bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dual-energy CT of acute bowel ischemia—influence on diagnostic accuracy and reader confidence
Authors: Oberparleiter Moritz , Vosshenrich Jan , Breit Hanns-Christian , Kaiser Philippe , Hehenkamp Paul , Harder Dorothee , Boll Daniel T. , Zech Christoph J. , Obmann Markus M. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Objectives
This study evaluates the advantages in diagnostic accuracy, confidence, and reading time of additional dual-energy CT-derived reconstructions for assessing acute bowel ischemia.

Methods and materials
This retrospective study includes 25 patients with surgically proven acute bowel ischemia and 25 gender- and age-matched controls who underwent biphasic abdominal dual-energy CT. Two fellowship-trained abdominal radiologists and two residents evaluated all cases with and without additional dual-energy CT-derived iodine maps and virtual non-contrast images. Diagnostic confidence was rated on a 10-point Likert scale. Reading time was recorded. The inter-reader agreement was assessed using Fleiss’ kappa. Sensitivity and specificity were compared using McNemar’s test, reader confidence, and reading times with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Results
For conventional images alone, the inter-reader agreement was moderate (κ = 0.58), with a sensitivity of 77% (95% CI: 67.5–84.8%) and specificity of 90% (95% CI: 82.4–95.1%). Adding dual-energy CT images, inter-reader agreement increased to substantial (κ = 0.69), sensitivity increased significantly to 89% (95% CI: 81.2–94.4%, p = 0.02), while specificity increased non-significantly to 93% (95% CI: 86.1–97.1%, p = 0.51). Diagnostic confidence increased significantly from 8 (IQR: 6–8) to 9 (IQR: 8–9) (p < 0.01). Equivalent diagnostic accuracy and confidence increases were observed for fellowship-trained and resident radiologists. A non-significant increase in mean reading time per case from 196 s to 201 s was observed (p = 0.30).

Conclusion
Additional dual-energy CT reconstructions increase diagnostic accuracy and confidence without increasing reading time when evaluating suspected acute bowel ischemia. Both experienced and resident readers benefit from dual-energy CT images.

Key Points

Question

There are too few clinical studies assessing the diagnostic accuracy of dual-energy CT (DECT) to recommend its use for evaluating suspected acute bowel ischemia.

Findings

Adding DECT-derived iodine maps and virtual-non-contrast images increase reader sensitivity and confidence while maintaining high specificity when evaluating for acute mesenteric ischemia.

Clinical relevance

Dual-energy CT should be used to investigate suspected acute bowel ischemia. Both diagnostic accuracy and confidence can be increased independent of reader experience without significantly increasing reading time.
Quantifying treatment burden: the patient burden score a study of 758 patients across three clinical urologic scenarios
Authors: Gofrit Ofer N. , Goldberg S. Nahum , Lorber Amitay , Duvdevani Mordechai , Wygoda Marc , Hidas Guy , Yutkin Vladimir , Pikarsky Liat Appelbaum 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Objectives
To develop a comprehensive scale that measures the three burden types of any treatment, including expected, unexpected (complications), and need for ancillary procedures.

Methods
A panel of experts created a scale that assessed the burden of all aspects of treatment, including hospitalization, anesthesia, surgery, and follow-up. The total score is defined as the burden score (BS). BS was calculated retrospectively for patients in three clinical scenarios in urology, each with two acceptable treatment options: patients with a small renal mass (T1a) treated with either partial nephrectomy (PN, 139 patients) or percutaneous ablation (PA, 83 patients), patients with bladder cancer (stages T2-4a, N0, M0) treated with radical cystectomy (RC, 162 patients) or trimodal therapy (TMT, 88 patients), and patients with upper ureteral stones ≤ 10 mm treated with either ureteroscopy (137 patients) or extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (SWL, 150 patients).

