on the optimized clinical isocenter location. The marker shifts, radiation isocenter, and ‐matrix were compared before and after repositioning. We compared the new technique against typically used WL techniques using a monte carlo simulation modeling variations in LINAC geometry, marker position, and measurement noise.

Results

The technique was successfully demonstrated on a Varian LINAC. Marker repositioning to clinical isocenter yielding an error matrix with magnitudes all below 0.81 mm. As expected, marker position had little impact on the radiation isocenter location and radius, and also had little impact on clinical isocenter location. The verification results show the accuracy of the ‐matrix to predict beam to tumor geometric inaccuracies. The Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that the ‐matrix is more sensitive and specific for detecting potential treatment errors compared to the traditional WL techniques.

Conclusions

We have developed and demonstrated the usefulness of a framework for verifying isocenter based on a 3D model of the radiation beam axes and tumor movement from couch rotations, derived from 2D WL transmission images. The ‐matrix replaces the scalar isocenter radius as a metric of isocenter quality, providing insight into contribution of couch and radiation beams to isocenter quality, and exposing treatment errors ignored by the traditional method. The clinical isocenter provides an alternate to physical isocenter as a target for tumor positioning in cases of suboptimal LINAC geometry.
Guideline Adherence to Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Treatment and Management in Primary Care
Authors: Del Risco Amanda , Cherches Alex , Smith Sherri L. , Riska Kristal M.
Published: March 2023

Objective

To determine adherence to the 2017 American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery (AAO‐HNS) guidelines for the management and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in primary care (PC) and compare whether key recommendations differed by sex, race, or insurance status.

Study Design

Retrospective chart review.

Setting

Twenty‐six clinic locations within a single healthcare system.

Methods

Charts of 458 patients diagnosed with BPPV in PC between 2018 and 2022 were reviewed. Encounters where the diagnosis of BPPV was made were identified. From the clinical encounter note, demographics, symptomatology, management, and treatment were extracted. Nonparametric analyses were used to identify whether AAO‐HNS guidelines differed regarding sex, race, or insurance status.

Results

Of 458 patients, 249 (54.4%) did not receive a diagnostic exam, and only 4 (0.9%) patients received imaging. Regarding treatment, only 51 (11.1%) received the Epley maneuver, with 263 (57.4%) receiving vestibular suppressant medication and 12.4% receiving a referral to a specialist. In regard to sex, race, or insurance status, there was no significant difference in receiving a Dix‐Hallpike diagnostic maneuver, Epley maneuver, vestibular suppressant medication, imaging, or referral to a specialist.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that there continue to be gaps in the adherence to AAO‐HNS guidelines; however, these gaps did not differ by sex, race, or insurance status. Care should be taken to increase the use of diagnostic and treatment maneuvers but decrease the use of vestibular‐suppressant medications for the treatment of BPPV in PC.
A Self‐Configuring Deep Learning Network for Segmentation of Temporal Bone Anatomy in Cone‐Beam CT Imaging
Authors: Ding Andy S. , Lu Alexander , Li Zhaoshuo , Sahu Manish , Galaiya Deepa , Siewerdsen Jeffrey H. , Unberath Mathias , Taylor Russell H. , Creighton Francis X.
Published: March 2023

Objective

Preoperative planning for otologic or neurotologic procedures often requires manual segmentation of relevant structures, which can be tedious and time‐consuming. Automated methods for segmenting multiple geometrically complex structures can not only streamline preoperative planning but also augment minimally invasive and/or robot‐assisted procedures in this space. This study evaluates a state‐of‐the‐art deep learning pipeline for semantic segmentation of temporal bone anatomy.

Study Design

A descriptive study of a segmentation network.

Setting

Academic institution.

