bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Age‐related changes in ACL morphology during skeletal growth and maturation are different between females and males
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Shayan , Kiapour Ata M. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractDespite a well‐established role of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) anatomy on its biomechanics, little is known on how ACL anatomy develops and changes during skeletal growth. We hypothesized that ACL size and orientation will change by age during skeletal growth and maturation with different trends in males vs females. Magnetic resonance images of 269 unique knees (3‐18 years old; 51% female) were used to measure ACL length, cross‐sectional area, length‐to‐cross‐sectional area ratio, and elevation angles. In both males and females, ACLs became longer, thicker, and more vertical in sagittal and coronal planes by increasing age (R2 > 0.2; P < .001 for all associations). ACL cross‐sectional area‐to‐length ratio increased by age only in males (R2 = 0.06; P = .003). Despite similar ACL sizes between males and females at early age, adolescent males had significantly longer and thicker ACLs compared to the age‐matched females (P < .05). There were no sex differences in ACL elevation angles (P > .2) except for larger coronal elevation in 7 to 10 years old females compared to age‐matched males (P = .012). Observed changes in ACL cross‐sectional area‐to‐length ratio indicate that age‐ and sex‐dependent changes in ACL size are not homogenous. The trends seen in normalized ACL size measurements suggest that unlike ACL cross‐sectional area, ACL length is primarily controlled by body size. Smaller ACLs and lower cross‐sectional growth rates observed in females may be contributing factors to the higher risk of ACL injuries in females. Further investigations are required to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic factors responsible for these discrepancies.
Higher knee contact forces might underlie increased osteoarthritis rates in high functioning amputees: A pilot study
Authors: Ding Ziyun , Jarvis Hannah L. , Bennett Alexander N. , Baker Richard , Bull Anthony M. J. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractHigh functioning military transtibial amputees (TTAs) with well‐fitted state of the art prosthetics have gait that is indistinguishable from healthy individuals, yet they are more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis (OA) of their intact limbs. This contrasts with the information at the knees of the amputated limbs that have been shown to be at a significantly reduced risk of pain and OA. The hypothesis of this study is that biomechanics can explain the difference in knee OA risk. Eleven military unilateral TTAs and eleven matched healthy controls underwent gait analysis. Muscle forces and joint contact forces at the knee were quantified using musculoskeletal modeling, validated using electromyography measurements. Peak knee contact forces for the intact limbs on both the medial and lateral compartments were significantly greater than the healthy controls (P ≤ .006). Additionally, the intact limbs had greater peak semimembranosus (P = .001) and gastrocnemius (P ≤ .001) muscle forces compared to the controls. This study has for the first time provided robust evidence of increased force on the non‐affected knees of high functioning TTAs that supports the mechanically based hypothesis to explain the documented higher risk of knee OA in this patient group. The results suggest several protentional strategies to mitigate knee OA of the intact limbs, which may include the improvements of the prosthetic foot control, socket design, and strengthening of the amputated muscles.
A proposal of an updated classification for pelvic relapses of rectal cancer to guide surgical decision‐making
Authors: Belli Filiberto , Sorrentino Luca , Gallino Gianfrancesco , Gronchi Alessandro , Scaramuzza Davide , Valvo Francesca , Cattaneo Laura , Cosimelli Maurizio 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesSelection of patients affected by pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer (PRRC) who are likely to achieve a R0 resection is mandatory. The aim of this study was to propose a classification for PRRC to predict both radical surgery and disease‐free survival (DFS).MethodsPRRC patients treated at the National Cancer Institute of Milan (Italy) were included in the study. PRRC were classified as S1, if located centrally (S1a‐S1b) or anteriorly (S1c) within the pelvis; S2, in case of sacral involvement below (S2a) or above (S2b) the second sacral vertebra; S3, in case of lateral pelvic involvement.ResultsOf 280 reviewed PRRC patients, 152 (54.3%) were evaluated for curative surgery. The strongest predictor of R+ resection was the S3 category (OR, 6.37; P = .011). Abdominosacral resection (P = .012), anterior exenteration (P = .012) and extended rectal re‐excision (P = .003) were predictive of R0 resection. S3 category was highly predictive of poor DFS (HR 2.53; P = .038). DFS was significantly improved after R0 surgery for S1 (P < .0001) and S2 (P = .015) patients but not for S3 cases (P = .525).ConclusionsThe proposed classification allows selection of subjects candidates to curative surgery, emphasizing that lateral pelvic involvement is the main predictor of R+ resection and independently affects the DFS.
