bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deoxyschizandrin ameliorates obesity and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease: Involvement of dual Farnesyl X receptor/G protein‐coupled bile acid receptor 1 activation and leptin sensitization
Authors: Gu Ming , Feng Yaru , Chen Yujun , Fan Shengjie , Huang Cheng
Published: February 2023

Natural dual farnesyl X receptor (FXR)/G protein‐coupled bile acid receptor 1 (TGR5) activators have received little attention in the management of metabolic diseases. Deoxyschizandrin (DS), a natural lignan, occurs in S. chinensis fruit and has potent hepatoprotective effects, whereas its protective roles and mechanisms against obesity and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are largely elusive. Here, we identified DS as a dual FXR/TGR5 agonist using luciferase reporter and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) assays. DS was orally or intracerebroventricularly administrated to high‐fat diet‐induced obesity (DIO) mice, and methionine and choline‐deficient L‐amino acid diet (MCD diet)‐induced non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis to evaluate its protective effects. Exogenous leptin treatment was employed to investigate the sensitization effect of DS on leptin. The molecular mechanism of DS was explored by Western blot, quantitative real‐time PCR analysis, and ELISA. The results showed that DS activated FXR/TGR5 signaling and effectively reduced NAFLD in DIO and MCD diet‐fed mice. DS countered obesity in DIO mice by promoting anorexia and energy expenditure and reversing leptin resistance, involving both peripheral and central TGR5 activation and leptin sensitization. Our findings indicate that DS may be a novel therapeutic approach for alleviating obesity and NAFLD through regulating FXR and TGR5 activities and leptin signaling.
An adaptive EWMA control chart based on Hampel function to monitor the process location parameter
Authors: Zaman Babar , Mahfooz Syed Zeeshan , Mehmood Rashid , Khan Naveed , Imran Tajammal
Published: February 2023

The classical memory Exponential Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) and Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) control charts (CCs) are important to detect small‐to‐moderate sizes of shift in the process location and/or dispersion parameters. To make the memory control chart (CC) more efficient for broad range of shift, the score functions in particular Huber and Bi‐square functions are incorporated in the classical memory CCs. These score functions help to formulate the parameters of memory CCs and are called Adaptive EWMA (AEWMA) and Adaptive CUSUM (ACUSUM). The AEWMA and ACUSUM are capable to handle various sizes (i.e., small, moderate, and large) of shift. The aim of this study is to utilize Hampel function as the alternative of the mentioned score functions, and propose a new AEWMA CC, symbolized as AEWMAHample. To develop the proposed AEWMAHampleCC, the standard EWMA statistic and Hampel function are incorporated in the classical EWMA CC structure. The proposed AEWMAHampleCC is also efficient to handle certain sizes of shift in the process location parameter. Performance evaluation procedures, like average run length is considered for a particular shift. Similarly, the performance comparison index, relative average run length, and extra quadratic loss function are estimated over a range of shift. All these performance measures are calculated from run length (RL) characteristic of the proposed control chart. An algorithm in MATLAB is developed based on Monte Carlo simulation procedure to generate the RLs. Some existing control charts including EWMA, CUSUM, MEC, MCE, , , IACCUSUM, , and are taken for comparison reason. For specific sizes of shift, the proposed AEWMAHampleCC reveals the superiority. Besides, to address the practical significance for practitioners and quality engineers, the real‐life and simulated data examples are considered.
Prenylated Flavonoids of Genus Epimedium: Phytochemistry, Estimation and Synthesis
Authors: Gani Ifshana , Jameel Salman , Bhat Showkat Ahmad , Amin Henna , Bhat Khursheed Ahmad
Published: February 2023

Prenylated flavonoids are the chemotaxonomic markers of genus Epimedium. Icariin, epimedin A, B and C are the main bioactive principles found in Epimedium spp. The chemical and pharmacological studies of a good number of prenylated flavonoids isolated from Epimedium species are reported in literature but their biosynthetic pathways have been explored to a limited extent only and remained ambiguous for a long time. In this review, an in‐depth and extensive coverage of Epimedium prenylated flavonoids is reported from 2012 to 2022 using SciFinder database for literature retreival. The review covers occurrence, synthesis, biosynthesis and quantification of prenylated flavonoids of genus Epimedium.
Core‐shell Nanofiber‐based Electrodes for High‐performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors
Authors: Fan Peizhi , Ye Chengwei , Xu Lan
Published: February 2023

Supercapacitors are considered as important energy conversion and storage devices, and one‐dimensional carbon nanofibers derived from electrospinning have been widely applied for supercapacitor electrode materials. The integration of carbon and metal hydroxide materials has become particularly important in order to pursue their higher electrochemical properties. In this paper, a one‐dimensional core‐shell electrode with Ni(OH)2 as shell and carbon nanofibers as core (Ni/CNFs@Ni(OH)2) was fabricated by electrospinning, high‐temperature carbonization and hydrothermal synthesis. This electrode exhibited high energy storage performance (785 F g−1 (1 A g−1)), good coulombic efficiency and cycling stability. Furthermore, the asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) assembled with activated carbons as negative electrode and Ni/CNFs@Ni(OH)2 as positive electrode demonstrated a good energy storage performance (62.5 F g−1 (1.6 V)). Meanwhile, this ASC displayed a significant energy density of 22.2 Wh kg−1 at 800 W kg−1 and an outstanding rate capability, indicating that Ni/CNFs@Ni(OH)2 had a high potential application value in supercapacitors.
Recent Progress in Framework Materials for High‐Performance Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Chen Changyun , Zhang Mengfei , Chen Quanzhan , Duan Haibao , Liu Suli
Published: February 2023