Methods

A total of 15 high‐resolution cone‐beam temporal bone computed tomography (CT) data sets were included in this study. All images were co‐registered, with relevant anatomical structures (eg, ossicles, inner ear, facial nerve, chorda tympani, bony labyrinth) manually segmented. Predicted segmentations from no new U‐Net (nnU‐Net), an open‐source 3‐dimensional semantic segmentation neural network, were compared against ground‐truth segmentations using modified Hausdorff distances (mHD) and Dice scores.

Results

Fivefold cross‐validation with nnU‐Net between predicted and ground‐truth labels were as follows: malleus (mHD: 0.044 ± 0.024 mm, dice: 0.914 ± 0.035), incus (mHD: 0.051 ± 0.027 mm, dice: 0.916 ± 0.034), stapes (mHD: 0.147 ± 0.113 mm, dice: 0.560 ± 0.106), bony labyrinth (mHD: 0.038 ± 0.031 mm, dice: 0.952 ± 0.017), and facial nerve (mHD: 0.139 ± 0.072 mm, dice: 0.862 ± 0.039). Comparison against atlas‐based segmentation propagation showed significantly higher Dice scores for all structures (p < .05).

Conclusion

Using an open‐source deep learning pipeline, we demonstrate consistently submillimeter accuracy for semantic CT segmentation of temporal bone anatomy compared to hand‐segmented labels. This pipeline has the potential to greatly improve preoperative planning workflows for a variety of otologic and neurotologic procedures and augment existing image guidance and robot‐assisted systems for the temporal bone.
Development of trisiloxane surfactant vesicles ultrasonic extraction method combined with ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the rapid differentiation of Bupleuri Radix based on metabolomics
Authors: Wang Jianxin , Qiu Shuocheng , Shang Jiawei , Li Chaoyi , Du Linliu , He Zhuhan , Xue Guiren , Yan Pengfei , Su Shanshan , Xu Huijun
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Due to the variety, chemical composition and complex structure, the quality control of Bupleuri Radix (BR) is a challenging task. There are still many trace compounds in BR that are difficult to extract and detect.

Objective

To develop an innovative method of trisiloxane surfactant vesicles ultrasonic extraction (TSVUE) combined with ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the identification from Bupleurum chinense DC. (BC) to Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd (BS) based on metabolomics.

Methods

Based on extraction effect for BR, five different types of surfactants vesicles were prepared and compared. Then, a single‐factor test and a response surface methodology study were adopted to obtain the optimal conditions for the surfactant vesicles ultrasonic extraction method. Finally, a non‐targeted metabolomics method with information dependent acquisition mode was performed to analyse differential metabolites in BC and BS.

Results

Sugar‐based surfactant containing trisiloxane [N‐3‐propyl‐methyltrisiloxane‐N‐glucoheptonamne (Si(3)N‐GHA)] displayed higher extraction efficiency compared to other types of surfactants when it comes to being used in pretreatment methods. And a TSVUE method was established and optimised. In total, 131 constituents were identified in two BR herbs, of which 35 were unreported, and 11 were characterised as chemical markers.

Conclusions

This method provides promising perspectives for rapidly identifying trace compounds in complex systems of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as well as for laying the foundation in the identification of similar herbs from the same species. Meanwhile, these findings serve as a promising application of trisiloxane surfactant vesicles in the extraction field of TCM.
Utility of psychological and psychoeducational evaluation reports: A survey of teachers and school administrators
Authors: Hale Courtney , Brown‐Chidsey Rachel
Published: March 2023

Psychological and psychoeducational evaluation reports are often criticized for being too long and difficult to understand. Nonetheless, these reports inform, and are often required for, high‐stakes educational decisions. Very little prior research has documented whether general and special educators read the entirety of such reports. This study utilized a survey of 349 general and special education teachers and administrators to learn about their report reading habits and preferences. About one‐third of participants indicated that they typically read the entire report. In cases where selected sections were read, the recommendations and summary were the most common. A majority of participants indicated a preference for shorter reports, bullet points, and visual summaries. Together the findings suggest that certain report characteristics are more useful to educators than others. Implications for reporting practices and future research are discussed.
Co‐administration of curcumin with other phytochemicals improves anticancer activity by regulating multiple molecular targets
Authors: Ghobadi Niloofar , Asoodeh Ahmad
Published: March 2023

