bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Botulinum toxin injection for the treatment of chronic anal fissure: uni- and multivariate analysis of the factors that promote healing
Authors: Brisinda Giuseppe , Chiarello Maria Michela , Crocco Anna , Bentivoglio Anna Rita , Cariati Maria , Vanella Serafino
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Anal fissure is caused by a pathological contraction of the internal anal sphincter. Lateral internal sphincterotomy remains the gold standard for the treatment of fissure. Botulinum toxin injections have been proposed to treat this condition without any risk of permanent injury of the internal sphincter. We investigate clinical and pathological variables and the effects of different dosage regimens of botulinum toxin to induce healing in patients with idiopathic anal fissure.

Methods

This is a retrospective study at a single center. The patients underwent a pre-treatment evaluation that included clinical inspection of the fissure and anorectal manometry. We collected and analyzed demographic data, pathological variables, associated pathological conditions, and treatment variables. Success was defined as healing of the fissure, and improvement of symptoms was defined as asymptomatic persistent fissure.

Results

The findings of 1003 patients treated with botulinum toxin injections were reported. At 2 months evaluation, complete healing was evident in 780 patients (77.7%). Resting anal tone (77.1 ± 18.9 mmHg) was significantly lower from baseline (P < 0.0001) and from 1-month value (P = 0.0008). Thirty-nine not healed patients underwent lateral internal sphincterotomy, and 184 were re-treated with 50 UI of botulinum toxin. In these patients, the healing rate was 93.9% (171 patients). Dose and injection site of toxin correlates with healing rate. There were no relapses during an average of about 71 months.

Conclusion

Our data show that injection of botulinum toxin into the internal anal sphincter is a safe and effective alternative to surgery in patients with chronic anal fissure.
Contact orientation distributions for visualisation of granular fabric
Authors: He Guoliang , Karatza Zeynep , Papanicolopulos Stefanos-Aldo
Published: February 2022

Contact orientation distributions are widely used to describe the fabric of granular assemblies and its evolution under load. Different types of visualisations, mainly histograms, are used in the literature to plot these distributions. While there are different ways to create such histograms, however, there is generally no discussion of how the chosen way affects the visualisation of the distribution and its interpretation. We develop in this paper a novel, rigorous framework for discussing contact orientations and their visualisation through histograms. This allows presenting, for the first time, in a unified way several existing visualisations and explaining how they are computed. We identify first some issues in how existing visualisations represent the main features of the contact distribution. We then exploit the framework to introduce new histogram types that avoid these issues and provide a better insight into the granular fabric.
Virtual reality exergame for supplementing multimodal pain therapy in older adults with chronic back pain: a randomized controlled pilot study
Authors: Stamm Oskar , Dahms Rebecca , Reithinger Norbert , Ruß Aaron , Müller-Werdan Ursula
Published: February 2022

Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) with head-mounted displays (HMD) can be a promising tool for increasing adherence to exercise in older adults. However, there is little known about the effectiveness of an interactive multimodal therapy in VR for older chronic back pain (CBP) patients. The aim of the exploratory randomized controlled trial was to examine the preliminary effectiveness of a VR multimodal therapy for older adults with CBP in a laboratory setting over a period of four weeks. The intervention group (IG; n = 11) received a multimodal pain therapy in VR (movement therapy and psychoeducation) and the control group (CG; n = 11) received a conventional multimodal pain therapy (chair-based group exercises and psychoeducation in a group setting). Although the VR therapy (IG) did not reach the pain intensity reduction of the CG (IG: MD = 0.64, p = .535; CG: MD = 1.64, p = .07), both groups showed a reduction in pain intensity on the Numeric Rating Scale. The functional capacity in the IG improved from Visit 1, $$\overline{x }$$

x
¯

= 73.11% to Visit 2, $$\overline{x }$$

x
¯

= 81.82% (MD = 8.71%; p = .026). In the changes of fear avoidance beliefs and general physical and mental health, no significance was achieved in either group. Although the IG did not reach a significant pain intensity reduction compared to the CG, the results of the present study showed that a pain intensity reduction can be achieved with the current VR application.
The power of weak ion-exchange resins assisted by amelogenin for natural remineralization of dental enamel: an in vitro study
Authors: Diez-García Sandra , Sánchez-Martín María-Jesús , Valiente Manuel
Published: February 2022

