bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural organic battery cathodes comprised of organic redox active polymers, reduced graphene oxide, and aramid nanofibers
Authors: Oka Suyash S. , Thakur Ratul Mitra , Easley Alexandra D. , Green Micah J. , Lutkenhaus Jodie L.
Published: September 2023

A fast-charging structural cathode comprised of a redox-active polymer PTMA–GMA coated on a rGO/BANF platform that exhibits an excellent specific power (∼4310 W kg−1 at 25C-rate) and specific modulus (∼4.33 GPa cm3 g−1).
Difluorination of heterobenzylic C–H bonds with N-fluoro-N-(fluorosulfonyl)carbamate (NFC)
Authors: Adachi Akiya , Hashimoto Takuya , Aikawa Kohsuke , Nozaki Kyoko , Okazoe Takashi
Published: September 2023

Difluorination of heterobenzylic C–H bonds in N-heterocycles presented by pyridines was developed using a fluorinating reagent (NFC: N-fluoro-N-(fluorosulfonyl)carbamate) under mild reaction conditions.
Hydrophobic cross-linked nanoparticles comprising polystyrene and poly(thiophene-diketopyrrolopyrrole) segments for non-volatile memory applications
Authors: Huang Yueh-Chun , Yahagi Tomoya , Chiang Zi-En , Chen Qun-Gao , Lee Wen-Ya , Higashihara Tomoya
Published: September 2023

Molecular nano-floating gate memory devices using triblock conjugated polymer nanoparticles are a promising strategy for high-performance nonvolatile memory and artificial synapses.
Experimental study on ice monitoring method for 10 kV transmission line with tangent tower in alpine landform
Authors: Yang Lin , Chen Zhiqiang , Hao Yanpeng , Lin Xinhao , Yu Lei , Li Yue , Yuan Zhiyong , Li Licheng
Published: September 2023

Ice monitoring methods were applied for 110 kV and above transmission lines with tangent towers. However, the change in the vertical span is not considered, and a significant difference lies in the tower‐conductor structure of 10 kV transmission lines. For this reason, a proposal is made about the ice monitoring method for the 10 kV transmission line with tangent tower in alpine landform, which includes the ice monitoring system based on pressure measurement and corresponding equivalent ice thickness calculating methods. Different methods calculate the vertical span under different height difference coefficients. A finite element simulation model and a simulated ice load experiment system are established based on real conductors and insulators. Experiments and simulations under four simulated terrains are conducted within 2.5–20 mm ice thickness range. The comparison is made between this method and the method without considering the change in vertical span. The results show that the two methods are consistent and the relative errors are lower than ±4% in simulation and ±10% in experiment when the height difference coefficient is 0. When it is not 0, the relative errors of this method fall between +0.38% and +6.78% in simulation and −6.40% to +6.60% in experiment, while the relative errors of the method without considering the change in vertical span ranges between −11.13% and −20.23% in simulation and −11.65% to −23.20% in experiment.
Compact hybrid eighth‐mode substrate integrated waveguide and microstrip line filters with mixed electric and magnetic coupling
Authors: Wang Xiang , Liu Qian‐Wen , Yang Xian‐Long , Li Huangyan , Zhu Xiao‐Wei , Wu Wen
Published: September 2023

This paper proposes a new type of hybrid eighth‐mode substrate integrated waveguide (EMSIW) and microstrip line (MSL) bandpass filter (BPF) with mixed electric and magnetic coupling. Firstly, two second‐order EMSIW BPFs with mixed coupling and wide stopband performance are investigated. Then, in order to realise high‐order BPF with decent performance, half‐wavelength (λ/2) open‐circuited MSL resonators are employed in the hybrid BPFs design. In the end, two third‐order BPFs and a fourth‐order BPF are developed by combining the EMSIW and MSL resonators together. Extra transmission zeros can be introduced due to the cross couplings in the trisection and quadruplet topologies. For demonstration, the proposed prototypes are designed, fabricated and measured. Reasonable agreements can be achieved between the measurement and simulation. The proposed third‐order BPFs compete against the state of the art, exhibiting the competitive characteristics of the operating bandwidth, physical footprint and upper‐stopband rejection with less order. The proposed fourth‐order BPF features a compact size of 0.34 × 0.34λ0, a low insertion loss of 1 dB, a broad 3‐dB fractional bandwidth of 22.9% and an excellent lower‐stopband suppression.
Disc galaxies are still settling
Authors: de Sá-Freitas Camila , Gadotti Dimitri A. , Fragkoudi Francesca , Coccato Lodovico , Coelho Paula , de Lorenzo-Cáceres Adriana , Falcón-Barroso Jesús , Kolcu Tutku , Martín-Navarro Ignacio , Mendez-Abreu Jairo , Neumann Justus , Blazquez Patricia Sanchez , Querejeta Miguel , van de Ven Glenn
Published: September 2023