Natural plant phytochemicals are effective against different types of diseases, including cancer. Curcumin, a powerful herbal polyphenol, exerts inhibitory effects on cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis through interaction with different molecular targets. However, the clinical use of curcumin is limited due to poor solubility in water and metabolism in the liver and intestine. The synergistic effects of curcumin with some phytochemicals such as resveratrol, quercetin, epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate, and piperine can improve its clinical efficacy in cancer treatment. The present review specifically focuses on anticancer mechanisms related to the co‐administration of curcumin with other phytochemicals, including resveratrol, quercetin, epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate, and piperine. According to the molecular evidence, the phytochemical combinations exert synergistic effects on suppressing cell proliferation, reducing cellular invasion, and inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. This review also emphasizes the significance of the co‐delivery vehicles‐based nanoparticles of such bioactive phytochemicals that could improve their bioavailability and reduce their systemic dose. Further high‐quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of the phytochemical combinations.
Wide‐Field and Real‐Time Super‐Resolution Optical Imaging By Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle‐Assembled Solid Immersion Lens
Authors: Wang Weicheng , Yan Bing , Wang Haiyan , Chen Yue , Nie Xiuyu , Yi Changfeng , Wang Zengbo , Xu Zushun , Zeng Jing , Fan Wen
Published: March 2023

Super‐resolution optical imaging techniques can break the optical diffraction limit, thus providing unique opportunities to visualize the microscopic world at the nanoscale. Although near‐field optical microscopy techniques have been proven to achieve significantly improved imaging resolution, most near‐field approaches still suffer from a narrow field of view (FOV) or difficulty in obtaining wide‐field images in real time, which may limit their widespread and diverse applications. Here, the authors experimentally demonstrate an optical microscope magnification and image enhancement approach by using a submillimeter‐sized solid immersion lens (SIL) assembled by densely‐packed 15 nm TiO2 nanoparticles through a silicone oil two‐step dehydration method. This TiO2 nanoparticle‐assembled SIL can achieve both high transparency and high refractive index, as well as sufficient mechanical strength and easy‐to‐handle size, thus providing a fast, wide‐field, real‐time, non‐destructive, and low‐cost solution for improving the quality of optical microscopic observation of a variety of samples, including nanomaterials, cancer cells, and living cells or bacteria under conventional optical microscopes. This study provides an attractive alternative to simplify the fabrication and applications of high‐performance SILs.
Bioinspired Hydrophobicity Coupled with Single Fe‐N4 Sites Promotes Oxygen Diffusion for Efficient Zinc‐Air Batteries
Authors: Xu Chuanlan , Guo Chaozhong , Liu Jianping , Hu Bihao , Chen Hongdian , Li Guijun , Xu Xinru , Shu Chenyang , Li Honglin , Chen Changguo
Published: March 2023

The poor oxygen diffusion and sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at multiphase interfaces in the cathode suppress the practical application of zinc‐air batteries. Developing effective strategies to tackle the issue is of great significance for overcoming the performance bottleneck but remains challenging. Here, a multiscale hydrophobic surface is designed on the iron single‐atom catalyst via a gas‐phase fluorination‐assisted method inspired by the structure of gas‐trapping mastoids on lotus leaves. The hydrophobic Fe‐FNC attains a higher peak power density of up to 226 mW cm−2, a long durability of up close to 140 h, and better cyclic durability of up to 300 cycles compared to the corresponding Pt/C‐based Zn‐air battery. Experiments and theoretical calculations indicate that the formed more triple‐phase interfaces and exposed isolated Fe‐N4 sites are proposed as the governing factors in boosting electrocatalytic ORR activity and remarkable cycling durability for Zn‐air batteries.
Entropically Driven Fabrication of Binary Superlattices Assembled from Polymer‐Tethered Nanocubes and Nanospheres
Authors: Yue Xuan , Li Jinlan , Yan Nan , Jiang Wei
Published: March 2023

