bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TiRobot-assisted percutaneous kyphoplasty in the management of multilevel (more than three levels) osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture
Authors: Lin Shu , Tang Liu-yi , Wang Fei , Yuan Xin-wei , Hu Jiang , Liang Wei-min
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To compare the effectiveness of TiRobot-assisted kyphoplasty with that of the traditional fluoroscopy-assisted approach in treating multilevel osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

Methods

In this retrospective study, we collected data from 71 patients (TiRobot-assisted group, n = 39; fluoroscopy-assisted group, n = 32) with multilevel osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture treated with unilateral traditional TiRobot-assisted or fluoroscopy-assisted percutaneous kyphoplasty. The operative time, infusion volume, length of stay (LOS), hospital expenses, visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), radiation exposure, puncture deviation, anterior height of diseased vertebrae, local kyphotic angle, bone cement distribution, and bone cement leakage were compared between the TiRobot- and fluoroscopy-assisted groups.

Results

Of the 257 treated vertebrae, the average amount of bone cement injected in the TiRobot-assisted (142 vertebrae) and fluoroscopy-assisted (115 vertebrae) groups was 4.6 mL and 4.5 mL, respectively. The VAS score was significantly lower in the TiRobot-assisted group at 24 hours post-operatively (p = 0.006). The X-ray frequency was 34.7 times in the TiRobot-assisted group and 51.7 times in the fluoroscopy-assisted group (p < 0.001). In addition to the operative time, cumulative radiation dose for the surgeon and patient was significantly lower in the TiRobot-assisted group. The hospital expenses of the TiRobot-assisted group were significantly higher (p < 0.001). The puncture deviation and bone cement distribution were better in the TiRobot-assisted group (p < 0.001). Bone cement leakage was found in 18 and 29 cases in the TiRobot- and fluoroscopy-assisted groups, respectively (p = 0.010). One patient in the fluoroscopy-assisted group experienced radiculopathy due to a misplaced puncture but recovered in three months. No radiculopathy was observed in the TiRobot-assisted group.

Conclusions

TiRobot-assisted percutaneous multilevel kyphoplasty is more accurate and has smaller radiometry, a more uniform bone cement distribution, and lower bone cement leakage. This method was therefore accurate and safe.
Investigating the causal risk factors for self-harm by integrating Mendelian randomisation within twin modelling
Authors: Lim Kai Xiang , Oginni Olakunle Ayokunmi , Rimfeld Kaili , Pingault Jean-Baptiste , Rijsdijk Frühling
Published: September 2022

Previous genetically informed studies have uncovered likely causal relationships between mental health problems and self-harm but resulting causal estimates may be biased due to unmediated pleiotropy. By fitting Mendelian Randomization - Direction of Causation (MR-DoC) models that explicitly model pleiotropy, we investigated the effect of four quantitatively measured mental health problems - major depressive disorder (MDD), schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and insomnia, on non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) and suicidal self-harm (SSH), separately. We used data of 12,723 twins (56.6% females) in the Twins Early Development Study. Besides substantial pleiotropy, we found effects from child-rated depressive symptoms to both NSSH (β = 0.194, 95% CIs: 0.131, 0.257) and SSH (β = 0.210, 95% CIs: 0.125, 0.295). Similarly, effects flowed from parent-rated depressive symptoms to NSSH (β = 0.092, 95% CIs: 0.004, 0.181) and SSH (β = 0.165, 95% CIs: 0.051, 0.281). We did not find evidence of aetiological difference between NSSH and SSH.
The Acid Sphingomyelinase Inhibitor Amitriptyline Ameliorates TNF-α-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction
Authors: Ji Yang , Chen Jing , Pang Lihua , Chen Changnong , Ye Jinhao , Liu Hao , Chen Huanzhen , Zhang Songhui , Liu Shaojun , Liu Benrong , Cheng Chuanfang , Liu Shiming , Zhong Yun
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Inflammation associated endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction is key to atherosclerotic disease. Recent studies have demonstrated a protective role of amitriptyline in cardiomyocytes induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation. However, the mechanism by which amitriptyline regulates the inflammatory reaction in ECs remains unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether amitriptyline protects against inflammation in TNF-α-treated ECs.

Methods

HUVECs were incubated with amitriptyline (2.5 μM) or TNF-α (20 ng/ml) for 24 h. EdU, tube formation, transwell, DHE fluorescence staining, and monocyte adhesion assays were performed to investigate endothelial function. Thoracic aortas were isolated from mice, and vascular tone was measured with a wire myograph system. The levels of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, MCP-1, phosphorylated MAPK and NF-κB were detected using western blotting.

Results

Amitriptyline increased the phosphorylation of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and the release of NO. Amitriptyline significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced increases in ASMase activity and the release of ceramide and downregulated TNF-α-induced expression of proinflammatory proteins, including ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and MCP-1 in ECs, as well as the secretion of sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1. TNF-α treatment obviously increased monocyte adhesion and ROS production and impaired HUVEC proliferation, migration and tube formation, while amitriptyline rescued proliferation, migration, and tube formation and decreased monocyte adhesion and ROS production. Additionally, we demonstrated that amitriptyline suppressed TNF-α-induced MAPK phosphorylation as well as the activity of NF-κB in HUVECs. The results showed that the relaxation response of aortic rings to acetylcholine in the WT-TNF-α group was much lower than that in the WT group, and the sensitivity of aortic rings to acetylcholine in the WT-TNF-α group and WT-AMI-TNF-α group was significantly higher than that in the WT-TNF-α group.

