bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A review of motion planning algorithms for intelligent robots
Authors: Zhou Chengmin , Huang Bingding , Fränti Pasi
Published: November 2021

Principles of typical motion planning algorithms are investigated and analyzed in this paper. These algorithms include traditional planning algorithms, classical machine learning algorithms, optimal value reinforcement learning, and policy gradient reinforcement learning. Traditional planning algorithms investigated includegraph search algorithms,sampling-based algorithms,interpolating curve algorithms, andreaction-based algorithms. Classical machine learning algorithms includemulticlass support vector machine,long short-term memory,Monte-Carlo tree searchandconvolutional neural network. Optimal value reinforcement learning algorithms includeQ learning,deep Q-learning network,double deep Q-learning network,dueling deep Q-learning network. Policy gradient algorithms includepolicy gradient method,actor-critic algorithm,asynchronous advantage actor-critic,advantage actor-critic,deterministic policy gradient,deep deterministic policy gradient,trust region policy optimizationandproximal policy optimization. New general criteria are also introduced to evaluate the performance and application of motion planning algorithms by analytical comparisons. The convergence speed and stability of optimal value and policy gradient algorithms are specially analyzed. Future directions are presented analytically according to principles and analytical comparisons of motion planning algorithms. This paper provides researchers with a clear and comprehensive understanding about advantages, disadvantages, relationships, and future of motion planning algorithms in robots, and paves ways for better motion planning algorithms in academia, engineering, and manufacturing.
Physical activity reduces the risk of pneumonia: systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 prospective studies involving 1,044,492 participants
Authors: Kunutsor Setor K. , Seidu Samuel , Laukkanen Jari A.
Published: November 2021

The beneficial effects of regular physical activity in promoting health and preventing chronic diseases are well documented. The relationship between regular physical activity and the risk of pneumonia is uncertain. We aimed to evaluate the magnitude and specificity of the prospective association between regular physical activity and the risk of pneumonia using a systematic review and meta-analysis of published observational cohort studies in general populations. Relevant studies with at least 1 year of follow-up were sought from inception until 15 September 2021 in MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and manual search of relevant articles. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the maximum versus the minimal amount of physical activity groups were pooled using fixed effects meta-analysis. The quality of the evidence was evaluated using the GRADE tool. A total of 10 prospective cohort studies comprising 1,044,492 participants and 7681 events were eligible. The pooled multivariable-adjusted RR (95% CI) of pneumonia comparing the most versus the least physically active groups was 0.69 (0.64–0.74). This association was significantly modified by type of outcome (p-value for meta-regression = .002): 0.82 (0.72–0.93) for incident pneumonia and 0.64 (0.59–0.70) for pneumonia-related mortality. There was no evidence of heterogeneity and publication bias. The GRADE quality of the evidence ranged from moderate to low. Aggregate analysis of 10 cohort studies shows that regular physical activity is associated with lowered risk of incident pneumonia and pneumonia-related mortality in the general population. Physical activity types that are attractive to and feasible for high-risk populations need to be identified and encouraged. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO 2021: CRD42021277514.
OXTR-Related Markers in Clinical Depression: a Longitudinal Case–Control Psychotherapy Study
Authors: Reiner Iris C. , Gimpl Gerald , Beutel Manfred E. , Bakermans-Kranenburg Marian J. , Frieling Helge
Published: November 2021

We investigated stability and change of plasma and urinary oxytocin as well as OXTR DNA methylation patterns through psychotherapy. Furthermore, we explored the potential impact of inpatient psychotherapy on oxytocin-related biomarkers and vice versa by differentiating patients who remitted from depression versus non-remitters. Blood and urine samples were taken from 85 premenopausal women (aged 19–52), 43 clinically depressed patients from a psychosomatic inpatient unit, and 42 healthy control subjects matched for age and education at two points of time. Serum and urine oxytocin were measured using standard ELISA, and DNA methylation of the OXTR gene was assessed using bisulfite sequencing at the time of admission (baseline) and at discharge and from controls at matched time points. Oxytocin plasma levels were not associated with depression and were influenced by neither time in healthy controls nor psychotherapy in patients. Non-remitting depressed patients had significantly lower oxytocin urine levels before and after psychotherapy treatment. We found significantly lower exon 1 OTXR methylation in depressed patients over time and these differences were driven by patients remitting due to psychotherapy. A reverse pattern — higher levels of methylation in remitters — was found for exon 2 OXTR DNA methylation. Plasma oxytocin, urinary oxytocin, and OXTR DNA methylation patterns were intrapersonally relatively stable. OXTR-related factors were seemingly unaffected by inpatient psychotherapeutic treatment, but we found significant differences between remitting and non-remitting patients in urinary oxytocin and OXTR DNA methylation. If replicated, this suggests that OXTR-related markers may predict inpatient treatment outcomes of clinically depressed patients.
Pedicled Latissimus Dorsi Kiss Flap for the Reconstruction of Large Chest Wall Defect After Mastectomy
Authors: Huang Shengchao , Qiu Pu , Li Jianwen , Chen Weizhang , Liang Zhongzeng , Luo Kangwei , Huang Baoyi , Yu Liyan , Yan Zeming , Zhang Yuanqi
Published: November 2021