Methane production in oxic seawater of the western North Pacific and its marginal seas
Authors: Ye Wang‐Wang , Wang Xiao‐Lei , Zhang Xiao‐Hua , Zhang Gui‐Ling 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe oceans are natural sources of atmospheric methane (CH4), but the origin of excess CH4 at the surface remains enigmatic. Incubation experiments were conducted in the western North Pacific (WNP) and its marginal seas (i.e., Yellow Sea and South China Sea [SCS]) to identify the degradation of methylphosphonate (MPn) to CH4 in the oceans and the microbes associated with MPn‐driven CH4 production. In the coastal seawater of the Yellow Sea, CH4 was observed to accumulate after MPn enrichment with a high MPn to CH4 conversion efficiency (approximately 60%). Dissolved inorganic phosphorus (Pi) did not effectively restrict the microbial utilization of MPn in the eutrophic coastal waters. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that Vibrio spp. were the dominant bacteria in the MPn‐amended treatments. Moreover, several Vibrio isolates isolated from the coastal waters were found to produce CH4 while growing in culture using MPn as the sole P source, thereby indicating that Vibrio spp. might be the major contributors to MPn‐dependent CH4 production. In oligotrophic areas, such as the SCS and WNP, CH4 production from MPn metabolism was also observed in the surface seawater. In contrast to coastal waters, this pathway in oligotrophic areas is regulated by dissolved Pi availability. This work confirms that aerobic CH4 formation from MPn degradation can occur both in eutrophic coastal waters and oligotrophic oceans driven by MPn‐utilizing microorganisms (especially heterotrophic bacteria), which may have a significant impact on our understanding of the CH4 and P cycles in global oceans.
Comparison of high spatiotemporal‐resolution soil moisture observations with CLM4.0 simulations
Authors: Shao Changliang , Wu Dongli , Guo Yakai 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAutomatic soil moisture data with a temporal resolution of 1 hr, a spatial resolution of 30 km, from the period June 1–September 1, 2017, and from Henan province in China, and simulation results from the Community Land Model (CLM4.0) were first compared, and a calibration study was further conducted and investigated. The operational status of the instruments was confirmed, and the data passed quality control. The corresponding simulation was performed using the CLM4.0. Small spatial scale variations in observed soil moisture contents were found, but relatively large spatial variations were observed in the simulated soil moisture contents. Since a relatively large bias and weak correlation were found between the simulation and observations, it is necessary to bias‐correct the model outputs in order to improve the prediction capability of the numerical models. After bias correction was conducted, the outliers accounting for around 10% of the actual samples were identified and removed for each layer. The observed and simulated data were found to be linearly distributed, and the probability density distribution of deviations between observed and simulated values showed a normal distribution. The mean bias (BIAS) and root mean square error (RMSE) decreased by 100% and 50%, respectively, and the correlation co‐efficient (CORR) increased by about 10 times. These improvements showed that the bias‐corrected data met the requirements for the evaluation and application of soil moisture data, which can be of great significance in improving future land simulation and assimilation.