Conclusion

These results suggest that amitriptyline reduces endothelial inflammation, consequently improving vascular endothelial function. Thus, the identification of amitriptyline as a potential strategy to improve endothelial function is important for preventing vascular diseases.
Modification of nanocellulose films in deep eutectic solvents using vinyl esters
Authors: Lakovaara Matias , Sirviö Juho Antti , Sliz Rafal , Vida Július , Homola Tomáš , Liimatainen Henrikki
Published: September 2022

The hydrophilicity of nanocellulose materials mitigates their good mechanical and oxygen barrier properties when exposed to humid conditions. It also limits nanocellulose use in many applications where water is present. This study reveals hydrophobic modification of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) films with vinyl esters of variable alkyl chain length using deep eutectic solvent (DES) of imidazole and triethylmethylammonium chloride as a reaction medium. Additionally, the influence of ultraviolet-ozone (UV/O3) pretreatment on CNF film modification in DES was addressed. The esterification of CNF films in DES was proven to be a simple and fast approach to increase the hydrophobicity of the films (increasing the contact angle from 38° to 107°), requiring only a 15 min reaction time and reaction temperature of 80 °C. Moreover, the modification improved water vapor barrier properties of the films and resulted in improved mechanical properties at wet state, especially with films treated with UV and ozone before modification.
Thermal Pressure in the Thermal Equation of State for Solid and a Proposed Substitute
Authors: Yan Jinyuan , Yang Shizhong
Published: September 2022

The thermal equation of state (TEOS) for solids is a mathematic model among pressure, temperature and density, and is essential for geophysical, geochemical, and other high pressure–temperature (high P–T) researches. However, in the last few decades, there has been a growing concern about the accuracy of the pressure scales of the calibrants, and efforts have been made to improve it by either introducing a reference standard or building new thermal pressure models. The existing thermal equation of state,P(V,T) = P(V,T0) + Pth(V,T), consists of an isothermal compression and an isochoric heating, while the thermal pressure is the pressure change in the isochoric heating. In this paper, we demonstrate that, for solids in a soft pressure medium in a diamond anvil cell, the thermal pressure can neither be determined from a single heating process, nor from the thermal pressure of its calibrant. To avoid the thermal pressure, we propose to replace the thermal pressure with a well-known thermal expansion model, and integrate it with the isothermal compression model to yields a Birch–Murnaghan-expansion TEOS model, called VPT TEOS. The predicted pressure of MgO and Au at ambient pressure from Birch–Murnaghan-expansion VPT TEOS model matches the experimental pressure of zero (0) GPa very well, while the pressure prediction from the approximated Anderson PVT TEOS exhibit a big deviation and a wrong trend.
Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior in the Social Commerce Context: A Meta-Analytic SEM (MASEM) Approach
Authors: Leong Lai-Ying , Hew Teck-Soon , Ooi Keng-Boon , Metri Bhimaraya , Dwivedi Yogesh K.
Published: September 2022

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is popular in social commerce research, but existing studies have yielded inconclusive and inconsistent findings. As TPB was developed before the introduction of the Internet, Web 2.0 technologies, and social media, it is time to evaluate whether its relevance, effectiveness, novelty, and parsimony may have deteriorated due to temporal factors and the emergence of new Information Systems (IS) artifacts. In this work, an extended TPB2 is proposed by integrating social support, and MASEM analysis was conducted using a pooled correlation matrix. The findings revealed that TPB2 can better capture the nature of social commerce, as it can explain 28.4% of the variance in attitude, 59.0% of the variance in behavioral intention, and 9% of the variance in use behavior. In addition, it indicates that masculinity and uncertainty avoidance are the most significant Hofstedian cultural dimensions. The theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed along with the research agenda.
Dislocation-mediated and twinning-induced plasticity of CoCrFeMnNi in varying tribological loading scenarios
Authors: Dollmann Antje , Kauffmann Alexander , Heilmaier Martin , Srinivasan Tirunilai Aditya , Mantha Lakshmi Sravani , Kübel Christian , Eder Stefan J. , Schneider Johannes , Greiner Christian
Published: September 2022

Coarse-grained, metallic materials undergo microstructure refinement during tribological loading. This in turn results in changing tribological properties, so the microstructural evolution is a parameter which should not be underestimated while designing tribological systems. Single-trace experiments were conducted to understand the initiation of deformation mechanisms acting in various tribological systems. The main scope of this work was to investigate the influence of normal and friction forces as well as crystal orientations on the dominating deformation mechanism in a face-centred cubic concentrated solid solution. While varying the normal force is easily realised, varying friction forces were achieved by using several counter body materials paired against CoCrFeMnNi. The subsurface deformation layer was either mediated through dislocation slip or twinning, depending on the grain orientation and on the tribological system. A layer dominated by dislocation-based deformation is characterised by lattice rotation, the formation of a dislocation trace line or subgrain formation. Such behaviour is observed for tribological systems with a low friction coefficient. For systems dominated by deformation twinning, three types of twin appearance were observed: small twins interacting with the surface, large twins and grains with two active twin systems. Two different twinning mechanisms are discussed as responsible for these characteristics.

