bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Do postoperative complications correlate to chronic pain following inguinal hernia repair? A prospective cohort study from the Swedish Hernia Register
Authors: Olsson A. , Sandblom G. , Franneby U. , Sondén A. , Gunnarsson U. , Dahlstrand U. 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Purpose
To analyse if postoperative complications constitute a predictor for the risk of developing long-term groin pain.

Methods
Population-based prospective cohort study of 30,659 patients operated for inguinal hernia 2015–2017 included in the Swedish Hernia Register. Registered post-operative complications were categorised into hematomas, surgical site infections, seromas, urinary tract complications, and acute post-operative pain. A questionnaire enquiring about groin pain was distributed to all patients 1 year after surgery. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to find any association between postoperative complications and reported level of pain 1 year after surgery.

Results
The response rate was 64.5%. In total 19,773 eligible participants responded to the questionnaire, whereof 73.4% had undergone open anterior mesh repair and 26.6% had undergone endo-laparoscopic mesh repair.
Registered postoperative complications were: 750 hematomas (2.3%), 516 surgical site infections (1.6%), 395 seromas (1.2%), 1216 urinary tract complications (3.7%), and 520 hernia repairs with acute post-operative pain (1.6%).
Among patients who had undergone open anterior mesh repair, an association between persistent pain and hematomas (OR 2.03, CI 1.30–3.18), surgical site infections (OR 2.18, CI 1.27–3.73) and acute post-operative pain (OR 7.46, CI 4.02–13.87) was seen. Analysis of patients with endo-laparoscopic repair showed an association between persistent pain and acute post-operative pain (OR 9.35, CI 3.18–27.48).

Conclusion
Acute postoperative pain was a strong predictor for persistent pain following both open anterior and endo-laparoscopic hernia repair. Surgical site infection and hematoma were predictors for persistent pain following open anterior hernia repair, although the rate of reported postoperative complications was low.
The Loss of Raw Material Criticality: Implications of the Collapse of Saudi Arabian Oil Exports
Authors: Blum Ulrich , Zhong Jiarui 
Published: December 2021

AbstractRaw material criticality has played an important role in geostrategic thinking, especially since the crisis surrounding the price and supply of rare earths at the beginning of the 2010s. However, once dependency and strategic importance grow too strong, substitution efforts will take place that could reduce or even eradicate the previous criticality. Critical resources rarely become obsolete very quickly. However, this could happen in the case of crude oil because climate policy is forcing defossilisation, but also because artificial scarcity is falling as a result of geostrategic rivalries that are causing oversupply. This article analyses this process and the possible consequences using Saudi Arabia as an example. The development of a green hydrogen industry has potential, but it should not be overestimated in view of the absorption capacity of the economy.
Gradient nonlinearity correction in liver DWI using motion-compensated diffusion encoding waveforms
Authors: McTavish Sean , Van Anh T. , Peeters Johannes M. , Weiss Kilian , Makowski Marcus R. , Braren Rickmer F. , Karampinos Dimitrios C. 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Objective
To experimentally characterize the effectiveness of a gradient nonlinearity correction method in removing ADC bias for different motion-compensated diffusion encoding waveforms.

Methods
The diffusion encoding waveforms used were the standard monopolar Stejskal–Tanner pulsed gradient spin echo (pgse) waveform, the symmetric bipolar velocity-compensated waveform (sym-vc), the asymmetric bipolar velocity-compensated waveform (asym-vc) and the asymmetric bipolar partial velocity-compensated waveform (asym-pvc). The effectiveness of the gradient nonlinearity correction method using the spherical harmonic expansion of the gradient coil field was tested with the aforementioned waveforms in a phantom and in four healthy subjects.

Results
The gradient nonlinearity correction method reduced the ADC bias in the phantom experiments for all used waveforms. The range of the ADC values over a distance of ± 67.2 mm from isocenter reduced from 1.29 × 10–4 to 0.32 × 10–4 mm2/s for pgse, 1.04 × 10–4 to 0.22 × 10–4 mm2/s for sym-vc, 1.22 × 10–4 to 0.24 × 10–4 mm2/s for asym-vc and 1.07 × 10–4 to 0.11 × 10–4 mm2/s for asym-pvc. The in vivo results showed that ADC overestimation due to motion or bright vessels can be increased even further by the gradient nonlinearity correction.

