bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nanoengineering Natural Leather for Dynamic Thermal Management and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding
Authors: Mo Caiqing , Lei Xiaojuan , Tang Xuelian , Wang Ming , Kang En‐Tang , Xu Liqun , Zhang Kai
Published: June 2023

Unpredictable and extreme weather conditions, along with increasing electromagnetic pollution, have resulted in a significant threat to human health and productivity, causing irreversible damage to society's well‐being and economy. However, existing personal temperature management and electromagnetic protection materials lack adaptability to dynamic environmental changes. To address this, a unique asymmetric bilayer leather/a‐MWCNTs/CA fabric is developed by vacuum‐infiltrating interconnected a‐MWCNTs networks into natural leather's microfiber backbone and spraying porous acetic acid (CA) on the reverse side. Such fabric achieves simultaneous passive radiation cooling, heating, and anti‐electromagnetic interference functions without external energy input. The fabric's cooling layer has high solar reflectance (92.0%) and high infrared emissivity (90.2%), providing an average subambient radiation cooling effect of 10 °C, while the heating layer has high solar absorption (98.0%), enabling excellent passive radiative heating and effective compensation for warming via Joule heating. Additionally, the fabric's 3D conductive a‐MWCNTs network provides electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of 35.0 dB mainly through electromagnetic wave absorption. This multimode electromagnetic shielding fabric can switch between cooling and heating modes to adapt to dynamic cooling and heating scenarios, providing a new avenue for sustainable temperature management and electromagnetic protection applications.
Thermal‐Induced Dopant Precipitation Enabling High‐Quality Surface Modification of LiCoO2
Authors: Li Jinhui , Zhang Zhengfeng , Qin Changdong , Jiang Yuyuan , Han Xiao , Xia Yueming , Sui Manling , Yan Pengfei
Published: June 2023

Surface modification is an effective approach for overcoming the interfacial degradations to enable high electrochemical performance of battery materials, yet it is still challenging to realize high‐quality surface modification with simple processing, low cost, and mass production. Herein, a thermal‐induced surface precipitation phenomenon is reported in a Ti‐dopped LiCoO2, which can realize an ultrathin (≈5 nm) and uniform surface modification by a simple annealing process. It is revealed that surface Li‐deficiency enables bulk Ti to precipitate and segregate on the non‐(003) surface facets, forming a Ti‐enriched disordered layered structure. Such a surface modification layer can not only stabilize the interfacial chemistry but also significantly improve the charge/discharge reaction kinetics, leading to much‐improved cycling stability and rate capability. Dopants surface precipitation is a unique outward diffusion process, which differs from the current surface modification techniques and further diversifies these approaches for realizing high‐quality surface modification of battery materials.
Simultaneous quantification of Fluticasone propionate and Olopatadine hydrochloride by High‐performance thin‐layer chromatography
Authors: Patel Bhoomi , Patel Satish
Published: June 2023

High‐performance thin‐layer chromatography has the capacity to run many samples simultaneously and reduced solvent usage. It offers a number of advantages that can save both time and money. The simultaneous quantification of fluticasone propionate and olopatadine hydrochloride in nasal spray has been developed and validated using a specific, precise, accurate, and economical high‐performance thin‐layer chromatography technique. Methanol:water:glacial acetic acid (8:2:0.05, v/v/v) was used as the mobile phase during the separation, which took place on a stationary phase of pre‐coated silica gel aluminum plate 60 F254. At 232 nm, separated components were densitometrically measured. The method was validated for linearity and range, precision, reproducibility, specificity, accuracy, the limit of detection, and the limit of quantification as per the International Council for Harmonization Q2(R1) guideline. Fluticasone propionate and olopatadine hydrochloride regression coefficients (R2) were found to be 0.9996 and 0.9991, accordingly. Fluticasone propionate and olopatadine hydrochloride percentage recoveries were measured to be 101.6 ± 0.69 and 99.62 ± 0.54, respectively. The analytical findings demonstrate that the proposed approach could be used to quantify Fluticasone propionate and olopatadine hydrochloride simultaneously in Pharmaceutical formulations.
A new intelligent sunflower optimization based explainable artificial intelligence approach for early‐age concrete compressive strength classification and mixture design of RAC
Authors: Ulucan Muhammed , Yildirim Gungor , Alatas Bilal , Alyamac Kursat Esat
Published: June 2023

