bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrospun fibers as carriers for topical drug delivery and release in skin bandages and patches for atopic dermatitis treatment
Authors: Krysiak Zuzanna J. , Stachewicz Urszula
Published: July 2022

The skin is a complex layer system and the most important barrier between the environment and the organism. In this review, we describe some widespread skin problems, with a focus on eczema, which are affecting more and more people all over the world. Most of treatment methods for atopic dermatitis (AD) are focused on increasing skin moisture and protecting from bacterial infection and external irritation. Topical and transdermal treatments have specific requirements for drug delivery. Breathability, flexibility, good mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and efficacy are important for the patches used for skin. Up to today, electrospun fibers are mostly used for wound dressing. Their properties, however, meet the requirements for skin patches for the treatment of AD. Active agents can be incorporated into fibers by blending, coaxial or side‐by‐side electrospinning, and also by physical absorption post‐processing. Drug release from the electrospun membranes is affected by drug and polymer properties and the technique used to combine them into the patch. We describe in detail the in vitro release mechanisms, parameters affecting the drug transport, and their kinetics, including theoretical approaches. In addition, we present the current research on skin patch design. This review summarizes the current extensive know‐how on electrospun fibers as skin drug delivery systems, while underlining the advantages in their prospective use as patches for atopic dermatitis.

This article is categorized under:

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and Replacement

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies
J‐aggregation strategy of organic dyes for near‐infrared bioimaging and fluorescent image‐guided phototherapy
Authors: Tian Youliang , Yin Dalong , Yan Lifeng
Published: July 2022

With the continuous development of organic materials for optoelectronic devices and biological applications, J‐aggregation has attracted a great deal of interest in both dye chemistry and supramolecular chemistry. Except for the characteristic red‐shifted absorption and emission, such ordered head‐to‐tail stacked structures may be accompanied by special properties such as enhanced absorption, narrowed spectral bandwidth, improved photothermal and photodynamic properties, aggregation‐induced emission enhancement (AIEE) phenomenon, and so forth. These excellent properties add great potential to J‐aggregates for optical imaging and phototherapy in the near‐infrared (NIR) region. Despite decades of development, the challenge of rationally designing the molecular structure to adjust intermolecular forces to induce J‐aggregation of organic dyes remains significant. In this review, we discuss the formation of J‐aggregates in terms of intermolecular interactions and summarize some recent studies on J‐aggregation dyes for NIR imaging and phototherapy, to provide a clear direction and reference for designing J‐aggregates of near‐infrared organic dyes to better enable biological applications.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies

Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease
Correction to: The Natural History of Caterpillar-Ant Associations
Authors: Pierce Naomi E. , Dankowicz Even
Published: July 2022

“The Natural History of Caterpillar-Ant Associations” was previously published non-open access. It has now been changed to open access under a CC BY 4.0 license and the copyright holder updated to ‘The Author(s)’. The book has also been updated with this change.
Resource Scheduling Strategy for Spark in Co-allocated Data Centers
Authors: Liang Yi , Zhang Chaohui
Published: July 2022

The co-allocated data centers are to deploy online services and offline workloads in the same cluster to improve the utilization of resources. Spark application is a typical offline batch workload. At present, the resource scheduling strategy for co-allocated data centers mainly focuses on online services. Spark applications still use the original resource scheduling, which can’t solve the data dependency and deadline problems between spark applications and online services. This paper proposes a data-aware resource-scheduling model to meet the deadline requirement of Spark application and optimize the throughput of data processing on the premise of ensuring the quality of service of online services.
Multi-level Network Software Defined Gateway Forwarding System Based on Multus
Authors: Wang Zhengqi , Ji Yuan , Zheng Weibo , Li Mingyan
Published: July 2022

In order to solve the problem that the data forwarding performance requirements of the security gateway are becoming higher and higher, the difficulty of operation and maintenance is increasing day by day, and the physical resource configuration strategy is constantly changing, a multi-level network software defined gateway forwarding system based on Multus is proposed and implemented. On the basis of kubernetes' centralized management and control of the service cluster, different types of CNI plugins are dynamically called for interface configuration, At the same time, it supports the multi-level network of kernel mode and user mode, separates the control plane and data plane of the forwarding system, and enhances the controllability of the system service. At the same time, the load balancing module based on user mode protocol stack is introduced to realize the functions of dynamic scaling, smooth upgrade, cluster monitoring, fault migration and so on without affecting the forwarding performance of the system.
An Improved Chicken Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Feature Selection
Authors: Wang Haoran , Chen Zhiyu , Liu Gang
Published: July 2022

