bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parameters influencing health-related quality of life after severe trauma: a systematic review (part II)
Authors: Lotfalla Annesimone , Halm Jens Anthony , Schepers Tim , Giannakópoulos Georgios Fredericus
Published: May 2023

Introduction

It is increasingly recognized that health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a relevant outcome to study in populations comprising severely injured patients. Although some studies have readily demonstrated a compromised HRQoL in those patients, evidence regarding factors that predict HRQoL is scarce. This hinders attempts to prepare patient-specific plans that may aid in revalidation and improved life satisfaction. In this review, we present identified predictors of HRQoL in patients that have suffered severe trauma.

Methods

The search strategy included a database search until the 1st of January 2022 in the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science, and reference checking. Studies were eligible for inclusion when (HR)QoL was studied in patients with major, multiple, or severe injury and/or polytrauma, as defined by authors by means of an Injury Severity Score (ISS) cut-off value. The results will be discussed in a narrative manner.

Results

A total of 1583 articles were reviewed. Of those, 90 were included and used for analysis. In total, 23 possible predictors were identified. The following parameters predicted reduced HRQoL in severely injured patients and came forward in at least more than three studies: higher age, female gender, lower extremity injuries, higher rate of injury severity, lower achieved educational level, presence of (pre-existing) comorbidities and mental illness, longer duration of hospital stay, and high level of disability.

Conclusion

Age, gender, injured body region, and severity of injury were found to be good predictors of health-related quality of life in severely injured patients. A patient-centered approach, based on individual, demographic, and disease-specific predictors, is highly recommended.
Investigation on tool wear mechanisms and machining tribology of hardened DC53 steel through modified CBN tooling geometry in hard turning
Authors: Hassan Sana , Khan Sarmad Ali , Naveed Rakhshanda , Saleem Muhammad Qaiser , Mufti Nadeem Ahmad , Farooq Muhammad Umar
Published: May 2023

DC 53 steel has emerged as a possible replacement of AISI D2 steel possessing competitive hardness and better toughness. In the current work, turning of DC 53 steel was conducted via Xcel modified inserts by varying workpiece hardness levels (40 and 60 HRC), cutting speed (130 and 160 m/min), feed rate (0.07 and 0.112 mm/rev), and depth of cut (0.07 and 0.17 mm). A two-level 4-factor full factorial design was employed entailing 16 runs. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to statistically analyze the effect and contributions of input parameters on response variables namely tool life, surface roughness, volume of material removed, power consumption, and machining zone temperature. Results show that the tool life, surface roughness, volume of material removed, and machining zone temperature are primarily affected by the hardness of DC53 with PCRs of ~ 96%, ~ 25%, ~ 62%, and ~ 25%, respectively. At a 40 HRC hardness value, true crater wear was observed due to continuous chips sliding at the rake face while for the workpiece having a 60 HRC, discontinuous chip formation produced less prominent crater wear. SEM images revealed complete delamination of the coating from the tool surface with adhesion and attrition wear identified as the main wear mechanisms. The formation of a groove pattern was also noticed on the flank face. The minimum surface roughness was 0.90 µm-Ra for the workpiece having a 40 HRC hardness level, and the same value was obtained for 60 HRC as well. The threshold value of the feed rate for the excellent performance of these inserts was less than 0.20 mm/rev. Additionally, the turning process proved to be productive for this material along with a lower surface roughness value in comparison to the wire EDM process.
Die neue WHO-Klassifikation der Kiefertumoren
Authors: Haefliger Simon , Baumhoer Daniel
Published: May 2023

Odontogene Tumoren und Kiefertumoren umfassen ein breites Spektrum an Läsionen, darunter Neoplasien, hamartomatöse Veränderungen und Entwicklungsstörungen. Seit Anfang 2022 ist eine Beta-Version der 5. Auflage der WHO-Klassifikation für Kopf-Hals-Tumoren online verfügbar, die voraussichtlich Mitte 2023 auch als Printversion erscheinen wird. Konzeptionell hat sich im Vergleich zur 4. Auflage nicht viel verändert. Die Reihenfolge der Läsionen ist stringenter nach Dignität geordnet und die gleichen Tumoren werden nicht mehr in verschiedenen Kapiteln lokalisationsabhängig mehrfach beschrieben. Diagnostische Kriterien werden neu in „essential“ und „desirable“ zusammengefasst. Zusätzlich zu den klinischen Aspekten wird nun auch die Bildgebung miteinbezogen und die Klassifikation damit interdisziplinär. Vereinzelt sind auch neue Läsionen erstmals aufgeführt. Dieser Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die Neuerungen der neuen Klassifikation mit einem speziellen Fokus auf die Einteilung der fibroossären Kieferläsionen.
Material-specific high-order harmonic generation in laser-produced plasmas for varying plasma dynamics
Authors: Mathijssen Jan , Mazzotta Zeudi , Heinzerling Amelie M. , Eikema Kjeld S. E. , Witte Stefan
Published: May 2023