This study aims to develop a new artificial intelligence model that can produce explainable rules to predict the mix design and early‐age concrete compressive strength classes of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). Unlike other black‐box machine learning methods and rule‐based algorithms, the study relies on a metaheuristic mechanism for explainability. This metaheuristic mechanism is not used for a traditional parameter optimization, but to automatically extract interpretable and interpretable rules from the experimental data. In the study, 30 series of RACs are produced, and the samples’ 1‐ and 3‐day early‐age concrete compressive strength values are determined. Concretes produced using these strength values are classified. The labels defined for each concrete class are Class A (C 8/10), Class B (C 12/15), Class C (C 16/20), and Class D (C 20/25). The proposed intelligent classification model that consists of rule set automatically produces interpretable and comprehensible rules from data to determine the early‐age concrete compressive strength class and RAC mix amounts. In addition, the proposed method eliminates the black‐box disadvantages of classical machine learning methods with its explainability and interpretability feature. The sunflower optimization algorithm is adapted as the metaheuristic mechanism and a special fitness function and representative solution form are developed for automatic extraction of high‐quality comprehensible rules by simultaneously optimizing many different metrics. This paper is the first interpretable and comprehensible artificial intelligence model attempt used for early‐age compressive strength classification and mixture design of recycled aggregate concrete by balancing and optimizing both the accuracy and explainability. Proposed explainable intelligent classification model is tested against both well‐known state‐of‐the‐art machine learning algorithms and standard rule‐based methods on the produced real data. Promising results in terms of accuracy, precision, recall are obtained along with the explainability feature.
Research on the Classification Method of Refrigerator Ingredients Based on Inception Structure
Authors: Cui Xuerong , Wang Dexin , Li Juan , Jiang Bin , Li Shibao , Liu JianHang
Published: June 2023

With the continuous development of intelligent refrigerators, users are having higher and higher requirements for smart management of refrigerator contents. When using traditional machine learning algorithms to deal with refrigerator ingredients classification, problems such as slow recognition speed and low accuracy would often arise. At the same time, the classification accuracy is easily affected by the location of the content. Therefore, this paper uses continuous asymmetric convolutions and depthwise separable convolutions to improve the original Inception model and builds a classification prediction network based on the improved Inception model. The steps to applying the said model is as follows: First, we put the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag on the food in the refrigerator, and then we collect the antenna data RSSI received by each tag through the reader. Finally, the RSSI is preprocessed and entered into the classification network to determine the location of the label. The proposed classification network has the advantages of possessing a simple structure, easy expansion of network depth, and fewer training parameters. The experimental results show that compared with other machine learning algorithms and pure convolution networks, the lightweight network model based on the improved Inception structure demonstrates great superiority. Compared with the original Inception structure, the enhanced network model is more lightweight. The number of parameters is reduced by 50%, and the amount of float‐point operations is reduced by 34%. Meanwhile, the accuracy of the lightweight model has been improved by 0.6%. Thus the improved model has better prediction performance in the classification of refrigerator content. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
The Colorado River water crisis: Its origin and the future
Authors: Schmidt John C. , Yackulic Charles B. , Kuhn Eric
Published: June 2023

During much of the 21st century, natural runoff in the Colorado River basin has declined, while consumption has remained relatively constant, leading to historically low reservoir storage. Between January 2000 and April 2023, the amount of water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two largest reservoirs in the United States, declined by 33.5 million acre feet (41.3 billion cubic meters). As of April 2023, total basin‐wide storage was sufficient to support the 21st century average rate of basin‐wide consumption for only 15 months. Runoff in spring 2023 is predicted to be large, providing a short‐term reprieve. However, it will take four to five additional unusually wet years in succession to refill Lake Powell and Lake Mead if basin‐wide water use remains unchanged. Increasing evapotranspiration and dry soils associated with global climate change makes such a scenario unlikely. To stabilize reservoir storage, basin‐wide use needs to equal modern runoff. To recover reservoir storage, basin‐wide use needs to decline even more. Based on 21st century average runoff, a 13%–20% decline in basin‐wide use would allow for stabilization and some reservoir storage recovery. Future policy debate about reservoir operations will inevitably concern whether most, or all, reservoir storage should be in Lake Mead or in Lake Powell. The choice of one or the other will result in significantly different environmental and recreational outcomes for Glen Canyon and the Grand Canyon.

This article is categorized under:

Water and Life > Stresses and Pressures on Ecosystems

Human Water > Water Governance

Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change
Conclusions
Authors: Lambert Laurent A. , Elayah Moosa
Published: June 2023

During the two decades of the US War on Terror, the indicators of peace, stability, and security have markedly deteriorated in nearly two-thirds of the countries of the broad Middle East region, wherein American foreign policy has become particularly resented, as expressed in various survey polls. The United States had never fought for so long a war (and legally, the War on Terror is still continuing), and the political structures of the Middle East never had been so fundamentally challenged—and in a few countries, destroyed—since World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire a century ago. The War on Terror, as such or under different names, has been characterized by grand policy claims, the actual destabilization of dozens of countries, the widespread use of torture, the endemic corruption of tribal and government elites, the polarization of inter-state relations across the Middle East, counter-productive policies of drone bombings with frequent collateral civilian victims, and large-scale migrations across and from a region that will need decades to reconstruct itself and heal from the trauma. Building upon the previous nine chapters, this final section presents our conclusions as to why the WoT failed so badly in the region and why the role of the United States has sharply declined in importance there, having identified four main reasons. Finally, we explain that the long-announced regional withdrawal of the United States has disappointed traditional partners. Tellingly, Egypt, Israel, and the Gulf monarchies have decided in 2022 to not abide by the US sanctions against Russia in order not to antagonize an international power that has become particularly influential in Syria, Iran, and the broad region, at a time when Washington seems to be losing always more ground to what it has officially called in its strategic doctrine “near-peer competitors”, i.e., Russia and China.
Study on the Calculation Mode of Rod Piece Reliability
Authors: Zhang Baohua , Zheng Peng , Zhang Zhenkang
Published: June 2023