Segmentation of pulmonary nodules in CT images based on 3D‐UNET combined with three‐dimensional conditional random field optimization
Authors: Wu Wenhao , Gao Lei , Duan Huihong , Huang Gang , Ye Xiaodan , Nie Shengdong 
Published: May 2020

PurposePulmonary nodules are a potential manifestation of lung cancer. In computer‐aided diagnosis (CAD) of lung cancer, it is of great significance to extract the complete boundary of the pulmonary nodules in the computed tomography (CT) scans accurately. It can provide doctors with important information such as tumor size and density, which assist doctors in subsequent diagnosis and treatment. In addition to this, in the molecular subtype and radiomics of lung cancer, segmentation of lung nodules also plays a pivotal role. Existing methods are difficult to use only one model to simultaneously treat the boundaries of multiple types of lung nodules in CT images.MethodIn order to solve the problem, this paper proposed a three‐dimensional (3D)‐UNET network model optimized by a 3D conditional random field (3D‐CRF) to segment pulmonary nodules. On the basis of 3D‐UNET, the 3D‐CRF is used to optimize the sample output of the training set, so as to update the network weights in training process, reduce the model training time, and reduce the loss rate of the model. We selected 936 sets of pulmonary nodule data for the lung image database consortium and image database resource initiative (LIDC‐IDRI)1 database to train and test the model. What’s more, we used clinical data from partner hospitals for additional validation.Results and conclusionsThe results show that our method is accurate and effective. Particularly, it shows more significance for the optimization of the segmentation of adhesive pulmonary nodules (the juxta‐pleural and juxta‐vascular nodules) and ground glass pulmonary nodules (GGNs).
Pixel‐wise assessment of cardiovascular magnetic resonance first‐pass perfusion using a cardiac phantom mimicking transmural myocardial perfusion gradients
Authors: Milidonis Xenios , Nazir Muhummad Sohaib , Schneider Torben , Capstick Myles , Drost Sita , Kok Gertjan , Pelevic Nikola , Poelma Christian , Schaeffter Tobias , Chiribiri Amedeo 
Published: May 2020

PurposeCardiovascular magnetic resonance first‐pass perfusion for the pixel‐wise detection of coronary artery disease is rapidly becoming the clinical standard, yet no widely available method exists for its assessment and validation. This study introduces a novel phantom capable of generating spatially dependent flow values to enable assessment of new perfusion imaging methods at the pixel level.MethodsA synthetic multicapillary myocardial phantom mimicking transmural myocardial perfusion gradients was designed and manufactured with high‐precision 3D printing. The phantom was used in a stationary flow setup providing reference myocardial perfusion rates and was scanned on a 3T system. Repeated first‐pass perfusion MRI for physiological perfusion rates between 1 and 4 mL/g/min was performed using a clinical dual‐sequence technique. Fermi function‐constrained deconvolution was used to estimate pixel‐wise perfusion rate maps. Phase contrast (PC)‐MRI was used to obtain velocity measurements that were converted to perfusion rates for validation of reference values and cross‐method comparison. The accuracy of pixel‐wise maps was assessed against simulated reference maps.ResultsPC‐MRI indicated excellent reproducibility in perfusion rate (coefficient of variation [CoV] 2.4‐3.5%) and correlation with reference values (R2 = 0.985) across the full physiological range. Similar results were found for first‐pass perfusion MRI (CoV 3.7‐6.2%, R2 = 0.987). Pixel‐wise maps indicated a transmural perfusion difference of 28.8‐33.7% for PC‐MRI and 23.8‐37.7% for first‐pass perfusion, matching the reference values (30.2‐31.4%).ConclusionThe unique transmural perfusion pattern in the phantom allows effective pixel‐wise assessment of first‐pass perfusion acquisition protocols and quantification algorithms before their introduction into routine clinical use.
Supporting measurements or more averages? How to quantify cerebral blood flow most reliably in 5 minutes by arterial spin labeling
Authors: Bladt Piet , van Osch Matthias J. P. , Clement Patricia , Achten Eric , Sijbers Jan , den Dekker Arnold J. 
