bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of Endoscopic Stapedectomy: Systematic Review
Authors: Elsamnody Ahmed Nabil , Yousef Amr Hamdino , Taha Mohamed Salah 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Introduction Stapes surgery was traditionally performed with the use of microscopy either through postauricular, endaural or transcanal approaches. Endoscopic stapedectomy ushered a revolution as a new technique with less complications.
Objective To review the outcomes of endoscopic stapes surgery with an emphasis on intraoperative and postoperative clinical and audiological results.
Data Synthesis A literature review on the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Embase databases was conducted. Endoscopic stapes surgery or stapedotomy were the main keywords used, and we searched for studies and research published from January 2015 to October 2021. Articles on endoscopic stapes surgery were included, and qualitative and descriptive analyses of the studies and outcomes data regarding audiometric changes and postoperative complications were conducted. Articles including patients with cholesteatoma were excluded. A total of 122 studies were retrieved for qualitative and descriptive analyses and to measure the outcomes of endoscopic stapedotomy; only 12 studies met the inclusion criteria, and the rest was excluded. The meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in hearing improvement. The gain in air-bone gap ranged from 9 dB to 16 dB. A low rate of operative and postoperative complications was reported.
Conclusions Endoscopic stapes surgery appears to be a reasonable alternative to microscopic stapes surgery, with shorter operative times, low complication rate, and significant hearing improvement. The endoscopic technique enabled a better visualization and less scutum drilling, which was confirmed by all included studies.
The Effect of Simultaneous Contralateral White Noise Masking on Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials Elicited by Speech Stimuli
Authors: Felix Luiza Dandara de Araújo , Menezes Pedro Lemos , Oliveira Lisiane Vital de , Batista Carlos Henrique Alves , Carnaúba Aline Tenório Lins , Andrade Kelly Cristina Lira de 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Introduction Noise obscures speech signal, causing auditory masking. The effects of this masking can be observed through the cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs). White noise, in turn, has an effect on the auditory cortex, interfering, for example, with lexical decision making.
Objective To analyze the effect of simultaneous masking by contralateral white noise on CAEPs elicited by speech stimuli.
Methods Cross-sectional observational analytical study carried out with 15 participants of both sexes, who were submitted to CAEPs in two conditions: 1) without noise; 2) with white noise at 100 dBSPL intensity, contralaterally and simultaneously. To compare these conditions, the Student t test or the Wilcoxon test were used, depending on the sample normality. Differences with p values < 0.05 were considered significant.
Results: When white noise was presented contralaterally and simultaneously to the CAEPs with speech stimulus, an increase in P1, N1 and P2 wave latencies was observed. P1 and P2 amplitudes and N1-P2 peak to peak amplitude also increased, unlike N1 amplitude, which decreased. The differences were significant for P1 and P2 wave latencies and for P2 wave amplitude.
Conclusion The simultaneous masking effect was observed from the morphological alterations of the CAEPs with speech stimulus when white noise was presented in the contralateral ear. There was a significant increase in P1 and P2 wave latencies, as well as in P2 wave amplitude.
Fast-Tracking of Publication Times of Otolaryngology Papers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Shraga Yohai , Ungar Omer J. , Duek Irit , Muhanna Nidal , Oron Yahav 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Introduction The outbreak of COVID-19 has produced an unprecedented number of trials and articles.
Objective To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (ORL-HNS) journal processing times.
Methods Original papers search of published in selected ORL-HNS journals in terms of times from submission-to-acceptance (S-A), acceptance-to-first online publication (A-P), and submission-to-online publication (S-P). Papers were divided into those published in the pre-COVID-19 era and those during the COVID-19 era. The latter were further divided into unrelated to COVID-19 and related to COVID-19.
Results A total of 487 articles from 5 selected ORL-HNS journals were included, of which 236 (48.5%) were published during the pre-COVID-19 era and 251 (51.5%) were published during the COVID-19 era. Among them, 180 (37%) papers were not related to COVID-19, and 71 (14.5%) were related to COVID-19. The S-A duration of COVID-19-related articles was significantly shorter compared with that of papers submitted in the pre-COVID-19 era and to papers submitted in the COVID-19 era but unrelated to COVID-19 (median 6 to 34 days compared to 65 to 125 and 46 to 127, respectively) in all 5 journals. The most prominent reductions in S-A and S-P times were documented in the laryngology and otology/neurotology disciplines, respectively.