When galactic discs settle and become massive enough, they are able to form stellar bars. These non-axisymmetric structures induce shocks in the gas, causing it to flow to the centre where nuclear structures, such as nuclear discs and rings, are formed. Previous theoretical and observational studies have hinted at the co-evolution of bars and nuclear discs, suggesting that nuclear discs grow ‘inside-out’ and thereby proposing that smaller discs reside in younger bars. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how the bar and the nuclear structures form and evolve over time. The smallest nuclear discs discovered to date tend to be larger than ∼200 pc, even though some theoretical studies have reported that when nuclear discs form, they can be much smaller. Using MUSE archival data, we report, for the first time, two extragalactic nuclear discs with radius measurements below 100 pc. Additionally, our estimations reveal the youngest bars found to date. We estimate that the bars in these galaxies formed 4.50−1.10+1.60(sys)−0.75+1.00(stat) and 0.7+2.60(sys)−0.05+0.05(stat) Gyr ago, for NGC 289 and NGC 1566, respectively. This suggests that at least some disc galaxies in the Local Universe may still be dynamically settling. By adding these results to previous findings in the literature, we are able to retrieve a stronger correlation between nuclear disc size and bar length. We also derive a tentative exponential growth scenario for nuclear discs.
Electrically controllable spin filtering in zigzag phosphorene nanoribbon based normal–antiferromagnet–normal junctions
Authors: Li 李 Ruigang 锐岗 , Liu 刘 Jun-Feng 军丰 , Wang 汪 Jun 军
Published: September 2023

We investigated the electric controllable spin-filtering effect in a zigzag phosphorene nanoribbon (ZPNR) based normal–antiferromagnet–normal junction. Two ferromagnets are closely coupled to the edges of the nanoribbon and form the edge-to-edge antiferromagnetism. Under an in-plane electric field, the two degenerate edge bands of the edge-to-edge antiferromagnet split into four spin-polarized sub-bands and a 100% spin-polarized current can be easily induced with the maximal conductance 2e
2/h. The spin polarization changes with the strength of the electric field and the exchange field, and changes sign at opposite electric fields. The spin-polarized current switches from one edge to the other by reversing the direction of the electric field. The edge current can also be controlled spatially by changing the electric potential of the scattering region. The manipulation of edge current is useful in spin-transfer-torque magnetic random-access memory and provides a practical way to develop controllable spintronic devices.
Controlling stationary one-way steering in a three-level atomic ensemble
Authors: Peng 彭 Jie 洁 , Xu 徐 Jun 俊 , Liu 刘 Hua-Zhong 华忠 , Lai 赖 Zhang-Li 章丽
Published: September 2023

We propose a scheme for establishing the stationary one-way quantum steering in a three-level Λ-type atomic ensemble. In our system, the cavity modes are generated from two atomic dipole-allowed transitions, which are in turn driven by two external classical fields. The atomic ensemble can act as an engineered reservoir to put two cavity modes into a squeezed state by two Bogoliubov dissipation pathways. When the damping rates of the two cavity modes are different, the steady-state one-way quantum steering of the intracavity and output fields is presented by adjusting the normalized detuning. The physical mechanism is analyzed based on a dressed state representation and Bogoliubov mode transformation. The achieved optical one-way quantum steering scheme has potential applications in quantum secret information sharing protocols.
Anelasticity to plasticity transition in a model two-dimensional amorphous solid
Authors: Shang 尚 Baoshuang 宝双
Published: September 2023

Anelasticity, as an intrinsic property of amorphous solids, plays a significant role in understanding their relaxation and deformation mechanism. However, due to the lack of long-range order in amorphous solids, the structural origin of anelasticity and its distinction from plasticity remain elusive. In this work, using frozen matrix method, we study the transition from anelasticity to plasticity in a two-dimensional model glass. Three distinct mechanical behaviors, namely, elasticity, anelasticity, and plasticity, are identified with control parameters in the amorphous solid. Through the study of finite size effects on these mechanical behaviors, it is revealed that anelasticity can be distinguished from plasticity. Anelasticity serves as an intrinsic bridge connecting the elasticity and plasticity of amorphous solids. Additionally, it is observed that anelastic events are localized, while plastic events are subextensive. The transition from anelasticity to plasticity is found to resemble the entanglement of long-range interactions between element excitations. This study sheds light on the fundamental nature of anelasticity as a key property of element excitations in amorphous solids.
Chinese Technology and the Transformation of the Rural Economy in Ghana: Evidence From Galamsey in the Ashanti and Savannah Regions
Authors: Akyeampong Emmanuel , Xu Liang
Published: September 2023

The recent Chinese involvement in small-scale gold mining in Ghana has received wide publicity and scholarly attention. While the literature has focused on environmental sustainability, political accountability, and institutional reforms, it is yet to examine local adoption of Chinese technology and its impact on Ghana’s rural economy. We argue that it is in the interstices between the formal economy and entrepreneurship within the informal economy that opportunities for Chinese interventions emerge. Using evidence from Manso Akropong in the Ashanti region and Bole in the Savannah region, this article shows that, while Chinese technology’s impact is transformative, the outcomes are divergent in different regions. In Manso Akropong, the intensification of mining backed by Ghanaian–Chinese collaborations has led to the environmental destruction, creating competition between gold mining and cocoa farming that had underpinned Ghana’s rural prosperity. In Bole, where less aggressive Chinese technology such as Changfa and rubber mats are incorporated without direct Chinese participation, a more sustainable pattern of growth has emerged. This comparative study suggests that besides the large-scale projects and state-led training programmes, grassroots actors like informal artisanal miners are at the forefront of technology transfer in the China–Africa encounter.
Controlling root zone temperature improves plant growth and pigments in hydroponic lettuce
Authors: Levine Christopher P , Hayashi Sota , Ohmori Yoshihiro , Kusano Miyako , Kobayashi Makoto , Nishizawa Tomoko , Kurimoto Ikusaburo , Kawabata Saneyuki , Yamori Wataru
Published: September 2023

Background and Aims

Air and root zone temperatures are important environmental factors affecting plant growth and yield. Numerous studies have demonstrated that air temperature strongly affects plant growth and development. Despite the extensive literature on air temperature, comprehensive studies on the effects of root zone temperature (RZT) on plant growth, elemental composition, and pigments are limited. In this study, we carefully observed the effects of RZT in red leaf lettuce to understand its effect on lettuce growth and pigment content.