This study aims to develop an innovative dental product to remineralize dental enamel by a proper combination of ion-exchange resins as controlled release of mineral ions that form dental enamel, in the presence of amelogenin to guide the appropriate crystal growth. The novel product proposed consists of a combination of ion-exchange resins (weak acid and weak base) individually loaded with the remineralizing ions: Ca2+, PO43− and F−, also including Zn2+ in a minor amount as antibacterial, together with the protein amelogenin. Such cocktail provides onsite controlled release of the ions necessary for enamel remineralization due to the weak character of the resins and at the same time, a guiding tool for related crystal growth by the indicated protein. Amelogenin protein is involved in the structural development of natural enamel and takes a key role in controlling the crystal growth morphology and alignment at the enamel surface. Bovine teeth were treated by applying the resins and protein together with artificial saliva. Treated teeth were evaluated with nanoindentation, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The innovative material induces the dental remineralization creating a fluorapatite layer with a hardness equivalent to sound enamel, with the appropriate alignment of corresponding nanocrystals, being the fluorapatite more acid resistant than the original mineral. Our results suggest that the new product shows potential for promoting long-term remineralization leading to the inhibition of caries and protection of dental structures.
Support trees in vanilla agroforests of Madagascar: diversity, composition and origin
Authors: Osewold J. , Korol Y. , Osen K. , Soazafy M. R. , Rabemanantsoa T. , Martin D. A. , Wurz A. , Hölscher D.
Published: February 2022

Trees in agroforestry systems provide multiple ecological and economic functions. Smallholder vanilla agroforests include shade trees common across agroforestry systems, and small-statured support trees carrying the vanilla vine. Support trees have received little scientific attention so far. The objectives of our study were to assess the diversity, composition and geographic origin of support trees in vanilla agroforestry systems of north-eastern Madagascar. The region is a global biodiversity hotspot, has been undergoing a rapid land-use change and produces a large share of the globally traded vanilla spice. The studied vanilla agroforests differed in land-use history: established either directly inside forest (forest-derived) or on land previously used for slash-and-burn agriculture (fallow-derived). Among the support trees, we found 122 species of which 25% were endemic to Madagascar. The species richness per plot was four times higher in forest-derived than in fallow-derived vanilla agroforests. The species distribution was particularly uneven in fallow-derived vanilla agroforests with one species (Jatropha curcas) comprising 52% of all individuals. In forest-derived vanilla agroforests, 44% of all trees were native or endemic to Madagascar, whereas in fallow-derived vanilla agroforests only 11% were native or endemic. We conclude that there is a considerable diversity among support trees in Malagasy vanilla agroforestry. The support tree diversity is strongly affected by land-use history. Fallow-derived vanilla agroforests currently have a comparatively low species richness, yet they can play an important role in land rehabilitation, and more emphasis on growing native and endemic tree species would contribute to aligning production with conservation goals.
Image based Localization under large perspective difference between Sfm and SLAM using split sim(3) optimization
Authors: Rajamohan Deepak , Kim Jonghyuk , Garratt Matt , Pickering Mark
Published: February 2022

Image based Localization (IbL) uses both Structure from Motion (SfM) and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) data for accurate pose estimation. However, under conditions where there is a large perspective difference between the SfM images and SLAM keyframes, the SfM-SLAM co-visibility graph becomes sparse. As a result, the scale drift can increase especially when using monocular SLAM as part of the IbL framework. The drift rarely gets corrected at loop closure due to its large magnitude. We propose a split affine transformation approach that uses SfM-SLAM information along with Sim(3) optimization to minimize the scale drift. Experiments are performed using an image dataset collected in a campus environment with different trajectories, showing the improvement in scale drift correction with the proposed method. The SLAM data was collected close to plainly textured structures like buildings while SfM images were captured from a larger distance from the building facade which leads to a challenging navigation scenario in the context of IbL. Localizing mobile platforms moving close to buildings is an example of such a case. The paper positively impacts the widespread use of small autonomous robotic platforms, which is to perform an accurate outdoor localization under urban conditions using only a monocular camera.
Isotopic signals in an agricultural watershed suggest denitrification is locally intensive in riparian areas but extensive in upland soils
Authors: Sigler W. A. , Ewing S. A. , Wankel S. D. , Jones C. A. , Leuthold S. , Brookshire E. N. J. , Payn R. A.
Published: February 2022

Nitrogen loss from cultivated soils threatens the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture. Nitrate (NO3−) derived from nitrification of nitrogen fertilizer and ammonified soil organic nitrogen may be lost from soils via denitrification, producing dinitrogen gas (N2) or the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Nitrate that accumulates in soils is also subject to leaching loss, which can degrade water quality and make NO3− available for downstream denitrification. Here we use patterns in the isotopic composition of NO3− observed from 2012 to 2017 to characterize N loss to denitrification within soils, groundwater, and stream riparian corridors of a non-irrigated agroecosystem in the northern Great Plains (Judith River Watershed, Montana, USA). We find evidence for denitrification across these domains, expressed as a positive linear relationship between δ15N and δ18O values of NO3−, as well as increasing δ15N values with decreasing NO3− concentration. In soils, isotopic evidence of denitrification was present during fallow periods (no crop growing), despite net accumulation of NO3− from the nitrification of ammonified soil organic nitrogen. We combine previous results for soil NO3− mass balance with δ15N mass balance to estimate denitrification rates in soil relative to groundwater and streams. Substantial denitrification from soils during fallow periods may be masked by nitrification of ammonified soil organic nitrogen, representing a hidden loss of soil organic nitrogen and an under-quantified flux of N to the atmosphere. Globally, cultivated land spends ca. 50% of time in a fallow condition; denitrification in fallow soils may be an overlooked but globally significant source of agricultural N2O emissions, which must be reduced along-side other emissions to meet Paris Agreement goals for slowing global temperature increase.
Violence against Women and Femicide: an analysis on the murders of foreign women in Italy
Authors: Dino Alessandra
Published: February 2022