In this paper, the strength stability and stiffness reliability calculation model of the member bar under the basic deformation of the online elastic range was studied. JC method was used to analyze the reliability of the member considering the different distribution of random variables, and the correlation of failure modes was considered to calculate the failure probability-general range.
Complex Frequency-Domain Oscillation Analysis of the Pumped-Storage Systems
Authors: Zheng Yang , Liu Wushuang , Zhou Xuan , Liu Wanying , Chen Qijuan
Published: June 2023

Hydraulic impedance, as an efficient frequency-domain analysis alternative, has been widely utilized in hydraulic transient analysis for decades. Since the mathematical expressions of hydraulic systems with complicated pipe networks are usually rather complex, it is difficult for the traditional continuous impedance method to obtain the analytical solutions to the system’s frequency responses directly. Therefore, an equivalent circuit modeling-based discrete impedance method is proposed to mathematically express the hydraulic systems of a pumped storage plant system with complicated pipe networks. Through drawing an analogy between various hydraulic facilities and different types of electrical circuits, the equivalent circuit topology of any hydraulic system can be obtained according to the circuit theory in electrical engineering. The oscillation analysis of the pumped-storage power plant is conducted, and influences of the pump-turbine impedance on the system’s oscillation characteristics have been discussed.
Project Budget Comparison of a Conventional Building and a Seismically Isolated Building
Authors: Catlioglu Oguzcan , Mahcicek Senem Bilir , Yanik Arcan
Published: June 2023

There have been numerous studies in the past three decades about seismic isolation in the field of structural and earthquake engineering. However the studies that take into account economical aspects of implementing seismic isolation to the structures are very rare. In this study, firstly the costs of both conventional and seismically isolated buildings are calculated. Then, the seismically isolated and conventional buildings are compared in terms of their seismic performance and the project budget. Finally, the results of the seismic performance and the cost benefit are presented and discussed. It is obtained from this paper that, although the initial construction cost of the seismically isolated structure is obviously more than the conventional building, eventually in a possible earthquake scenario seismic isolation may provide financial advantage over the conventional building case.
Study on Seepage Mechanism and Stability of Unsaturated Slope Based on Trefftz Method
Authors: Su Yan , Yang Lingjun , Lin Chuan , Guo Guolin , Tang Yanfeng , Lin Yangmin , Xie Xiudong , Hong Lidan
Published: June 2023

This paper proposes a space–time Trefftz method (STM) to study the seepage mechanism and stability of unsaturated slopes. The groundwater flow under transient conditions is important in engineering practice for solving practical problems such as assessing the stability of unsaturated soil slopes. Based on the transient groundwater equation, we derived the Trefftz basis functions by splitting the variables. The solutions are approximated using Trefftz basis functions in the space–time domain. The Stabl software is subsequently employed to analyze the stability of the slope under the rainfall recharge condition with the combined reservoir water level fall. The results demonstrate that the steeper the hydraulic slope drop under combined reservoir water level fall and rainfall infiltration, the more unstable the slope becomes.
The Problem of the Local Stress/strain Modes in the Matrix of Fibrous Composites
Authors: Kolpakov A. G. , Rakin S. I.
Published: June 2023

On the basis of numerical solutions of the cellular problem of the theory of elasticity, an analysis was made of the deformation modes of the binder cross-reinforced with fibers of the composite at the microlevel. All possible types of local deformation of the binder of the fiber-reinforced composite, predicted in the simplified model in (Kalamkarov A L, Kolpakov A G: Analysis, Design and Optimization of Composite Structures. Wiley, Chichester (1997)), are found in numerical calculations. It is found that the local stress–strain state of the binder depends on the cross-sectional shape of the fibers. In particular, for fibers with a circular cross-section, one of the modes is strongly weakened. Numerical calculations do not show the presence of modes other than those described in (Kalamkarov A L, Kolpakov A G: Analysis, Design and Optimization of Composite Structures. Wiley, Chichester (1997)). If, in the case of square fibers, the assessment of the stress–strain state value is possible using simplified formulas from (Kalamkarov A L, Kolpakov A G: Analysis, Design and Optimization of Composite Structures. Wiley, Chichester (1997)), then for fibers of other sections, it is necessary to use a computer to calculate the stress–strain state.
Grid-on-Grid Transformation for Integrating Spatial Reference System of Multi-source Data
Authors: Habib Maan
Published: June 2023

The accessible, up-to-date, reliable, and usable data are considered sustainability tools for developing spatial data infrastructure. Geospatial data come from multi-sources and are georeferenced using an appropriate mapping reference system. Artificial satellite positioning data are now defined on a global geocentric frame, whereas traditional geodetic networks were built on a national datum. Hence, three-dimensional (3D) coordinate transformations are required for data harmonization using control points that can be caused some discrepancies between the physical reality and represented positions. In practice, grid-on-grid conversion is a mathematical model matching GNSS observations and official spatial data through two common datasets to minimize the datum-to-datum transformation errors. This research conducts a comparative analytical study of the conformal polynomial algorithms for map-matching with global coordinates utilizing least-squares estimation. The findings indicated that the proposed approach provides superior performance and employs any area with high accuracy.
Research on the Application of Small Caliber Pilot Jacking Method Under Silt Geology
Authors: Wu Qixing , Huang Jieming , Li Qijun , Liu Haoran
Published: June 2023

