bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interaction of sensory processing and balance in adult cochlear implant users
Authors: Kutlu Sevgi , Aydogan Zehra , Baş Banu , Meço Cem , Tokgoz-Yilmaz Suna 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Puropse
The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensory processing skills, quality of life and balance performance in adult cochlear implant users.

Methods
A sample of 40 individuals was studied in two groups; 20 normal hearing individuals (37.84 ± 15.39 years old) and 20 cochlear implant users (35.58 ± 11.22 year old). Balance performance was assessed by Computerized Dynamic Posturography. The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile completed by the individual was used to assess sensory processing skills. Finally, quality of life was assessed with the Short Form-36.

Results
Among the different sensory processing parameters in the adolescent/adult sensory profile, a significant difference was found between the two groups in the parameters of low registration, sensory sensitivity and sensory avoidance (p < .05). Visual, vestibular and composite scores were found to be lower in cochlear implant users by Computerised Dynamic Posturography assessment (p < .05). When assessing quality of life, emotional well-being and social functioning parameters were found to be lower in cochlear implant users (p < .05).

Conclusion
Factors such as the inability to reach sufficient auditory stimuli due to hearing loss and the occurrence of vestibular problems after cochlear implant surgery limit the quantity and quality of sensory stimuli from the environment. Individuals with cochlear implants may prefer to live isolated from society because they cannot adequately process incoming sensory stimuli due to hearing/balance problems, and this may negatively affect the quality of life of individuals. Our findings revealed the necessity of multisensory assessment and therapy protocols when rehabilitating individuals with cochlear implants.
The long-term effect of COVID-19 infection on olfaction and taste; a prospective analysis
Authors: Boldes Tomer , Ritter Amit , Soudry Ethan , Diker Dror , Reifen Ella , Yosefof Eyal 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Purpose
To estimate long-term prognosis of chemosensory dysfunctions among patients recovering from COVID-19 disease.

Methods
Between April 2020 and July 2022, we conducted a prospective, observational study enrolling 48 patients who experienced smell and/or taste dysfunction during the acute-phase of COVID-19. Patients were evaluated for chemosensory function up to 24 months after disease onset.

Results
During the acute-phase of COVID-19, 80% of patients reported anosmia, 15% hyposmia, 63% ageusia, and 33% hypogeusia. At two years’ follow-up, 53% still experienced smell impairment, and 42% suffered from taste impairment. Moreover, 63% of patients who reported parosmia remained with olfactory disturbance. Interestingly, we found a negative correlation between visual analogue scale scores for smell and taste impairments during the acute-phase of COVID-19 and the likelihood of long-term recovery.

Conclusion
Our study sheds light on the natural history and long-term follow-up of chemosensory dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID-19 disease. Most patients who initially suffered from smell and/or taste disturbance did not reach full recovery after 2 years follow-up. The severity of impairment may serve as a prognostic indicator for full recovery.
Efficacy and safety of apatinib plus immune checkpoint inhibitors and transarterial chemoembolization for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Wu Jianfei , Bai Xuefeng , Yu Guodong , Zhang Quan , Tian Xixi , Wang Yuan 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Purpose
The evidence of apatinib plus immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is limited. This study aimed to compare the treatment efficacy and safety of apatinib plus ICIs and TACE with apatinib plus TACE in these patients.

Methods
This study retrospectively enrolled 90 patients with advanced HCC treated with apatinib plus TACE (A-TACE group, n = 52) or apatinib plus ICIs and TACE (IA-TACE group, n = 38).

Results
The objective response rate was numerically higher in IA-TACE group compared with A-TACE group without statistical significance (57.9% vs. 36.5%, P = 0.055). Disease control rate was not different between groups (86.8% vs. 76.9%, P = 0.248). Progression-free survival (PFS) was improved in IA-TACE group compared with A-TACE group (P = 0.018). The median PFS (95% confidence interval) was 12.5 (8.7–16.3) months in IA-TACE group and 8.5 (5.6–11.4) months in A-TACE group. Overall survival (OS) was also prolonged in IA-TACE group compared with A-TACE group (P = 0.007). The median OS (95% confidence interval) was 21.1 (15.8–26.4) months in IA-TACE group and 14.3 (11.5–17.1) months in A-TACE group. By multivariate Cox regression model, IA-TACE was independently associated with prolonged PFS (hazard ratio = 0.539, P = 0.038) and OS (hazard ratio = 0.447, P = 0.025). Most adverse events were not different between groups. Only the incidence of reactive cutaneous capillary endothelial proliferation was higher in IA-TACE group compared with A-TACE group (10.5% vs. 0.0%, P = 0.029).

