bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictors of multiple dilations and functional outcomes after total laryngectomy and laryngopharyngectomy
Authors: Cortina Luis E. , Wu Michael P. , Meyer Charles D. , Feng Allen L. , Varvares Mark A. , Richmon Jeremy D. , Deschler Daniel G. , Lin Derrick T.
Published: November 2023

Background

Following total laryngectomy (TL) or laryngopharyngectomy (TLP), patients may develop strictures that require multiple dilations to treat. However, the risk factors associated with dysphagia refractory to a single dilation are unknown.

Methods

Single‐institution retrospective review of patients who underwent at least one stricture dilation after TL/TLP between March 2013 and March 2022.

Results

A total of 49 patients underwent stricture dilation after TL/TLP. Thirty‐five (71%) underwent multiple dilations. Pharyngocutaneous fistula, primary chemoradiation therapy, and a shorter time interval from TL/TLP to first dilation were independently associated with dysphagia requiring multiple dilations. Patients in the multiple dilations group had a higher rate of limited diet and G‐tube dependence compared to patients in the single dilation group.

Conclusions

Shorter time interval to stricture formation is a prognostic indicator of the need for multiple dilations following TL/TLP. Patients requiring multiple dilations are at increased risk of persistent dysphagia long‐term.
On the potential use of weather types to describe the interannual variability of annual maximum discharge across the conterminous United States
Authors: Kim Hanbeen , Villarini Gabriele
Published: November 2023

Weather types or weather regimes represent the dominant modes of large‐scale atmospheric circulation patterns and have been used to understand and explain the physical mechanisms of different weather events. While there have been many studies that analyse the changes in extreme climate events through the lenses of weather typing, there is a lack of studies that attribute changes in flood extremes to changes in weather regimes. Here we examine the potential applicability of weather types as predictors of flood extremes. For 4535 streamgages across the conterminous United States, we employ a statistical attribution approach to model the seasonal and annual maximum discharge, utilizing five weather types with distinct synoptic features. Although there are regional patterns in the relationship between weather types and the major climate drivers of flooding, our results show that the frequency of weather types does not provide enough information to model the interannual variability in the magnitude of flood peaks across the conterminous United States.
Neurodevelopment among children exposed to HIV and uninfected in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Bulterys Michelle A. , Njuguna Irene , Mahy Mary , Gulaid Laurie A. , Powis Kathleen M. , Wedderburn Catherine J. , John‐Stewart Grace
Published: November 2023

Introduction

The population of 16 million children exposed to HIV and uninfected (CHEU) under 15 years of age continues to expand rapidly, and the estimated prevalence of CHEU exceeds 20% in several countries in sub‐Saharan Africa with high HIV prevalence. Some evidence suggests that CHEU experience suboptimal neurodevelopmental outcomes compared to children born to women without HIV. In this commentary, we discuss the latest research on biologic and socio‐behavioural factors associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes among CHEU.

Discussion

Some but not all studies have noted that CHEU are at risk of poorer neurodevelopment across multiple cognitive domains, most notably in language and motor skills, in diverse settings, ages and using varied assessment tools. Foetal HIV exposure can adversely influence infant immune function, structural brain integrity and growth trajectories. Foetal exposure to antiretrovirals may also influence outcomes. Moreover, general, non‐CHEU‐specific risk factors for poor neurodevelopment, such as preterm birth, food insecurity, growth faltering and household violence, are amplified among CHEU; addressing these factors will require multi‐factorial solutions. There is a need for rigorous harmonised approaches to identify children at the highest risk of delay. In high‐burden HIV settings, existing maternal child health programmes serving the general population could adopt structured early child development programmes that educate healthcare workers on CHEU‐specific risk factors and train them to conduct rapid neurodevelopmental screening tests. Community‐based interventions targeting parent knowledge of optimal caregiving practices have shown to be successful in improving neurodevelopmental outcomes in children and should be adapted for CHEU.

Conclusions

CHEU in sub‐Saharan Africa have biologic and socio‐behavioural factors that may influence their neurodevelopment, brain maturation, immune system and overall health and wellbeing. Multidisciplinary research is needed to disentangle complex interactions between contributing factors. Common environmental and social risk factors for suboptimal neurodevelopment in the general population are disproportionately magnified within the CHEU population, and it is, therefore, important to draw on existing knowledge when considering the socio‐behavioural pathways through which HIV exposure could impact CHEU neurodevelopment. Approaches to identify children at greatest risk for poor outcomes and multisectoral interventions are needed to ensure optimal outcomes for CHEU in sub‐Saharan Africa.
COVID–19集中治療中に早期発見できずに緊急止血を要し，疼痛緩和目的に血腫除去を追加することで良好な転帰をとった腹直筋・腹膜前腔血腫(The rectus sheath and extraperitoneal hematoma that could not be detected early during critical care of a severe COVID–19 patient, and had a good outcome with additional hematoma removal for pain relief: a case report)
Authors: 沙季 小西 , 研二 神鳥 , 優 安念 , 聡 菊池 , 悟 邑田 , 淳 竹葉 , 格夫 佐藤
Published: November 2023