With the rapid development of urban scale in China, the number of drainage pipes and new construction has also increased rapidly, and pipeline maintenance and new not suitable for excavation construction and silt formation construction due to limited space, and introduce the working principle, construction design, construct construction are facing problems such as environmental protection and narrow construction sites. The use of small-diameter pilot top pulling method can effectively overcome the difficulties of drainage pipeline projects in bustling urban areas that areion process and process of the construction method. Combined with the construction example of a small-caliber pilot top pull method of a drainage pipeline project in Zhongshan City, it shows that the construction technology has the advantages of high precision, space saving, small environmental impact and can be constructed on narrow roads, which can provide reference for similar projects and has greater promotion and application significance.
Lepton flavor physics at μ+μ+ colliders
Authors: Fridell Kåre , Kitano Ryuichiro , Takai Ryoto
Published: June 2023

Abstract

We discuss sensitivities to lepton flavor violating (and conserving) interactions at future muon colliders, especially at μ+μ+ colliders. Compared with the searches for rare decays of μ and τ, we find that the TeV-scale future colliders have better sensitivities depending on the pattern of hierarchy in the flavor mixings. As an example, we study the case with the type-II seesaw model, where the flavor mixing parameters have direct relation to the neutrino mass matrix. At a μ+μ+ collider, the number of events of the μ+μ+ → μ+τ+ process can be larger than $$ \mathcal{O}(100) $$
O

100

with the center of mass energy $$ \sqrt{s} $$

s

= 2 TeV, and with an integrated luminosity $$ \mathcal{L} $$
L
= 1 ab−1, while satisfying bounds from rare decays of μ and τ. We discuss impacts of the overall mass scale of neutrinos as well as CP violating phases to the number of expected events.
Solar parameters in long-baseline accelerator neutrino oscillations
Authors: Denton Peter B. , Gehrlein Julia
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Long-baseline (LBL) accelerator neutrino oscillation experiments, such as NOvA and T2K in the current generation, and DUNE-LBL and HK-LBL in the coming years, will measure the remaining unknown oscillation parameters with excellent precision. These analyses assume external input on the so-called “solar parameters,”θ12and$$ \Delta {m}_{21}^2 $$∆m212, from solar experiments such as SNO, SK, and Borexino, as well as reactor experiments like KamLAND. Here we investigate their role in long-baseline experiments. We show that, without external input on$$ \Delta {m}_{21}^2 $$∆m212andθ12, the sensitivity to detecting and quantifying CP violation is significantly, but not entirely, reduced. Thus long-baseline accelerator experiments can actually determine$$ \Delta {m}_{21}^2 $$∆m212andθ12, and thus all six oscillation parameters, without input fromanyother oscillation experiment. In particular,$$ \Delta {m}_{21}^2 $$∆m212can be determined; thus DUNE-LBL and HK-LBL can measure both the solar and atmospheric mass splittings in their long-baseline analyses alone. While their sensitivities are not competitive with existing constraints, they are very orthogonal probes of solar parameters and provide a key consistency check of a less probed sector of the three-flavor oscillation picture. Furthermore, we also show that the true values of$$ \Delta {m}_{21}^2 $$∆m212andθ12play an important role in the sensitivity of other oscillation parameters such as the CP violating phaseδ.
Earth mover’s distance as a measure of CP violation
Authors: Davis Adam , Menzo Tony , Youssef Ahmed , Zupan Jure
Published: June 2023

Abstract

We introduce a new unbinned two sample test statistic sensitive to CP violation utilizing the optimal transport plan associated with the Wasserstein (earth mover’s) distance. The efficacy of the test statistic is shown via two examples of CP asymmetric distributions with varying sample sizes: the Dalitz distributions of B0 → K+π−π0 and of D0 → π+π−π0 decays. The windowed version of the Wasserstein distance test statistic is shown to have comparable sensitivity to CP violation as the commonly used energy test statistic, but also retains information about the localized distributions of CP asymmetry over the Dalitz plot. For large statistic datasets we introduce two modified Wasserstein distance based test statistics — the binned and the sliced Wasserstein distance statistics, which show comparable sensitivity to CP violation, but improved computing time and memory scalings. Finally, general extensions and applications of the introduced statistics are discussed.
Staphylococci planktonic and biofilm environments differentially affect osteoclast formation
Authors: Seebach Elisabeth , Kraus Franziska V. , Elschner Tabea , Kubatzky Katharina F.
Published: June 2023

Introduction

The pathophysiology of chronic implant-related bone infections is characterized by an increase in osteoclast numbers and enhanced bone resorption. Biofilms are a major reason for chronicity of such infections as the biofilm matrix protects bacteria against antibiotics and impairs the function of immune cells. Macrophages are osteoclast precursor cells and therefore linked to inflammation and bone destruction.