Results
Both PN and PA provided excellent oncological results (5-year recurrence-free survival ≥ 97%) and low complication rates. However, the BS of PN was more than twice that of PA (27.3 ± 7.7 vs. 12.5 ± 6.4, p < 0.01). RC and TMT showed identical 3-year disease-specific survival rates (73%), but the BS of TMT was significantly lower (53.8 ± 11.1 vs. 42.0 ± 11.6, p < 0.01). Both ureteroscopy and SWL have achieved high stone-free rates (≥ 97%) and low complication rates. However, the BS of ureteroscopy was significantly lower (7.8 ± 3 vs. 9.0 ± 3.5, p < 0.01).

Conclusion
PA treatment for small renal masses, TMT for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and ureteroscopy for upper ureteral stones provided similar success rates to those of PN, RC, and SWL, but with significantly lower BS. This tool can assist in patient consultation when multiple treatment options are available. The concept of BS can be extended to other fields of medicine.
On-site aerodynamics using stereoscopic PIV and deep optical flow learning
Authors: Elrefaie Mohamed , Hüttig Steffen , Gladkova Mariia , Gericke Timo , Cremers Daniel , Breitsamter Christian 
Published: November 2024

AbstractWe introduce recurrent all-pairs field transforms for stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (RAFT-StereoPIV). Our approach leverages deep optical flow learning to analyze time-resolved and double-frame particle images from on-site measurements, particularly from the ‘Ring of Fire,’ as well as from wind tunnel measurements for fast aerodynamic analysis. A multi-fidelity dataset comprising both Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and direct numerical simulation (DNS) was used to train our model. RAFT-StereoPIV outperforms all PIV state-of-the-art deep learning models on benchmark datasets, with a 68 % error reduction on the validation dataset, Problem Class 2, and a 47 % error reduction on the unseen test dataset, Problem Class 1, demonstrating its robustness and generalizability. In comparison with the most recent works in the field of deep learning for PIV, where the main focus was the methodology development and the application was limited to either 2D flow cases or simple experimental data, we extend deep learning-based PIV for industrial applications and three-component two-dimensional (3C2D) velocity estimation. We believe that this study brings the field of experimental fluid dynamics one step closer to the long-term goal of having experimental measurement systems that can be used for fast flow field estimation.
Exploring droplet oscillation dynamics in surface tension measurements
Authors: Fahimi Kiana , Mädler Lutz , Ellendt Nils 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThis study builds upon prior research by exploring droplet oscillation dynamics for surface tension determination using a drop-on-demand high-temperature droplet generator. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted to analyse frequency shifts over time, comparing two different materials with consistent results. The findings suggest potential for developing correction factors for oscillations with larger initial deformations. Additionally, frequency shifts relative to evolving aspect ratios of droplets starting with higher initial deformations were compared. Corrective measures can be applied, particularly beneficial for short-term measurements based on image analysis with minimal overall frequency shift. Slight asymmetry in oscillation with increasing aspect ratio could be accredited to droplet cross-sectional geometry or energy availability for returning prolate droplets to a spherical state. Experimental results indicated minimal frequency shift within a measurement duration of up to 40 ms, affirming the adequacy of using a fitted sine function without a time-dependent frequency term for overall frequency determination. A dimensionless criterion can be used to filter out unsuitable droplets. A temperature-dependent surface tension trend for AlCu10 alloy consistent with literature findings is introduced.
EHFusion: an efficient heterogeneous fusion model for group-based 3D human pose estimation
Authors: Peng Jihua , Zhou Yanghong , Mok P. Y. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractStimulated by its important applications in animation, gaming, virtual reality, augmented reality, and healthcare, 3D human pose estimation has received considerable attention in recent years. To improve the accuracy of 3D human pose estimation, most approaches have converted this challenging task into a local pose estimation problem by dividing the body joints of the human body into different groups based on the human body topology. The body joint features of different groups are then fused to predict the overall pose of the whole body, which requires a joint feature fusion scheme. Nevertheless, the joint feature fusion schemes adopted in existing methods involve the learning of extensive parameters and hence are computationally very expensive. This paper reports a new topology-based grouped method ‘EHFusion’ for 3D human pose estimation, which involves a heterogeneous feature fusion (HFF) module that integrates grouped pose features. The HFF module reduces the computational complexity of the model while achieving promising accuracy. Moreover, we introduce motion amplitude information and a camera intrinsic embedding module to provide better global information and 2D-to-3D conversion knowledge, thereby improving the overall robustness and accuracy of the method. In contrast to previous methods, the proposed new network can be trained end-to-end in one single stage. Experimental results not only demonstrate the advantageous trade-offs between estimation accuracy and computational complexity achieved by our method but also showcase the competitive performance in comparison with various existing state-of-the-art methods (e.g., transformer-based) when evaluated on two public datasets, Human3.6M and HumanEva. The data and code are available at doi:10.5281/zenodo.11113132
Analysis of startup shear flow data of linear polystyrene blends: is shear stress undershoot caused by transient shear banding?
Authors: Wagner Manfred H. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractStartup shear stress data of a well-defined set of binary polystyrene blends consisting of monodisperse blend components were reported recently by Parisi et al. (J Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech 315:105028, 2023). They presented convincing evidence that in the fast flow of melts with narrow molar mass distribution, shear stress undershoot is observed after the overshoot and before approaching the steady state. For blends with broad relaxation time spectra, no undershoot was found. We analyze this data set by comparison with predictions of the rotation zero stretch (RZS) model (Wagner et al. Rheol Acta 63:573–584, 2024), which is generalized here to the multi-mode MRZS model for polymer blends. We confirm that the steady-state shear viscosity of the monodisperse blend components as well as of the binary blends agrees with the viscosity predicted by the Doi-Edwards independent alignment model. As long as there is no undershoot, the RZS model (monodisperse melts) and the MRZS model (binary blends) result in a quantitative description of the full startup curve of the shear stress growth $${\sigma }_{12}^{+}(\dot{\gamma },t)$$