新型コロナウイルス感染症（COVID–19）の血栓傾向に対して各国の診療ガイドラインでは抗凝固療法が推奨されている。一方で抗凝固療法は出血性合併症のリスクを伴い，時に致死的となる。COVID–19患者の人工呼吸器管理，抗凝固療法中に出血性ショックとなってから診断し緊急止血を要した両側下腹壁動脈損傷による腹直筋血腫および腹膜前腔血腫を経験した。また大きな血腫による疼痛の緩和目的に血腫除去術を行うことで離床範囲を拡大することができた。COVID–19の呼吸不全を呈する82歳の女性に対して人工呼吸器管理，腹臥位療法，抗凝固療法を行っていた。経過中に出血性ショックとなり緊急輸血を開始した。両側下腹壁動脈損傷，腹直筋・腹膜前腔血腫と診断し，緊急IVRによる止血を行った。止血後も血腫による疼痛が強いため血腫除去術を施行した。離床範囲は拡大し入院25日目に転院とした。COVID–19治療中は抗凝固療法に加え腹臥位療法や咳嗽などの腹圧上昇が下腹壁動脈損傷，腹直筋・腹膜前腔血腫のリスクとなる可能性がある。また鎮静・鎮痛，筋弛緩などにより血腫の診断が遅れ，出血性ショックに至り，緊急輸血や緊急止血術を要することがあり，出血性合併症の発症を念頭に身体所見などからその早期診断・早期介入に努める必要がある。また疼痛緩和による早期離床，リハビリテーション促進のために血腫除去術を考慮すべきである。
Genome and proteomic analysis of risk factors for fatal outcome in children with severe community‐acquired pneumonia caused by human adenovirus 7
Authors: Wei Jianhua , Zang Na , Zhang Jing , He Yu , Huang Haixia , Liu Xiangyu , Xu Ximing , Ren Luo , Deng Yu , Wu Jianguo , Seto Donald , Zhong Wen , Zhang Qiwei , Liu Enmei
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Human adenovirus 7 (HAdV‐7) is an important viral pathogen of severe pneumonia in children and a serious threat to health.

Methods

A cohort of 45 pediatric patients diagnosed with HAdV‐7‐associated severe pneumonia and admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from May 2018 to January 2020 were included. Risk factors of death were analyzed by the Cox proportional risk mode with Clinical data, serum, and nasopharyngeal aspirate adenovirus load, Genome analysis, Olink proteomics, and cytokine profile between dead and surviving patients were also analyzed.

Results

A total of 45 children with a median age of 12.0 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 6.5, 22.0) were included (female 14), including 14 (31.1%) who died. High serum viral load was an independent risk factor for mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–4.49, p = 0.039). BTB and CNC homology 1 (BACH1), interleukin‐5 (IL‐5), and IL‐9 levels were significantly correlated with serum viral load (p = 0.0400, 0.0499, and 0.0290; r = 0.4663, 0.3339, and −0.3700, respectively), with significant differences between the dead and survival groups (p = 0.021, 0.001, and 0.021).

Conclusions

Severe cytokine storm‐associated high serum viral load after HAdV‐7 infection may be the main mechanism responsible for poor prognosis in children.
Remove an Unusual Laryngeal Foreign Body with a Modified Endoscopic Injection Needle
Authors: Sun Xiaoru , Ren Jia , Li Bo , Liu Shixi , Zou Jian , Chen Fei , Wang Haiyang
Published: November 2023

Foreign body (FB) aspiration requiring prompt intervention to prevent severe complications. The endoscopic injection needle, commonly employed for intramucosal injections in the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract, while with no previous reports of used for FB extraction. Here we report a case of a pea impacted in the laryngeal ventricle of an adult patient, which became lodged in her right laryngeal ventricle. Conventional methods, such as flexible forceps and baskets, were deemed unsuitable for retrieving this fragile and mushy FB. Therefore, we introduce a novel technique using a modified endoscopic injection needle, which proved successful in removing the foreign body. Laryngoscope, 134:2338–2340, 2024
Demographics and Clinical Characteristics Associated with the Spread of New‐Onset Laryngeal Dystonia
Authors: Ghanouni Arian , Jona Nikitha , Jinnah Hyder A. , Kilic‐Berkmen Gamze , Shelly Sandeep , Klein Adam M.
Published: November 2023

Objectives

Adult‐onset idiopathic laryngeal dystonia (LD) can be associated with the risk of spread to muscles in the body. Subjects with extralaryngeal onset of dystonia have exhibited spread to the larynx. Previous studies analyze the spread of other dystonias but emphasis has not been placed on LD. The objective was to identify demographic and clinical factors contributing to the spread of dystonia to and from the larynx.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Dystonia Coalition (DC)‐patients from 49 international clinical centers. Clinical and demographic data was taken from 143 out of 409 patients with diagnosed LD. Patient criteria included adult‐onset LD diagnosed on exam with no co‐morbid neurologic conditions and no dystonia in other locations.

Results

Among the 143 patients, 94 (65.7%) patients were diagnosed with focal laryngeal onset, with the remainder having extralaryngeal onset. Family history and age at study were statistically significant indicators of a patient developing laryngeal versus extralaryngeal onset of dystonia. Among the laryngeal onset group, 21 cases (22.3%) had an average time of 5.81 ± 5.79 years to spread from diagnosis, most commonly to neck (61.9%). Among extralaryngeal onset patients, mean time of larynx spread was 7.92 ± 7.737 years, most commonly to neck (22.7%).

