bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nonprofit good governance mechanisms: A systematic literature review
Authors: Ortega‐Rodríguez Cristina , Martín‐Montes Lucía , Licerán‐Gutiérrez Ana , Moreno‐Albarracín Antonio Luis
Published: November 2023

There is widespread acknowledgment of the importance of nonprofit good governance with a need for guidance on different effective mechanisms to increase ethical practices for the whole sector to assist professionals and researchers. This study explores two research questions: (1) What are the main reasons that inspire nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to implement good governance mechanisms? (2) What are the good governance mechanisms conducted by NPOs? The purpose is to serve as a reference and an instrument of reflection for interested NPOs exploring good governance mechanisms to make their accountability work more effective. We used a systematic literature review methodology for identification, selection, and analysis of published research on nonprofit good governance. A set of 89 articles published until 2021 was analyzed, and a new classification that identified 3 lines and 13 sublines of research was provided. Our results show that a variety of internal mechanisms and international third‐party initiatives are underpinned by the need to adhere to standards of ethics and honesty.
Early and late urinary continence outcomes after unilateral and bilateral nerve‐sparing robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy: A retrospective multicentre cohort study in Japan (the MSUG94 group)
Authors: Sakaguchi Kazushige , Ebara Shin , Tatenuma Tomoyuki , Sasaki Takeshi , Ikehata Yoshinori , Nakayama Akinori , Kawase Makoto , Toide Masahiro , Yoneda Tatsuaki , Teishima Jun , Makiyama Kazuhide , Inoue Takahiro , Kitamura Hiroshi , Saito Kazutaka , Koie Takuya , Koga Fumitaka , Urakami Shinji
Published: November 2023

Background

The impact of unilateral and bilateral nerve‐sparing robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (NS‐RARP) procedures on continence and the time to continence recovery have not been established.

Material and Methods

We retrospectively reviewed a total of 2801 patients who underwent RARP in 9 institutions. Procedures were classified as NS or non‐NS; NS procedures were further classified as unilateral or bilateral. The recovery of continence was analysed using propensity score matching method.

Results

The pad‐free rates at 12 months after surgery were higher in the NS group (95% confidence interval of odds ratio, 1.06–1.51). Pad‐free rates at all time points within 12 months of surgery did not significantly differ between the unilateral and bilateral NS groups.

Conclusions

NS‐RARP resulted in better urinary continence outcomes than non‐NS‐RARP in the first 12 months after surgery. Urinary recovery rates did not significantly differ between unilateral and bilateral NS‐RARP.
On the exact parameter estimation of robot manipulators with a predefined minimal amount of excitation
Authors: Arteaga Marco A.
Published: November 2023

Adaptive control of robot manipulators has been widely used in the last decades. The main control goal is usually trajectory tracking, but exact parameter estimation is always desirable. In the recent years, the so called dynamic regressor extension and mixing (DREM) procedure was developed to provide an alternative in the design of adaptive laws with more relaxed parameter convergence conditions than the Persistency of Excitation (PE). This article proposes an innovative DREM based adaptive scheme with the ability of increasing a minimal amount of excitation to the level necessary to obtain exact parameter estimation in finite time. Furthermore, a new robust control law is proposed to guarantee trajectory tracking even if exact parameter estimation does not take place. Simulation results are in good accordance with the developed theory.
Impact of Climate Change on Photovoltaic Performance: Case Study in French Cities
Authors: Mathieu Alexandre , Thebault Martin , Kraiem Samy , Fraisse Gilles , Thebault Simon , Boddaert Simon , Gaillard Leon
Published: November 2023

With the photovoltaic (PV) market significantly growing thanks to the support of environmental incentives, it is essential to address the influence of climate change on PV performances. In the literature, several methodologies have been suggested to measure the effect of climate change through module temperature losses and natural degradation rates, but no work has been found to combine both of them. This article tackles this issue through a numerical approach in order to quantify to which extent climate change impacts the performance of a PV installation over its lifetime. The methodology has been applied in different French cities where climate change is found to have a moderate effect on the performance ratio.
Nondestructive Single‐Glass Vacuum Lamination Encapsulation for Perovskite Solar Cells with Long‐Term Stability
Authors: Tang Jiahong , Ma Sai , Wu Yuetong , Pei Fengtao , Ma Yue , Yuan Guizhou , Zhang Ziyue , Zhou Huanping , Zhu Cheng , Jiang Yan , Li Yujing , Chen Qi
Published: November 2023

Vacuum lamination encapsulation is widely adopted to prolong the duration of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in real operation. However, additional encapsulant along with rigorous processing conditions leads to severe power conversion efficiency (PCE) loss to the corresponding devices. Herein, thermal and optical simulations and experiments are combined, to analyze the mechanisms for device failure during vacuum lamination. Single‐glass encapsulation structure is proposed, which exhibits enhanced thermal conductivity, ensuring thorough and homogeneous melting of the encapsulant during the lamination process. This effectively mitigates delamination within the module and reduces parasitic photocurrent losses in the PSC device after encapsulation. Notably, the single‐glass encapsulation devices retain 88% of their initial PCE after 1000 h damp heat test and successfully pass the thermal cycling standard (IEC 61 215:2016) with 95% retention of initial PCE after 250 cycles.
Individualized Language Plans: Promises and Pitfalls
Authors: Kangas Sara E. N. , Cioè‐Peña María
Published: November 2023

