bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A quantile‐based approach to improve homogenization of snow depth time series
Authors: Resch Gernot , Koch Roland , Marty Christoph , Chimani Barbara , Begert Michael , Buchmann Moritz , Aschauer Johannes , Schöner Wolfgang
Published: May 2022

Austrian observations of snow depth date back to 1895 and are thus among the longest available quantitative snow information from hydrometeorological networks worldwide. It is well known that such long‐term observations are prone to inhomogeneities, which may not only affect climatologies and trends, but derived products used in research or practice. While the reliability of available methods for detecting breaks in snow time series has been shown before and could also be confirmed by our work, we focused on improving the adjustment method. Conventional methods often refer to the median of difference or quotient series (INTERP), whereas our proposed method also uses a quantile‐wise adjustment (InterpQM), which is useful to minimize a bias on the tails of the frequency distribution. We demonstrated the success of the new method by using Swiss parallel snow depth observations. Errors of the analysed indicators could be reduced in 68% of the cases when compared with INTERP. The results were best for large snow depths, being up to 19% better. Overall, InterpQM was better in 75% of validation cases for the daily large, 72% of all observations and 56% of mean seasonal snow depth cases. We describe the performed homogenization procedure in detail, including quality control, gap filling, homogeneity testing, break detection, calculation of and improvements to the adjustment method. Our results show that snow depth time series generally have a lower number of breaks compared with station data of other climate variables. This underlines their high quality, even if measuring snow presents challenges. Using Austrian snow depth series as an example, the effects of the new adjustment method on trends were analysed using the Mann–Kendall and Sen's Slope. Homogenization may have a significant effect on derived trends: Two of the six adjusted series were changed from nonsignificant to significant and one vice versa.
How to observe the principle of concurrent control in an arm‐based meta‐analysis using SAS procedures GLIMMIX and BGLIMM
Authors: Piepho Hans‐Peter , Madden Laurence V.
Published: May 2022

Network meta‐analysis is a popular method to synthesize the information obtained in a systematic review of studies (e.g., randomized clinical trials) involving subsets of multiple treatments of interest. The dominant method of analysis employs within‐study information on treatment contrasts and integrates this over a network of studies. One advantage of this approach is that all inference is protected by within‐study randomization. By contrast, arm‐based analyses have been criticized in the past because they may also recover inter‐study information when studies are modeled as random, which is the dominant practice, hence violating the principle of concurrent control, requiring treated individuals to only be compared directly with randomized controls. This issue arises regardless of whether analysis is implemented within a frequentist or a Bayesian framework. Here, we argue that recovery of inter‐study information can be prevented in an arm‐based analysis by adding a fixed study main effect. This simple device means that it is possible to honor the principle of concurrent control in a two‐way analysis‐of‐variance approach that is very easy to implement using generalized linear mixed model procedures and hence may be particularly welcome to those not well versed in the more intricate coding required for a contrast‐based analysis.
Compositionally Homogeneous Soft Wrinkles on Elastomeric Substrates: Novel Fabrication Method, Water Collection from Fog, and Triboelectric Charge Generation
Authors: Raj Soorya S. , Davis Deljo , Viswanathan Pramila , Chandrasekhar Arunkumar , T. P. Vinod
Published: May 2022

Functionality and stimuli‐response of natural and artificial elastomeric materials depend significantly on the morphology of their surfaces. Structural transformability and tunable responsiveness of wrinkles on elastomeric materials can enable numerous applications in flexible electronics, optics, and adhesives. Currently existing fabrication techniques rely on sophisticated instrumentation, complex experimental setups, and expensive reagents. These methods are limited in terms of mechanical robustness of the wrinkles produced. Here, a simple, inexpensive, scalable, and reproducible strategy, making use of buckling instability for the creation of soft surface wrinkles on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), is presented. PDMS with lower elastic modulus is spin‐coated onto a mechanically stretched film of PDMS with a higher elastic modulus. Thermal curing followed by the release of prestrain resulted in the formation of wrinkles in the top layer of the PDMS. The hydrophobic soft surface wrinkles with compositional homogeneity exhibit efficient fog water collection and triboelectric charge generation useful for the preparation of triboelectric nanogenerator devices. Furthermore, the substrates show high mechanical stability and mechanoresponsive optical behaviors. The simplicity and general applicability of the method presented here is expected to establish a promising pathway toward the formation of soft wrinkles in other elastomeric systems also, facilitating important applications in various fields.
Dual roles of drug or its metabolite−protein conjugate: Cutting‐edge strategy of drug discovery using shotgun proteomics
Authors: Gong Shilin , Hu Xiaolan , Chen Shengshuang , Sun Baoqing , Wu Jian‐Lin , Li Na
Published: May 2022

