bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a patient‐centered text message‐based platform for the self‐management of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome symptoms
Authors: Kim Edward K. , Brown Lily A. , Seltzer Emily K. , Hartzell‐Leggin Denise , Borodyanskaya Yelizaveta L. , Andy Uduak U. , Rosin Roy M. , Whitmore Kristene E. , Newman Diane K. , Arya Lily A.
Published: December 2022

Objective

To develop a patient‐centered text message‐based platform that promotes self‐management of symptoms of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS).

Methods

Adult women with IC/BPS interested in initiating a first‐ or second‐line treatments per American Urological Association guidelines (recategorized as “behavioral/non‐pharmacologic treatments” and “oral medicines” in the 2022 version) participated in rapid cycle innovation consisting of iterative cycles of contextual inquiry, prototype design and development. We delivered treatment modules and supportive messages using an algorithm‐driven interactive messaging prototype through a HIPAA‐compliant texting platform. Patients provided feedback through narrative text messages and an exit interview. Feedback was analyzed qualitatively and used to iteratively revise the platform until engagement ≥ 85% and accuracy ≥ 80% were achieved. The final version consisted of four treatment module categories (patient education and behavioral modification, cognitive behavioral therapy, pelvic floor physical therapy, and guided mindfulness practices) and supportive messages delivered through an automated algorithm over 6 weeks.

Results

Thirty IC/BPS patients with moderate symptom bother (median IC Problem Index score 9, range 6−12) participated in five cycles of contextual inquiry. Qualitative analysis identified three overarching concepts that informed the development of the platform: preference for patient centered terms, desire to gain self‐efficacy in managing symptoms, and need for provider support. Patients preferred the term “interstitial cystitis” to “bladder pain syndrome” which carried the stigma of chronic pain. Patients reported greater self‐efficacy in managing symptoms through improved access to mind‐body and behavioral treatment modules that helped them to gain insight into their motivations and behaviors. The concept of provider support was informed by shared decision making (patients could choose preferred treatment modules) and reduced sense of isolation (weekly check in messages to check on symptom bother).

Conclusion

A patient centered text message‐based platform may be clinically useful in the self‐management of IC/BPS symptoms.
Imaging of pediatric brain tumors: A COG Diagnostic Imaging Committee/SPR Oncology Committee/ASPNR White Paper
Authors: Jaju Alok , Li Yi , Dahmoush Hisham , Gottardo Nicholas G , Laughlin Suzanne , Mirsky David , Panigrahy Ashok , Sabin Noah D. , Shaw Dennis , Storm Phillip B. , Poussaint Tina Young , Patay Zoltan , Bhatia Aashim
Published: December 2022

Tumors of the central nervous system are the most common solid malignancies in children and the most common cause of pediatric cancer‐related mortality. Imaging plays a central role in diagnosis, staging, treatment planning, and response assessment of pediatric brain tumors. However, the substantial variability in brain tumor imaging protocols across institutions leads to variability in patient risk stratification and treatment decisions, and complicates comparisons of clinical trial results. This White Paper provides consensus‐based imaging recommendations for evaluating pediatric patients with primary brain tumors. The proposed brain magnetic resonance imaging protocol recommendations balance advancements in imaging techniques with the practicality of deployment across most imaging centers.
Rural sustainability methods, drivers, and outcomes: A systematic review
Authors: Nelson Katherine S. , Nguyen Tuan D. , Francois Jean R. , Ojha Shreya
Published: December 2022

In the past three decades, sustainability science has taken on new importance as interest groups investigate better ways to tackle global challenges—environmental degradation, climate change, and human well‐being—that pose risks to communities, particularly in rural areas. Designs for sustainability require empirical evidence of what works and under what human and environmental conditions. Despite the amount of research that exists, the broad variety of research approaches and contexts makes generalizing knowledge about sustainability in rural areas challenging. This work addresses calls to consolidate the field's knowledge about rural sustainability by examining how rural sustainability has been evaluated, identifying drivers of rural sustainability and associated outcome indicators used to operationalize rural sustainability, and determining common trends in how drivers and outcomes are related. We synthesize this diverse literature to identify common themes in evaluation of rural sustainability across disciplines, global regions, and methodological approaches. Our findings indicate many methods have been used to evaluate rural sustainability, that factors derived from the Triple Bottom Line (social, economic, and environmental) are frequently used to operationalize rural sustainability, and that both direct human interventions and underlying socioeconomic drivers of sustainability are routinely examined in the literature. Overall, we find the majority of studies report positive impacts to rural sustainability, suggesting there are many avenues for creating positive change in sustainability in rural areas. However, we also find greater attention to study conceptualization, design and reporting is needed to provide greater confidence in results that inform policy and decision‐making.
Is daily‐life stress reactivity a measure of stress recovery? An investigation of laboratory and daily‐life stress
Authors: De Calheiros Velozo Joana , Vaessen Thomas , Lafit Ginette , Claes Stephan , Myin‐Germeys Inez
Published: December 2022