Objective and method

Investigations on the impact of biofilms on the ability of macrophages to form osteoclasts are yet missing and we, therefore, analyzed the effect of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE) planktonic and biofilm environments on osteoclastogenesis using RAW 264.7 cells and conditioned media (CM).

Results

Priming with the osteoclastogenic cytokine RANKL before CM addition enabled the cells to differentiate into osteoclasts. This effect was highest in SE planktonic or SA biofilm CM. Simultaneous stimulation with CM and RANKL, however, suppressed osteoclast formation and resulted in formation of inflammation-associated multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) which was most pronounced in SE planktonic CM.

Conclusion

Our data indicate that the biofilm environment and its high lactate levels are not actively promoting osteoclastogenesis. Hence, the inflammatory immune response against planktonic bacterial factors through Toll-like receptors seems to be the central cause for the pathological osteoclast formation. Therefore, immune stimulation or approaches that aim at biofilm disruption need to consider that this might result in enhanced inflammation-mediated bone destruction.
Mathematical formulation for the numerical solution of the internal ballistics of classical weapons in Lagrangian coordinates
Authors: Kagankiewicz Filip , Magier Mariusz
Published: June 2023

Today, most design processes are carried out using specialized tools in the form of advanced computer software, but in the case of designing weapons (especially internal ballistic) it is not generally available or is even classified. On the other hand, there is no analytical system of non-linear differential equations describing the phases of the shot phenomenon in barrel weapons. Therefore, in order to obtain more accurate solutions to the system of equations, it is optimal to use numerical methods. The paper presents a theoretical description of the problem of solving the equations of internal ballistics. Based on this analysis, it was assumed that the solution to the main problem of internal ballistics formulated in Lagrange coordinates gives correct results and enables obtaining more accurate and realistic analytical solutions than using classical solutions. The utilitarian aim was to create a new program to support the design of classic gun tube weapons.
Assessment of return to sport and functional outcomes following distal femoral, double level and high tibial osteotomies for active patients with symptomatic varus malalignment
Authors: An Jae‐Sung , Mabrouk Ahmed , Khakha Raghbir , Kley Kristian , Koga Hideyuki , Jacquet Christophe , Ollivier Matthieu
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This study indicated the outcomes of three surgical techniques for the treatment of symptomatic unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis (UKOA) with varus malalignment in younger, active patients: distal femoral osteotomy (DFO), double‐level osteotomy (DLO) and high tibial osteotomy (HTO). The outcomes measured included the return to sport, sport activity and functional scores.

Methods

A total of 103 patients (19 DFO, 43 DLO, 41 HTO) were enrolled in the study and were divided into three groups based on their oriented deformity, each undergoing one of the three surgical techniques. All patients underwent pre‐ and post‐operative evaluations including X‐rays, physical exams and functional assessments.

Results

All three surgical techniques were effective in treating UKOA with constitutional malalignment. The average time to return to sport was similar among the three groups (DFO: 6.4 ± 0.3 [5.8–7] months, DLO: 4.9 ± 0.2 [4.5–5.3] months, HTO: 5.6 ± 0.2 [5.2–6] months). The sport activity and functional scores improved significantly for all three groups, with no significant differences observed among the groups.

Conclusion

Various knee osteotomy procedures, DFO, DLO, and HTO, result in high RTS rates and quick RTS times with satisfactory functional scores. Despite pre‐ to post‐operative improvements in sport activities following DFO and DLO, pre‐symptom levels were not reached following all evaluated procedures.

Level of evidence

Retrospective case–control study, Level III.
Cross‐cultural adaptation, validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the Forgotten Joint Score for knee arthroplasty
Authors: Albishi Waleed , AbuDujain Nasser M. , Arafah Orfan , Alshaygy Ibrahim S. , Aldosari Zyad A. , Alhuqbani Mohammed N. , Alangari Saad M.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of this questionnaire in Arabic patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods

The Arabic version of the English FJS (Ar‐FJS) was modified according to cross‐cultural adaptation best practices. The study included 111 patients who underwent TKA 1–5 years ago and completed the Ar‐FJS. The reduced Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (rWOMAC) and 36‐Item Short Form (SF‐36) were used to assess the construct validity of the study. Fifty‐two individuals took the Ar‐FJS test twice to evaluate the test–retest reliability.

Results

The reliability of the Ar‐FJS demonstrated a Cronbach's α value of 0.940 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.951. The ceiling effect of the Ar‐FJS was 5.4% (n = 6), whereas the floor effect was 1.8% (n = 2). Additionally, the Ar‐FJS showed correlation coefficients of 0.753 and 0.992 for the rWOMAC and SF‐36, respectively.