Many drugs can bind directly to proteins or be bioactivated by metabolizing enzymes to form reactive metabolites (RMs) that rapidly bind to proteins to form drug−protein conjugates or metabolite−protein conjugates (DMPCs). The close relationship between DMPCs and idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions (IADRs) has been recognized; drug discovery teams tend to avoid covalent interactions in drug discovery projects. Covalent interactions in DMPCs can provide high potency and long action duration and conquer the intractable targets, inspiring drug design, and development. This forms the dual role feature of DMPCs. Understanding the functional implications of DMPCs in IADR control and therapeutic applications requires precise identification of these conjugates from complex biological samples. While classical biochemical methods have contributed significantly to DMPC detection in the past decades, the low abundance and low coverage of DMPCs have become a bottleneck in this field. An emerging transformation toward shotgun proteomics is on the rise. The evolving shotgun proteomics techniques offer improved reproducibility, throughput, specificity, operability, and standardization. Here, we review recent progress in the systematic discovery of DMPCs using shotgun proteomics. Furthermore, the applications of shotgun proteomics supporting drug development, toxicity mechanism investigation, and drug repurposing processes are also reviewed and prospected.
Phase transition in a stochastic geometry model with applications to statistical mechanics
Authors: Kazemi O. K. , Pourdarvish A. , Sadeghi J.
Published: May 2022

We study the connected components of the stochastic geometry model on Poisson points which is obtained by connecting points with a probability that depends on their relative position. Equivalently, we investigate the random clusters of the random connection model defined on the points of a Poisson process in d‐dimensional space where the links are added with a particular probability function. We use the thermodynamic relations between free energy, entropy, and internal energy to find the functions of the cluster size distribution in the statistical mechanics of extensive and nonextensive. By comparing these obtained functions with the probability function predicted by Penrose, we provide a suitable approximate probability function. Moreover, we relate this stochastic geometry model to the physics literature by showing how the fluctuations of the thermodynamic quantities of this model correspond to other models when a phase transition (10.1002/mma.6965, 2020) occurs. Also, we obtain the critical point using a new analytical method.
Analysentechnik: Präparative SFC für klassische HPLC‐Anwendungen
Authors: Kuhlmann Christopher
Published: May 2022

Supercritical Fluid Chromatography, SFC, nutzen Forschung und Produktion auch im präparativen Maßstab. Neue Instrumentierung macht es einfacher, isolierte Produkte weiterzuverarbeiten.
Stoffregulierung: Entlang planetarer Grenzen lenken
Authors: Steinhäuser Klaus Günter , Große Ophoff Markus
Published: May 2022

Ein Chemikalien‐ und Stoffmanagement umfasst und verbindet als übergreifendes Konzept, wie mit Rohstoffen, Ressourcen, Produkten und Abfällen umzugehen ist. Es muss auf den Grundsätzen der Vorsorge und der Nachhaltigkeit beruhen.
Diversität: Eine Frage der Logistik
Authors: Guggolz Lukas
Published: May 2022

Lukas Guggolz fällt auf: Nicht nur, weil er im Rollstuhl sitzt und Arme und Beine kaum bewegen kann. Sondern vor allem, weil er trotzdem ein Chemiestudium und die Promotion durchgezogen hat. Wie er das gemacht hat und warum ausgerechnet im bergigen Marburg, beschreibt er in diesem Beitrag.
Chemie‐ und Pharmaindustrie: Von Pandemie‐ zu Kriegsfolgen
Authors: Bulmahn Maren
Published: May 2022

Die meisten Bilanzen des vergangenen Jahrs zeugen von einem Aufschwung nach der Pandemie. Viele Chemieunternehmen haben gegenüber dem Vorjahr mehr Umsatz und Gewinn gemacht. Aber da die Bilanzen in diesem Frühjahr veröffentlicht wurden, sind Ängste vor Kriegsfolgen stärker zu spüren als Hoffnung auf Besserung.
Blenderized enteral nutrition in pediatric short gut syndrome: Tolerance and clinical outcomes
Authors: Zong Wenjing , Troutt Renee , Merves Jamie
Published: May 2022

Background

Blenderized feeds consisting of whole food components are emerging as a preferred approach to enteral nutrition. However, there is limited evidence‐based guidance for this strategy in short bowel syndrome (SBS). We aimed to explore the tolerance and clinical outcome of blenderized feeds in patients with SBS.

Method

We conducted a single‐center, retrospective study of blenderized feeds in pediatric SBS. Of the 376 patients screened, 58 met inclusion criteria. Three patients were excluded because of a history of bowel transplant. Demographics, clinical history, and nutrition history were collected and analyzed.

Result

Patients had improved diarrhea though worsening gas while receiving blenderized feeds. There was no significant difference in small bowel length in patients who discontinued blends compared with those who continued. However, patients with colonic resection were more likely to discontinue the blends. In a subgroup of patients who lost weight despite improved diarrhea (n = 19), most had a history of ileocecal valve (ICV) and colonic resection, but no difference in small bowel length compared with those who did not lose weight.