Typical measures of laboratory reactivity (i.e. difference between control and stress) and recovery (i.e. difference between stress and post‐stress) were compared with a conventional measure of daily‐life reactivity, best known as event‐related stress. Fifty‐three healthy individuals between 19 and 35 years of age took part in a laboratory session where stress was induced using the repeated Montreal Imaging Stress Task and 8 days of experience sampling method. Measures of negative affect, heart rate (HR), HR variability, and skin conductance level were collected. Findings show no strong associations between laboratory and daily life measures with the exception of laboratory affective recovery and daily life reactivity. Findings and their implications are discussed.
Reliability‐based calibration of design code formulas: Application to shear resistance formulas for reinforced concrete members without shear reinforcement
Authors: Slobbe Arthur , Rózsás Árpád , Yang Yuguang
Published: December 2022

This paper presents a reliability‐based calibration method for design code formulas. The method is demonstrated on the shear design formulas in Eurocode 2 and fib Model Code 2010 (MC2010). We found that the partial factor in the current Eurocode 2 is about 20% lower than the optimal value and, thus, provides an insufficient safety margin. The obtained optimal partial factor in the (modified) Eurocode 2 and MC2010 formulas is 1.53 and 1.36, respectively. The difference stems from higher accuracy and, hence, lower uncertainty of the MC2010 model in predicting experimental results. Hence, on average, the MC2010 formula leads to about 13% larger design resistances compared to Eurocode 2 given that the target reliability for both design formulas is the same. To stimulate and facilitate future structural code development and derivation of partial factors, we make the used computer code freely available.
Cyclic behavior of full‐scale reinforced high‐strength recycled aggregate concrete columns
Authors: Li Yanna , Dong Hongying , Cao Wanlin , Zhang Jianwei , Guo Yanli
Published: December 2022

In order to expand the application of high‐strength recycled concrete, five full‐scale square high‐strength recycled concrete columns (600 × 600 mm) were tested under the experimental axial compression ratio (ACR) of 0.54. The seismic behavior of reinforced high‐strength recycled aggregate concrete columns under high ACR and the effects of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) replacement ratio and ACR on the seismic behavior were analyzed. The results showed that the high‐strength recycled concrete columns have potential to collapse‐resistance capacity subjected to strong earthquakes. Under the similar concrete strengths, the mechanical properties of high‐strength recycled aggregate concrete columns and ordinary concrete columns were comparable even under high ACR. As the ACR increased from 0.35 to 0.54, the bearing capacity increased by up to 12.6%, while the ductility decreased by up to 32.8%. The specimens with 100% RCA were more sensitive to ACR than those with 50% RCA. A four‐fold restoring force model considering the effects of axial load, reinforcement ratio, shear span, and RCA replacement ratio was established, which was in good agreement with the experimental curves.
Predation research with electronic tagging
Authors: Lennox Robert J. , Dahlmo Lotte S. , Ford Adam T. , Sortland Lene K. , Vogel Emma F. , Vollset Knut Wiik
Published: December 2022

Predation is a fundamental aspect of ecology that drives ecosystem structure and function. A better understanding of predation can be facilitated by using electronic tags that log or transmit positions of predator or prey species in natural settings, however, there are special considerations that must be made to avoid biased estimates. We provide an overview of the tools available for studying predation with electronic tags including the tag types and analytical tools that can be used to identify where, when and how prey are killed by predators. We also discuss considerations for experimental design when studying predation using electronic tags, including how to minimize effects of capture and tagging procedures. Ongoing innovation and integration of sensors for tags will provide more detailed data about the performance of tagged predators and the fate of tagged prey. Where analysts can effectively resolve the timing of predation using state‐of‐the‐art tags and analytical tools, we foresee exciting advances in our understanding of animal demographics, evolutionary trajectories and management systems. Prospects to develop new tools and approaches for tracking predation while designing studies to more effectively limit bias are an important frontier for understanding ecosystems and addressing human–wildlife conflicts. Given great uncertainties about environmental change and intensifying conflicts between humans and predators, effective study designs integrating electronic tagging to study predation have a promising future in fundamental and applied ecology.
Imagining Gender in Biographical Fiction: Introduction
Authors: Novak Julia , Ní Dhúill Caitríona
Published: December 2022

The introduction situates the question of gender in biographical fiction in relation to current scholarship on biofiction, life writing, and historical fiction, and establishes a dialogue between biofiction studies and gender-sensitive approaches to both life writing and historical fiction. Clarifying the often complex and contradictory understandings of key terms that have emerged in recent scholarship on biofiction, historical fiction, life writing, and their inter-relationships, the introduction discusses the ethics of biofiction and the notion of biographical authenticity; the persistence of conventional tropes of femininity, masculinity, and gender normativity in biofiction; the aesthetics of agency in post-Lukácsian biofiction and historical fiction; and the role of creativity in imagining feminist, queer, and non-binary pasts.