In recent years, feature selection is becoming more and more important in data mining. Its target is that reduce the dimensionality of the datasets while at least maintaining the classification accuracy. There are some researches about chicken swarm optimization algorithm (CSO) applied to feature selection, the effect is extraordinary compared with traditional swarm intelligence algorithms. However, there is a complex search space in the challenging task feature selection, the CSO algorithm still has a default that quickly gets stuck in the local minimum problem. An improved chicken swarm optimization algorithm (ICSO) is proposed in this paper, which introduces the Levy flight strategy in the hen location update strategy and the nonlinear strategy of decreasing inertial weight in the chick location update strategy to increase the global search ability and avoid getting stuck in the local minimum problem. Compared with the other three algorithms on eighteen UCI datasets shows that the ICSO algorithm can greatly reduce the redundant features while ensuring classification accuracy.
Recognition Model Based on BP Neural Network and Its Application
Authors: Nong Yingxiong , Chen Zhibin , Huang Cong , Pan Jian , Liang Dong , Lu Ying
Published: July 2022

The BP neural network model used in data classification can change the traditional manual classification, which has the disadvantages of low efficiency and subjective interference. According to the principle of BP, this paper determines the relevant parameters of network structure, and establishes an optimized BP. The BP model is used to analyze the chemical composition data of tobacco leaves to determine the grade of tobacco leaves. Experiments show that this model has better recognition accuracy than KNN and random forest model. It effectively improves the efficiency of classification and reduces the interference of subjective factors in classification.
Design of Abnormal Self-identifying Asset Tracker Based on Embedded System
Authors: Lu Xianguo , Feng Chenwei , Yuan Jiangnan , Ji Huazhi
Published: July 2022

This design was aimed at the requirements of the asset tracker's working time, abnormal identification, remote alarm, information prompt, using STM32 as the core MCU for data collection and processing, with a built-in GNSS wireless communication module, three-axis acceleration sensor, and other sensors, design and implement an asset tracker device that automatically recognizes and reports abnormalities. In this design, the GPS positioning information was processed, and the positioning accuracy of the device was improved. The acceleration sensor data was performed by the Kalman filter, which could effectively judge the movement of assets. The sleep-work-sleep work mode was adopted to reduce the device's power consumption and enhance the device's endurance. The test results showed that the device could reasonably identify the device's abnormal condition, quickly locate the device, and upload the device information to the server. Each working life could be applied to the tracking of all kinds of assets.
Automatic Scoring Model of Subjective Questions Based Text Similarity Fusion Model
Authors: Xie Bo , Chen Long
Published: July 2022

AI In this era, scene based translation and intelligent word segmentation are not new technologies. However, there is still no good solution for long and complex Chinese semantic analysis. The subjective question scoring still relies on the teacher's manual marking. However, there are a large number of examinations, and the manual marking work is huge. At present, the labor cost is getting higher and higher, the traditional manual marking method can't meet the demand The demand for automatic marking is increasingly strong in modern society. At present, the automatic marking technology of objective questions has been very mature and widely used. However, by reasons of the complexity and the difficulty of natural language processing technology in Chinese text, there are still many shortcomings in subjective questions marking, such as not considering the impact of semantics, word order and other issues on scoring accuracy. The automatic scoring technology of subjective questions is a complex technology, involving pattern recognition, machine learning, natural language processing and other technologies. Good results have been seen in the calculation method-based deep learning and machine learning. The rapid development of NLP technology has brought a new breakthrough for subjective question scoring. We integrate two deep learning models based on the Siamese Network through bagging to ensure the accuracy of the results, the text similarity matching model based on the birth networks and the score point recognition model based on the named entity recognition method respectively. Combining with the framework of deep learning, we use the simulated manual scoring method to extract and match the score point sequence of students’ answers with standard answers. The score recognition model effectively improves the efficiency of model calculation and long text keyword matching. The loss value of the final training score recognition model is about 0.9, and the accuracy is 80.54%. The accuracy of the training text similarity matching model is 86.99%, and the fusion model is single. The scoring time is less than 0.8s, and the accuracy is 83.43%.
Research on the Relationship Between User Attribute Context and Micro Implicit Interaction Behavior Based on Mobile Intelligent Terminal
Authors: Wang Wei , Zheng Xiaoli , Du Yuxuan , Zhang Chuang
Published: July 2022

User browsing behavior is an important kind of implicit feedback data reflecting users’ interests and preferences in the field of recommendation system. How to make full use of user browsing behavior data and combined with other context information to improve recommendation efficiency has become a research hotspot. This paper analyzes the user micro network implicit feedback behavior of mobile intelligent terminal, and studies the influence of user attribute context on user micro network implicit feedback behavior by using binary and multiple regression analysis. The results show that the user’s age attribute, regional attribute and occupation attribute are a kind of very important context information.
Fusion of Traffic Data and Alert Log Based on Sensitive Information
Authors: Cheng Jie , Zhang Ru , Tian Siyuan , Lin Bingjie , Wei Jiahui , Zhang Shulin
Published: July 2022