Graphical abstract
Urban regeneration through retrofitting social housing: the AURA 3.1 prototype
Authors: Herrera-Limones Rafael , Hernández-Valencia Miguel , Roa-Fernández Jorge
Published: September 2022

As a large proportion of housing stock does not meet the current demands for energy and comfort (leading to high levels of obsolescence and vulnerability), the annual rate of energy upgrades for the existing stock must be increased. The AURA Strategy is an intervention methodology which focuses on the regeneration of neighbourhoods or obsolete urban fabrics which suffer from high levels of architectural, urban and socio-economic vulnerability. Within this context, the AURA 3.1 prototype was developed for the Solar Decathlon Europe 2019 Competition. The project was based around a sustainable construction strategy for the urban regeneration of obsolete residential neighbourhoods, through the reuse of existing buildings considering Mediterranean climate and energy. The Poligono San Pablo neighbourhood was chosen as the case study. This article presents the main retrofit action: the juxtaposition on the existing building of a structural-architectural system which provides new technological and spatial features. Quantitative data regarding the validity and effectiveness of the AURA Strategy could be collected from the monitoring of the Pavilion prototype during the competition. Two first prizes were won in contests with on-site measurements: Comfort conditions and House Functioning. Third place was also obtained in the Sustainability contest, thus confirming the enormous possibilities the AURA Strategy has for sustainable urban regeneration in retrofitting social housing, within the limitations of the competition.
Identification and Characterisation of Trajectories of Sickness Absence Due to Musculoskeletal Pain: A 1-Year Population-based Study
Authors: Rysstad Tarjei , Grotle Margreth , Aasdahl Lene , Dunn Kate M. , Tveter Anne Therese
Published: September 2022

Purpose This study aimed to identify trajectories of sickness absence in workers on sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders and explore the association between these trajectories and established prognostic factors for sickness absence. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of 549 workers (56% women, aged 18–67 years) on sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders in Norway in 2018–2019. Sickness absence data were collected from the Norwegian sick leave registry and prognostic factors via self-reported baseline questionnaires. We used group-based trajectory modelling to define the different trajectories of sickness absence spanning a 1-year period. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for prognostic factors associated with the identified trajectory groups. Results We identified six distinct trajectories of sickness absence over 1 year: ‘fast decrease’ (27% of the cohort): ‘moderate decrease’ (22%); ‘slow decrease’ (12%); ‘u-shape’ (7%); ‘persistent moderate’ (13%); and ‘persistent high’ (18%). Prognostic factors, such as previous sickness absence days, return-to-work expectancy, workability, multisite pain, and health scores, differentiated between the sickness absence trajectories (all P < 0.05). Negative return-to-work expectancy was associated with the three trajectory groups with the highest number of sickness absence days (‘slow decrease’, ‘persistent moderate’, and ‘persistent high’). Conclusions This is the first study to explore the association of return-to-work expectancy with trajectories of sickness absence. Our findings highlight different patterns of sickness absence and the complex range of prognostic factors. These findings have implications for secondary and tertiary prevention strategies for work absence in workers with musculoskeletal disorders.
ON SOLID CORES AND HULLS OF WEIGHTED BERGMAN SPACES $$A_{\mu }^1$$
Authors: Bonet José , Lusky Wolfgang , Taskinen Jari
Published: September 2022

We consider weighted Bergman spaces $$A_\mu ^1$$

A
μ
1

on the unit disc as well as the corresponding spaces of entire functions, defined using non-atomic Borel measures with radial symmetry. By extending the techniques from the case of reflexive Bergman spaces, we characterize the solid core of $$A_\mu ^1$$

A
μ
1

. Also, as a consequence of a characterization of solid $$A_\mu ^1$$

A
μ
1

-spaces, we show that, in the case of entire functions, there indeed exist solid $$A_\mu ^1$$

A
μ
1

-spaces. The second part of the article is restricted to the case of the unit disc and it contains a characterization of the solid hull of $$A_\mu ^1$$

A
μ
1

, when $$\mu$$
μ
equals the weighted Lebesgue measure with the weight v. The results are based on the duality relation of the weighted $$A^1$$

A
1

- and $$H^\infty$$

H
∞

-spaces, the validity of which requires the assumption that $$-\log v$$

-
log
v

belongs to the class $$\mathcal {W}_0$$

W
0

, studied in a number of publications; moreover, v has to satisfy the condition (b), introduced by the authors. The exponentially decreasing weight $$v(z) = \exp ( -1 /(1-|z|)$$

v
(
z
)
=
exp
(
-
1
/
(
1
-
|
z
|
)

provides an example satisfying both assumptions.
Characterization of phenylalanine hydroxylase gene variants and analysis of genotype–phenotype correlation in patients with phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency from Fujian Province, Southeastern China
Authors: Zhou Jinfu , Zeng Yinglin , Qiu Xiaolong , Lin Qingying , Chen Weifeng , Luo Jinying , Xu Liangpu
Published: September 2022

Background

Phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency (PAHD) is the most prevalent inherited disorder of amino acid metabolism in China. Its complex phenotype includes many variants and genotypes among different populations.