In the United States, individualized language plans (ILPs) have gained traction across K–12 schools. Much like the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) used in special education, ILPs outline individualized goals, accommodations, and services for multilingual learners for their language development; however, unlike IEPs, ILPs are developed at the local level with no federal oversight or guidance. While scholars have recently called for the implementation of ILPs as a mechanism for promoting systemic change, there is a scarcity of scholarship that critically discusses or examines ILPs. In response to this gap, in this Teaching Issue article, we draw upon a combination of prior research, policy guidance, and our own review of ILP templates mandated or recommended in various states across the United States, to identify the characteristics, affordances, and constraints of ILPs. After discussing the promises and pitfalls of large‐scale implementation of these tools, we close this paper with two recommendations for teachers and policymakers who may consider adopting ILPs: to emphasize instructional support and a multiplicity of data and voices.
Late gastroenterological complications in children after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A retrospective cohort study and a case series of children treated with Kampo medicines
Authors: Kawashima Nozomu , Kataoka Shinsuke , Hamada Motoharu , Nishikawa Eri , Taniguchi Rieko , Narita Atsushi , Muramatsu Hideki , Nishio Nobuhiro , Takahashi Yoshiyuki
Published: November 2023

Aim

This study aimed to describe children developing late gastrointestinal (GI) complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT), focusing on Kampo medicine.

Methods

At the Nagoya University Hospital Department of Pediatrics, 179 consecutive patients underwent allo‐HSCT over five years, of whom 167 achieved engraftment and survived at least 100 days post transplant and therefore were included in the study.

Results

Thirteen patients (7.8%) developed late GI symptoms. Among these, three had upper GI symptoms, three had lower GI symptoms, while seven had upper/lower GI symptoms. Total parenteral nutrition was administered in 10 (77%) patients for a median of 81 days (range: 20–303). Four (31%) had histologically proven graft‐versus‐host‐disease (GVHD), two (15%) had adverse drug reactions, and one (8%) had a viral infection. All three patients with lower GI symptoms responded to Kampo formulas' warming interior [TM1]. Two patients with upper GI symptoms had epigastric rigidity and responded to Aurantii Fructus Immaturus‐based formulas. One patient developed severe cachexia, which was successfully reversed with Kampo medicines. There were no adverse effects due to Kampo medicines.

Conclusions

Late GI complications may be a burden on children after allo‐HSCT. Kampo medicines may provide a safe and promising therapy to resolve GI symptoms not otherwise specified.
Using dietary exposure to determine sub-lethal effects from imidacloprid in two springtail (Collembola) species
Authors: Silva Andreia Sofia Jorge , Kristiansen Silje Marie , Sengupta Sagnik , van Gestel Cornelis A. M. , Leinaas Hans Petter , Borgå Katrine
Published: November 2023

Standard toxicity tests expose springtails (Collembola) through soil, while dietary exposure tests with animals visible on a surface are less commonly applied. We refined a method for dietary chemical exposure for two widely distributed and abundant Collembola species: Folsomia quadrioculata and Hypogastrura viatica as existing methods were sub-optimal. Newly hatched Collembola were offered bark with a natural layer of Cyanobacteria that was either moistened with a solution of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid using a micropipette or soaked in the solution overnight. The first method was superior in producing a measured concentration close to the nominal (0.21 and 0.13 mg/kg dry bark, respectively), and resulting in sub-lethal effects as expected. The adult body size was reduced by 8% for both species, but egg production only in H. viatica. Contrastingly, soaked bark resulted in a measured concentration of 8 mg/kg dry bark, causing high mortality and no egg production in either species. Next, we identified the sub-lethal concentration-range by moistening the bark to expose H. viatica to 0, 0.01, 0.04, 0.13, 0.43 and 1.2 mg imidacloprid/kg dry bark. Only the highest concentration affected survival, causing a mortality of 77%. Imidacloprid reduced moulting rate and the body size at first reproduction. The age at first reproduction appeared delayed as some replicates did not reproduce within the experiment duration. The method of moistened bark for dietary exposure proved optimal to continuously study life history traits, such as growth and reproductive outcomes, which are important to understand effects on key events crucial for population viability and growth.
Detecting outdated code element references in software repository documentation
Authors: Tan Wen Siang , Wagner Markus , Treude Christoph
Published: November 2023