Conclusion

Our cohort of patients with SBS experienced improved gastrointestinal symptoms and stool quality on blenderized feeds. Patients without an ICV and with colonic resection were more prone to weight loss. Stepwise titration of blenderized formula with previous formula regimen may be needed in a subset of patients to optimize tolerance and weight gain. Further study is warranted to understand factors contributing to variable tolerance and weight gain on blenderized formulas to guide their use in patients with SBS.
Gravity enables self‐assembly
Authors: Grega Ivan , Shaikeea Angkur J. D. , Wadley Haydn N. G. , Deshpande Vikram S.
Published: May 2022

Crystallization of granular assemblies has broad implications for rapid and scalable creation of architected materials with applications ranging from structural materials to microarchitected battery electrodes. While significant advances have been made in understanding colloidal self‐assembly at nano to micro scale, the governing mechanisms for organization of dry assemblies of hard spheres remain unclear. Here, we investigate crystallization of mono‐size hard spheres with and without imposed vibration. Using X‐ray computed tomographic analysis coupled with discrete‐element simulations, we unravel the roles of gravity and imposed vibration on the three‐dimensional self‐assembly of the dry spheres. We use these insights to introduce gravity‐mediated epitaxial crystal growth with slow pouring of balls on seeding templates. Contrary to vibration‐induced crystallization, this method can form large single crystals with both close‐packed and rather surprisingly, nonclose‐packed metastable particle arrangements. Our results provide insight for the scalable manufacture of defect‐free granular assemblies that can be used as space‐holding templates to manufacture cellular materials, such as inverse opals and other related topologies.

Key points

Self‐assembly of hard spheres is a critical step for the scalable manufacture of micro‐architected solids.

Via a combination of vibration experiments, 3D X‐ray tomographic observations, and simulations, we elucidate the critical role of gravity in the self‐assembly of hard spheres.

We design seeding templates that can not only induce the self‐assembly into stable close‐packed crystal structures but also rather counterintuitively into metastable single crystal structures.
Improvement in both severe obsessive–compulsive disorder and refractory tardive dystonia following electroconvulsive therapy: A case report
Authors: Mihara Yasuha , Otsuki Koji , Hayashi Mai , Yamashita Satoko , Nagahama Michiharu , Hayashida Maiko , Wake Rei , Hashioka Sadayuki , Abe Satoshi , Inagaki Masatoshi
Published: May 2022

Background

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is often resistant to treatment and may be complicated by tardive dystonia (TDt) with the use of neuroleptics. Furthermore, patients with TDt often have an inadequate response to pharmacotherapy. Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered a common treatment option for both TDt and OCD, its efficacy has not been well established for either condition.

Case Presentation

Our case was a 37‐year‐old Japanese woman who showed improvement in both refractory TDt and severe OCD following ECT. A total of 12 ECT sessions resulted in an improvement in both diseases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a case in which ECT was effective for both TDt and OCD.

Conclusion

Our report highlights the following two points: when TDt is associated with severe OCD, and the effect of pharmacotherapy is inadequate, ECT may be considered as a treatment option; given the common mechanism of frontal cortex‐basal dysfunction reported in both dystonia and OCD, ECT may have an effect on this pathway.
Positive predictive values of hematological procedure codes in the Danish National Patient Registry—A population‐based validation study
Authors: Lauritsen Tine Bichel , Nørgaard Jan Maxwell , Christensen Mathilde Egelund , Dalton Susanne Oksbjerg , Østgård Lene Sofie Granfeldt
Published: May 2022

Background

The Danish National Patient Registry holds data on hematological procedure codes including date and type of treatment from all hematological departments in Denmark. The validity of the hematological procedure codes remains to be clarified before they are used in epidemiological research.

Patients and Methods

Using the Danish Myelodysplastic Syndromes Database, we identified 897 patients diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia treated at five Danish Hospitals between 1 January 2012 and 30 April 2019. From the Danish National Patient Registry, we ascertained information about hematological procedure codes and date of procedure registered on each patient and generated random samples. Using medical record review as the reference standard, we validated procedure codes in the Danish National Patient Registry and calculated positive predictive values (PPVs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each procedure code.

Results

A total of 523 medical records (99% of the total sample) were available for review. PPVs for specific procedure codes ranged from 71% to 100%. The overall PPV was 91% (95% CI: 88%–92%), reflecting PPVs of 95% (95% CI: 92%–97%) for low‐dose‐chemotherapy, 90% (95% CI: 81%–96%) for high‐dose chemotherapy, 99% (95% CI: 93%–100%) for allogeneic stem cell transplantation, 75% (95% CI: 62%–85%) for immuno‐modulating agents, 80% (95% CI: 74%–85%) for growth factors, and 99% (95% CI: 99%–100%) for bone marrow examination. The accuracy of coding was consistent across geographic regions and year of registration/coding.

Conclusions

Hematological procedure codes reported to the Danish National Patient Registry had high PPVs and are suitable for epidemiological research.
A solid strategy to realize heteroface selective emitter and rear passivated silicon solar cells
Authors: Zou Shuai , Ye Xiaoya , Ding Jianming , Wu Chengkun , Wang Shaozhou , Scardera Giuseppe , Abbott Malcolm , Zhang Yu , Fan Ronglei , Xu Yadong , Wang Xusheng , Shen Mingrong , Su Xiaodong
Published: May 2022

Passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) with laser‐doped selective emitter (SE) has become mainstream in the PV industry. In this work, we report a solid strategy to realize heteroface monocrystalline silicon (mono‐Si) wafers for PERC‐SE solar cells by employing alkaline polishing to form a polished surface for the rear side and well‐established metal‐catalyzed chemical etching to form a honeycomb texture for the front side in one wet process successively. The key to success lies in the fact that the two back‐to‐back wafers inserted into one slot in the cassette are tightly attached together in MCCE etching so that only the exposed surfaces are etched to form textures, while the rear polished surfaces are still retained to avoid wrap‐around etching. With the strategy, the mono‐Si PERC‐SE solar cells achieve an average efficiency of over 22.0%, no poorer than that of the reference system (traditional alkaline texturing and rear acidic polishing), and have good light trapping capability for oblique incident light. Moreover, the total Si removal in the novel process is only ~0.4 g, which is far less than that in the traditional process. More importantly, the strategy can also double the throughput of existing texturing processes and significantly reduce the amount of etching waste. Therefore, the work is expected to provide a promising way to mass produce efficient mono‐Si PERC‐SE solar cells with a superior rear surface, achieved without increasing the number of processing steps, and lower cost.
Mechanistic insights on the radical scavenging activity of oat avenanthramides
Authors: Purushothaman Aiswarya , Jishnu Gopal Puthiyottil , Janardanan Deepa
Published: May 2022

Avenanthramides, the phenolic antioxidants exclusively found in oats (Avena sativa L.), have long been recognized for their immense health benefits owing to their antioxidant potential. Herein, hydroperoxyl radical (•OOH) scavenging activity of oat avenanthramides is investigated in detail, using density functional theory for the first time. Three probable mechanisms: (a) hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), (b) single electron transfer followed by proton transfer, and (c) sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET), are considered towards evaluating the antioxidant potential of avenanthramides (A–C) in the gas phase as well as in both polar and non‐polar media. Based on the computed data, HAT is found to be the thermodynamically preferred mechanism for antioxidant activity in the gas phase. In the polar medium, SPLET represents the most probable reaction pathway. Our thermodynamic and kinetic data computed at the B3LYP level predict avenanthramide C, characterized by an ortho‐dihydroxy functionality on the aromatic ring, as the most potent radical scavenger among the three variants, in agreement with the available experimental reports.
The mechanisms and molecular properties about isomerization of resin acids, synthesis of acrylopimaric acid based on density functional theory calculation
Authors: Lai Wu‐Ji , Lu Jia‐Hao , Jiang Rui , Zeng Lei , Shen Li‐Qun
Published: May 2022

Acrylopimaric acid is considered a possible substitute for petroleum‐based polymeric monomers. Resin acids were isomerized to form levopimaric acid(4), which reacted with acrylic acid to synthesize isomers of acrylopimaric acid. Density functional theory calculations were carried out to investigate the reaction mechanisms with seven reaction paths. In terms of dynamics, the energy barrier in the isomerization of palustric acid(2) to levopimaric acid(4) was the lowest, whereas the highest energy barrier was the isomerization of neoabietic acid(3) to levopimaric acid(4). The addition reaction of levopimaric acid(4) and acrylic acid(5) to acrylopimaric acid c(8) was the optimal reaction path dynamically. However, the energy of acrylopimaric acid c(8) was higher than that of acrylopimaric acid d(9). Highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO) were analyzed for eight kinds of molecules. For acylpyimaric acid, the nonplanar six‐memed ring and the C–C double bonds were easily attacked by nucleophile, whereas the nonplanar six‐memed ring and the carboxyl group are easily reacted with electrophiles. The electrostatic surface potential were analyzed for molecules.
Specific recognition between YTHDF3 and m6A‐modified RNA: An all‐atom molecular dynamics simulation study
Authors: Zhou Wenxue , Han Zhongjie , Wu Zhixiang , Gong Weikang , Yang Shuang , Chen Lei , Li Chunhua
Published: May 2022

The YTH domain of YTHDF3 belongs to a class of protein “readers” recognizing the N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modification in mRNA. Although static crystal structure reveals m6A recognition by a conserved aromatic cage, the dynamic process in recognition and importance of aromatic cage residues are not completely clear. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to explore the issues and negative selectivity of YTHDF3 toward unmethylated substrate. Our results reveal that there exist conformation selectivity and induced‐fit in YTHDF3 binding with m6A‐modified RNA, where recognition loop and loop6 play important roles in the specific recognition. m6A modification enhances the stability of YTHDF3 in complex with RNA. The methyl group of m6A, like a warhead, enters into the aromatic cage of YTHDF3, where Trp492 anchors the methyl group and constraints m6A, making m6A further stabilized by π–π stacking interactions from Trp438 and Trp497. In addition, the methylation enhances the hydrophobicity of adenosine, facilitating water molecules excluded out of the aromatic cage, which is another reason for the specific recognition and stronger intermolecular interaction. Finally, the comparative analyses of hydrogen bonds and binding free energy between the methylated and unmethylated complexes reveal the physical basis for the preferred recognition of m6A‐modified RNA by YTHDF3. This study sheds light on the mechanism by which YTHDF3 specifically recognizes m6A‐modified RNA and can provide important information for structure‐based drug design.
Comparison of diagnostic criteria for significant anal sphincter defects between endoanal and transperineal ultrasound
Authors: Okeahialam N. A. , Thakar R. , Sultan A. H.
Published: May 2022

Objective

To evaluate the agreement between three‐dimensional endoanal ultrasound (EAUS) and four‐dimensional transperineal ultrasound (TPUS) in measuring anal sphincter defect angle.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of the PERINEAL study, which evaluated the effect of perineal wound infection on anal sphincter integrity. Women were reviewed once a week, until their perineal wound had healed or for up to a maximum of 16 weeks. At each visit, both EAUS and TPUS (the latter at rest and on maximum pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC)) were performed to evaluate the presence of external (EAS) and internal (IAS) anal sphincter defect and measure the defect size. The largest angle size of a defect at the same sphincter level was analyzed. A defect was deemed significant if it was > 30°. Kappa coefficient (κ), intraclass correlation coefficient and standard error of measurement (SEM) were calculated, using EAUS as the reference standard.