Methods and results

In this study, we analyzed the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene (PAH) variants in a cohort of 93 PAHD patients from Fujian Province. We also assessed genotype and phenotype correlation in patients with PAHD. A total of 44 different pathogenic variants were identified, including five novel variants. The three most prevalent variants among all patents were c.158G > A, p.(Arg53His) (18.03%), c.721C > T, p.(Arg241Cys) (14.75%), and c.728G > A, p.(Arg243Gln) (7.65%). The frequency of the c.158G > A, p.(Arg53His) variant was highest in patients with mild hyperphenylalaninemia, whereas the frequency of the c.1197A > T, p.(Val399 =) and c.331C > T, p.(Arg111Ter) variants was highest in patients with classic phenylketonuria. The most abundant genotypes observed in PAHD patients were c.[158G > A];[728G > A], c.[158G > A];[442-1G > A], and c.[158G > A];[721C > T]. Comparing allelic phenotype to genotypic phenotype values yielded fairly accurate predictions of phenotype, with an overall consistency rate was 85.71% for PAHD patients.

Conclusions

Our study identified a PAH variant spectrum in PAHD patients from Fujian Province, Southeastern China. Quantitative correlation analysis between genotype and phenotype severity is helpful for genetic counseling and management.
Using immersive technologies to facilitate location scouting in audiovisual media production: a user requirements study and proposed framework
Authors: Bodini Aimone , Colecchia Federico , Manohar Arthi , Harrison David , Garaj Vanja
Published: September 2022

In common with many industries, the audiovisual sector is likely to be transformed by real-time graphic engines in combination with immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. This technological mix enables what is presently known as Virtual Production, introducing a new process to the audiovisual professional, capable of fostering creativity, collaboration, and decision making, while at the same time increasing efficiency. The potential for Virtual Production to transform workflows and creative processes within large-scale productions in the audiovisual sector is significant and includes the prospective introduction of new capabilities for remote co-creation of content. However, barriers to democratisation need to be overcome, particularly in relation to adoption of the technology by small and medium independent productions that generally have limited access to resources and technical knowledge. Following an extensive study of the current literature and involvement in the research of professionals working in the field through online interviews, this article documents a first step towards filling this gap by investigating Virtual Production adoption scenarios for small and medium independent productions. The primary aim is to design intuitive, engaging, and effective solutions to address the needs of Directors, Cinematographers, and Producers.

Thanks to the valuable time and experience of industry professionals, this study has gathered user requirements for a Virtual Production design solution capable of facilitating location scouting and pre-production. A novel framework for remote exploration of target locations within immersive environments, co-created with relevant stakeholders, is presented to lay the foundations of future co-design work.
Pretreatment of the ROS Inhibitor Phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone Alleviates Sleep Deprivation-Induced Hyperalgesia by Suppressing Microglia Activation and NLRP3 Inflammasome Activity in the Spinal Dorsal Cord
Authors: Huang Yulin , Hao Jing , Yang Xuli , Xu Li , Liu Yue , Sun Yu’e , Gu Xiaoping , Zhang Wei , Ma Zhengliang
Published: September 2022

Sleep deprivation, a common perioperative period health problem, causes ocular discomfort and affects postsurgical pain. However, the mechanism of sleep deprivation-induced increased pain sensitivity is elusive. This study aims to explore the role of ROS in sleep deprivation (SD)-induced hyperalgesia and the underlying mechanism. A 48-h continuous SD was performed prior to the hind paw incision pain modeling in mice. We measured ROS levels, microglial activation, DNA damage and protein levels of iNOS, NLRP3, p-P65 and P65 in mouse spinal dorsal cord. The involvement of ROS in SD-induced prolongation of postsurgical pain was further confirmed by intrathecal injection of ROS inhibitor, phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN). Pretreatment of 48-h SD in mice significantly prolonged postsurgical pain recovery, manifesting as lowered paw withdrawal mechanical threshold and paw withdrawal thermal latency. It caused ROS increase and upregulation of iNOS on both Day 1 and 7 in mouse spinal dorsal cord. In addition, upregulation of NLRP3 and p-P65, microglial activation and DNA damage were observed in mice pretreated with 48-h SD prior to the incision. Notably, intrathecal injection of PBN significantly reversed the harmful effects of SD on postsurgical pain recovery, hyperalgesia, microglial activation and DNA damage via the NF-κB signaling pathway. Collectively, ROS increase is responsible for SD-induced hyperalgesia through activating microglial, triggering DNA damage and enhancing NLRP3 inflammasome activity in the spinal dorsal cord.
How, and For Whom, Does Higher Education Increase Voting?
Authors: Ahearn Caitlin E. , Brand Jennie E. , Zhou Xiang
Published: September 2022

The college-educated are more likely to vote than are those with less education. Prior research suggests that the effect of college attendance on voting operates directly, by increasing an individual’s interest and engagement in politics through social networks or human capital accumulation. College may also increase voting indirectly by leading to degree attainment and increasing socioeconomic status, thus facilitating political participation. However, few studies have empirically tested these direct and indirect pathways or examined how these effects vary across individuals. To bridge this gap, we employ a nonparametric causal mediation analysis to examine the total, direct, and indirect effects of college attendance on voting and how these effects differ across individuals with different propensities of attending college. Using data from the 1979 and 1997 cohorts of National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth, we find large direct effects of college on self-reported voting and comparably smaller indirect effects that operate through degree completion and socioeconomic attainment. We find the largest impact of college on voting for individuals unlikely to attend, a pattern due primarily to heterogeneity in the direct effect of college. Our findings suggest that civic returns to college are not contingent upon degree completion or socioeconomic returns. An exclusive focus on the economic returns to college can mask the broader societal benefits of expanding higher education to disadvantaged youth.
Privacy-enhancing data aggregation and data analytics in wireless networks for a large class of distributed queries
Authors: Yang Xuechao , Kelarev Andrei , Yi Xun
Published: September 2022