This paper presents the results of a research on the representations of femicide in the judicial field, in Italy. The use of the term femicide is analysed through the lens of the normative process, examining its social meanings and questioning its political and economic anchoring using the “juridical field” model (Bourdieu 1986). The essay is based on a wide theoretical framework. It starts by highlighting the problems evoked by the term ‘femicide’ (Corradi, et al. 2016; Radford and Russell 1992); its declension in criminal law and jurisprudence through its coding in specific types of offence (Merli 2015). The topics of power and imbalance between the sexes (Goffman 1977) are analysed by presenting their juridical definitions and those found in penal codes (Casanova 2016; Cavina 2011; Feci and Schettini 2017). This perspective helps framing considerations about the results of the empirical research based on quantitative data taken from 93 verdicts of ‘femicide’ sentences which involved foreign or migrant victims (chosen from a corpus of 370 issued in Italy between 2010 and 2016) and qualitative aspects: gathered through expert interviews and the tales of violence against women in a verdicts’ judgemental sample of murders of foreign women. The study confirms the way in which narrations produced in the “judicial field” – despite the “distortions” affecting them (Dubé 2012; Gusfield 1968) – prove to be rich sources for the knowledge of a phenomenon which, still today, suffers from a structural lack of data.
Playful maths! The influence of play-based learning on academic performance of Palestinian primary school children
Authors: Murtagh Elaine M. , Sawalma Jamil , Martin Rosemarie
Published: February 2022

This study explores the relationship between play-based learning and achievement in mathematics in Palestinian elementary school children. Forty teachers from eight schools received training in play-based pedagogies and follow-up support visits from programme staff (intervention group); four matched schools served as the control group. Grade-appropriate tests were administered to all students in two consecutive school terms. A total of 859 students (458 females, 401 males) and 832 students (477 females, 355 males) completed maths tests in term 1 and 2, respectively. Results revealed that the intervention group attained higher test scores than the control group in both terms (P < 0.01). Furthermore, in term 2 an interaction effect between group and gender was found (P < 0.05), with girls in the intervention group achieving the highest scores. Our finding suggest that play-based learning approaches may enhance academic achievement.
Thermal and mechanical characterization of complex electrospun systems based on polycaprolactone and gelatin
Authors: Longo Raffaele , Catauro Michelina , Sorrentino Andrea , Guadagno Liberata
Published: February 2022

Nowadays, continuous development of soft-electronics and wearable devices opens to the development needs of stretchable and flexible materials able to interface with the human body. In this scenario, biopolymers are particularly intriguing materials given their biocompatibility and biodegradability. For the application in this specific field the material requires several properties such as biological and mechanical performance and thermal stability. In this study, membranes able to fulfill some of these requirements are described. The electrospun membranes, composed of a blend of polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin (GN), have been produced in various configurations. The results show how blend or coaxial systems have different effects on both the interactions between the polymers and their thermal and mechanical properties. An important result of the chosen experimental conditions is the narrow dimensional distribution of the nanofiber diameters constituting the electrospun membranes. Thermal and mechanical tests evidenced that, by properly choosing the material composition and the method of the electrospinning process, membranes capable of withstanding high strain values before the failure can be obtained. In particular, optimizing the electrospinning process and using a blend PCL/GN with a mass ratio of 80/20, it is possible to increase the thermal stability up to 310 °C and confer to the sample the ability to reach a percentage of strain up to 350%.
Central nervous system tumors in children under 5 years of age: a report on treatment burden, survival and long-term outcomes
Authors: Metzger Sarah , Weiser Annette , Gerber Nicolas U. , Otth Maria , Scheinemann Katrin , Krayenbühl Niklaus , Grotzer Michael A. , Guerreiro Stucklin Ana S.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The challenges of treating central nervous system (CNS) tumors in young children are many. These include age-specific tumor characteristics, limited treatment options, and susceptibility of the developing CNS to cytotoxic therapy. The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term survival, health-related, and educational/occupational outcomes of this vulnerable patient population.

Methods

Retrospective study of 128 children diagnosed with a CNS tumor under 5 years of age at a single center in Switzerland between 1990 and 2019.