The introduction then outlines the volume’s individual chapters and the common themes or approaches that connect them, including gender and power relations in the re-imagined lives; critique or reinscription of patriarchal values and mindsets; cliché and generic convention; revision and reinvention; ventriloquism and visibility; uses of historical research, evidence, sources, and their traces in the biofictional text; narratological aspects; and questions of readership and reception.
A Clinical Prediction Model for Patients with Acute Large Vessel Occlusion Due to Underlying Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis
Authors: Cai Yusen , Gu Yuting , Wang Yanhong , Wang Peng , Zhang Lei , Liu Chaolai , Chu Jianfeng , Li Hui , Lu Zhe , Zhou Yafei , Liu Huakun
Published: December 2022

Background

Acute large vessel occlusion due to underlying intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS-LVO) increases the difficulty of revascularization, resulting in frequent re-occlusion. The establishment of its pathogenesis before endovascular treatment (EVT) is beneficial for patients. We aimed at developing and validating a clinical prediction model for ICAS-LVO patients before EVT.

Methods

Patients with acute large vessel occlusion at Jining No. 1 People’s Hospital from January 2019 to September 2021 were retrospectively included as the training cohort. The 70 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the validation cohort (October 2021 to May 2022). Demographics, onset form, medical history, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) imaging data, and laboratory test data were collected. Preprocedural parameters for the ICAS-LVO risk prediction model were established by stepwise logistic regression controlling for the confounding effects. Then, we constructed a nomogram model and evaluated its performance via the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, area under the ROC curve (AUC) analysis.

Results

The 231 acute LVO patients were included in the final analysis, 74 (32.3%) patients were ICAS-LVO. A preoperative diagnosis prediction model consisting of five predictors for ICAS-LVO, including fluctuating symptoms, NIHSS < 16, atrial fibrillation, tapered sign, and ASITN/SIR score ≥ 2. The model depicted an acceptable calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test, p = 0.451) and good discrimination (AUC, 0.941; 95% confidence interval, 0.910–0.971). The optimal cut-off value for the ICAS-LVO scale was 2 points, with 86.5% sensitivity, 91.1% specificity, and 90.5% accuracy. In the validation cohort, the discriminative ability was promising with an AUC value of 0.897, implying a good predictive performance.

Conclusion

The established ICAS-LVO scale, which is composed of five predictors: fluctuating symptoms, NIHSS < 16, atrial fibrillation, tapered sign, and ASITN/SIR score ≥ 2, has a good predictive value for ICAS-LVO in Chinese populations.
Browning-induced changes in trophic functioning of planktonic food webs in temperate and boreal lakes: insights from fatty acids
Authors: Strandberg Ursula , Hiltunen Minna , Creed Irena F. , Arts Michael T. , Kankaala Paula
Published: December 2022

The effects of lake browning on trophic functioning of planktonic food webs are not fully understood. We studied the effects of browning on the response patterns of polyunsaturated fatty acids and n−3/n−6 ratio in seston and compared them between boreal and temperate lakes. We also compared the regional differences and the effects of lake browning on the reliance of zooplankton on heterotrophic microbial pathways and the mass fractions of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in zooplankton. Lake browning was associated with increasing phytoplankton biomass and concentrations of EPA and DHA in both temperate and boreal lakes, but the seston n−3/n−6 ratio was lower in temperate than boreal lakes, most likely due the differences in phytoplankton community composition. The browning-induced increase in phytoplankton biomass was associated with increased reliance of zooplankton on a heterotrophic microbial pathway for both cladocerans and copepods in boreal and temperate lakes. This increased reliance on the heterotrophic microbial diet was correlated with a decrease in the EPA and DHA mass fractions in temperate copepods and a decrease in the n−3/n−6 ratio in boreal cladocerans and copepods. Our results indicate that although phytoplankton responses to lake browning were similar across regions, this did not directly cascade to the next trophic level, where zooplankton responses were highly taxa- and region-specific. These results indicate that lake browning should be considered as an overarching moderator that is linked to, e.g., nutrient increases, which have more immediate consequences on trophic interactions at the phytoplankton–zooplankton interface.
Family of fourth-order optimal classes for solving multiple-root nonlinear equations
Authors: Chicharro Francisco I. , Garrido Neus , Jerezano Julissa H. , Pérez-Palau Daniel
Published: December 2022

We present a new iterative procedure for solving nonlinear equations with multiple roots with high efficiency. Starting from the arithmetic mean of Newton’s and Chebysev’s methods, we generate a two-step scheme using weight functions, resulting in a family of iterative methods that satisfies the Kung and Traub conjecture, yielding an optimal family for different choices of weight function. We have performed an in-depth analysis of the stability of the family members, in order to select those members with the highest stability for application in solving mathematical chemistry problems. We show the good characteristics of the selected methods by applying them on four relevant chemical problems.
Immune Metabolism in TH2 Responses: New Opportunities to Improve Allergy Treatment — Cell Type-Specific Findings (Part 2)
Authors: Lin Y.-J. , Goretzki A. , Rainer H. , Zimmermann J. , Schülke Stefan
Published: December 2022

Purpose of Review

Over the last years, we have learned that the metabolic phenotype of immune cells is closely connected to the cell’s effector function. Understanding these changes will allow us to better understand allergic disease pathology and improve allergy treatment by modulating immune metabolic pathways. As part two of a two-article series, this review reports on the recent studies investigating the metabolism of the cell types involved in allergies and discusses the initial application of these discoveries in allergy treatment.