Lithium‐Sulfur batteries (LSBs) have been considered as a promising candidate for the next generation of energy storage systems due to their high theoretical capacity. However, there are still lots of pending scientific and technological issues to be solved. Framework materials show great potential to address the above‐mentioned issues due to the highly ordered distribution of pore sizes, effective catalytic activity, and periodically arranged aperture. In addition, good tunability gives framework materials unlimited possibilities to achieve satisfying performance for LSBs. In this review, the recent advances in pristine framework materials, their derivatives, and composites have been summarized. And a short conclusion and outlook regard to future prospects for guiding the development of framework materials and LSBs.
Systems Engineering
Authors: Fet Annik Magerholm , Haskins Cecilia
Published: February 2023

The value of systems science approaches to address sustainability topics has been formally recognized since the publication ofLimits to Growth(1972) and the application of system dynamics to investigate the synergies between planetary activities. Since then, these methods have been applied to address the chaos and reverse the consequences of the anthropomorphous influences at the root of today’s wicked problems – climate change, species extinction, unbalanced social equity. Systems engineering provides theory and practices that are both systemic, systematic, sustainable, and based on the foundations of systems science.
Analytical Frameworks, Impact Categories, Indicators and Performance Evaluation
Authors: Fet Annik Magerholm
Published: February 2023

This chapter introduces the background for indicators to be used to monitor and communicate the environmental performance of different systems and activities. They are anchored in the DPSIR-analytical framework which stands for driving force, pressure, state, impact, and response. This framework is fundamental to our understanding the background for many of the tools and standards for analyzing, measuring, communicating, and reporting on environmental performance. DPSIR has been developed as a global model for understanding and analyzing the status of the Earth due to changes in environmental conditions and how to respond to these changes. The model can also be adapted for smaller systems, for example, for city or regional systems (Level 4 in the CapSEM Model), for organizations (Level 3), for products systems (Level 2) and for productions processes (Level 1).
Type II double field theory in superspace
Authors: Butter Daniel
Published: February 2023

Abstract

We explore type II supersymmetric double field theory in superspace. The double supervielbein is an element of the orthosymplectic group OSp(10, 10|64), which also governs the structure of generalized superdiffeomorphisms. Unlike bosonic double field theory, the local tangent space must be enhanced from the double Lorentz group in order to eliminate unphysical components of the supervielbein and to define covariant torsion and curvature tensors. This leads to an infinite hierarchy of local tangent space symmetries, which are connected to the super-Maxwell∞ algebra. A novel feature of type II is the Ramond-Ramond sector, which can be encoded as an orthosymplectic spinor (encoding the complex of super p-forms in conventional superspace). Its covariant field strength bispinor itself appears as a piece of the supervielbein. We provide a concise discussion of the superspace Bianchi identities through dimension two and show how to recover the component supersymmetry transformations of type II DFT. In addition, we show how the democratic formulation of type II superspace may be recovered by gauge-fixing.
The leading trajectory in the 2+1D Ising CFT
Authors: Caron-Huot Simon , Gobeil Yan , Zahraee Zahra
Published: February 2023

Abstract

We study the scattering of lumps in the 2+1-dimensional Ising CFT, indirectly, by analytically continuing its spectrum using the Lorentzian inversion formula. We find evidence that the intercept of the model is below unity: j* ≈ 0.8, indicating that scattering is asymptotically transparent corresponding to a negative Lyapunov exponent. We use as input the precise spectrum obtained from the numerical conformal bootstrap. We show that the truncated spectrum allows the inversion formula to reproduce the properties of the spin-two stress tensor to 10−4 accuracy and we address the question of whether the spin-0 operators of the model lie on Regge trajectories. This hypothesis is further supported by analytics in the large-N O(N) model. Finally, we show that anomalous dimensions of heavy operators decrease with energy at a rate controlled by (j* − 1), implying regularity of the heavy spectrum.
Non-isometric quantum error correction in gravity
Authors: Kar Arjun
Published: February 2023

