bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient reported symptoms and disabilities before and after neuroma surgery: a register-based study
Authors: Dahlin Emma , Zimmerman Malin , Nyman Erika 
Published: October 2023

AbstractResidual problems may occur from neuroma despite surgery. In a 12-month follow-up study using national register data, symptoms, and disabilities related to surgical methods and sex were evaluated in patients surgically treated for a neuroma. Among 196 identified patients (55% men; lower age; preoperative response rate 20%), neurolysis for nerve tethering/scar formation was the most used surgical method (41%; more frequent in women) irrespective of affected nerve. Similar preoperative symptoms were seen in patients, where different surgical methods were performed. Pain on load was the dominating symptom preoperatively. Women scored higher preoperatively at pain on motion without load, weakness and QuickDASH. Pain on load and numbness/tingling in fingers transiently improved. The ability to perform daily activities was better after nerve repair/reconstruction/transposition than after neurolysis. Regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, and affected nerve, showed no association between surgical method and pain on load, tingling/numbness in fingers, or ability to perform daily activities. Neuroma, despite surgery, causes residual problems, affecting daily life. Choice of surgical method is not strongly related to pre- or postoperative symptoms. Neurolysis has similar outcome as other surgical methods. Women have more preoperative symptoms and disabilities than men. Future research would benefit from a neuroma-specific ICD-code, leading to a more precise identification of patients.
Imidazolium-based ionic liquids as dispersants to improve the stability of asphaltene in Egyptian heavy crude oil
Authors: Ghanem Alaa , Nessim Maher I. , Khalil N. A. , El-Nagar Raghda A. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractDeposition of asphaltene aggregates can easily depress the oil production, because it may clog the wellbores, annulus, pipelines, and surface facilities. Moreover, asphaltene molecules have a negative effect on the catalytic reactions in the refinery process. Therefore, in this work, three different ionic liquids (IL-H, IL-CH3, and IL-NO2) were synthesized, and characterized using FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy to evaluate their efficiency as asphaltene dispersants. The thermal gravimetric analysis of the prepared ILs showed that IL-H, IL-NO2, and IL-CH3 were thermally stable up to 280 °C. The ILs showed good dispersion activity of the petroleum asphaltenes, where the asphaltene onset precipitation (AOP) was changed from 7.5 to 10.5, 11, and 13.5 ml added n-heptane after the use of IL-H, IL-NO2, and IL-CH3, respectively. Moreover, the colloidal instability index of crude oil was changed from 0.92 (unstable asphaltene) to 0.69 (stable asphaltene). It is noted during the experiments that the presence of an alkyl chain attached to the ionic liquid moiety increases the efficiency of the dispersant. This may be owing to the formation of π–π* with asphaltene molecules due to the presence of electron donating group. Quantum chemical parameters were calculated for the prepared ILs, and the theoretical data confirmed the experimental results.
Expression of viral CD45 ligand E3/49K on porcine cells reduces human anti-pig immune responses
Authors: Pokoyski Claudia , Baars Wiebke , Windheim Mark , Reubold Thomas F. , Zischke Jasmin , Brinkmann Antje , Kay-Fedorov Penelope C. , Schwinzer Reinhard 
Published: October 2023

AbstractTransgenic expression of protective molecules in porcine cells and tissues is a promising approach to prevent xenograft rejection. Viruses have developed various strategies to escape the host’s immune system. We generated porcine B cells (B cell line L23) expressing the human adenovirus protein E3/49K or the human cytomegalovirus protein pUL11 and investigated how human T, NK and B cell responses are affected by the expression of the viral proteins. Binding studies revealed that E3/49K and pUL11 interact with CD45 on human but not porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells. T cell proliferation in response to L23-E3/49K cells was significantly reduced and accompanied by development of an anti-inflammatory cytokine milieu (low: TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-6; high: IL-4, IL-10). Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells which had been primed for four weeks by L23-E3/49K cells included an extended population of regulatory T cells. Cytotoxicity of effector T and natural killer cells against L23 cells was significantly reduced (40 to 50%) by E3/49K expression. B cell activation and antibody production to E3/49K expressing cells was also diminished. Surprisingly, pUL11 expression showed no effects. Reduction of human anti-pig immune responses by transgenic expression of selected viral genes may be a novel approach for protection of porcine xenografts.
Artificial neural network identification of exercise expiratory flow-limitation in adults
Authors: Haverkamp Hans Christian , Luu Peter , DeCato Thomas W. , Petrics Gregory 
Published: October 2023