Recent Findings

The cell types involved in allergic reactions display pronounced and highly specific metabolic changes (here discussed for epithelial cells, APCs, ILC2s, mast cells, eosinophils, and Th2 cells). Currently, the first drugs targeting metabolic pathways are tested for their potential to improve allergy treatment.

Immune-metabolic changes observed in allergy so far are complex and depend on the investigated disease and cell type. However, our increased understanding of the underlying principles has pointed to several promising target molecules that are now being investigated to improve allergy treatment.
Attention-guided video super-resolution with recurrent multi-scale spatial–temporal transformer
Authors: Sun Wei , Kong Xianguang , Zhang Yanning
Published: December 2022

Video super-resolution (VSR) aims to recover the high-resolution (HR) contents from the low-resolution (LR) observations relying on compositing the spatial–temporal information in the LR frames. It is crucial to propagate and aggregate spatial–temporal information. Recently, while transformers show impressive performance on high-level vision tasks, few attempts have been made on image restoration, especially on VSR. In addition, previous transformers simultaneously process spatial–temporal information, easily synthesizing confused textures and high computational cost limit its development. Towards this end, we construct a novel bidirectional recurrent VSR architecture. Our model disentangles the task of learning spatial–temporal information into two easier sub-tasks, each sub-task focuses on propagating and aggregating specific information with a multi-scale transformer-based design, which alleviates the difficulty of learning. Additionally, an attention-guided motion compensation module is applied to get rid of the influence of misalignment between frames. Experiments on three widely used benchmark datasets show that, relying on superior feature correlation learning, the proposed network can outperform previous state-of-the-art methods, especially for recovering the fine details.
Oxygen-Free Compound Casting of Aluminum and Copper in a Silane-Doped Inert Gas Atmosphere: A New Approach to Increase Thermal Conductivity
Authors: Fromm Andreas C. , Barienti Khemais , Selmanovic Armin , Thürer Susanne E. , Nürnberger Florian , Maier Hans Jürgen , Klose Christian
Published: December 2022

Novel aluminum-copper compound castings devoid of oxide layers at the interface between the joining partners were developed in order to increase the thermal conductivity of the hybrid component. Due to the natural oxide layers of both aluminum and copper, metallurgical bonds between such bi-metal castings cannot be easily achieved in conventional processes. However, in an atmosphere comparable to extreme high vacuum created by using silane-doped inert gas, metallurgical bonds between the active surfaces of both aluminum and copper can be realized without additional coatings or fluxes. An intermetallic was created between aluminum and copper. Thus, very high thermal conductivities could be obtained for these hybrid castings, exceeding those of conventionally joined samples considerably. The intermetallic phase seams emerging between the joining partners were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The reduction of casting temperatures resulted in narrower intermetallic phase seams and these in turn in a much lower contact resistance between the two joining partners. This effect can be utilized for increasing the heat transfer capabilities of compound casting components employed for cooling heat sources such as high-power light-emitting diodes.
Social networks for enhanced player churn prediction in mobile free-to-play games
Authors: Óskarsdóttir María , Gísladóttir Kristín Eva , Stefánsson Ragnar , Aleman Damian , Sarraute Carlos
Published: December 2022

Social networks have been shown to enhance player experience in online games and to be important for the players, who often build complex communities. In online and mobile games, the behavior of players is bursty as they tend to play intensively at first for a short time and then quit playing altogether. Such players are known as churners. In the literature, several attempts have been made at predicting player churn in online and mobile games using behavioral features from the games’ player logs as input in supervised machine learning models. Previous research shows that information from social networks provides alternative and significant information when predicting churn, and yet the importance of networks has not been fully researched in mobile gaming. In this research, we study player churn in a mobile free-to-play game with one-versus-one matches. We build two types of networks based on how two players are matched. We train churn prediction models with features extracted from the networks to evaluate their predictive performance in terms of churn. Furthermore, we predict churn using the players’ behavioral features during their first day of game playing. According to our results, the network features greatly increase the predictive performance of the models, indicating that they carry alternative information about intention to churn. In addition, the first-day features are quite predictive, which means that first day activity is sufficient to predict churn of players quite accurately, validating the bursty behavior. Our research gives an indication of which aspects of game playing are associated with churn and allow us to study influence and social factors in mobile games.
Computational validation and system identification modeling for stability and control predictions
Authors: Ghoreyshi M. , Jirasek A. , Seidel J.
Published: December 2022

