bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Survivorship of Closed-Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy for Severe Knee Osteoarthritis: Outcomes After 10 to 37 Years
Authors: Ishizuka Shinya , Hiraiwa Hideki , Yamashita Satoshi , Oba Hiroki , Kawamura Yusuke , Sakaguchi Takefumi , Idota Masaru , Hasegawa Yukiharu , Imagama Shiro
Published: October 2021

Background:

High tibial osteotomy (HTO) was developed as a joint-preserving procedure to treat relatively young patients with isolated medial compartmental knee osteoarthritis (OA). Long-term survivorship after HTO is important to determine whether patients will need additional surgery.

Purpose:

To determine the long-term (>35-year) survivorship and prognostic factors for closed-wedge HTO (CWHTO) for severe medial OA.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

We retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent CWHTO for severe medial knee OA between 1983 and 2009 at our institution, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine (Nagoya, Japan). Patient demographics, follow-up period, and pre- and postoperative femoral-tibial angle (FTA) were reviewed. The patients or the relatives of the patients were interviewed by telephone to record postoperative status, including conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Results:

Of the 74 CWHTO procedures performed, we evaluated 56 procedures in 45 patients (mean age at time of surgery, 56.8 years). The mean follow-up period was 17.1 years. Nine knees (16.1%) underwent conversion to TKA. The mean time to TKA conversion was 15.6 years. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a 10-year survival rate of 90.1%, a 15-year rate of 83.8%, a 20-year rate of 75.9%, and a 35-year rate of 75.9%. Log-rank test showed that age ≥55 years ( P = .044), body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 ( P = .0016), and preoperative FTA <185° ( P = .0034) were risk factors associated with TKA conversion. Multivariate analyses adjusted for age and sex identified BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (hazard ratio [HR], 13.4; 95% CI, 1.7-106.9; P = .014) and preoperative FTA <185° (HR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.1-16.6; P = .04) as risk factors associated with TKA conversion.

Conclusion:

The survival rate of CWHTO for severe medial knee OA was 90.1% at 10 years, 83.8% at 15 years, and 75.9% at 20 years and 35 years. Furthermore, a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 and FTA <185° were the independent risk factors associated with TKA conversion after CWHTO.
Can I be a Global Indian?
Authors: Chakraverti Gangapriya
Published: October 2021

In over 30 years as a corporate professional, mostly with multinational organisations, Gangapriya has worked closely with Indian, non-Indian managers and co-workers. These interactions allowed her to dig deeper on what being ‘Indian’ means. In this article, she writes about how working with employees from across the world, in multinational organisations, gives us the advantage to look critically at ourselves, while also having the opportunity to observe and learn from ‘the other’.

Based entirely on her observations, experiences and inferences, she focuses on typical aspects of ‘Indian-ness’ that stand out—the abiding regard for hierarchy, the inexplicable relationship with time, how competitive Indians can be and how it drives them, and how Indians contend with conflicts of interest and deal with issues about data privacy and the general unease with compliance. It is her firm belief that with reflection, self-awareness and confidence arising out of knowing oneself, Indians may be better placed to deal with the underlying confusion and anxiety around whether to ‘stand out’ or ‘fit in’ and navigate with ease in a multinational and multicultural environment.

For Indians employed in multinational, global organisations, she believes that such experiences provide a valuable opportunity to become better versions of ourselves. Similarly, organisations get to appreciate the differences that Indians bring to the table, while, at the same time, understanding the common characteristics that come with such a diverse workforce. Through this article, she explores what ‘Indian-ness’ means to her and how in this ‘flat’ world, it is imperative and important for us to retain our identity as an ‘Indian’ yet be comfortable in a globalised environment so that we feel connected with the larger team without being lost at an individual level.
Context-aware multi-token concept recognition of biological entities
Authors: Kim Kwangmin , Lee Doheon
Published: October 2021

Background

Concept recognition is a term that corresponds to the two sequential steps of named entity recognition and named entity normalization, and plays an essential role in the field of bioinformatics. However, the conventional dictionary-based methods did not sufficiently addressed the variation of the concepts in actual use in literature, resulting in the particularly degraded performances in recognition of multi-token concepts.

Results

In this paper, we propose a concept recognition method of multi-token biological entities using neural models combined with literature contexts. The key aspect of our method is utilizing the contextual information from the biological knowledge-bases for concept normalization, which is followed by named entity recognition procedure. The model showed improved performances over conventional methods, particularly for multi-token concepts with higher variations.

Conclusions

We expect that our model can be utilized for effective concept recognition and variety of natural language processing tasks on bioinformatics.
The performance of common SNP arrays in assigning African mitochondrial haplogroups
Authors: Lankheet Imke , Vicente Mário , Barbieri Chiara , Schlebusch Carina
Published: October 2021

Background

Mitochondrial haplogroup assignment is an important tool for forensics and evolutionary genetics. African populations are known to display a high diversity of mitochondrial haplogroups. In this research we explored mitochondrial haplogroup assignment in African populations using commonly used genome-wide SNP arrays.