Conclusion
The investigated gradient nonlinearity correction method can be used effectively with various motion-compensated diffusion encoding waveforms. In coronal liver DWI, ADC errors caused by motion and residual vessel signal can be increased even further by the gradient nonlinearity correction.
Humidity influence on mechanics of paper materials: joint numerical and experimental study on fiber and fiber network scale
Authors: Lin Binbin , Auernhammer Julia , Schäfer Jan-Lukas , Meckel Tobias , Stark Robert , Biesalski Markus , Xu Bai-Xiang 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPaper materials are well-known to be hydrophilic unless chemical and mechanical processing treatments are undertaken. The relative humidity impacts the fiber elasticity, the interfiber joint behavior and the failure mechanism. In this work, we present a comprehensive experimental and computational study on mechanical properties of the fiber and the fiber network under humidity influence. The manually extracted cellulose fiber is exposed to different levels of humidity, and then mechanically characterized using atomic force microscopy, which delivers the humidity dependent longitudinal Young’s modulus. We describe the relation and calibrate the data into an exponential function, and the obtained relationship allows calculation of fiber elastic modulus at any humidity level. Moreover, by using confoncal laser scanning microscopy, the coefficient of hygroscopic expansion of the fibers is determined. We further present a finite element model to simulate the deformation and the failure of the fiber network. The model includes the fiber anisotropy and the hygroscopic expansion using the experimentally determined constants, and further considers interfiber behavior and debonding by using a humidity dependent cohesive zone interface model. Simulations on exemplary fiber network samples are performed to demonstrate the influence of different aspects including relative humidity and fiber-fiber bonding parameters on the mechanical features, such as force-elongation curve, strength and extensibility. Finally, we provide computational insights for interfiber bond damage pattern with respect to different humidity level as further outlook.
Pathways to student engagement: beyond triggers and mechanisms at the engagement interface
Authors: Trowler Vicki , Allan Robert L. , Bryk Jaroslaw , Din Rukhsana R. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis paper, while conceptual in nature, is informed by both research and practice. Exploring the “engagement interface” as the site for student engagement (SE), we offer a conceptual contribution in engaging with the Kahu and Nelson (2018) model by bringing in a fuller understanding of SE grounded in the higher education context rather than being uncritically transplanted from a compulsory education context. This involves consideration of the multiple facets of SE as well as the dynamic, shifting and multilocal nature of the construct. The paper then proceeds to enhance the details of the model, grounding them in a finer-grained reading of the literature and relating educational constructs to the model’s proposed “mechanisms” in a conceptually substantiated way. This further extends Kahu and Nelson’s aim of illuminating the “black box” of SE. Our third contribution is to practice by proposing tactics: informed by the literature, we invite practitioners to consider ways in which they can increase the likelihood of facilitating engagement with, and by, students more constructively.
Measuring Parental Involvement in Dual-Earner Qatari Families
Authors: Lari Noora , Al-Emadi Noor 
Published: December 2021

AbstractParental involvement in dual-earner families is a subject that has been widely studied in the literature in Western contexts. Less attention, however, has been allocated to the challenges that dual-earner families encounter in raising children in Arab Gulf states. This paper study aims to address the following questions: To what extent are dual-earner families involved in their children’s lives? What are the gender differences in parental involvement? This paper employed the 2017 survey data of working Qatari males and females to measure their parental involvement and engagement in family time and childcare. The results highlighted parental factors, work characteristics and social supports as key factors determining the degree of parental involvement. The results also showed the gender differences in parental involvement scores, which comprise several factors, including work demands and time spent with children. Taken together, our findings provide insights allowing suggestions for mechanisms that could generate foundational parental welfare policies for dual-earner families in Qatar and the wider Arab Gulf Region as a whole. Further contributions to this research domain could include studies encompassing a wider scope of geographical locations within the Arab Gulf states using robust experimental investigations.
Wet chemical development of CuO/GO nanocomposites: its augmented antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancerous activity
Authors: Biswas Kunal , Mohanta Yugal Kishore , Mishra Awdhesh Kumar , Al-Sehemi Abdullah G. , Pannipara Mehboobali , Sett Avik , Bratovcic Amra , De Debashis , Prasad Panda Bibhu , Kumar Avula Satya , Mohanta Tapan Kumar , Al-Harrasi Ahmed 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis study employed a bottom-up technique to synthesize copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles over hydrophilic graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. The CuO/GO nanocomposite has been prepared using two selected precursors of copper nitrate and citric acid with an intermittent mixing of GO solutions. The synthesized Nanocomposites were characterized using different biophysical techniques like FT-IR, NMR, FE-SEM, and HR-TEM analyses. FT-IR analyses confirm the nanocomposites’ successful formation, which is evident from the functional groups of C=C, C-O, and Cu-C stretching vibrations. Morphological analyses reveal the depositions of CuO nanoparticles over the planar rough GO sheets, which has been elucidated from the FE-SEM and HR-TEM analyses supported by respective EDAX analyses. The antimicrobial activities have been evident from the surface roughness and damages seen from the FE-SEM analyses. The CuO/GO sheets were tested against Gram-positive (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). It is evident that the intrinsic antibacterial activity of CuO/GO sheets, when combined in equal proportions, elicited a robust antibacterial activity when tested over Gram –ve representative bacteria Escherichia coli. The antioxidant behaviour of synthesized CuO/GO nanocomposite was evaluated by scavenging the free radicals of DPPH and ABTS. Moreover, the cytotoxic activity was also studied against epidermoid carcinoma cell line A-431. A brief mathematical formulation has been proposed in this study to uncover the possibilities of using the nanocomposites as potential drug candidates in theranostic applications in disease treatment and diagnosis. This study would help uncover the electronic properties that play in the nano-scaled system at the material-bio interface, which would aid in designing a sensitive nano-electromechanical device bearing both the therapeutic and diagnostic attributes heralding a new horizon in the health care systems.
Beyond the Mean: A Flexible Framework for Studying Causal Effects Using Linear Models
Authors: Gische Christian , Voelkle Manuel C. 
Published: December 2021