This article presents the results of the first AIAA Stability and Control Prediction Workshop obtained at the U.S. Air Force Academy using the kCFD flow solver of the
${\rm{HPCMP}}\;{\rm{CREAT}}{{\rm{E}}^{{\rm{TM}}}}$
-AV Kestrel simulation tools. The test case considered is a large-scale Common Research Model (CRM) tested at the ONERA S1MA wind tunnel at different transonic speeds and fixed lift coefficient values at zero and non-zero side-slip angles. The computational results include a grid sensitivity analysis and validation with available experimental data. In addition, the Mach number and sting effects on the predicted stability and control values of the test case are investigated. Finally, a system identification method using a regression model is developed and used for prediction of stability and control data. The regression coefficients are estimated from an input signal with varying-frequency changes in the angle-of-attack, pitch rate, and side-slip angle. Once the model was created, it was used to predict the static and dynamic aerodynamic data of the test cases. The results show that the model predictions match very well with calculated CFD data at discrete flow conditions.
Family orientation, working years and childbearing age: evidence from the China Family Panel Study 2014
Authors: Yang Xingxin , Shen Yi , Bai Yang
Published: December 2022

This article reports the results of a study investigating the impact of family orientation, the number of years spent working, and their interaction on childbearing age among women who have recently completed their childbearing.

We find that a traditional family orientation and a higher number of working years contribute to delaying the childbearing age. People with a traditional family orientation can delay childbearing because they want to make elaborate material preparations for raising their children. Women who have worked many years are more aware of gender inequality in the domestic sphere (having been exposed to gender equality in the workplace). This is especially the case for women with a modern family orientation. However, this does not necessarily lead people with a modern family orientation to delay childbearing. They may advance their childbearing in an effort to escape an oppressive domestic environment in their families of origin.
Optimizing subjective wellbeing with amisulpride in first episode schizophrenia or related disorders
Authors: de Haan Lieuwe , van Tricht Mirjam , van Dijk Floor , Arango Celso , Díaz-Caneja Covadonga M. , Bobes Julio , García-Álvarez Leticia , Leucht Stefan
Published: December 2022

Background

Subjective response (SR) to antipsychotic medication is relevant for quality of life, adherence and recovery. Here, we evaluate (1) the extent of variation in SR in patients using a single antipsychotic; (2) the association between subjective and symptomatic response; and (3) predictors of SR.

Methods

Open-label, single treatment condition with amisulpride in 339 patients with a first episode of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, at most minimally treated before inclusion. Patients were evaluated at baseline, before start with amisulpride and after four weeks of treatment with the Subjective Wellbeing under Neuroleptic scale, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia.

Results

(1) 26.8% of the patients had a substantial favorable SR, and 12.4% of the patients experienced a substantial dysphoric SR during treatment with amisulpride. (2) Modest positive associations were found between SR and 4 weeks change on symptom subscales (r = 0.268–0.390, p values < 0.001). (3) Baseline affective symptoms contributed to the prediction of subjective remission, demographic characteristics did not. Lower start dosage of amisulpride was associated with a more favorable SR (r = −0.215, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

We conclude that variation in individual proneness for an unfavorable SR is substantial and only modestly associated with symptomatic response. We need earlier identification of those most at risk for unfavorable SR and research into interventions to improve SR to antipsychotic medication in those at risk.
Discrimination in marketized welfare services: a field experiment on Swedish schools
Authors: Larsson Taghizadeh Jonas , Adman Per
Published: December 2022

Providers’ tendency to cream skim clients according to certain sociodemographic traits is widely believed to increase under marketization, and therefore also discrimination. However, due to a lack of experimental research, little is known about the presence of discrimination in marketized welfare services and of the potential drivers of such biased treatment. The lack of research is particularly evident in regard to socioeconomic status (SES) discrimination and publicly financed for-profit providers. Moreover, competition, an important aspect of marketization, has not been investigated. Focusing on the interesting case of the Swedish school sector, we aim to improve knowledge on these matters. In a field experiment, 3,430 elementary school principals were randomly contacted though e-mail by parents with Arabic- or Swedish-sounding names and in low- or high-socioeconomic professions. The fictional parents were interested in placing their children at the school. The Swedish school sector resembles marketized public services in several Western countries. The results show clear signs of ethnic as well as SES discrimination, particularly in regard to more qualitative aspects of the replies. However, we find no significant differences in discrimination between public and private/for-profit schools and depending on the degree of competition in the school market.
Speed as a dimension of manner in Estonian frog stories
Authors: Taremaa Piia , Kiik Johanna , Toots Leena Karin , Veismann Ann
Published: December 2022