We present a new experimental setup for high-order harmonic generation in laser-produced plasmas, allowing the generation of coherent VUV and EUV light, as well as characterisation of the laser-produced plasmas by studying the emitted harmonics. We have successfully generated high-order harmonics in laser-produced Al, Ni, Ag, In, and Sn plasmas. Large differences in harmonic spectra and signal yields have been observed for these different targets. Harmonics up to order 25, corresponding to a wavelength of 62.4 nm and photon energy of 19.9 eV, have been measured with tin plasmas. Scanning laser parameters and delay between pump and fundamental laser pulses allows us to optimise the harmonic yield and observe the temporal dynamics of the laser-produced tin plasma.
Duplicated zebrafish (Danio rerio) inositol phosphatases inpp5ka and inpp5kb diverged in expression pattern and function
Authors: Shukla Dhyanam , Gural Brian M. , Cauley Edmund S. , Battula Namarata , Mowla Shorbon , Karas Brittany F. , Roberts Llion E. , Cavallo Luca , Turkalj Luka , Moody Sally A. , Swan Laura E. , Manzini M. Chiara
Published: May 2023

One hurdle in the development of zebrafish models of human disease is the presence of multiple zebrafish orthologs resulting from whole genome duplication in teleosts. Mutations in inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase K (INPP5K) lead to a syndrome characterized by variable presentation of intellectual disability, brain abnormalities, cataracts, muscle disease, and short stature. INPP5K is a phosphatase acting at position 5 of phosphoinositides to control their homeostasis and is involved in insulin signaling, cytoskeletal regulation, and protein trafficking. Previously, our group and others have replicated the human phenotypes in zebrafish knockdown models by targeting both INPP5K orthologs inpp5ka and inpp5kb. Here, we show that inpp5ka is the more closely related orthologue to human INPP5K. While both inpp5ka and inpp5kb mRNA expression levels follow a similar trend in the developing head, eyes, and tail, inpp5ka is much more abundantly expressed in these tissues than inpp5kb. In situ hybridization revealed a similar trend, also showing unique localization of inpp5kb in the pineal gland and retina indicating different transcriptional regulation. We also found that inpp5kb has lost its catalytic activity against its preferred substrate, PtdIns(4,5)P2. Since most human mutations are missense changes disrupting phosphatase activity, we propose that loss of inpp5ka alone can be targeted to recapitulate the human presentation. In addition, we show that the function of inpp5kb has diverged from inpp5ka and may play a novel role in the zebrafish.
Optimal allocation of demand response considering transmission system congestion
Authors: Neves Motta Vinicius , Anjos Miguel F. , Gendreau Michel
Published: May 2023

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources in the electricity grid brings new operational challenges. This brings up the need for effective means to provide demand response in spite of its distributed nature throughout the grid. Aggregators can be created to manage a set of such demand response resources, but deciding how to allocate an aggregator’s resources is an important problem. One of the aspects that needs more attention is the impact of the transmission system on these decisions. In this paper, we propose a short-term optimization model for allocating demand response(DR) resources as well as generation resources to supply external demand that is offered after the scheduling decision is made. The DR resources will only be available for use after the scheduling decision is made. Finally, our work also considers the impact of congestion in the transmission system when allocating DR. We propose the use of a semidefinite relaxation to provide a good initial point to solve our model with the aim of guaranteeing that we will find an optimal solution. Results from numerical tests with the IEEE 96-RTS and the ACTIVSG500 test grids are reported. We found that DR resources mitigates congestion management, allowing the generators to supply more of the external demand that is offered. Besides that, we observe that using our proposed solution methodology, we were able to obtain optimal solution for both cases studies, which is not the case when solving the original formulation for the ACTIVSG500 grid.
A theoretical and experimental investigation on a volume coil with slotted end-rings for rat MRI at 7 T
Authors: Solis-Najera Sergio , Ruiz Rodrigo , Martin Rodrigo , Vazquez Fabian , Marrufo Oscar , Rodriguez Alfredo Odon
Published: May 2023

Objective

A volume coil with squared slots-end ring was developed to attain improved sensitivity for imaging of rat’s brain at 7 T.

Material and Methods

The principles of the high cavity resonator for the low-pass case and the law of Biot-Savart were used to derive a theoretical expression of $$B_1/i$$

B
1

/
i

. The slotted-end ring resonator showed a theoretical 2.22-fold sensitivity improvement over the standard birdcage coil with similar dimensions. Numerical studies were carried out for the electromagnetic fields and specific absorption rates for our coil and a birdcage coil loaded with a saline-filled spherical phantom and a digital brain of a rat.

Results

An improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be observed for the slotted volume coil over the birdcage regardless of the load used in the electromagnetic simulations. The specific absorption rate simulations show a decrement for the digital brain and quite similar values with the saline solution phantom. Phantom and rat’s brain images were acquired at 7 T to prove the viability of the coil design. The experimental noise figure of our coil design was four times less than the standard birdcage with similar dimensions, which showed a 44.5% increase in experimental SNR.

