bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The behavior and functions of embryonic microglia
Authors: Hattori Yuki
Published: September 2021

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system. Microglial progenitors are generated in the yolk sac during the early embryonic stage. Once microglia enter the brain primordium, these cells colonize the structure through migration and proliferation during brain development. Microglia account for a minor population among the total cells that constitute the developing cortex, but they can associate with many surrounding neural lineage cells by extending their filopodia and through their broad migration capacity. Of note, microglia change their distribution in a stage-dependent manner in the developing brain: microglia are homogenously distributed in the pallium in the early and late embryonic stages, whereas these cells are transiently absent from the cortical plate (CP) from embryonic day (E) 15 to E16 and colonize the ventricular zone (VZ), subventricular zone (SVZ), and intermediate zone (IZ). Previous studies have reported that microglia positioned in the VZ/SVZ/IZ play multiple roles in neural lineage cells, such as regulating neurogenesis, cell survival and neuronal circuit formation. In addition to microglial functions in the zones in which microglia are replenished, these cells indirectly contribute to the proper maturation of post-migratory neurons by exiting the CP during the mid-embryonic stage. Overall, microglial time-dependent distributional changes are necessary to provide particular functions that are required in specific regions. This review summarizes recent advances in the understanding of microglial colonization and multifaceted functions in the developing brain, especially focusing on the embryonic stage, and discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying microglial behaviors.
Hybrid feature selection approach to identify optimal features of profile metadata to detect social bots in Twitter
Authors: Alothali Eiman , Hayawi Kadhim , Alashwal Hany
Published: September 2021

The last few years have revealed that social bots in social networks have become more sophisticated in design as they adapt their features to avoid detection systems. The deceptive nature of bots to mimic human users is due to the advancement of artificial intelligence and chatbots, where these bots learn and adjust very quickly. Therefore, finding the optimal features needed to detect them is an area for further investigation. In this paper, we propose a hybrid feature selection (FS) method to evaluate profile metadata features to find these optimal features, which are evaluated using random forest, naïve Bayes, support vector machines, and neural networks. We found that the cross-validation attribute evaluation performance was the best when compared to other FS methods. Our results show that the random forest classifier with six optimal features achieved the best score of 94.3% for the area under the curve. The results maintained overall 89% accuracy, 83.8% precision, and 83.3% recall for the bot class. We found that using four features:favorites_count,verified,statuses_count, andaverage_tweets_per_day,achieves good performance metrics for bot detection (84.1% precision, 81.2% recall).
High and low-cycle-fatigue properties of 17–4 PH manufactured via selective laser melting in as-built, machined and hipped conditions
Authors: Concli Franco , Fraccaroli Lorenzo , Nalli Filippo , Cortese Luca
Published: September 2021

In the last years, additive manufacturing (AM) has turned into an emerging technology and an increasing number of classes of material powders are now available for this manufacturing process. For large-scale adoption, an accurate knowledge of the mechanical behaviour of the resulting materials is fundamental, also considering that reliable data are often lacking and dedicated standards are still missing for these AM alloys. In this regard, the aim of the present work is to characterize both the high-cycle-fatigue (HFC) and the low-cycle-fatigue (LCF) behaviour of AM 17–4 PH stainless steel (SS). To better understand the performance of the selected alloy, four series of cylindrical samples were manufactured. Three series were produced via selective laser melting (SLM), better known as laser-based powder bed fusion of metals technology using an EOS M280 machine. The first series was tested in the as-built condition, the second was machined before testing to obtain a better surface finishing, while the third series was post-processed via hot isostatic pressing (HIP). Finally, a fourth series of samples was produced from the wrought 17–4 PH material counterpart, for comparison. The understanding and assessment of the influence of surface finishing on the fatigue behaviour of AM materials are fundamental, considering that in most applications the AM parts may present reticular or lattice structures, internal cavities or complex geometries, which must be set into operation in the as-built conditions, since a surface finishing postprocess is not convenient or not feasible at all. On the other side, a HIP process is often suggested to reduce the internal porosities and, therefore, to improve the resulting mechanical properties. The high-cycle-fatigue limits were obtained with a short staircase approach according to the Dixon statistical method. The maximum number of cycles (run-out) was set equal to 50,00,000. The part of the Wöhler diagram relative to finite life was also characterized by means of additional tests at higher stress levels. On the other side, the low-cycle tests allowed to tune the Ramberg–Osgood cyclic curves and the Basquin–Coffin–Manson LCF curves. The results obtained for the four different series of specimens permitted to quantify the reduction of the mechanical performance due to the actual limits of the laser-based powder bed fusion technology (surface quality, internal porosity, different solidification) with respect to traditional manufacturing and could be used to improve design safety and reliability, granting structural integrity of actual applications under elastic and elasto-plastic fatigue loads.
The strength of domestic production networks: an economic application of the Finn cycling index
Authors: Braun Erik , Sebestyén Tamás , Kiss Tibor
Published: September 2021