Conclusions Processing times of the included papers were significantly shorter in most of the selected ORL-HNS journals during the COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 era. COVID-19-related papers were processed more rapidly than non-COVID-19-related papers. These findings testify to the possibility of markedly expediting S-P times and hopefully set a precedent for postpandemic publishing schedules.Level Of Evidence: 5
Voice and Temporal Auditory Processing in Elderly People: A Correlation Study
Authors: Souza Santos Mariana Batista de , Muniz Lílian Ferreira , Gomes Adriana de Oliveira Camargo , Teixeira Cleide Fernandes , Advíncula Karina Paes , Lira Zulina Souza de , Moares Bruno Teixeira de , Lucena Jonia Alves 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Introduction The voice and hearing can be affected to different degrees by aging, which can cause communication difficulties for elderly people. Vocal production requires effective temporal auditory processing at central levels within the nervous system, which can be compromised by the aging process.
Objective To analyze the correlation between voice and temporal auditory processing in older adults.
Materials and Methods A total of 40 elderly people aged 60 years or older were subdivided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of vocal symptoms measured by the Voice Symptom Scale. All of the participants were submitted to auditory temporal tests, vocal self-assessment, and acoustic and perceptual auditory analyses of voice.
Results Most of the subjects assessed had decreased voice intensity and normal variability in terms of vocal quality. The performance was normal in the Pitch Pattern Sequence test and altered in the Random Gap Detection test. In the Masking Period Pattern test, the detection thresholds for the target signal were increased in the presence of masking in different temporal target signal positions. Only pitch differed between the two groups. There were differences between the genders regarding frequency, shimmer, the overall severity of the alteration, and roughness. There was a correlation regarding temporal resolution ability and the overall severity of the alteration and roughness of the voice.
Conclusion There is a central auditory impairment in temporal resolution which is correlated with vocal alterations in the elderly.
Role of Virtual Bronchoscopy in Evaluation of Suspected Foreign Body in Children's Tracheobronchial Tree
Authors: Prajapati Rachana M. , Raval Jayman B. , Aiyer Ranjan G. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Introduction The presence of foreign bodies in the airways remain a diagnostic challenge to healthcare professionals. They can become life threatening emergencies that require immediate intervention or go unnoticed for weeks and even months. Prevention is best but early recognition remains a critical factor in treatment of foreign body inhalation in children.
Objective To study the diagnostic advantages of virtual over rigid bronchoscopy in the evaluation of children with suspected foreign body in the tracheobronchial tree and plan for early management.
Methods A crossectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital & medical college in India. A total 24 patients (0-12-years-old) who presented with complaints of sudden onset of coughing, choking, and breathing difficulty were included during the 2-year duration, from January 2018 to December 2019. All patients underwent virtual and rigid bronchoscopy.
Results In 8 patients, foreign bodies detected by virtual bronchoscopy were confirmed by rigid bronchoscopy. There was one case in which virtual bronchoscopy showed no foreign body, but rigid bronchoscopy detected it. In 15 cases virtual and rigid bronchoscopy did not show foreign bodies. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of virtual bronchoscopy were 88.88, 100, 100, and 93.75%, respectively.
Conclusions Virtual bronchoscopy is less invasive and does not require general anesthesia but cost and availability are limitations. It can be used as method of investigation in children with suspected foreign body aspiration.
Utilizing virtual arts in reforming market players’ behavior to invest in sustainability projects
Authors: Xu Aidi , Zhang Jie 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis study investigates the influence of the expansion of the virtual arts market on private sustainable investment in China spanning the years 1985 to 2021, employing the autoregressive distributed lag model. The results indicate that a 1% rise in the virtual arts market correlates with a short-term surge of around 0.46% in private sustainable investment, with a lasting increase of 0.38%. Furthermore, factors such as social inclusion, privatization, economic size, financial development, and renewable deployment significantly shape private sustainable investment patterns. Noteworthy policy recommendations arising from these findings include the integration of sustainability topics into educational curricula, the establishment of online platforms dedicated to sustainable virtual arts, the cultivation of green financing markets, and the promotion of collaborations among virtual arts institutions with a specific emphasis on sustainability.
Observing and forecasting the retreat of northern Australia’s rainy season
Authors: Cowan Tim , Hinds Emily , Marshall Andrew G. , Wheeler Matthew C. , de Burgh-Day Catherine 
Published: February 2024

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the northern Australian wet season extends through to April, which also formally marks the end of Australia’s tropical cyclone season. Mid-autumn is when the tropical dry season transition period begins, when crop farmers prepare land for annual crops or pasture–fodder harvest, or when beef cattle producers make decisions regarding stock numbers and feed rationing. Potentially knowing if the last rains of the wet season will be later or earlier than normal would be valuable information for northern sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure and tourism. The Bureau of Meteorology provides seasonal forecasts of the Northern Rainfall Onset – the date when a location has accumulated 50 mm of rain from 1 September – yet there is currently no prediction of the rainy season retreat (the Northern Rainfall Retreat, NRR). In this study, we draw on three different NRR definitions and investigate how they vary with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO). In general, retreats occur ~1 week later than normal across the far northern tropics following La Niña events, but little change from normal occurs for El Niño. Although most retreats occur when the MJO is weak, if the MJO is active, retreats are mostly observed in phases 6 and 7, when convection is passing through the western Pacific. Utilising the Bureau of Meteorology’s sub-seasonal to seasonal forecast system, ACCESS-S2, we show that the model has some skill in forecasting the NRR across the far northern regions at a lead time of ~2.5 months, but poor skill in the subtropics and arid locations. Verification of the 2023 NRR forecasts, highlights the challenges of predicting the timing and magnitude of daily rainfall at such a long lead time.