At present, the attack behavior that occurs in the network has gradually developed from a single-step, simple attack method to a complex multi-step attack method. Therefore, the researchers conducted a series of studies on this multi-step attack. Common methods usually use IDS to obtain network alert data as the data source, and then match a multi-step attack based on the correlation nature of the data. However, the false positives and omissions of the alert data based on IDS will lead to the failure of the resulting multi-step attack. Multi-source data is the basis of analysis and prediction in the field of network security, and fusion analysis technology is an important means of processing multi-source data. In response to this problem, this paper studies how to use sensitive information traffic as data to assist IDS alert data, and proposes a method for fusion of traffic and log data based on sensitive information. This article analyzes the purpose of each stage of the kill chain, and relies on the purpose to divide the multi-step attack behavior in stages, which is used to filter the source data. And according to the purpose of the multi-step attack, the kill chain model is used to define the multi-step attack model.
Symmetry properties of Wilson loops with a Lagrangian insertion
Authors: Chicherin Dmitry , Henn Johannes M.
Published: July 2022

Abstract

Null Wilson loops in $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 super Yang-Mills are dual to planar scattering amplitudes. This duality implies hidden symmetries for both objects. We consider closely related infrared finite observables, defined as the Wilson loop with a Lagrangian insertion, normalized by the Wilson loop itself. Unlike ratio and remainder functions studied in the literature, this observable is non-trivial already for four scattered particles and bears close resemblance to (finite parts of) scattering processes in non-supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. Moreover, by integrating over the insertion point, one can recover information on the amplitude, as was recently done to compute the full four-loop cusp anomalous dimension. We study the general structure of the Wilson loop with a Lagrangian insertion, focusing in particular on its leading singularities and their (hidden) symmetry properties. Thanks to the close connection of the observable to integrands of MHV amplitudes, it is natural to expect that its leading singularities can be written as certain Grassmannian integrals. The latter are manifestly dual conformal. They also have a conformal symmetry, up to total derivatives. We find that, surprisingly, the conformal symmetry becomes an invariance in the frame where the Lagrangian insertion point is sent to infinity. Furthermore, we use integrability methods to study how higher Yangian charges act on the Grassmannian integral. We evaluate the n-particle observable both at tree- and at one-loop level, finding compact analytic formulas. These results are explicitly written in the form of conformal leading singularities, multiplied by transcendental functions. We then compare these formulas to known expressions for all-plus amplitudes in pure Yang-Mills theory. We find a remarkable new connection: the Wilson loop with Lagrangian insertion in $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 super Yang-Mills appears to predict the maximal weight terms of the planar pure Yang-Mills all-plus amplitude. We test this relationship for the two-loop n-point Yang-Mills amplitude, as well as for the three-loop four-point amplitude.
Could the kynurenine pathway be the key missing piece of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) complex puzzle?
Authors: Kavyani Bahar , Lidbury Brett A. , Schloeffel Richard , Fisher Paul R. , Missailidis Daniel , Annesley Sarah J. , Dehhaghi Mona , Heng Benjamin , Guillemin Gilles J.
Published: July 2022

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex and debilitating disease with a substantial social and economic impact on individuals and their community. Despite its importance and deteriorating impact, progresses in diagnosis and treatment of ME/CFS is limited. This is due to the unclear pathophysiology of the disease and consequently lack of prognostic biomarkers. To investigate pathophysiology of ME/CFS, several potential pathologic hallmarks have been investigated; however, these studies have failed to report a consistent result. These failures in introducing the underlying reason for ME/CFS have stimulated considering other possible contributing mechanisms such as tryptophan (TRP) metabolism and in particular kynurenine pathway (KP). KP plays a central role in cellular energy production through the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). In addition, this pathway has been shown to mediate immune response and neuroinflammation through its metabolites. This review, we will discuss the pathology and management of ME/CFS and provide evidence pertaining KP abnormalities and symptoms that are classic characteristics of ME/CFS. Targeting the KP regulation may provide innovative approaches to the management of ME/CFS.
Three-Body Hamiltonian with Regularized Zero-Range Interactions in Dimension Three
Authors: Basti Giulia , Cacciapuoti Claudio , Finco Domenico , Teta Alessandro
Published: July 2022