There has been an increasing interest in analyzing the structure of domestic and global supply chains/networks in the past decade. Concerns about potential (systemic) risks resulting from overdependence on global supply networks have been magnified during the lockdowns triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last year. Strengthening local and/or domestic networks may be an adequate approach to overcome the severe economic implications of this overdependence, but it also rises the question of how one can measure the strength of domestic supply/production networks and design an appropriate structure. The objective of this paper is to propose a method for measurement and to provide a first-cut analysis with this method on a sample of economies. Building on ecological network analysis, we borrow the Finn cycling index from its toolbox and show a ranking of countries with respect to the strength of their domestic production networks based on this index. The results suggest that the countries are very heterogeneous both in terms of the level of cycling index and its sectoral decomposition. Using panel-econometric techniques, we point out the role of the openness and structural asymmetry in shaping this strength, also controlling for other macroeconomic characteristics of the economies. The estimates reveal that openness has a negative, while asymmetry has a positive effect on this index, but other country-specific characteristics also play a role in shaping the systemic operation of national economies as measured by the Finn cycling index.
Writing Bestsellers
Authors: Wilkins Kim , Bennett Lisa
Published: September 2021

While the term 'bestseller' explicitly relates books to sales, commercially successful books are also products of individual creative work. This Element presents a new perspective on the relationship between art and the market, with particular reference to bestselling writers and books. We examine some existing perspectives on art's relationship to the marketplace to trouble persistent binaries that see the two in opposition; we break down the monolith of the marketplace by thinking of it as made up of a range of invested, non-hostile participants such as publishing personnel and readers; we articulate the material dimensions of creative writing in the industry through the words of bestselling writers themselves; and we examine how the existence of bestselling books and writers in the world of letters bears enormous influence on the industry, and on the practice of other writers.
RADIOCARBON AGES OF SUYANGGAE PALEOLITHIC SITES IN DANYANG, KOREA
Authors: Kim Kyeong J , Kim Ju Y , Lee Kyong W , Lee Seung W , Woo Jong Y , Lee Yung J , Jull A J Timothy
Published: September 2021

The Suyanggae archeological complex is located in Aegok-li, Danyang County, Chungbuk Province, Korea (128°20'00"E, 365˚7'15"N, elevation 132 m). We investigated two Suyanggae Paleolithic localities (1 and 6). A total of 31 samples (18 localities) were analyzed for radiocarbon (14C) ages in three paleolithic cultural horizons of Suyanggae Locality 6 (SYG-6). The purpose of this paper is to report all dating results of SYG-6. It was found that ranges of 14C ages (BP) of cultural layers of SYG-6 are known to be 17,550 ± 80 ∼ 20,470 ± 70, 30,360 ± 350 ∼ 44,100 ± 1900, and 34,870 ± 540 ∼ 46,360 ± 510 BP for cultural layers 2, 3, and 4, respectively. We compared these age data with those of the previous study associated with Gunang Cave near Suyanggae Locality 1 (SYG-1). Based on the chronological information of the three archaeological sites, early humans lived in a rather cold environment from approximately 30,000 to 46,000 BP and disappeared between 30,000 ∼ 20,000 BP and then settled again in SYG-6 site during LGM period. This study demonstrates that archaeological study is important not only for understanding human occupations with their cultural development but also establishing climatic signals to which they have been adapted as a part of the human evolutional process.
Here and There with Arithmetic
Authors: LIFSCHITZ VLADIMIR
Published: September 2021

Abstarct

In the theory of answer set programming, two groups of rules are called strongly equivalent if, informally speaking, they have the same meaning in any context. The relationship between strong equivalence and the propositional logic of here-and-there allows us to establish strong equivalence by deriving rules of each group from rules of the other. In the process, rules are rewritten as propositional formulas. We extend this method of proving strong equivalence to an answer set programming language that includes operations on integers. The formula representing a rule in this language is a first-order formula that may contain comparison symbols among its predicate constants, and symbols for arithmetic operations among its function constants. The paper is under consideration for acceptance in TPLP.
Study of the Dilatancy/Contraction Mechanism of Landslide Fluidization Behavior Using an Initially Saturated Granular Column Collapse Simulation
Authors: Liang Heng , He Siming , Jiang Yuanjun
Published: September 2021

Fluidlike and integral sliding behaviors can be partly attributed to the dilatancy/contraction behavior of granular materials. A three‐dimensional two‐phase model and smoothed particle hydrodynamics method are applied to study the fluidization behavior by simulating the collapse of an initially fully saturated granular column. The dimensionless numbers (the initial aspect ratio, initial solid volume fraction, and Stokes number associated with the grain size) are varied to examine the collapse process and deposition characteristics. The profiles and front location during collapse highlight that the mechanism changes with the Stokes number and initial solid volume. The granular migration and pore pressure evolution characteristics are presented to clarify the differences in the collapse procedures and mechanisms pertaining to the simulation cases. The dimensionless final runout length and deposition height present monotonically increase and decrease following power laws with increasing initial aspect ratio, respectively; the dimensionless final runout length and deposition height also have monotonically decreasing and increasing relationships with increasing initial solid volume fraction and strongly increasing and decreasing characteristics during the transfer from the viscous flow regime to the inertial flow regime with increasing Stokes number, respectively. The simulation results indicate that the dynamic mechanism of the fluidization transformation is controlled by the Stokes number and initial solid volume fraction. Moreover, the coupling effect of the Stokes number, initial solid volume fraction and initial aspect ratio controls the collapse process of the initially saturated granular column.
Knowledge, awareness and practices of Pakistani professionals amid-COVID-19 outbreak
Authors: Khan Samea , Gilani Usman Shah , Raza Syed Muhammad Muslim , Hussain Tanveer
Published: September 2021