Conclusions

Our data indicates approximately a quarter of patients with laryngeal‐onset dystonia will exhibit spread. There were no demographic or clinical factors that were statistically predictive of the likelihood of spread from larynx. Patients with dystonia elsewhere in the body should be counseled on the possibility of spread to larynx, and vice versa.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 134:2295–2299, 2024
Dual‐responsive polycarbonate micelles for activating intracellular drug release
Authors: Qiu Yuqing , Guo Yuzhe , Yin Wang , Mao Anrong , Zhou Yan , Lang Meidong
Published: November 2023

Stimulus‐responsive drug carriers have significant potential for enabling smart drug delivery within the intricate microenvironment of tumors. However, a single stimulus source and complex synthesis process limit its application. In this study, we successfully synthesized a pH/GSH‐stimulated responsive polycarbonate (PSSA) through ring‐opening polymerization and post‐esterification reactions. PSSA can self‐assemble into homogeneous and stable micelles, effectively encapsulating the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The carbon backbone of PSSA contains disulfide and acetal linkages, which allow for extensive responsiveness to changes in pH and GSH. This results in variations in particle size and micellar morphology. The micelles loaded with DOX demonstrate responsive drug‐releasing properties when stimulated by pH/GSH. The dual‐response micelles exhibit superior drug release compared to single stimulus sources. The blank micelles are non‐cytotoxic, while the DOX‐loaded micelles show dose‐dependent cytotoxicity towards HepG2 cells. Importantly, DOX‐loaded micelles enable precise intracellular drug release by responding to the microenvironment of tumor cells. Therefore, this dual‐responsive micellar nano‐carrier, which maintains extracellular stability but activates intracellular drug release, presents a novel approach for smart anti‐tumor drug delivery applications.
Core–sheath structured polystyrene‐ethylene‐butene‐styrene/carbon nanotubes/carbonyl iron particlecomposite fiber with high stretchability for strain and magnetic field dual‐mode sensing
Authors: Li Dongliang , Zhao Jiaqing , Guo Xu , Jiang Jiaqi , Jiang Liang , Chen Shaojuan , Zhou Yanfen , Zhou Feng‐lei
Published: November 2023

To meet the requirement of high stretchability, high sensitivity, and multifunction for flexible sensors, core–sheath structured polystyrene‐ethylene‐butene‐styrene (SEBS)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/carbonyl iron particle (CIP) fiber with SEBS/CNTs as the sheath and SEBS/CIP as the core was prepared through wet spinning. The contents of CNTs and CIP in the composite fiber were adjusted by changing the extrusion speed of the SEBS/CNTs and SEBS/CIP spinning solutions. The morphology, electromechanical sensing, and magnetic precepting performances of the fiber were studied. The SEBS/CNTs/CIP fiber sensor showed high stretchability with a maximum strain sensing range of 0%–216.9%, high sensitivity with a gauge factor (GF) of up to 1068.28, as well as excellent durability. In addition, the SEBS/CNTs/CIP fiber sensor exhibited excellent magnetic sensing performance by changing the relative resistance of 35.2% with a magnetic flux density variation of 1.2 T. The applications of SEBS/CNTs/CIP fiber in stretchable circuits, human body motion monitoring, and magnetic field perception were demonstrated.

Highlights

SEBS/CNTs/CIP fiber for strain and magnetic field sensing was fabricated.

The SEBS/CNTs/CIP fiber sensor could sense 216.9% strain with GF up to 1068.28.

Relative resistance of SEBS/CNTs/CIP fiber sensor changed by 35.2% under 1.2 T.

SEBS/CNTs/CIP fiber was used in human motion monitoring and magnetic perception.
An energy storage composite using cellulose grafted polyethylene glycol as solid–solid phase change material
Authors: Guo Xi , Jiang He , Qiu Chendong , Lu Tonghua , Wei Renzhong , Fan Mizi , Zhang Yi , Sun Weisheng
Published: November 2023

Phase‐change material (PCM) has great thermal energy ability, which has been used as building material for energy conservation. While the most widely used solid–liquid PCM usually appeared leakage during the phase change transition. In order to overcome the leakage of solid–liquid PCM and prepare a viable building energy‐saving materials for indoor temperature regulation, thermal energy storage composites were prepared by utilizing cellulose grafted PEG as phase change material (PCM) and high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) as the substrate. The liquid leakage of PEG was solved after graft to fabricate solid–solid PCM. HDPE is beneficial for solving the leakage and improving the mechanical property by its secondary encapsulation. The synthesized Cellulose‐PEG was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffractometer (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Thermal and mechanical characteristics of the composite were explored. The outcomes revealed that: (1) PEG was successfully grafted to the surface of cellulose and Cellulose‐PEG showed solid–solid phase change behavior. (2) Both the melting‐cooling temperatures and the thermal stability of solid–solid wood plastic composite (SSWPC) had the potential as thermal energy storage material for temperature regulating. (3) The addition of Cellulose‐PEG adversely affected moisture resistance, flexural property, and impact strength due to the weak interface bonding. The physical and mechanical degradation was tolerable for applying situation where mechanical performance is less crucial.

Highlights

Cellulose‐PEG showed solid–solid phase change behavior without liquid leakage.

High‐density polyethylene (HDPE) was used as the matrix to realize the second encapsulation of PCM.

Cellulose‐PEG negatively influenced the physical and mechanical property of HDPE.