Discussion

There is remarkable agreement among the theoretical, numerical and experimental sensitivity values, which all demonstrate that the coil performance for MR imaging of small rodents can be improved using slotted end-rings.
Equilibrium arrivals to a last-come first-served preemptive-resume queue
Authors: Breinbjerg Jesper , Platz Trine Tornøe , Østerdal Lars Peter
Published: May 2023

We consider a queueing system which opens at a given point in time and serves a finite number of users according to the last-come first-served discipline with preemptive-resume (LCFS-PR). Each user must decide individually when to join the queue. We allow for general classes of user preferences and service time distributions and show existence and uniqueness of a symmetric Nash equilibrium. Furthermore, we show that no continuous asymmetric equilibrium exists, if the population consists of only two users, or if arrival strategies satisfy a mild regularity condition. For an illustrative example, we implement a numerical procedure for computing the symmetric equilibrium strategy based on our constructive existence proof for the symmetric equilibrium. We then compare its social efficiency to that obtained if users are instead served on a first-come first-served (FCFS) basis.
Soft tissue displacement for detection of left ventricle apical dyskinesis with transthoracic echocardiography
Authors: Schwartz Brandon H. , Tamarappoo Balaji K. , Shmueli Hezzy , Siegel Robert J.
Published: May 2023

We tested the hypothesis that the use of outward displacement of the soft tissue between the apex and the chest wall as seen in TTE, is a sign of apical displacement and would allow for more accurate diagnosis of apical dyskinesis. This is a retrospective study of 123 patients who underwent TTE and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within a time frame of 6 months between 2008 and 2019. 110 subjects were deemed to have good quality studies and included in the final analysis. An observer blinded to the study objectives evaluated the echocardiograms and recorded the presence or absence of apical dyskinesis. Two independent observers evaluated the echocardiograms based on the presence or absence of outward displacement of the overlying tissue at the LV apex. Cardiac MRI was used to validate the presence of apical dyskinesis. The proportion of studies which were identified as having apical dyskinesis with conventional criteria defined as outward movement of the left ventricular apex during systole were compared to those deemed to have dyskinesis based on tissue displacement. By cardiac MRI, 90 patients had apical dyskinesis. Using conventional criteria on TTE interpretation, 21 were diagnosed with apical dyskinesis (23.3%). However, when soft tissue displacement was used as the diagnostic marker of dyskinesis, 78 patients (86.7%) were diagnosed with dyskinesis, p < 0.01. Detection of displacement of soft tissue overlying the LV apex facilitates better recognition of LV apical dyskinesis.
The DELAD initiative for sharing language resources on speech disorders
Authors: Lee Alice , Bessell Nicola , van den Heuvel Henk , Klessa Katarzyna , Saalasti Satu
Published: May 2023

Sharing research data between researchers is becoming a requirement for open science in the field of clinical phonetics and speech and language pathology. An initiative entitled DELAD was started in 2015 to provide researchers a platform to discuss ongoing technical, legal and ethics issues related to sharing recordings of speech disorders, and to assist them in archiving their data for sharing with colleagues in the field. The ultimate goal of data sharing is to enhance research and teaching in the area of speech disorders. This paper first presents DELAD and its history and previous accomplishments. Then the recent work achieved by the DELAD steering group in providing information or recommendations in three areas are discussed: (1) speech annotation and automatic annotation mining, (2) consent and data storage, and (3) a role-play activity for learning data protection assessment. DELAD is an active community and researchers who share similar interests are welcome to join the (ad)venture.
Adaptive update handling for graph HTAP
Authors: Jibril Muhammad Attahir , Baumstark Alexander , Sattler Kai-Uwe
Published: May 2023

Hybrid transactional/analytical processing (HTAP) workloads on graph data can significantly benefit from GPU accelerators. However, to exploit the full potential of GPU processing, dedicated graph representations are necessary, which mostly make in-place updates difficult. In this paper, we discuss an adaptive update handling approach in a graph database system for HTAP workloads. We discuss and evaluate strategies for propagating transactional updates from an update-friendly table storage to a GPU-optimized sparse matrix format for analytics.
Digital competence of teachers in the use of ICT for research work: development of an instrument from a PLS-SEM approach
Authors: Guillén-Gámez Francisco D. , Ruiz-Palmero Julio , García Melchor Gómez
Published: May 2023

All spheres of our life are being affected using technology, particularly its integration in the research processes carried out by teachers. The success of the integration of specific digital resources in research work can be affected by several factors, such as: digital skills for finding information, managing it, analyzing it, and communicating results; digital flow; anxiety in the use of ICT; digital ethics; quality of digital resources; and finally, the behavioral intention to integrate ICT. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence the integration of ICT in the research process of the Higher Education teacher, and the relation between them. An online survey was used to collect data, and 1740 participants. This study used a causal model through partial least squares structural equations modeling (PLS-SEM). With this, the hypotheses established between the integration of ICT and its possible incident factors were verified. The findings revealed a significant influence path from factor integration to digital skills, ethics, flow digital, and behavior intention. Although, resource quality and ICT anxiety had significant effects on the causal model, they did not have a large impact on teachers’ integration of digital resources. The total of these factors corresponded to 48.20% of the variance in the integration of the researcher of the specific digital resources to be used in the research process. These results confirm that this model is effective in explaining the technological integration of teachers to use ICT in research work.
Unraveling the hydrogeochemical evolution and pollution sources of shallow aquifer using multivariate statistical analysis and hydrogeochemical techniques: a case study of the Quaternary aquifer in Beni Suef area, Egypt
Authors: Abu Salem Hend S. , Albadr Mohammed , El Kammar Mohamed M. , Yehia Mohamed M. , El-Kammar Ahmed M.
Published: May 2023