Methods

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa, red leaf cultivar ‘Red Fire’) was grown hydroponically in a plant factory with artificial light under three RZT treatments (15, 25, or 35 °C) for 13 days. We investigated the comprehensive effects of RZT on the production of red leaf lettuce by metabolome and ionome analyses.

Key Results

The 25 °C RZT treatment achieved maximum shoot and root dry weight. The 35 °C RZT decreased plant growth but significantly increased pigment contents (e.g. anthocyanins, carotenoids). In addition, a RZT heating treatment during plant cultivation that changed from 25 to 35 °C RZT for 8 days before harvest significantly increased shoot dry weight compared with the 35 °C RZT and significantly increased pigments compared with the 25 °C RZT. The 15 °C RZT resulted in significantly less pigment content relative to the 35 °C RZT. The 15 °C RZT also resulted in shoot and root dry weights greater than the 35 °C RZT but less than the 25 °C RZT.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that plant growth and pigments can be enhanced by adjusting RZT during different stages of plant growth to attain enhanced pigment contents while minimizing yield loss. This suggests that controlling RZT could be a viable method to improve lettuce quality via enhancement of pigment content quality while maintaining acceptable yields.
μ- PBWT: a lightweight r-indexing of the PBWT for storing and querying UK Biobank data
Authors: Cozzi Davide , Rossi Massimiliano , Rubinacci Simone , Gagie Travis , Köppl Dominik , Boucher Christina , Bonizzoni Paola
Published: September 2023

Motivation

The Positional Burrows–Wheeler Transform (PBWT) is a data structure that indexes haplotype sequences in a manner that enables finding maximal haplotype matches in h sequences containing w variation sites in O(hw) time. This represents a significant improvement over classical quadratic-time approaches. However, the original PBWT data structure does not allow for queries over Biobank panels that consist of several millions of haplotypes, if an index of the haplotypes must be kept entirely in memory.

Results

In this article, we leverage the notion of r-index proposed for the BWT to present a memory-efficient method for constructing and storing the run-length encoded PBWT, and computing set maximal matches (SMEMs) queries in haplotype sequences. We implement our method, which we refer to as μ-PBWT, and evaluate it on datasets of 1000 Genome Project and UK Biobank data. Our experiments demonstrate that the μ-PBWT reduces the memory usage up to a factor of 20% compared to the best current PBWT-based indexing. In particular, μ-PBWT produces an index that stores high-coverage whole genome sequencing data of chromosome 20 in about a third of the space of its BCF file. μ-PBWT is an adaptation of techniques for the run-length compressed BWT for the PBWT (RLPBWT) and it is based on keeping in memory only a succinct representation of the RLPBWT that still allows the efficient computation of set maximal matches (SMEMs) over the original panel.

Availability and implementation

Our implementation is open source and available at https://github.com/dlcgold/muPBWT. The binary is available at https://bioconda.github.io/recipes/mupbwt/README.html.
DataDTA: a multi-feature and dual-interaction aggregation framework for drug–target binding affinity prediction
Authors: Zhu Yan , Zhao Lingling , Wen Naifeng , Wang Junjie , Wang Chunyu
Published: September 2023

Motivation

Accurate prediction of drug–target binding affinity (DTA) is crucial for drug discovery. The increase in the publication of large-scale DTA datasets enables the development of various computational methods for DTA prediction. Numerous deep learning-based methods have been proposed to predict affinities, some of which only utilize original sequence information or complex structures, but the effective combination of various information and protein-binding pockets have not been fully mined. Therefore, a new method that integrates available key information is urgently needed to predict DTA and accelerate the drug discovery process.

Results

In this study, we propose a novel deep learning-based predictor termed DataDTA to estimate the affinities of drug–target pairs. DataDTA utilizes descriptors of predicted pockets and sequences of proteins, as well as low-dimensional molecular features and SMILES strings of compounds as inputs. Specifically, the pockets were predicted from the three-dimensional structure of proteins and their descriptors were extracted as the partial input features for DTA prediction. The molecular representation of compounds based on algebraic graph features was collected to supplement the input information of targets. Furthermore, to ensure effective learning of multiscale interaction features, a dual-interaction aggregation neural network strategy was developed. DataDTA was compared with state-of-the-art methods on different datasets, and the results showed that DataDTA is a reliable prediction tool for affinities estimation. Specifically, the concordance index (CI) of DataDTA is 0.806 and the Pearson correlation coefficient (R) value is 0.814 on the test dataset, which is higher than other methods.