Privacy-enhancing techniques and protocols for data aggregation and analytics in wireless networks require the development of novel methods for efficient and privacy-preserving computation of distributed queries with the protection of outcomes from active attackers. Previous approaches to secure privacy-preserving computation of distributed queries incur significant communication overhead and cannot be applied to big data. This paper proposes two solutions to the problem of efficient and privacy-preserving computation of distributed queries with the protection of outcomes from active outsider attackers for a new large class of distributed statistical or numerical queries. This class contains many useful statistics and is larger than other classes considered in the literature previously. We propose two protocols for the Protection of data from Active Attackers (PAA) in the case of distributed privacy-preserving computation: PAA applying Shamir’s Secret Sharing (PAA-SSS) and PAA applying homomorphic encryption (PAA-HE). The PAA-HE protocol combines the use of ElGamal and Paillier encryption schemes in one system. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that both protocols outperform alternative approaches. PAA-HE provides stronger protection and is more efficient than PAA-SSS.
Planar Reconfigurable Plasma Leaky-Wave Antenna with Electronic Beam-Scanning for MIMO Applications
Authors: Malhat Hend A. , Elhenawy Abdelkarim S. , Zainud-Deen Saber H. , Al-Shalaby Noha A.
Published: September 2022

A planar leaky-wave antenna (LWA) based on the reconfigurable conductivity of the plasma is designed for MIMO applications with electronic beam scanning capability. 112-semi-elliptical ionized plasma gratings are encased by plexiglass grating filled with a noble gas. These gratings are printed on a metal-backed dielectric substrate with total dimensions of $$ L\times {W}_{s}\times h=241\times 262.5\times 2.67\, {\mathrm{mm}}^{3}$$

L
×

W
s

×
h
=
241
×
262.5
×
2.67

mm

3

. A coplanar fed printed Yagi-Uda like dipole antenna is integrated with the LWA to launch the required excitation waves. The radiated beam direction, gain, and the side lobe level are adjusted by controlling the periodicity of ionized/non-ionized plasma gratings. The antenna is compact in construction and has a high gain. A fan-shaped beam is obtained from the LWA semi-elliptical arrays with different aspect ratios. The effect of ON/OFF plasma periodicity configurations on the radiation characteristics at fixed frequency is investigated. At 10.1 GHz, the beam is electronically scanned from − 28 to 34° using different periodicities with high gain of 20 dBi and radiation efficiency of 74%. The mutual coupling between two LWA elements is investigated and is reduced to − 35 dB. Four LWA elements are arranged in MIMO structure for a high data rate application. The envelope correlation coefficient of 0.0002 and diversity gain of 9.9998 dB are achieved.
Three-Dimensional Affine Spatial Logics
Authors: Trybus Adam
Published: September 2022

We focus on a branch of region-based spatial logics dealing with affine geometry. The research on this topic is scarce: only a handful of papers investigate such systems, mostly in the case of the real plane. Our long-term goal is to analyse certain family of affine logics with inclusion and convexity as primitives interpreted over real spaces of increasing dimensionality. In this article we show that logics of different dimensionalities must have different theories, thus justifying further work on different dimensions. We then focus on the three-dimensional case, exploring the expressiveness of this logic and consequently showing that it is possible to construct formulas describing a three-dimensional coordinate frame. The final result, making use of the high expressive power of this logic, is that every region satisfies an affine complete formula, meaning that all regions satisfying it are affine equivalent.
Construction and Evaluation of Nomogram for Hematological Indicators to Predict Pathological Response after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
Authors: Wang Keli , Li Meijiao , Yan Jin
Published: September 2022

Objective

A retrospective study was conducted by developing prediction models to evaluate the association between hematological indexes, their changes during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT), and tumor pathological response in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Methods

The clinical data of 202 patients who received NCRT and radical surgery in Sichuan Cancer Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and logistic multivariate regression analyses were used to identify hematological indexes with predictive significance. The independent risk factors were imported into the R software, and a nomogram prediction model was developed. The bootstrap method and ROC curve were used to evaluate the discriminative degree of the model.

Results

Univariate analysis demonstrated age, tumor diameter, preoperative T, distance from tumor to the anal verge, CEA before NCRT, preoperative CEA, lymphocyte changes, platelet changes, and pathology of rectal cancer after NCRT were associated. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that age, tumor distance from the anus, preoperative CEA, lymphocyte changes, and platelet changes were independent risk factors. The independent risk factors were imported into the R software to construct a nomogram model. The area under the ROC was 0.76, and the slope of the calibration curve of the nomogram was close to 1.