Focusing on the expression of manner and path in the ‘frog story’ narrations of Estonian native speakers, this study shows that Estonian – a morphologically rich satellite-framed Finno-Ugric language – is characterised by high manner and high path salience. Furthermore, when analysing one of the core qualities of manner – speed – we show that when the participants were asked to narrate a story as if the events developed slowly, they also spoke slowly and their stories tended to be long (both in time duration and word count) and include many details. When they were asked to tell the story as if the events developed fast, they also spoke faster and used more verbs of caused motion and verbs of vertical motion. Thus, the speed of motion in the physical world seems to be mimicked by speech rate, indicating mental simulation and iconic prosody. The exact nature of speed effects in linguistic choices for expressing motion remains to be studied in future works.
Organ Conscription and Greater Needs
Authors: Zambrano Alexander
Published: December 2022

Since its inception, the institution of postmortem organ transplantation has faced the problem of organ shortage: Every year, the demand for donor organs vastly exceeds supply, resulting in the deaths of approximately 8,000 individuals in the United States alone.1 This is in large part due to the fact that the United States, for the most part, operates under an “opt-in” policy in which people are given the opportunity to voluntarily opt-in to organ donation by registering as organ donors.2 In the United States, a person’s organs will not be removed for transplantation purposes unless she has registered as a donor or her family gives their consent for organ removal.3 Jointly, these policies generate a situation where we do not retrieve as many organs as we could.
Ultrasonographic evaluation of endotracheal tube position in newborns with CHD
Authors: Gürsoy Başak Kaya , Dilli Dilek , Sarıkaya Yasin , Akduman Hasan , Çitli Rumeysa , Örün Utku Arman , Taşar Mehmet , Zenciroğlu Ayşegül
Published: December 2022

Many studies have been conducted to determine the most reliable technique for evaluating the position of the endotracheal tube in patients receiving mechanical ventilation support. In this study, we aimed to determine the endotracheal tube position by ultrasonography in intubated patients with a diagnosis of critical CHD followed in the neonatal ICU.

Methods:

In this prospective observational clinical study, we performed point-of-care ultrasound for endotracheal tube localisation in 65 intubated newborns with critical CHD. After routine radiography, each patient underwent point-of-care ultrasound examination with a portable ultrasonography device for endotracheal tube end-carina measurement. Endotracheal tube end-carina measurements on chest radiographs were compared with ultrasound images.

Results:

The mean gestational age and birth weight were 37.8 ± 2.19 weeks and 2888 ± 595 g, respectively. Ultrasound images were obtained after an average of 2.08 ± 1.6 hours from the radiographs. The average ultrasound time allocated to each patient was 5 minutes. The mean endotracheal tube tip-to-carina distance on chest X-ray and ultrasound were optimally 1.33 ± 0.64 cm and 1.43 ± 0.67 cm, respectively. There was no significant difference between chest X-ray and ultrasound measurements in endotracheal tube end-carina distance values evaluated by the Bland–Altman method (mean difference 0.10 cm, p = 0.068). There was a linear correlation between the endotracheal tube tip-carina distance in ultrasound and radiography evaluation (r2 = 0.60, p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

It has been concluded that critical CHDs are frequently accompanied by vascular anomalies, and the endotracheal tube tip-carina distance measurement can be used by determining the carina section as a guide point in the ultrasonographic evaluation of the endotracheal tube location in this patient population.
Presentation of Noise Elements of Chinese Plucked String Instruments in Electronic Music
Authors: Qiuxiao Li
Published: December 2022

Traditional Chinese music highlights the linear beauty, or the melody. In addition to the presentation of melody, traditional Chinese music tends to create rhythmic beauty with a broad sound language of different attributes, which is realised by controlling the sound variation with its rich playing fingerings and techniques. Instead of evading noises, traditional Chinese music even applies noises intentionally to meet certain demands, as is very commonly found in plucked string instruments. Many typical noise languages used in plucked string instruments, while in the context of electroacoustic music, demonstrate their features in multiple dimensions of sound, such as the basic form, colour, dynamics and longitudinal gradation structure, which are gained by changes in parameters such as sound pitch, frequency, time and space information. Therefore, they imply both the basic timbre characteristics of the musical instrument and the technical characteristics of the electroacoustic music.
Leaves Are Springing Up Earlier Along the Appalachian Trail
Authors: Hull Kate
Published: December 2022

Satellite images of lustrous new leaves reveal changes that will have cascading effects on diverse ecosystems in the eastern United States.
Thermodynamical and Dynamical Impacts of an Intense Cyclone on Arctic Sea Ice
Authors: Tian Zhongxiang , Liang Xi , Zhang Jinlun , Bi Haibo , Zhao Fu , Li Chunhua
Published: December 2022