The spontaneous organization of two types of nanoparticles (NPs) with different shapes or properties into binary nanoparticle superlattices (BNSLs) with different configurations has recently attracted significant attention due to the coupling or synergistic effect of the two types of NPs, providing an efficient and general route for designing new functional materials and devices. Here, this work reports the co‐assembly of polystyrene (PS) tethered anisotropic gold nanocubes (AuNCs@PS) and isotropic gold NPs (AuNPs@PS) via an emulsion‐interface self‐assembly strategy. The distributions and arrangements of the AuNCs and spherical AuNPs in the BNSLs can be precisely controlled by adjusting the effective size ratio (λeff) of the effective diameter (deff) of the embedded spherical AuNPs to the polymer gap size (L) between the neighboring AuNCs. λeff determines not only the change of the conformational entropy of the grafted polymer chains (∆Scon) but also the mixing entropy (∆Smix) of the two types of NPs. During the co‐assembly process, ∆Smix tends to be as high as possible, and the −∆Scon tends to be as low as possible, leading to free energy minimization. As a result, well‐defined BNSLs with controllable distributions of spherical and cubic NPs can be obtained by tuning λeff. This strategy can also be applied for other NPs with different shapes and atomic properties, thus largely enriching the BNSL library and enabling the fabrication of multifunctional BNSLs, which have potential applications in photothermal therapy, surface‐enhanced Raman scattering, and catalysis.
Microstructure Design Strategy for Molecularly Dispersed Cobalt Phthalocyanine and Efficient Mass Transport in CO2 Electroreduction
Authors: Yue Pengtao , Zhong Liyang , Deng Yuhe , Li Jun , Zhang Liang , Ye Dingding , Zhu Xun , Fu Qian , Liao Qiang
Published: March 2023

Cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) has attracted particular interest owing to its excellent activity during the electrochemical CO2 conversion to CO. However, the efficient utilization of CoPc at industrially relevant current densities is still a challenge owing to its nonconductive property, agglomeration, and unfavorable conductive substrate design. Here, a microstructure design strategy for dispersing CoPc molecules on a carbon substrate for efficient CO2 transport during CO2 electrolysis is proposed and demonstrated. The highly dispersed CoPc is loaded on a macroporous hollow nanocarbon sheet to act as the catalyst (CoPc/CS). The unique interconnected and macroporous structure of the carbon sheet forms a large specific surface area to anchor CoPc with high dispersion and simultaneously boosts the mass transport of reactants in the catalyst layer, significantly improving the electrochemical performance. By employing a zero‐gap flow cell, the designed catalyst can mediate CO2 to CO with a high full‐cell energy efficiency of 57% at 200 mA cm−2.
Declarative static analysis for multilingual programs using CodeQL
Authors: Youn Dongjun , Lee Sungho , Ryu Sukyoung
Published: March 2023

Declarative static program analysis has become one of the widely‐used program analysis techniques. Declarative static analyzers perform three steps: creating databases of facts from program source code, evaluating rules to generate new facts, and running queries over facts to extract all information related to specific properties via query systems. Declarative static analyzers can easily target diverse programming languages by modifying only databases and rules for new languages. Because query systems are independent of programming languages, they are reusable for new languages. However, even when declarative analyzers support multiple programming languages they do not currently support the analysis of multilingual programs written in two or more programming languages. We propose a systematic methodology that extends a declarative static analyzer supporting multiple languages to support multilingual programs as well. The main idea is to reuse existing components of the analyzer. Our approach first generates a merged database of facts, consisting of multiple logical language spaces. It allows existing language‐specific rules to derive new facts for the corresponding language from the facts in the corresponding language space. Then, it defines language‐interoperation rules that handle the language interoperation semantics. Finally, it uses the same query system to get analysis results leveraging the language interoperation semantics. We develop a proof‐of‐concept declarative static analyzer for multilingual programs by extending CodeQL, which can track dataflows across language boundaries. Our evaluation shows that the analyzer successfully tracks dataflows across Java‐C and Python‐C language boundaries and detects genuine interoperation bugs in real‐world multilingual
programs.
Assessment of lipid metabolism‐disrupting effects of non‐phthalate plasticizer diisobutyl adipate through in silico and in vitro approaches
Authors: Wei Rong , Zhang Weigao , Pu Chunlin , Shao Qianchao , Xu Qian , Li Peiqi , Zhao Xunan , Sun Tingzhe , Weng Dan
Published: March 2023