Results

Median age at diagnosis was 1.81 years [IQR, 0.98–3.17]. Median follow-up time of surviving patients was 8.39 years [range, 0.74–23.65]. The main tumor subtypes were pediatric low-grade glioma (36%), pediatric high-grade glioma (11%), ependymoma (16%), medulloblastoma (11%), other embryonal tumors (7%), germ cell tumors (3%), choroid plexus tumors (6%), and others (9%). The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 78.8% (95% CI, 71.8–86.4%) for the whole cohort. Eighty-seven percent of survivors > 5 years had any tumor- or treatment-related sequelae with 61% neurological complications, 30% endocrine sequelae, 17% hearing impairment, and 56% visual impairment at last follow-up. Most patients (72%) attended regular school or worked in a skilled job at last follow-up.

Conclusion

Young children diagnosed with a CNS tumor experience a range of complications after treatment, many of which are long-lasting and potentially debilitating. Our findings highlight the vulnerabilities of this population, the need for long-term support and strategies for rehabilitation, specifically tailored for young children.
The laws of modality
Authors: Tugby Matthew
Published: February 2022

Nomic realists have traditionally put laws to work within a theory of natural modality, in order to provide a metaphysical source for causal necessitation, counterfactuals, and dispositions. However, laws are well-suited to perform other work as well. Necessitation is a widespread phenomenon and includes (for example) cases of categorial, conceptual, grounding, mathematical and normative necessitation. A permissive theory of universals allows us to extend nomic realism into these other domains. With a particular focus on grounding necessitation, it is argued that the sorts of reasons for positing laws in the natural causal domain also apply in other domains. Laws might well be the source of all first-order modality.
An inference of the wading depths of the cranes in wintering wetlands through photographic sampling: a case study of black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) in Caohai Wetland, China
Authors: Gou Xue , Sun Xijiao , Khattak Romaan Hayat , Zhao Ruisha , Hu Yao , Hu Canshi , Zhang Mingming , Su Haijun
Published: February 2022

Several overwintering crane species like Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) mainly depends on wetlands for foraging or roosting, preferring stable water depths. Understating the wading depths of cranes is a pressing concern for the better management of wetlands and robust conservation of the overwintering cranes populations. Yet, practically it is very difficult to precisely measure the wading depths due to several limitations like, inaccessibility and sampling difficulties. In the current study a sample of 1288 wading photographs of cranes, based on the constancy of proportion of tibiotarsus to tarsometatarsus was taken in Caohai wetland situated in the Northwest Guizhou Province of southwest China. Caohai Wetland is the biggest overwintering wetland around the world, and a very promising area to infer the exact ranges of wading depths of these cranes. The ratio of tibiotarsus to tarsometatarsus of the cranes standing on the lands and the ratio of tibiotarsus to the rest of tarsometatarsus of the cranes standing in water were measured; to infer the projection depths of the part of tarsometatarsus submerged in water, which was used to calculate the accurate depth range of the cranes by comparing with the referenced values. According to the results, 89.92% of individuals preferred the water depths from (0–20] cm, 76.11% preferred (0–10] cm% while water depths for 49.04% individuals was (0–5] cm. Thus we conclude that the Black-necked Cranes prefer a depth range of (0–10] cm. This water depth may be relative to the swamps around the lake, which are very important foraging and roosting sites for cranes, For better habitat management, we strongly recommend paying special attention to swamps with specific water depth ranges, particularly when the water level changes.
Item Complexity: A Neglected Psychometric Feature of Test Items?
Authors: Bolt Daniel M. , Liao Xiangyi
Published: February 2022

Despite its frequent consideration in test development, item complexity receives little attention in the psychometric modeling of item response data. In this address, I consider how variability in item complexity can be expected to emerge in the form of item characteristic curve (ICC) asymmetry, and how such effects may significantly influence applications of item response theory, especially those that assume interval-level properties of the latent proficiency metric and groups that vary substantially in mean proficiency. One application is the score gain deceleration phenomenon often observed in vertical scaling contexts, especially in subject areas like math or second language acquisition. It is demonstrated how the application of symmetric IRT models in the presence of complexity-induced positive ICC asymmetry can be a likely cause. A second application concerns the positive correlation between DIF and difficulty commonly seen in verbal proficiency (and other subject area) tests where problem-solving complexity is minimal and proficiency-related guessing effects are likely pronounced. Here we suggest negative ICC asymmetry as a probable cause and apply sensitivity analyses to demonstrate the ease with which such correlations disappear when allowing for negative ICC asymmetry. Unfortunately, the presence of systematic forms of ICC asymmetry is easily missed due to the considerable flexibility afforded by latent trait metrics in IRT. Speculation is provided regarding other applications for which attending to ICC asymmetry may prove useful.
Subtype classification of malignant lymphoma using immunohistochemical staining pattern
Authors: Hashimoto Noriaki , Ko Kaho , Yokota Tatsuya , Kohno Kei , Nakaguro Masato , Nakamura Shigeo , Takeuchi Ichiro , Hontani Hidekata
Published: February 2022

Purpose

For the image classification problem, the construction of appropriate training data is important for improving the generalization ability of the classifier in particular when the size of the training data is small. We propose a method that quantitatively evaluates the typicality of a hematoxylin-and-eosin (H&E)-stained tissue slide from a set of immunohistochemical (IHC) stains and applies the typicality to instance selection for the construction of classifiers that predict the subtype of malignant lymphoma to improve the generalization ability.