End of the year 2019 marks an unprecedented outbreak of a pandemic named COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2. It was first discovered in China and later spread to the whole world, currently inflicting almost 200 countries. After China, few other countries have emerged as potential epicenters of this disease including the US, Italy, Spain and Pakistan, as indicated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since proper preventive and curative measures in the form of a vaccine or medication are currently unavailable throughout the world, the only remedy devised to stop the spread of this virus is self-isolation. Such a measure necessitates ample awareness and understanding among people to avoid actions that lead to the spread of this virus. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country in the world (212.2 million) and has a record of contagious outbreaks in the past. Therefore, it is key to evaluate the general understanding regarding the cause, spread and control of this disease in Pakistani population and acquire data to anticipate the possible spread and persistence of this disease to design relevant preventive measures. We have attempted to collect such data from professionals who are susceptible to acquiring the infection due to an unavoidable exposure. Keeping in view the current lock down, we have relied on an internet based collection of data by filling a self-designed questionnaire that is responded to by 1132. Descriptive and Frequency Analysis were performed on the responses received using MS Excel and SPSS software. A total of 1132 individuals responded to the questionnaire among which include academic (45.8%), non-academic (20.8%), healthcare (7.8%), security (5.9%) and other (19.7%) professionals. The questionnaire addressed the level of basic information regarding the cause, spread, cure and prevention of this disease among professionals, in an attempt to provide directions for awareness campaigns at different levels in Pakistan and provide a model for similar outbreaks in the future.To our expectations, almost after a month of the coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan, above 50% to up to 90% of the recorded responses against every question showed ample understanding regarding the cause, spread and control of the disease which is an indicator of effective public awareness campaigns throughout the country largely based on media drive.
Metabolomics analysis of grains of wheat infected and noninfected with Tilletia controversa Kühn
Authors: Ren Zhaoyu , Fang Mingke , Muhae-Ud-Din Ghulam , Gao Haifeng , Yang Yazhen , Liu Taiguo , Chen Wanquan , Gao Li
Published: September 2021

Dwarf bunt caused by the pathogen Tilletia controversa Kühn is one of the most serious quarantine diseases of winter wheat. Metabolomics studies provide detailed information about the biochemical changes at the cell and tissue levels of plants. In the present study, a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) metabolomics approach was used to investigate the changes in the grain metabolomics of infected and noninfected with T. controversa samples. PCA suggested that T. controversa-infected and noninfected samples were separated during the interaction. LC/MS analysis showed that 62 different metabolites were recorded in the grains, among which a total of 34 metabolites were upregulated and 28 metabolites were downregulated. Prostaglandins (PGs) and 9-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids (9-HODEs) are fungal toxin-related substances, and their expression significantly increased in T. controversa-infected grains. Additionally, the concentrations of cucurbic acid and octadecatrienoic acid changed significantly after pathogen infection, which play a large role in plant defense. The eight different metabolic pathways activated during T. controversa and wheat plant interactions included phenylalanine metabolism, isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism. In conclusion, we found differences in the metabolic profiles of wheat grains after T. controversa infection. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the metabolites in wheat grains after T. controversa infection.
Grob-type fragmentation of an oxonium ylide generated from α-imino rhodium carbene
Authors: Chen Tao , Yan Zhenxing , Duan Shengguo , Xu Ze-Feng , Li Chuan-Ying
Published: September 2021

A Grob-type fragmentation of an oxonium ylide generated from α-imino rhodium carbene and tethered tetrahydrofuran was realized, leading to functionalized acroleins.
Kinetics of protein aggregation at a temperature gradient condition
Authors: Awasthi Prasoon , Das Soumen
Published: September 2021

Our model system is a small step towards studying protein aggregation kinetics while mimicking in vivo temperature gradient condition and it demonstrates the unconventional multi-sigmoidal kinetic behavior.
Non-hyperuniform metastable states around a disordered hyperuniform state of densely packed spheres: stochastic density functional theory at strong coupling
Authors: Frusawa Hiroshi
Published: September 2021

Disordered hyperuniform materials exhibit fascinating physical properties such as optical transparency. Here we provide a theoretical explanation of why the hyperuniformity is violated due to intermittent particle rearrangements.
Spoken Discourse Assessment and Analysis in Aphasia: An International Survey of Current Practices
Authors: Stark Brielle C. , Dutta Manaswita , Murray Laura L. , Fromm Davida , Bryant Lucy , Harmon Tyson G. , Ramage Amy E. , Roberts Angela C.
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Spoken discourse analysis is commonly employed in the assessment and treatment of people living with aphasia, yet there is no standardization in assessment, analysis, or reporting procedures, thereby precluding comparison/meta-analyses of data and hindering replication of findings. An important first step is to identify current practices in collecting and analyzing spoken discourse in aphasia. Thus, this study surveyed current practices, with the goal of working toward standardizing spoken discourse assessment first in research settings with subsequent implementation into clinical settings.