Availability and implementation

The codes and datasets of DataDTA are available at https://github.com/YanZhu06/DataDTA.
Atypical initial cleavage patterns minimally impact rhesus macaque in vitro embryo morphokinetics and embryo outgrowth development
Authors: Schmidt Jenna Kropp , Block Lindsey N , Jones Kathryn M , Hinkle Hayly M , Mean Katherine D , Bowman Brittany D , Makulec Allison T , Golos Thaddeus G
Published: September 2023

Embryo morphokinetic analysis through time-lapse embryo imaging is envisioned as a method to improve selection of developmentally competent embryos. Morphokinetic analysis could be utilized to evaluate the effects of experimental manipulation on pre-implantation embryo development. The objectives of this study were to establish a normative morphokinetic database for in vitro fertilized rhesus macaque embryos and to assess the impact of atypical initial cleavage patterns on subsequent embryo development and formation of embryo outgrowths. The cleavage pattern and the timing of embryo developmental events were annotated retrospectively for unmanipulated in vitro fertilized rhesus macaque blastocysts produced over four breeding seasons. Approximately 50% of the blastocysts analyzed had an abnormal early cleavage event. The time to the initiation of embryo compaction and the time to completion of hatching was significantly delayed in blastocysts with an abnormal early cleavage event compared to blastocysts that had cleaved normally. Embryo hatching, attachment to an extracellular matrix, and growth during the implantation stage in vitro was not impacted by the initial cleavage pattern. These data establish normative morphokinetic parameters for in vitro fertilized rhesus macaque embryos and suggest that cleavage anomalies may not impact embryo implantation rates following embryo transfer.
Local absorbing boundary conditions on fixed domains give order-one errors for high-frequency waves
Authors: Galkowski Jeffrey , Lafontaine David , Spence Euan A
Published: September 2023

We consider approximating the solution of the Helmholtz exterior Dirichlet problem for a nontrapping obstacle, with boundary data coming from plane-wave incidence, by the solution of the corresponding boundary value problem where the exterior domain is truncated and a local absorbing boundary condition coming from a Padé approximation (of arbitrary order) of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map is imposed on the artificial boundary (recall that the simplest such boundary condition is the impedance boundary condition). We prove upper- and lower-bounds on the relative error incurred by this approximation, both in the whole domain and in a fixed neighbourhood of the obstacle (i.e., away from the artificial boundary). Our bounds are valid for arbitrarily-high frequency, with the artificial boundary fixed, and show that the relative error is bounded away from zero, independent of the frequency, and regardless of the geometry of the artificial boundary.
Maximum norm error bounds for the full discretization of nonautonomous wave equations
Authors: Dörich Benjamin , Leibold Jan , Maier Bernhard
Published: September 2023

In the present paper, we consider a specific class of nonautonomous wave equations on a smooth, bounded domain and their discretization in space by isoparametric finite elements and in time by the implicit Euler method. Building upon the work of Baker and Dougalis (1980, On the ${L}^{\infty }$-convergence of Galerkin approximations for second-order hyperbolic equations. Math. Comp., 34, 401–424), we prove optimal error bounds in the $W^{1,\infty } \times L^\infty $-norm for the semidiscretization in space and the full discretization. The key tool is the gain of integrability coming from the inverse of the discretized differential operator. For this, we have to pay with (discrete) time derivatives on the error in the $H^{1} \times L^2$-norm, which are reduced to estimates of the differentiated initial errors. To confirm our theoretical findings, we also present numerical experiments.
An Algorithm to Compute the Fundamental Classes of Spin Components of Strata of Differentials
Authors: Wong Yiu Man
Published: September 2023

We construct an algorithm for computing the cycle classes of the spin components of a stratum of differentials in the moduli space of stable curves $\overline {\mathcal {M}}_{g,n}$. In addition, we implement it within the Sage package admcycles. Our main strategy is to reconstruct these cycles by their restrictions to the boundary of $\overline {\mathcal {M}}_{g,n}$ via clutching maps. These restrictions can be computed recursively by smaller dimensional spin classes and determine the original class via a certain system of linear equations. To study the spin parities on the boundary of a stratum of differentials of even type, we make use of the moduli space of multi-scale differentials introduced in [4]. As an application of our algorithm, one can verify a conjecture on spin double ramification cycles stated in [18] in many examples, by using the results computed by our algorithm.
A chatbot for hypertension self-management support: user-centered design, development, and usability testing
Authors: Griffin Ashley C , Khairat Saif , Bailey Stacy C , Chung Arlene E
Published: September 2023

Objectives

Health-related chatbots have demonstrated early promise for improving self-management behaviors but have seldomly been utilized for hypertension. This research focused on the design, development, and usability evaluation of a chatbot for hypertension self-management, called “Medicagent.”

Materials and Methods

A user-centered design process was used to iteratively design and develop a text-based chatbot using Google Cloud’s Dialogflow natural language understanding platform. Then, usability testing sessions were conducted among patients with hypertension. Each session was comprised of: (1) background questionnaires, (2) 10 representative tasks within Medicagent, (3) System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire, and (4) a brief semi-structured interview. Sessions were video and audio recorded using Zoom. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to assess effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of the chatbot.

Results

Participants (n = 10) completed nearly all tasks (98%, 98/100) and spent an average of 18 min (SD = 10 min) interacting with Medicagent. Only 11 (8.6%) utterances were not successfully mapped to an intent. Medicagent achieved a mean SUS score of 78.8/100, which demonstrated acceptable usability. Several participants had difficulties navigating the conversational interface without menu and back buttons, felt additional information would be useful for redirection when utterances were not recognized, and desired a health professional persona within the chatbot.