We study the Hamiltonian for a system of three identical bosons in dimension three interacting via zero-range forces. In order to avoid the fall to the center phenomenon emerging in the standard Ter-Martirosyan–Skornyakov (TMS) Hamiltonian, known as Thomas effect, we develop in detail a suggestion given in a seminal paper of Minlos and Faddeev in 1962 and we construct a regularized version of the TMS Hamiltonian which is self-adjoint and bounded from below. The regularization is given by an effective three-body force, acting only at short distance, that reduces to zero the strength of the interactions when the positions of the three particles coincide. The analysis is based on the construction of a suitable quadratic form which is shown to be closed and bounded from below. Then, domain and action of the corresponding Hamiltonian are completely characterized and a regularity result for the elements of the domain is given. Furthermore, we show that the Hamiltonian is the norm resolvent limit of Hamiltonians with rescaled non-local interactions, also called separable potentials, with a suitably renormalized coupling constant.
Functionals with extrema at reproducing kernels
Authors: Kulikov Aleksei
Published: July 2022

We show that certain monotone functionals on the Hardy spaces and convex functionals on the Bergman spaces are maximized at the normalized reproducing kernels among the functions of norm 1, thus proving the contractivity conjecture of Pavlović and of Brevig, Ortega-Cerdà, Seip and Zhao and the Wehrl-type entropy conjecture for the SU(1, 1) group of Lieb and Solovej, respectively.
The pCONUS2 and pCONUS2 HPC Neck Bridging Devices
Authors: Morales-Caba L. , Lylyk I. , Vázquez-Añón V. , Bleise C. , Scrivano E. , Perez N. , Lylyk P. N. , Lundquist J. , Bhogal P. , Lylyk P.
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Bifurcation aneurysms represent an ongoing endovascular challenge with a variety of techniques and devices designed to address them. We present our multicenter series of the pCONUS2 and pCONUS2 HPC devices when treating bifurcation aneurysms.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of our prospectively maintained databases at 3 tertiary neurointerventional centers to identify all patients who underwent coil embolization with the pCONUS2 or pCONUS2 HPC device between February 2015 and August 2021. We recorded baseline demographics, aneurysm data, complications, immediate and delayed angiographic results.

Results

We identified 55 patients with 56 aneurysms, median age 63 years (range 42–78 years), 67.3% female (n = 37). The commonest aneurysm location was the MCA bifurcation (n = 40, 71.4%). Average dome height was 8.9 ± 4.2 mm (range 3.2–21.5 mm), average neck width 6.4 ± 2.5 mm (range 2.6–14 mm), and average aspect ratio 1.3 ± 0.6 (range 0.5–3.3). The pCONUS2 was used in 64.3% and the pCONUS2 HPC in 35.7%. The procedural technical success rate was 98.2%. Intraoperative complications occurred in 5 cases (8.9%), 4 of which were related to the coils with partial thrombus formation on the pCONUS2 HPC seen in 1 case that was resolved with heparin. In relation to the procedure and treatment of the aneurysm the overall permanent morbidity was 1.8% (n = 1/55) and mortality 0%. Delayed angiographic follow-up (48 aneurysms) at median 12 months postprocedure (range 3–36 months) demonstrated adequate occlusion of 83.4% of aneurysms.

Conclusion

The pCONUS2 and pCONUS2 HPC devices carry a high technical success rate, low complication and retreatment rate, and good rates of adequate occlusion. Larger prospective confirmatory studies are required.
Polytrauma scoring revisited: prognostic validity and usability in daily clinical practice
Authors: Girshausen Robert , Horst Klemens , Herren Christian , Bläsius Felix , Hildebrand Frank , Andruszkow Hagen
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Scores are widely used for the assessment of injury severity and therapy guidance in severely injured patients. They differ vastly regarding complexity, applicability, and prognostic accuracy. The objective of this study was to compare well-established with more recently developed trauma scores as well as intensive care unit (ICU) scores.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of severely injured patients treated at a level I trauma centre from 2010 to 2015. Inclusion criteria: Age ≥ 18 years, Injury Severity Score ≥ 16 and ICU treatment. Primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Several scores (ISS, APACHE II, RTS, Marshall Score, SOFA, NISS, RISC II, EAC and PTGS) were assessed to determine their predictive quality for mortality. Statistical analysis included correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC).

Results

444 patients were included. 71.8% were males, mean age was 51 ± 20.26 years. 97.4% sustained a blunt trauma. The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) revealed RISC II (0.92) as strongest predictor regarding mortality, followed by APACHE II (0.81), Marshall score (0.69), SOFA (0.70), RTS (0.66), NISS (0.62), PTGS (0.61) and EAC (0.60). ISS did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions

RISC II provided the strongest predictive capability for mortality. In comparison, more simple scores focusing on injury pattern (ISS, NISS), physiological abnormalities (RTS, EAC), or a combination of both (PTGS) only provided inferior mortality prediction. Established ICU scores like APACHE II, SOFA and Marshall score were proven to be helpful tools in severely injured trauma patients.
Factors of Early Recurrence After Resection for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Nassar Alexandra , Tzedakis Stylianos , Sindayigaya Rémy , Hobeika Christian , Marchese Ugo , Veziant Julie , Codjia Tatiana , Beaufrère Aurélie , Dhote Alix , Strigalev Marie , Cauchy François , Fuks David
Published: July 2022

Background

Two‐thirds of patients undergoing liver resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma experience recurrence after surgery. Our aim was to identify factors associated with early recurrence after resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Methods

Patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma undergoing curative intent resection (complete resection and lymphadenectomy) were included in two centers between 2005 and 2021 and were divided into three groups: early recurrence (< 12 months after resection), delayed recurrence (> 12 months), and no recurrence. Patients experiencing early (< 90 days) postoperative mortality were excluded.