This study integrates multivariate statistical analysis and hydrogeochemical modeling to investigate the processes controlling the groundwater composition of a shallow aquifer where increased pumping rates and anthropogenic impacts were prevalent. Eighteen groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for major elements and selected heavy metals. The data were classified on the basis of multivariate statistical analysis into three clusters: C1 (Na-Cl facies), C2 (Ca-SO4 facies), and C3 (Ca-HCO3 facies). The application of factor analysis gave four factors affecting the groundwater chemistry, namely the salinization factor, anthropogenic/secondary enrichment factor, the secondary and the micro-nutrient fertilizers, and the aluminum fertilizer factor. The hydrogeochemical study of the groundwater revealed that the processes controlling the groundwater chemistry in the study area are mainly affected by the groundwater occurrence either to the east or to the west of Bahr Youssef Canal. Generally, the dominant hydrogeochemical processes affecting the groundwater are silicate weathering, ion exchange, irrigation return flow, gypsum applications in soil, and evaporation. The groundwater quality evaluation shows that water quality varies from fair to excellent for drinking purposes, where the best water is located in the northern and central parts of the study area. The suitability of groundwater for irrigation was evaluated using several indices indicating that groundwater is suitable for irrigation in the northwest and western parts of the study area. As some groundwater samples lie in high salinity classes on the US Salinity diagram, it is recommended to use this water for plants with good salt tolerance under good drainage conditions. The integration between the statistical and geochemical tools helps reveal the dominant processes through data reduction and classification.
Lysimeter deep N fertilizer placement reduced leaching and improved N use efficiency
Authors: Rychel Vide , Meurer Katharina H. E. , Getahun Gizachew Tarekegn , Bergström Lars , Kirchmann Holger , Kätterer Thomas
Published: May 2023

Deep fertilization has been tested widely for nitrogen (N) use efficiency but there is little evidence of its impact on N leaching and the interplay between climate factors and crop N use. In this study, we tested the effect of three fertilizer N placements on leaching, crop growth, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a lysimeter experiment over three consecutive years with spring-sown cereals (S1, S2, and S3). Leaching was additionally monitored in an 11-month fallow period (F1) preceding S1 and a 15-month fallow period (F2) following S3. In addition to a control with no N fertilizer (Control), 100 kg N ha−1 year−1 of ammonium nitrate was placed at 0.2 m (Deep), 0.07 m (Shallow), or halved between 0.07 m and 0.2 m (Mixed). Deep reduced leachate amount in each cropping period, with significant reductions (p < 0.05) in the drought year (S2) and cumulatively for S1-S3. Overall, Deep reduced leaching by 22, 25 and 34% compared to Shallow, Mixed and Control, respectively. Deep and Mixed reduced N leaching across S1-S3 compared with Shallow, but Deep further reduced N loads by 15% compared to Mixed and was significantly lowest (p < 0.05) among the fertilized treatments in S1 and S2. In S3, Deep increased grain yields by 28 and 22% compared to Shallow and Mixed, respectively, while nearly doubling the agronomic efficiency of N (AEN) and the recovery efficiency of N (REN). Deep N placement is a promising mitigation practice that should be further investigated.
Assessing molecular diversity among 87 species of the Quercus L. genus by RAPD markers
Authors: Bellusci Giovanna , Braglia Roberto , Di Marco Gabriele , Redi Enrico Luigi , Canini Antonella , Gismondi Angelo
Published: May 2023

Oaks (Quercus sp.) are among the most ecologically and economically important woody Angiosperms of the northern hemisphere. Nowadays, the reduction of Quercus biodiversity is becoming a matter of global concern, and several oak species have been included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Consequently, characterization and preservation strategies for the oak germplasm are largely promoted. Thus, in this work, the genetic diversity existing among 87 different Quercus species was assessed using the RAPD markers, in order to better typify these specimens, to show the amazing DNA variability of this plant genus, and to confirm or infer new putative molecular correlations. Our data were discussed taking into consideration the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships previously proposed by the literature. In general, the obtained results corroborated that the evolutionary pattern of Quercus genus has been extremely intricate and continues to change rapidly, making it difficult to be fully resolved. The evidence collected in the present investigation would confirm the complex evolution of the oaks, due to their high migration capacity, divergence rate, and hybridization propensity. This research, performed on a so large series of species, represents a positive contribution for highlighting the genetic diversity within collections of Quercus germplasm and favouring ex-situ conservation programmes.
Promising effect of Geranium robertianum L. leaves and Aloe vera gel powder on Aspirin®-induced gastric ulcers in Wistar rats: anxiolytic behavioural effect, antioxidant activity, and protective pathways
Authors: Bawish Basma M. , Rabab Mariem A. , Gohari Safaa T. , Khattab Marwa S. , AbdElkader Naglaa A. , Elsharkawy Samar H. , Ageez Amr M. , Zaki Manal M. , Kamel Shaimaa , Ismail Eman M.
Published: May 2023