This study investigates the thermodynamical and dynamical influences of the intense cyclone in the Arctic Ocean in August 2012 on the synoptic‐scale sea ice evolution, using the Arctic Ice Ocean Prediction System (ArcIOPS). As it is hard to fully isolate sea ice loss owing to extreme cyclone from that owing to background atmospheric state in most previous studies on this topic, this study introduces a newly developed algorithm to remove the cyclone component in atmospheric forcing, and conducts sea ice and heat budget analyses in two simulations driven by atmospheric forcing with and without the cyclone. Strong impact of the intense cyclone on sea ice locates on the east side of the cyclone's path, that is, Pacific Arctic for this case. The cyclone affects sea ice in two ways. First, cyclone‐induced enhancement in ice‐ocean interaction leads to increased sea ice basal melt in the Pacific Arctic and part of the Atlantic Arctic, which induces strong sea ice area and volume loss when the cyclone's intensity peaks. Second, as the cyclone strengthens, the increases in air temperature, humidity and wind speed accelerate turbulent heat exchange at the air‐ocean and air‐ice interfaces, leading to enhanced local sea ice surface melt in the Chukchi Sea and northern Beaufort Sea. The cyclone‐induced strong winds stir sea ice leading to enhanced gradients in sea ice velocity field and thus increased sea ice deformation, which further induces strong sea ice area loss. This study also demonstrates a precise atmospheric forcing field is essential for sea ice modeling.
Multiproxy Reconstruction of Pliocene North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures and Implications for Rainfall in North Africa
Authors: Wycech J. B. , Rajagopalan B. , Molnar P. H. , Gill E. , Marchitto T. M.
Published: December 2022

Wetter conditions in the African Sahel during the Pliocene (5.3–2.6 Ma) likely played an important role in hominid evolution and may be explained by warm North Atlantic sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs), similar to the modern warm phase of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO). We reconstruct Pliocene North Atlantic (2°S to 60°N) SSTs through a multiproxy reduced‐dimension methodology that combines two new foraminiferal (Trilobatus sacculifer) Mg/Ca‐based SST records from Ocean Drilling Program sites in the northwestern Atlantic (Site 997) and Gulf of Mexico (Site 625) with previously published multi‐proxy SST records from seven additional Atlantic sites. Our Pliocene reconstructions indicate that the North Atlantic was overall warmer than the comparison period (0–0.5 Ma) with the most extreme warming occurring in the tropical and eastern subtropical North Atlantic and in the Labrador Sea. Furthermore, the mean state of North Atlantic warming at 5 Ma resembles that of the modern warm phase of the AMO with average SST anomalies of 3.8°C ± 0.5°C in the AMO region. With that reconstructed index, along with reconstructed El Niño‐like eastern Tropical Pacific SSTs from our previous research, we reconstruct rainfall over the Pliocene North Africa, covering the Sahara‐Sahel region and the Megalake Chad Basin and find up to twice the rainfall of that today. We surmise that this increased precipitation rate, along with other aiding land and sub‐surface processes, sustained Megalake Chad.
The regulatory role and therapeutic application of pyroptosis in musculoskeletal diseases
Authors: Wang Siyu , Wang Hua , Feng Chengyao , Li Chenbei , Li Zhihong , He Jieyu , Tu Chao
Published: December 2022

Pyroptosis is a controlled form of inflammatory cell death characterized by inflammasome activation, pore formation, and cell lysis. According to different caspases, pyroptosis can be divided into canonical, non-canonical, and other pathways. The role of pyroptosis in disease development has been paid more attention in recent years. The trigger factors of pyroptosis are often related to oxidative stress and proinflammatory substances, which coincide with the pathological mechanism of some diseases. Pyroptosis directly leads to cell lysis and death, and the release of cytosolic components and proinflammatory cytokines affects cell activity and amplifies the inflammatory response. All the above are involved in a series of basic pathological processes, such as matrix degradation, fibrosis, and angiogenesis. Since these pathological changes are also common in musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs), emerging studies have focused on the correlations between pyroptosis and MSDs in recent years. In this review, we first summarized the molecular mechanism of pyroptosis and extensively discussed the differences and crosstalk between pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necrosis. Next, we elaborated on the role of pyroptosis in some MSDs, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, gout arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, intervertebral disc degeneration, and several muscle disorders. The regulation of pyroptosis could offer potential therapeutic targets in MSDs treatment. Herein, the existing drugs and therapeutic strategies that directly or indirectly target pyroptosis pathway components have been discussed in order to shed light on the novel treatment for MSDs.
Inverse design of metal–organic frameworks for C2H4/C2H6 separation
Authors: Zhou Musen , Wu Jianzhong
Published: December 2022