Discussion

The text-based chatbot was viewed favorably for assisting with blood pressure and medication-related tasks and had good usability.

Conclusion

Flexibility of interaction styles, handling unrecognized utterances gracefully, and having a credible persona were highlighted as design components that may further enrich the user experience of chatbots for hypertension self-management.
Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Intravenous Push Cefepime in Burn Patients with Augmented Renal Clearance
Authors: Hill David M , Yang Bing , Laizure S Casey , Boucher Bradley , Swanson Joseph M , Wood G Christopher , Hickerson William L , Liu Xiangxia , Velamuri Sai R
Published: September 2023

Patients with augmented renal clearance (ARC) are a subset of critically ill patients including burn patients that exhibit increased renal elimination of medications beyond that of similarly injured patients. Currently approved maximum regimens of medications primarily eliminated by the kidney, such as cefepime (>90% unchanged in the urine), may be inadequate (eg, compromising the bactericidal activity of cefepime) in patients with ARC. Due to recent resource limitations, centers have changed infusion practices of commonly prescribed medications to intravenous push (IVP), potentially exacerbating the problem of maintaining bactericidal cefepime concentrations. The hypothesis of the study was patients with ARC are not currently achieving adequate target attainment, when receiving cefepime 2 g every 8 h IVP. Eight blood samples were collected from each patient, and concentrations measured via LC–MS/MS. WinNonlin (version 8.3) was used to estimate the pharmacokinetic parameters of cefepime and simulate plasma concentrations of cefepime in each of the ten subjects. Simulations of cefepime plasma concentrations produced by a 2 g dose given every 8 h and a 1 g dose given every 4 h were performed and the time above a MIC of 4 mg/L, 8 mg/L, and 16 mg/L compared. The 2 g every 8 h regimen remained above the breakpoints for 92%, 85%, and 71% of the dosing interval, respectively. The 1 g every 4 h regimen remained above the same breakpoints at a frequency of 100%, 99%, and 92% of the dosing interval. Giving cefepime 1 g every 4 h is a simple approach to increase the likelihood of maintaining the optimal bactericidal activity of cefepime in patients with ARC.
Hypoxia reduces thermotolerance in the postlarvae of the whiteleg shrimp Penaeus vannamei Boone, 1931 (Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata: Penaeidae)
Authors: Ulaje Sergio A , Sicard M Teresa , Racotta Ilie S , Rojo-Arreola Liliana , Lluch-Cota Salvador E
Published: September 2023

The thermal responses and tolerance of organisms can be influenced by synergistic interactions with other environmental stresses. Although the heat sensitivity of the whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei Boone, 1931 = Litopenaeus vannamei) has been extensively researched, little is known about how hypoxia impacts the thermal tolerance of the species. We assessed the thermotolerance of P. vannamei postlarvae under combined hyperthermia and hypoxia conditions. Simultaneous hypoxia significantly decreased the thermotolerance (LT50) of the postlarvae at temperatures close to the upper thermal limit of the species.
The revision hip arthroscopy complex: capsular deficiency, labral deficiency, femoral over-resection and adhesions can result in good survivorship with revision hip arthroscopy
Authors: Melugin Heath P , Comfort Spencer M , Shelton Trevor S , Day Hannah K , Ruzbarsky Joseph J , Dornan Grant J , Philippon Marc J
Published: September 2023

To evaluate the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and survivorship of combined arthroscopic hip labral reconstruction/augmentation, capsular reconstruction, femoral neck remplissage and lysis of adhesions. Patients ≥18 years old who underwent this combination of procedures during revision hip arthroscopy and were eligible for minimum 2-year follow-up were identified. PRO scores including Hip Outcome Score (HOS)-Activities of Daily Living scale, HOS-Sports scale, modified Harris Hip Score, Short Form 12, and Western Ontario & McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, patient satisfaction and failure rates were analyzed. Seven patients (5 females and 2 males) with average age of 45.0 ± 5.2 (range: 40–54 years) met inclusion criteria. Patients had a median of 1 (range: 1–3) prior hip surgery at an outside institution. All patients had previously undergone femoral osteoplasty, and 85% (6/7) of patients had a labral repair performed. Four patients had no capsule closure performed in their prior procedures. Six patients were available for minimum 2-year follow-up. Two patients converted to total hip arthroplasty: one patient with four prior hip arthroscopies and the other had advanced osteoarthritis with outerbridge grade 3/4 defects requiring microfracture. Mean patient satisfaction was 7 (range: 2–9). At mean follow-up of 3 years, most patients who underwent the combination of labral reconstruction, capsular reconstruction, femoral neck remplissage and lysis of adhesions during revision hip arthroscopy demonstrated improved PROs. This salvage procedure has the potential to restore hip function in patients who have failed an initial hip arthroscopy procedure. In patients with these pathologies present and concomitant joint space narrowing, a total hip arthroplasty may be a more appropriate salvage option.
Does pelvic tilt change with a peri-acetabular osteotomy?
Authors: Verhaegen Jeroen C F , Dedeoğulları Emin Süha , Horton Isabel S , Beaulé Paul E , Grammatopoulos George
Published: September 2023