Background

Many drugs have been restricted in the treatment of gastric ulcers (GU). So, herbal medicines are now in great demand for their better cultural acceptability, compatibility, and minimal side effects. Therefore, our study aimed to assess the protective efficacy of Aloe vera gel and Geranium robertianum extracts against Aspirin®-induced GU in Wistar rats.

Methods

Antioxidant activity and chemical composition of both herbs were analysed. Then, we divided forty female Wistar rats into five groups: a negative control group, a positive control group of Aspirin®-induced GU, and pretreated groups with Aloe Vera, geranium, and Famotidine (reference drug). The locomotor disability, anxiety-like behaviour, and ultrasonography were assessed. Ultimately, scarification of animals to determine gastric juice pH and ulcer index. Then the collection of stomach and liver for histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations, besides tracing the oxidative stress biomarkers and related genes.

Results

High content of polyphenols was revealed in both extracts. The pretreatment with Aloe vera gel and geranium showed significant antioxidant activities with free radical scavenging and ferric-reducing power (FRAP). Moreover, they improved the stomach architecture and alleviated anxiety-like behaviour and motor deficits. They significantly reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokine (TNF-α), inflammatory, and oxidative stress genes (NF-KB, HO-1, Nrf-2) while increasing the Keap-1 in gastric mucosa.

Conclusion

Data presented a significant protective effect of Aloe vera gel and geranium against Aspirin®-induced GU; they reduced gastric mucosal injury with potential anxiolytic effects through their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Therefore, they may be considered promising agents for preventing or treating gastric ulceration.
Archaeological Research in the Canary Islands: Island Archaeology off Africa’s Atlantic Coast
Authors: Mitchell Peter J.
Published: May 2023

Island archaeology is a well-established field within the wider discipline, but African contributions to it remain scarce. The Canary Islands are unusual in the broader African context for their relatively long history of occupation (~2000 years) and the intensity with which archaeological research has been, and is, undertaken there. Much of that research, however, has focused on specifically Canarian issues, including efforts to demonstrate connections between the islands’ initial settlement and the Classical Mediterranean world. Relatively little of it has been conducted within the broader comparative framework that an island archaeology perspective provides. Additionally, much of the Canarian literature is not directly accessible to non-Hispanophones. In response, I synthesize what is currently known about the archaeology of the Canary Islands, focusing on determining when, how, and by whom they were first settled; the impacts of human settlement on their environments; inter-island variability in precolonial subsistence, social, and political trajectories; and the record left by European contact and subsequent colonization, which began in the 14th century AD. As well as pointing to further opportunities for research within the archipelago, I simultaneously map out several areas where archaeological work there could contribute to wider debates in island archaeology as a whole.
Resistance saturation in semi-conducting polyacetylene molecular wires
Authors: Valli Angelo , Tomczak Jan M.
Published: May 2023

Realizing the promises of molecular electronic devices requires an understanding of transport on the nanoscale. Here, we consider a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model for semi-conducting trans-polyacetylene molecular wires in which we endow charge carriers with a finite lifetime. The aim of this exercise is two-fold: (i) the simplicity of the model allows an insightful numerical and analytical comparison of the Landauer and Kubo linear-response formalism; (ii) we distill the prototypical characteristics of charge transport through gapped mesoscopic systems and compare these to bulk semiconductors. We find that both techniques yield a residual differential conductance at low temperatures for contacted polyacetylene chains of arbitrary length—in line with the resistivity saturation in some correlated narrow-gap semiconductors. Quantitative agreement, however, is limited to not too long molecules. Indeed, while the Landauer transmission is suppressed exponentially with the system size, the Kubo response only decays hyperbolically. Our findings inform the choice of transport methodologies for the ab initio modelling of molecular devices.
Electropolishing influence on biocompatibility of additively manufactured Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr: in vivo and in vitro
Authors: Luo J. P. , Lv K. P. , Tang J. C. , Wu Z. Z. , Liu Y. L. , Luo J. T. , Lai Y. X. , Yan M.
Published: May 2023

Balling defect of the additively manufactured titanium lattice implants easily leads to muscle tissue rejection, which might cause failure of implantation. Electropolishing is widely used in surface polishing of complex components and has potential to deal with the balling defect. However, a clad layer could be formed on the surface of titanium alloy after electropolishing, which may affect the biocompatibility of the metal implants. To manufacture lattice structured β-type Ti-Ni-Ta-Zr (TNTZ) for bio-medical applications, it is necessary to investigate the impact of electropolishing on material biocompatibility. In this study, animal experiments were conducted to investigate the in vivo biocompatibility of the as-printed TNTZ alloy with or without electropolishing; and proteomics technology was used to elaborate the results. The following conclusions were drawn: (a) a 30% oxalic acid electropolishing treatment was effective in solving balling defects, and ~21 nm amorphous clad layer would be formed on the surface of the material after polishing; (b) the electropolished TNTZ suggested decreased cell cytotoxicity and improved blood biocompatibility as compared to as-printed TNTZ; (c) the amorphous clad layer could make a barrier to prevent Ta and Zr ions from penetrating into the muscle tissue, and could form a good tissue regeneration at the implantation site during 4 weeks, indicating that the electropolished TNTZ has the potential as implants; and (d) the cells attached to the electropolished TNTZ showed higher antioxidant capacity but less proliferation than attached to as-printed TNTZ.