Method

A mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) survey was publicized to researchers and clinicians around the globe who have collected and/or analyzed spoken discourse data in aphasia. The survey data were collected between September and November 2019.

Results

Of the 201 individuals who consented to participate, 189 completed all mandatory questions in the survey (with fewer completing nonmandatory response questions). The majority of respondents reported barriers to utilizing discourse including transcription, coding, and analysis. The most common barrier was time (e.g., lack of time). Respondents also indicated that there was a lack of, and a need for, psychometric properties and normative data for spoken discourse use in the assessment and treatment of persons with aphasia. Quantitative and qualitative results are described in detail.

Conclusions

The current survey study evaluated spoken discourse methods in aphasia across research and clinical settings. Findings from this study will be used to guide development of process standardization in spoken discourse and for the creation of a psychometric and normative property database.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16639510
Spatial and temporal variations of the Chandra ACIS particle-induced background and development of a spectral-model generation tool
Authors: Suzuki H. , Plucinsky P. P. , Gaetz T. J. , Bamba A.
Published: September 2021

Context. In X-ray observations, estimating the particle-induced background is important, especially for faint and/or diffuse sources. Although software exists to generate total (sky and detector) background data suitable for a given Chandra ACIS observation, no public software exists to model the particle-induced background separately.

Aims. We aimed to understand the spatial and temporal variations of the particle-induced background of Chandra ACIS obtained in the two data modes, VFAINT and FAINT.

Methods. Observations performed with ACIS in the stowed position shielded from the sky and the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S) data sets were used. The spectra were modeled with a combination of the instrumental lines of Al, Si, Ni, and Au and continuum components. The spatial variations of the spectral shapes were modeled by dividing each CCD into 32 regions in the CHIPY direction. The temporal variations of the spectral shapes were modeled using all the individual ACIS-stowed observations.

Results. Similar spatial variations of the spectral shapes were found in VFAINT and FAINT data, which are mainly due to the inappropriate correction of charge transfer inefficiency for events that convert in the frame-store regions. The temporal variation of the spectral hardness ratio is ∼10% maximum, which seems to be largely due to solar activity. We modeled this variation by modifying the spectral hardnesses according to the total count rate. Incorporating these properties, we developed a tool, mkacispback, to generate the particle-induced background spectral model corresponding to an arbitrary celestial observation. As an example application, we used the background spectrum produced by the mkacispback tool in an analysis of the unresolved cosmic X-ray background in the CDF-S observations. We found intensities of 3.10 (2.98–3.21)×10−12 erg s−1 cm−2 deg−2 in the 2–8 keV band and 8.35 (8.00–8.70)×10−12 erg s−1 cm−2 deg−2 in the 1–2 keV band, which are consistent with or lower than previous estimates.

Conclusions. We modeled the spatial and temporal variations of the particle-induced background spectra of the Chandra ACIS-I and the S1, S2, and S3 CCDs, and developed a tool to generate a spectral model for an arbitrary celestial observation.
An Overview and Future Outlook of Indonesian Agroforestry: a Bibliographic and Literature Review
Authors: Budiadi  , Jihad Aqmal N. , Lestari Lina D.
Published: September 2021

Indonesian agroforestry has been developed along the history, since been reported that home garden was practiced from 3,000 BC in Java Island. However, agroforestry practices were recognized to have less contribution to people welfare and environmental sustainability. Bibliometric and literature studies extracting baseline information from thousands of publications were done to analyse history and future projection of Indonesian agroforestry. Research and publication on Indonesian agroforestry is steadily increasing in number and quality. Topics related with traditional land use system and ecosystem services were frequently found, and therefore classified as motor themes. There were 16 most attractive commodities stated in the publications, including palm oil and rubber. Rubber agroforest was the only system that pay interest in several decades. There were many researches on indigenous agroforestry practices in the islands, but mostly (77%) concentrated in Java Island, especially studying private forest and home garden. The research on the issues of population pressure on forestland and efficient use of resources are the most popular topic in the decades. In the recent decade, broader theme of research was found including climate change and long-term livelihood. Based on the study, indigenous agroforestry is still important subject to study, but future roadmap of agroforestry must be developed by integrating forestry and agriculture approaches.
Fully-discrete finite element numerical scheme with decoupling structure and energy stability for the Cahn–Hilliard phase-field model of two-phase incompressible flow system with variable density and viscosity
Authors: Chen Chuanjun , Yang Xiaofeng
Published: September 2021