Methods

We define the typicality of the H&E-stained tissue slides by the ratio of the probability density of the IHC staining patterns on low-dimensional embedded space. Employing a multiple-instance-learning-based convolutional neural network for the construction of the subtype classifier without the annotations indicating cancerous regions in whole slide images, we select the training data by referring to the evaluated typicality to improve the generalization ability. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the instance selection based on the proposed typicality in a three-class subtype classification of 262 malignant lymphoma cases.

Results

In the experiment, we confirmed that the subtypes of typical instances could be predicted more accurately than those of atypical instances. Furthermore, it was confirmed that instance selection for the training data based on the proposed typicality improved the generalization ability of the classifier, wherein the classification accuracy was improved from 0.664 to 0.683 compared with the baseline method when the training data was constructed focusing on typical instances.

Conclusion

The experimental results showed that the typicality of the H&E-stained tissue slides computed from IHC staining patterns is useful as a criterion for instance selection to enhance the generalization ability, and this typicality could be employed for instance selection under some practical limitations.
On the Phosphorus Evaporation from Liquid Silicon by Knudsen Effusion Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Hoseinpur Arman , Sergeev Dmitry , Müller Michael , Safarian Jafar
Published: February 2022

Silicon refining for solar applications is intensively on demand, and removal of phosphorus from Si is one of the most challenging steps. Evaporation of P from liquid Si in a vacuum refining process is the most efficient method for P removal from Si, and this research deals with the insight mechanisms of P evaporation from liquid Si. In this research, the gaseous species evaporating from the dilute liquid solutions of phosphorus in silicon were studied experimentally, and it was shown that phosphorus evaporates in the form of P, P2, P4, P3, SiP, Si2P, Si3P, and SiP2at elevated temperatures. Except P and P2, the other molecules were detected experimentally for the first time, and Si3P was detected as a new compound in the gas phase. Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry technique was applied to characterize the evaporation of phosphorus from liquid Si samples containing 100, 1250, and 3000 ppmw phosphorus. The evaporation of phosphorus from liquid Si was studied by isothermal and polythermal experiments, up to 1840 °C. The vapor pressures of various P-containing molecules (P, P2, P4, SiP, Si2P) at 1442 °C were measured as a function of phosphorus fraction in liquid silicon. Results indicated that a major part of the phosphorus evaporates in the form of silicon phosphides and P4, especially when the sample temperature exceeds 1750 °C. When initial phosphorus was 100 ppmw, about 71 pct of phosphorus evaporation was by means of silicon phosphides and P4. The mechanisms of phosphorus evaporation from liquid Si are proposed, which depend on the melt composition and temperature. It occurs through phosphorus species evaporation independently or via the decomposition of transient silicon phosphides at the surface or through the direct evaporation of silicon phosphides at the melt surface.
Assessing the role of robotic proctectomy in obese patients: a contemporary NSQIP analysis
Authors: Glencer Alexa C. , Lin Joseph A. , Trang Karen , Greenberg Anya , Kirkwood Kimberly S. , Adam Mohamed Abdelgadir , Sarin Ankit
Published: February 2022

Robotic proctectomy has become increasingly popular for both benign and malignant indications. The purpose of this study was to determine if the robotic approach has a distinct advantage over laparoscopy in obese patients, which has been suggested by previous subgroup analyses. We performed a retrospective review of 2016–2018 National Surgery Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) data to compare outcomes between patients who underwent robotic versus laparoscopic proctectomy, stratified by Body Mass Index (BMI) subgroups. We also compared outcomes of converted minimally invasive proctectomy to planned open operations. Four thousand four hundred eighteen (69.3%) patients underwent laparoscopic proctectomy, and 1956 (30.7%) patients underwent robotic proctectomy. Robotic proctectomy was associated with a significantly lower conversion rate compared to laparoscopic proctectomy (5.1% vs 12.3%; p = 0.002), and this relationship was maintained on an adjusted model. Obese (BMI > 30) patients were more likely to require conversion in both laparoscopic and robotic groups with the greatest difference in the conversion rate in the obese subgroup. Patients who underwent conversion had higher composite morbidity compared to patients who underwent planned open operations (50.8% vs 41.3%; p < 0.001). And among patients with rectal cancer, robotic proctectomy was associated with a greater incidence of positive radial tumor margins compared to laparoscopic proctectomy (8.0% vs 6.4%; p = 0.039), driven primarily by the obese subgroup. Our study demonstrates that robotic proctectomy is associated with a 7% lower conversion rate compared to laparoscopy and that obese patients are more likely to require conversion than non-obese patients. Among obese patients with rectal cancer, we identified an increased risk of positive radial margins with robotic compared to laparoscopic proctectomy.
Facilitating innovation in FinTech: a review and research agenda
Authors: Alaassar Ahmad , Mention Anne-Laure , Aas Tor Helge
Published: February 2022