Abstract

We construct and study an ensemble of non-isometric error correcting codes in a toy model of an evaporating black hole in two-dimensional dilaton gravity. In the preferred bases of Euclidean path integral states in the bulk and Hamiltonian eigenstates in the boundary, the encoding map is proportional to a linear transformation with independent complex Gaussian random entries of zero mean and unit variance. Using measure concentration, we show that the typical such code is very likely to preserve pairwise inner products in a set S of states that can be subexponentially large in the microcanonical Hilbert space dimension of the black hole. The size of this set also serves as an upper limit on the bulk effective field theory Hilbert space dimension. Similar techniques are used to demonstrate the existence of state-specific reconstructions of S-preserving code space unitary operators. State-specific reconstructions on subspaces exist when they are expected to by entanglement wedge reconstruction. We comment on relations to complexity theory and the breakdown of bulk effective field theory.
Towards TeV-scale supersymmetric electroweak baryogenesis
Authors: Matsedonskyi Oleksii , Unwin James , Wang Qingyun
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Electroweak baryogenesis (EWBG) offers a compelling narrative for the generation of the baryon asymmetry, however it cannot be realised in the Standard Model, and leads to severe experimental tensions in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). One of the reasons for these experimental tensions is that in traditional approaches to EWBG new physics is required to enter at the electroweak phase transition, which conventionally is fixed near 100 GeV. Here we demonstrate that the addition of sub-TeV fields in supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model permits TeV-scale strongly first-order electroweak phase transition. While earlier literature suggested no-go arguments with regards to high-temperature symmetry breaking in supersymmetric models, we show these can be evaded by employing a systematic suppression of certain thermal corrections in theories with a large number of states. The models presented push the new physics needed for EWBG to higher scales, hence presenting new parameter regions in which to realize EWBG and evade experimental tensions, however they are not expected to render EWBG completely outside of the foreseeable future experimental reach.
Dark matter substructures affect dark matter-electron scattering in xenon-based direct detection experiments
Authors: Maity Tarak Nath , Laha Ranjan
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Recent sky surveys have discovered a large number of stellar substructures. It is highly likely that there are dark matter (DM) counterparts to these stellar substructures. We examine the implications of DM substructures for electron recoil (ER) direct detection (DD) rates in dual phase xenon experiments. We have utilized the results of the LAMOST survey and considered a few benchmark substructures in our analysis. Assuming that these substructures constitute 10% of the local DM density, we study the discovery limits of DM-electron scattering cross sections considering one kg-year exposure and 1, 2, and 3 electron thresholds. With this exposure and threshold, it is possible to observe the effect of the considered DM substructure for the currently allowed parameter space. We also explore the sensitivity of these experiments in resolving the DM substructure fraction. For all the considered cases, we observe that DM having mass $$ \mathcal{O}(10) $$
O

10

MeV has a better prospect in resolving substructure fraction as compared to $$ \mathcal{O}(100) $$
O

100

MeV scale DM. We also find that within the currently allowed DM-electron scattering cross-section; these experiments can resolve the substructure fraction (provided it has a non-negligible contribution to the local DM density) with good accuracy for $$ \mathcal{O}(10) $$
O

10

MeV DM mass with one electron threshold.
Immunity in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Clarity or Mystery? A Broader Perspective in the Third Year of a Worldwide Pandemic
Authors: Kapten Katarzyna , Orczyk Krzysztof , Smolewska Elzbieta
Published: February 2023

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its mechanisms have been thoroughly studied by researchers all over the world with the hope of finding answers that may aid the discovery of new treatment options or effective means of prevention. Still, over 2 years into the pandemic that is an immense burden on health care and economic systems, there seem to be more questions than answers. The character and multitude of immune responses elicited in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vary from uncontrollable activation of the inflammatory system, causing extensive tissue damage and consequently leading to severe or even fatal disease, to mild or asymptomatic infections in the majority of patients, resulting in the unpredictability of the current pandemic. The aim of the study was to systematize the available data regarding the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, to provide some clarification among the abundance of the knowledge available. The review contains concise and current information on the most significant immune reactions to COVID-19, including components of both innate and adaptive immunity, with an additional focus on utilizing humoral and cellular responses as effective diagnostic tools. Moreover, the authors discussed the present state of knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and their efficacy in cases of immunodeficiency.
On the Solubilizer of an Element in a Finite Group
Authors: Akbari B. , Delizia C. , Monetta C.
Published: February 2023

The solubility graph $$\Gamma _S(G)$$

Γ
S

(
G
)

associated with a finite group G is a simple graph whose vertices are the elements of G,  and there is an edge between two distinct vertices if and only if they generate a soluble subgroup. In this paper, we focus on the set of neighbors of a vertex x which we call the solubilizer of x in G,  $$\mathrm {Sol}_G(x),$$

Sol
G

(
x
)

,

investigating both arithmetic and structural properties of this set.
Reactive arthritis following COVID-19: cause for concern
Authors: Migliorini Filippo , Karlsson Jon , Maffulli Nicola
Published: February 2023

Low-quality evidence suggests that COVID-19 may trigger reactive arthritis one to four weeks after the infection. Post COVID-19 reactive arthritis resolves within a few days, and no additional treatment is required. Established diagnostic or classification criteria for reactive arthritis are missing, and a deeper understanding of the immune mechanism related to COVID-19 prompt us to further investigate the immunopathogenic mechanisms capable of promoting or contrasting the development of specific rheumatic diseases. Caution should be exerted when managing post-infectious COVID-19 patient with arthralgia.
Revision total knee arthroplasty for arthrofibrosis improves range of motion
Authors: Rockov Zachary A. , Byrne Connor T. , Rezzadeh Kevin T. , Durst Caleb R. , Spitzer Andrew I. , Paiement Guy D. , Penenberg Brad L. , Rajaee Sean S.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Arthrofibrosis after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a significant contributor to patient dissatisfaction. While treatment algorithms involve early physical therapy and manipulation under anaesthesia (MUA), some patients ultimately require revision TKA. It is unclear whether revision TKA can consistently improve these patient's range of motion (ROM). The purpose of this study was to evaluate ROM when revision TKA was performed for arthrofibrosis.