Published: May 2020

PurposeTo determine whether sacrificing part of the scan time of pseudo‐continuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL) for measurement of the labeling efficiency and blood
is beneficial in terms of CBF quantification reliability.MethodsIn a simulation framework, 5‐minute scan protocols with different scan time divisions between PCASL data acquisition and supporting measurements were evaluated in terms of CBF estimation variability across both noise and ground truth parameter realizations taken from the general population distribution. The entire simulation experiment was repeated for a single‐post‐labeling delay (PLD), multi‐PLD, and free‐lunch time‐encoded (te‐FL) PCASL acquisition strategy. Furthermore, a real data study was designed for preliminary validation.ResultsFor the considered population statistics, measuring the labeling efficiency and the blood
proved beneficial in terms of CBF estimation variability for any distribution of the 5‐minute scan time compared to only acquiring ASL data. Compared to single‐PLD PCASL without support measurements as recommended in the consensus statement, a 26%, 33%, and 42% reduction in relative CBF estimation variability was found for optimal combinations of supporting measurements with single‐PLD, free‐lunch, and multi‐PLD PCASL data acquisition, respectively. The benefit of taking the individual variation of blood
into account was also demonstrated in the real data experiment.ConclusionsSpending time to measure the labeling efficiency and the blood
instead of acquiring more averages of the PCASL data proves to be advisable for robust CBF quantification in the general population.
Longitudinal Changes in Fat Mass and the Hippocampus
Authors: Ambikairajah Ananthan , Tabatabaei‐Jafari Hossein , Walsh Erin , Hornberger Michael , Cherbuin Nicolas 
Published: May 2020

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations between fat mass (i.e., body mass index [BMI], waist circumference [WC], and waist to hip ratio [WTHR]) and hippocampal volumes.MethodsUK Biobank participants (N = 20,395) aged 40 to 70 years (mean follow‐up = 7.66 years), were included and categorized into one of four groups, which represented their baseline fat mass status and trajectory of change by follow‐up assessment: normal weight to overweight/obesity, overweight/obesity to normal weight (ON), normal weight stable (NS), or overweight/obesity stable (OS). Regression models used NS (WC < 80 cm in women and < 94 cm in men; WTHR < 0.85 in women and < 0.90 in men; BMI < 25 kg/m2 in women and men) as the reference group. Hippocampal volumes were automatically segmented using the FMRIB Software Library.ResultsCompared with NS, OS (BMI: B = −62.23 [SE = 16.76]; WC: B = −145.56 [SE = 16.97]; WTHR: B = −101.26 [SE = 19.54]) and ON (BMI: B = −61.1 [SE = 30.3]; WC: B = −93.77 [SE = 24.96]; WTHR: B = −69.92 [SE = 26.22]) had significantly lower hippocampal volumes.ConclusionsThe detrimental effects of overweight/obesity may extend beyond the duration of overweight/obesity itself.
An improved failure mode and effects analysis method based on uncertainty measure in the evidence theory
Authors: Wu Dongdong , Tang Yongchuan 
Published: May 2020

Abstractmode and effects analysis (FMEA) is an effective tool to assess the risk of a system or process under uncertain environment. However, how to handle the uncertainty in the subjective assessment is an open issue. In this paper, a novel method to deal with the uncertainty coming from subjective assessments of FMEA experts is proposed in the framework of Dempster–Shafer evidence theory. First, the uncertain degree of the assessment is measured by the ambiguity measure. Then, the uncertainty is transformed to the reliability of each FMEA expert and the relative importance of each risk factor. After that, the assessments from FMEA team will be fused with a discounting‐based combination rule to address the potential conflict. Moreover, to avoid the situation that different risk priorities of failure modes may have the same ranking based on classical risk priority number method, the gray relational projection method (GRPM) is adopted for ranking risk priorities of failure modes. Finally, an application of the improved FMEA model in sheet steel production process verifies the reliability and validity of the proposed method.
Sleep‐related breathing disorders associated with the characteristics of underlying congenital rare diseases of Moebius syndrome and Poland syndrome
Authors: Sugiyama Ai Inagaki , Shiota Satomi , Yamada Tomoko , Ito Jun , Suzuki Kazuhiro , Takahashi Kazuhisa 
Published: May 2020

AbstractA 24‐year‐old woman was referred to us with daytime sleepiness. She has two congenital intractable and rare diseases, namely, Moebius syndrome and Poland syndrome. Physiological examinations and a detailed usage analysis under a ventilation device helped to conclude that hypoglossal nerve paralysis and thoracic deformity from her two underlying diseases were associated closely with her final diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea and sleep‐related hypoventilation due to medical disorders. Bilevel positive pressure ventilation with auto‐titrating expiratory positive airway pressure was effective. This is the first report that describes in detail the causal interactions between underlying two intractable and rare diseases and sleep‐related breathing disorders.