Conclusion

The Ar‐FJS‐12 demonstrated excellent internal consistency, repeatability, construct validity, and content validity and can be recommended for patients in Arabic‐speaking communities who have undergone knee arthroplasty.
Intraoperative control by Schanz‐screws is inaccurate to achieve the exact amount of correction in de‐rotational osteotomies
Authors: Ferner Felix , Klinder Annett , Woerner Michael , Morris Patrick , Harrer Joerg , Dickschas Joerg , Lutter Christoph
Published: June 2023

Purpose

The accuracy of intraoperative control of correction commonly is achieved by K‐wires or Schanz‐screws in combination with goniometer in de‐rotational osteotomies. The purpose of this study is to investigate the accuracy of intraoperative torsional control in de‐rotational femoral and tibial osteotomies. It is hypothesized, that intraoperative control by Schanz‐screws and goniometer in de‐rotational osteotomies around the knee is a safe and well predictable method to control the surgical torsional correction intraoperatively.

Methods

55 consecutive osteotomies around the knee joint were registered, 28 femoral and 27 tibial. The indication for osteotomy was femoral or tibial torsional deformity with the clinical occurrence of patellofemoral maltracking or PFI. Pre‐ and postoperative torsions were measured according to the method of Waidelich on computed tomography (CT) scan. The scheduled value of torsional correction was defined by the surgeon preoperatively. Intraoperative control of torsional correction was achieved by 5 mm‐Schanz‐screws and goniometer. The measured values of torsional CT scan were compared to the preoperative defined and intended values and deviation was calculated separately for femoral and tibial osteotomies.

Results

The surgeon’s intraoperative measured mean value of correction in all osteotomies was 15.2° (SD 4.6; range 10–27), whereas the postoperatively measured mean value on CT scan was 15.6 (6.8; 5.0–28.5). Intraoperatively the femoral mean value measured 17.9° (4.9; 10–27) and 12.4° (1.9; 10–15) for the tibia. Postoperatively the mean value for femoral correction was 19.8 (5.5; 9.0–28.5) and 11.3 (5.0; 5.0–26.0) for tibial correction. When considering a deviation of plus or minus 3° to be acceptable femorally 15 osteotomies (53.6%) and tibially 14 osteotomies (51.9%) fell within these limits. Nine femoral cases (32.1.%) were overcorrected, four cases undercorrected (14.3%). Four tibial cases of overcorrection (14.8%) and 9 tibial cases of undercorrection (33.3%) were observed. However, the observed difference between femur and tibia regarding the distribution of cases between the three groups did not reach significance. Moreover, there was no correlation between the extent of correction and the deviation from the intended result.

Conclusion

The use of Schanz‐screws and goniometer in de‐rotational osteotomies as an intraoperative control of correction is an inaccurate method. Every surgeon performing derotational osteotomies must consider this and include postoperative torsional measurement in his postoperative algorithm until new tools or devices are available to guarantee a better intraoperative accuracy of torsional correction.

Study design

Observational study.

Level of evidence

III.
Bleeding risk in female patients undergoing intravesical injection of onabotulinumtoxinA for overactive bladder: a Danish retrospective cohort study
Authors: El Issaoui Meryam , Elissaoui Sophia , Elmelund Marlene , Klarskov Niels
Published: June 2023

Introduction and hypothesis

We aimed to examine the risk of bleeding in female patients undergoing intravesical onabotulinumtoxinA (BTX-A) treatments and provide clinical recommendations for the perioperative management of patients on antithrombotic therapy prior to BTX-A treatments.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort of Danish female patients, who had their first BTX-A treatment because of an overactive bladder at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital, between January 2015 and December 2020. Data extraction was from an electronic medical journal system. BTX-A, Botox® Allergan was injected in the detrusor at 10–20 sites. Significant bleeding during or after a BTX-A treatment was defined as persistent macroscopic hematuria. Bleeding reporting was based on information obtained from journal notes.

Results

We included 400 female patients, who had a total of 1,059 BTX-A treatments. Median age at first BTX-A treatment was 70 years (IQR 21), and median number of BTX-A treatments was 2 (range 1–11). In total, 27.8% (n=111) received antithrombotic therapy. Within this group, 30.6% and 69.4% were on anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy. No cases of hematuria were reported in our cohort. We found that no patients stopped their antithrombotic therapy, were bridged, or monitored by International Normalized Ration (INR) levels.

Conclusions

We suggest that BTX-A treatments might be classified as low-risk procedures. Discontinuation of antithrombotic therapy is not required in the perioperative management of this patient group.
Assessing attention and impulsivity in the variable stimulus duration and variable intertrial interval rodent continuous performance test schedules using noradrenaline receptor antagonists in female C57BL/6JRj mice
Authors: Klem L. , Nielsen M. M. , Gestsdóttir S. B. , Frandsen S. L. , Prichardt S. , Andreasen J. T.
Published: June 2023

Rationale

Noradrenergic dysfunction is associated with disorders of impulsivity and inattention. The rodent continuous performance test (rCPT) quantifies changes in attention and impulsivity.

Objective

To use NA receptor antagonists to examine the roles of NA on attention and impulsivity behaviours measured in the rCPT variable stimulus duration (vSD) and the variable intertrial interval (vITI) schedules.