Graphical Abstract
Structural and Physical Comparison Between CS/PVP Blend and CS/PVP/Sr-Hexaferrite Nanocomposite Films
Authors: Ramadan Rania , Ismail A. M.
Published: May 2023

CS/PVP blend embedded by Sr-hexaferrite nanoparticles as a novel composite material to improve the optical and magnetic properties of composite samples. This work aimed to study and compare the functional and physical properties of CS/PVP film after and before adding SrFe12O19 with different weight percentages to form nanocomposite film with chemical formula CS/PVP/x Wt% SrFe12O19; x = 1, 3, 5 and 7. SrFe12O19 was prepared successfully by using citrate auto-combustion methods, then added to CS/PVP blend with different weight percentages. XRD shows the formation of Sr-hexaferrite in a single phase with an average crystallite size 44 nm. The semi-crystalline nature of CS/PVP film decreases with the addition of Sr-hexaferrite. FTIR displays the interaction between CS/PVP and SrFe12O19 by changing the intensity and broadening the OH band. HRTEM images show that SrFe12O19 has a rod structure and has average particle size ranging from 50 to 100 nm. The coercivity value increased by increasing the weight% of nanofiller as it increased from 421 Oe for SrFe12O19 to 4502.6 and 4488.2 Oe for x = 3 wt% and 7 wt% for SrFe12O19. The transition between the top of the valance band and the bottom of the conduction band in CS/PVP/ x Wt % SrFe12O19; x = 1, 3, 5, 7 system occurred through the indirect transition.
Emotional citizens, detached interest groups? The use of emotional language in public policy consultations
Authors: Fink Simon , Ruffing Eva , Burst Tobias , Chinnow Sara Katharina
Published: May 2023

In public consultations, policymakers give stakeholders access to the policymaking process in exchange for technical or political information. Our article proposes to analyze not only the policy positions, but the emotional content of consultation contributions. In our descriptive study, we explore two conjectures: First, citizens contributions to public consultations display more emotions than contributions by corporate actors, and second, contributions mentioning concrete policies display more emotions than contributions referring to the abstract policy framework. We use dictionary-based sentiment coding to analyze ~ 7300 contributions to the consultation of German electricity grid construction planning. Our analysis shows that citizens’ contributions contain more emotional terms, especially voicing fear. Moreover, if contributions refer to a specific power line, they contain less joy, but more fear and sadness. Thus, we show a way to conceptualize and measure the link between public policies and the emotions they trigger.
Interaction of biopolymers with graphene for bio-electronic applications
Authors: Bayoumy Ahmed M. , A. Ibrahim Medhat , Osman Ahmed , Abdelmoneim Ahmed
Published: May 2023

Molecular modelling concepts always prove to be an efficient technique for studying the interaction between various substances prior to experimental work. They were utilized for investigating the interaction of chitosan (Cs) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) biopolymers with a modified graphene structure (G). Geometry optimization calculations were carried out using PM6 method. Results illustrate that the proposed interactions are all stable; however, the interaction site has no role in the resulting energy values. The calculated energies for the G-CMC interactions are quite lower than those for the G-Cs ones indicating quite higher stability for the former group. On contrary to energy, the proposed interaction active site has a significant part in determining total dipole moment (TDM) and hence reactivity of the structures. The calculated quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) parameters show that the interaction of graphene with these biopolymers lowers its hydrophobicity. Modification of Cs and CMC with graphene has a significant positive impact on enhancing their electrical features. The resulting bandgap of the proposed structures is lower than half of their original values. Bandgap values of the G-CMC proposed structures are quite lower than those of the G-Cs ones. An experimental trial was carried out by printing a sixty-layer simple electrode of both biocomposite inks via InkJet printing technique. Then, Sheet resistance and charge mobility measurements were conducted. Results demonstrate that the sheet resistance of the G-Cs printed electrode is about five times higher than that of the G-CMC one. Such result was confirmed by the measured Hall Effect measurement which showed that the charge mobility in the G-CMC electrode is much greater than that in the G-Cs one. Both theoretical and experimental parts agree that the G-CMC biocomposite has much more electrical conductivity than the G-Cs, proposing it as a potential candidate for bio-electronic applications.
Investigation of the analytical and numerical solutions with bifurcation analysis for the (2+1)-dimensional Bogoyavlenskii-Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation
Authors: Ali Khalid K. , Mehanna M. S. , Shaalan M. A.
Published: May 2023