Methods

A retrospective study of 42 TKA’s diagnosed with arthrofibrosis from 2013 to 2019 at a single institution with a minimum 2-year follow-up was performed. The primary outcome was ROM (flexion, extension, and total arc of motion) before and after revision TKA, and secondary outcomes included patient reported outcomes information system (PROMIS) scores. Categorical data were compared using chi-squared analysis, and paired samples t tests were performed to compare ROM at three different times: pre-primary TKA, pre-revision TKA, and post-revision TKA. A multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to assess for effect modification on total ROM.

Results

The patient's pre-revision mean flexion was 85.6 degrees, and mean extension was 10.1 degrees. At the time of the revision, the mean age of the cohort was 64.7 years, the average body mass index (BMI) was 29.8, and 62% were female. At a mean follow-up of 4.5 years, revision TKA significantly improved terminal flexion by 18.4 degrees (p < 0.001), terminal extension by 6.8 degrees (p = 0.007), and total arc of motion by 25.2 degrees (p < 0.001). The final ROM after revision TKA was not significantly different from the patient’s pre-primary TKA ROM (p = 0.759). PROMIS physical function, depression, and pain interference scores were 39 (SD = 7.72), 49 (SD = 8.39), and 62 (SD = 7.25), respectively.

Conclusion

Revision TKA for arthrofibrosis significantly improved ROM at a mean follow-up of 4.5 years with over 25 degrees of improvement in the total arc of motion, resulting in final ROM similar to pre-primary TKA ROM. PROMIS physical function and pain scores showed moderate dysfunction, while depression scores were within normal limits. While physical therapy and MUA remain the gold standard for the early treatment of stiffness after TKA, revision TKA can improve ROM.

Level of evidence

IV.
Irreducible unirational and uniruled components of moduli spaces of polarized Enriques surfaces
Authors: Ciliberto Ciro , Dedieu Thomas , Galati Concettina , Knutsen Andreas Leopold
Published: February 2023

We prove that infinitely many irreducible components of the moduli space of polarized Enriques surfaces are unirational (resp. uniruled), characterizing them in terms of decompositions of the polarization as an effective sum of isotropic classes. In particular, this applies to components of arbitrarily large genus g and $$\phi $$
ϕ
-invariant of the polarization.
Post-interval potentials in temporal judgements
Authors: Özoğlu Ezgi , Thomaschke Roland
Published: February 2023

Research suggests that post-stimulus positive deflections could be associated with timing. We compared offset-locked potentials N1, P2, N1P2, and late positive component (LPC) in temporal generalization and temporal bisection—with visual probe intervals. In both tasks, the LPC amplitude decreased with the duration of the current probe interval. A larger LPC was found after shorter intervals, whereas other ERP amplitudes did not change between tasks or across durations. We also found that the LPC for different responses indicates subjective time. We discussed our findings in relation to theories of human timing.
Maternal factors associated with iron deficiency without anaemia in early pregnancy: ECLIPSES study
Authors: Iglesias-Vázquez Lucía , Gimeno Mercedes , Coronel Pilar , Caspersen Ida Henriette , Basora Josep , Arija Victoria
Published: February 2023

Several population-specific genetic, sociodemographic, and maternal lifestyle factors are related to iron status in early pregnancy, and their identification would allow preventive actions to be taken. The study aimed to identify maternal factors associated with iron deficiency (ID) in early pregnancy in non-anaemic pregnant women from a European Mediterranean country. Cross-sectional study using the initial population of the ECLIPSES study performed in non-anaemic pregnant women before gestational week 12. Serum ferritin (SF) and haemoglobin concentrations were measured to evaluate iron status, and ID was defined as SF < 15 µg/L. Several sociodemographic and lifestyle data were recorded and used as covariates in the multivariate-adjusted regression models. Out of the 791 participants, 13.9% had ID in early pregnancy. Underweight (OR 3.70, 95%CI 1.22, 15.53) and parity (1 child: OR 2.03, 95%CI 1.06, 3.88; ≥ 2 children: OR 6.96, 95%CI 3.09, 15.69) increased the odds of ID, while a high intake of total meat (≥ 108.57 g/day: OR 0.37, 95%CI 0.15, 0.87), red/processed meat (≥ 74.29 g/day: OR 0.70, 95%CI 0.35, 0.98), protein (≥ 65.05 g/day: OR 0.85, 95%CI 0.30, 0.99), and dietary iron (≥ 8.58 mg/day: OR 0.58, 95%CI 0.35, 0.94) protected against it. Smoking was also associated with a reduction in ID odds (OR 0.34, 95%CI 0.12, 0.99). Baseline BMI, parity, smoking, and diet are associated with ID in early pregnancy in non-anaemic women. Pregnancy planning policies should focus on women at higher risk of ID, such as those who are underweight, multiparous, or following vegetarian diets. This clinical trial was registered at www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu as EudraCT number 2012–005,480-28 and at www.clinicaltrials.gov with identification number NCT03196882.
Particle mass flow determination in dust-laden supersonic flows by means of simultaneous application of optical measurement techniques
Authors: Allofs Dirk , Neeb Dominik , Gülhan Ali
Published: February 2023