We construct a fully-discrete finite element numerical scheme for the Cahn–Hilliard phase-field model of the two-phase incompressible flow system with variable density and viscosity. The scheme is linear, decoupled, and unconditionally energy stable. Its key idea is to combine the penalty method of the Navier–Stokes equations with the Strang operator splitting method, and introduce several nonlocal variables and their ordinary differential equations to process coupled nonlinear terms. The scheme is highly efficient and it only needs to solve a series of completely independent linear elliptic equations at each time step, in which the Cahn–Hilliard equation and the pressure Poisson equation only have constant coefficients. We rigorously prove the unconditional energy stability and solvability of the scheme and carry out numerous accuracy/stability examples and various benchmark numerical simulations in 2D and 3D, including the Rayleigh–Taylor instability and rising/coalescence dynamics of bubbles to demonstrate the effectiveness of the scheme, numerically.
Global Thrombosis Test: Occlusion by Coagulation or SIPA?
Authors: Clavería Viviana , Yang Patricia J. , Griffin Michael T. , Ku David N.
Published: September 2021

The global thrombosis test (GTT) is a point of care device that tests thrombotic and thrombolytic status. The device exposes whole blood flow to a combination of both high and low shear stress past and between ball bearings potentially causing thrombin and fibrin formation. The question arises as to whether thrombosis in the GTT is dominated by coagulation-triggered red clot or high shear-induced white clot. We investigated the nature of the thrombus formed in the GTT, the device efficacy, human factors use, and limitations. The GTT formed clots that were histologically fibrin-rich with trapped red blood cells. The occlusion time (OT) was more consistent with coagulation than high shear white clot and was strongly lengthened by heparin and citrate, two common anticoagulants. The clot was lysed by tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), also consistent with a fibrin-rich red clot. Changing the bead to a collagen-coated surface and eliminating the low shear zone between the beads induced a rapid OT consistent with a platelet-rich thrombus that was relatively resistant to heparin or tPA. The evidence points to the GTT as occluding primarily due to fibrin-rich red clot from coagulation rather than high shear platelet aggregation and occlusion associated with arterial thrombosis.
Distribution of adult fish and spawning nests of estuarine-dependent amphidromous goby (
Authors: Oto Yumeki
Published: September 2021

Adults of the marine-originated amphidromous goby (Gymnogobius petschiliensis) inhabit both freshwater and brackish-water areas, unlike many other amphidromous species, which spend their entire lives, except the larval stage, in freshwater. Furthermore, adult G. petschiliensis individuals incur higher osmoregulatory costs in freshwater than those in hypertonic brackish water under laboratory conditions, suggesting that the ecology of the species is largely dependent on high-salinity (ancestral) environments. Therefore, a detailed information on the ecology of G. petschiliensis will help elucidate the diversity and evolution of amphidromy. Here, this study assessed the habitat use and freshwater dependency of G. petschiliensis in two streams in central Japan. Year-round surveys showed that adult density was higher in freshwater than in brackish water during the non-spawning season. This implies that adults chose salinity habitats according to ecological conditions (e.g. inter- and intraspecific competition, and predation risk) without being bound by physiological preferences. Conversely, most egg clutches were found in brackish water. Furthermore, adult density in brackish water increased with the increase in spawning events, suggesting that the adults migrated downstream for spawning. This preference for spawning in brackish water rather than in freshwater may be attributed to the constraints of their reproductive physiology.
Effect of bio‐banding on physiological and technical‐tactical key performance indicators in youth elite soccer
Authors: Lüdin Dennis , Donath Lars , Cobley Stephen , Romann Michael
Published: September 2021

Bio‐banding has been introduced to reduce the impact of inter‐individual differences due to biological maturation among youth athletes. Existing studies in youth soccer have generally examined the pilot‐testing application of bio‐banding. This is the first study that investigated whether bio‐banded (BB) versus chronological age (CA) competition affects reliable physiological and technical‐tactical in‐game key performance indicators (KPIs) using a randomized cross‐over repeated measures design. Sixty‐five youth elite soccer players from the under‐13 (U13) and under‐14 (U14) age category and with maturity offsets (MO) between −2.5 and 0.5 years, competed in both a BB and CA game. For statistical analysis, players were divided into four sub‐groups according to CA and MO: U13MOlow (CA ≤ 12.7, MO ≤ −1.4), U13MOhigh (CA ≤ 12.7, MO > −1.4), U14MOlow (CA > 12.7, MO ≤ −1.4), U14MOhigh (CA > 12.7, MO > −1.4). The two‐factor mixed ANOVA revealed significant (p < .05) interactions between competition format and sub‐group for the KPIs high accelerations ( = .176), conquered balls ( = .227) and attack balls ( = .146). Especially, U13MOhigh (i.e. early maturing players) faced a higher physiological challenge by having more high accelerations (|d| = 0.6) in BB games. Notably, U14MOlow (i.e. late maturing players) had more opportunities to show their technical‐tactical abilities during BB games with more conquered balls (|d| = 1.1) and attack balls (|d| = 1.6). Affected KPIs indicate new challenges and learning opportunities during BB competition depending on a player's individual maturity status. Bio‐banding can beneficially be applied to enhance the talent development of youth elite soccer players.
Ewald’s role among the pioneers of otoneurology
Authors: Megighian Aram , Reggiani Carlo
Published: September 2021