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including overshoot and steady state, based solely on the linear viscoelastic characterization. The shear stress undershoot observed at higher shear rates in melts with narrow molar mass distribution is not described by the RZS or MRZS model. However, the analysis of the experimental data shows clear evidence that undershoot occurs only if after the overshoot, the decreasing shear stress at a higher shear rate undercuts the shear stress at lower rates, i.e., only if $$\partial {\sigma }_{12}^{+}(\dot{\gamma },t)/\partial \dot{\gamma }<0$$

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Graphical Abstract
Risk factors for substantial weight retention at 1 year postpartum: evidence from a German birth cohort study (KUNO-Kids)
Authors: Quaderer S. , Brandstetter S. , Köninger A. , Melter M. , Kabesch M. , Apfelbacher C. , Fill Malfertheiner S. ,   KUNO-Kids Study Group, Ambrosch Andreas , Arndt Petra A , Baessler Andrea , Berneburg Mark , Böse-O’Reilly Stephan , Brunner Romuald , Malfertheiner Sara Fill , Franke André , Häusler Sebastian , Heid Iris , Heinze Stefanie , Högler Wolfgang , Kerzel Sebastian , Koller Michael , Leitzmann Michael , Lennon Áine , Rothfuß David , Rösch Wolfgang , Schaub Bianca , Weidinger Stephan , Wellmann Sven 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Postpartum weight retention (PPWR) increases the risk of overweight and obesity. This study aims to identify risk factors for substantial weight retention (≥ 5 kg) at 1 year postpartum.

Methods
Data were obtained from N = 747 mothers participating in the KUNO-Kids birth cohort study. The following variables were analyzed: sociodemographic variables, pre-pregnancy body mass index, postpartum weight retention at 6 months, gestational weight gain, parity, breastfeeding, mode of delivery, gestational diabetes mellitus, physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, sleep, and depression. Variables that showed an association of p < 0.2 with substantial postpartum weight retention (SPPWR) in univariable logistic regression analyses were included in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS.28.