Results

We show that, from eight commonly used SNP arrays, two SNP arrays outperform the other arrays when it comes to the correct assignment of African mitochondrial haplogroups. One array enables the recognition of 81% of the African mitochondrial haplogroups from our compiled dataset of full mitochondrial sequences. Other SNP arrays were able to assign 4–62% of the African mitochondrial haplogroups present in our dataset. We also assessed the performance of available software for assigning mitochondrial haplogroups from SNP array data.

Conclusions

These results provide the first cross-checked quantification of mitochondrial haplogroup assignment performance from SNP array data. Mitochondrial haplogroup frequencies inferred from most common SNP arrays used for human population analysis should be considered with caution.
The mitochondrial genomes of Tortricidae: nucleotide composition, gene variation and phylogenetic performance
Authors: Yang Mingsheng , Li Junhao , Su Silin , Zhang Hongfei , Wang Zhengbing , Ding Weili , Li Lili
Published: October 2021

Background

Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) have greatly improved our understanding of the backbone phylogeny of Lepidoptera, but few studies on comparative mitogenomics below the family level have been conducted. Here, we generated 13 mitogenomes of eight tortricid species, reannotated 27 previously reported mitogenomes, and systematically performed a comparative analysis of nucleotide composition, gene variation and phylogenetic performance.

Results

The lengths of completely sequenced mitogenomes ranged from 15,440 bp to 15,778 bp, and the gene content and organization were conserved in Tortricidae and typical for Lepidoptera. Analyses of AT-skew and GC-skew, the effective number of codons and the codon bias index all show a base bias in Tortricidae, with little heterogeneity among the major tortricid groups. Variations in the divergence rates among 13 protein-coding genes of the same tortricid subgroup and of the same PCG among tortricid subgroups were detected. The secondary structures of 22 transfer RNA genes and two ribosomal RNA genes were predicted and comparatively illustrated, showing evolutionary heterogeneity among different RNAs or different regions of the same RNA. The phylogenetic uncertainty of Enarmoniini in Tortricidae was confirmed. The synonymy of Bactrini and Olethreutini was confirmed for the first time, with the representative Bactrini consistently nesting in the Olethreutini clade.Nad6exhibits the highest phylogenetic informativeness from the root to the tip of the resulting tree, and the combination of the third coding positions of 13 protein-coding genes shows extremely high phylogenetic informativeness.

Conclusions

This study presents 13 mitogenomes of eight tortricid species and represents the first detailed comparative mitogenomics study of Tortricidae. The results further our understanding of the evolutionary architectures of tortricid mitogenomes and provide a basis for future studies of population genetics and phylogenetic investigations in this group.
Human epididymis protein 4: a novel predictor of ischemic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Tang Yi , Wang Yinzhen , Xu Xiaoping , Tu Laura Yan , Huang Pei , Yang Xiaoyan , Li Lihua , Wu Juan , Zhang Yan , Fu Qinghua , Yu Yingli , Zheng Zhaofen , Song Lixia , Zhang Yi
Published: October 2021

Background

The prognostic value of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is unknown.

Methods

A total of 103 patients with ICM were prospectively enrolled in this study from Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital between February 2019 and June 2019. All patients were tested for HE4 levels at baseline and follow-up. Endpoints of the study included cardiovascular death and heart failure-related hospitalization.

Results

A total of 96 patients with ICM were included for analysis. After a mean follow-up period of 263 (153–313) days, cardiovascular events were observed in 45 patients. Serum HE4 levels in patients with events were significantly higher than those in patients without events [188.70 (113.35–326.82) pmol/L versus 92.90 (61.50–123.20) pmol/L, P < 0.001]. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that HE4 [χ2: 9.602, hazard ratio (HR): 1.003, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.001–1.005, P = 0.002] and age [χ2: 4.55, HR: 1.044, 95% CI: 1.003–1.085, P = 0.033] were independent predictors of events. After adjusting for age and sex, the risk of events in patients with HE4 > 100.2 pmol/L was higher than that in patients with HE4 ≤ 100.2 pmol/L [HR: 3.372, 95% CI: 1.409–8.065, P < 0.001].

Conclusion

HE4 is an independent predictor of cardiovascular death and heart failure-related rehospitalization in patients with ICM.
Acceptability and feasibility of the school-engaged social and behavior change communication approach on malaria prevention in Ethiopia: implications for engagement, empowerment, and retention (EER) of education sectors in malaria elimination efforts
Authors: Abamecha Fira , Midaksa Gachana , Sudhakar Morankar , Abebe Lakew , Kebede Yohannes , Mamo Abebe , Alemayehu Guda , Birhanu Zewdie
Published: October 2021

Background

Evidence on process outcomes such as acceptability, and feasibility of behavior change communication interventions are important in program evaluation to understand how, and why such a program works. However; documented evidence on the issue is not available as far as the social and behavior change communication (SBCC) on malaria is concerned. Enrolling the frontline providers this study measured the acceptability and feasibility of the school-engaged SBCC strategy on malaria prevention in malaria-endemic settings of Ethiopia.