To discover the utility of pedicled latissimus dorsi kiss flap for the reconstruction of chest wall defect after mastectomy. This study was a systemic analysis of 12 female patients with breast tumors who were treated at Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University from January 2018 to December 2019. Among them, three patients had malignant lobular breast tumors, and nine patients had locally advanced breast cancer. After extensive resection of the primary tumor, the chest wall skin, and soft tissue, a large defect was left in the chest wall of each patient. Based on the design and structure of the kiss flap, two semicircular flaps of equal diameter were designed in the latissimus dorsi region, and their blood supply was retained from the same vascular trunk. Two flaps were transferred to the chest wall through a subcutaneous tunnel, and the incision in the donor area was sutured directly. Finally, two equal semicircle flaps were adjusted to fit the defect and then fixed on the chest wall. Referred to the design of the kiss flap, the area of the latissimus dorsi was increased to cover a larger chest wall defect. We have used this flap to reconstruct chest wall defects on twelve patients. Their age ranged from 24 to 62. The largest defect was 20 × 12 cm, and the smallest defect was 15 × 10 cm in diameter. Postoperative follow-up time was 5–9 months (mean time: 6.2 months): Follow-up observations demonstrated that all the flaps were healed well without edema or extravasation and donor area of all cases was closed well. In addition, no local recurrence or distant metastasis was observed in all patients.
Mantle Deformation Beneath India Inferred from Shear Wave Splitting
Authors: Roy Sunil K. , Kumar M. Ravi , Srinagesh D.
Published: November 2021

We attempt to synthesize the mantle deformation patterns beneath India by assembling ~2500 published shear wave splitting measurements from more than 350 broadband seismic stations. On a continental scale, the delay times are clustered around 0.8s, with the fast polarization azimuths (FPAs) predominantly oriented parallel to the absolute plate motion (APM) direction. This can be attributed to basal shear due to the interaction between the lithosphere and asthenosphere. In addition, the FPAs reveal a significant deviation from the APM from south to north. This deviation is analysed in four sub-regions namely northeast (NE), north, central and south India. In the NE and northern India, the deviation is attributed to the Indo-Eurasian collision tectonics. In NE India, the deviation from APM is found to be parallel to the strike of the orogens, suggesting coherent deformation in the upper mantle. In central India, the deviation from APM is attributed to frozen anisotropy associated with widespread magmatism in the Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP), paleo rifting and collisional events in the eastern Indian shield. The deviation is stronger in southern India than in central or northern India, primarily in the DVP, Western Dharwar Craton and northern part of Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT). This probably reflects the lithospheric evolution process in the mid-to-late-Archean, continental rifting in the western and eastern margins, ocean closure and subduction in the northern part of SGT. Back azimuthal variation in the splitting measurements in southern India suggests layered anisotropy and/or variation among different blocks.
Extending persian sentiment lexicon with idiomatic expressions for sentiment analysis
Authors: Dashtipour Kia , Gogate Mandar , Gelbukh Alexander , Hussain Amir
Published: November 2021

Nowadays, it is important for buyers to know other customer opinions to make informed decisions on buying a product or service. In addition, companies and organizations can exploit customer opinions to improve their products and services. However, the Quintilian bytes of the opinions generated every day cannot be manually read and summarized. Sentiment analysis and opinion mining techniques offer a solution to automatically classify and summarize user opinions. However, current sentiment analysis research is mostly focused on English, with much fewer resources available for other languages like Persian. In our previous work, we developed PerSent, a publicly available sentiment lexicon to facilitate lexicon-based sentiment analysis of texts in the Persian language. However, PerSent-based sentiment analysis approach fails to classify the real-world sentences consisting of idiomatic expressions. Therefore, in this paper, we describe an extension of the PerSent lexicon with more than 1000 idiomatic expressions, along with their polarity, and propose an algorithm to accurately classify Persian text. Comparative experimental results reveal the usefulness of the extended lexicon for sentiment analysis as compared to PerSent lexicon-based sentiment analysis as well as Persian-to-English translation-based approaches. The extended version of the lexicon will be made publicly available.
Structural Formulas for Matrix-Valued Orthogonal Polynomials Related to $$2\times 2$$ Hypergeometric Operators
Authors: Calderón C. , Castro M. M.
Published: November 2021

We give some structural formulas for the family of matrix-valued orthogonal polynomials of size $$2\times 2$$

2
×
2

introduced by C. Calderón et al. in an earlier work, which are common eigenfunctions of a differential operator of hypergeometric type. Specifically, we give a Rodrigues formula that allows us to write this family of polynomials explicitly in terms of the classical Jacobi polynomials, and write, for the sequence of orthonormal polynomials, the three-term recurrence relation and the Christoffel–Darboux identity. We obtain a Pearson equation, which enables us to prove that the sequence of derivatives of the orthogonal polynomials is also orthogonal, and to compute a Rodrigues formula for these polynomials as well as a matrix-valued differential operator having these polynomials as eigenfunctions. We also describe the second-order differential operators of the algebra associated with the weight matrix.
The Mystery of Remote Communality: University Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Uusiautti Satu , Hyvärinen Sanna , Björkman Sina
Published: November 2021