Humorous but hateful
Authors: Altahmazi Thulfiqar H. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
The paper explores the interplay of impoliteness, ethnic/religious humor and multimodality in online contexts. The argument advanced in the paper is that anti-Muslim memes are instantiations of ethno-religious humor that creatively incorporate linguistic impoliteness and visual dysphemism in manners that potentially propagate Islamophobia online. The analysis of a specialized corpus of memes suggests that multimodal impoliteness in these memes is mainly triggered by marked implicitness, reinforced by visual reference to targets. The humor-generating incongruity in these memes is often based on the anomalous juxtaposition of verbal and visual cues expressing ethnic and religious stereotypes, in ways that make the values expressed in these stereotypes easily acceptable. Such multimodal impoliteness creatively incorporates entertainment with emotional coercion, aiming at like-minded participants in the potential presence of targets. This constitutes a form of plausibly deniable incitement, meant to instigate attitude change and intimidate the victims, which consequently blurs the conceptual distinction between jocular abuse, impoliteness and hate speech.
Dialect-specificity and learners’ L2 perceptual resilience after study abroad
Authors: Schoonmaker-Gates Elena 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe present study examined the perception of two regional variants of Spanish (theta /Ɵ/ andzheísmo/sheísmo[ʒ, ʃ]) by nonnative speakers of Spanish with and without study abroad experience. The study’s goals were to determine whether learners who study abroad accept regional variants more frequently than at-home learners, and whether this effect is limited to cues participants are exposed to while abroad. Participants were L1 English speakers asked to determine whether they considered real and nonce word pairs with matching and mismatching regional variants to be instances of the same word. The findings reveal higher acceptance rates of mismatching variants by L2 learners who had studied abroad than of classroom learners but results for specific location of study abroad that suggest learners likely build perceptual resilience while abroad that goes beyond the specific cues they are exposed to.
Interrogatives of reason in Tibeto-Burman languages of Sichuan
Authors: Ding Hongdi , Dong Sicong 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis is a typological study of thewhy-interrogative expressions in Tibeto-Burman languages, or the non-Chinese Sino-Tibetan languages, in Sichuan, southwest China. After examining 22 languages/dialects, the interrogative category of reason is grouped into three types, viz. the distinctwhy-type, thehow-type, and thewhat-type, according to the interrogative categories from which they are derived. It is discovered that thewhat-type is the dominant strategy for languages in Sichuan to derive the reason category. It is also common for Tibeto-Burman languages to use verbal interrogatives, namely interrogative verb phrases and interrogative words with verbal origins, dominantly in the sense of ‘to do what’ and ‘to become what’, to ask for reason. After a focused investigation of the verbal interrogatives, it is found that Tibeto-Burman languages in Sichuan distinguish purpose from cause via word/phrase distinction, sentential positions and semantic differences. A path of grammaticalization of the verbal interrogatives is thus proposed and analyzed. Finally, the derivation maps of interrogatives inCysouw (2005)andHölzl (2018)are complemented with a refined distinction between purpose and cause.
A diffraction approach to assess the elastic properties of a nylon string
Authors: Muñoz-Pérez Francisco M , Garmendía-Martínez Adrián , Castro-Palacio Juan C , Ferrando Vicente , Monsoriu Juan A 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Young’s modulus of a nylon string has been determined experimentally by combining elasticity theory and wave optics. A diffraction experiment was setup to determine the change in string diameter for different tensile forces, applied by means of hanging weights. A linear elasticity model was used to calculate Young’s modulus. We provide a simple method, which could be used as the basis of an experiment for the introductory university level.