Conclusion
Apatinib plus ICIs and TACE may be an effective and safe treatment for patients with advanced HCC, but further large-scale studies are needed for verification.
Hypoalbuminemia predicts early postoperative complications following noninfectious revision total shoulder arthroplasty
Authors: Liu Steven H. , Cerri-Droz Patricia , Loyst Rachel A. , Komatsu David E. , Wang Edward D. 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the association between preoperative hypoalbuminemia and 30-day postoperative complications following noninfectious revision total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA).

Methods
The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for all patients who underwent noninfectious revision TSA from 2015 to 2021. The study population was divided into two groups based on preoperative serum albumin: normal albumin (≥ 3.5 g/dL) and hypoalbuminemia (< 3.5 g/dL). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between preoperative hypoalbuminemia and postoperative complications.

Results
Compared to normal albumin, hypoalbuminemia was independently associated with a significantly greater likelihood of experiencing any complication (odds ratio [OR] 3.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.04–5.19; P < .001), sepsis (OR 9.92, 95% CI 1.29–76.35; P = .028), blood transfusions (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.20–6.93; P = .017), non-home discharge (OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.55–5.35; P < .001), readmission (OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.57–7.58; P = .002), and length of stay > 2 days (OR 3.00, 95% CI 1.85–4.86; P < .001).

Conclusions
Preoperative hypoalbuminemia was associated with early postoperative complications following revision TSA.

Level of evidence
Level III; Retrospective Cohort Comparison; Prognosis Study.
Climatology and trends of atmospheric water vapour transport in New Zealand
Authors: Krishna Nithin , Kingston Daniel G. , Mager Sarah M. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAtmospheric moisture transport is crucial for understanding New Zealand’s climate dynamics, particularly with respect to extreme precipitation events. While the majority of previous studies have focussed on Atmospheric Rivers (ARs), this study examines the entire spectrum of water vapour transport and its link to extreme precipitation using 40 years (1981–2020) of Integrated Water Vapour Transport (IVT) data over the region. Although ARs are important drivers of extreme precipitation, they are infrequent as they account for less than 10% of total moisture transport at most coastal locations. Extreme water vapour transport (defined by the 90th percentile IVT threshold) corresponds more closely with precipitation extremes than ARs alone, even using an expanded AR detection range. Here, IVT is classified into strength categories from weak to strong. Over the study period, all but the weakest category of IVT has increased in frequency of occurrence over most of the South Island, while decreasing in northern North Island. Similarly, monthly IVT anomaly trends show a positive trend in the South Island and negative trend in the northern North Island during warmer months. Separate analysis of moisture weighted wind speeds (UV) and total column water vapour (TCWV) revealed that even though the dynamic component of IVT has decreased in many locations, the increase in TCWV across New Zealand is the driving factor underpinning the IVT trends. Correspondingly, these findings indicate the importance of analysis both dynamic and thermodynamic factors in seeking to understand hydrometeorological variation and when investigating the responses to climate change.
Exploring the role of high-value crops to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand
Authors: Thomas Steve M. , Ausseil Anne-Gaelle , Guo Jing , Herzig Alexander , Khaembah Edith , Renwick Alan , Teixeira Edmar , van der Weerden Tony , Wakelin Steve J. , Vetharaniam Indrakumar 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThis study explores the potential benefits of transitioning from livestock farming to high-value alternative crops as a strategy for mitigating agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in New Zealand. The government has set ambitious targets for reducing methane (CH4) emissions. However, since animal product exports play a crucial role in New Zealand’s economy, any shift in land use will have significant impacts on both the regional and national economy. We developed a GIS framework that integrated (i) growing requirements, (ii) GHG emissions and (iii) profitability for crops. Analysis of export market opportunities identified twelve high-value “alternative crops”. Availability of suitable land for crop expansion was not a limiting factor. Working with the Ministry for Primary Industries, we explored how land use change scenarios contributed to Government 2050 biogenic CH4 emission reduction targets. Doubling the area of alternative crops (a 195,000-ha increase) by reallocating land from livestock farming resulted in reducing biogenic CH4 emissions by 1.2 to 5.4% (0.35 to 1.57 Mt CO2-e) compared to 2017 baseline values, contributing to between 2.6 and 22.5% of the 2050 CH4 reduction targets, simultaneously increasing profitability by $NZ1.25 to 1.32 billion annually. While this approach demonstrates potential benefits of land use change, a deeper understanding of the complexity of land use decision-making is required to enable successful transitions. Addressing barriers to change requires collaborative efforts from land users, researchers and policy makers.
Mesoclimate scale effects of river intermittency on aquatic insects in Seto Inland Sea watersheds, Western Japan
Authors: Nakagawa Hikaru , Mori Terutaka 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
The responses of assemblages and ecosystems to river intermittency are often considered on large spatial scales, such as those associated with the Köppen climate classification. However, river intermittency may naturally occur even in humid regions, and the effects may differ from those where intermittency occurs throughout the area. This study aimed to examine the differences in taxonomic and trait composition of aquatic insects between intermittent rivers in the Seto Inland Sea watersheds and neighboring humid-temperate rivers in Japan using national census data. While the climate in the most part of the Japanese Archipelago is categorized as humid-temperate, and rivers are usually perennial, local climate in the Seto Inland Sea watersheds has low summer precipitation compared with that in neighboring regions, thereby resulting in river intermittency. Consistent with the previous studies in the regions where rivers are intermittent on a large spatial scale, we observed that aquatic insects with multivoltinism and/or aerial respiration notably tolerated river intermittency. In contrast, the aquatic insect fauna in Japanese intermittent rivers represented subsets of those in the humid-temperate rivers, although previous studies such in Mediterranean regions have reported high endemism and species diversity in intermittent rivers. These results highlight the importance of exploring the role of river intermittency on small to medium spatial scales, as well as on large scales, to project effects of ongoing and future climate changes on species diversity.
Using the ACE framework to enforce access and usage control with notifications of revoked access rights
Authors: Rasori Marco , Saracino Andrea , Mori Paolo , Tiloca Marco 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe standard ACE framework provides authentication and authorization mechanisms similar to those of the standard OAuth 2.0 framework, but it is intended for use in Internet-of-Things environments. In particular, ACE relies on OAuth 2.0, CoAP, CBOR, and COSE as its core building blocks. In ACE, a non-constrained entity called Authorization Server issues Access Tokens to Clients according to some access control and policy evaluation mechanism. An Access Token is then consumed by a Resource Server, which verifies the Access Token and lets the Client accordingly access a protected resource it hosts. Access Tokens have a validity which is limited over time, but they can also be revoked by the Authorization Server before they expire. In this work, we propose the Usage Control framework as an underlying access control means for the ACE Authorization Server, and we assess its performance in terms of time required to issue and revoke Access Tokens. Moreover, we implement and evaluate a method relying on the Observe extension for CoAP, which allows to notify Clients and Resource Servers about revoked Access Tokens. Through results obtained in a real testbed, we show how this method reduces the duration of illegitimate access to protected resources following the revocation of an Access Token, as well as the time spent by Clients and Resource Servers to learn about their Access Tokens being revoked.
Automating shareable cyber threat intelligence production for closed source software vulnerabilities: a deep learning based detection system
Authors: Arıkan Süleyman Muhammed , Koçak Aynur , Alkan Mustafa 
Published: July 2024