Julius Richard Ewald was an eminent physiologist who first proposed the hydrodynamic theory of stimulation of the semicircular canals of the vestibular labyrinth. Among otoneurologists, he is remembered for the laws that take his name. The first establishes that the direction of endolymphatic flow is consensual to the direction of the slow phase of the vestibulo-oculomotor nystagmus. The second says that ampullopetal endolymphatic flow produces a stronger response than ampullofugal flow in the horizontal canal. The third law is an upgrade of the second one: ampullofugal flow produces a stronger response than ampullopetal flow in the vertical canals
Video-nystagmography test findings in post COVID-19 patients
Authors: Abdelrahman Tayseer Taha , Shafik Noha Ali
Published: September 2021

Objectives

There is growing evidence of neurological involvement of SARS-CoV-2 in some otoneurological subjective symptoms such as balance disorders. The aim of this work was to investigate the prevalence of equilibrium disorders such as dizziness and vertigo in a sample of COVID-19 patients after recovery. The effect of COVID-19 on the vestibular system and the correlation between the severity of the infection and the effect on the vestibular system was investigated.

Methods

Twenty Post COVID-19 subjects after complete cure who complain of dizziness were subjected to full history taking, Otological examination, Pure tone audiometry, and Videonystagmography test.

Results

Half of the patients have a history of the sense of imbalance attacks and most patients showed positional nystagmus followed by caloric weakness. Half of the patients that had a history of severe COVID-19 disease have a symmetrical caloric response. However, two-thirds with a history of either mild or moderate degree COVID-19 had asymmetrical caloric response with a significant difference between the incidence in severe versus mild and moderate degrees reflecting a significant association between the severity of the disease and the caloric asymmetry.

Conclusion

The SARS-CoV-2 virus can affect different parts of the vestibular system.
The isotropic attractor solution of axion-SU(2) inflation: universal isotropization in Bianchi type-I geometry
Authors: Wolfson Ira , Maleknejad Azadeh , Murata Tomoaki , Komatsu Eiichiro , Kobayashi Tsutomu
Published: September 2021

SU(2) gauge fields coupled to an axion field can acquire an
isotropic background solution during inflation. We study
homogeneous but anisotropic inflationary solutions in the presence
of such (massless) gauge fields. A gauge field in the cosmological
background may pose a threat to spatial isotropy. We show, however,
that such models generally isotropize in Bianchi type-I
geometry, and the isotropic solution is the attractor. Restricting
the setup by adding an axial symmetry, we revisited the numerical
analysis presented in [1]. We find that the
reported numerical breakdown in the previous analysis is an artifact
of parametrization singularity. We use a new parametrization that is
well-defined all over the phase space. We show that the system
respects the cosmic no-hair conjecture and the anisotropies always
dilute away within a few e-folds.
Histologic Analysis of Urethral Stricture in 9 Patients Following Dorsal Vaginal Graft Urethroplasty
Authors: Pathak Ram A , Geiger Xochiquetzal , Ericson Christian , Wilson Robert R A , Petrou Steven P
Published: September 2021

Objective

To present the pathologic analysis of female urethral strictures obtained during reconstructive urethroplasty.

Methods

Nine separate female urethral tissue specimens were obtained during dorsal vaginal graft urethroplasty by a single surgeon (S.P.P.). Samples were serially sectioned and fixed in 10% formalin 6 to 12 hours before routine processing in paraffin blocks. Serial 5-µm sections were subjected to H&E, Masson trichrome, and elastin staining. End point analysis included evaluation for epithelial hyperplasia and cell type, mucosal edema, degree of fibroblast/inflammatory cell infiltrate, and elastin fiber density and distribution.

Results

Nine specimens were examined. Six specimens had epithelial linings of stratified squamous epithelium overlying fibrosis (67%), 1 had mixed squamous and urothelial epithelium, and 2 had only urothelial epithelium. Two specimens (29%) showed acute injury with prominent squamous papillary hyperplasia, focal erosion, and patchy mucosal hemorrhage. Areas of urethral stricture were variably thickened, with increased, densely packed collagen fibers and associated mucosal lymphocytic inflammation ranging from mild and patchy to focally dense with lymphoid aggregates. The highest elastin fiber density appeared to be associated with vessels and overlying muscle bundles in the submucosa.

Conclusions

Further elucidation of histopathologic characteristics may illuminate more appropriate therapeutic pathways for female urethral stricture disease management.
Persistent postoperative opioid use after total hip or knee arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Tay Hui Ping , Wang Xinyi , Narayan Sujita W , Penm Jonathan , Patanwala Asad E
Published: September 2021

Purpose

To identify the proportion of patients with continued opioid use after total hip or knee arthroplasty.