Solid–solid wood plastic composite presented great thermal storage capacity for indoor temperature regulating.
Effect of BMI and hemoglobin A1c on survival of veterans with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide
Authors: Govindan Srinivas , Cheranda Nina , Riekhof Forest , Luo Suhong , Schoen Martin W.
Published: November 2023

Background

Abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide are two common therapies for metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) that have shown improved overall survival (OS). The drugs have different mechanisms of action with limited comparative trials to evaluate treatment in patients with comorbidities such as obesity and diabetes. This is important since abiraterone requires the co‐administration of prednisone. We assessed the relationship between body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), treatment, and survival in mCRPC.

Methods

Veterans treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide within the Veterans Health Administration between September 10, 2014 and June 2, 2017 with BMI and HbA1c were identified. Additional variables included age, baseline prostate‐specific antigen at first treatment for mCRPC, race, and the Charlson comorbidity index. Differences in survival were compared using the Kaplan–Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to assess the association between initial treatment, BMI, and HbA1c while adjusting for confounding variables.

Results

A total of 5231 patients were identified with a mean age of 75.2 years and 1241 (23.7%) were of black race. BMI was associated with OS with longest median survival of 29.8 months in BMI ≥ 30 (n = 1903), 23.9 months in BMI 25–30 (n = 1879), 15.9 months in BMI 18.5–25 (n = 1336), and 9.2 months in BMI < 18.5 (n = 113, p < 0.001). In a multivariable model compared to normal BMI, increased mortality was observed in BMI < 18.5 (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.583, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29–1.94) and a decreased mortality in BMI 25–30 (aHR = 0.751, 95% CI: 0.69–0.81) and BMI > 30 (aHR = 0.644, 95% CI: 0.59–0.70). In 3761 patients with BMI > 25, there was longer OS in patients treated with enzalutamide (28.4 months, n = 1615) compared to abiraterone (25.8 months, n = 2146, p = 0.002). In 1470 patients with BMI < 25, there was no difference in OS between patients treated with enzalutamide (16.0 months, n = 597, p = 0.513) or abiraterone (16.1 months, n = 873). In 1333 veterans with HbA1c ≥ 6.5%, initial prescription of enzalutamide was associated with longer OS compared with abiraterone (24.4 vs. 20.5 months, p = 0.0005). In 2088 patients with HbA1c < 6.5%, there was no difference in OS in patients who were initially prescribed enzalutamide versus abiraterone (25.7 vs. 23.5 months, p = 0.334).

Conclusions

In veterans with mCRPC, increased BMI was associated with longer survival. Veterans with BMI > 25 had longer survival with enzalutamide compared to abiraterone. In patients with HbA1c ≥ 6.5%, enzalutamide was associated with longer survival compared to abiraterone. These results may facilitate prognostication of survival and improve treatment selection based on patient comorbidities.
Design Optimization of Agri‐Photovoltaic Systems in Different Climate Regions†
Authors: Toyoda Teruya , Yajima Daisuke , Araki Kenji , Nishioka Kensuke
Published: November 2023

This paper examines the optimal design for agri‐photovoltaic (agri‐PV) systems. Agri‐PV systems should be evaluated on the total crop yield and power generation, and the balance is essential. Specifically, the amount of solar irradiance reaching the farmland and power generation by PV systems varies by panel separation and tilt angle, affecting crop yield. Quantitative analysis is essential for balancing. This study investigated the balance between the output of Agri‐PV installed on farmland and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), a crucial indicator for crop growth, and discussed the optimal solutions for Agri‐PV systems installed in various regions. Simulations were conducted for Miyazaki (semi‐tropical) and Nagano (inland climate) to understand the changes in different climate regions. Miyazaki has higher PPFD and PV output than Nagano because Miyazaki has more solar irradiance and longer sunshine duration than Nagano. When the normalized panel pitch is small, PPFD changes significantly by the tilt angle. When the normalized panel pitch is large, the profit may be maximized by setting the panel tilt angle to maximize the PV output. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
The oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) as a potential vector of honey bee's pathogens and a threat for public health in North‐East Italy
Authors: Zucca Paolo , Granato Anna , Mutinelli Franco , Schiavon Eliana , Bordin Fulvio , Dimech Marco , Balbo Roberto Andrea , Mifsud David , Dondi Maurizio , Cipolat‐Gotet Claudio , Rossmann Marie Christin , Ocepek Metka Pislak , Scaravelli Dino , Palei Manlio , Zinzula Luca , Spanjol Kimberly
Published: November 2023

Background

Oriental hornets are large predatory hymenoptera that occur in the southern part of Asia and the southeastern Mediterranean. Among many pests of bee colonies, Vespa orientalis was recorded to be one of the most destructive.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to: (1) monitor the presence of pathogens carried by V. orientalis that could potentially threaten honey bees and public health; (2) describe the hornet's predatory behavior on honey bee colonies and (3) collect the medical history of a V. orientalis sting suffered by a 36‐year‐old woman.

Methods

Observations of V. orientalis predatory behavior and the catches of hornets for parasitological and microbiological examination, using molecular and bacteriological analyses, were carried out in three experimental apiaries, both in spring in order to capture the foundress queens and during the summer to capture the workers. Furthermore, the medical history and photographic documentation of a V. orientalis sting suffered by a 36‐year‐old woman have been collected.