AbstractSoftware can be vulnerable to various types of interference. The production of cyber threat intelligence for closed source software requires significant effort, experience, and many manual steps. The objective of this study is to automate the process of producing cyber threat intelligence, focusing on closed source software vulnerabilities. To achieve our goal, we have developed a system called cti-for-css. Deep learning algorithms were used for detection. To simplify data representation and reduce pre-processing workload, the study proposes the function-as-sentence approach. The MLP, OneDNN, LSTM, and Bi-LSTM algorithms were trained using this approach with the SOSP and NDSS18 binary datasets, and their results were compared. The aforementioned datasets contain buffer error vulnerabilities (CWE-119) and resource management error vulnerabilities (CWE-399). Our results are as successful as the studies in the literature. The system achieved the best performance using Bi-LSTM, with F1 score of 82.4%. Additionally, AUC score of 93.0% was acquired, which is the best in the literature. The study concluded by producing cyber threat intelligence using closed source software. Shareable intelligence was produced in an average of 0.1 s, excluding the detection process. Each record, which was represented using our approach, was classified in under 0.32 s on average.
Conservation genomics of the wild pumpkin Cucurbita radicans in Central Mexico: The influence of a changing environment on the genetic diversity and differentiation of a rare species
Authors: Gasca-Pineda Jaime , Monterrubio Brenda , Sánchez-de la Vega Guillermo , Aguirre-Planter Erika , Lira-Saade Rafael , Eguiarte Luis E. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe genetic diversity found in natural populations is the result of the evolutionary forces in response to historical and contemporary factors. The environmental characteristics and geological history of Mexico promoted the evolution and diversification of plant species, including wild relatives of crops such as the wild pumpkins (Cucurbita). Wild pumpkin species are found in a variety of habitats, evidencing their capability to adapt to different environments. Despite the potential value of wild Cucurbita as a genetic reservoir for crops, there is a lack of studies on their genetic diversity. Cucurbita radicans is an endangered species threatened by habitat destruction leading to low densities in small and isolated populations. Here, we analyze Genotype by Sequencing genomic data of the wild pumpkin C. radicans to evaluate the influence of factors like isolation, demographic history, and the environment shaping the amount and distribution of its genetic variation. We analyzed 91 individuals from 14 localities along its reported distribution. We obtained 5,107 SNPs and found medium-high levels of genetic diversity and genetic structure distributed in four main geographic areas with different environmental conditions. Moreover, we found signals of demographic growth related to historical climatic shifts. Outlier loci analysis showed significant association with the environment, principally with precipitation variables. Also, the outlier loci displayed differential changes in their frequencies in response to future global climate change scenarios. Using the results of genetic structure, outlier loci and multivariate analyses of the environmental conditions, we propose priority localities for conservation that encompass most of the genetic diversity of C. radicans.
Effects of heating on bioceramic sealers: a scoping review of chemo-physical properties and clinical implications
Authors: La Rosa Giusy Rita Maria , Canova Francesco Saverio , Leotta Maria Laura , Pedullà Eugenio 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThis scoping review aims to summarize current research to assess the impact of heating on the chemo-physical properties of bioceramic sealers. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted in April 2024 across PubMed and Scopus databases. Inclusion criteria referred to all study types evaluating the effect of heating temperature on bioceramic sealers' properties, with no language or time restrictions applied. Studies were independently screened by two reviewers, and relevant data were extracted and synthesized qualitatively. Out of 91 initially identified studies, 19 met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in the qualitative synthesis. The selected studies ranged from 2014 to 2024 and comprised laboratory-based investigations. Various bioceramic sealers, including EndoSequence BC Sealer, BioRoot RCS, and TotalFill BC, were analyzed across different heating techniques. The findings revealed divergent responses of bioceramic sealers to heat, with some demonstrating stability while others exhibited alterations in properties such as flow, setting time, and chemical composition. The impact of heat on bioceramic sealers depends on the sealer’s composition and laboratory setting. While some sealers are affected significantly, others remain stable. Clinicians should carefully consider these factors when bioceramic sealers are used with warm obturation techniques, but caution is needed as real-world conditions may vary. Integrating laboratory results with clinical evidence is essential for improving treatment efficacy and patient care.
Development of a Novel Soft Tissue Measurement Device for Individualized Finite Element Modeling in Custom-Fit CPAP Mask Evaluation
Authors: Martelly Erica , Lee Summer , Martinez Kristina , Rana Sandeep , Shimada Kenji 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Individual facial soft tissue properties are necessary for creating individualized finite element (FE) models to evaluate medical devices such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks. There are no standard tools available to measure facial soft tissue elastic moduli, and techniques in literature require advanced equipment or custom parts to replicate.