The aim of this study was to examine how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic affected the communality among university personnel and students. Herein, we report the findings from a northern Finnish university in which student (mean number of participants, n = 339) and staff (mean number of participants, n = 133) perceptions and experiences were surveyed. The data (gathered between March 2020 and June 2021 in 7 surveys) included responses to questions about satisfaction with remote and hybrid work and communality. In addition, as the focus of the analysis in this research, we collected the participants’ descriptions of their experiences and thoughts through open-ended questions. The sense of communality among the students, students and teachers, and staff differed, but the appreciation for flexible interactions and availability was similar between the groups. This study discusses the importance of retaining a sense of communality during and after abnormal times on the basis of the reported findings.
A review on advances in doping with alkali metals in halide perovskite materials
Authors: Tabassum Madeeha , Zia Qasim , Zhou Yongfeng , Reece Michael J. , Su Lei
Published: November 2021

Recent progress in doping of halide perovskite materials (HPM) by using targeted elements has provided a dimension beyond structural and compositional modification, for achieving desired properties and resulting device performance. Herein doping of alkali metal ions (Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+) in three-dimensional HPM is reviewed to lay a particular focus on advances in synthesis, doping-induced changes in optical and electrical properties, and their optoelectronic applications. The introduction of alkali metals in HPM shows an effective route for improved morphology, suppressed ion migration, reduction in non-radiative recombination, passivation of bulk and interface defects, and increased thermal stability. In the end, we provide our perspective that the effect of alkali metal incorporation on the efficiency and stability of HPM should be further investigated via in-situ characterization methods and doped HPM should be considered for more functional applications.

Graphical abstract
bZIP17 regulates heat stress tolerance at reproductive stage in Arabidopsis
Authors: Gao Juan , Wang Mei-Jing , Wang Jing-Jing , Lu Hai-Ping , Liu Jian-Xiang
Published: November 2021

High temperature elicits a well-conserved response called the unfolded protein response (UPR) to bring protein homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Two key UPR regulators bZIP28 and bZIP60 have been shown to be essential for maintaining fertility under heat stress conditions inArabidopsis, however, the function of transcriptional activator bZIP17, a paralog of bZIP28, in heat stress response at reproductive stage is not reported. Here we found thatbzip17mutant plants were sensitive to heat stress in terms of silique length and fertility comparing to that of wildtype (WT)Arabidopsisplants, and transcriptomic analysis showed that 1380 genes were specifically up-regulated and 493 genes were specifically down-regulated by heat stress in the flowers of WT plants comparing to that inbzip17mutant plants. These bZIP17-dependent up-regulated genes were enriched in responses to abiotic stresses such as water deprivation and salt stress. Further chromatin immuno-precipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-Seq) uncovered 1645 genes that were direct targets of bZIP17 inMYC-bZIP17expressing seedlings subjected to heat stress. Among these 1645 genes, ERSE-IIcis-element was enriched in the binding peaks of their promoters, and the up-regulation of 113 genes by heat stress in flowers was dependent on bZIP17. Our results revealed direct targets of bZIP17 in flowers during heat stress responses and demonstrated the important role of bZIP17 in maintaining fertility upon heat stress in plants.
Stein interpolation for the real interpolation method
Authors: Lindemulder Nick , Lorist Emiel
Published: November 2021

We prove a complex formulation of the real interpolation method, showing that the real and complex interpolation methods are not inherently real or complex. Using this complex formulation, we prove Stein interpolation for the real interpolation method. We apply this theorem to interpolate weighted $$L^p$$

L
p

-spaces and the sectoriality of closed operators with the real interpolation method.
Sexual Desire, Depressive Symptoms and Medication Use Among Women With Fibromyalgia in Flanders
Authors: Van Overmeire Roel , Vesentini Lara , Vanclooster Stephanie , Muysewinkel Emilie , Bilsen Johan
Published: November 2021

Background

Fibromyalgia (FM) is associated with sexual dysfunction, though much less is known about the sexual desire, and especially dyadic and solitary sexual desire, among women with fibromyalgia.

Aim

To investigate on the one hand the global sexual desire, the dyadic sexual and solitary sexual desire, and on the other hand the association with depressive symptoms, fibromyalgia symptoms and medication use among women with fibromyalgia in Flanders, Belgium.

Methods

An online survey was spread through the Flemish league for Fibromyalgia Patients to be completed by women with fibromyalgia. The sexual desire inventory-2 (SDI-2) was used to measure sexual desire (global, dyadic, solitary), the VASFIQ for fibromyalgia symptoms, and the PHQ-2 for depressive symptoms, while also including questions on demographic factors (time since FM, age) and medication usage (antidepressants, pain medication, sleeping medication).

Main Outcome Measure

Global sexual desire, dyadic sexual desire and solitary sexual desire were studied in relation to depressive symptoms, medication use and fibromyalgia symptoms.

Results

One hundred and three women with FM answered the survey. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a lower global, dyadic and solitary sexual desire, as was the use of antidepressant medication. The association between solitary sexual desire and depressive symptoms disappeared when controlled for antidepressant medication. Age, fibromyalgia symptoms nor time since diagnosis were significantly associated with any form of sexual desire.