Results

In 73 women scanned at weekly intervals, a total of 250 EAUS and 250 TPUS scans were performed. An EAS defect was found in 55 (22.0%) EAUS images and 47 (18.8%) TPUS images. An IAS defect was found in 26 (10.4%) images on both modalities. There was excellent agreement (κ = 0.87) between TPUS and EAUS in diagnosing the presence of an EAS defect and perfect agreement (κ = 1.00) in diagnosing the presence of an IAS defect. TPUS performed at rest had poor and moderate agreement with EAUS in measuring EAS and IAS defect size, respectively, with respective SEMs of ± 16.1° and ± 27.9°. TPUS performed during maximum PFMC had poor and moderate agreement with EAUS in measuring EAS and IAS defect size, respectively, with respective SEMs of ± 16.5° and ± 26.4°. Based on the SEMs, if the diagnostic cut‐off of 30° for defect size on TPUS was used, an incorrect diagnosis of significant EAS defect could occur in approximately 9–36% of women and an incorrect diagnosis of a significant IAS defect could occur in approximately 4–15% of women, using EAUS as the reference.

Conclusions

This is the first study to compare directly anal sphincter defect angle measurements obtained on EAUS and TPUS. A cut‐off angle of 30° should not be used for the diagnosis of a significant residual anal sphincter defect during TPUS examination. Further research is required to determine the optimal defect cut‐off angle for TPUS. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Implementation of a targeted treatment strategy for the sustainable control of Ascaridia galli infections in laying hens
Authors: Tarbiat Behdad , Jansson Désirée Seger , Höglund Johan
Published: May 2022

Background

Ascaridia galli is a widespread problem in cage‐free egg production. Sustainable control of nematode infections is a key component in this sector. This study investigates the effect of a treatment strategy against A. galli, aiming to propose a guideline for anthelmintic use on commercial poultry farms.

Methods

A total of eight flocks of laying hens (a–h) from five commercial poultry farms were included in this study. Faecal samples were collected on a biweekly basis starting at 7–13 weeks post‐placement (WPP) and processed using the McMaster method to calculate ascarid egg shedding. Flocks were treated after the threshold of 200 eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) was reached.

Results

The highest initial faecal egg count was 6700 EPG at 11 WPP, whereas the lowest was 50 at 8 WPP. The longest delay to detect A. galli was 7 weeks. The lowest and the highest number of treatments were four and six, respectively. The shortest and longest periods between any two treatments were 5 and 22 weeks, respectively.

Conclusions

These results suggest that monitoring for A. galli should start at approximately 7 WPP and should be repeated every 8 weeks until hens are 50 weeks old. Treatment should be given only if moderate to high faecal egg counts are observed. Treatments after this point may be repeated every 8 weeks without eventually performing a faecal test. These findings provide practical support to veterinarians and egg producers dealing with ascarid worm infection in laying hens in their production stage.
Protocol for Mass Propagation of Plants Using a Low-Cost Bioreactor
Authors: Abu Hassan Affrida , Noordin Norazlina , Ahmad Zaiton , Akil Mustapha , Ahmad Faiz , Ibrahim Rusli
Published: May 2022

Conventional in vitro mass propagation methods are labour-intensive, costly and have a low degree of automation. Bioreactor or automated growth vessel systems using liquid media were developed to overcome these problems. The use of liquid instead of solid culture medium for plant micropropagation offers better access to medium components and scalability through automation. However, the cost of setting up a bioreactor system is one of its disadvantages as such systems are expensive with limited number of manufacturers. A low-cost bioreactor system was set up using recycled, low biodegradable plastic bottles. This low-cost bioreactor, based on temporary immersion principle, has proven to be effective as a vessel for rapid plant propagation. It is designed to reduce the production cost of plant micropropagation. This chapter explains the step-by-step methods for setting up a low-cost bioreactor for banana seedling production. This low-cost bioreactor system has the potential to be adapted for large scale in vitro cultivation of the plant seedlings.
Field Screening of Gamma-Irradiated Cavendish Bananas
Authors: Lantican Gaudencia A.
Published: May 2022

In our search for Cavendish bananas to withstand Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc TR4) and other diseases, field screening of tissue-cultured Grand Nain banana seedlings derived from gamma-irradiated shoot tips was explored. Six months after irradiation and multiplication in the laboratory, the plantlets (M1V6) were individually grown in seedling bags under screen house conditions for 8 weeks, side-by-side with non-irradiated plantlets of the same clone. Once acclimatized, the banana plants were grown in an area confirmed positive of Foc TR4 (based on previous farm records stating that more than 50% of the plant population succumbed to the disease). Seedlings from each treatment (dose of radiation) were divided into four replicates, regardless of the number of plants. Each plant was given a unique identification code for traceability during disease monitoring, bunch and fruit quality evaluation.