Field evaluation of portable soil water content sensors in a sandy loam
Authors: Kim Hyunglok , Cosh Michael H. , Bindlish Rajat , Lakshmi Venkataraman 
Published: May 2020

AbstractGround observations are critical in the validation of soil water content (SWC) estimates from both satellites and land surface models. Portable SWC sensors provide useful information to determine the amount of SWC in the topsoil layer for various applications; however, these probes are not accurate without site‐specific correction. In the present study, we examined and compared six different types of portable electromagnetic (EM) SWC sensors, including multiple sensors made by the same manufacturers, for a total of 16 EM‐based SWC probes equipped with portable data loggers. All SWC probes met the target accuracy after onsite correction—the RMSD was <0.025 m3 m−3. Using the two‐sample t tests, we observed that SWC data obtained from similar electrode lengths and from different manufacturers showed similar distributions over time with the same mean. Furthermore, using the maximize R method to combine SWC data from two different types of sensors increased the accuracy of the results. When datasets from two different types of sensors were combined, the Pearson's correlation coefficient (R value) and RMSD values were improved. The average R value improved from .930 to .945, and the RMSD decreased from 0.036 to 0.018 m3 m−3. These results indicate that, along with site‐specific correction, synergetic use of multiple manufacturers’ EM‐based SWC probes can improve the R value and reduce systematic bias.
Climate change adaptation in SIDS: A systematic review of the literature pre and post the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report
Authors: Robinson Stacy‐ann 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2014 was the most comprehensive to date. Yet it left several gaps with regards to the impacts, implications and responses to climate change in small island developing states (SIDS). SIDS are recognized as a special grouping of developing countries. Located in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Caribbean, and Pacific regions, they comprise 58 countries that are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change and its impacts. With adaptation to climate change viewed as a viable and necessary complement to mitigation, academic interest in adaptation in these complex geographies is increasing. Despite this, not enough is known about the body of knowledge relating to adaptation in SIDS. This article systematically reviews 208 articles, books, book chapters, conference papers, and notes, and synthesizes the nature and extent of the research evidence before and after AR5 (i.e., from 1990 to 2014, and from 2015 to 2018). It specifically explores shifts in (a) when, where and by what means knowledge is being produced (e.g., subject areas, methodologies), and the ways in which adaptation is being framed (i.e., conceptually, operationally), (b) the narratives, consensuses, and tensions across the key emerging themes in the literature, and (c) the knowledge gaps that exist. It also outlines a future research agenda, which is an important consideration not only for multi‐scale actors working to help solve the global climate challenge, but also for the scholars preparing the Small Islands Chapter of the Sixth Assessment Report due in 2021.This article is categorized under:

Climate and Development > Sustainability and Human Well‐Being
Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Learning from Cases and Analogies
A Brief History of Bioethics in Japan
Authors: Akabayashi Akira 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIn this chapter I look back at the history of bioethics in Japan, which can be divided into three phases: Phase I, Introduction (1980–1999); Phase II, Development (2000–2010); and Phase III, the Recent Past (2011–present). Phase I marks the period when the concept of bioethics that originated in the West came to Japan. It was also when Japanese society faced its first difficult bioethical issues: namely brain-death and organ transplantation. Other issues emerged during this period, particularly pertaining to death, such as end-of-life medical care and euthanasia. In Phase II, the problems shifted to those pertaining to the beginning of life, such as the moral status of the human embryo. As well, during this period the government implemented ethical guidelines for research ethics. During this period, social awareness of bioethics increased, and bioethics education began to appear not only medical education, but also within high school curricula. In Phase III, Japan began to tackle its own ethical issues, such as enhancement, regenerative medicine, neuroethics, public health ethics, and precision medicine. Some of my thoughts concerning projections for the future are discussed at the end of this chapter.