Methods

A school-engaged SBCC strategy involving various communication and capacity-building interventions aimed to advance malaria preventive practices in primary schools in Jimma were implemented from 2017 to 2019. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 205 key stakeholders at the end of the intervention. Both acceptability and feasibility were measured using standardized tools. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and filled by the study participants. The SPSS version 26 was used to analyze the data. Multivariate general linear modeling was performed to identify the predictors of acceptability and feasibility of the program. P-value < 5% was considered to decide statistical significance.

Results

The result showed the mean scores (M, range = R) of acceptability and feasibility of the program were (M = 25.63, R = 6 to 30) and (M = 19.35, R = 5 to 25) respectively. The multivariate linear modeling showed acceptability was affected by self-efficacy; (β = 0.438, P < 0.001), community support; (β = 0.417, P < 0.001), school climate; (β = − 0.16; P = 0.003), perceived malaria threat; (β = 0.40, P < 0.001) and knowledge; (β = 0.229, P = 0.013). Similarly, feasibility was influenced by self-efficacy; (β = 0.352, P < 0.001), community support; (β = 0.591, P < 0.001), school climate; (β = − 0.099, P-value < 0.030) and perceived malaria threat; (β = 0.172, P = 0.002).

Conclusion

With a considerably high level of acceptability, the school-engaged SBCC strategy to enhance malaria preventive practices seems feasible. The SBCC strategy targeting personal factors such as malaria threat perceptions, knowledge and skills on the program, and contextual factors that include school social climate and community support would be fruitful to facilitate the implementation of the program. The result implicates the benefit of intensifying such a strategy to engage, empower, and retain the education sectors in malaria elimination efforts and beyond.
Comparison of the success rate after debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) for periprosthetic joint infection among patients with or without a sinus tract
Authors: Deng Wang , Li Rui , Shao Hongyi , Yu Baozhan , Chen Jiying , Zhou Yixin
Published: October 2021

Background

The relevance between the presence of a sinus tract and the failure risk after debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after hip or knee arthroplasty is still unclear. This study aimed to compare the success rate of DAIR between patients with or without a sinus tract and to explore the possible risk factors for failure after DAIR in patients with a sinus tract.

Methods

Consecutive DAIR cases for PJI after hip or knee arthroplasty between January 2009 and June 2019 with a minimum 1-year follow-up in two tertiary joint arthroplasty centers were included. Patients were classified into the sinus tract group and the non-sinus tract group according to the presence of a sinus tract. The success rate after DAIR were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Potential risk factors for failure in the sinus group were also explored.

Results

One hundred seven patients were included. At a median 4.4 years of follow-up, 19 of 52 (36.5%) cases failed in the sinus tract group, while 15 of 55 (27.3%) cases failed in the non-sinus tract group. The 1-year and 5-year cumulative success rates were 71.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 59.8-84.6%) and 56.8% (95% CI: 42.6-75.7%) in the sinus tract group, respectively, which were similar to the counterparts in the non-sinus tract group (P = 0.214). Among patients with a sinus tract, DAIR with the exchange of modular components showed a higher success rate (75.8% versus 47.4%, P = 0.038).

Conclusions

The presence of a sinus tract does not affect the success rate of DAIR. Modular component exchange in DAIR was proposed for patients with a sinus tract for an improved infection control rate.
Platelet-rich plasma treatment improves postoperative recovery in patients with pilonidal sinus disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Boztug Can Yahya , Karaagac Akyol Tulay , Benlice Cigdem , Koc Mehmet Ali , Doganay Erdogan Beyza , Ozcebe Osman Ilhami , Kuzu Mehmet Ayhan , Akyol Cihangir
Published: October 2021

Background

Pilonidal sinus is a common health problem. The current study aimed to compare the impact of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with that of minimally invasive techniques in terms of pain reduction, return to daily activities, quality of life, and duration of wound healing after open excision and secondary closure.

Methods

Patients who were over 18 years old and had chronic PS disease between March 2018 and January 2019 were enrolled and randomly divided into three groups. Open surgery and moist dressings were applied to patients in group A. Open surgery followed by PRP application was performed on patients in group B. Group C underwent curettage of the sinus cavity followed by application of PRP. In this prospective randomized controlled study, patients completed questionnaires (including the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Short Form-36 (SF-36) and clinical information) before and after surgery. Demographics, preoperative characteristics, healing parameters, and quality-of-life scores were evaluated and calculated before and after surgery.

Results and conclusion

The cavity volume and wound-healing time were compared among the groups on postoperative days 0, 2, 3, 4, and 21. Each patient was followed up throughout the process of wound healing, and follow-up was continued afterward to monitor the patients for recurrence. Due to the nature of the treatment that group C received, this group achieved shorter healing times and smaller cavity volume than the other groups. In contrast, the recovery time per unit of cavity volume was significantly faster in group B than in the other groups. Overall postoperative pain scores were significantly lower for both PRP groups (open surgery, group B; minimally invasive surgery, group C) than for group A (p < 0.001) and showed different time courses among the groups. In the treatment of PS disease, PRP application improves postoperative recovery in that it speeds patients’ return to daily activities, reduces their pain scores and increases their quality of life.