The purpose of this paper is to carry out content analyses on the existing literature to investigate the knowledge state of innovation facilitators adopted to promote financial innovation. In total, 56 papers were analysed using the NVivo software package. Three categories of innovation facilitators emerged from the literature capturing the perspective of regulators, incumbents and new entrants. Each identified instrument is defined and its processes and implications described. Many initiatives were led by regulators, revealing a regulatory strategy change from risk-based to opportunity-based regulation, with regulatory sandboxes being the most commonly adopted instrument. Incumbent-led innovation facilitators were also identified and typically took the form of corporate incubation models, co-working spaces, venture funds and innovation platforms to support financial institutions with partnerships, acquisitions or self-development. Lastly, the literature review revealed innovator-led instruments to support start-ups with raising capital. Based on our results, we discuss several important observations and propose avenues for future research capturing each of the identified perspectives. This paper contributes to incubation research and the financial innovation and FinTech literature streams.
Rethinking the Approach to Preclinical Models of Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: François Marie , Zeltser Lori M.
Published: February 2022

Purpose of Review

The goal of this review is to describe how emerging technological developments in pre-clinical animal research can be harnessed to accelerate research in anorexia nervosa (AN).

Recent Findings

The activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm, the best characterized animal model of AN, combines restricted feeding, excessive exercise, and weight loss. A growing body of evidence supports the idea that pathophysiological weight loss in this model is due to cognitive inflexibility, a clinical feature of AN. Targeted manipulations that recapitulate brain changes reported in AN — hyperdopaminergia or hyperactivity of cortical inputs to the nucleus accumbens — exacerbate weight loss in the ABA paradigm, providing the first evidence of causality.

The power of preclinical research lies in the ability to assess the consequences of targeted manipulations of neuronal circuits that have been implicated in clinical research. Additional paradigms are needed to capture other features of AN that are not seen in ABA.
Bim Deletion Reduces Functional Deficits Following Ischemic Stroke in Association with Modulation of Apoptosis and Inflammation
Authors: Glab Jason A. , Puthalakath Hamsa , Zhang Shenpeng R. , Vinh Antony , Drummond Grant R. , Sobey Christopher G. , De Silva T. Michael , Kim Hyun Ah
Published: February 2022

Cellular apoptosis is a key pathological mechanism contributing to neuronal death following ischemic stroke. The pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein, Bim, is an important regulator of apoptosis. In this study we investigated the effect of Bim expression on post-stroke functional outcomes, brain injury and inflammatory mechanisms. Wild type (WT) and Bim-deficient mice underwent 1-h middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 23 h of reperfusion. At 24-h post-stroke, we assessed functional deficit, infarct volume, immune cell death, as well as the number of infiltrating immune cells in the brain and circulating immune cells. Bim deficiency did not affect infarct volume (P > 0.05), but resulted in less motor impairment (~ threefold greater latency to fall in hanging grip strength test, P < 0.05) and a lower median clinical score than WT mice (P < 0.05). Additionally following MCAO, Bim-deficient mice exhibited fewer myeloid cells (particularly neutrophils) in the ischemic brain hemisphere and less apoptosis of CD3+ T cells in the spleen and thymus compared with WT (all P < 0.05). After MCAO, Bim-deficient mice also tended to have more M2-polarised macrophages in the brain than WT mice. In sham-operated mice, we found that Bim deficiency resulted in greater numbers of circulating total CD45+ leukocytes, Ly6Clo+ monocytes and CD3+ T cells, although MCAO did not affect the number of circulating cells at 24 h in either genotype. Our findings suggest that Bim deficiency modulates post-stroke outcomes, including reductions in motor impairment, brain inflammation and systemic post-stroke leukocyte apoptosis. Bim could therefore serve as a potential therapeutic target for stroke.
Was it Good for You? Gender Differences in Motives and Emotional Outcomes Following Casual Sex
Authors: McKeen Billie E. , Anderson Ryan C. , Mitchell David A.
Published: February 2022

Casual sex, also referred to as a hookup, has been associated with a range of negative emotional outcomes for women, including regret, anxiety, depression and social stigma. However, it has been argued that it is the nature of the sexual motivation, not gender that influences the emotional outcome. This study was designed to ascertain what motivates people to have casual sex, what emotional outcomes follow casual sex and whether there are gender differences among these variables. Seven hundred and one participants (47% men and 52.8% women) completed a 44-item online survey. Gender differences were found for both sexual motivations and emotional outcomes of casual sex, with women generally having more negative emotional outcomes than men. Additionally, a principal components analysis uncovered four reliable principal motivations underlying engagement in casual sex, and three principal emotional outcomes of casual sex. Predictors of negative emotional outcomes included being motivated to regulate negative emotions and to achieve positive emotions. No predictors (apart from being a man) were found for a positive emotional outcome. While the stigma surrounding female sexual agency is diminishing, results generally support the presence of a sexual double-standard which encourages male promiscuity but dissuades female sexual autonomy.
Military carrier choice during the Covid-19 pandemic in Hungary
Authors: Pákozdi Márta , Bárdos György
Published: February 2022