Outdated documentation is a pervasive problem in software development, preventing effective use of software, and misleading users and developers alike. We posit that one possible reason why documentation becomes out of sync so easily is that developers are unaware of when their source code modifications render the documentation obsolete. Ensuring that the documentation is always in sync with the source code takes considerable effort, especially for large codebases. To address this situation, we propose an approach that can automatically detect code element references that survive in the documentation after all source code instances have been deleted. In this work, we analysed over 3,000 GitHub projects and found that most projects contain at least one outdated code element reference at some point in their history. We submitted GitHub issues to real-world projects containing outdated references detected by our approach, some of which have already led to documentation fixes. As an initiative toward keeping documentation in software repositories up-to-date, we have made our implementation available for developers to scan their GitHub projects for outdated code element references.
Validation of a New Analytical Formula to Predict the Steel Temperature of Heavily Insulated Cross-Sections
Authors: Possidente Luca , Tondini Nicola
Published: November 2023

Fire protection is a popular solution to slow down the temperature increase in steel elements subjected to fire, and simple equations, such as the mass lumped formula proposed in EN1993-1-2, may be employed to estimate the steel temperature in the cross-section. The EN1993-1-2 formula assumes that the temperature of the exposed insulation surface and the surrounding gas are equal. This simplification may provide inaccurate results for heavily insulated steel sections. Therefore, a new mass lumped formula was derived, accounting for more accurate boundary conditions considering the heat flux impinging the insulation. On these premises, this work evaluates how the new simple formula fares with respect to the EN1993-1-2 formula. In this respect, a comprehensive comparison with the results of 1-D and 2-D analyses considering several insulation materials and thicknesses of insulation and steel is thoroughly presented. The proposal results in being always safe and better estimates steel temperatures relevant in the structural fire engineering context. Its use is particularly recommended for heavily insulated sections, where the ratio between the insulation and the steel heat capacities is higher than 14, and the EN1993-1-2 formula gives unsafe predictions.
Mass-Charge Metric in Curved Spacetime
Authors: Haug Espen Gaarder , Spavieri Gianfranco
Published: November 2023

In the context of gravitational objects with spherical symmetry, we derive a solution to Einstein’s field equations using two methods leading to the same result. The first is based on a stress-energy tensor that takes into account both the electric field energy of the charge and the gravitational field energy of the mass. The second is based on the mass-energy equivalence and has more general validity. We show that the metric falls within the Weyl class of metrics, representing a static and axisymmetric solution to Einstein’s field equations. The metric, which has a form similar to that of Reisser-Nordström, is used for predictions in strong fields and possibly shows better agreement with observation in high z quasars.
Binding of small molecule inhibitors to RNA polymerase-Spt5 complex impacts RNA and DNA stability
Authors: Gallardo Adan , Dutagaci Bercem
Published: November 2023

Spt5 is an elongation factor that associates with RNA polymerase II (Pol II) during transcription and has important functions in promoter-proximal pausing and elongation processivity. Spt5 was also recognized for its roles in the transcription of expanded-repeat genes that are related to neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, a set of Spt5-Pol II small molecule inhibitors (SPIs) were reported, which selectively inhibit mutant huntingtin gene transcription. Inhibition mechanisms as well as interaction sites of these SPIs with Pol II and Spt5 are not entirely known. In this study, we predicted the binding sites of three selected SPIs at the Pol II-Spt5 interface by docking and molecular dynamics simulations. Two molecules out of three demonstrated strong binding with Spt5 and Pol II, while the other molecule was more loosely bound and sampled multiple binding sites. Strongly bound SPIs indirectly affected RNA and DNA dynamics at the exit site as DNA became more flexible while RNA was stabilized by increased interactions with Spt5. Our results suggest that the transcription inhibition mechanism induced by SPIs can be related to Spt5-nucleic acid interactions, which were altered to some extent with strong binding of SPIs.
Investigation of the hydrogen bonded host‧‧‧guest and guest‧‧‧guest interactions present in complexes of a polyaromatic wheel-and-axle host compound with dioxane, morpholine, piperidine and pyridine
Authors: Barton Benita , Caira Mino R. , Vorgers Jarryd , Hosten Eric C.
Published: November 2023

1,4-Bis(diphenylhydroxymethyl)benzene (H), a host compound possessing wheel-and-axle geometry, was found to possess host ability for dioxane (DIO), morpholine (MOR) and piperidine (PIP), forming inclusion compounds with each one with 1:2 host:guest ratios. This observation prompted an investigation of the host behaviour in mixtures of these guest compounds but where pyridine (PYR) was also considered (PYR was reported earlier to also form a 1:2 complex with H). In mixtures, H demonstrated significant affinities for, more especially, MOR and PIP, while DIO and PYR were usually disfavoured guest species. Single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments revealed that MOR (a favoured guest species) interacted by means of three hydrogen bonds with both adjacent guest and host molecules, plausibly explaining the host preference for this guest species; each of DIO, PYR and PIP were involved in only one interaction of this type with H. Total energy calculations revealed that the host-guest molecular pairs involving preferred MOR and PIP possessed significantly lower energies than those with disfavoured DIO and PYR. Thermal analyses demonstrated that the complex containing the least favoured guest compound, H‧2(DIO), possessed the lowest thermal stability of the four complexes, but these experiments did not clearly explain the affinity of H for MOR.
Distribution of Patterns of Constrained Length in Binary Sequences
Authors: Makri Frosso S. , Psillakis Zaharias M.
Published: November 2023