Results
One year after delivery, mean PPWR was 1.5 kg (SD 5.2 kg), and 21.6% of the women had SPPWR. The multivariable logistic regression model showed a significant negative association of SPPWR with an intermediate educational status compared to a low educational status (OR = 0.27 [95% CI 0.11–0.69]). In addition, PPWR at 6 months was positively associated with SPPWR (OR = 1.55 [95% CI 1.43–1.69]) at 1 year. None of the other associations reached statistical significance.

Conclusion
Postpartum weight retention may lead to weight gain. Losing weight in the first few months after delivery may prevent substantial postpartum weight retention. Women of low education may particularly benefit from weight loss support.
Effect of mother’s active pushing at cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Sayed Ahmed , Sayed Anwar A. , Fard Delnaz , Hillemanns Peter , Von Kaisenberg Constantin , Klapdor Rüdiger 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of maternal active pushing during cesarean section (CS) on postoperative pain, intraoperative discomfort, and the mother’s sense of control and participation.

Design
A prospective, randomized controlled study.

Methods
Patients were randomly assigned into two groups. In the Conventional group (n = 45), the CS was performed traditionally without maternal pushing. In the Assisted group (n = 55), patients were instructed to push during delivery. Outcomes measures included patients’ perceived pressure, pain, and sense of participation. Breastfeeding and postnatal depression were assessed using validated scales, along with maternal and neonatal outcomes, surgeon satisfaction, and operation duration.

Results
Patients in the Assisted group reported significantly lower fundal pressure intensity (VAS score 3 vs. 5, P < 0.01) compared to the Conventional group. There was no significant difference in postoperative pain. However, women in the Assisted group reported a greater sense of participation (6 vs. 0, P < 0.01) and control (4 vs. 0, P < 0.05) than those in the Conventional group. No significant maternal or neonatal complications were observed.

Conclusion
Maternal active pushing during CS positively impacted intraoperative experience by reducing perceived pressure and enhancing the sense of control and participation, without adverse effects on maternal or neonatal outcomes. These findings support further research with larger, multi-center studies to validate the potential benefits of this approach.

Trial Registration
NCT05520580 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05520580).
Health-related quality of life in patients after endoscopic or microscopic cholesteatoma surgery
Authors: Raemy Yannik , Bächinger David , Peter Nicole , Roosli Christof 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Different surgical techniques exist for treating cholesteatoma, such as microscopical or transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES). This study aimed to compare these two techniques, focusing on quality of life.

Methods
This retrospective single-center study included 188 patients with cholesteatoma. The primary outcome was the assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the Zurich Chronic Middle Ear Inventory (ZCMEI-21) preoperatively, 3 and 12 months postoperatively with regard to surgical technique and intraoperative staging of the cholesteatoma (ChOLE classification). Secondary outcomes included hearing pure tone average of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz (PTA4), complications assessed 3 months postoperatively as well as recidivism within the follow-up time of 1 year postoperatively.

Results
A total of 28 patients underwent TEES and 160 microscopic ear surgery. The ZCMEI-21 total scores preoperatively were not significantly different between the two groups. An improvement in QoL one year postoperatively was observed in both groups to a comparable extent. The ZCMEI-21 decreased significantly (p < 0.01) in both groups. In the TEES group, the cholesteatoma tended to be smaller (lower ChOLE score), PTA4 was better and complication rate comparable. The number of recidivisms was lower for the TEES group (1 [3.6%] vs. 31 [19.4%]).