Conclusion

Depressive symptoms and antidepressant medication, and not fibromyalgia symptoms, were associated with decreased sexual desire of women with FM. As antidepressant medication and depressive symptoms are associated with a decreased sexual desire, more attention should be paid towards the mental health issues associated with fibromyalgia, as well as the prescription of antidepressant medication. This study is the first to investigate sexual desire among women with fibromyalgia in Flanders, and one of the few internationally to have done so. It is limited by its cross-sectional design, and for not providing information on men with FM.
Comparison of mood state in severe pelvic organ prolapse patients before and after surgery
Authors: Long Xicui , Hu Yong , Xiong Zhenghua , Li Chen , Jin Wenjiao , Guo Huiming , Zhang Juan , Han Xuesong
Published: November 2021

Objective

This study aimed to compare the mood state of patients with severe pelvic organ prolapse (POP) before and after surgery.

Methods

This prospective study enrolled 100 patients with severe POP who were surgically treated between October 2016 and February 2019. The clinical severity of POP was evaluated using the POP Quantification (POP-Q) System. Mood state evaluation, using the Hamilton anxiety (HAMA) and the Hamilton depression (HAMD) scale, was performed preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively.

Results

The POP-Q stage was significantly improved postoperatively (P ​< ​0.05). Preoperatively, the patients had varying degrees of anxiety symptoms (mean HAMA score, 11.94 ​± ​5.59 points) and depression symptoms (mean HAMD score, 5.56 ​± ​2.58 points); these scores were significantly decreased at 3 months (mean HAMA score, 4.67 ​± ​2.02 points; mean HAMD score, 3.58 ​± ​1.61 points) and 6 months postoperatively (mean HAMA score, 4.88 ​± ​2.57 points; mean HAMD score, 3.38 ​± ​1.60 points) (P ​< ​0.05). There were no differences in the HAMD and HAMA scores in both traditional prolapse surgery patients and mesh pelvic reconstruction patients preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively (P＞0.05).

Conclusions

Patients with severe POP have different anxiety and depression symptoms preoperatively. Successful individualized surgical treatment is effective for improving the clinical severity of severe POP and might alleviate or improve POP-related anxiety or depression symptoms.
Can the European Court of Human Rights Shape European Public Order?
Authors: Dzehtsiarou Kanstantsin
Published: November 2021

In this book, Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou argues that, from the legal perspective, the formula 'European public order' is excessively vague and does not have an identifiable meaning; therefore, it should not be used by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in its reasoning. However, European public order can also be understood as an analytical concept which does not require a clearly defined content. In this sense, the ECtHR can impact European public order but cannot strategically shape it. The Court's impact is a by-product of individual cases which create a feedback loop with the contracting states. European public order is influenced as a result of interaction between the Court and the contracting parties. This book uses a wide range of sources and evidence to substantiate its core arguments: from a comprehensive analysis of the Court's case law to research interviews with the judges of the ECtHR.
Struggles for Self-Determination
Authors: Brownell Josiah
Published: November 2021

Katanga, Rhodesia, Transkei and Bophuthatswana: four African countries that, though existing in a literal sense, were, in each case, considered by the international community to be a component part of a larger sovereign state through which all official communications and interactions were still conducted. This book is concerned with the intertwined histories of these four right-wing secessionist states in Southern Africa as they fought for but ultimately failed to win sovereign recognition. Along the way, Katanga, Rhodesia, Transkei, and Bophuthatswana each invented new national symbols and traditions, created all the trappings of independent statehood, and each proclaimed that their movements were legitimate expressions of national self-determination. Josiah Brownell provides a unique comparison between these states, viewed together as a common reaction to decolonization and the triumph of anticolonial African nationalism. Describing the ideological stakes of their struggles for sovereignty, Brownell explores the international political controversies that their drives for independence initiated inside and outside Africa. By combining their stories, this book draws out the relationships between the emergence of these four pseudo-states and the fragility of the entire postcolonial African state structure.
“Is that for here or to go?” Drive-Through Pediatric Vaccine Clinic as a Novel Approach during a Global Pandemic
Authors: Patil Sowmya , Kerby Karalyn , Ramick Amy , Criddle Justin H.
Published: November 2021

Objective:

Routine childhood vaccination and well-child visits are essential for pediatric patients’ preventative and public healthcare services. The COVID-19 pandemic had an immediate and significant decline in well-child visits and vaccine administration. A one-of-a-kind ‘Drive-Through Vaccine Clinic’ was established to improve the vaccination rate and alleviate parental anxiety about being exposed to COVID-19 infection.

Methods:

Our initial focus was on children between 18 months – 4 years of age at the start of the pandemic, and then extended this to the back-to-school vaccines and the Influenza vaccines.

Results:

The Drive-Through Immunization Station provided 745 vaccines to 415 patients between April and September, 2020. The median wait time involved from patient arrival to completion of vaccine administration was 5 minutes at the Drive-Through location. Patient and parent feedback was positive. The addition of the Drive-Through Clinic helped to significantly increase the total number of vaccines administered compared to the previous year.