On a finite sequence of binary (0-1) trials we define a random variable enumerating patterns of length subject to certain constraints. For sequences of independent and identically distributed binary trials exact probability mass functions are established in closed forms by means of combinatorial analysis. An explicit expression of the mean value of this random variable is obtained. The results associated with the probability mass functions are extended on sequences of exchangeable binary trials. An application in Information theory concerning counting of a class of run-length-limited binary sequences is provided as a direct byproduct of our study. Illustrative numerical examples exemplify further the results.
Counterfactual mood in Czech, German, Norwegian, and Russian
Authors: Sæbø Kjell Johan
Published: November 2023

The type of mood or tense marking that causes counterfactuality inferences—as figuring prominently, but far from exclusively, in counterfactual conditionals—has not yet received a comprehensive and compositional analysis. Focusing on four languages, the paper presents under-appreciated facts and a novel theory where the mood serves to activate alternatives to modal operators, particularly one: the identity operator, often giving rise to counterfactual implicatures.
Organized representations forming a computationally useful processing structure
Authors: Shea Nicholas
Published: November 2023

Peter Godfrey-Smith recently introduced the idea of representational ‘organization’. When a collection of representations form an organized family, similar representational vehicles carry similar contents. For example, where neural firing rate represents numerosity (an analogue magnitude representation), similar firing rates represent similar numbers of items. Organization has been elided with structural representation, but the two are in fact distinct. An under-appreciated merit of representational organization is the way it facilitates computational processing. Representations from different organized families can interact, for example to perform addition. Their being organized allows them to implement a useful computation. Many of the cases where organization has seemed significant, but which fall short of structural representation, are cases where representational organization underpins a computationally useful processing structure.
What influences users to provide explicit feedback? A case of food delivery recommenders
Authors: Haruyama Matthew , Hidaka Kazuyoshi
Published: November 2023

Although various forms of explicit feedback such as ratings and reviews are important for recommenders, they are notoriously difficult to collect. However, beyond attributing these difficulties to user effort, we know surprisingly little about user motivations. Here, we provide a behavioral account of explicit feedback’s sparsity problem by modeling a range of constructs on the rating and review intentions of US food delivery platform users, using data collected from a structured survey (n = 796). Our model, combining the Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned Behavior, revealed that standard industry practices for feedback collection appear misaligned with key psychological influences of behavioral intentions. Most notably, rating and review intentions were most influenced by subjective norms. This means that while most systems directly request feedback in user-to-provider relationships, eliciting them through social ties that manifest in user-to-user relationships is likely more effective. Secondly, our hypothesized dimensions of feedback’s perceived usefulness recorded insubstantial effect sizes on feedback intentions. These findings offered clues for practitioners to improve the connection between providing behaviors and recommendation benefits through contextualized messaging. In addition, perceived pressure and users’ high stated ability to provide feedback recorded insignificant effects, suggesting that frequent feedback requests may be ineffective. Lastly, privacy concerns recorded insignificant effects, hinting that the personalization-privacy paradox might not apply to preference information such as ratings and reviews. Our results provide a novel understanding of explicit feedback intentions to improve feedback collection in food delivery and beyond.
Understanding Visitors’ Curiosity in a Science Centre with Deep Question Processing Network
Authors: Xu Zhaozhen , Howarth Amelia , Briggs Nicole , Cristianini Nello
Published: November 2023

Questions have a critical role in learning and teaching. People ask questions to obtain information and express interest in ideas. The Bristol scientific centre “We The Curious” launched “Project What If” in 2017 to inspire residents of Bristol to record their questions and pursue their curiosities. Researching these questions may help the museum better understand the curiosity of its audiences and create exhibitions or educational content that are more relevant to their interests and lives. The project managed to collect more than 10,000 questions on various topics, and more questions are being collected on a daily basis. With this large amount of data collected, it is time-consuming to process and analyse all the questions by humans. This research aims to apply artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and models in analysing these questions gathered by We The Curious. Meanwhile, in AI, there is a lack of tools that focus on processing and analysing the questions. Thus, we introduce a deep neural network called QBERT to process the questions for three tasks: question taxonomy, equivalent question detection, and question answering. Then we apply QBERT to provide an analysis of the questions collected by We The Curious, as well as comprehend Bristolians’ curiosity. Then using QBERT, we categorise the We The Curious questions into 90 themes and 5,930 communities. Moreover, 436 questions are answered by one-sentence answers extracted from Wikipedia.
ESS MS-G3D: extension and supplement shift MS-G3D network for the assessment of severe mental retardation
Authors: Liu Quan , Cai Mincheng , Liu Dujuan , Ma Simeng , Zhang Qianhong , Xiang Dan , Yao Lihua , Liu Zhongchun , Yang Jun
Published: November 2023