Trial registration The current study is registered on the public website ClinicalTrials.gov (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier number: NCT04697082; date: 05/01/2021).
A novel approach of recombinant laterosporulin production using the N-SH2 domain of SHP-2
Authors: Salehzadeh Simin , Tabatabaei Mohammad , Derakhshandeh Abdollah , Karbalaei-Heidari Hamidreza , Kazemipour Nasrin
Published: October 2021

Background

The current study was aimed at evaluating the role of the N-SH2 domain of SHP-2 as a partner protein in the expression of a toxic peptide, laterosporulin (LTS). We also investigated its effects on the formation of the disulfide bond and functional folding of the peptide in vitro. The N-SH2-LTS protein was expressed as a His-tagged fusion protein, capable of undergoing enzymatic cleavage.

Results

Based on the data presented herein, the total yield of the folded fusion protein from inclusion bodies was found to be about 105 mg/l, demonstrating a high-level of heterologous expression. After enzymatic cleavage, 1.5 mg of the folded recombinant laterosporulin was obtained from each 10 mg of the fusion protein. The purity of the recombinant laterosporulin was analyzed by RP-HPLC, to yield peptides with suitable purity (85%).

Conclusions

Our findings indicated the advantages of using the N-SH2 domain of SHP-2 as a rapid and easy approach not only in producing easy target proteins but also in its function as a chaperone. N-SH2 domain of SHP-2 can influence on the purification of laterosporulin at reasonable yield and in a cost-effective fashion. The N-SH2 domain of SHP-2 as a protein chaperone may be potentially favorable to produce other proteins with disulfide bonds.
The antibacterial efficacy of photon-initiated photoacoustic streaming in root canals with different diameters or tapers
Authors: Wen Cheng , Yan Liang , Kong Yuanyuan , Zhao Jian , Li Yang , Jiang Qianzhou
Published: October 2021

Background

In recent years, the concept of minimally invasive endodontics has been proposed, which could be described as preventing or treating diseases by preserving more dental tissue and creating minimal damage. In the process of root canal preparation, it was recommended to use instruments with a smaller taper to preserve more tooth tissue and improve the preservation rate of the affected teeth. Photon-induced photoacoustic streaming (PIPS) was a new type of laser-activated irrigation technology, which was now widely used in endodontic treatment. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the bactericidal effect of PIPS with NaOCl in root canals with different widths or tapers.

Methods

Twenty-three maxillary first molars with three independent root canals were included in this study. The mesiobuccal (MB), distobuccal (DB), and palatal (P) root canals were prepared at sizes of #10/.02, #25/.02, and #25/.06, respectively. After being incubated with a bacterial suspension for 4 weeks, the specimen were irrigated with 2% NaOCl activated by conventional needle irrigation (CNI) (n = 10) or PIPS (n = 10). Three specimen were not treated (control group). Before and after irrigation, the presence of bacteria was assessed with an adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) assay kit and biofilms were assessed using confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

Results

In specimen prepared using PIPS irrigation, the ATP was reduced by more than 98%. When the root canal taper was 0.02, the size #25 root canals had a higher percentage of dead bacteria than the size #10 root canals in all regions (P < 0.05) in the PIPS group. When the root canal width was #25, the 0.02 taper group had a higher percentage of dead bacteria than the 0.06 taper group in the apical region (P < 0.05), except coronal and middle regions (P > 0.05). PIPS irrigation results in a greater percentage of dead bacteria and reduction of ATP in size #10/.02 root canals than CNI in size #25/.06 root canals in three regions (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Increasing the width from #10 to #25 improves the bactericidal effect of PIPS in the root canal. Increasing the taper of the root canal from 0.02 to 0.06 at size #25 did not affect the bactericidal effects of PIPS. PIPS resulted in more dead bacteria in specimen with smaller tapers and root canal widths than CNI. PIPS can be used to clean the smear layer in the coronal region and open the dentin tubules.

Clinical significance: Activation of irrigants with PIPS brought about significant bacterial reduction smaller tapers and width root canals compared to CNI, which was beneficial to prevent excessive loss of tooth tissue and conserve the structural integrity of teeth.
Clinical and imaging features of carcinosarcoma of the uterus and cervix
Authors: Li Liming , Huang Wenpeng , Xue Kangkang , Feng Leiyu , Han Yijing , Wang Rui , Gao Jianbo
Published: October 2021

Aim

The purpose of our study was to analyze the clinical and imaging features of uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) and cervical carcinosarcoma (CCS), and to explore the diagnostic and staging accuracy of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations.

Methods

41 patients including 37 with UCS and 4 with CCS from July 2011 to September 2020 were enrolled in the study. Of the 37 UCS cases, 7 had CT images, 27 had MRI images, and 3 had both CT and MRI images. The Clinical data, CT or MRI imaging findings were analyzed. Diagnosis and staging accuracy of CT and MRI images were also analyzed.