Conclusion:

In a global pandemic, innovative ideas to increase access to preventive healthcare should be a priority. In the future, this method of non-traditional vaccine administration, will allow for improved outreach efforts to underserved populations in our communities, and better disaster preparedness.
Female slam poets of francophone Africa: spirited words for social change
Authors: de Bruijn Mirjam , Oudenhuijsen Loes
Published: November 2021

Slam poets in Africa are part of an emerging social movement. In this article, the focus is on women in this upcoming slam movement in francophone Africa. For these women, slam has meant a change in their lives as they have found words to describe difficult experiences that were previously shrouded in silence. Their words, performances and engaged actions are developing into a body of popular knowledge that questions the status quo and relates to the ‘emerging consciousness’ in many African urban societies of unequal, often gendered, power relations. The women who engage in slam have thus become a voice for the emancipation of women in general.
Vernacular historiography and self-translation in early colonial Nigeria: Ajiṣafẹ's History of Abẹokuta
Authors: Deese Adrian M.
Published: November 2021

Emmanuel Olympus Moore (aka Ajiṣafẹ) (c.1875/79–1940) was a pioneer of Nigerian Yorùbá literature and popular music. Ajiṣafẹ was one of the most significant Nigerian popular cultural figures of his generation. Written during the amalgamation of Nigeria, his History of Abẹokuta (1916) (Iwe Itan Abẹokuta, 1924) is a seminal text for our understanding of Abẹokuta and the Ẹgba kingdom. This article examines the bilingual passages of the History in which Ajiṣafẹ invokes oral history to construct a religious ethnography of the early Ẹgba polity. Self-translation enabled vernacular authors to mediate constituencies. The English and Yorùbá texts of the History differ in their engagement with Yorùbá cosmology. Ajiṣafẹ's texts converge in his defence of the Odùduwà dynasty; Abẹokuta, in a constitutional Yorùbá united kingdom, would be the seat of ecclesiastical power. Civil authority in Nigeria could be stabilized through an Abrahamic renegotiation of divine kingship. To establish his treatise within a genealogy of world Christianity, Ajiṣafẹ utilized self-translation as a rhetorical device to reconcile the working of providence in precolonial and colonial African history. Ajiṣafẹ's History, ultimately, is an Abrahamic exposition of the role of God's providence in bringing about the complete unification of Nigeria in September 1914.
A contested financial frontier: banking and empire building in Eritrea,c.1952–73
Authors: Puddu Luca
Published: November 2021

This article provides an account of the relationship between imperial Ethiopia and Eritrea in the realm of banking governance from the start of the federation to the last years of the imperial regime. It looks in particular at the relationship between the Ethiopian administrations and an Italian bank, Banco di Roma, which had its headquarters in Eritrea from 1948 to 1967 before moving to Addis Ababa. The struggle for control of the economic flows generated by the Italian bank is an index of the changes in centre–periphery linkages between Addis Ababa and the sub-regional centre of Asmara. Archival evidence highlights the multifaced nature of Ethiopian governance and the role performed by the Italian institution in providing alternative sources of diplomatic leverage and wealth accumulation to the Eritrean elite. It is argued that the extraterritorial status enjoyed by Banco di Roma until 1967 was actively tolerated by a section of the Ethiopian establishment, which resorted to an established pattern of imperial governance based on flexibility in return for tribute. This centre–periphery arrangement was harshly opposed by prominent Ethiopian officials from the Ministry of Finance and the National Bank of Ethiopia, who struggled to enforce tighter government control over capital flows within and across the country's borders. The National Bank's final success in the quest for financial centralization drained significant resources out of Eritrea, with adverse effects on the preservation of thepax aethiopicain the former Italian colony.
Miocene to sub-Recent magmatism at the intersection between the Dead Sea Transform and the Ash Shaam volcanic field: evidence from the Yarmouk River gorge and vicinity
Authors: Segev Amit , Reznik Itay J. , Schattner Uri
Published: November 2021

The Yarmouk River gorge extends along the Israel–Jordan–Syria border junction. It marks the southern bound of the Irbid–Azraq rift and Harrat Ash Shaam volcanic field at their intersection with the younger Dead Sea Transform plate boundary. During the last ∼13 Ma, the gorge has repeatedly accumulated basaltic units, chronologically named the Lower, Cover, Yarmouk and Raqqad Basalt formations. We examined their origin and distribution through aerial photos, and geological and geophysical evidence. Our results define a southern Golan magmatic province, which includes exposed Miocene (∼13 Ma) basalts, gabbro–diabase intrusions below the gorge and the adjacent Dead Sea Transform valley, and numerous Pliocene–Pleistocene volcanic sources along the gorge. Cover Basalt (∼5.0–4.3 Ma) eruptions formed two adjacent 0–100 m thick plateaus on the transform shoulder before flowing downslope to fill the topographically lower Dead Sea Transform valley with ∼700 m thick basalts. Later incision of the Yarmouk River and displacement along its associated fault divided the plateaus and formed the gorge. The younger Yarmouk (0.8–0.6 Ma) and Raqqad (0.2–0.1 Ma) basalts erupted in the upper part of the gorge from volcanos reported here, and flowed downstream toward the Dead Sea Transform valley. Consequently, eruptions from six phreatic volcanic vents altered the Yarmouk River morphology from sinuous to meandering. Our results associate the ∼13 Ma long southern Golan volcanism with the proposed SW-trending extensional Yarmouk Fault, located east of the Dead Sea Transform. Hence, the Yarmouk volcanism is associated with the ongoing Harrat Ash Shaam activity, which is not directly linked to the displacement along the Dead Sea Transform.
Arytenoid granuloma: a single-institution experience of management of 62 cases
Authors: Gandhi S , Ganesuni D , Shenoy S S , Bhatta S , Ghanpur A D
Published: November 2021

Objective

This retrospective study was undertaken to assess the outcome of the medical and/or surgical management of patients presenting with clinical features of arytenoid granuloma.