Automated mental retardation (MR) assessment is potential for improving the diagnostic efficiency and objectivity in clinical practice. Based on the researches on abnormal behavior characteristics of patients with MR, we propose an extension and supplement shift multi-scale G3D (ESS MS-G3D) network for video-based assessment of MR. Specifically, all videos are collected from clinical diagnostic scenarios and the skeleton sequence of human body is extracted from videos through an advanced pose estimation model. To solve the shortcomings of existing behavior characteristic learning methods, we present: (1) three G3D styles, enable the network to have different input forms; (2) two G3D graphs and two extension graphs, redefine and extend the graph structure of spatial–temporal nodes; (3) two learnable parameters, realize adaptive adjustment of graph structure; (4) a shift layer, enable the network to learn global features. Finally, we construct a three-branch model ESS MS-STGC, which can capture the discriminative spatial–temporal features and explore the co-occurrence relationship between spatial and temporal domains. Experiments in clinical video data set show that our proposed model has good performance in MR assessment and is superior to the existing vision-based methods. In two-classification task, our model with joint stream achieves the highest accuracy of $$94.63\%$$

94.63
%

in validation set and $$89.13\%$$

89.13
%

in test set. The results are further improved to $$96.52\%$$

96.52
%

and $$93.22\%$$

93.22
%

, respectively, by utilizing multi-stream fusion strategy. In four-classification task, our model obtains Top1 accuracy of $$78.84\%$$

78.84
%

and Top2 accuracy of $$91.34\%$$

91.34
%

in test set. The proposed method provides a new idea for clinical mental retardation assessment.
Application of frequency selection and geoelectrical sounding methods for mapping of leachate’s pathways in an active dumpsite
Authors: Adagunodo Theophilus Aanuoluwa , Ojoawo Ayobami Ismaila , Anie Nicholas Oliseloke , Edukugho Praise Oforitsenere
Published: November 2023

Contamination of surrounding environments is one of the threats to the proper maintenance of municipal waste sites in developing nations. This study integrates natural electromagnetic (EM) field and geoelectrical sounding methods to assess the leachate’s pathways in the near-surface layers and groundwater system in and around an active dumpsite. Five natural EM traverses were obtained in varying orientations using PQWT-TC 150 model. Fifteen vertical electrical sounding (VES) data points were randomly occupied using SAS 4000 ABEM resistivity meter. The two techniques revealed some intercalations of conductive and resistive media in the study area. The conductive media are composed of mixtures of leachates into clay and groundwater units, thereby creating zones of very low electrical potential differences from the surface to a depth beyond 30 m. A zone of leachate-aquifer’s interphase exists between the third layer and the fourth layer. The directions of the fluid flow are in the S–N and SE–NW trends, which could be linked to the fault towards the northwestern part of the study area. The fluid dynamics, however, justified the reason for the thick conductive materials being mapped at the northwestern and northern parts of the study area.
Evaluation of F3S4-m loaded liposomes as anti-AChE and its cytotoxic activity in PC12 and HMC3 cells
Authors: Camarillo López Raúl Horacio , Fragoso Morales Leticia Guadalupe , Delgado Cárdenas Lilia Fernanda , Rivera Antonio Astrid Mayleth , Corea Mónica , Santos Macías Juan Israel , Olvera Valdez Marycruz , Rosales Hernández Martha Cecilia
Published: November 2023

The current research discusses the loaded of F3S4-m compound reported with multitarget activity acting as an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), beta-secretase 1 (BACE1), and amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation. Despite great effort has been done to have a compound to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and not only its symptomatology, nowadays there is not an effective compound in the market yet. Several synthetized compounds reported having a good activity in vitro study turned out not having it in vivo, it is believed that many of them are not able to reach the brain due to low biodisponibility, besides many of them have charged chemicals groups or tertiary amines, which have been substrates of deaminases enzymes. Therefore, the use of liposomes results an interesting strategy to deliver this kind of compounds to the brain. Then in this work it is proposed the use flexible liposomes made from phosphatidylcholine (PC) and cholesterol (Chol) to encapsulate the F3S4-m compound and evaluate its inhibitory activity against AChE. The results showed that empty liposomes particle size is influenced by the content of cholesterol in their membranes being larger for those containing 20% of cholesterol than those with 10%. The toxicity of F3S4-m loaded liposomes in PC12 cells was also evaluated employing the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay (MTT). The results showed that F3S4-m loaded liposomes can inhibit the enzymatic activity of AChE, but the concentration of encapsulated F3S4-m needed to inhibit AChE was 2-times higher than what was previously reported in solution.