Methods

Two cohorts of 36 female C57BL/6JRj mice were examined separately in the rCPT vSD and vITI schedules. Both cohorts received antagonists of the following adrenoceptors: α1 (doxazosin, DOX: 1.0, 3.0, 10.0 mg/kg), α2 (yohimbine, YOH: 0.1, 0.3, 1.0 mg/kg), and β1/2 (propranolol, PRO: 1.0, 3.0, 10.0 mg/kg) in consecutive balanced Latin square designs with flanking reference measurements. The antagonists were subsequently examined for effects on locomotor activity.

Results

DOX showed similar effects in both schedules, improving discriminability and accuracy, and reducing responding and impulsivity, and DOX also reduced locomotor activity. YOH showed prominent effects in the vSD schedule to increase responding and impulsivity, while impairing discriminability and accuracy. YOH did not affect locomotor activity. PRO increased responding and impulsivity, decreased accuracy, but did not affect discriminability or locomotor activity.

Conclusion

Antagonism of α2 or β1/2 adrenoceptors caused similar increases in responding and impulsivity and worsened attentional performance, while α1 adrenoceptor antagonism showed the opposite effects. Our results suggest that endogenous NA exerts bidirectional control of most behaviours in the rCPT. The parallel vSD and vITI studies showed a substantial overlap in effects, but also some differences that indicate differing sensitivity towards noradrenergic manipulations.
Associative Submanifolds in Joyce’s Generalised Kummer Constructions
Authors: Dwivedi Shubham , Platt Daniel , Walpuski Thomas
Published: June 2023

This article constructs examples of associative submanifolds in$$G_2$$G2–manifolds obtained by resolving$$G_2$$G2–orbifolds using Joyce’s generalised Kummer construction. As the$$G_2$$G2–manifolds approach the$$G_2$$G2–orbifolds, the volume of the associative submanifolds tends to zero. This partially verifies a prediction due to Halverson and Morrison.
No impact of attenuation and scatter correction on the interpretation of dopamine transporter SPECT in patients with clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndrome
Authors: Schiebler Tassilo , Apostolova Ivayla , Mathies Franziska Lara , Lange Catharina , Klutmann Susanne , Buchert Ralph
Published: June 2023

Purpose

The benefit from attenuation and scatter correction (ASC) of dopamine transporter (DAT)-SPECT for the detection of nigrostriatal degeneration in clinical routine is still a matter of debate. The current study evaluated the impact of ASC on visual interpretation and semi-quantitative analysis of DAT-SPECT in a large patient sample.

Methods

One thousand seven hundred forty consecutive DAT-SPECT with 123I-FP-CIT from clinical routine were included retrospectively. SPECT images were reconstructed iteratively without and with ASC. Attenuation correction was based on uniform attenuation maps, scatter correction on simulation. All SPECT images were categorized with respect to the presence versus the absence of Parkinson-typical reduction of striatal 123I-FP-CIT uptake by three independent readers. Image reading was performed twice to assess intra-reader variability. The specific 123I-FP-CIT binding ratio (SBR) was used for automatic categorization, separately with and without ASC.

Results

The mean proportion of cases with discrepant categorization by the same reader between the two reading sessions was practically the same without and with ASC, about 2.2%. The proportion of DAT-SPECT with discrepant categorization without versus with ASC by the same reader was 1.66% ± 0.50% (1.09–1.95%), not exceeding the benchmark of 2.2% from intra-reader variability. This also applied to automatic categorization of the DAT-SPECT images based on the putamen SBR (1.78% discrepant cases between without versus with ASC).

Conclusion

Given the large sample size, the current findings provide strong evidence against a relevant impact of ASC with uniform attenuation and simulation-based scatter correction on the clinical utility of DAT-SPECT to detect nigrostriatal degeneration in patients with clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndrome.
Epidemiological features of acute medial meniscus posterior root tears
Authors: Kamatsuki Yusuke , Furumatsu Takayuki , Hiranaka Takaaki , Okazaki Yuki , Kintaka Keisuke , Kodama Yuya , Miyazawa Shinichi , Ozaki Toshifumi
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Untreated or overlooked medial meniscus posterior root tears (MMPRTs) induce sequential knee joint degradation. We evaluated epidemiological features of acute MMPRT for its early detection and accurate diagnosis.

Methods

Among 330 MMPRT patients from 2018 to 2020, those who underwent arthroscopic pullout repairs were enrolled. Patients who underwent non-operative treatment or knee arthroplasty, those with a cruciate ligament-deficient knee or advanced osteoarthritis of the knee, and those with insufficient data were excluded. Finally, we retrospectively evaluated data from 234 MMPRTs (female: 79.9%, complete tears: 92.7%, mean age: 65 years). Welch’s t-test and Chi-squared test were used for pairwise comparisons. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis was performed between age at surgery and body mass index (BMI). Multivariable logistic regression analysis with stepwise backward elimination was applied to the values as risk factors for painful popping events.