Incidences of Foc TR4, Moko disease (Ralstonia solanacearum) and virus diseases were monitored weekly. Plants found positive of any disease were eradicated immediately. The plant population for the succeeding generation was managed by removing the unwanted suckers, 12 weeks from planting using a spade gouge and keeping only one sucker per plant for the next generation. Agronomic characters of each plant were taken at the flowering stage. These included age to flower, height, pseudostem circumference, number of leaves and height of the sucker. The bunch was harvested 12 weeks from flowering. The number of hands in a bunch, the number of fingers and weight of a hand were recorded. The same agronomic characters of the plant were taken for the succeeding generations.

Plants left standing in the field without any disease symptoms 3 years after planting were considered as putative mutants and were selected as candidate lines for multiplication and second-generation field screening. Only healthy suckers (free from viruses) were further multiplied via tissue culture technique to reach M1V6. Clean suckers from each line free of soil debris or dirt were sent to the laboratory for multiplication. At least 1000 plantlets were produced from each line for the second-generation field screening. These were grown in two locations – with and without records of Foc TR4. Field monitoring activities including plant population management, disease incidence assessment and fruit quality evaluation were carried out following the same protocols used in the establishment of the first-generation plants. Lines with population showing ≤10% Foc TR4 after the first harvest, with good vigor, fruit quality and productivity were considered as candidates for further multiplication, farmers distribution and field planting under semi-commercial scale.
Excess costs of mental disorders by level of severity
Authors: König Hannah , König Hans-Helmut , Gallinat Jürgen , Lambert Martin , Karow Anne , Peth Judith , Schulz Holger , Konnopka Alexander
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Mental disorders are highly prevalent in Germany, and associated with decreased quality of life for those affected as well as high economic burden for the society. The purpose of this study was to determine the excess costs of mental disorders and to examine how these differ with respect to disease severity.

Methods

We analyzed mean 6-month costs using the baseline data from the RECOVER trial in Hamburg, Germany, which evaluates an innovative stepped-care model for mental disorders. Four severity levels were classified based on the current level of mental illness, loss of functioning, and psychiatric diagnosis. In this work, direct costs (outpatient, inpatient, and social/informal care) and indirect costs (sick leave, unemployment, and early retirement) were estimated using interview-based data on health care utilization and productivity losses. Excess costs were determined by matching a comparison group of the German general population without mental disorders. Group differences in sociodemographic covariates and somatic comorbidities were balanced using entropy balancing. Excess costs by severity levels were estimated using generalized linear models (GLM) with gamma distribution and log-link function.

Results

Overall, the RECOVER group included n = 816 and the comparison group included n = 3226 individuals. Mean total 6-month excess costs amounted to 19,075€, with higher indirect excess costs (13,331€) than direct excess costs (5744€) in total excess costs. The excess costs increased with increasing disease severity, ranging from 6,123€ with mild disease severity (level 1) to 31,883€ with severe mental illness (level 4). Indirect excess costs ranged from 5612€ in level 1 to 21,399€ in level 4, and were statistically significant for all disease severity levels. In contrast, direct excess costs were only statistically significant for the levels 2 to 4, and ranged from 511€ in level 1 to 10,485€ in level 4. The main cost drivers were hospital stays (level 2–4), sick leave and unemployment (all levels), and early retirement (level 3–4).

Discussion

Mental disorders are associated with high costs that increase with the level of disease severity, which was also shown for individual ICD-10 diagnosis groups. Due to their influence on costs, indirect costs and disease severity levels should be considered in future cost-of-illness studies of mental disorders.

Clinical trial registration

clinicaltrials.gov, trial registration number NCT03459664.
Digitalization and disruptive change in rheumatology
Authors: Richter Pia , Richter Jutta G. , Lieb Elke , Steimann Friedrich , Chehab Gamal , Becker Arnd , Thielscher Christian
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Recently, many sectors have seen disruptive changes due to the rapid progress in information and communication technology (ICT). The aim of this systematic literature review was to develop a first understanding of what is known about new ICTs in rheumatology and their disruptive potential.

Methods

PubMed, LIVIVO, and EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) databases were searched for relevant literature. Use of new ICTs was identified, categorized, and disruptive potential was discussed. Articles from 2008 to 2021 in German and English were considered.

Results

A total of 3539 articles were identified. After application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 55 articles were included in the analyses. The majority of articles (48) used a non-experimental design or detailed expert opinion. The new ICTs mentioned in these articles could be allocated to four main categories: technologies that prepare for the development of new knowledge by data collection (n = 32); technologies that develop new knowledge by evaluation of data (e.g., by inventing better treatment; n = 11); technologies that improve communication of existing knowledge (n = 32); and technologies that improve the care process (n = 29). Further assessment classified the ICTs into different functional subcategories. Based on these categories it is possible to estimate the disruptive potential of new ICTs.

Conclusion

ICTs are becoming increasingly important in rheumatology and may impact patients’ lives and professional conduct. The properties and disruptive potential of technologies identified in the articles differ widely. When looking into ICTs, doctors have focused on new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures but rarely on their disruptive potential. We recommend putting more effort into investigation of whether ICTs change the way rheumatology is performed and who is in control of it. Especially technologies that potentially replace physicians with machines, take control over the definition of quality in medicine, and/or create proprietary knowledge that is not accessible for doctors need more research.
Occupational cold exposure in relation to incident airway symptoms in northern Sweden: a prospective population-based study
Authors: Stjernbrandt Albin , Hedman Linnea , Liljelind Ingrid , Wahlström Jens
Published: May 2022

Objective

To determine if occupational exposure to cold environments is associated with incident airway symptoms in previously healthy workers.