AbstractIdentification of ventilatory constraint is a key objective of clinical exercise testing. Expiratory flow-limitation (EFL) is a well-known type of ventilatory constraint. However, EFL is difficult to measure, and commercial metabolic carts do not readily identify or quantify EFL. Deep machine learning might provide a new approach for identifying EFL. The objective of this study was to determine if a convolutional neural network (CNN) could accurately identify EFL during exercise in adults in whom baseline airway function varied from normal to mildly obstructed. 2931 spontaneous exercise flow-volume loops (eFVL) were placed within the baseline maximal expiratory flow-volume curves (MEFV) from 22 adults (15 M, 7 F; age, 32 yrs) in whom lung function varied from normal to mildly obstructed. Each eFVL was coded as EFL or non-EFL, where EFL was defined by eFVLs with expired airflow meeting or exceeding the MEFV curve. A CNN with seven hidden layers and a 2-neuron softmax output layer was used to analyze the eFVLs. Three separate analyses were conducted: (1) all subjects (n = 2931 eFVLs, [GRALL]), (2) subjects with normal spirometry (n = 1921 eFVLs [GRNORM]), (3) subjects with mild airway obstruction (n = 1010 eFVLs, [GRLOW]). The final output of the CNN was the probability of EFL or non-EFL in each eFVL, which is considered EFL if the probability exceeds 0.5 or 50%. Baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity was 0.77 (94% predicted) in GRALL, 0.83 (100% predicted) in GRNORM, and 0.69 (83% predicted) in GRLOW. CNN model accuracy was 90.6, 90.5, and 88.0% in GRALL, GRNORM and GRLOW, respectively. Negative predictive value (NPV) was higher than positive predictive value (PPV) in GRNORM (93.5 vs. 78.2% for NPV vs. PPV). In GRLOW, PPV was slightly higher than NPV (89.5 vs. 84.5% for PPV vs. NPV). A CNN performed very well at identifying eFVLs with EFL during exercise. These findings suggest that deep machine learning could become a viable tool for identifying ventilatory constraint during clinical exercise testing.
Word frequency and reading demands modulate brain activation in the inferior frontal gyrus
Authors: Sánchez Abraham , Carreiras Manuel , Paz-Alonso Pedro M. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractProcessing efficiency differs between high- and low-frequency words, with less frequent words resulting in longer response latencies in several linguistic behavioral tasks. Nevertheless, studies using functional MRI to investigate the word frequency effect have employed diverse methodologies and produced heterogeneous results. In this study, we examine the effect of word frequency through complementary analytical approaches and functional connectivity analyses. Furthermore, we examine whether reading demands, which have been shown to influence reading-related activation, modulate the effects of word frequency. We conducted MRI scanning on 54 healthy participants who performed two versions of a single-word reading task involving high- and low-frequency words: a low-level perceptual reading task and a high-level semantic reading task. The results indicate that word frequency influenced the activation of the pars orbitalis and pars triangularis of the inferior frontal gyrus, but only in the semantic reading task. Additionally, the ventral occipitotemporal cortex exhibited stronger regional activation during the semantic reading task compared to the perceptual reading task, with no effects of word frequency. Functional connectivity analyses demonstrated significant coupling among regions within both the dorsal and ventral reading networks, without any observable effects of word frequency or task. These findings were consistent across group- and individual-level analytical approaches. Overall, our results provide further support for the involvement of the inferior frontal gyrus in semantic processing during reading, as indicated by the effect of word frequency and the influence of reading demands, highlighting the role of the ventral reading network. These findings are discussed in line with their implications for lexical and pre-lexical reading processing.
The role of intrathecal free light chains kappa for the detection of autoimmune encephalitis in subacute onset neuropsychiatric syndromes
Authors: Bertram Dominic , Tsaktanis Thanos , Berthele Achim , Korn Thomas 
Published: October 2023