Methods

This systematic review and meta-analysis searched Embase, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts for articles published from January 1, 2009, to May 26, 2021. The search terms (opioid, postoperative, hospital discharge, total hip or knee arthroplasty, and treatment duration) were based on 5 key concepts. We included studies of adults who underwent total hip or knee arthroplasty, with at least 3 months postoperative follow-up.

Results

There were 30 studies included. Of these, 17 reported on outcomes of total hip arthroplasty and 19 reported on outcomes of total knee arthroplasty, with some reporting on outcomes of both procedures. In patients having total hip arthroplasty, rates of postoperative opioid use at various time points were as follows: at 3 months, 20% (95% CI, 13%-26%); at 6 months, 17% (95% CI, 12%-21%); at 9 months, 19% (95% CI, 13%-24%); and at 12 months, 16% (95% CI, 15%-16%). In patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty, rates of postoperative opioid use were as follows: at 3 months, 26% (95% CI, 19%-33%); at 6 months, 20% (95% CI, 17%-24%); at 9 months, 23% (95% CI, 17%-28%); and at 12 months, 21% (95% CI, 12%-29%). Opioid naïve patients were less likely to have continued postoperative opioid use than those who were opioid tolerant preoperatively.

Conclusion

Over 1 in 5 patients continued opioid use for longer than 3 months after total hip or knee arthroplasty. Clinicians should be aware of this trajectory of opioid consumption after surgery.
Assessing Patient Satisfaction Following Blepharoplasty Using Social Media Reviews
Authors: Tseng Christopher C , Patel Rushi , Desai Amar D , Shah Vraj P , Talmor Guy , Paskhover Boris
Published: September 2021

Background

Because patient satisfaction is a significant qualitative consideration in measuring aesthetic surgery outcome, it is important to characterize the individual factors that shape the patient perspective about blepharoplasty.

Objectives

This study analyzed reviews by blepharoplasty patients on the aesthetic surgery social media platform RealSelf.com to determine which aspects of the surgical process have the most significant impact on patient satisfaction.

Methods

Blepharoplasty reviews were gathered from RealSelf.com with an automated web crawler. These reviews were characterized as positive or negative, then given a specific category that more specifically defined the theme of the review. Additional variables, including the specialty of the reviewed physician and any patient self-reported ratings, were documented.

Results

A total of 1991 reviews pertaining to blepharoplasty were collected. Among reviews with self-reported “worth it” ratings, 93.5% were positive. Following categorization of all reviews, 1865 (93.7%) were positive and 126 (6.3%) were negative. Of the positive reviews, the most common overall themes were bedside manner (n = 899, 48.2%), aesthetic result (n = 859, 46.1%), and overall comfort (n = 58, 3.1%). Among negative reviews, most pertained to aesthetic result (n = 100, 79.4%), and bedside manner (n = 14, 11.1%). The most frequently encountered physician specialties performing blepharoplasty were plastic surgery (n = 1101, 55.3%), ophthalmology (n = 634, 31.8%), and otolaryngology (n = 69, 3.5%).

Conclusions

The majority of reviews were positive. The most prominent factor driving positive reviews was bedside manner, followed by aesthetic results. Negative reviews were most frequently attributed to suboptimal aesthetic results. Most blepharoplasties in our study cohort were performed by plastic and oculoplastic surgeons.
High-Dose Neuromodulators: A Roundtable on Making Sense of the Data in Real-World Clinical Practice
Authors: Fabi Sabrina Guillen , Carruthers Jean , Joseph John , Cox Sue Ellen , Yoelin Steve , Few Julius , Kaufman-Janette Joely , Dayan Steven
Published: September 2021

Background

For aesthetic treatment with botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNTA), interest in maximizing treatment duration and efficacy has prompted study of doses higher than those used in registration studies. As data emerge, it is important that physicians understand how to apply study findings to their own practice so that patient demand is satisfied.

Objectives

To bring together leading experts in neuromodulators for a roundtable discussion on the implications of high-dose BoNTA studies for patient care.

Methods

The authors reviewed and discussed recent data from high-dose BoNTA studies for abobotulinum toxin A, incobotulinum toxin A, and Oonobotulinumtoxin A.

Results

Discussion focused on the challenges of data interpretation and extrapolation of study findings for real-world patient care. The authors participated in a candid discussion of whether the observed improvements in treatment duration and patient satisfaction warrant treatment with high-dose regimens delivered as high-concentration injections. Safety was also discussed, as well as economic considerations for both practices and patients. Of note, for BoNTA products, the registration dose, when administered in a smaller total volume, appears to give rise to more durable results than those observed in pivotal trials, implicating product concentration as an important consideration. Importantly, at higher doses, extended duration of effect does not appear to be at the expense of natural-looking results.