Results

Among 120 included patients, 44 (36.7%) experienced early recurrence, 24 (20.0%) experienced delayed recurrence, and 52 (43.3%) did not experience recurrence after a median follow‐up of 59 months (IQR: 26‐113). The median recurrence‐free survival was 16 months (95% CI: 9.6–22.4). Median overall survival was 55 months (95% CI: 45.7–64.3), while it was 25 months for patients with early recurrence (p < 0.001). Patients with early recurrence had significantly larger tumors (59.1% of tumors > 70 mm in early vs. 58.3% in delayed vs. 26.9% in no recurrence group, p = 0.002), multiple lesions (65.9% vs. 29.2% vs. 11.5%, p < 0.001), and positive lymph nodes (N +) (38.6% vs. 37.5% vs. 11.5%, p = 0.005). In multivariable analysis, presence of multiple lesions (OR: 9.324; 95% CI: 3.051–28.489; p < 0.001) and positive lymph nodes (OR: 3.307. 95% CI: 1.001–11.011. p = 0.05) were associated with early recurrence.

Conclusion

Early recurrence after curative resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is frequent and is associated with the presence of multiple lesions and positive lymph nodes, raising the question of surgery's futility in this context.
Peridynamic computational homogenization theory for materials with evolving microstructure and damage
Authors: Galadima Yakubu Kasimu , Xia Wenxuan , Oterkus Erkan , Oterkus Selda
Published: July 2022

This study aims to establish a framework for multiscale assessment of damage for materials with evolving microstructure based on a recently proposed peridynamic computational homogenization theory. The framework starts with replacing a material with complex microstructure with a constitutively equivalent material that is microstructurally homogenous. Constitutive equivalence between the original and the substitute materials is achieved through enforcing strain energy equivalence via the so-called nonlocal Hill’s lemma. The damage law is obtained by numerically solving boundary volume constraint problem of an RVE. The result from the analysis of the RVE problem was compared with the previously published result to establish the validity of the proposed framework. The comparison shows good agreement between result obtained using the proposed framework and those reported in the literature.
Financial toxicity in female patients with breast cancer: a national cross-sectional study in China
Authors: Liu Meicen , Hu Linlin , Han Xueyan , Cao Man , Sun Jing , Liu Yuanli
Published: July 2022

Purpose

To quantify financial toxicity of female patients with breast cancer in China and investigate its factors and patients’ coping strategies.

Methods

The Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) is defined by using a structured questionnaire containing 12 items measuring perceived affordability of healthcare services, with the range of scoring of which being from 0 to 44 (higher score indicates lower financial toxicity). From January to March 2021, a total of 664 female patients diagnosed with stage 0–IV breast cancer were recruited from 33 public tertiary cancer hospitals located in 31 provinces of China. Multivariate linear regression models were used.

Results

The median age of patients was 48 years (range: 26–84 years), and 62.04% lived in urban areas. The median COST score was 21.00 (interquartile range: 15–26). Older age, higher household income, and better self-reported health status were associated with lower financial toxicity, while a bigger household size, being retired or unemployed, stage IV cancer, and a history of targeted therapy were associated with higher financial toxicity (all P < 0.05). Nearly half of the patients reported using at least one coping strategy, including considering quitting treatment, delaying treatment, and failing to take medicine or attend medical visits as instructed. The people with increased financial toxicity seem to adopt more coping strategies.

Conclusions

Financial toxicity and coping strategies are common among Chinese women with breast cancer. An understanding of the factors regarding financial toxicity may help oncologists and policy-makers identify at-risk patients and develop targeted interventions.
Feasibility study of measuring instantaneous angular speed of helical gears with magnetoresistive sensors
Authors: Koch Yanik , Martin G. , Kirchner E. , Quirnheim Pais D. , Slatter R.
Published: July 2022

The digitalization of industrial processes with e.g. the goal to increase the availability of production processes in general and to support the individualization of many products in particular leads to an increasing demand in sensor data. The state of the art for condition monitoring of involute gear trains is the measurement of structure-borne vibration with acceleration sensors. New approaches, such as measuring the instantaneous angular speed (IAS), are gaining in popularity. Machine manufacturers usually wish to use existing sensors or measurement points, where little or no effort is needed to implement the sensor concept. Magnetoresistive (MR) sensors fulfil this complex set of requirements to a high degree: They are comparatively easy to integrate, can be added as an optional component and provide sufficient accuracy.