Results

In both sexes, there were significant differences in height, weight, and BMI. In all patients, there was a significant negative correlation between BMI and age (ρ =  − 0.36, p < 0.001). The BMI cutoff value of 27.7 kg/m2 had a 79.2% sensitivity and a 76.9% specificity for detecting MMPRT patients aged < 50 years. A painful popping event was confirmed in 187 knees (79.9%), and the frequency was significantly reduced in partial tears as compared to complete tears (odds ratio: 0.080, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Higher BMI was associated with a significantly younger age of MMPRT onset. Partial MMPRTs had a low frequency of painful popping events (43.8%).
Diffusion MRI of the facial-vestibulocochlear nerve complex: a prospective clinical validation study
Authors: Shapey Jonathan , Vos Sjoerd B. , Mancini Laura , Sanders Brett , Thornton John S. , Tournier Jacques-Donald , Saeed Shakeel R. , Kitchen Neil , Khalil Sherif , Grover Patrick , Bradford Robert , Dorent Reuben , Sparks Rachel , Vercauteren Tom , Yousry Tarek , Bisdas Sotirios , Ourselin Sebastien
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Surgical planning of vestibular schwannoma surgery would benefit greatly from a robust method of delineating the facial-vestibulocochlear nerve complex with respect to the tumour. This study aimed to optimise a multi-shell readout-segmented diffusion-weighted imaging (rs-DWI) protocol and develop a novel post-processing pipeline to delineate the facial-vestibulocochlear complex within the skull base region, evaluating its accuracy intraoperatively using neuronavigation and tracked electrophysiological recordings.

Methods

In a prospective study of five healthy volunteers and five patients who underwent vestibular schwannoma surgery, rs-DWI was performed and colour tissue maps (CTM) and probabilistic tractography of the cranial nerves were generated. In patients, the average symmetric surface distance (ASSD) and 95% Hausdorff distance (HD-95) were calculated with reference to the neuroradiologist-approved facial nerve segmentation. The accuracy of patient results was assessed intraoperatively using neuronavigation and tracked electrophysiological recordings.

Results

Using CTM alone, the facial-vestibulocochlear complex of healthy volunteer subjects was visualised on 9/10 sides. CTM were generated in all 5 patients with vestibular schwannoma enabling the facial nerve to be accurately identified preoperatively. The mean ASSD between the annotators’ two segmentations was 1.11 mm (SD 0.40) and the mean HD-95 was 4.62 mm (SD 1.78). The median distance from the nerve segmentation to a positive stimulation point was 1.21 mm (IQR 0.81–3.27 mm) and 2.03 mm (IQR 0.99–3.84 mm) for the two annotators, respectively.

Conclusions

rs-DWI may be used to acquire dMRI data of the cranial nerves within the posterior fossa.

Clinical relevance statement

Readout-segmented diffusion-weighted imaging and colour tissue mapping provide 1–2 mm spatially accurate imaging of the facial-vestibulocochlear nerve complex, enabling accurate preoperative localisation of the facial nerve. This study evaluated the technique in 5 healthy volunteers and 5 patients with vestibular schwannoma.

Key Points

• Readout-segmented diffusion-weighted imaging (rs-DWI) with colour tissue mapping (CTM) visualised the facial-vestibulocochlear nerve complex on 9/10 sides in 5 healthy volunteer subjects.

• Using rs-DWI and CTM, the facial nerve was visualised in all 5 patients with vestibular schwannoma and within 1.21–2.03 mm of the nerve’s true intraoperative location.

• Reproducible results were obtained on different scanners.
Drosophila ezoana uses morning and evening oscillators to adjust its rhythmic activity to different daylengths but only the morning oscillator to measure night length for photoperiodic responses
Authors: Vaze Koustubh M. , Manoli Giulia , Helfrich-Förster Charlotte
Published: June 2023

Animals living at high latitudes are exposed to prominent seasonal changes to which they need to adapt to survive. By applying Zeitgeber cycles of different periods and photoperiods we show here that high-latitude D. ezoana flies possess evening oscillators and highly damped morning oscillators that help them adapting their activity rhythms to long photoperiods. In addition, the damped morning oscillators are involved in timing diapause. The flies measure night length and use external coincidence for timing diapause. We discuss the clock protein TIMELESS (d-TIM) as the molecular correlate and the small ventrolateral clock neurons (s-LNvs) as the anatomical correlates of the components measuring night length.
Thermal–mechanical metamaterial analysis and optimization using an Abaqus plugin
Authors: Fong Ewan , Koponen Kimmo , Omairey Sadik , Dunning Peter
Published: June 2023

This paper demonstrates how commercial finite-element software and optimization algorithms can be combined to fully explore the design space of thermal–mechanical metamaterials to reveal trends and new insight. This is achieved by developing an Abaqus plugin (EasyPBC) that automates the application of periodic boundary conditions and computes effective elastic and thermal expansion properties for 2D and 3D problems. Abaqus is then linked to an optimizer to fully explore the design space and optimal trade-off between thermal and mechanical properties for two example metamaterials. The first example is a auxetic 2D star-shaped metamaterial, where the proposed approach is used to create a design envelope for Poisson’s ratio and thermal expansion coefficient by solving a series of constrained optimization problems. The second example is a 3D metamaterial based on an octet truss, with additional members to expand the design space. A multi-objective optimization problem is solved to find the optimal trade-off between Young’s modulus and thermal expansion coefficient in a prescribed direction. The results of both examples expand our knowledge about the range of properties for these metamaterials, and designs for optimal trade-off between thermal and mechanical properties.