Graphical abstract
Evidence pyramid and artificial intelligence: a metamorphosis of clinical research
Authors: Bellini Valentina , Ori Enrico , Coccolini Federico , Bignami Elena
Published: November 2023

We are in the era of disruption. New technologies are all around us and they change our professional and non-professional life very quickly. Evidence-based medicine is changing accordingly. We propose a new version of the evidence pyramid that evolves through the changes of our novel perspective. New technologies are manipulating the pyramid, revealing us unexpected dimensions, and shaping it into a more complex form. From a traditional two-dimensional pyramid, we move on to a three-dimensional one, where the third dimension is represented by the research efforts to go up to the next step. Legal, ethical, educational and cost-effectiveness issues are some of the major current barriers to manage and remove from accessing a secure and daily routine use of these intelligent tools. An additional element, represented by the volume of the step, highlighting the impact in clinical practice of each level of the pyramid, is added creating the fourth new version of evidence pyramid.
Research trends in mental health problems of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A bibliometric and visualization analysis
Authors: Fu Mengxue , Lin Qin , Wu Jijun , Li Pan , Meng Lingyao , Liu Linfeng
Published: November 2023

COVID-19’s impact on children and adolescents’ mental health has heightened global focus, leading to analysis with bibliometric and visualization tools of related studies in the Web of Science™ database from 2020 to 2023. In total, there are 5,189 studies authored by 27,102 researchers from 147 countries and significantly involving 6,926 institutions. These studies are covered by 1,246 journals. Depression, anxiety, and stress are currently well-developed and important research areas and will continue to be a priority and hot topic for further exploration and discussion in the academic research field in the future. However, certain topics, such as child maltreatment, need to be reassessed in terms of their importance. Additionally, emerging areas like telemedicine and vaccine hesitancy have emerged. Fundamental aspects such as COVID-19, family, and parenting reflect the far-reaching impact of the pandemic. Given that public health emergencies may affect the mental health of children and adolescents, it is particularly important to establish specialized response mechanisms. In addition, strengthened interdisciplinary and intersectoral cooperation focusing on the mental health of children and adolescents from vulnerable groups is crucial to ensure their healthy development and promote long-term social stability and scientific and technological progress.
On the More Complex Wavelength Dependency of Airy Isostasy in Icy Shells of Ocean Worlds
Authors: Tucker Wesley S. , Dombard Andrew J.
Published: November 2023

The topography of ocean worlds is often used to infer ice shell thicknesses by assuming topography is compensated by a basal root. We systematically test the stability of isostatically compensated topography in ice shells. At short horizontal wavelengths, lithospheric strength can support surface topography, while at long wavelengths, buoyancy forces can support topography at the surface and base of the ice shell over geologic time scales. These behaviors are also seen for Airy isostasy in terrestrial worlds. Contrastingly at intermediate scales, the mechanically weak lower ice shell can inhibit the transfer of buoyancy forces to the surface. Factors such as surface temperature can alter the contribution of lithospheric strength, decreasing the stability of a compensating root. This nuanced understanding of icy shell lithospheres provides crucial insights for interpreting surface features and inferring underlying ice shell thickness, with substantial relevance for upcoming space missions to the Jovian system.
Explicit Representation of Orographic Anisotropy for All Directions Improves Nanling Mountain Rainfall Simulation
Authors: Xie Jinbo , Zhang Minghua
Published: November 2023

Climate models exhibit significant rainfall bias in mountainous regions. One reason is the insufficient representation of orographic anisotropy in these models. In this study, we implement the orographic drag scheme with 3‐D orographic anisotropy (all flow directions (AFD)) into a general circulation model and investigate its impact on Nanling rainfall simulation where models have systematic dry bias in the summer. It is shown that the AFD alleviated the Nanling mountain rainfall bias by over 60%. This is through an anomalous “lower‐convergence‐higher‐divergence” deceleration pattern of the flow windward of the Nanling Mountains that enhanced vertical motion and low‐level moisture convergence. The results suggest the importance of explicit orographic anisotropy representation in rainfall simulation in mountainous regions.
Pore Pressure in Montmorillonite During Frictional Sliding
Authors: Chu Chaw‐Long , Wang Chi‐Yuen
Published: November 2023

Earth's shallow crust is pervasively breached by fractures and faults that are often filled with saturated clays such as montmorillonite. Pore pressure in montmorillonite is difficult to measure due to its extremely low permeability, resulting in large uncertainties in its friction, which, in turn, may impact our understanding on the mechanical behaviors of the shallow crust. This difficulty motivates us to investigate pore pressure in montmorillonite during frictional sliding. Here we provide a first order understanding on the evolution of pore pressure in montmorillonite during frictional sliding by combining experimental data with an analytical consolidation model. Our result shows large variations in pore pressure in montmorillonite during frictional sliding, which need correction for the evaluation of friction of montmorillonite. We re‐visit this problem with the measured stresses at the end of our slow loading experiments where the modeled pore pressure approaches zero and obtain a new relation that shows a significant cohesive strength. The new relation may be united with our modeled pore pressure with a Biot‐Willis effective stress coefficient of α ∼ 0.5. X‐ray powder diffraction analysis of our samples shows evidence that intense deformation occurred during the frictional sliding with strain‐hardening, consistent with the occurrence of shear localization in the clay matrix following extended frictional sliding (Tembe et al., 2010, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JB006383). These results suggest that our new relation may represent a constitutive relation for an intensely sheared, saturated montmorillonite in frictional sliding. Our result also suggests that substantial cohesion may appear on some natural clay‐rich faults.
Edge mode percolation and equilibration in the topological insulator cadmium arsenide
Authors: Munyan Simon , Guo Binghao , Huynh William , Huang Victor , Stemmer Susanne
Published: November 2023