Methods

The records of 53 males and 9 females were reviewed for predisposing factors, types of treatment received and recurrence following the treatment.

Results

Most of the patients (48 out of 62, 77.4 per cent) were treated conservatively with medical management and voice therapy, which resulted in complete resolution of arytenoid granuloma in over two-thirds of the patients treated (32 out of 48, 66.6 per cent). Overall, 28 patients (out of 62, 45.1 per cent) required surgery (14 failed medical treatment cases and 14 surgery as first-line treatment cases). Of these, five patients (out of 28, 17.9 per cent) had recurrence, and were managed with revision surgery and concurrent local injection of Botox.

Conclusion

Anti-reflux medication and voice therapy are effective first-line management options. Pre- and post-surgery adjuvant treatment improves the results of surgery. Local injection of Botox was successful in the treatment of failed surgical cases.
Distance between the middle turn of the cochlea and labyrinthine portion of the facial nerve: a surgical-radiological comparison and assessment of clinical importance
Authors: Lakhawat R , Grover M , Sharma S , Charan M , Lohar N , Samdani S
Published: November 2021

Objective

To highlight the close anatomical relationship between the middle turn of the cochlea and the labyrinthine segment of the facial nerve, which will be helpful to predict the probability of occurrence of facial nerve stimulation following cochlear implant surgery.

Methods

High-resolution computed tomography of 40 cadaveric temporal bones was performed, followed by microscopic dissection. Cochleo-facial distance was measured with the help of a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (‘DICOM’) viewer on high-resolution computed tomography and by a millimetre scale in the dissected specimen.

Results

The cochleo-facial distance on high-resolution computed tomography was 0.62 ± 0.09 mm, ranging from 0.41 to 0.81 mm, and on dissection it was 0.57 ± 0.10 mm, ranging from 0.35 to 0.74 mm.

Conclusion

The labyrinthine segment is the most likely area of stimulation in patients suffering from facial nerve stimulation following cochlear implantation. Pre-operative high-resolution computed tomography of the temporal bone can be used to examine the bone separating the labyrinthine segment of the facial nerve from the middle turn of the cochlea. This has clinical significance regarding implant side selection and pre-operative patient counselling.
An unusual cause for globus sensation: infected tracheal diverticulum with abscess formation
Authors: Leedman S , Quick M , Coombs A , Hee G
Published: November 2021

Case report

A 43-year-old woman presented with a 3-week history of globus sensation and malaise. A computed tomography scan of her neck showed a large right paratracheal abscess secondary to an infected tracheal diverticulum. The patient was admitted under the ENT surgical team, and underwent incision and drainage of the abscess. There were no post-operative complications and she was discharged home after 2 days, on oral antibiotics.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates that a tracheal diverticulum may become infected and present as a cervical abscess. To our knowledge, this is the fourth reported case in the international literature of abscess formation related to an infected tracheal diverticulum.
Impact of tonsillotomy versus tonsillectomy on health-related quality of life and healthcare costs in children with sleep-disordered breathing
Authors: Sakki A J , Roine R P , Mäkinen L K , Sintonen H , Nokso-Koivisto J
Published: November 2021

Objective

This study aimed to explore health-related quality of life and use of healthcare services and ensuing costs before and after tonsillotomy in children with sleep-disordered breathing and to compare the results to an earlier cohort of children who had undergone tonsillectomy.

Method

Children undergoing tonsillotomy answered the 17-dimensional, standardised health-related quality of life instrument questionnaire and a questionnaire on use of healthcare services and sick leave before and after surgery. Costs of specialist care were obtained pre- and post-operatively. The data were compared with similar data collected previously from children with tonsillectomy.

Results

Tonsillotomy improved mean total health-related quality of life score significantly at 6 and 12 months. Healthcare costs and number of sick-leave days diminished significantly from 3 months pre-operatively to 12 months after surgery. Tonsillotomy had similar positive effects compared with tonsillectomy regarding health-related quality of life and healthcare costs.