Particle mass flow rate and particle mass concentration are key parameters for describing two-phase flows, especially for particle-induced heating augmentation analysis. This work addresses the question of how accurate particle mass flow rate can be determined with three non-intrusive measurement approaches, based on shadowgraphy, particle tracking velocimetry (PTV), and scattered light intensity, in supersonic flows. In terms of shadowgraphy and PTV, the particle mass flow rate was determined by measuring individual particle characteristics, namely particle size, velocity, and density, as well as the measurement volume. The presented shadowgraphy procedure is based on the commercial LaVision DaVis software and additional shadowgraphy corrections. Multiple tests were conducted in the experimental test facility GBK of DLR with varying flow conditions, at a Mach number of 2.1, unit Reynolds number (Re∞) ranging from 5e7 1/m to 1.5e8 1/m, total temperature (T0) ranging from 303 to 544 K, and particle materials, namely Al2O3, MgO, and SiO2, in the size range of 1 to 60 µm. Particle size distributions of Al2O3 and MgO particles could be reproduced with shadowgraphy quite well, while the PTV procedure resulted in non-similar distributions. Pycnometer measurements indicated MgO particle density to be significantly lower than reference values. A DaVis parameter variation analysis resulted in a particle mass flow rate uncertainty of shadowgraphy of up to 30%. The particle mass flow rate uncertainty of PTV is approx. 76%, and the respective uncertainty of scaled PTV and scattered light intensity approach is 28%. The particle mass flow rate, measured with shadowgraphy, is 58% higher than those of the semi-axisymmetric scattered light intensity approach, which can be explained by a higher particle concentration at the injection plane.
Assessment and application of wavelet-based optical flow velocimetry (wOFV) to wall-bounded turbulent flows
Authors: Nicolas Alexander , Zentgraf Florian , Linne Mark , Dreizler Andreas , Peterson Brian
Published: February 2023

The performance of a wavelet-based optical flow velocimetry (wOFV) algorithm in extracting high accuracy and high-resolution velocity fields from tracer particle images in wall-bounded turbulent flows is assessed. wOFV is first evaluated using synthetic particle images generated from a channel flow DNS of a turbulent boundary layer. The sensitivity of wOFV to the regularization parameter ($$\lambda$$
λ
) is quantified and results are compared to cross-correlation-based PIV. Results on synthetic particle images indicated different sensitivity to under-regularization or over-regularization depending on which region of the boundary layer is being analyzed. Nonetheless, tests on synthetic data revealed that wOFV can modestly outperform PIV in vector accuracy across a broad $$\lambda$$
λ
range. wOFV showed clear advantages over PIV in resolving the viscous sublayer and obtaining highly accurate estimates of the wall shear stress and thus normalizing boundary layer variables. wOFV was also applied to experimental data of a developing turbulent boundary layer. Overall, wOFV revealed good agreement with both PIV and a combined PIV + PTV method. However, wOFV was able to successfully resolve the wall shear stress and correctly normalize the boundary layer streamwise velocity to wall units where PIV and PIV + PTV showed larger deviations. Analysis of the turbulent velocity fluctuations revealed spurious results for PIV in close proximity to the wall, leading to significantly exaggerated and non-physical turbulence intensity in the viscous sublayer region. PIV + PTV showed only a minor improvement in this aspect. wOFV did not exhibit this same effect, revealing that it is more accurate in capturing small-scale turbulent motion in the vicinity of boundaries. The enhanced vector resolution of wOFV enabled improved estimation of instantaneous derivative quantities and intricate flow structure both closer to the wall and more accurately than the other velocimetry methods. These aspects show that, within a reasonable $$\lambda$$
λ
range that can be verified using physical principles, wOFV can provide improvements in diagnostics capability in resolving turbulent motion occurring in the vicinity of physical boundaries.

Graphical abstract
A method of correction for heaping error in the variables using validation data
Authors: Ahmad Amar S. , Al-Hassan Munther , Hussain Hamid Y. , Juber Nirmin F. , Kiwanuka Fred N. , Hag-Ali Mohammed , Ali Raghib
Published: February 2023

When self-reported data are used in statistical analysis to estimate the mean and variance, as well as the regression parameters, the estimates tend, in many cases, to be biased. This is because interviewees have a tendency to heap their answers to certain values. The aim of the paper is to examine the bias-inducing effect of the heaping error in self-reported data, and study the effect on the heaping error on the mean and variance of a distribution as well as the regression parameters. As a result a new method is introduced to correct the effects of bias due to the heaping error using validation data. Using publicly available data and simulation studies, it can be shown that the newly developed method is practical and can easily be applied to correct the bias in the estimated mean and variance, as well as in the estimated regression parameters computed from self-reported data. Hence, using the method of correction presented in this paper allows researchers to draw accurate conclusions leading to the right decisions, e.g. regarding health care planning and delivery.
Cartilage repair strategies in the knee according to Dutch Orthopedic Surgeons: a survey study
Authors: Jeuken R. M. , van Hugten P. P. W. , Roth A. K. , Boymans T. A. E. J. , Caron J. , Weber A. , Custers R. J. H. , Emans P. J.
Published: February 2023

Background

This study surveyed Dutch orthopedic surgeons on the management of cartilage defects in the knee and the adherence to the recently updated Dutch knee cartilage repair consensus statement (DCS).