Results

Carcinosarcoma usually occurs in postmenopausal women (40/41), with the typical clinical symptom being vaginal bleeding (33/41). The CA125 degree was significantly different between the two invasion depth groups (p = 0.011). Most uterine carcinosarcomas showed unclear boundaries, uneven density, low or equal signal on T1WI, high or mixed signal on T2WI, uneven high signal on diffusion-weighted image (DWI), and mild enhancement. The diagnostic accuracies of CT and MRI for carcinosarcoma were 0% and 3.33%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy for malignant tumors on CT and MRI was 50% and 83.33%, respectively.

Conclusions

Carcinosarcoma lesions presented with huge mass filling in the cavity, and some presented with small polypoid lesions or endometrial thickening. Evaluation of lymph node metastasis is a significant challenge for imaging staging.
Greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sink potential in Eastern Africa rangeland ecosystems: A review
Authors: Mgalula Michael Elias , Wasonga Oliver Vivian , Hülsebusch Christian , Richter Uwe , Hensel Oliver
Published: October 2021

Many activities from livestock husbandry contribute to emission and concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) gases to the atmosphere; activities such as grazing, manure and urine deposited or stored on land as well as crop farming practices such as tilling, burning of biomass or crop residues. A better understanding of the extent of emission sources and carbon sequestration potential for Eastern Africa rangelands is vital for developing mitigation strategies. In this article, we review the sources of emission with a focus on land conversion for crop farming, livestock husbandry, wildfire/burning and biotic processes such as soil biota activity in the ecosystem. The trade-offs of using rangeland with an emphasis on enhancing carbon sequestration potential are also addressed. This review revealed that many practices that enhance carbon capture process show promising benefits with sink capacity of −0.004 to 13 Mg C ha−1 year−1. However, given multiple land-use and environmental dynamics in Eastern African rangelands, it is imperative to generate more data across various land management and climatic zones in order to ascertain varied sink capacity. Improving carbon sequestration in rangelands through appropriate land management is a promising cost-effective strategy to mitigate climate change. Through improved farming or grazing management practice and restoring of degraded areas, there are significant benefits to enhance carbon sequestration. As rangeland resources are multi-faceted, engaging trans-disciplinary approaches is necessary to allow analyses of co-benefits of improved management or trade-offs degrading.
Stochastic inversion of magnetotelluric data using deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Wang Han , Liu Yunhe , Yin Changchun , Li Jinfeng , Su Yang , Xiong Bin
Published: October 2021

We have adopted a new tool to invert magnetotelluric data for the 1D model based on deep Q-networks (DQN), which works as a stochastic optimization method. By transforming the inversion problem into a Markov decision process, the tool learns by trial and error to find the optimal path for updating the model to fit the observed data. The DQN method converges to the target through different paths (e.g., Bayesian or other stochastic methods) and can partially provide the probability distribution of the inversion results, which can be used for uncertainty estimation. The DQN search space gradually decreases as the learning experience progresses, accelerating the single inversion and approximating the optimal result. To check the effectiveness of the DQN inversion, the five- and eight-layer models were separately designed to test the robustness of the DQN for the initial model and the noise level. A further comparison with Occam’s method and the Bayesian method indicated that our DQN obtained more robust inversion results for data contaminated by different noise levels. The inversion results with the survey data from Zhagaitunuoergong area, Inner Mongolia, China, well reveals the shape of the interface basement.
Decoupled Fréchet kernels based on a fractional viscoacoustic wave equation
Authors: Xing Guangchi , Zhu Tieyuan
Published: October 2021

We have formulated the Fréchet kernel computation using the adjoint-state method based on a fractional viscoacoustic wave equation. We first numerically prove that the 1/2- and the 3/2-order fractional Laplacian operators are self-adjoint. Using this property, we find that the adjoint wave propagator preserves the dispersion and compensates the amplitude, whereas the time-reversed adjoint wave propagator behaves identically to the forward propagator with the same dispersion and dissipation characters. Without introducing rheological mechanisms, this formulation adopts an explicit [Formula: see text] parameterization, which avoids the implicit [Formula: see text] in the conventional viscoacoustic/viscoelastic full-waveform inversion ([Formula: see text]-FWI). In addition, because of the decoupling of operators in the wave equation, the viscoacoustic Fréchet kernel is separated into three distinct contributions with clear physical meanings: lossless propagation, dispersion, and dissipation. We find that the lossless propagation kernel dominates the velocity kernel, whereas the dissipation kernel dominates the attenuation kernel over the dispersion kernel. After validating the Fréchet kernels using the finite-difference method, we conduct a numerical example to demonstrate the capability of the kernels to characterize the velocity and attenuation anomalies. The kernels of different misfit measurements are presented to investigate their different sensitivities. Our results suggest that, rather than the traveltime, the amplitude and the waveform kernels are more suitable to capture attenuation anomalies. These kernels lay the foundation for the multiparameter inversion with the fractional formulation, and the decoupled nature of them promotes our understanding of the significance of different physical processes in [Formula: see text]-FWI.
Hospital Volumes of Inpatient Pediatric Surgery in the United States
Authors: Berry Jay G. , Rodean Jonathan , Leahy Izabela , Rangel Shawn , Johnson Connor , Crofton Charis , Staffa Steven J. , Hall Matt , Methot Craig , Desmarais Anna , Ferrari Lynne
Published: October 2021

BACKGROUND:

Perioperative outcomes of children depend on the skill and expertise in managing pediatric patients, as well as integration of surgical, anesthesiology, and medical teams. We compared the types of pediatric patients and inpatient surgical procedures performed in low- versus higher-volume hospitals throughout the United States.