Conclusion

Tonsillotomy improves health-related quality of life in children with sleep-disordered breathing and reduces healthcare service needs and sick leave similarly to tonsillectomy.
Do antibullying laws in the United States have an impact?
Authors: Gupta Mayank , Gupta Nihit , D’souza Vanessa
Published: November 2021

Bullying is an omnipresent problem with high prevalence in children and adolescents. There are many antibullying state laws and practices in place however its real level impact is ambiguous at best. We studied the prevalence of bullying in the United States, examine the practices, laws, and interventions in place to prevent bullying and its real-life impact. Various studies have reported that the ground-level change brought about by these policies and programs varies and is not quite significant. The effectiveness of existing policies and legislations remains unclear and measurable objective change or impact is not yet observed. Therefore, a rethink of the strategies is needed. The focus must be on community-level programs and interventions with inclusive approaches involving all the stakeholders are critical for addressing this menace.
Liability for robots I: legal challenges
Authors: Guerra Alice , Parisi Francesco , Pi Daniel
Published: November 2021

In robot torts, robots carry out activities that are partially controlled by a human operator. Several legal and economic scholars across the world have argued for the need to rethink legal remedies as we apply them to robot torts. Yet, to date, there exists no general formulation of liability in case of robot accidents, and the proposed solutions differ across jurisdictions. We proceed in our research with a set of two companion papers. In this paper, we present the novel problems posed by robot accidents, and assess the legal challenges and institutional prospects that policymakers face in the regulation of robot torts. In the companion paper, we build on the present analysis and use an economic model to propose a new liability regime which blends negligence-based rules and strict manufacturer liability rules to create optimal incentives for robot torts.
2D perfusion angiography as quantitative method to evaluate iloprost	effect on foot circulation
Authors: Troisi Nicola , Panci Simone , Piazza Roberto , Michelagnoli Stefano
Published: November 2021

Summary: Background: Two-dimensional (2D) perfusion angiography is useful for the evaluation of foot perfusion in patients with critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). Iloprost is a synthetic prostacyclin analogue presenting vasodilating properties. Aim of this study was to demonstrate the utility of 2D perfusion angiography as quantitative method to evaluate iloprost effect on foot circulation. Patients and methods: Between January 2020 and June 2020 25 patients with CLTI underwent below-the-knee (BTK) endovascular revascularization, intra-arterial administration of iloprost, and assessment of foot perfusion by 2D perfusion angiography. Iloprost was administered as an intra-arterial bolus of 3 μg over 1–3 minutes immediately after BTK revascularization. The 2D perfusion angiography was performed in a standardized manner with a 5-F catheter placed into the popliteal artery. A wide region of interest (ROI) was identified to assess the foot perfusion. Time–density curves were calculated by the perfusion software. Changes of the overall time-density curves before and after the administration of iloprost were evaluated. Results: Endovascular revascularization was successful in all cases. The mean reduction of systolic pressure value after iloprost administration was 23.1 mmHg. Eight patients (32%) experienced a minor complication (6 cutaneous rush, 2 symptomatic hypotension >40 mmHg). In 20 patients the time-density curves under ROI increased after the intra-arterial administration of iloprost (+31.6%, range from +4.9% to +78.7%). Five patients had no modification or a slight decrease of foot perfusion after iloprost administration (non-responders patients). Conclusions: Patients undergoing intra-arterial administration of iloprost accounted for a not negligible rate of minor complications. 2D perfusion angiography was valuable as quantitative method to evaluate the iloprost effect on foot circulation. This technique could be useful to classify the patients in responders or non-responders to iloprost therapy.
Osmium Isotopic Evidence for Eccentricity‐Paced Increases in Continental Weathering During the Latest Hauterivian, Early Cretaceous
Authors: Matsumoto H. , Coccioni R. , Frontalini F. , Shirai K. , Kuroda J.
Published: November 2021

The 405‐kyr eccentricity cycle is a consistent orbital parameter throughout the Phanerozoic that is associated with long‐term variations in global continental weathering. However, a lack of reliable geological evidence has hampered the understanding of the relation between the 405‐kyr eccentricity cycle and continental weathering during the Cretaceous. Os isotopic ratios (187Os/188Os) of the sedimentary record reflect the balance between radiogenic Os derived from continental weathering and Os derived from unradiogenic sources (e.g., hydrothermal activity, weathering of mafic rocks, and extraterrestrial sources). This ratio is therefore considered as a good proxy for the evaluation of short‐term changes in continental weathering patterns. To trace orbital‐paced continental weathering, this study reconstructs the marine Os isotopic records in upper Hauterivian to lower Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) carbonate rocks in central Italy, where previous studies have reported that variations in clay mineral composition are paced by the 405‐kyr cycle. Our new Os isotopic record documents periodic oscillations of187Os/188Os between 0.7 and 0.9 that correspond to the 405‐kyr Earth's eccentricity cycle. Because the sedimentary interval with radiogenic187Os/188Os values (∼0.9) corresponds to a time interval characterized by a humid climate in areas surrounding the Tethys, variations in the187Os/188O values likely reflect cyclic changes in continental weathering caused by eccentricity‐paced intensification of monsoonal activity at low latitudes. This variation could have been further amplified by increased input of radiogenic Os from Paleozoic shale and Precambrian crust at higher latitudes that resulted from a latitudinal shift of the intertropical convergence zone.
Multi‐MeV Electron Dynamics Near the Inner Edge of the Outer Radiation Belt
Authors: Hogan Benjamin , Li Xinlin , Zhao Hong , Khoo LengYing , Jaynes Allison , Kanekal Shrikanth , Blake J. Bernard , Baker Daniel N.
Published: November 2021