Methods

A web-based survey was sent to 192 Dutch knee specialists.

Results

The response rate was 60%. Microfracture, debridement and osteochondral autografts are performed by the majority, 93%, 70% and 27% of respondents, respectively. Complex techniques are used by < 7%. Microfracture is mainly considered in defects 1–2 cm2 (by > 80%) but also in 2–3 cm2 (by > 40%). Concomitant procedures, e.g., malalignment corrections, are performed by 89%. Twenty-one percent of surgeons treat patients aged 40–60 years. Microfracture, debridement and autologous chondrocyte implantation are not considered to be highly affected by age > 40 years by any of the respondents (0–3%). Moreover, for the middle-aged there is a large spread in treatments considered. In case of loose bodies, the majority (84%) only performs refixation in the presence of attached bone.

Conclusion

Small cartilage defects in ideal patients may be well treated by general orthopedic surgeons. The matter becomes complicated in older patients, or in case of larger defects or malalignment. The current study reveals some knowledge gaps for these more complex patients. Referral to tertiary centers might be indicated, as is stated by the DCS, and this centralization should enhance knee joint preservation. Since the data from present study are subjective, registration of all separate cartilage repair cases should fuel objective analysis of clinical practice and adherence to the DCS in the future.
Structure/function interrelationships and illness insight in patients with schizophrenia: a multimodal MRI data fusion study
Authors: Otte Marie-Luise , Schmitgen Mike M. , Wolf Nadine D. , Kubera Katharina M. , Calhoun Vince D. , Fritze Stefan , Geiger Lena S. , Tost Heike , Seidl Ulrich W. , Meyer-Lindenberg Andreas , Hirjak Dusan , Wolf Robert Christian
Published: February 2023

Illness insight in schizophrenia (SZ) has an important impact on treatment outcome, integration into society and can vary over the course of the disorder. To deal with and treat reduced or absent illness insight, we need to better understand its functional and structural correlates. Previous studies showed regionally abnormal brain volume in brain areas related to cognitive control and self-reference. However, little is known about associations between illness insight and structural and functional network strength in patients with SZ. This study employed a cross-sectional design to examine structural and functional differences between patients with SZ (n = 74) and healthy controls (n = 47) using structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Voxel-based morphometry was performed on structural data, and the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) was calculated for functional data. To investigate abnormal structure/function interrelationships and their association with illness insight, we used parallel independent component analysis (pICA). Significant group (SZ vs. HC) differences were detected in distinct structural and functional networks, predominantly comprising frontoparietal, temporal and cerebellar regions. Significant associations were found between illness insight and two distinct structural networks comprising frontoparietal (pre- and postcentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, thalamus, and precuneus) and posterior cortical regions (cuneus, precuneus, lingual, posterior cingulate, and middle occipital gyrus). Finally, we found a significant relationship between illness insight and functional network comprising temporal regions (superior temporal gyrus). This study suggests that aberrant structural and functional integrity of neural systems subserving cognitive control, memory and self-reference are tightly coupled to illness insight in SZ.
A novel quick contrast sensitivity function test in Chinese adults with myopia and its related parameters
Authors: Ye Yuhao , Aruma Aruma , Zhao Wuxiao , Lu Zhong-Lin , Zhou Xingtao , Zhao Jing
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study is to investigate the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) using the quick CSF (qCSF) test in Chinese adults with myopia.

Methods

This case series study included 320 myopic eyes of 160 patients (mean age 27.75 ± 5.99 years) who underwent a qCSF test for acuity, area under log CSF (AULCSF), and mean contrast sensitivity (CS) at 1.0, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 12.0, and 18.0 cycle per degree (cpd). Spherical equivalent, corrected-distant visual acuity (CDVA), and pupil size were recorded.

Results

The spherical equivalent, CDVA (LogMAR), spherical refraction, cylindrical refraction, and the scotopic pupil size of the included eyes were − 6.30 ± 2.27 D (− 14.25 to − 0.88 D), 0 ± 0.02, − 5.74 ± 2.18 D, − 1.11 ± 0.86 D, and 6.77 ± 0.73 mm, respectively. The AULCSF and CSF acuity were 1.01 ± 0.21 and 18.45 ± 5.39 cpd, respectively. The mean CS (log units) at six different spatial frequencies were 1.25 ± 0.14, 1.29 ± 0.14, 1.25 ± 0.14, 0.98 ± 0.26, 0.45 ± 0.28, and 0.13 ± 0.17, respectively. A mixed effect model showed significant correlations between age and acuity, AULCSF, and CSF at 1.0, 12.0, and 18.0 cpd. Interocular CSF differences were correlated with the interocular difference of spherical equivalent, spherical refraction (at 1.0 cpd, 1.5 cpd), and cylindrical refraction (at 12.0 cpd, 18.0 cpd). The lower cylindrical refraction eye had higher CSF compared with the higher cylindrical refraction eye (0.48 ± 0.29 vs. 0.42 ± 0.27 at 12.0 cpd and 0.15 ± 0.19 vs. 0.12 ± 0.15 at 18.0 cpd).