Graph-based causal models are a flexible tool for causal inference from observational data. In this paper, we develop a comprehensive framework to define, identify, and estimate a broad class of causal quantities in linearly parametrized graph-based models. The proposed method extends the literature, which mainly focuses on causal effects on the mean level and the variance of an outcome variable. For example, we show how to compute the probability that an outcome variable realizes within a target range of values given an intervention, a causal quantity we refer to as the probability of treatment success. We link graph-based causal quantities defined via the do-operator to parameters of the model implied distribution of the observed variables using so-called causal effect functions. Based on these causal effect functions, we propose estimators for causal quantities and show that these estimators are consistent and converge at a rate of N-1/2\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$N^{-1/2}$$\end{document} under standard assumptions. Thus, causal quantities can be estimated based on sample sizes that are typically available in the social and behavioral sciences. In case of maximum likelihood estimation, the estimators are asymptotically efficient. We illustrate the proposed method with an example based on empirical data, placing special emphasis on the difference between the interventional and conditional distribution.
Service Users’ Decision-Making During Transition to Long-Term Care: Social Workers’ and Older People’s Perspectives
Authors: Wamara Charles Kiiza , Naumiuk Agnieszka 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAs the world’s population rapidly ages, older people are increasingly placed in long-term care institutions. Although this global trend is supposed to protect older people, it is unclear whether they have any voice in decisions about such placements. The aim of this paper is to report a qualitative study into whether and to what degree social workers involve older people in these decisions. The study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews, focused group discussion, sociograms, and the daily and weekly schedules of 17 respondents (7 social workers and 10 older people in long-term care) in Warsaw, Poland. The findings show that social workers did involve older people, but only in minor decisions after their placement to help them adapt to the new situation. This practice seems to be attributable to neoliberal and managerial tendencies in the policy guidelines that social workers must follow in performing inherently relational tasks. The paper concludes by outlining the implications of these findings for social work.
Clusia falcata (Clusiaceae), an endangered species with exceptionally narrow leaves endemic to Chiapas, Mexico
Authors: Luján Manuel , Cacho N. Ivalú , Pérez-Farrera Miguel Ángel , Hammel Barry 
Published: December 2021

SummaryClusia falcata (Clusiaceae), a new species from Chiapas, Mexico, is described and illustrated. This new taxon is distinctive for its leaves, among the narrowest of all known species, having lanceolate to oblong laminas that are mostly 10 – 15 × 2 – 2.5 cm. The flowers have a quadrangular perianth with succulent petals, and a non-resiniferous androecium and gynoecium. Staminate flowers have a quadrangular androphore bearing 18 – 24 short stamens. Pistillate flowers have 4 pairs of staminodia, with each pair born on an androphore. The species is endemic to montane forests of the Northern and Eastern highlands of Chiapas in Mexico and is currently considered to be endangered.
Application of a non-ionic bio-surfactant instead of chemical additives for prevention of the permeability impairment of a swelling sandstone oil reservoir
Authors: Razzaghi-Koolaee Farnam , Zargar Ghasem , Soltani Soulgani Bahram , Mehrabianfar Parviz 
Published: December 2021