Methods

A prospective, survey-based, closed-cohort study was conducted on a sample of 5017 men and women between 18 and 70 years of age, living in northern Sweden. Data on occupation, occupational and leisure-time cold exposure, airway symptoms, general health, and tobacco habits were collected during the winters of 2015 (baseline) and 2021 (follow-up). Stepwise multiple logistic regression was used to determine associations between baseline variables and incident airway symptoms.

Results

For individuals working at baseline, without physician-diagnosed asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, reporting any occupational cold exposure was associated with incident wheeze (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.06–1.87) and incident productive cough (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.06–1.77), but not incident long-standing cough (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.74–1.29), after adjusting for age, body mass index, daily smoking, and occupational physical workload. Detailed analysis of the occupational cold exposure rating did not reveal clear exposure–response patterns for any of the outcomes.

Conclusions

Occupational cold exposure was robustly associated with incident wheeze and productive cough in previously healthy workers. This adds further support to the notion that cold air is harmful for the airways, and that a structured risk assessment regarding occupational cold exposure could be considered for inclusion in the Swedish workplace legislation. Further studies are needed to elaborate on exposure–response functions, as well as suggest thresholds for hazardous cold exposure.
Concrete constraints on abstract concepts—editorial
Authors: Borghi Anna M. , Shaki Samuel , Fischer Martin H.
Published: May 2022

This special issue, "Concrete constraints of abstract concepts", addresses the role of concrete determinants, both external and internal to the human body, in acquisition, processing and use of abstract concepts while at the same time presenting to the readers an overview of methods used to assess their representation.
The development of visuospatial abilities and their impact on laparoscopic skill acquisition: a clinical longitudinal study
Authors: Vajsbaher Tina , Schultheis Holger , Janssen Sonja , Weyhe Dirk , Bektas Hüseyin , Uslar Verena , Francis Nader
Published: May 2022

Objectives

To investigate how visuospatial abilities develop and influence intraoperative laparoscopic performance during surgical residency training programmes.

Background

Laparoscopic surgery is a challenging technique to acquire and master. Visuospatial ability is an important attribute but most prior research have predominantly explored the influence of visuospatial abilities in lab-based settings and/or among inexperienced surgeons. Little is known about the impact of visuospatial profiles on actual laparoscopic performance and its role in shaping competency.

Method

A longitudinal observational cohort study using a pair-matched design over 27 months. At baseline, visuospatial profiles of 43 laparoscopic surgeons of all expertise levels and 19 control subjects were compared. The development of visuospatial abilities and their association with intraoperative performance of 18 residency surgeons were monitored during the course of their laparoscopic training.

Results

Laparoscopic surgeons significantly outperformed the control group on the measure of spatial visualisation (U = 273.0, p = 0.03, η2 = 0.3). Spatial visualisation was found to be a significant predictor of laparoscopic expertise (R2 = 0.70, F (1.60) = 6.788, p = 0.01) and improved with laparoscopic training (B = 4.01, SE = 1.83, p = 0.02, 95% CI [0.40, 7.63]). From month 6 to 18, a strong positive correlation between spatial visualisation and intraoperative depth perception (r = 0.67, p < 0.01), bimanual dexterity (r = 0.60, p < 0.01), autonomy (r = 0.78, p < 0.01) and the total score (r = 0.70, p < 0.01) were observed but a strong relationship remained only with autonomy (r = 0.89, p < 0.01) and total score (r = 0.80, p < 0.01) at 18 months.

Conclusion

In this longitudinal cohort study, visuospatial abilities associate with laparoscopic skills and improve with training. Spatial visualisation may be characteristic of laparoscopic expertise as it has clear association with competency development during laparoscopy residency training programme.
Minimally invasive reconstruction of acute acromioclavicular joint injuries using the TwinBridge button system
Authors: Balke Maurice , Wafaisade Arasch , Hoeher Juergen , Greshake Oliver
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Acute acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) injuries are among the most common shoulder injuries in active young adults. The most frequently used surgical treatments include the hook plate implantation and arthroscopic treatment using flip-button systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of treating acute ACJ injuries using a new minimally invasive implant based on a flip-button system.

Material and methods

From January 2016 to October 2019, a total of 20 patients with acute ACJ injuries (1 × Type III, 3 × Type IV, 16 × Type V) underwent surgery using the Twinbridge implant (Smith & Nephew). It is a prefabricated construct consisting of two Endobuttons connected with an UltraTape. One button is placed under the coracoid using a special aiming device and two buttons are placed on the clavicle. Preoperatively, 1 day postoperatively, 3 months and at least 1 year postoperatively, patients were clinically examined and bilateral stress view and axial radiographs were obtained. At final follow-up, the simple shoulder test (SST), Taft score, Constant score, and ACJ instability (ACJI) score were recorded and a side-to-side ratio of the coracoclavicular (CC) distance was calculated.