AbstractIntrathecal synthesis of free light chains kappa (FLCK) is increasingly recognized as a marker of inflammatory CNS pathologies. Here, we tested the performance of FLCK in differentiating autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) from non-inflammatory etiologies in subacute onset neuropsychiatric syndromes. Patients undergoing diagnostic work-up for suspected autoimmune encephalitis at our department between 2015 and 2020 were retrospectively assessed for definitive diagnosis, available CSF and blood samples, as well as complete clinical records. Intrathecal FLCK was measured along with established CSF markers of CNS inflammation. The study cohort consisted of 19 patients with antibody-mediated AIE (AIE+), 18 patients with suspected AIE but without detectable autoantibodies (AIE–), 10 patients with infectious (viral) encephalitis (INE), and 15 patients with degenerative encephalopathies (DGE). 25 age- and sex-matched patients with non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NIND) were used as a control group. All AIE+ patients exhibited intrathecal synthesis of FLCK compared to only 39% of AIE– patients and 81% of patients in the INE group. No intrathecal synthesis of FLCK was found in DGE and NIND patients. While intrathecal FLCK was equally specific for an inflammatory etiology as oligoclonal bands (OCB) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the sensitivity of intrathecal FLCK for any inflammatory intrathecal process was higher than that of OCB (83% vs. 38%). Intrathecal FLCK synthesis was found to discriminate AIE+ from non-inflammatory encephalopathies and AIE– when the CSF cell count was normal [receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis area under the curve (AUC): 0.867, p = 0.002], while it failed to differentiate between AIE+ and INE in the presence of CSF pleocytosis (AUC: 0.561, p = 0.607). In conclusion, in the absence of CSF pleocytosis, intrathecal FLCK discriminated AIE+ from competing diagnoses in our cohort of subacute onset neuropsychiatric syndromes. In addition to established markers of CSF inflammation, intrathecal FLCK might support clinical decision-making and contribute to selecting patients for (repeated) antibody testing.
Establish a machine learning based model for optimal casting conditions management of small and medium sized die casting manufacturers
Authors: Park Sangwoo , Youm Sekyoung 
Published: October 2023

AbstractDie casting is a suitable process for producing complex and high precision parts, but it faces challenges in terms of quality degradation due to inevitable defects. The casting parameters play a significant role in quality, and in many cases, producers rely on their experience to manage these parameters. In order to address this, domestic small and medium sized die casting companies have established smart factories (MES) and collected data. This study aims to utilize this data to construct a machine learning based optimal casting parameter model to enhance quality. During the model development process, distinct important features were identified for each company. This indicates the necessity of deriving tailored models for each site, aligning with the make to order (MTO) environment, rather than a generalized model.
Design, manufacturing, and testing of phase-induced amplitude apodization and phase-shifting optics for segmented telescopes
Authors: Martinez P. , Beaulieu M. , Gouvret C. , Spang A. , Marcotto A. , Guyon O. , Tisserand S. , Sauget V. , Gautier S. , Le Duigou J. M. 
Published: October 2023