The authors have developed different sensor concepts using MR sensors for measuring IAS in a 1-stage helical gear box. Multiple tests with artificial tooth flank damages have been carried out to evaluate the damage detection potential of the sensor concepts. Finally, a spectrum analysis of the first gear mesh frequency and surrounding sidebands demonstrates the capability for detecting tooth flank damage with different MR sensor concepts.
Emotional facial palsy: an unusual and rarely explored neurological sign
Authors: Miele Giuseppina , Lavorgna Luigi , Marrapodi Maria Maddalena , Abbadessa Gianmarco
Published: July 2022

The anatomy of the cortico-bulbar tract that drives voluntary movements of mimic muscles is well described. Some cases of facial palsy with inverse automatic-voluntary dissociation (emotional facial palsy; EFP) are reported in the literature. These cases suggested a completely independent path of the fibers whose lesion results in EFP. We aimed to review the clinical reports of EFP available in the literature to characterize the anatomical aspect of the fibers whose lesion results in the isolated impairment of spontaneous smiling. Cortico-pontine fibers that control spontaneous smiling arise from the medial surface of the prefrontal cortex and descend through the anterior limb of the internal capsule, thalamus, and brain steam, independently from those that control voluntary movement. The mesial temporal lobe, particularly the amygdala, plays a crucial role in the network driving emotionally evoked facial expressions. We would highlight the relevance of an unusual and rarely explored neurological sign that could be added to clinical examination in ruling out focal brain pathology, such as stroke, tumors, or multiple sclerosis.
Material flow analysis of a post-consumer plastic packaging recycling system in The Netherlands: a focus on beverage carton
Authors: Schneider Julian Moritz , Ghannadzadeh Ali , van der Meer Yvonne
Published: July 2022

Developing material flow models of waste and recycling streams can be crucial to determining the inefficiencies of post-consumer plastic packaging recycling systems. Currently, there is no such material flow model of beverage carton packaging waste in The Netherlands because beverage carton management is inherently difficult to measure and calculate. This paper presents a material flow model of beverage carton packaging waste in The Netherlands by calculating potential, collected, sorted, and recycled beverage carton dry weight. The results show that of a potential 60,000 tons of beverage carton material, 47,124 tons are recycled while 12,876 tons end up incinerated. This quantification does not only serve as a starting point for additional research and environmental policy considerations to improve the sustainability of the post-consumer plastic packaging recycling system, but it can also contribute to research in similar settings, leading to a more complete overview of the municipal solid waste recycling system.

Graphical abstract
Learning in and across communities of practice: health professions education students’ learning from boundary crossing
Authors: Stoffels Malou , van der Burgt Stephanie M. E. , Bronkhorst Larike H. , Daelmans Hester E. M. , Peerdeman Saskia M. , Kusurkar Rashmi A.
Published: July 2022

Learning to adapt to new contexts is crucial in health professions education (HPE). Boundaries between and within contexts challenge continuity in students’ learning processes. Little is known about how HPE students can make these “boundary experiences” productive for learning. We investigated how and what nursing students learn from boundary experiences while they are simultaneously growing into a community of practice (CoP). Using a boundary-crossing lens, experiences of discontinuity were identified in pre-placement and post-placement interviews and diary fragments with 14 nursing students during their placement in an academic hospital. We found that students experience discontinuity as a result of different approaches to nursing care and to learning, both between (academic and clinical) settings and within a setting. When students feel safe enough, they can convert boundary experiences into meaningful learning situations, such as critical discussions with staff. Successfully overcoming boundary experiences improves students’ understanding of healthcare and professional development and helps them to develop a personal approach to learning. Students critically address boundary experiences when they are motivated to learn and when they perceive a violation of ethical standards but not when they are concerned that it will affect their assessment. Objects designed to bridge theory and practice can generate additional barriers. This study adds to the HPE literature by demonstrating the learning potential of boundaries and to the broader literature by showing how responses to boundary experiences are intertwined with the process of growing into a CoP. The findings can be used to design future boundary objects.
Recent advances in wave energy converters based on nonlinear stiffness mechanisms
Authors: Zhang Xiantao , Zhang Haicheng , Zhou Xiao , Sun Ze
Published: July 2022