In this work, we investigate the solutions of the (2+1)-dimensional Bogoyavlenskii-Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (BKP) equation by three powerful analytical methods: the $$\exp _{a}$$

exp
a

function method, the $$(\frac{G'}{G})$$

(

G
′

G

)

-expansion method, and the Sine-Gordon expansion method. This equation describes the nonlinear wave propagation in many applications like waves of evolutionary shallow water, electrical networks, and engineering devices. Moreover, we study the solutions numerically via the finite difference method. We analyze the bifurcation of dynamical system resulting from the BKP equation. Finally, the majority of our solutions are displayed graphically to present the strength of imposed methods.
Design and optimization of highly sensitive multi-band terahertz metamaterial biosensor for coronaviruses detection
Authors: EL-Wasif Zienab , Ismail Tawfik , Hamdy Omnia
Published: May 2023

This study presents the design and characterization of a highly Q-Factor and ultrasensitive THz refractive-index-based metamaterial biosensor for detecting coronaviruses at electronic infusion device (EID) concentrations $$0.01$$

0.01

and $$1000$$

1000

. The proposed biosensor is constructed using a gold plane perforated by a star shape. Moreover, the developed structure is polarization insensitive due to the rotatory symmetry and is angularly stable up to 90°. The proposed biosensor achieves near-perfect absorption at $$1.9656$$

1.9656

THz and $$3.3692$$

3.3692

THz. The full width at half-maximum is $$5.276\%$$

5.276
%

and $$0.641\%$$

0.641
%

comparative to the absorption frequency. In addition, the estimated free space absorptivity is 97.2% and 99.1% with a Q-Factor of 19.08 and 155.98 at 1.9656 THz and 3.3692 THz, respectively, when transverse electromagnetic mode (TEM) was selected. The perforated star-shaped was evaluated for IBV (Family of COVID-19) regarding frequency deviation, sensitivity, and figure of merit. Results show that at 1.9656 THz, the proposed design gives 30.8 GHz, 940.49 GHz/RIU, and 8.6, respectively, for 0.01 (EID/5 µL concentration) and 4.4 GHz, 2200 × 103 GHz/RIU, and 20,215.014, respectively at 1.9612 THz for 1000 (EID/5 µL concentration). Although the obtained results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed THz metamaterial biosensor in coronavirus detection, it has also been extended for other types of viruses, including H5N1, H5N2, H9N2, H4N6, and FAdV, based on the slight variations in their refractive indices. Additionally, the influence of the design parameters is optimized in order to achieve better performance.
Impact of self-phase modulation on the operation of Fourier domain mode locked lasers
Authors: Aşırım Özüm Emre , Huber Robert , Jirauschek Christian
Published: May 2023

Fourier domain mode locked (FDML) lasers are a class of frequency-swept lasers that are used to generate optical pulses with a wide sweep range, high repetition rate, and a low instantaneous bandwidth. They are commonly used in sensing and imaging applications, especially in optical coherence tomography. Ideally, the aspired features in the design of FDML lasers include a high coherence length, large sweep bandwidth, adjustable output power, and a high signal to noise ratio (SNR). However, the SNR of the output signal of FDML lasers is often lower than desired due to the presence of several irregularities in the output signal pattern, most notably because of the frequent occurrence of sharp power dips, also known as holes. These power dips originate due to the nonlinear gain dynamics of the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) that is employed in FDML lasers, while the occurrence frequency and strength of these dips are determined by the interaction of the FDML laser components, which involve the SOA, the tunable Fabry–Perot filter, and the optical delay fiber. Suppressing these power dips not only increases the output signal quality in terms of SNR, but also precludes the accumulation of phase offsets between subsequent roundtrips and facilitates convergence. As both current and future applications of FDML lasers are likely to require a higher signal power, in this paper, we are going to investigate the effect of self-phase modulation (SPM) in the optical fiber on dip formation and convergence. Since fiber nonlinearity, intracavity signal power, and fiber length all contribute to SPM, investigation of the effect of SPM on the formation of power-dips and operational convergence is critical. More importantly, the phase-mismatch that is caused by fiber-based SPM cannot be compensated easily in an FDML laser as in the case of chromatic dispersion, which necessitates a strategy for minimizing fiber-based SPM to ensure operational convergence and to secure a lower limit for the SNR of the output signal of FDML lasers.
The time elapsed between assessments of blood metabolome and live weight affects associations between the abundance of metabolites and growth rate in beef cattle
Authors: Imaz José Augusto , Garcia S. C. , González L. A.
Published: May 2023

Introduction

This study aimed to assess the associations between the relative abundance (RA) of blood metabolites and growth rate (i.e., live weight change, LWC) calculated using different intervals of time between live weight (LW) measurements from the metabolome assessment.

Methods

Grazing beef cattle were raised for 56 days and blood samples from each animal were taken on day 57. Live weight was continuously measured using an automatic in-paddock weighing scale. The RA of plasma metabolites were determined using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Live weight data were filtered for outliers and one LW record was selected every 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56 days before the metabolome assessment (LWC1 to LWC56, respectively). Live weight change was then re-calculated for each interval between LW data selected.