Context. The phase-induced amplitude apodization complex mask coronagraph (PIAACMC) is a coronagraph architecture for the direct detection of extrasolar planets. The PIAACMC can achieve close to the theoretical performance limit at small angular sepa-rations. The concept is a high-performance PIAA-based coronagraph that is sufficiently versatile to be designed for next-generation segmented and obscured telescope apertures.
Aims. We present key elements of the design and manufacture of a PIAACMC for the segmented pupil experiment for exoplanet detection (SPEED) testbed. The primary components of a PIAACMC system are the PIAA optics and the complex phase-shifting focal plane mask (FPM). The most challenging part of the system to model is the error on the manufacturing of the two PIAA mirrors.
Methods. In this paper, we describe the design and manufacturing of the FPM and moderate-sag PIAA optics using photolithography and etching. We present the design and fabrication of the PIAACMC, along with metrology, and an initial assessment of the PIAACMC optics efficiency.
Results. Errors in the fabricated component profiles degrade the overall performance. We show that the depth errors involved are of a few tens of nanometers and a few hundred nanometers for the FPM and PIAA optics, respectively. The metrological and individual per¬formance analysis of the FPM and PIAA optics provides us with an in-depth understanding of these optical quality of the components, manufacturing error propagation, and the effects of these on performance. Because the deformable mirror (DM) location is critical in a PIAA system, we show that despite the pupil remapping effect of the PIAA optics, a dual-DM wavefront control and shaping system architecture optimized for short angular separations is operating adequately to compensate for manufacturing errors and for the dark zone generated in the focal plane.
Conclusions. Because the errors involved are comparable to the wavefront error on the optics, wavefront control can compensate for them. Our measurements provide reliable models that, when used in simulations, allow us to refine component specification given the manufacturing errors at the raw coronagraphic performance level as well as after wavefront control and shaping.
Design and modeling of an electro-hydraulic buoyancy adjustment actuator
Authors: Cao Xunuo , Zou Weifeng , Zhuo Jiangshan , Ruan Dongrui , Xu Yi , Zhou Fanghao , Yang Xuxu , Li Tiefeng 
Published: October 2023