Conclusion

A low preoperative CEA level, a young age, a high tumor from the anal verge, the maintenance of circulating lymphocyte level, and a decreased platelet level after NCRT are important factors for favorable outcomes after NCRT. Developing a nomogram prediction model with good discrimination and consistency can provide some guidance for predicting pathological responses after NCRT.
The involvement of the posterior parietal cortex in promotion and prevention focus
Authors: Han Hyun Jung , Lee Sangil , Jung Wi Hoon
Published: September 2022

Motivation plays a critical role in human cognitive function, while acting as a driving force for the necessary behavior to achieve a desired goal and success (i.e., achievement motivation). Based on the theoretical background of achievement motivation, this study designed an incentive delay task with four motivational orientations (i.e., promotion, prevention, mastery/self, and performance/other). To investigate whether people would have their behavioral patterns toward achievement motivation orientation, we applied an unsupervised clustering algorithm to classify individuals’ behavioral responses acquired from the task by categorizing certain behavioral similarities. As a result, this hierarchical clustering approach classified subjects into two distinctive subgroups: Group#1 (i.e., the pro/pre group, n = 52) and Group#2 (i.e., the self/other group, n = 48). Based on clustering, Group#1 showed significantly better performance with promotion/prevention orientations, whereas Group#2 exhibited significantly higher performance with self/other orientations. Structural brain analyses discovered increased gray matter volume and sulcal depth in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in the pro/pre group compared to the self/other group. With resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data, we found higher local brain fluctuations in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the self/other group compared to the pro/pre group. Furthermore, mPFC seed-based functional connectivity showed significantly increased functional coupling with the posterior cingulate cortex in the self/other group relative to the pro/pre group. Taken together, these results shed light on structural and functional neural mechanisms related to achievement motivation and, furthermore, provide novel insights regarding PPC’s role in motivational processing toward promotion- and prevention-focused orientation.
Power Series Solutions of Non-linear q-Difference Equations and the Newton–Puiseux Polygon
Authors: Cano J. , Fortuny Ayuso P.
Published: September 2022

Adapting the Newton–Puiseux Polygon process to nonlinear q-difference equations of any order and degree, we compute their power series solutions, study the properties of the set of exponents of the solutions and give a bound for their q-Gevrey order in terms of the order of the original equation.
Aspecten van prostaatkanker vanuit een seksuologisch perspectief
Authors: Gianotten Woet L.
Published: September 2022

Samenvatting

Urologie en seksuologie hebben verschillende rollen bij de aanpak van prostaatkanker. De uroloog probeert het kankerproces te stoppen of traineren, terwijl de seksuoloog intussen focust op wat gebeurt met seksualiteit en intimiteit. Dit artikel kijkt naar de opeenvolgende stappen in het kankerproces met als belangrijke boodschappen: ‘Hou aandacht voor seksualiteit!’ en ‘Hou rekening met de grote diversiteit!’. Omdat seks voor sommige mannen en relaties heel belangrijk is en voor andere helemaal niet, is een goede, uitgebreide seksuele anamnese noodzakelijk. Hoe zien hun seksuele gedrag, relatie en verwachtingen er uit? Die informatie vormt hun ‘lovemap’, belangrijke elementen bij de keuze voor een bepaalde behandelstrategie. Vooral bij MSM lijkt koppeling van lovemap aan shared decision making een waardevolle aanvulling. Daarnaast krijgen ook seksuele prevalidatie (Better in, better out!), seksuele revalidatie en seksuele relatie aandacht. Waar de uro-oncologie focust op ‘adding years to life’, focust de seksuologie op ‘adding sexual life to years’.
The Effect of Thermally Heated Carbon Nanoparticles of Oil Fly Ash on Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Under Salt Stress
Authors: Alluqmani Saleh M. , Alabdallah Nadiyah M.
Published: September 2022

Salinity is an abiotic factor that severely limits agricultural yield around the world. Tomatoes are important crops among others due to their high nutritional value; however, when the crop is exposed to abiotic stresses such as salinity, tomato production could be negatively affected. The goal of this study was to measure the morphological and physiological responses of tomato seedlings grown under salt stress when carbon nanoparticle of oil fly ash (COFA) under heat treatment in the concentration (5 mg L−1) was applied to the leaves. In this study, three carbon nanoparticles (COFA, COFAH-J, COFAH-R) were applied to tomato seedlings under three different salt (NaCl) treatments: 0 mM, 20 mM, and 40 mM. For each treatment, three biological replicates were conducted, with each replicate containing at least three plants. Our findings demonstrated that salt-stressed tomato plants had considerably lower length of shoot and root, biomass, and photosynthetic pigments over control plants. Furthermore, salinity greatly enhanced the proline concentration, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities. However, the application of thermally treated carbon nanoparticles resulted in increases in the quantities of photosynthetic pigments and plant growth conditions. However, the tomato seedlings treated with COFA, COFAH-J, and COFAH-R increased SOD activity by 65%, 53%, and 45%; CAT activity by 67%, 63%, and 65%; and APX activity by 51%, 52%, and 41%, respectively, when seedlings were exposed to 40 mM. Overall, our data suggest that heated carbon nanoparticles of oil fly ash may improve tomato plants’ salt tolerance by enhancing their antioxidant defense systems. The beneficial impacts of thermally treated carbon nanoparticles in tomato plants offer up new avenues for their potential innovations in novel agricultural methods, particularly while plants are grown to saline conditions.
Decreased sensitivity to antidepressant drugs in Wistar Hannover rats submitted to two animal models of depression
Authors: Silveira Kennia M. , Sartim Ariandra G. , Vieira Letícia , Lisboa Sabrina F. , Wegener Gregers , Joca Sâmia R. L.
Published: September 2022