Conclusions

While the authors provide considerations for the development of individual clinical practice, there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation. It may be that “high-dose” BoNTA is in reality the optimal dose; however, important economic considerations may prevent rapid uptake for all patients.
Deep-AFPpred: identifying novel antifungal peptides using pretrained embeddings from seq2vec with 1DCNN-BiLSTM
Authors: Sharma Ritesh , Shrivastava Sameer , Kumar Singh Sanjay , Kumar Abhinav , Saxena Sonal , Kumar Singh Raj
Published: September 2021

Fungal infections or mycosis cause a wide range of diseases in humans and animals. The incidences of community acquired; nosocomial fungal infections have increased dramatically after the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in number of patients with immunodeficiency / immunosuppression related diseases, resistance to existing antifungal compounds and availability of limited therapeutic options has triggered the search for alternative antifungal molecules. In this direction, antifungal peptides (AFPs) have received a lot of interest as an alternative to currently available antifungal drugs. Although the AFPs are produced by diverse population of living organisms, identifying effective AFPs from natural sources is time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, there is a need to develop a robust in silico model capable of identifying novel AFPs in protein sequences. In this paper, we propose Deep-AFPpred, a deep learning classifier that can identify AFPs in protein sequences. We developed Deep-AFPpred using the concept of transfer learning with 1DCNN-BiLSTM deep learning algorithm. The findings reveal that Deep-AFPpred beats other state-of-the-art AFP classifiers by a wide margin and achieved approximately 96% and 94% precision on validation and test data, respectively. Based on the proposed approach, an online prediction server is created and made publicly available at https://afppred.anvil.app/. Using this server, one can identify novel AFPs in protein sequences and the results are provided as a report that includes predicted peptides, their physicochemical properties and motifs. By utilizing this model, we identified AFPs in different proteins, which can be chemically synthesized in lab and experimentally validated for their antifungal activity.
Asymptotic distribution-free changepoint detection for data with repeated observations
Authors: Song Hoseung , Chen Hao
Published: September 2021

A nonparametric framework for changepoint detection, based on scan statistics utilizing graphs that represent similarities among observations, is gaining attention owing to its flexibility and good performance for high-dimensional and non-Euclidean data sequences. However, this graph-based framework faces challenges when there are repeated observations in the sequence, which is often the case for discrete data such as network data. In this article we extend the graph-based framework to solve this problem by averaging or taking the union of all possible optimal graphs resulting from repeated observations. We consider both the single-changepoint alternative and the changed-interval alternative, and derive analytical formulas to control the Type I error for the new methods, making them readily applicable to large datasets. The extended methods are illustrated on an application in detecting changes in a sequence of dynamic networks over time. All proposed methods are implemented in an $\texttt{R}$ package $\texttt{gSeg}$ available on CRAN.
Safety of anastomoses in colorectal cancer surgery in octogenarians: a prospective cohort study with propensity score matching
Authors: Lehmann Kai S , Klinger Carsten , Diers Johannes , Buhr Heinz-Johannes , Germer Christoph-Thomas , Wiegering Armin
Published: September 2021

Background

Up to 20 per cent of all operations for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) are performed in octogenarians. Anastomotic leakage is a leading cause of morbidity and death after resection for CRC. The aim of this study was to assess the rate of anastomosis creation, the risk of anastomotic leakage and death in surgery for left-sided CRC in elderly patients.

Methods

This prospective cohort study compared patients less than 80 and 80 or more years with left-sided CRC resection performed between 2013 and 2019. Data were provided from a risk-adjusted surgical quality-assessment system with 219 participating centres in Germany. Outcome measures were the rate of anastomoses, anastomotic leakages, death at 30 days and 2-year overall survival (OS). Propensity score matching was used to control for selection bias and compare subgroups of patients of less than 80 and 80 or more years.

Results

Out of 18 959 patients, some 3169 (16.7 per cent) were octogenarians. Octogenarians were less likely to receive anastomoses (82.0 versus 92.9 per cent, P < 0.001; odds ratio 0.50 (95 per cent c.i. 0.44 to 0.58), P < 0.001). The rate of anastomotic leakages did not differ between age groups (8.6 versus 9.7 per cent, P = 0.084), but 30-day mortality rate after leakage was significantly higher in octogenarians (15.8 versus 3.5 per cent, P < 0.001). Overall, anastomotic leakage was the strongest predictor for death (odds ratio 4.95 (95 per cent c.i. 3.66 to 6.66), P < 0.001). In the subgroup with no leakage, octogenarians had a lower 2-year OS rate than younger patients (71 versus 87 per cent, P < 0.001), and in the population with anastomotic leakage, the 2-year OS was 80 per cent in younger and 43 per cent in elderly patients (P < 0.001). After propensity score matching, older age remained predictive for not receiving an anastomosis (odds ratio 0.54 (95 per cent c.i. 0.46 to 0.63), P < 0.001) and for death (odds ratio 2.60 (95 per cent c.i. 1.78 to 3.84), P < 0.001), but not for the occurrence of leakages (odds ratio 0.94 (95 per cent c.i. 0.76 to 1.15), P = 0.524).

Conclusion

Anastomotic leakage is not more common in octogenarians, but an age of 80 years or older is an independent factor for not receiving an anastomosis in surgery for left-sided CRC. The mortality rate in the case of leakage in octogenarians was reported to exceed 15 per cent.