Results

Associations between LWC calculations and the RA of metabolites were greatly affected by the interval of time between LW data selected. Thus, the number of significant associations decreased from 9 for LWC1 to 5 for LWC35 whereas no significant associations were found for LWC56 (P > 0.05). There were 7 metabolites negatively associated with LWC1 including leucine, 2-hydroxybutyrate, valine, creatinine, creatine, phenylalanine and methylhistidine; however, correlations were positive for 2 lipids. The strength of the correlation coefficients decreased as the length of the interval between LW measures increased although this reduction was greater for some metabolites such as leucine compared to others such as lipids. Our findings suggest that the time frame in which a particular response variable, such as LWC, is measured and metabolomic samples are taken could largely impact associations and thus conclusions drawn.

Conclusions

Depending on the variable to be explored, rapid changes in cattle metabolome may not be reflected in correlations if they are not assessed close in time. Our findings suggest that LWC should be measured for a period shorter than 28 days before the metabolome assessment as the number of significant associations decreases when LWC is measured for longer periods.
Exploring the possible causal effects of cardiac blood biomarkers in dementia and cognitive performance: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Zonneveld Michelle H. , Trompet Stella , Jukema J. Wouter , Noordam Raymond
Published: May 2023

Prospective cohort studies have implied associations between blood levels of troponin T, troponin I, NT-proBNP, GDF15, dementia, and cognitive function, without providing evidence favoring possible causality. We aimed to assess the causal associations of these cardiac blood biomarkers with dementia and cognition using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). Independent genetic instruments (p < 5e−7) for troponin T and I, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and growth-differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) were obtained from previously-performed genome-wide association studies of predominantly European ancestry. Summary statistics for gene-outcome associations in European-ancestry participants, for the two-sample MR analyses, were obtained for general cognitive performance (n = 257,842) and dementia (n = 111,326 clinically diagnosed and “proxy” AD cases, and 677,663 controls). Two-sample MR analyses were performed using inverse variance-weighted (IWV) analyses. Sensitivity analyses to evaluate horizontal pleiotropy included weighted median estimator, MR-Egger, and MR using cis-SNPs only. Using IVW, we did not find evidence for possible causal associations between genetically influenced cardiac biomarkers with cognition and dementia. For example, per standard deviation (SD) higher cardiac blood biomarker, the odds ratio for risk of dementia was 1.06 (95%CI 0.90; 1.21) for troponin T, 0.98 (95%CI 0.72; 1.23) for troponin I, 0.97 (95%CI 0.90; 1.06) for NT-proBNP and 1.07 (95%CI 0.93; 1.21) for GDF15. Sensitivity analyses showed higher GDF15 was significantly associated with higher dementia risk and worse cognitive function. We did not find strong evidence that cardiac biomarkers causally influence dementia risk. Future research should aim at elucidating the biological pathways through which cardiac blood biomarkers associate with dementia.
Is it Good to Conceive of One’s Life Narratively?
Authors: Latham Sally , Pinder Mark
Published: May 2023

Grace Hibshman has developed a new explanation for why narrative self-conceptions might contribute to one’s flourishing: conceiving of one’s life narratively, she argues, can facilitate an improved self-understanding. In this short paper, we argue that, pace Hibshman, life narratives tend to misrepresent and mislead. So while they may give the impression of an improved self-understanding, that impression is typically mistaken. In this respect, conceiving of one’s life narratively hinders flourishing.
Learning how to robustly estimate camera pose in endoscopic videos
Authors: Hayoz Michel , Hahne Christopher , Gallardo Mathias , Candinas Daniel , Kurmann Thomas , Allan Maximilian , Sznitman Raphael
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Surgical scene understanding plays a critical role in the technology stack of tomorrow’s intervention-assisting systems in endoscopic surgeries. For this, tracking the endoscope pose is a key component, but remains challenging due to illumination conditions, deforming tissues and the breathing motion of organs.

Method

We propose a solution for stereo endoscopes that estimates depth and optical flow to minimize two geometric losses for camera pose estimation. Most importantly, we introduce two learned adaptive per-pixel weight mappings that balance contributions according to the input image content. To do so, we train a Deep Declarative Network to take advantage of the expressiveness of deep learning and the robustness of a novel geometric-based optimization approach. We validate our approach on the publicly available SCARED dataset and introduce a new in vivo dataset, StereoMIS, which includes a wider spectrum of typically observed surgical settings.

Results

Our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods on average and more importantly, in difficult scenarios where tissue deformations and breathing motion are visible. We observed that our proposed weight mappings attenuate the contribution of pixels on ambiguous regions of the images, such as deforming tissues.

Conclusion

We demonstrate the effectiveness of our solution to robustly estimate the camera pose in challenging endoscopic surgical scenes. Our contributions can be used to improve related tasks like simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) or 3D reconstruction, therefore advancing surgical scene understanding in minimally invasive surgery.