Results

The results obtained highlight that V. orientalis is capable of causing serious damage to beekeeping by killing bees, putting under stress the honey bee colonies and by potentially spreading honey bee pathogens among apiaries. These hornets may also become a public health concern, since they are capable of inflicting multiple, painful stings on humans.

Conclusions

Only the development of an Integrated Management Control Program will be able to contain the negative effects of anomalous population growth and the potentially negative impact on honey bees and public health of V. orientalis.
Iterative Geographic Entity Alignment with Cross-Attention
Authors: Dsouza Alishiba , Yu Ran , Windoffer Moritz , Demidova Elena
Published: November 2023

Aligning schemas and entities of community-created geographic data sources with ontologies and knowledge graphs is a promising research direction for making this data widely accessible and reusable for semantic applications. However, such alignment is challenging due to the substantial differences in entity representations and sparse interlinking across sources, as well as high heterogeneity of schema elements and sparse entity annotations in community-created geographic data. To address these challenges, we propose a novel cross-attention-based iterative alignment approach called IGEA in this paper. IGEA adopts cross-attention to align heterogeneous context representations across geographic data sources and knowledge graphs. Moreover, IGEA employs an iterative approach for schema and entity alignment to overcome annotation and interlinking sparsity. Experiments on real-world datasets from several countries demonstrate that our proposed approach increases entity alignment performance compared to baseline methods by up to 18% points in F1-score. IGEA increases the performance of the entity and tag-to-class alignment by 7 and 8% points in terms of F1-score, respectively, by employing the iterative method.
Ontology Repositories and Semantic Artefact Catalogues with the OntoPortal Technology
Authors: Jonquet Clement , Graybeal John , Bouazzouni Syphax , Dorf Michael , Fiore Nicola , Kechagioglou Xeni , Redmond Timothy , Rosati Ilaria , Skrenchuk Alex , Vendetti Jennifer L. , Musen Mark ,   members of the OntoPortal Alliance
Published: November 2023

There is an explosion in the number of ontologies and semantic artefacts being produced in science. This paper discusses the need for common platforms to receive, host, serve, align, and enable their reuse. Ontology repositories and semantic artefact catalogues are necessary to address this need and to make ontologies FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). The OntoPortal Alliance (https://ontoportal.org) is a consortium of research and infrastructure teams dedicated to promoting the development of such repositories based on the open, collaboratively developed OntoPortal software. We present the OntoPortal technology as a generic resource to build ontology repositories and semantic artefact catalogues that can support resources ranging from SKOS thesauri to OBO, RDF-S, and OWL ontologies. The paper reviews the features of OntoPortal and presents the current and forthcoming public and open repositories built with the technology maintained by the Alliance.
5d to 3d compactifications and discrete anomalies
Authors: Sacchi Matteo , Sela Orr , Zafrir Gabi
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Much insight into the dynamics of quantum field theories can be gained by studying the relationship between field theories in different dimensions. An interesting observation is that when two theories are related by dimensional reduction on a compact surface, their ’t Hooft anomalies corresponding to continuous symmetries are also related: the anomaly polynomial of the lower-dimensional theory can be obtained by integrating that of the higher-dimensional one on the compact surface. Naturally, this relation only holds if both theories are even dimensional. This raises the question of whether similar relations can also hold for the case of anomalies in discrete symmetries, which might be true even in odd dimensions. The natural generalization to discrete symmetries is that the anomaly theories, associated with the lower and higher dimensional theories, would be related by reduction on the compact surface. We explore this idea for compactifications of 5d superconformal field theories (SCFTs) to 3d on Riemann surfaces with global-symmetry fluxes. In this context, it can be used both as a check for these compactification constructions and for discovering new anomalies in the 5d SCFTs. This opens the way to applying the same idea of dimensional reduction of the anomaly theory to more general types of compactifications.
Estimating the cost of functional requirements for tolerance allocation on mechanical assemblies
Authors: Armillotta Antonio
Published: November 2023

When allocating tolerances to geometric features of machine parts, a target variation must be specified for some functional requirements on the assembly. Such decision, however, is usually made from experience without consideration of its effect on manufacturing cost. To allow such an assessment, the paper describes a method for estimating the cost of a requirement as a function of its variation. The estimation can be done before solving a tolerance allocation problem, at the time the variation on the requirement is chosen as an optimization constraint. A simple expression for the cost of requirements of various types is obtained using the extended reciprocal-power function for the cost of part tolerances, and the optimal scaling method for tolerance allocation. As a result, the costs of both requirement variations and part tolerances can be treated in the same way; this allows a hierarchical approach to tolerance allocation, which can simplify the problem when dealing with complex dimension chains. Furthermore, simple calculations based on the proposed method suggest general cost reduction criteria in the design of assemblies.
Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils Combinations based on Thymus broussonnetii, and Their Synergism with some Antibiotics
Authors: Amassmoud Oumaima , Abbad Imane , Iriti Marcello , Hassani Lahcen , Mezrioui Noureddine , Abbad Abdelaziz
Published: November 2023