Change in pelvic tilt (PT) during and after peri-acetabular osteotomy (PAO) is important for surgical planning. The aims of this study were to (i) determine how PT varies throughout the course of treatment in patients undergoing PAO, (ii) test what factors influence the change in PT and (iii) assess whether changes in PT influenced achieved correction. This is an retrospective, single-centre, consecutive case series of 111 patients treated with PAO for global (n = 79), posterior (n = 49) or anterior dysplasia (n = 6) (mean age: 27.3 ± 7.7 years; 85% females). PT was determined on supine, anteroposterior pelvic radiographs pre-, intra-, 1 day, 6 weeks and 1 year post-operatively, using the sacro-femoral-pubic (SFP) angle, a validated, surrogate marker of PT. An optimal acetabular correction was based on the lateral centre-edge angle (25°–40°), acetabular index (−5° to 10°) and cross-over ratio (<20%). There was a significant difference across pre- (70.1° ± 4.8°), 1-day (71.7° ± 4.3°; P < 0.001) and early post-operative SFP (70.6° ± 4.7°; P = 0.004). The difference in SPF between pre-operative and 1-year post-operative was −0.5° ± 3.1° (P = 0.043), with 9% of cases having a difference of >5°. The difference in SFP did not correlate with age, sex, body mass index, type of dysplasia or achievement of optimal acetabular correction (P = 0.1–0.9). In the early post-operative period, PT is reduced, leading to a relative appearance of acetabular retroversion, which gradually corrects and is restored by annual follow-up. The degree of change in PT during PAO did not adversely affect fragment orientation. PT does not significantly change in most patients undergoing PAO and therefore does not appear to be a compensatory mechanism.
Changes in cancer-related mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
Authors: Fedeli Ugo , Barbiellini Amidei Claudio , Han Xuesong , Jemal Ahmedin
Published: September 2023

Few studies have examined cancer-related mortality overall, never mind select cancer types, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on cancer-related mortality (any mention in death certificates, multiple causes of death approach) was extracted from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER database. Changes in trends for age-standardized mortality rates through 1999-2021 were assessed by Joinpoint analysis. In total, 1 379 643 cancer-related deaths were registered in 2020-2021, with cancer selected as the underlying cause in 88%. After 2 decades of decline, age-standardized cancer-related mortality increased from 2019 to 2021 for all cancers (annual percentage change = 1.6%, 95% confidence interval = 0.6% to 2.6%), especially for prostate cancer (annual percentage change = 5.1%, 95% confidence interval = 2.2% to 8.2%) and hematologic cancers (annual percentage change = 4.8%, 95% confidence interval = 3.1% to 6.6%). Sharp peaks in cancer-related deaths for many cancer sites were observed during pandemic waves in both 2020 and 2021, mostly attributed to COVID-19 as the underlying cause. Multiple causes of death analyses are warranted to fully assess the impact of the pandemic on cancer-related mortality.
Temporal trends and spatial distribution of Brazilian spotted fever in Brazil
Authors: Santos Victor S , Siqueira Thayane S , Silva José R S
Published: September 2023

Brazilian Spotted Fever (BSF) is a severe tick-borne disease in Brazil’s south and southeast regions. We examined temporal trends and spatial distribution of BSF cases and deaths. There were stable incidence and mortality rates, decreasing case fatality, and distinct spatial clusters, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance and prevention efforts.
Fosphenytoin alleviates subacute herpetic neuralgia and postherpetic neuralgia in mice
Authors: Takasaki Ichiro , Inoue Arata , Yoshida Aoi , Shiraki Kimiyasu , Kitada Yoshimi , Arai Saori
Published: September 2023

Objective

This study aimed to explore the analgesic effects of fosphenytoin (fPHT) on pain-related behaviours in mouse models of subacute herpetic neuralgia (subAHN) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). SubAHN refers to pain experienced immediately after the disappearance of a skin rash, while PHN is characterized by persistent pain long after skin rash resolution.

Methods

Our experimental approach involved the induction of acute herpes zoster-like skin lesions and pain-related responses (mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia) in the hind paws of mice through cutaneous inoculation with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Subsequently, subAHN and PHN developed in the mice.

Key findings

Intravenous administration of fPHT (30 mg/kg) effectively mitigated HSV-1-induced subAHN and PHN. The suppressive effect of fPHT on subAHN was comparable to that of pregabalin (3 mg/kg, oral), a commonly used positive control. However, fPHT exhibited a slightly more potent effect than pregabalin in alleviating PHN.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that intravenous fPHT could serve as a promising alternative for pain relief in both subAHN and PHN.
Effector-specific motor simulation supplements core action recognition processes in adverse conditions
Authors: Vannuscorps Gilles , Caramazza Alfonso
Published: September 2023

Observing other people acting activates imitative motor plans in the observer. Whether, and if so when and how, such ‘effector-specific motor simulation’ contributes to action recognition remains unclear. We report that individuals born without upper limbs (IDs)—who cannot covertly imitate upper-limb movements—are significantly less accurate at recognizing degraded (but not intact) upper-limb than lower-limb actions (i.e. point-light animations). This finding emphasizes the need to reframe the current controversy regarding the role of effector-specific motor simulation in action recognition: instead of focusing on the dichotomy between motor and non-motor theories, the field would benefit from new hypotheses specifying when and how effector-specific motor simulation may supplement core action recognition processes to accommodate the full variety of action stimuli that humans can recognize.
Embedding implementation science in the research pipeline
Authors: Zullig Leah L , Drake Connor , Check Devon K , Brunkert Thekla , Deschodt Mieke , Olson Melvin (Skip) , De Geest Sabina
Published: September 2023