AbstractFormation damage is a general term, which refers to any process that reduces the production or injectivity of an oil well. Clay swelling formation damage, due to incompatible fluid invasion, is a common problem in the petroleum industry. In this research, the effect of Acanthophyllum root extract (ACRE), a bio-based surfactant, on the reduction in reservoir permeability impairment has been studied. Some static tests were applied to investigate the chemical interaction between the surfactant and montmorillonite (Mt), including Mt sedimentation test, Free swelling index (FSI) test, Zeta potential tests, particle size measurement, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Experiments were followed by coreflood and micromodel tests to verify their effect on preventing permeability reduction and pore plugging in porous media. According to the results, Mt dispersion is unstable in the presence of ACRE solution. ACRE can reduce the FSI from 233.3 (totally hydrated Mt) to 94.3%, representing the reduction in hydration potential. The zeta potential of Mt in ACRE aqueous solution moves toward the lowest magnitude, implying that the water molecules surrounding the Mt particles are unstable. Particle size measurement and SEM analysis proved simultaneously that ACRE solution sustains Mt particles flocculated and prevents delamination. The thermal stability of the ACRE was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and it showed a suitable resistance to the temperature rise. Eventually, coreflood and micromodel tests revealed that ACRE has a high performance in lowering the permeability impairment and pore plugging. All in all, ACRE showed high potential in preventing Mt swelling and, therefore, formation damage in clay-bearing sandstones.
Panel Associations Between Newly Dead, Healed, Recovered, and Confirmed Cases During COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Guan Ming 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Background
Currently, the knowledge of associations among newly recovered cases (NR), newly healed cases (NH), newly confirmed cases (NC), and newly dead cases (ND) can help to monitor, evaluate, predict, control, and curb the spreading of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to explore the panel associations of ND, NH, and NR with NC.

Methods
Data from China Data Lab in Harvard Dataverse with China (January 15, 2020 to January 14, 2021), the United States of America (the USA, January 21, 2020 to April 5, 2021), and the World (January 22, 2020 to March 20, 2021) had been analyzed. The main variables included in the present analysis were ND, NH, NR, and NC. Pooled regression, stacked within-transformed linear regression, quantile regression for panel data, random-effects negative binomial regression, and random-effects Poisson regression were conducted to reflect the associations of ND, NH, and NR with NC. Event study analyses were performed to explore how the key events influenced NC.

Results
Descriptive analyses showed that mean value of ND/NC ratio regarding China was more than those regarding the USA and the World. The results from tentative analysis reported the significant relationships among ND, NH, NR, and NC regarding China, the USA, and the World. Panel regressions confirmed associations of ND, NH, and NR with NC regarding China, the USA, and the World. Panel event study showed that key events influenced NC regarding USA and the World more greatly than that regarding China.

Conclusion
The findings in this study confirmed the panel associations of ND, NH, and NR with NC in the three datasets. The efficiencies of various control strategies of COVID-19 pandemic across the globe were compared by the regression outcomes. Future direction of research work could explore the influencing mechanisms of the panel associations.
Design of a Low‐Cost Electrical Resistivity Meter for Near Surface Surveys
Authors: de la Vega M. , Bongiovanni M. V. , Grünhut V. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractA programmable automated electrical resistivity meter was designed and constructed. The device was created to perform near surface studies, particularly for archaeogeophysical target characterization. Real field and laboratory model studies can be performed changing the current input of the device. The equipment consists of two independent devices, each one with its own microcontroller platform. They are interconnected through serial data transfer protocol. The first device, works as a resistivity meter where the ABMN electrode positions are programmed and permits the interaction with the user. The second one, connects the current and voltage channels to the programmed electrode positions. A physical model and field measurements were performed with different electrode configurations such as Dipole‐Dipole, Werner‐Schlumberger and Wenner γ112 in order to verify the performance of the automated electrical resistivity meter. The measurements give mean relative standard deviation values between 0.6% and 5.5% and data inversion convergence between 1.3% and 7.2%. Even though this open source and low cost electrical resistivity meter was design primarily for archaeogeophysical studies, it could be adapted to other geophysical issues such as contamination plumes detection and characterization, tunnel detection, etc.
Isotopic Elucidation of Microbial Nitrogen Transformations in Forest Soils
Authors: Xu Shi‐Qi , Liu Xue‐Yan , Sun Zhong‐Cong , Hu Chao‐Chen , Wanek Wolfgang , Koba Keisuke 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSoil nitrogen (N) transformations between labile N forms (extractable organic N [EON], ammonium [NH4+], and nitrate [NO3−]) regulate soil N availability. However, it has long been difficult to quantify the transformations of total soil organic and labile N forms in soils, which has left large uncertainties in evaluating atmospheric N deposition effects on soil N dynamics. Based on concentrations and natural abundances of N isotopes of soil organic N, EON, NH4+, and NO3− across 11 forests with variant N deposition levels, we established a quantitative isotopic framework to estimate the fractions of soil N depolymerization (fD), mineralization (fM), nitrification (fN), and of NO3− losses (fL) via denitrification and leaching. Based on the fractions, the gross production and storage of corresponding soil labile N were estimated for forests of China and Japan. We found that fD, fM, and fN increased, while fL decreased with the increase of N deposition among the study forests. And the contribution of denitrification (relative to the NO3− leaching) to total NO3− losses also increased with increasing N deposition. Our method provides new and straightforward insights into the present soil N transformations and allows to evaluate the soil N status. These findings are useful for modeling forest N cycles under different N deposition regimes.