Conclusions

The age-related decrease in contrast sensitivity is at low and high spatial frequencies. Higher-degree myopia may show a decrease in CSF acuity. Low astigmatism was noted to affect the contrast sensitivity significantly.
Air–liquid interface cultures trigger a metabolic shift in intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-1)
Authors: Stollmeier Martin , Kahlert Stefan , Zuschratter Werner , Oster Michael , Wimmers Klaus , Isermann Berend , Rothkötter Hermann-Josef , Nossol Constanze
Published: February 2023

An improved oxygen availability in air–liquid interface (ALI) cultures of enterocytes of the small intestine seems to be primarily responsible for morphological, metabolic, and functional changes. Intestinal porcine epithelial cells 1 (IPEC-1) are less investigated and are rarely used as model for intestinal barrier but showed a profound change of cell shape during ALI cultivation. We aim to answer the following question: Are the observed morphological effects accompanied by changes in metabolic function? A microarray analysis of submerged culture (SMC) and ALI cultures identified 830 significantly regulated genes. Subsequent functional clustering revealed alterations in 31 pathways, with the highest number of regulated genes in metabolic pathways, carbon metabolism, glycolysis, and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signaling. Furthermore, HIF-1α as a mediator of a metabolic switch between glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation showed a trend of increased mRNA levels in ALI in contrast to a reduced nuclear HIF-1α content in the nucleus. Candidate genes of oxidative phosphorylation such as a mitochondrial marker exhibited enhanced mRNA levels, which was confirmed by western blot analysis. Cytochrome C oxidase (COX) subunit 5B protein was decreased in ALI, although mRNA level was increased. The oxidation of ferrocytochrome C to ferricytochrome C was used for detection of cytochrome C oxidase activity of isolated mitochondria and resulted in a trend of higher activity in ALI. Furthermore, quantification of glucose and lactate concentrations in cell culture medium revealed significantly reduced glucose levels and decreased lactate production in ALI. To evaluate energy metabolism, we measured cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) aggregation in homogenized cell suspensions showing similar levels. However, application of the uncoupling agent FCCP reduced ATP levels in ALI but not in SMC. In contrast, blocking with 2-desoxy-d-glucose (2DG) significantly reduced ATP content in ALI and SMC. These results indicate a metabolic shift in IPEC-1 cultured under ALI conditions enhancing oxidative phosphorylation and suppressing glycolysis.
Perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted versus laparoscopic liver resection for cavernous hemangioma: a propensity score matching study
Authors: Zhang Wei , Liu Junjie , Zhang Zunyi , Wang Yuwei , Xiang Shuai , Chen Lin , Zhu Peng , Zhang Wanguang , Shu Chang , Lau Wan Yee , Zhang Bixiang , Chen Xiaoping
Published: February 2023

Background

Minimally invasive techniques have increasingly been adopted for liver resection. This study aimed to compare the perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted liver resection (RALR) with laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for liver cavernous hemangioma and to evaluate the treatment feasibility and safety.

Methods

A retrospective study of prospectively collected data was conducted on consecutive patients who underwent RALR (n = 43) and LLR (n = 244) for liver cavernous hemangioma between February 2015 and June 2021 at our institution. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were analyzed and compared using propensity score matching.

Results

The postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter (P = 0.016) in the RALR group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in overall operative time, intraoperative blood loss, blood transfusion rates, conversion to open surgery or complication rates. There was no perioperative mortality. Multivariate analysis showed that hemangiomas located in posterosuperior liver segments and those in close proximity to major vascular structures were independent predictors of increased intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.013 and P = 0.001, respectively). For patients with hemangioma in close proximity to major vascular structures, there were no significant differences in perioperative outcomes between the two groups, with the exception that intraoperative blood loss in the RALR group was significantly less than that in the LLR group (350 ml vs. 450 ml, P = 0.044).

Conclusions

Both RALR and LLR were safe and feasible for treating liver hemangioma in well-selected patients. For patients with liver hemangioma in close proximity to major vascular structures, RALR was better than conventional laparoscopic surgery in reducing intraoperative blood loss.
Neural architecture search for energy-efficient always-on audio machine learning
Authors: Speckhard Daniel T. , Misiunas Karolis , Perel Sagi , Zhu Tenghui , Carlile Simon , Slaney Malcolm
Published: February 2023

Mobile and edge computing devices for always-on classification tasks require energy-efficient neural network architectures. In this paper we present several changes to neural architecture searches that improve the chance of success in practical situations. Our search simultaneously optimizes for network accuracy, energy efficiency and memory usage. We benchmark the performance of our search on real hardware, but since running thousands of tests with real hardware is difficult, we use a random forest model to roughly predict the energy usage of a candidate network. We present a search strategy that uses both Bayesian and regularized evolutionary search with particle swarms, and employs early stopping to reduce the computational burden. Our search, evaluated on a sound event classification dataset based upon AudioSet, results in an order of magnitude less energy per inference and a much smaller memory footprint than our baseline MobileNetV1/V2 implementations while slightly improving task accuracy. We also demonstrate how combining a 2D spectrogram with a convolution with many filters causes a computational bottleneck for audio classification and that alternative approaches reduce the computational burden but sacrifice task accuracy.
Optimised endoscopic access for intrajejunal levodopa application in idiopathic Parkinson's syndrome
Authors: Grund K. E. , Zipfel A. , Duckworth-Mothes B. , Jost W. H.
Published: February 2023