Clinical and health services researchers seek to discover effective programs, practices, and interventions to improve people’s health. The current paradigm for evidence generation is incremental and misaligned to translate evidence-based discoveries into real-world settings. This persistent challenge are “valleys of death” that represent missed opportunities and preventable missteps to actually use scientific advancements in real-world clinical settings where they can improve health and well-being (De Geest S, Zúñiga F, Brunkert T et al. Powering Swiss health care for the future: implementation science to bridge “the valley of death”. 2020;150:w20323). Only one in seven of evidence-based interventions is ever implemented. It is after an average of 17 years. We propose embedding the principles of implementation science throughout the research pipeline, from discovery to adoption, to efficiently translate discoveries into real-world contexts (Balas EA, Boren SA. Managing clinical knowledge for health care improvement. 2000;9:65–70). We outline implications for capacity building, including composition of the research team, study design, and competencies that could bolster the value proposition of implementation science. We describe a research paradigm that recognizes scientists’ responsibility to ensure their discoveries be translated into real-world settings.
Evidence-based Indications for Vertebral Body Tethering in Spine Deformity
Authors: Sullivan Mikaela H. , Jackson Taylor J. , Milbrandt Todd A. , Larson Annalise Noelle , Kepler Christopher K. , Sebastian Arjun S.
Published: September 2023

Posterior spinal fusion has long been established as an effective treatment for the surgical management of spine deformity. However, interest in nonfusion options continues to grow. Vertebral body tethering is a nonfusion alternative that allows for the preservation of growth and flexibility of the spine. The purpose of this investigation is to provide a practical and relevant review of the literature on the current evidence-based indications for vertebral body tethering. Early results and short-term outcomes show promise for the first generation of this technology. At this time, patients should expect less predictable deformity correction and higher revision rates. Long-term studies are necessary to establish the durability of early results. In addition, further studies should aim to refine preoperative evaluation and patient selection as well as defining the benefits of motion preservation and its long-term effects on spine health to ensure optimal patient outcomes.
Surgical Intervention for Primary B-cell Lymphoma of the Spine
Authors: Gendreau Julian L. , Patel Neal , Brown Nolan J. , Lee Seung Jin , Sahyouni Ronald , Chan Andrew K. , Clifton William E. , Chen Selby
Published: September 2023

Study Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective:

To perform a systematic review of the clinical symptoms, radiographic findings, and outcomes after spinal decompression in B-cell lymphoma.

Summary of Background Data:

B-cell lymphoma is a potential cause of spinal cord compression that presents ambiguously with nonspecific symptoms and variable imaging findings. Surgical decompression is a mainstay for both diagnosis and management, especially in patients with acute neurological deficits; however, the efficacy of surgical intervention compared with nonoperative management is still unclear.

Methods:

The databases of Medline, PubMed, and the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews were queried for all articles reporting spinal B-cell lymphoma. Data on presenting symptoms, treatments, survival outcomes, and histologic markers were extracted. Using the R software “survival” package, we generated bivariate and multivariate Cox survival regression models and Kaplan-Meier curves.

Results:

In total, 65 studies were included with 72 patients diagnosed with spinal B-cell lymphoma. The mean age was 56.22 (interquartile range: 45.00–70.25) with 68% of patients being males and 4.2% of patients being immunocompromised. Back pain was the most common symptom (74%), whereas B symptoms and cauda equina symptoms were present in 6% and 29%, respectively. The average duration of symptoms before presentation was 3.81 months (interquartile range: 0.45–3.25). The most common location was the thoracic spine (53%), with most lesions being hyperintense (28%) on T2 magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical resection was performed in 83% of patients. Symptoms improved in 91% of patients after surgery and in 80% of patients treated nonoperatively. For all 72 patients, the overall survival at 1 and 5 years was 85% (95% CI: 0.749–0.953; n = 72) and 66% (95% CI: 0.512–0.847; n = 72), respectively.

Conclusion:

Although surgery is usually offered in patients with acute spinal cord compression from B-cell lymphoma, chemotherapy and radiation alone offer a hopeful alternative to achieve symptomatic relief, particularly in patients who are unable to undergo surgery.
Multilevel Cervical Disk Arthroplasty
Authors: Muralidharan Aditya , Gong Davin , Piche Joshua D. , Al-Saidi Neil , Hey Hwee Weng Dennis , Aleem Ilyas
Published: September 2023