Covid-19 pandemic has changed availability of reasonable jobs. To avoid joblessness, many young adults selected military service in Hungary. The aim of this research was to study their motivation, their individual needs and the way they think about the military forces. In this study, half-structured, focus group interviews with standard questions have been qualitatively analyzed by applying the Grounded Theory (GT) method. Three levels of coding were applied: open (basic), axial and selective coding. This process resulted in fewer codes representing larger categories leading to a final concentrated overview of the interviews. Three selective codes (Enrollment, Pathfinding, Fulfillment), and many sub-codes were identified. We could establish that the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic for the military career-choice really can be detected in many individuals. The military force offers for them safe, predictable existence and career image, in which, in addition to continuous learning and development, teamwork and camaraderie provides major motivations.
Developing and validating the Japanese version of the situational Awe cale (SAS-J)
Authors: Sawada Kazuki , Nomura Michio
Published: February 2022

The experience of awe, an emotional response to vast stimuli overwhelming ones’ current mental structure, has often been measured using a questionnaire method. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate the Japanese version of the Situational Awe Scale (SAS), which is a useful tool for measuring awe experiences from the perspective of the discriminability between positive- and threat-awe. The present study investigated the factor structure and validity of the Japanese version of the SAS (SAS-J) using awe-inducing video clips, through three online surveys (N = 1034; mean age = 38.74, SD = 10.95, range = 18–75). Results revealed that the SAS-J consisted of the same four factors as the original SAS (i.e., connection, oppression, chills, and diminished self) and had the convergent, criterion, and discriminative validity in measuring both positive- and threat-awe experiences. Additionally, results showed that the SAS-J could distinguish between positive- and threat-awe experiences. These results suggested that the SAS-J could measure both positive- and threat-awe experiences with validity. This study would make a methodological contribution to awe research.
The public transport navigation system
Authors: Burch Michael , Staudt Yves , Frommer Sina , Uttenweiler Janis , Grupp Peter , Hähnle Steffen , Scheytt Josia , Kloos Uwe
Published: February 2022

Public transport maps are typically designed in a way to support route finding tasks for passengers, while they also provide an overview about stations, metro lines, and city-specific attractions. Most of those maps are designed as a static representation, maybe placed in a metro station or printed in a travel guide. In this paper, we describe a dynamic, interactive public transport map visualization enhanced by additional views for the dynamic passenger data on different levels of temporal granularity. Moreover, we also allow extra statistical information in form of density plots, calendar-based visualizations, and line graphs. All this information is linked to the contextual metro map to give a viewer insights into the relations between time points and typical routes taken by the passengers. We also integrated a graph-based view on user-selected routes, a way to interactively compare those routes, an attribute- and property-driven automatic computation of specific routes for one map as well as for all available maps in our repertoire, and finally, also the most important sights in each city are included as extra information to include in a user-selected route. We illustrate the usefulness of our interactive visualization and map navigation system by applying it to the railway system of Hamburg in Germany while also taking into account the extra passenger data. As another indication for the usefulness of the interactively enhanced metro maps we conducted a controlled user experiment with 20 participants.

Graphical abstract
Mineralogy, geochemistry and origin of the phosphorites at Um El-Huwtat mine, Quseir, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt
Authors: El-Anwar Esmat A. Abou , El Rahim Said H. Abd
Published: February 2022

X-Ray diffraction results for the study mine are mainly represented by two phases (phosphatic and non-phosphatic). First phase is represented by apatite (fluorapatite) which is the dominant. The second phase includes carbonate minerals; calcite, dolomite, evaporated mineral (gypsum), sulphide mineral (pyrite), in addition to quartz as a silicate mineral. These results are confirmed by the petrographic study. The detailed microscopic examinations indicate that the phosphorites at the study mine is essentially composed of phosphatic lithoclasts (mainly collophane), phosphatic bioclasts (bone fragments, spines and teeth of vertebrates such as shark fish as well as coprolites), opaques, and quartz embedded in a microcrystalline phosphatic matrix (contains some of dahllite) associated with a microcrystalline quartz according to their decreasing order of abundance. The paragenetic sequence of the studied phosphorites is as follows: fluorapatite, collophane then followed by dahllite. The redox-sensitive trace elements, its ratios, authigenic uranium as well as Fe/Ti can be signifying the redox conditions. Also, they revealed that the study rocks are deposited under the oxic to anoxic environment coupled with hydrothermal solution. The trace and rare earth elements are generally associated with phosphatic rocks. Thus, the phosphatic rocks of Um El-Huwtat mine, Quseir can be considered as sources of trace and rare earth elements. Also, pyrite can be considered as another possible source for REEs. The studied phosphatic rocks characterized by light REE (LREE = 69 ppm) enrichment than heavy REE (HREE = 25 ppm). All the recoded values of the heavy metals for the study mine are higher than those in Tunisia (400.3 ppm), Morocco (571.75 ppm) and Jordan (187 ppm). The post-depositional conditions are responsible for the enrichment of U and Th and/or intensive chemical weathering in Quseir area. Enrichment Factor (EF) indicated that the enrichment or deletion of the elements may be a function of that association and the origins of the various phosphate fractions. The studied phosphatic rocks are suitable for industrialized fertilizers according to the world guides.
Robotic-assisted surgery for esophageal submucosal tumors: a single-center case series
Authors: Froiio Caterina , Berlth Felix , Capovilla Giovanni , Tagkalos Evangelos , Hadzijusufovic Edin , Mann Carolina , Lang Hauke , Grimminger Peter Philipp
Published: February 2022