Two-dimensional topological insulators can feature one-dimensional charge transport via edge modes, which offer a rich ground for studying exotic quasi-particles and for quantum materials applications. In this work, we use lateral junction devices, defined by nanoscale finger gates, to study edge mode transport in the two-dimensional topological insulator Cd3As2. The finger gate can be tuned to transmit an integer number of quantum Hall edge modes and exhibits full equilibration in the bipolar regime. When the Fermi level of the channel crosses a Landau level, reflected modes percolate through the channel, resulting in an anomalous conductance peak. The device does not fully pinch off when the channel is tuned into the topological gap, which is a sign of remnant modes in the channel. These modes are expected from band inversion, while residual bulk conduction associated with the disorder potential may also play a role.
BA.5 bivalent booster vaccination enhances neutralization of XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16 and XBB.1.9 variants in patients with lung cancer
Authors: Valanparambil Rajesh M. , Lai Lilin , Johns Margaret A. , Davis-Gardner Meredith , Linderman Susanne L. , McPherson Tarrant Oliver , Chang Andres , Akhtar Akil , Gamarra Estefany L. Bocangel , Matia Hayley , McCook-Veal Ashley A. , Switchenko Jeffrey , Nasti Tahseen H. , Green Felicia , Saini Manpreet , Wieland Andreas , Pinsky Benjamin A. , Solis Daniel , Dhodapkar Madhav V. , Carlisle Jennifer , Ramalingam Suresh , Ahmed Rafi , Suthar Mehul S.
Published: November 2023

This study reports that most patients with NSCLC had a significant increase in the nAb response to the currently circulating Omicron variants after bivalent booster vaccination and had Ab titers comparable to healthy participants. Interestingly, though the durability of the nAb response persisted in most of the healthy participants, patients with NSCLC had significantly reduced nAb titers after 4–6 months of vaccination. Our data highlight the importance of COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccination as the standard of care for patients with NSCLC given the evolution of new variants of concern.
Respiratory syncytial virus in pediatric patients with severe acute respiratory infections in Senegal: findings from the 2022 sentinel surveillance season
Authors: Jallow Mamadou Malado , Diagne Moussa Moise , Sagne Samba Niang , Tall Fatime , Diouf Jean Baptisse Niokhor , Boiro Djibril , Mendy Marie Pedapa , Ndiaye Ndiendé Koba , Kiori Davy , Sy Sara , Goudiaby Déborah , Loucoubar Cheikh , Fall Gamou , Barry Mamadou Aliou , Dia Ndongo
Published: November 2023

In 2022, many regions around the world experienced a severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemic with an earlier-than-usual start and increased numbers of paediatric patients in emergency departments. Here we carried out this study to describe the epidemiology and genetic characteristics of RSV infection in patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infections in 2022. Samples were tested for RSV by multiplex real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Subsequently, a subset of RSV positive samples was selected for NGS sequencing. RSV was detected in 16.04%, among which RSV-A was confirmed in 7.5% and RSV-B in 76.7%. RSV infection were more identified in infants aged ≤ 11 months (83.3%) and a shift in the circulation pattern was observed, with highest incidences between September–November. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all RSV-A strains belonged to GA2.3.5 genotype and all RSV-B strains to GB5.0.5a genotype. Three putative N-glycosylation sites at amino acid positions 103, 135, 237 were predicted among RSV-A strains, while four N-linked glycosylation sites at positions 81, 86, 231 and 294 were identified in RSV-B strains. Globally, our findings reveal an exclusive co-circulation of two genetic lineages of RSV within the pediatric population in Senegal, especially in infants aged ≤ 11 months.
The effect of leucocytosis on retinopathy of prematurity
Authors: Sun Zhihong , He Lu , Zhao Congcong , Zhang Hongbo , Cheng Ping , Wang Yingying , Li Mingchao , Yu Zengyuan , Sun Huiqing
Published: November 2023

Postnatal leukocytosis reflects the general condition of inflammatory. Infection and inflammatory reaction have been proven to affect the occurrence of ROP and other visual dysfunction. Infants with a gestational age of < 28 weeks who were less than three days of age and admitted to the hospital between September 2015 and March 2021 were included in the study. Infants with a white blood cell (WBC) count ≥ 30 × 109/L were assigned to the leucocytosis group (n = 82). Gestational age- and weight-matched infants without leucocytosis were included as a control group (n = 85). The incidence and prognosis of ROP in preterm infants were compared between the groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyse the correlation between the WBC count and severe ROP. Compared to the infants in the control group, those in the leucocytosis group had lower 1-min Apgar scores (p < 0.001); higher C-reactive protein (p < 0.001) and procalcitonin (p < 0.001); and higher incidences of intracranial haemorrhage (p = 0.007), leukomalacia (p = 0.045), sepsis (p = 0.006), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (p = 0.017). The maternal age was higher in the leucocytosis group (p < 0.001). After adjusting for gestational age at 45 weeks, the incidence of severe ROP (p = 0.001) and the requirement for ranibizumab injections (p = 0.004) were higher in the leucocytosis group. The cut-off WBC count was determined to be 19.1 × 109/L, with a sensitivity of 88.6%, a specificity of 77.3%, and an area under the curve of 0.941 (95% confidence interval: 0.904–0.978) for the detection of severe ROP. Leucocytosis may be associated with severe ROP in premature infants.
Circulating thyroid hormones and clinical parameters of heart failure in men
Authors: Turić Iva , Velat Ivan , Bušić Željko , Čulić Viktor
Published: November 2023