Conclusion
TEES is a valuable alternative to the traditional microscopic technique, at least for small cholesteatoma, which leads to a comparable improvement in HRQoL as the microscopic technique. The better postoperative hearing and lower rate of recidivism in the TEES group may be related to the smaller extent of the cholesteatoma.
On the long-term storage of tissue for fluorescence and electron microscopy: lessons learned from rat liver samples
Authors: Shami Gerald J. , Chen Zenan , Cheng Delfine , Wisse Eddie , Braet Filip 
Published: November 2024

AbstractOccasionally, tissue samples cannot be processed completely and are stored under varying conditions for extended periods. This is particularly beneficial in interinstitutional studies where a given research setting may lack the expertise or infrastructure for sample processing, imaging and data analysis. Currently, there is limited literature available on the controlled storage of biological tissues in primary fixatives for fluorescence and electron microscopy. In this contribution, we mimicked various tissue storage scenarios by taking different fixation conditions, storage temperatures and storage durations into account. Rat liver tissue was used for its well-known diversity of cellular ultrastructure and microscopy analysis. Fluorescent labelling of actin, DNA and lipids were employed in conjunction with high-resolution electron microscopy imaging. Herein, we tested three different fixative solutions (1.5% glutaraldehyde, 0.4% glutaraldehyde and 4% formaldehyde and 4% formaldehyde) and stored samples for 1–28 days at room temperature and refrigerator temperature. We found that liver tissue can be stored for up to 2 weeks in a 0.4% glutaraldehyde + 4% formaldehyde fixative solution, while still enabling reliable fluorescent labelling and ultrastructural studies. Ultrastructural integrity was eminent up to 1 month using either glutaraldehyde or formaldehyde fixation protocols. When liver tissue is fixed with a mixture of 0.4% glutaraldehyde and 4% formaldehyde and stored at 4 °C, it retains its capacity for electron microscopy analysis for several years, but loses its capacity for reliable fluorescent labelling studies. In conclusion, we demonstrated that liver tissue can be stored for extended periods enabling profound structure–function analysis across length scales.
On subalgebras of MS-algebras
Authors: Badawy Abd El-Mohsen , EL-Maghrabi A. I. , Helmy Alaa 
Published: November 2024

AbstractIn this paper, we introduce the concepts of subalgebras, principal subalgebras and $$d_{L}$$

d
L

-subalgebras of a principal MS-algebra and describe the lattices of such subalgebras. Also, we describe a subalgebra [S] that generated by a subset S of an MS-algebra (principal MS-algebra) L and study related properties. Finally, we determine and characterize the principal subalgebras of a principal MS-algebra via admissible pairs.
Impact of ursodeoxycholic acid treatment on Fontan-associated liver disease
Authors: Kogiso Tomomi , Ogasawara Yuri , Taniai Makiko , Shimada Eriko , Inai Kei , Tokushige Katsutoshi , Nakai Yousuke 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Background
Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) is a type of progressive liver fibrosis that occurs following Fontan surgery and can be complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Established treatments for FALD are lacking. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in patients with FALD.

Methods
This single-center retrospective study was conducted from 2003 to 2024 and involved 220 patients (103 men, 46.8%) who had been diagnosed with FALD. UDCA was administered to 113 patients presenting with liver or biliary enzyme abnormalities. We evaluated the patients’ liver enzyme levels 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. HCC developed in 10.5% and the mortality rate was 4.5%. Survival and cumulative incidence of HCC were compared between patients with and without UDCA treatment using Kaplan–Meier curves and propensity-matched analysis (n = 68 per group).

Results
UDCA treatment significantly reduced the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels at 3 months. The mean pretreatment AST/ALT/GGT levels were 26/22/323 U/L, respectively, and decreased to 19/15/102 U/L at 3 months, 18/12/88 U/L at 6 months, and 16/19/64 U/L at 12 months. However, the total bilirubin level and platelet count did not show significant differences. The survival rate was higher and the HCC rate was lower in patients with than without UDCA treatment. The 5-year incidence rate of HCC was 5.6% in the UDCA group and 24.2% in the untreated group.

Conclusions
UDCA treatment significantly reduced liver enzyme levels, including GGT, and mitigated the progression of HCC. UDCA may be beneficial for patients with FALD.