The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the essential oil (EO) of Moroccan endemic Thymus broussonnetii alone, and in combination with EOs obtained from selected medicinal plants, namely Myrtus communis, Artemisia herba alba, Thymus pallidus, Thymus satureioides, Teucrium polium, and Rosmarinus officinalis. The synergistic interactions between the most effective combinations based on T. broussonnetii EO with two conventional antibiotics (streptomycin and ciprofloxacin) were also investigated. T. broussonnetii EO possessed a higher inhibitory activity against tested pathogenic bacteria with inhibition zone diameter (IZ) ranging from 21.61 ± 0.03 to 40.09 ± 0.02 mm, and MIC values between 0.140 mg/mL and 0.280 mg/mL. M. communis, A. herba alba, T. pallidus, T. satureioides, T. polium, and R. officinalis EOs showed moderate to weak antibacterial activity. Among tested EO mixtures, the highest synergistic antibacterial effect was recorded with the EO combination of T. broussonnetii and T. pallidus against S. aureus, E. coli, and S. enterica (FICI = 0.258). This EO combination was also the most effective mixture to synergistically enhance the antibacterial activity of the two antibiotics with up to a 128-fold increase, particularly against the gram-negative E. coli. These findings suggest that T. broussonnetii EO may be an interesting source of natural antimicrobials, for use in combination therapies with other plant EOs, and with conventional antimicrobial drugs to tackle the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria.
A validation study of the 30-day questionnaire in the national Norwegian Tonsil Surgery Register: can we trust the data reported by the patients?
Authors: Wennberg Siri , Amundsen Marit Furre , Bugten Vegard
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The aim of this study was to validate the Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) in the Norwegian Tonsil Surgery Register (NTSR) and to examine whether any improvements to the questionnaire could be useful.

Methods

This is a prospective, descriptive study. NTSR collects data from patients who undergo tonsil surgery and the intention of the register is to improve the quality of treatment and to contribute to research. The patients answers questions about admission due to postoperative haemorrhage, infection and pain 30 days after surgery. 305 patients were contacted on phone 1–2 weeks after answering the questionnaires electronically (ePROM) and asked the same questions. 180 of 305 patients we contacted had some kind of complications after surgery. They were asked additional questions to search for possible points for improvement of the questionnaire.

Results

When comparing the results on the ePROM with the answers on phone, we found that 12 out of 14 variables achieve almost perfect agreement (AC1 ≥ 0.81). Two variables are categorized to be substantial agreement (AC1 = 0.61–0.80). The additional questions showed us that the questionnaire can be improved with more detailed information regarding the severity of the postoperative haemorrhage and the need of better treatment against postoperative pain.

Conclusion

This study shows that the information from the 30-day ePROM has high reliability. The questions were understood as they were intended, and the answers reflect what the patients had of complications. Some changes can be done to improve the questionnaire and to open up for more research around the tonsillectomy procedure.
The outcome of polyethylene glycol fusion augmented by electrical stimulation in a delayed setting of nerve repair following neurotmesis in a rat model
Authors: Acharya Nanda , Acharya A. M. , Bhat Anil K. , Upadhya Dinesh , Punja Dhiren , Suhani Sumalatha
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Polyethylene glycol is known to improve recovery following its use in repair of acute peripheral nerve injury. The duration till which PEG works remains a subject of intense research. We studied the effect of PEG with augmentation of 20Htz of electrical stimulation (ES) following neurorrhaphy at 48 h in a rodent sciatic nerve neurotmesis model.

Method

Twenty-four Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups. In group I, the sciatic nerve was transected and repaired immediately. In group II, PEG fusion was done additionally after acute repair. In group III, repair and PEG fusion were done at 48 h. In group IV, ES of 20Htz at 2 mA for 1 h was added to the steps followed for group III. Weekly assessment of sciatic functional index (SFI), pinprick, and cold allodynia tests were done at 3 weeks and euthanized. Sciatic nerve axonal count and muscle weight were done.

Results

Groups II, III, and IV showed significantly better recovery of SFI (II: 70.10 ± 1.24/III: 84.00 ± 2.59/IV: 74.40 ± 1.71 vs I: 90.00 ± 1.38) (p < 0.001) and axonal counts (II: 4040 ± 270/III: 2121 ± 450/IV:2380 ± 158 vs I: 1024 ± 094) (p < 0.001) at 3 weeks. The experimental groups showed earlier recovery of sensation in comparison to the controls as demonstrated by pinprick and cold allodynia tests and improved muscle weights. Addition of electrical stimulation helped in better score with SFI (III: 84.00 ± 2.59 vs IV: 74.40 ± 1.71) (p < 0.001) and muscle weight (plantar flexors) (III: 0.49 ± 0.02 vs IV: 0.55 ± 0.01) (p < 0.001) in delayed repair and PEG fusions.

Conclusion

This study shows that PEG fusion of peripheral nerve repair in augmentation with ES results in better outcomes, and this benefit can be demonstrated up to a window period of 48 h after injury.
Content overlap of 91 dystonia symptoms among the seven most commonly used cervical dystonia scales
Authors: Chrobak Adrian Andrzej , Rusinek Jakub , Dec-Ćwiek Małgorzata , Porębska Karolina , Siwek Marcin
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Dystonia is a movement disorder characterized by sustained or intermittent muscle contractions. Cervical dystonia (CD) is the most common focal dystonia. There are several instruments assessing the symptoms of CD. However, different scales assess different features which may lead to poor patient evaluation.

Aim

The aim of the study was to evaluate the degree of overlap of most often used CD rating scales identified by the literature review.