A variety of dynamic behavior of multi‐MeV electrons near the inner edge of the outer radiation belt has been revealed by detailed analysis of Van Allen Probes data. This study presents multi‐MeV electron flux and phase space density (PSD) using Van Allen Probes data during two strong geomagnetic storms to reveal their energy‐dependent dynamics in the outer belt, with dynamics occurring on timescales of hours to ∼1 week. Enhancements are shown down to L = 2.6, where ∼3 MeV electron populations are enhanced by an order of magnitude during one storm of study. Study of a second comparable storm shows rapid depletion of electron populations up to ∼7 MeV in the region 2.6 ≤ L ≤ 3. We also identify a local electron PSD peak at L ≈ 3 that slowly accumulates during quiet time and is rapidly depleted during an intense storm. Possible contributors to these dynamics are discussed.
Improving the Estimation of Human Climate Influence by Selecting Appropriate Forcing Simulations
Authors: Li Chao , Wang Zhaoyun , Zwiers Francis , Zhang Xuebin
Published: November 2021

The regression‐based optimal fingerprinting is a key tool for quantifying human climate influence. Most studies over the past decade used Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) simulations, limiting fingerprinting regression configuration options. The CMIP6 Detection and Attribution Model Intercomparison Project (DAMIP) provides several types of individual forcing simulations and thus greater configuration flexibility. To avoid overfitting the limited observational data, we suggest that a DAMIP‐based perfect model study is first used to best configure the fingerprinting regression prior to its application to observations. We find that a regression using all‐forcing, aerosol‐only, and natural‐only simulations is an overall best option for constraining human‐induced global terrestrial warming, which differs from choices commonly made previously. Applying this configuration to observations, we estimate that of the observed terrestrial warming of ∼1.5°C between 1850–1900 and 2011–2020, anthropogenic greenhouse gases contributed 1.4 to 2.3°C, offset by aerosol cooling of 0.2 to 1.2°C.
A Novel Experimental Study on Density‐Driven Instability and Convective Dissolution in Porous Media
Authors: Guo Ruichang , Sun Hanxing , Zhao Qingqi , Li Zihao , Liu Yang , Chen Cheng
Published: November 2021

Geological carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration (GCS) in deep saline aquifers is a promising solution to mitigate the impact of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on global climate change. CO2 dissolved in formation water increases the solution density and can lead to miscible density‐driven downward convection, which significantly accelerates the dissolution trapping of injected CO2. Experimental studies on miscible density‐driven convection have been limited. In the laboratory, we found an empirical linear correlation between reflected green light intensity and solute concentration, which enabled in situ measurements of solute concentrations in the spatial and temporal domains and consequently the mass flux across the top boundary of the porous medium. Using the novel experimental techniques, we determined the critical Rayleigh‐Darcy number and critical time scales for the onset of density‐driven instability and convective dissolution. This is the first study to determine these critical system parameters using laboratory experiments.
Wildfire Smoke Highlights Troposphere‐to‐Stratosphere Pathway
Authors: Magaritz‐Ronen Leehi , Raveh‐Rubin Shira
Published: November 2021

Following the 2020 wildfires in Australia, an extremely large amount of smoke entered the stratosphere and was dispersed throughout the southern hemisphere stratosphere. However, the pathway and entry point of the smoke into the stratosphere and the underlying mechanism remained unclear. Here, Lagrangian trajectory analysis is used to examine the flow downstream of the fires in the south Pacific, where the smoke was detected. We find that tropical cyclone Sarai merged with an extratropical cyclone to form a troposphere‐wide cyclonic system, with a deep potential vorticity cutoff above it. The smoke first traveled in the isentropic layer between 340 and 350 °K. Having reached the cyclone, the smoke circulated and entered the stratosphere through a dip in the tropopause height within the cutoff. The cyclone described in this case study is not uncommon in these regions, possibly underlining the importance of this mechanism for troposphere‐to‐stratosphere exchange.
Statistics of the Intense Current Structure in the Dayside Magnetopause Boundary Layer
Authors: Man Hengyan , Zhou Meng , Zhong Zhihong , Deng Xiaohua , Li Haimeng
Published: November 2021

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the intense current structures (ICSs) at the dayside magnetopause, by using the high‐resolution data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. About 3,600 ICSs with a current density exceeding 1.2 μA/m2 have been detected within the magnetopause boundary layer (MBL). We find that most ICSs crossed the spacecraft in less than 1 s, corresponding to an average thickness of less than one ion inertial length (di). The number of ICSs decreases with the thickness increasing from the electron‐scale to the ion‐scale. Boundary layers closer to Earth have more ICS than boundary layers further away from Earth, probably caused by the large solar wind dynamic pressure. The occurrence rate of the ICS is higher in the dusk sector near the meridian. For most ICSs, the current is carried by electrons. The perpendicular current (90° to the magnetic field) is larger than the parallel current (0° or 180° to the magnetic field) for more ICSs. The energy conversion between the magnetic field and plasma as measured by is primarily through the perpendicular current and electric field, while the energy dissipation is mainly dominated by the parallel component. ICSs provide much stronger energy conversion and dissipation compared to the ambient plasma in the MBL. This study improves our understanding of the characteristics of the ICS and its role in solar wind‐magnetosphere coupling.