Pump-guided intrajejunal levodopa administration is one of the indispensable forms of therapy in advanced Parkinson's syndrome, along with deep brain stimulation and subcutaneous apomorphine injection. The standard application of levodopa gel via a JET-PEG, i.e. a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) with an inserted internal catheter into the jejunum, has not been unproblematic due to the restricted absorption area of the drug in the region of the flexura duodenojejunalis and especially due to the sometimes considerable accumulated complication rates of a JET-PEG. Causes of complications are mainly a non-optimal application technique of PEG and internal catheter as well as the often missing adequate follow-up care. This article presents the details of a—compared to the conventional technique—modified and optimised application technique, which has been clinically proven successfully for years. However, many details derived from anatomical, physiological, surgical and endoscopic aspects must be strictly observed during the application to reduce or avoid minor and major complications. Local infections and buried bumper syndrome cause particular problems. The relatively frequent dislocations of the internal catheter (which can ultimately be avoided by clip-fixing the catheter tip) also prove to be particularly troublesome. Finally, using the Hybrid technique, a new combination of an endoscopically controlled gastropexy with 3 sutures and subsequent central thread pull-through (TPT) of the PEG tube, the complication rate can be dramatically reduced and thus a decisive improvement achieved for patients. The aspects discussed here are highly relevant for all those involved in the therapy of advanced Parkinson's syndrome.
Novel object recognition in Octopus maya
Authors: Vergara-Ovalle Fabian , Ayala-Guerrero Fructuoso , Rosas Carlos , Sánchez-Castillo Hugo
Published: February 2023

The Novel Object Recognition task (NOR) is widely used to study vertebrates' memory. It has been proposed as an adequate model for studying memory in different taxonomic groups, allowing similar and comparable results. Although in cephalopods, several research reports could indicate that they recognize objects in their environment, it has not been tested as an experimental paradigm that allows studying different memory phases. This study shows that two-month-old and older Octopus maya subjects can differentiate between a new object and a known one, but one-month-old subjects cannot. Furthermore, we observed that octopuses use vision and tactile exploration of new objects to achieve object recognition, while familiar objects only need to be explored visually. To our knowledge, this is the first time showing an invertebrate performing the NOR task similarly to how it is performed in vertebrates. These results establish a guide to studying object recognition memory in octopuses and the ontological development of that memory.
A simple and fast linear-time algorithm for divisor methods of apportionment
Authors: Reitzig Raphael , Wild Sebastian
Published: February 2023

Proportional apportionment is the problem of assigning seats to states (resp. parties) according to their relative share of the population (resp. votes), a field heavily influenced by the early work of Michel Balinski, not least his influential 1982 book with Peyton Young (Fair representation, 2nd edn. Brookings Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 2001). In this article, we consider the computational cost of divisor methods (also known as highest averages methods), the de-facto standard solution that is used in many countries. We show that a simple linear-time algorithm can exactly simulate all instances of the family of divisor methods of apportionment by reducing the problem to a single call to a selection algorithm. All previously published solutions were iterative methods that either offer no linear-time guarantee in the worst case or require a complex update step that suffers from numerical instability.
Influence of combined aging on the mechanical and physical properties of reclaimed asphalt pavement mixtures blended with rejuvenator agents
Authors: Iwama Masahiko , Hayano Kimitoshi
Published: February 2023

Recently, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) with high RAP contents with rejuvenator agents have been implemented in Japan. However, a unified view of the durability of RAP mixtures with rejuvenators has not been established. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the durability of RAP mixtures blended with different types of rejuvenators through combined aging, compared with that of hot mixed asphalt (HMA) mixture. Mechanical and physical properties of RAP mixtures with rejuvenators subjected to a combination of moisture, heat, and oxidation were investigated. Saturation aging tensile stiffness conditioning was used to simulate the combined aging. Four types of RAP mixtures were prepared by employing two types of oil-based rejuvenators with two RAP contents. HMA mixtures were also prepared. The test results demonstrated that the RAP mixtures did not exhibit a reduction in the retained stiffness, whereas the HMA mixtures exhibited a significant drop in stiffness with conditioning. In addition, the RAP mixtures exhibited a longer residual service life than the HMA mixtures after conditioning. Detailed analyses revealed differences in the stiffness and fatigue behaviors of the RAP mixtures with different types of rejuvenators. Finally, certain aspects of the deterioration mechanisms of RAP mixtures with rejuvenators were discussed.
‘System friction’ in China-EU economic relations and the reaction of the EU
Authors: Voogsgeerd Herman
Published: February 2023

In the period between 2015 and 2020, we have witnessed an increase in ‘system friction’ in the trade and investment relations between the EU and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This paper focuses on the meaning of this notion of ‘system friction’, originally coined by Sylvia Ostry and on how the EU and especially the European Commission reacted to this friction. This notion might present an alternative to the notion of ‘system rivalry’. The result of system friction in the relation between the EU and the PRC had been a convergence towards more trade defensive moves. A form of managed trade with help of a ratified Investment treaty between the two sides might be a potential outcome.