METHODS:

Retrospective analysis of 323,258 hospitalizations with an operation for children age 0 to 17 years in 2857 hospitals included in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) 2016. Hospitals were categorized by their volume of annual inpatient surgical procedures. Specific surgeries were distinguished with the AHRQ Clinical Classification System. We assessed complex chronic conditions (CCCs) using Feudtner and Colleagues’ system.

RESULTS:

The median annual volume of pediatric inpatient surgeries across US hospitals was 8 (interquartile range [IQR], 3–29). The median volume of inpatient surgeries for children with a CCC was 4 (IQR, 1–13). Low-volume hospitals performed significantly fewer types of surgeries (median 2 vs 131 types of surgeries in hospitals with 1–24 vs ≥2000 volumes). Appendectomy and fixation of bone fracture were among the most common surgeries in low-volume hospitals. As the volume of surgical procedures increased from 1 to 24 to ≥2000, the percentage of older children ages 11 to 17 years decreased (70.9%–32.0% [P < .001]) and the percentage of children with a CCC increased (11.2%–60.0% [P < .001]).

CONCLUSIONS:

Thousands of US hospitals performed inpatient surgeries on few pediatric patients, including those with CCCs who have the highest risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality. Evaluation of perioperative decision making, workflows, and pediatric clinicians in low- and higher-volume hospitals is warranted.
CT-guided microcoil localization of pulmonary nodules: the effect of the position of microcoil proximal end on the incidence of microcoil dislocation
Authors: Huang Zhen-Guo , Wang Cun-li , Sun Hong-liang , Qin Shu-Zhu , Li Chuan-Dong , Gao Bao-Xiang
Published: October 2021

Objectives:

To evaluate the effect of the position of microcoil proximal end on the incidence of microcoil dislocation during CT-guided microcoil localization of pulmonary nodules (PNs).

Methods:

This retrospective study included all patients with PNs who received CT-guided microcoil localization before video-assisted thoracoscopic urgery (VATS) resection from June 2016 to December 2019 in our institution. The microcoil distal end was less than 1 cm away from the nodule, and the microcoil proximal end was in the pleural cavity (the pleural cavity group) or chest wall (the chest wall group). The length of microcoil outside the pleura was measured and divided into less than 0.5 cm (group A), 0.5 to 2 cm (group B) and more than 2 cm (group C). Microcoil dislocation was defined as complete retraction into the lung (type I) or complete withdrawal from the lung (type II). The rate of microcoil dislocation between different groups was compared.

Results:

A total of 519 consecutive patients with 571 PNs were included in this study. According to the position of microcoils proximal end on post-marking CT, there were 95 microcoils in the pleural cavity group and 476 in the chest wall group. The number of microcoils in group A, B, and C were 67, 448 and 56, respectively. VATS showed dislocation of 42 microcoils, of which 30 were type II and 12 were type I. There was no statistical difference in the rate of microcoil dislocation between the pleural cavity group and the chest wall group (6.3% vs 7.6%, x2 = 0.18, p = 0.433). The difference in the rate of microcoil dislocation among group A, B, and C was statistically significant (11.9%, 5.8%, and 14.3% for group A, B, and C, respectively, x2 = 7.60, p = 0.008). In group A, 75% (6/8) of dislocations were type I, while all eight dislocations were type II in group C.

Conclusions:

During CT-guided microcoil localization of PNs, placing the microcoil proximal end in the pleura cavity or chest wall had no significant effect on the incidence of microcoil dislocation. The length of microcoil outside the pleura should be 0.5 to 2 cm to reduce the rate of microcoil dislocation.

Advances in knowledge: :