A lightweight, simple-structured, and fast-response buoyancy adjustment actuator is essential for underwater vehicles. This article presents the design of an electro-hydraulic actuator that can adjust buoyancy by electric stimuli. The buoyancy adjustment approach of the actuator resembles that of the swim bladder, but the electrostatic force, instead of the muscle tension, is applied to expand the volume of the actuator so that the buoyancy changes with the volume when the entire weight of the actuator is fixed. We propose the structural design guidelines and the operating constraints of the actuator by investigating its mechanical model via the minimum energy principle. In the experiment, the actuator shows a maximum 8.58 g buoyancy adjustment ability with a self-weight of 58.6 g. The experimental results also demonstrate that the depth of the actuator in water can be controlled by applying different voltage signals. The electro-hydraulic actuator presents promising potential for future underwater intelligent vehicles in adjusting buoyancy and depth control.
Avoiding methane emission rate underestimates when using the divergence method
Authors: Roberts Clayton , IJzermans Rutger , Randell David , Jones Matthew , Jonathan Philip , Mandel Kaisey , Hirst Bill , Shorttle Oliver 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and a primary target for mitigating climate change in the short-term future due to its relatively short atmospheric lifetime and greater ability to trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere compared to carbon dioxide. Top-down observations of atmospheric methane are possible via drone and aircraft surveys as well as satellites such as the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). Recent work has begun to apply the divergence method to produce regional methane emission rate estimates. Here we show that when the divergence method is applied to spatially incomplete observations of methane, it can result in negatively biased time-averaged regional emission rates. We show that this effect can be counteracted by adopting a procedure in which daily advective fluxes of methane are time-averaged before the divergence method is applied. Using such a procedure with TROPOMI methane observations, we calculate yearly Permian emission rates of 3.1, 2.4 and 2.7 million tones per year for the years 2019 through 2021. We also show that highly-resolved plumes of methane can have negatively biased estimated emission rates by the divergence method due to the presence of turbulent diffusion in the plume, but this is unlikely to affect regional methane emission budgets constructed from TROPOMI observations of methane. The results from this work are expected to provide useful guidance for future implementations of the divergence method for emission rate estimation from satellite data—be it for methane or other gaseous species in the atmosphere.
Spatial optimality and temporal variability in Australia’s wind resource
Authors: Gunn Andrew , Dargaville Roger , Jakob Christian , McGregor Shayne 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
To meet electricity demand using renewable energy supply, wind farm locations should be chosen to minimise variability in output, especially at night when solar photovoltaics cannot be relied upon. Wind farm location must balance grid-proximity, resource potential, and wind correlation between farms. A top-down planning approach for farm locations can mitigate demand unmet by wind supply, yet the present Australian wind energy market has bottom-up short-term planning. Here we show a computationally tractable method for optimising farm locations to maximise total supply. We find that Australia’s currently operational and planned wind farms produce less power with more variability than a hypothetical optimal set of farms with equivalent capacity within 100 km of the Australian Energy Market Operator grid. Regardless of the superior output, this hypothetical set is still subject to variability due to large-scale weather correlated with climate modes (i.e. El Niño). We study multiple scenarios and highlight several internationally transferable planning implications.
Spatiotemporal variations of water, land, and carbon footprints of pig production in China
Authors: Wu Huijun , Chen Xinyue , Zhang Ling , Liu Xin , Jiang Songyan , Liu Yongxin 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Pig production not only consumes large water and land, but also emits substantial greenhouse gases. Scholars have used environmental footprint, including water, land, and carbon footprints, to assess the environmental impacts of pig production. However, there is a lack of simultaneous analysis of water, land, and carbon footprints for pig production, particularly in China, the leading pig breeding and consumption country in the world. In this study, we used environmental footprint analysis to develop a water-land-carbon footprint model for pig production system from the life cycle perspective. We also examined virtual water, land and carbon flows embedded in trade. The life cycle of pig production mainly involves feed crop cultivation, feed production, and pig breeding. Then we analyzed the water, land, and carbon footprints of the pig production in China from 1990 to 2018. The findings indicated that both the total water footprint and the total land footprint increased, whereas the total carbon footprints fluctuated over the years. All the unit footprints generally decreased. Feed crop cultivation had a significant impact on the footprints. Regarding the spatial characteristics in China, all the three total footprints were generally higher in the southeast compared to the northwest. While the unit footprints in different provinces exhibited spatial heterogeneity, primarily attributed to the different feed consumptions. Overall, the trade of feed crop shifted virtual water, land and carbon flows from the north to the south, reducing the three total footprints on the whole. To achieve a resource-saving and eco-friendly pig production in China, we proposed some potential recommendations, including improving feed crop cultivation techniques, reducing feed conversion ratio, implementing precision feeding, and managing manure. We hope not only mitigate the environmental impacts of China’s pig production, but also provide references for achieving agricultural sustainability in other regions of the world.
The ORGAN SIZE (ORG) locus modulates both vegetative and reproductive gigantism in domesticated tomato
Authors: Vicente Mateus Henrique , MacLeod Kyle , Zhu Feng , Rafael Diego D , Figueira Antonio , Fernie Alisdair R , Mohareb Fady , Kevei Zoltan , Thompson Andrew J , Zsögön Agustin , Peres Lázaro Eustáquio Pereira 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background and Aims
Gigantism is a key component of the domestication syndrome, a suite of traits that differentiates crops from their wild relatives. Allometric gigantism is strongly marked in horticultural crops, causing disproportionate increases in the size of edible parts such as stems, leaves or fruits. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has attracted attention as a model for fruit gigantism, and many genes have been described controlling this trait. However, the genetic basis of a corresponding increase in size of vegetative organs contributing to isometric gigantism has remained relatively unexplored.

Methods
Here, we identified a 0.4-Mb region on chromosome 7 in introgression lines (ILs) from the wild species Solanum pennellii in two different tomato genetic backgrounds (cv. ‘M82’ and cv. ‘Micro-Tom’) that controls vegetative and reproductive organ size in tomato. The locus, named ORGAN SIZE (ORG), was fine-mapped using genotype-by-sequencing. A survey of the literature revealed that ORG overlaps with previously mapped quantitative trait loci controlling tomato fruit weight during domestication.

Key Results
Alleles from the wild species led to lower cell number in different organs, which was partially compensated by greater cell expansion in leaves, but not in fruits. The result was a proportional reduction in leaf, flower and fruit size in the ILs harbouring the alleles from the wild species.

Conclusions
Our findings suggest that selection for large fruit during domestication also tends to select for increases in leaf size by influencing cell division. Since leaf size is relevant for both source–sink balance and crop adaptation to different environments, the discovery of ORG could allow fine-tuning of these parameters.