The Wistar Hannover rat (WHR) is a strain commonly used for toxicity studies but rarely used in studies investigating depression neurobiology. In this study, we aimed to characterise the behavioural responses of WHR to acute and repeated antidepressant treatments upon exposure to the forced swim test (FST) or learned helplessness (LH) test. WHR were subjected to forced swimming pre-test and test with antidepressant administration (imipramine, fluoxetine, or escitalopram) at 0, 5 h and 23 h after pre-test. WHR displayed high immobility in the test compared to unstressed controls (no pre-swim) and failed to respond to the antidepressants tested. The effect of acute and repeated treatment (imipramine, fluoxetine, escitalopram or s-ketamine) was then tested in animals not previously exposed to pre-test. Only imipramine (20 mg/kg, 7 days) and s-ketamine (acute) reduced the immobility time in the test. To further investigate the possibility that the WHR were less responsive to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the effect of repeated treatment with fluoxetine (20 mg/kg, 7 days) was investigated in the LH model. The results demonstrated that fluoxetine failed to reduce the number of escape failures in two different protocols. These data suggest that the WHR do not respond to the conventional antidepressant treatment in the FST or the LH. Only s-ketamine and repeated imipramine were effective in WHR in a modified FST protocol. Altogether, these results indicate that WHR may be an interesting tool to investigate the mechanisms associated with the resistance to antidepressant drugs and identify more effective treatments.
Lift and moment fluctuations of a cambered aerofoil under nonconvecting streamwise gust
Authors: Rao S. S. P. , Mukhopadhyay V. , Rao J. S.
Published: September 2022

The theory of non-stationary motion around aerofoils has many important applications in the field of aeronautics and turbomachines. The most significant problems are flutter, fluctuating loads experienced by blades of a typical turbomachine which move through a non-uniform field of flow, disturbed by the induced effects of other stationary and moving blade rows. It is important to predict the fluctuating lift force on a blade or aerofoil due to a flow disturbance, because both the blade vibration and noise generation are related to fluctuating lift and moment.
Managing the requirement for tactical fighter simulator instructor training
Authors: Long G.
Published: September 2022

As the title of my presentation indicates, I believe that we have progressed beyond the question of whether formal flight simulator instructor training is necessary, and must instead consider how to keep the training a simulator instructor must undergo from attaining unmanageable proportions. Because my parent organisation is the Tactical Air Command of the United States Air Force, and my primary experience has been as F-16 Simulator Program Manager, my remarks will be from the point of view of a tactical fighter simulator instructor, and will reflect his particular requirement for formal training in simulator.
EXTERIOR DECORATION AT SITES BELONGING TO THE NORMAN KINGS
Authors: Wood Rita
Published: September 2022

The five most complete royal buildings remaining from the post-Conquest period in Britain have exterior decoration resembling that at churches. It is widely appreciated that the scale of royal buildings demonstrated the earthly power of the Norman kings, but their decoration, largely overlooked, can be shown to proclaim that the power of God was also present there. The sacred power of the king was explicit in the coronation rite at the anointing, and the subsequent investiture with regalia was re-staged by the crown-wearing practised in varying degrees by the Norman kings.
Diversity of European lissorchiid trematodes from fish and snail hosts with comments on the validity of the genusParasymphylodoraSzidat, 1943
Authors: Petkevičiūtė R. , Stunžėnas V. , Stanevičiūtė G.
Published: September 2022

Genetic markers, DNA sequences and karyotypes, of some European lissorchiid species from their intermediate and final hosts were obtained to clarify controversial data about their life cycles and taxonomy, and to reveal phylogenetic affinities. The life cycles of three species have been confirmed for the first time based on molecular data. Comparative analysis of internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and partial 28S rDNA sequences has undoubtedly proven that cercariaeum of type-species of the genusAsymphylodora,Asymphylodora tincae, develops in pulmonate snails,Anisus vortexandStagnicola palustris, but not in the genusBithynia. The faucet snail,Bithynia tentaculata, serves as the first intermediate host forParasymphylodora(=Asymphylodora)markewitschiandParasymphylodora parasquamosa; adults of both species were isolated from the common rudd,Scardinius erythrophthalmus. It has also been confirmed thatB. tentaculataserves as the second intermediate host forP. parasquamosa. Phylogenetic analysis supports the validity of the genusParasymphylodora. Two species,Parasymphylodora markewitschiandP. parasquamosa, with cercariaeum belonging to theParasquamosumgroup, are closely related and are being recovered as a well-defined evolutionary lineage in phylogenetic trees. A significant divergence betweenParasymphylodoraspp. andAsymphylodoraspp. was revealed. The diploid chromosome set ofP. markewitschiis composed of 14 chromosomes and does not show similarities with karyotypes of other lissorchiid species.Asymphylodora progeneticaandAsymphylodora tincaeshare the basal diploid value of the family, 2n = 20, and reveal very close morphology of the corresponding chromosome pairs. Karyotypic similarities of these species are in accordance with molecular phylogenetic data. Thus, the available molecular and cytogenetic data support the assignment ofP. markewitschiandP. parasquamosato a separate genus, meanwhile, the assignment ofA. progeneticato the genusParasymphylodorawas not justified.
Timing of surgical repair and resource utilisation in infants with complete atrioventricular septal defect
Authors: Karolcik Brock A. , Rao Sri O. , Lucas Jon F. , Chowdhury Shahryar M. , Graham Eric M. , Zyblewski Sinai C. , Bradley Scott M. , Costello John M.
Published: September 2022

Introduction:

Variation exists in the timing of surgery for balanced complete atrioventricular septal defect repair. We sought to explore associations between timing of repair and resource utilisation and clinical outcomes in the first year of life.