CT-guided microcoil localization can effectively guide VATS to resect invisible and impalpable PNs. Microcoil dislocation is the main cause of localization failure. The length of microcoil outside the pleura is significantly correlated with the rate and type of microcoil dislocation. Placing the microcoil proximal end in the pleura cavity or chest wall has no significant effect on the rate of microcoil dislocation.
“New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea” (October 2021)
Authors: TSAGARAKIS KONSTANTINOS , DARMANIN SANDRA AGIUS , AL MABRUK SARA A.A. , AURIEMMA ROCCO , AZZURRO ERNESTO , BADOUVAS NICHOLAS , BAKIU RIGERS , BARICHE MICHEL , BATTAGLIA PIETRO , BETTI FEDERICO , BORME DIEGO , CACCIAMANI ROBERTO , CALI FEDERICO , CORSINI-FOKA MARIA , CROCETTA FABIO , DALYAN CEM , DEIDUN ALAN , DIGENIS MARKOS , DOMENICHETTI FILIPPO , DRAGIČEVIĆ BRANKO , DULČIĆ JAKOV , DURUCAN FURKAN , GUY-HAIM TAMAR , KESICI NUR BIKEM , LARDI POLYTIMI , MANITARAS YIANNIS , MICHAILIDIS NIKOLAS , PIRAINO STEFANO , RIZGALLA JAMILA , SIAPATIS APOSTOLOS , SOLDO ALEN , STIPA MARIA GIULIA , TERBIYIK KURT TUBA , TIRALONGO FRANCESCO , TSIAMIS KONSTANTINOS , VELLA ADRIANA , VELLA NOEL , ZAVA BRUNO , GEROVASILEIOU VASILIS
Published: October 2021

“New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea” (October 2021)
Understanding Managers’ Trade-Offs Between Exploration and Exploitation
Authors: Ferecatu Alina , De Bruyn Arnaud
Published: October 2021

Managers frequently explore new strategies, and exploit familiar ones, when making decisions on new product development, pricing, or advertising. Exploring for too long, or exploiting too soon, will generate inferior financial returns. Our research describes decision makers’ exploration/exploitation trade-offs and their link to psychometric traits. We conduct an incentive-aligned study in which subjects play a multiarmed bandit experiment and evaluate how subjects balance exploration and exploitation, linked to psychometric traits. To formally describe exploration/exploitation trade-offs, we develop a behavioral model that captures latent dynamics in learning behavior. Subjects transition between three unobserved states—exploration, exploitation, and inertia—updating their beliefs about expected payoffs. Our analysis suggests that decision makers overexplore low-performing options, forgoing over 30% of potential revenue. They heavily rely on recent experiences. Risk-averse decision makers spend more time exploring. Maximizers are more sensitive to payoffs than satisficers. Our research builds the groundwork needed to devise remedial actions aimed at helping managers find an optimal balance between exploration and exploitation. One way to achieve this goal is by carefully designing the learning environment. In two additional studies, we analyze the evolution of exploration/exploitation trade-offs across different learning environments. Offering decision makers repeated opportunities to learn and increasing the planning horizon appears beneficial.
The Folk Theorem for Repeated Games with Time-Dependent Discounting
Authors: Kim Daehyun , Li Xiaoxi
Published: October 2021

This paper defines a general framework to study infinitely repeated games with time-dependent discounting in which we distinguish and discuss both time-consistent and -inconsistent preferences. To study the long-term properties of repeated games, we introduce an asymptotic condition to characterize the fact that players become more and more patient; that is, the discount factors at all stages uniformly converge to one. Two types of folk theorems are proven without the public randomization assumption: the asymptotic one, that is, the equilibrium payoff set converges to the feasible and individual rational set as players become patient, and the uniform one, that is, any payoff in the feasible and individual rational set is sustained by a single strategy profile that is an approximate subgame perfect Nash equilibrium in all games with sufficiently patient discount factors. We use two methods for the study of asymptotic folk theorem: the self-generating approach and the constructive proof. We present the constructive proof in the perfect-monitoring case and show that it can be extended to time-inconsistent preferences. The self-generating approach applies to the public-monitoring case but may not extend to time-inconsistent preferences because of a nonmonotonicity result.
A Diffusion Approximation Theory of Momentum Stochastic Gradient Descent in Nonconvex Optimization
Authors: Liu Tianyi , Chen Zhehui , Zhou Enlu , Zhao Tuo
Published: October 2021

Momentum stochastic gradient descent (MSGD) algorithm has been widely applied to many nonconvex optimization problems in machine learning (e.g., training deep neural networks, variational Bayesian inference, etc.). Despite its empirical success, there is still a lack of theoretical understanding of convergence properties of MSGD. To fill this gap, we propose to analyze the algorithmic behavior of MSGD by diffusion approximations for nonconvex optimization problems with strict saddle points and isolated local optima. Our study shows that the momentum helps escape from saddle points but hurts the convergence within the neighborhood of optima (if without the step size annealing or momentum annealing). Our theoretical discovery partially corroborates the empirical success of MSGD in training deep neural networks.
Clinical efficacy of prebiotics and glycosaminoglycans versus placebo In dogs with food responsive enteropathy receiving a hydrolyzed diet: A pilot study
Authors: Glanemann Barbara , Seo Yeon-Jung , Priestnall Simon L. , Garden Oliver A. , Kilburn Logan , Rossoni-Serao Mariana , Segarra Sergi , Mochel Jonathan P. , Allenspach Karin
Published: October 2021