Cervical disk arthroplasty (CDA) is well-studied for 1-level and 2-level cervical pathology. There is an increasing trend towards its utilization for greater than 2-level disease as an alternative to the gold standard, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). The number of high-level, prospective studies or randomized trials regarding multilevel CDA is limited but continues to grow as the procedure gains popularity. In appropriately indicated patients with multilevel disease caused by disk herniations or spondylosis without extensive facet arthropathy, CDA shows promising results. Multilevel CDA should be avoided in patients with prior spinal trauma, significant degenerative spondylolisthesis with translation, arthrodesis without mobility, severely incompetent facet joints, ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, or kyphotic deformity. With overall similar risk profiles to ACDF but lower theoretical rates of pseudarthrosis and adjacent segment disease, multilevel CDA has been shown to preserve, or perhaps even increase, preoperative cervical range of motion. There are negligible differences in postoperative neck and arm pain, VAS scores, modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores, and Neck Disability Index scores when comparing multilevel CDA and ACDF. Despite current indications for multilevel CDA largely being based on single and 2-level data, careful patient selection is critical. Expansion of indications can be expected as literature continues to emerge regarding outcomes and complications in multilevel CDA, as well as with improvements in prosthesis design.
The Surgical Learning Curve for Cervical Disk Replacement
Authors: Federico Vincent P. , Nie James W. , Hartman Timothy J. , Oyetayo Omolabake O. , Zheng Eileen , MacGregor Keith R. , Massel Dustin H. , Sayari Arash J. , Singh Kern
Published: September 2023

Study Design:

Retrospective study.

Objective:

To characterize an experienced single surgeon learning curve for cervical disk replacement (CDR).

Summary of Background Data:

A single surgeon learning curve has not been established for CDR.

Methods:

Patients undergoing CDR were included. The cumulative sum of operative time was utilized to separate cases into 3 phases: learning, practicing, and mastery. Demographics, perioperative characteristics, complications, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and radiographic outcomes were collected preoperatively and up to 1 year postoperatively. PROs included Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Physical Function, 12-item Short Form-12 Physical Component Score, 12-item Short Form-12 Mental Component Score, visual analog scale (VAS) arm, VAS neck, Neck Disability Index. Radiographic outcomes included segmental angle/segmental range of motion/C2-C7 range of motion. Minimum clinically important difference achievement was determined through a comparison of previously established values.

Results:

A total of 173 patients were identified, with 14 patients in the learning phase, 42 patients in the practicing phase, and 117 patients in the mastery phase. Mean operative time and mean postoperative day 0 narcotic consumption were significantly higher in the learning phase. The preoperative segmental angle was significantly lower for the learning phase, though these differences were eliminated at the final postoperative time point. Patients in the learning phase reported worse improvement to 6-week postoperative, final postoperative, and worse overall final postoperative VAS Arm scores compared with practicing and mastery phases.

Conclusions:

For an experienced spine surgeon, the learning phase for CDR was estimated to span 14 patients. During this phase, patients demonstrated longer operative times, higher postoperative narcotic consumption, and worse postoperative VAS Arm scores. Radiographically, no postoperative differences were noted between different phases of mastery. This single surgeon learning curve demonstrates that CDR may be performed safely and with comparable outcomes by experienced spine surgeons despite decreased operative efficiency in the learning phase.
Mental Health in Women
Authors: Azharuddin Syed , Vital-Daley Katherine , Mustovic Victoria , Marshall Tanya , Calvin Bob , DuMont Tiffany , Swanson Gary , Barker Bill
Published: September 2023

Mental health illness has been increasing worldwide. The prevalence of mental illness and is higher among females than among males. It is estimated that one in 5 women experience a common mental health disorder. This article highlights gender disparities in the risk, prevalence, and presentation of different mental health disorders. Nearly all survivors of critical illness experience 1 or more domains of the post–intensive care syndrome. We review different mental health disorders including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, and post–intensive care syndrome, and medications used to manage these disorders. Delirium in the intensive care unit can be misdiagnosed as a primary psychiatric disorder and is important to distinguish from each other. We also highlight the inadequacy of surveillance and recognition of mental health disorders in the intensive care unit, leading to missed opportunities to properly manage these important psychiatric conditions.
Navigating a Career in Medicine as a Woman
Authors: Saini Vikram , Abalos Charmaine , Dysert Karen , Altenbaugh Mary , DuMont Tiffany , Young Meilin , Ghosh Sohini
Published: September 2023

Despite the increasing number of women within medical professions, gender equality in career advancement and leadership positions still remains a challenge due to numerous barriers including unbalanced domestic responsibilities, discrimination, and rigidity in career structures. Here, we discuss ways to achieve work-life balance and family planning as well as some of the challenges women face in medicine and nursing careers and outline strategies for individuals and organizations to overcome them.
Common Cardiovascular Diseases in Women
Authors: Mahabir Sunita , Okumus Nazli , Samra Gursharan , Mohammed Amr , Gupta Manasvi , Naser Abdallah , Puttur Anushree , Bihler Eric , DuMont Tiffany , Nauer Kevin , Khalif Adnan , Ivanova Valentyna
Published: September 2023

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for women in the United States. This article encompasses the epidemiology/etiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic assessment, management, and prognosis of some common cardiovascular disorders seen in women with a special focus on pregnancy.
Infectious Diseases Specific to Women
Authors: Jaber Tariq M. , Bangash Salman , Alvarenga Adriana Betancourth , Sicari Justine , DuMont Tiffany , Malik Khalid , Bhanot Nitin
Published: September 2023

Female patients are at a greater risk for infections such as urinary tract infections and mastitis, as well as complications from abortions/miscarriages, and sexually transmitted infections. This review highlights risk factors, pathogenesis, complications, diagnostic, and treatment modalities associated with the following infections: mastitis, sexually transmitted diseases, postpartum/abortion-related infections, and urinary tract infections.