Diisobutyl adipate (DIBA), as a novel non‐phthalate plasticizer, is widely used in various products. However, little effort has been made to investigate whether DIBA might have adverse effects on human health. In this study, we integrated an in silico and in vitro strategy to assess the impact of DIBA on cellular homeostasis. Since numerous plasticizers could activate peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ) pathway to interrupt metabolism systems, we first utilized molecular docking to analyze interaction between DIBA and PPARγ. Results indicated that DIBA had strong affinity with the ligand‐binding domain of PPARγ (PPARγ‐LBD) at Histidine 499. Afterwards, we used cellular models to investigate in vitro effects of DIBA. Results demonstrated that DIBA exposure increased intracellular lipid content in murine and human hepatocytes, and altered transcriptional expression of genes related to PPARγ signaling and lipid metabolism pathways. At last, target genes regulated by DIBA were predicted and enriched for Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and transcriptional factors (TFs)‐genes network were established accordingly. Target genes were enriched in Phospholipase D signaling pathway, phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) and Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway which were related to lipid metabolism. These findings suggested that DIBA exposure might disturb intracellular lipid metabolism homeostasis via targeting PPARγ. This study also demonstrated that this integrated in silico and in vitro methodology could be utilized as a high throughput, cost‐saving and effective tool to assess the potential risk of various environmental chemicals on human health.
Homozygosity mapping identified loci and candidate genes responsible for freezing tolerance in Camelina sativa
Authors: Shaikh TM , Rahman Mukhlesur , Smith Timothy , Anderson James V. , Chao Wun S. , Horvath David P.
Published: March 2023

Homozygosity mapping is an effective tool for detecting genomic regions responsible for a given trait when the phenotype is controlled by a limited number of dominant or co‐dominant loci. Freezing tolerance is a major attribute in agricultural crops such as camelina. Previous studies indicated that freezing tolerance differences between a tolerant (Joelle) and susceptible (CO46) variety of camelina were controlled by a small number of dominant or co‐dominant genes. We performed whole genome homozygosity mapping to identify markers and candidate genes responsible for freezing tolerance difference between these two genotypes. A total of 28 F3 RILs were sequenced to ∼30× coverage, and parental lines were sequenced to >30–40× coverage with Pacific Biosciences high fidelity technology and 60× coverage using Illumina whole genome sequencing. Overall, about 126k homozygous single nucleotide polymorphism markers were identified that differentiate both parents. Moreover, 617 markers were also homozygous in F3 families fixed for freezing tolerance/susceptibility. All these markers mapped to two contigs forming a contiguous stretch of chromosome 11. The homozygosity mapping detected 9 homozygous blocks among the selected markers and 22 candidate genes with strong similarity to regions in or near the homozygous blocks. Two such genes were differentially expressed during cold acclimation in camelina. The largest block contained a cold‐regulated plant thionin and a putative rotamase cyclophilin 2 gene previously associated with freezing resistance in arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The second largest block contains several cysteine‐rich RLK genes and a cold‐regulated receptor serine/threonine kinase gene. We hypothesize that one or more of these genes may be primarily responsible for freezing tolerance differences in camelina varieties.