Wave energy is one of the most abundant renewable clean energy sources, and has been widely studied because of its advantages of continuity and low seasonal variation. However, its low capture efficiency and narrow capture frequency bandwidth are still technical bottlenecks that restrict the commercial application of wave energy converters (WECs). In recent years, using a nonlinear stiffness mechanism (NSM) for passive control has provided a new way to solve these technical bottlenecks. This literature review focuses on the research performed on the use of nonlinear mechanisms in wave energy device utilization, including the conceptual design of a mechanism, hydrodynamic models, dynamic characteristics, response mechanisms, and some examples of experimental verification. Finally, future research directions are discussed and recommended.
Matching values to technology: a value sensitive design approach to identify values and use cases of an assistive system for people with dementia in institutional care
Authors: Köhler Stefanie , Görß Doreen , Kowe Antonia , Teipel Stefan J.
Published: July 2022

The number of people with dementia is increasing worldwide. At the same time, family and professional caregivers’ resources are limited. A promising approach to relieve these carers’ burden and assist people with dementia is assistive technology. In order to be useful and accepted, such technologies need to respect the values and needs of their intended users. We applied the value sensitive design approach to identify values and needs of patients with dementia and family and professional caregivers in respect to assistive technologies to assist people with dementia in institutionalized care. Based on semi-structured interviews of residents/patients with cognitive impairment, relatives, and healthcare professionals (10 each), we identified 44 values summarized by 18 core values. From these values, we created a values’ network to demonstrate the interplay between the values. The core of this network was caring and empathy as most strongly interacting value. Furthermore, we found 36 needs for assistance belonging to the four action fields of activity, care, management/administration, and nursing. Based on these values and needs for assistance, we created possible use cases for assistive technologies in each of the identified four action fields. All these use cases already are technologically feasible today but are not currently being used in healthcare facilities. This underlines the need for development of value-based technologies to ensure not only technological feasibility but also acceptance and implementation of assistive technologies. Our results help balance conflicting values and provide concrete suggestions for how engineers and designers can incorporate values into assistive technologies.
Entry and exit decisions under public and private information: an experiment
Authors: Chernulich Aleksei , Horowitz John , Rabanal Jean Paul , Rud Olga , Sharifova Manizha
Published: July 2022

We design an experiment to study how reversible entry decisions are affected by public and private payoff disclosure policies. In our environment, subjects choose between a risky payoff, which evolves according to an autoregressive process, and a constant payoff. The treatments vary the information disclosure rule on the risky payoff, such that in the public information treatment the risky payoff is always observable, while in the private information treatment, the risky payoff is observable only to the participants who enter the market. We find that under private information, market entry is higher, which suggests that subjects engage in exploration and place value on information.
Uveal melanoma and marital status: a relationship that affects survival
Authors: Alfaar Ahmad , Saad Anas , Chlad Piotr , Elsherif Omneya Ezzat , Elshami Mohammad , Busch Catharina , Rehak Matus
Published: July 2022

Background

Marital status influences the presentation and outcome of various cancers. We explored the relationship between marital status and survival of uveal melanoma (UM) and factors influencing this relationship.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study on patients diagnosed with UM and registered in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results program between 1973 and 2017. Cox regression model was conducted to calculate the hazard ratio of overall and cancer-specific survival rate and delineate the effect of each confounder.

Results

The study involved 10,557 patients with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.1. Most of the diagnosed patients were aged between 40 and 79 years (81%). Married patients (62%) represented the majority, followed by singles (12%), widowed (11%), and then divorced patients (7%). Single patients were the youngest group (mean age of 59.3 years) while widowed patients were the oldest (mean age of 75.8 years). In the Cox regression model for overall survival, married and single patients exhibited the best overall survival (no significant difference in between them), both surpassing divorced and widowed patients. Married patients were at a significantly lower risk to die from UM than divorced patients. Female patients and younger age groups showed the best overall and cancer-specific survival.

Conclusion

Maintained marriages improved the survival of UM patients. Widowed and divorced patients should be included in specially designed support programs during their cancer management.
Transition to Kindergarten for Children on the Autism Spectrum: Perspectives of Korean–American Parents
Authors: Kim Sohyun An
Published: July 2022

This study explores Korean–American parents’ perceptions on successful transition to kindergarten (TTK) for their child on the autism spectrum. It further examines challenges experienced during this process, and possible predictors for their challenges. Findings from an online survey (N = 212) indicate that participants consider their child’s behavioral readiness and cooperation with teachers as the most important school readiness skills for successful TTK. They further consider building positive relationships with teachers and providing support at home as the most important support parents could provide during this process. Moreover, the child being a vocal communicator, higher income and parent’s educational level were found to buffer against their reported challenges, while first-generation immigrant status and restrictive school placement were found to predict more challenges.
Does Explaining Past Success Require (Enough) Retention? The Case of Ptolemaic Astronomy
Authors: Díez José , Recio Gonzalo , Carman Christian
Published: July 2022