Efficient separation of C2H4/C2H6 mixtures is of paramount importance in the petrochemical industry. Nanoporous materials, especially metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), may serve the purpose owing to their tailorable structures and pore geometries. In this work, we propose a computational framework for high-throughput screening and inverse design of high-performance MOFs for adsorption and membrane processes. High-throughput screening of the computational-ready, experimental (CoRE 2019) MOF database leads to materials with exceptionally high ethane-selective adsorption selectivity (LUDLAZ: 7.68) and ethene-selective membrane selectivity (EBINUA02: 2167.3). Moreover, the inverse design enables the exploration of broader chemical space and identification of MOF structures with even higher membrane selectivity and permeability. In addition, a relative membrane performance score (rMPS) has been formulated to evaluate the overall membrane performance relative to the Robeson boundary. The computational framework offers guidelines for the design of MOFs and is generically applicable to materials discovery for gas storage and separation.
Noninvasive studies may have potential to replace cystoscopy in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer follow-up
Authors: Lee Jongsoo , Heo Ji Eun , Kang Sung Ku , Lee Kwang Suk , Han Hyunho , Jang Won Sik , Choi Young Deuk
Published: December 2022

Bladder cancer has a high recurrence rate which requires frequent follow-up. Cystoscopy is currently the gold standard for follow-up which is invasive and undesirable procedure for patients. We aimed to investigate the feasibility of noninvasive studies for follow-up of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. This retrospective study was done for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients with abnormal lesion at follow up cystoscopy, therefore those needed transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT). Inclusion criteria was patients who had preoperative bladder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within 1 month to TUR-BT and urine cytology results. MRI, urine cytology, and surgical pathology results were analyzed for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy, diagnostic odds ratio, and number needed to misdiagnose for the diagnostic performance of non-invasive studies. From total of 2,258 TUR-BT cases, 1,532 cases of primary TUR-BT and 481 cases which bladder MRI were not done was excluded. Finally, 245 cases of TUR-BT were included. Combined urine cytology and bladder MRI showed 96% sensitivity, 43% specificity, 89% positive and 67% negative predictive values, 87% accuracy, 16.2 diagnostic odds ratio, and 7.4 number needed to misdiagnose values. Among nine false-negative cases, three (1.2%) were missed by the radiologist, two (0.8%) had an empty bladder during magnetic resonance imaging, and three (1.2%) had gross hematuria which needed cystoscopy despite of bladder MRI or urine cytology result. Only one case (0.4%) was missed based on symptoms and noninvasive tests. However, none of the false-negative cases showed rapid extensive progression requiring radical or partial cystectomy. The combination of bladder MRI and urine cytology was comparable to cystoscopy for the follow-up of recurred lesions in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients for sensitivity, but not for specificity. However, it may reduce the need for cystoscopy and allowing patients to have choices for follow up diagnostic methods. Also, additional imaging tests to evaluate kidney, ureter and peri-vesical lesions can be reduced.
Positive and negative facial valence perception are modulated differently by eccentricity in the parafovea
Authors: Akselevich Vasilisa , Gilaie-Dotan Sharon
Published: December 2022

Understanding whether people around us are in a good, bad or neutral mood can be critical to our behavior, both when looking directly at them or when they are in our peripheral visual field. However, facial expressions of emotions are often investigated at central visual field or at locations right or left of fixation. Here we assumed that perception of facial emotional valence (the emotion’s pleasantness) changes with distance from central visual field (eccentricity) and that different emotions may be influenced differently by eccentricity. Participants (n = 58) judged the valence of emotional faces across the parafovea (≤ 4°, positive (happy), negative (fearful), or neutral)) while their eyes were being tracked. As expected, performance decreased with eccentricity. Positive valence perception was least affected by eccentricity (accuracy reduction of 10–19% at 4°) and negative the most (accuracy reduction of 35–38% at 4°), and this was not a result of speed-accuracy trade-off or response biases. Within-valence (but not across-valence) performance was associated across eccentricities suggesting perception of different valences is supported by different mechanisms. While our results may not generalize to all positive and negative emotions, they indicate that beyond-foveal investigations can reveal additional characteristics of the mechanisms that underlie facial expression processing and perception.
Bas-relief modeling from RGB monocular images with regional division characteristics
Authors: Wu Xinli , Zhao Yun , Luo Jiali , Zhang Minxiong , Yang Wenzhen
Published: December 2022

Traditional Bas-relief modeling methods are often limited to inefficient and difficult to be altered after the product is formed. This paper presents a novel method for bas-relief modeling from RGB monocular images with regional division characteristics. The problem discussed in this paper involves edge detection, region division, height value recovery and three-dimensional reconstruction of image. In our framework, we can automatically obtain the pixel height of each area in the image and can adjust the concave–convex relationship of each image area to obtain a bas-relief modeling which can be printed directly in 3D. The edge detection algorithm used Gaussian difference pyramid to combine the luminance information and chrominance information of digital image; the regions of the RGB monocular image are divided by the improved connected-component labeling algorithm;and the 3D pixel point cloud of each region is calculated by the shape-from-shading algorithm. Different from previous work, our method can fully obtain the image height field data and completely restored the depth information,which makes it possible to use any RGB monocular image for bas-relief modeling. Experiments with groups of images show that our method can effectively generate bas-relief modeling.