Induction of remission is easily achieved with dietary treatment in dogs diagnosed with Food Responsive Chronic Diarrhea (FRD). Administration of prebiotics and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) may improve epithelial cell integrity and therefore be useful as adjunct treatment. This study evaluated whether the relapse rate of FRD dogs that are switched back to a normal diet can be influenced using supplemental treatment with prebiotics and GAGs. A randomized, controlled clinical trial (RCCT) was performed in dogs diagnosed with FRD. Dogs were diagnosed based on clinical exclusion diagnosis, endoscopic biopsies showing predominantly lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, and response to dietary treatment. Dogs were randomized to be fed a combination of prebiotics and GAGs (group 1) or placebo (group 2) in addition to a hydrolyzed diet. At week 10, a second endoscopy was performed and dogs were switched back to normal diet. Relapse rate was monitored every 2 weeks after that until week 18. Statistical analysis was performed for each outcome (Canine Chronic Enteropathy Clinical Activity Index (CCECAI), clinicopathological data, endoscopic scoring, mWSAVA histological scoring index (mWSAVA), and number of relapses following switch to normal diet) using a linear mixed effects model for group comparison. Time, group, and their interactions were included as a fixed effect, whereas each dog was treated as a random effect. Of the 35 dogs enrolled into the clinical trial, 10 in each group reached the point of second endoscopy. A total of 13 dogs (n = 8 in group 1 and n = 5 in group 2) reached the trial endpoint of 18 weeks. After switching back to normal diet, none of the dogs in either group relapsed. No significant differences were found over time or between groups for CCECAI, endoscopy scoring and histological scoring. Although there was a clinical worsening in the placebo group after switching back to the original diet, this was not statistically significant (CCECAI p = 0.58). Post-hoc power calculation revealed that 63 dogs per group would have been needed to detect statistically significant differences in CIBDAI between treatment groups. Standard dietary treatment induced rapid clinical response in all cases, however, additional supplementation with prebiotics and GAGs did not significantly improve clinical outcome within 4 months after switching back to normal diet. Since there are very few RCCT published in CE in dogs, this pilot study provides important power analyses for planning of further studies.
Music and mood regulation during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Hennessy Sarah , Sachs Matthew , Kaplan Jonas , Habibi Assal
Published: October 2021

Music listening can be an effective strategy for regulating affect, leading to positive well-being. However, it is unclear how differences in disposition and personality can impact music’s affective benefits in response to acute and major real-world stressful events. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to study how music is used to cope with stress, loss, and unease across the world. During the first month of the spread of the COVID pandemic, we used an online survey to test if people from four different countries used music to manage their emotions during quarantine and if the functions of music depended on empathy, anxiety, depression, or country of residence. We found a positive relationship between the use of music listening for affect regulation and current well-being, particularly for participants from India. While people with stronger symptoms of depression and anxiety used music differently, the end result was still a positive change in affect. Our findings highlight the universality of music’s affective potency and its ability to help people manage an unprecedented life stressor.
Recruiting, training and managing a sensory panel in odor nuisance testing
Authors: Turek Paweł
Published: October 2021

A growing level of environmental awareness in societies has led to an increased interest in the odor nuisance. Residents’ complaints have ultimately revealed the need to develop adequate research methods that would ensure objective measurements, thus shedding more light on this complex problem. One of the possible ways to conduct an objective odor assessment is to use a sensory panel in the tests. This paper presents the procedure for selecting and training the sensory analysis team especially for the purposes of odor nuisance testing. Several useful suggestions for conducting studies that involve a sensory panel are also provided. This in turn can prove a useful tool, supplementing the EN 13725 standard within the scope of building and convening a sensory panel. In this paper a performance comparison of two sensory panels is also discussed: one that received a basic training of 20h, solely based on the guidelines of the EN 13725 standard and another, whose members completed an extended training of 60h, based on the standards and guidelines used in the field of sensory analysis. It has been shown that acquiring more knowledge and developing certain competences in the field of sensory analysis may contribute to an increase in the overall and individual precision of determinations as adequate sensory training improves the panel’s performance.
COVID-19-related institutional betrayal associated with trauma symptoms among undergraduate students
Authors: Adams-Clark Alexis A. , Freyd Jennifer J.
Published: October 2021

Individuals are dependent on institutions (e.g., universities, governments, healthcare systems) to protect their safety and advocate for their needs. When institutions harm the individuals who depend on them, they commit institutional betrayal, which has been associated with numerous negative outcomes in prior research. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, students have entrusted universities to protect both their health and their educational opportunities. However, many universities have failed to meet these expectations, and it is likely that many students experience COVID-19-related institutional betrayal. In two similar studies, we examined the prevalence and correlates of institutional betrayal among undergraduate students at a large, public university in the Northwest United States during the fall 2020 and winter 2021quarters. In both studies, more than half of students endorsed at least one type of COVID-19-related institutional betrayal, and higher institutional betrayal ratings were significantly correlated with both current trauma symptoms and COVID-19-related avoidance and intrusion cognitions. In Study 2, the relationship between COVID-19-related institutional betrayal and current trauma symptoms remained significant, even when controlling for gender, personal and familial COVID-19 infection, and past trauma history. These results indicate that COVID-19 institutional betrayal is common and may be uniquely associated with distress among undergraduate students. We suggest it would behoove university institutions to reduce COVID-19-related institutional betrayal.