Methods

A thorough search of the Medline database was conducted in September 2021. Then the frequency of each scale was calculated, and 7 most common scales were included in the content overlap analysis using Jaccard index (0 – no overlap, 1 – full overlap).

Results

Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS), Tsui score, Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS), Cervical Dystonia Impact Profile 58 (CDIP-58), Craniocervical Dystonia Questionnaire 24 (CDQ-24), Cervical Dystonia Severity Rating Scale (CDSS), Cervical Dystonia Severity Rating Scale (DDS) and The Dystonia Non-Motor Symptoms Questionnaire (DNMSQuest) were the most common scales. 91 CD symptoms were distinguished from 134 items used in the scales. The mean overlap among all scales was 0.17. 52 (62%) symptoms were examined by more than one scale. The CIDP-58 captured the highest number of symptoms (63.0%), while the CDSS captured the lowest number (8.0%). None of the symptoms were examined by seven instruments.

Conclusions

There was a very weak overlap among scales. High inconsistency between the scales may lead to highly different dystonia severity assessment in clinical practice. Thus, the instruments should be combined.
Rogues’ Gallery Comes in Pairs
Authors: Cartier Kimberly
Published: November 2023

A new trove of free-floating planets, smaller and paired up more than expected, challenges stellar and planet formation models.
Tracking Magnetopause Motion Using Cold Plasmaspheric Ions
Authors: LLera K. , Fuselier S. A. , Petrinec S. M. , Rice R. C. , Burch J. L. , Giles B. , Trattner K. J. , Strangeway R. J.
Published: November 2023

We demonstrate that any plasmaspheric/cold ions accelerated in the vicinity of the magnetopause boundary, can proxy the local magnetopause motion over many minutes. The timeseries of this motion capture local structures such as waves on the boundary. We determine cold ion velocities normal to full magnetopause boundary crossings for three events with varying distances to the predicted reconnection X‐line, thus, providing a proof‐of‐concept study demonstrating the potential for using cold ion velocities to track magnetopause motion over a long period of time. Obtaining the time history of the (local) motion of the magnetopause relative to the spacecraft is determined by integrating the bulk (<100 eV for H+) ion velocities normal to the boundary. Timeseries of these tracked cold ion accelerations may be used to investigate boundary layer thicknesses, potential wave structures on the magnetopause, and their evolution beyond the boundary crossing. This method generally tracks magnetopause motion out to distances of ∼1–2RE away from the spacecraft during quasi‐steady space weather conditions.
Dual cation-modified hierarchical nickel hydroxide nanosheet arrays as efficient and robust electrocatalysts for the urea oxidation reaction
Authors: Miao Fang , Cui Peng , Gu Tao , Yu Shijie , Yan Zhijie , Hai Guangtong
Published: November 2023

A well-defined Ni(OH)2 nanosheet array catalyst doped with dual cations of Co and Mn on Ni foam (NF) (Co/Mn–Ni(OH)2) is synthesized, and exhibits high UOR activity and excellent stability for 25 h at a current density of 50 mA cm−2.
Gut microbiota depletion aggravates bile acid-induced liver pathology in mice with a human-like bile acid composition
Authors: Verkade Esther , Shen Wenqiang , Hovingh Milaine V. , Mulder Niels L. , de Bruyn Krisztina , Koehorst Martijn , de Vries Hilde D. , Bloks Vincent W. , Kuipers Folkert , de Boer Jan Freark
Published: November 2023

Cyp2c70-deficient mice have a human-like bile acid (BA) composition due to their inability to convert chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) into rodent-specific muricholic acids (MCAs). However, the hydrophobic BA composition in these animals is associated with liver pathology. Although Cyp2c70-ablation has been shown to alter gut microbiome composition, the impact of gut bacteria on liver pathology in Cyp2c70−/− mice remains to be established. Therefore, we treated young-adult male and female wild-type (WT) and Cyp2c70−/− mice with antibiotics (AB) with broad specificity to deplete the gut microbiota and assessed the consequences on BA metabolism and liver pathology. Female Cyp2c70−/− mice did not tolerate AB treatment, necessitating premature termination of the experiment. Male Cyp2c70−/− mice did tolerate AB but showed markedly augmented liver pathology after 6 weeks of treatment. Dramatic downregulation of hepatic Cyp8b1 expression (−99%) caused a reduction in the proportions of 12α-hydroxylated BAs in the circulating BA pools of AB-treated male Cyp2c70−/− mice. Interestingly, the resulting increased BA hydrophobicity strongly correlated with various indicators of liver pathology. Moreover, genetic inactivation of Cyp8b1 in livers of male Cyp2c70−/− mice increased liver pathology, while addition of ursodeoxycholic acid to the diet prevented weight loss and liver pathology in AB-treated female Cyp2c70−/− mice. In conclusion, depletion of gut microbiota in Cyp2c70−/− mice aggravates liver pathology at least in part by increasing the hydrophobicity of the circulating BA pool. These findings highlight that the potential implications of AB administration to cholestatic patients should be evaluated in a systematic manner.
A wideband cylindrical conformal microstrip mimo antenna array
Authors: Qian Song‐Song , Sheng Ke‐Long , Zhou Song‐Zhao , Long Xun‐Peng , Zong Zhi‐Yuan , Wu Wen
Published: November 2023