Results

All 20 patients were contacted at final follow-up at a mean of 28 (min. 13, max 50) months. Six patients were not willing to come for a clinical and radiographic examination and were contacted via telephone. All six patients were free of complaints. Another two patients free of complaints refused radiographs at final follow-up. The patients presented a mean SST of 99.6% (20 patients, min. 91.7, max. 100), Taft score of 11.6/12 points (12 patients, min. 10, max. 12), ACJI of 85.5/90 points (12 patients, min. 78, max. 90), and a Constant score of 97.1 (14 patients, min. 81.0, max. 100) for the affected shoulder. Preoperative stress view images revealed a mean side-to-side difference of the CC distance with a ratio of 1:2.34 (min. 1:1.80, max. 1:3.33). At final follow-up, CC distance was calculated with a mean ratio of 1:1.12 (min. 1.1, max. 1:1.38). Axial images showed a proper position in all cases. A “perfect” radiological result was achieved in six patients (50%) with a side-to-side CC distance of less than 10% (ratio 1:1.1 or less). A Rockwood type II result was achieved in five patients (42%) with a distance of 10 to 25% (ratio 1.11–1.25). One (8%) presented with a Rockwood type III result with a difference of more than 25% (ratio 1:1.38) and was considered a radiological failure.

Conclusions

When used correctly, the Twinbridge implant offers good-to-excellent clinical and radiographic results using a minimally invasive surgical technique. Complication rate is comparable to other button-systems.
Design of classical-quantum systems with UML
Authors: Pérez-Castillo Ricardo , Piattini Mario
Published: May 2022

Developers of the many promising quantum computing applications that currently exist are urging companies in many different sectors seriously consider integrating this new technology into their business. For these applications to function, not only are quantum computers required, but quantum software also. Accordingly, quantum software engineering has become an important research field, in that it attempts to apply or adapt existing methods and techniques (or propose new ones) for the analysis, design, coding, and testing of quantum software, as well as playing a key role in ensuring quality in large-scale productions. The design of quantum software nevertheless poses two main challenges: the modelling of software quantum elements must be done in high-level modelling languages; and the need to further develop so-called “hybrid information systems”, which combine quantum and classical software. To address these challenges, we first propose a quantum UML profile for analysing and designing hybrid information systems; we then demonstrate its applicability through various structural and behavioural diagrams such as use case, class, sequence, activity, and deployment. In comparison to certain other quantum domain-specific languages, this UML profile ensures compliance with a well-known international standard that is supported by many tools and is followed by an extensive community.
Visual and instrumental coverage error of two dental shade guides: an in vivo study
Authors: Ruiz-López Javier , Perez Maria M. , Lucena Cristina , Pulgar Rosa , López-Toruño Ana , Tejada-Casado Maria , Ghinea Razvan
Published: May 2022

Objectives

This study aims to evaluate in vivo the color agreement between natural teeth and dental shade guides by means of visual and instrumental coverage error ($$\mathrm{CE}$$CE) index.

Materials and methods

The color of the middle third of 735 incisors was visually determined by two evaluators using the Vita Classical (VC) and Vita 3D Master (V3DM) shade guides. The color match between the natural tooth and the shade tab was rated as poor (P), good (G), or optimum (O) by each observer. CIE color coordinates of the target teeth and shade tabs of VC and V3DM were instrumentally measured using a clinical spectrophotometer. Visual ($${\mathrm{CE}}_{\mathrm{V}}$$CEV) and instrumental ($${\mathrm{CE}}_{\mathrm{I}}$$CEI) coverage error indexes were computed using CIELAB and CIEDE2000 metrics for both shade guides. For$${\mathrm{CE}}_{\mathrm{V}}$$CEVcalculation, only the concordant inter-observer determination on tooth shade rated as O–O or O–G was used. The results were evaluated using perceptibility (PT,$${\mathrm{\Delta E}}_{\mathrm{ab}}^{*}$$ΔEab∗= 1.2,$${\mathrm{\Delta E}}_{00}$$ΔE00= 0.8) and acceptability (AT,$${\mathrm{\Delta E}}_{\mathrm{ab}}^{*}$$ΔEab∗= 2.7,$${\mathrm{\Delta E}}_{00}$$ΔE00= 1.8) color thresholds for dentistry.

Results

VC and V3DM exhibited$${\mathrm{CE}}_{\mathrm{I}}$$CEI(2.5, 3.2, and 3.2, 2.7 CIELAB units; 1.9, 2.3, and 2.8, 2.4 CIEDE2000 units, respectively, for O–O and O–G match) and$${\mathrm{CE}}_{\mathrm{V}}$$CEV(4.7, 4.8, and 4.1, 4.6 CIELAB units; 3.3, 3.4, and 3.4, 3.6 CIEDE2000 units, respectively, for O–O and O–G match) values greater than 50:50% AT for both color difference formulas.$${\mathrm{CE}}_{\mathrm{I}}$$CEIcontributes more than 50% (53.2–82.4% range) to the$${\mathrm{CE}}_{\mathrm{V}}$$CEVvalue. This contribution depends on the shade guide used and the quality of the visual rating.

Conclusions

The evaluated shade guides exhibited visual coverage errors above acceptability thresholds, largely due to the contribution of the instrumental coverage error to the visual coverage error.

Clinical relevance

It necessary to further improve commercially available dental shade guides to facilitate achievement of satisfactory esthetics results in clinical practice.