Esophageal submucosal tumors (SMTs) are rare heterogenous clinical entities. The surgical resection can be performed in different surgical approaches. However, the robotic surgical strategy is poorly documented in the treatment of SMTs. We present our series of operated esophageal SMTs approached via robotic-assisted surgery. Six patients with symptomatic esophageal submucosal tumors underwent robotic surgery within a 3-year period. The performed procedures were robotic-assisted enucleation, robotic esophagectomy (RAMIE) and reverse hybrid robotic esophagectomy. Patients’ clinical data, intra/postoperative outcomes, and histopathological features were retrieved from the institution’s prospective database. Five of six patients were scheduled for upfront surgery: four underwent robotic enucleation (three leiomyoma and one suspected GIST) and one underwent reverse hybrid robotic esophagectomy (suspected GIST). One patient, diagnosed with GIST, was treated with neoadjuvant Imatinib therapy, before undergoing a RAMIE. No major intra-operative complications were recorded. Median length of stay was 7 days (6–50), with a longer post-operative course in patients who underwent esophagectomy. Clavien–Dindo > 3a complications occurred in two patients, aspiration pneumonia and delayed gastric emptying. The final histopathological and immuno-histochemical diagnosis were leiomyoma, well-differentiated GIST, low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma and Schwannoma. Robotic-assisted surgery seems to be a promising option for surgical treatment strategies of benign or borderline esophageal submucosal tumors.
(In)visibilities About the Vulnerabilities of People with Visual Impairments to Disasters and Climate Change: A Case Study in Cuiabá, Brazil
Authors: Gomes Giselly , Marchezini Victor , Sato Michèle
Published: February 2022

People with visual impairments (PwVI) represent a heterogeneous social group who often experience significant disabling barriers in exercising their rights throughout their life course. Understanding dimensions of vulnerability of PwVI to disasters and climate change is an important issue to reduce the culture of neglected disasters. To date, few studies have analyzed visual impairment and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This exploratory qualitative research project analyzed how to include PwVI in the DRR policies of Brazil. The research question is: how can we include PwVI in the discussion of DRR and climate change? The response to this question is part of a joint effort that involved a university, a hazard monitoring agency, and three institutions that work with PwVI. The three main results of the project are: (1) a mapping method to identify the exposure of PwVI to landslides and floods, and to create tactile risk maps tailored to them; (2) incorporating the voices of PwVI regarding their vulnerabilities and capacities with respect to disasters and climate change, achieved through shared interaction during 15 face to face interviews and one workshop attended by 100 people; and (3) an initiative of inclusive education to reduce some of the disabling barriers that intensify vulnerability.
Challenges in determination of microscopic degree of cleanliness in ultra-clean gear steels
Authors: Fuchs D. , Tobie T. , Stahl K.
Published: February 2022

Shot-peened, case-hardened gears can fail in the tooth root due to crack initiation below the surface of the steel matrix. Here, the crack is initiated at a non-metallic inclusion in the center of a so-called fisheye. This failure type can lead to a reduced endurance fatigue limit of the gears. It is for this reason that, over the last decade, much effort has been invested by steel manufacturers to reduce the non-metallic inclusion content of gear steels so as to mitigate or even completely prevent such crack initiation. These ultra-clean gear steels were achieved by various measures in the steel production process. However, as a result, the remaining non-metallic inclusions are inhomogeneously distributed in the steel volume in terms of both size and location. However, due to the inhomogeneity of ultra-clean steels, the question arose if the values derived according to the standards are still representative of ultra-clean steel batches. The results show that the standards can still be applied, but more effort must be applied. To determine the degree of cleanliness, six microsections are currently evaluated according to steel test specification (SEP) 1571, method K. It is shown that an examination of 24 microsections starting from size class 0 seems beneficial to get more reliable and comparable results of the degree of cleanliness of these ultra-clean gear steels. In addition, it is shown that a high degree of cleanliness has been achieved for all steel batches investigated with the measures taken in the steel production process.