In this paper, a wideband cylindrical conformal microstrip antenna array employing a proximity‐coupled feeding mechanism with a cavity‐backed configuration is designed and fabricated. Compared with other conformal microstrip patch antennas by using linear subarrays assembled piecewise, this design uses Teflon instead of traditional dielectric layers, and makes it possible to process the whole conformal array without splicing, obtaining the freedom in unit size and array radius adjustment except ease of manufacturing and assemblage. Combined with the optimization of the cavity size, an array with 4 × 4 elements is obtained which has a bandwidth of 40% from 8 to 12 GHz and a gain of 16.4 dB.
Leveraging IoT data stream for near‐real‐time calibration of city‐scale microscopic traffic simulation
Authors: Pourmoradnasseri Mozhgan , Khoshkhah Kaveh , Hadachi Amnir
Published: November 2023

The emergence of smart cities is set to transform transportation systems by leveraging real‐time traffic data streams to monitor urban dynamics. This complements traditional microscopic simulation methods, offering a detailed digital portrayal of real‐time traffic conditions. A framework for near‐real‐time city‐scale traffic demand estimation and calibration is proposed. By utilising Internet of Things (IoT) sensors on select roads, the framework generates microscopic simulations in congested networks. The proposed calibration method builds upon the standard bi‐level optimization formulation. It presents a significant computational advantage over available methods by (i) formulating the optimization problem as a bounded variable quadratic programming, (ii) acquiring sequential optimization technique by splitting computations into short time frames while considering the dependency of the demand in successive time frames, (iii) performing parallel simulations for dynamic traffic assignment in corresponding time frames using the open source tool Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO), and (iv) feeding traffic count data of each time frame as a stream to the model. The approach accommodates high‐dimensional real‐time applications without extensive prior traffic demand knowledge. Validation in synthetic networks and Tartu City case study showcases scalability, accuracy, and computational efficiency.
Assessing the Integration of Organizational Resilience and Sustainability: Insights from a Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Abdullahi Usman , Mohamed Ahmad Martadha , Senasi Vally , Ali Dhahi Al-Amrani Khadeem
Published: November 2023

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rely heavily on the participation of the public sector as a major player in its successful implementation. A sound public administrative system is a standalone goal for sustainable SDG-16 that seeks to develop effective, responsible, and inclusive institutions at all levels for the development of mankind. However, the prevalent perception of public sector organizations is that they are overly large, inefficient, wasteful, untruthful, and lack transparency. Therefore, we conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the pillar(s) of organizational sustainability and antecedents of organizational resilience that are frequently studied, highlighting current problems. This study analyzed 53 articles (published between 2008 and 2022) on organizational resilience in relation to sustainability. We review studies published in international journals. The findings show that organizational resilience and sustainability research has advanced significantly during this time and is still a promising field for scholarly investigation. The SLR reveals that most studies were conducted in developed nations, followed by some Asian countries, and there are adequate studies in the private sector, while the public sector has received limited attention from the research community and practitioners. This research gap is presented and discussed.
Service delivery through e-governance: The case of highly urbanized cities in northern Mindanao, Philippines
Authors: Pabatang-Hussien Eucil
Published: November 2023

This study explored the new digital opportunity for realizing democracy in public administration. This is a descriptive-evaluative type of research, utilizing a cross sectional survey which aimed to describe and assess the service delivery through e-governance of the two (2) highly urbanized cities in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. Utilizing the mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative research designs, this paper endeavoured to examine the delivery models of e-governance applications did the Local Government Units of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro provide to their constituents in terms of; G2C (Government-to-Citizens), G2B (Government-to-Business), G2E (Government-to-Employees), and G2G (Government-to-Government) Q2. Utilizing a survey questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale, a total of 234 survey respondents categorized as citizens, business sectors and city hall employees of the locales evaluated the efficiency, effectiveness, responsiveness, and satisfaction of e-governance implementation with regards to the delivery of the following services; administrative services, economic services, health services, and infrastructure services. Moreover, the qualitative data were obtained from the 4 key informants using an interview guide whose responses were analyzed thematically. Analyses of the findings were drawn from the delivery models of E-governance, technology, organization and environment (TOE) framework, and the role of IT in good governance. Data revealed that both LGUs had provided the four delivery models of e-governance. It is also implicit in the findings that the similar provisions and modes of service delivery by the two cities facilitated the furtherance of e-governance in their respective areas of responsibilities.
Government Communication in Indonesia Through Social Media: Learning CERC in Dealing with Pandemic
Authors: Rahmawati Dian Eka , Rasyid Haryadi Arief Nuur , Misran  , Mina Faye Lorraine P.
Published: November 2023

This study aims to analyze government communication during the Covid-19 pandemic through social media. This study uses qualitative methods and secondary data obtained through documentation techniques. The unit of analysis for this research is the official social media accounts and websites of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, and the Covid-19 Task Force. The findings show that in the 2019-2020 pandemic, the government is experiencing stuttering and has not been able to carry out crisis communication properly through official social media, even though it already had regulations on crisis communication and management in disaster management. In the 2020-2021, the implementation of crisis communication through official social media can be seen with the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) model which integrates risk communication and crisis communication. Three communication indicators in social media have high scores: be right, be capable, and promote action. Meanwhile, 3 communication indicators in social media have low scores: be first, be emphatic, show respect. This shows that communication indicators related to the community are still lacking compared to communication indicators related to the government. Government apparatus must understand the operational level, not only the conceptual level.