Heart failure (HF) is a multiple hormonal deficiency syndrome which includes alterations in the serum concentration of thyroid hormones (TH). This cross-sectional study enrolled 215 male patients hospitalised for acute HF. Data on cardiovascular risk factors, chronic medications, cardiac function assessed by echocardiography, and clinical parameters of HF were prospectively collected. The independent predictive association of TH with all investigated parameters of the HF severity were assessed. The patient’s mean age was 74.4 years, 57.2% had arterial hypertension, 54.0% were consuming alcohol, and 42.3% were diabetics. Multivariate analysis revealed that total triiodothyronine (TT3) was an independent predictor of greater left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; β = 0.223, p = 0.008), less progressed left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD; β = − 0.271, p = 0.001) and lower N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP; β = − 0.365, p < 0.001). None of the TH other than TT3 was associated with LVDD or NT-proBNP, whereas free triiodothyronine (β = − 0.197, p = 0.004), free thyroxine (β = − 0.223, p = 0.001) and total thyroxine (β = − 0.140, p = 0.041) were inversely associated with LVEF. The present study suggests that, among TH, serum TT3 level is most closely associated with echocardiographic, laboratory and clinical parameters of the severity of HF in men.
Treatment of recalcitrant femur nonunion with pedicled corticoperiosteal medial femoral condyle flap
Authors: Özdemir Ali , Odabaşı Egemen , Eravsar Ebubekir , Safalı Selim , Acar Mehmet Ali
Published: November 2023

Periosteal or osteoperiosteal medial femoral condyle (MFC) flaps may be good options for atrophic nonunion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pedicled MFC flap in the treatment of recalcitrant femur nonunion without bone defect. Thirteen patients (11 male and 2 female), who suffered recalcitrant femur nonunion and were treated with pedicled osteoperiosteal MFC flap between January 2014 and April 2018, were included in this study. Patient files were reviewed retrospectively. Atrophic or recalcitrant 2/3 distal femoral nonunion were the indications for this clinical procedure. Demographics and operative data, flap size, visual analog scale (VAS) score, time to union, and complications were evaluated. A total of 13 patients underwent femur nonunion treatment with MFC flap after an average of 3.4 previous surgical procedures. The median age was 34 (Q1: 32.5, Q3:43) years old. The mean flap size was 4.3 × 6.4 cm, all nonunions healed in a median 5 months (Q1: 4.5, Q3: 6). There were an intraoperative knee medial collateral ligament injury in a patient, hematoma in a patient, and seroma in two patients. The median length of the follow-up was 40 months (Q1: 30, Q3: 47). There wasn’t any additional complication in long-term follow-up. Functional outcomes were satisfactory. The median preoperative VAS score was 7 (Q1: 6, Q3: 9.5), decreasing to 1 (Q1: 0, Q3: 1) at the 6-month follow-up, and further reducing to 0 (Q1: 0, Q3: 1) at the 24-month follow-up. The nonunion period ranged from 6 to 18 months. The pedicled MFC flap is a good option for recalcitrant femur nonunion where larger vascularized flaps are not warranted. It is easy to harvest, does not require microvascular anastomosis, is effective, and offers minimal donor site morbidity.
Exploration of the molecular mechanism of intercellular communication in paediatric neuroblastoma by single-cell sequencing
Authors: Chu Jing
Published: November 2023

Neuroblastoma (NB) is an embryonic tumour that originates in the sympathetic nervous system and occurs most often in infants and children under 2 years of age. Moreover, it is the most common extracranial solid tumour in children. Increasing studies suggest that intercellular communication within the tumour microenvironment is closely related to tumour development. This study aimed to construct a prognosis-related intercellular communication-associated genes model by single-cell sequencing and transcriptome sequencing to predict the prognosis of patients with NB for precise management. Single-cell data from patients with NB were downloaded from the gene expression omnibus database for comprehensive analysis. Furthermore, prognosis-related genes were screened in the TARGET database based on epithelial cell marker genes through a combination of Cox regression and Lasso regression analyses, using GSE62564 and GSE85047 for external validation. The patients’ risk scores were calculated, followed by immune infiltration analysis, drug sensitivity analysis, and enrichment analysis of risk scores, which were conducted for the prognostic model. I used the Lasso regression feature selection algorithm to screen characteristic genes in NB and developed a 21-gene prognostic model. The risk scores were highly correlated with multiple immune cells and common anti-tumour drugs. Furthermore, the risk score was identified as an independent prognostic factor for NB. In this study, I constructed and validated a prognostic signature based on epithelial marker genes, which may provide useful information on the development and prognosis of NB.