Methods
We propose a simple and inexpensive soft tissue measurement (STM) indenter device to estimate facial soft tissue elasticity at five sites: chin, cheek near lip, below cheekbone, cheekbone, and cheek. The STM device consists of a probe with a linear actuator and force sensor, an adjustment system for probe orientation, a head support frame, and a controller. The device was validated on six ballistics gel samples and then tested on 28 subjects. Soft tissue thickness was also collected for each subject using ultrasound.

Results
Thickness and elastic modulus measurements were successfully collected for all subjects. The mean elastic modulus for each site is Ec = 53.04 ± 20.97 kPa for the chin, El = 16.33 ± 8.37 kPa for the cheek near lip, Ebc = 27.09 ± 11.38 kPa for below cheekbone, Ecb = 64.79 ± 17.12 kPa for the cheekbone, and Ech = 16.20 ± 5.09 kPa for the cheek. The thickness and elastic modulus values are in the range of previously reported values. One subject’s measured soft tissue elastic moduli and thickness were used to evaluate custom-fit CPAP mask fit in comparison to a model of that subject with arbitrary elastic moduli and thickness. The model with measured values more closely resembles in vivo leakage results.

Conclusion
Overall, the STM provides a first estimate of facial soft tissue elasticity and is affordable and easy to build with mostly off-the-shelf parts. These values can be used to create personalized FE models to evaluate custom-fit CPAP masks.
Generation and Countermeasures of adversarial examples on vision: a survey
Authors: Liu Jiangfan , Li Yishan , Guo Yanming , Liu Yu , Tang Jun , Nie Ying 
Published: July 2024

AbstractRecent studies have found that deep learning models are vulnerable to adversarial examples, demonstrating that applying a certain imperceptible perturbation on clean examples can effectively deceive the well-trained and high-accuracy deep learning models. Moreover, the adversarial examples can achieve a considerable level of certainty with the attacked label. In contrast, human could barely discern the difference between clean and adversarial examples, which raised tremendous concern about robust and trustworthy deep learning techniques. In this survey, we reviewed the existence, generation, and countermeasures of adversarial examples in Computer Vision, to provide comprehensive coverage of the field with an intuitive understanding of the mechanisms and summarized the strengths, weaknesses, and major challenges. We hope this effort will ignite further interest in the community to solve current challenges and explore this fundamental area.