According to selective, retentive, scientific realism, past empirical success may be explained only by the parts of past theories that are responsible of their successful predictions being approximately true, and thus theoretically retained, or approximated, by the parts of posterior theories responsible of the same successful predictions. In this article, we present as case study the transit from Ptolemy’s to Kepler’s astronomy, and their successful predictions for Mars’ orbit. We present an account of Ptolemy’s successful prediction of Mars’ orbit from Kepler’s perspective, and scrutinize whether the theoretical elements responsible for Ptolemy’s empirical success are approximately retained in Kepler. In order to give to the realist the best chances, we try different strategies. We conclude that all fail and thereby this case constitutes a prima facie strong anomaly for selective retentive realism. Structural realists may call preservation of structure to the rescue, but the existing notions of structure do not work. In absence of a new notion that works, the burden of the proof lies on the realist side.
Mothers’ and Fathers’ Parenting and Other Family Context Variables Linked to Developmental Outcomes in Young Children With Intellectual Disability: A Two-wave Longitudinal Study
Authors: Vilaseca Rosa , Rivero Magda , Leiva David , Ferrer Fina
Published: July 2022

Parenting is a key factor for the development of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Therefore, early intervention programs should target parenting behaviors to improve children’s developmental outcomes. The present study analyzed the effect of parental behaviors and other family factors on the cognitive and linguistic development of children with an intellectual disability (ID). Participants (n = 87, aged between 20 and 47 months) were recruited from several Spanish Early Intervention Centers. The children’s development was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-III) on two occasions. Besides questionnaires including family factors, 10-min mother–child and father-child interactions during free play were auto-recorded at home. Intensive statistical modeling on the two measurement occasions was used to select relevant predictors as well as their interactions. Child cognitive development models, including predictors such as mother’s responsiveness and affection and father’s teaching, had a predictive capacity between 22 and 26%. The language development models, including the mother’s responsiveness and father’s teaching scores amongst other predictors, yielded adjusted-R2s between 26 and 28%. This study’s findings evidence that parental behaviors during adult–child interaction affect the development of children with intellectual disabilities. The study also provides data that can be used to guide early intervention.
Exploring the integration of local and scientific knowledge in early warning systems for disaster risk reduction: a review
Authors: Hermans Thirze D. G. , Šakić Trogrlić Robert , van den Homberg Marc J. C. , Bailon Hannah , Sarku Rebecca , Mosurska Anuszka
Published: July 2022

The occurrence and intensity of some natural hazards (e.g. hydro-meteorological) increase due to climate change, with growing exposure and socio-economic vulnerability, leading to mounting risks. In response, Disaster Risk Reduction policy and practice emphasize people-centred Early Warning Systems (EWS). Global policies stress the need for including local knowledge and increasing the literature on integrating local and scientific knowledge for EWS. In this paper, we present a review to understand and outline how local and scientific knowledge integration is framed in EWS, namely: (1) existing integration approaches, (2) where in the EWS integration happens, (3) outcomes, (4) challenges, and (5) enablers. The objective is to critically evaluate integration and highlight critical questions about assumptions, goals, outcomes, and processes. In particular, we unpack the impact of power and knowledges as plural. We find a spectrum of integration between knowledges in EWS, mainly with dichotomy at the start: focus on people or technology. The most popular integration approaches are participatory methods such as ‘GIS mapping’ (technology) and methods that focus on ‘triangulation’ (people). We find that critical analysis of power relations and social interaction is either missed or framed as a challenge within integration processes. Knowledge is often seen as binary, embedded in the concept of ‘integration’. It is important to know what different knowledges can and cannot do in different contexts and acknowledge the hybrid reality of knowledge used for EWS. We argue that how we approach different knowledges in EWS has fundamental implications for the approaches to integration and its meaning. To this end, attention to the social processes, power dynamics, and context is crucial.
Argumentation, cognition, and the epistemic benefits of cognitive diversity
Authors: Pesonen Renne
Published: July 2022

The social epistemology of science would benefit from paying more attention to the nature of argumentative exchanges. Argumentation is not only a cognitive activity but a collaborative social activity whose functioning needs to be understood from a psychological and communicative perspective. Thus far, social and organizational psychology has been used to discuss how social diversity affects group deliberation by changing the mindset of the participants. Argumentative exchanges have comparable effects, but they depend on cognitive diversity and emerge through critical interaction. An example of a cognitive psychological theory is discussed that explains how mutual reasoning affects how we think, make decisions, and solve problems, as well as how cognitive biases may facilitate an efficient division of cognitive labor. These observations are compared with the existing results in the social epistemology of science. Moreover, I explicate the conceptual differences between the distributed and social processing of information. While argumentative exchanges belong to the latter domain, most existing simulations model distributed processing, which may compromise their real-world relevance and proper conceptual interpretation. However, I aim not to criticize the existing simulation methods but to promote an approach from the cognitive psychology of reasoning that complements the current use of organizational psychology and computer simulations by investigating a different set of mechanisms relating to similar phenomena of interest in the social epistemology of science.