Methods:

In this retrospective single-centre cohort study, we included patients who underwent complete atrioventricular septal defect repair between 2005 and 2019. Patients with left or right ventricular outflow tract obstruction and major non-cardiac comorbidities (except trisomy 21) were excluded. The primary outcome was days alive and out of the hospital in the first year of life.

Results:

Included were 79 infants, divided into tertiles based on age at surgery (1st = 46 to 137 days, 2nd = 140 – 176 days, 3rd = 178 – 316 days). There were no significant differences among age tertiles for days alive and out of the hospital in the first year of life by univariable analysis (tertile 1, median 351 days; tertile 2, 348 days; tertile 3, 354 days; p = 0.22). No patients died. Fewer post-operative ICU days were used in the oldest tertile relative to the youngest, but days of mechanical ventilation and hospitalisation were similar. Clinical outcomes after repair and resource utilisation in the first year of life were similar for unplanned cardiac reinterventions, outpatient cardiology clinic visits, and weight-for-age z-score at 1 year.

Conclusions:

Age at complete atrioventricular septal defect repair is not associated with important differences in clinical outcomes or resource utilisation in the first year of life.
Evidenz-basierte Behandlung und Differenzialdiagnostik der Bursitis olecrani
Authors: Jensen Jana , Vavken Patrick
Published: September 2022

Zusammenfassung. Die Bursitis olecrani ist ein häufiges Krankheitsbild, das systemische, infektiöse und traumatische Ursachen haben kann. Mit diesem Beitrag wollen wir die Diagnostik, mögliche Differenzialdiagnosen, Komplikationen und die aktuellen Therapieempfehlungen vorstellen und einen Leitfaden für die Praxis an die Hand geben.
Ophthalmologische Notfälle in der Hausarztpraxis
Authors: Stürmer Jörg
Published: September 2022

Zusammenfassung. Auch wenn die augenärztliche Versorgung sogar in den ländlichen Regionen inzwischen doch sehr gut ausgebaut ist, finden doch noch sehr viele Patientinnen und Patienten mit einem Augenproblem primär den Weg zur Hausärztin/ zum Hausarzt oder zur Allgemeininternistin/zum Allgemeininternisten. Diese müssen dann ad hoc entscheiden, ob es sich um eine Diagnose handelt, die mit einer einfachen zur Verfügung stehenden Behandlung (Tränenersatzmittel, topische Antibiotika oder Kombination Steroide/Antibiotika) in den Griff zu bekommen oder ob eine Weiterweisung an die nächste Ophtalmologin/den nächsten Ophthalmologen nötig ist.
Biased Social Comparison in the Moment of Crisis
Authors: Kulesza Wojciech , Dolinski Dariusz , Muniak Paweł , Winner Daisy , Izydorczak Kamil , Derakhshan Ali , Rizulla Aidana
Published: September 2022

Abstract. The better-than-average effect (BTAE) is a mechanism where people perceive oneself as better than others. The BTAE could be one of the phenomena explaining why people follow – in the moment of a global health crisis – guidelines (“I am superior to others, and I [will]) take extra precautions, e.g., a vaccine shot”). In this paper, we investigate the BTAE with 3,066 respondents. In Study 1, in all countries, across two measurements in time, the BTAE was present: Participants rated their involvement in self-protection as greater in comparison to others. Study 2 replicated this effect, proving its robustness. Participants estimated their willingness to vaccinate as higher than others. The BTAE was a significant predictor of willingness to vaccinate.
Constraining the Upper Level Vibrational Populations of the N2 Lyman‐Birge‐Hopfield Band System Using GOLD Mission's Dayglow Observations
Authors: Aryal Saurav , Evans J. Scott , Ajello J. M. , Solomon S. C. , Burns A. W. , Eastes R. W. , McClintock W. E.
Published: September 2022

Current and previous thermospheric remote sensing missions use N2 Lyman‐Birge‐Hopfield (LBH) band dayglow emission measurements to retrieve line‐of‐sight thermospheric composition and temperature. The precision of thermospheric composition and temperature retrieved from observations depends on the uncertainty in the relative LBH vibrational populations. In the laboratory, electron impact induced LBH emission measurements have shown that the relative vibrational populations change with gas pressure. However, it is not fully understood how these populations change for dayglow observations where the emissions that contribute to the observations vary with solar illumination and line‐of‐sight geometry. We quantify the relative vibrational populations as a function of solar zenith angle (SZA) and tangent altitude using Global‐scale Observations of Limb and Disk mission's LBH dayglow observations. We find that, while some lower vibrational levels show potential enhancement with increasing pressure (decreasing altitude), in general, they do not change significantly with SZA or tangent altitude for dayglow observations. The vibrational populations can thus be assumed as fixed parameters when retrieving neutral disk temperatures from remotely sensed LBH dayglow observations.