Computational modelling and experimental investigation of micro-electrochemical discharge machining by controlling the electrolyte temperature
Authors: Bahar Dil , Dvivedi Akshay , Kumar Pradeep 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Glass vias are emerging as a favourable option for radiofrequency-based micro-electromechanical system packaging. For the micromachining of glass, electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) could be the most suitable technique if issues pertaining to the process stability are addressed thoroughly. The electrolyte temperature has immense influence on the viscosity and conductivity of the electrolyte, which percolate the stability of the ECDM process. Therefore, this article investigates the effects of the electrolyte temperature and applied voltage on the performance characteristics of ECDM for the micromachining of borosilicate glass. The machining rate (MR) and hole overcut (HOC) of the machined microholes are considered as performance characteristics. A 3D thermal-based finite element model (FEM) was developed for the thermal analysis in the machining zone. In the thermal analysis, the heat flux by thermal discharge was assumed to have Gaussian distribution, and accordingly, temperature profiles in the thermal zone were analyzed by controlling the electrolyte temperature and voltage at various levels. Further processing of temperature profiles in the thermal zone was utilized in the estimation of MR and HOC. Electrostatic-based FEM was utilized to assess the intensity of the electric field in the proximity of the tool electrode to analyze the probable locations of thermal discharge and its impact on the geometrical characteristics of the machined microholes. The simulation outcomes were validated experimentally, and show good agreement. A field emission electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy was used for the characterization of the machined surface to observe the effect of the electrolyte temperature.
An integration scheme of simultaneous cycle slips determination combining improved geometry-free combination and TDCP model for undifferenced GNSS data
Authors: Li Shuaishuai , Feng Wei , Huang Dingfa 
Published: February 2024

AbstractFast and reliable cycle slip determination can ensure successive ambiguity resolution and precise positioning. Generally, it is not difficult to determine big cycle slips using the linear combination of observations, for instance, the geometry-free (GF) combination and the Hatch–Melbourne–Wübbena (HMW) combination. However, the participation of pseudorange observations may fail to identify small cycle slips. This contribution proposes an integration scheme combining the improved geometry-free (IGF) combination and time-difference carrier phase (TDCP) model to determine simultaneous cycle slips for undifferenced kinematic data. The IGF combination, which is improved from the modified geometry-free (MGF) combination and utilizes the Gauss floor function to take the decimal part of GF, can directly determine small cycle slips on a specific frequency. The TDCP model is used to estimate the differences of position and clock error between adjacent epochs by least-square adjustment using clean phase observations, and repair the remaining cycle slips by the predicted TDCP measurements obtained from the predetermined parameters. The proposed method is tested against 1 Hz kinematic dataset with simulation and highway dataset with real cycle slips. In the simulation test, all cycle slips can be correctly repaired by IGF for L1/L5, E1/E5 and E1/E5a. These combinations are unavailable for MGF. Compared to the HMW-GF method, the repair success rate of IGF improves from 96.80% to 99.16%, and the number of incorrect cases reduces from 9650 to 2535. The IGF-TDCP integration scheme can further improve the performance of IGF, whose repair success rate is more than 99.97% and incorrect cases are 38. The highway test shows that the proposed method effectively processes simultaneous cycle slips on more than half of the tracking satellites caused by the overpasses, even in the case of simultaneous 3 second data gaps on 5 satellites of 6 tracking satellites.
Chromatic confocal coherence scanning interferometry with speed-variable scanning method to measure large-depth step
Authors: Zhao Yulu , Chang Songtao , Zhang Yi , Xu Feifan , Xia Haojie 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) is a crucial measurement technique for achieving non-contact, rapid, and high-precision measurements. However, when applied to large-depth steps, CSI encounters challenges related to prolonged measurement times and suboptimal signal utilization. This paper introduces a hybrid CSI system that integrates the chromatic confocal technique (CC-CSI). The confocal spectral signal peak facilitates the rapid determination of the coherence area, allowing the scanning process to be divided into two phases. The signal collection is limited within the coherence area at a lower scanning speed, while in other positions, the scanning speed is increased. This speed-variable scanning technique significantly augments measurement efficiency. The CC-CSI system with the speed-variable scanning method demonstrated a significant enhancement in measurement time compared to conventional CSI under identical experimental conditions. The measured step heights were 100 μm, 200 μm, and 300 μm. Standard deviations of less than 0.3 μm were observed in 10 consecutive measurements. In addition, the proposed CC-CSI system demonstrated the capability to profile the groove structure.
An elementary method for calculating the duration of motion of a block with mass attached to the end of a spring under the influence of kinetic friction
Authors: Poulakis Michail , Malamou Anna , Kontomaris Stylianos Vasileios 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Calculating time intervals in motions with non-constant acceleration is a challenging task. In most cases, advanced mathematical tools are required. Therefore, these topics are usually not suitable for presentation at the high school level. In this paper, the case of the motion of a block of mass attached to the end of a linear spring on a rough surface is revisited. The goal is to find an elementary method for calculating the time interval required to cover a distance between two arbitrary positions suitable for teaching at the high school level. To accomplish this goal, a mathematically ‘equivalent problem’ involving the combination of simple harmonic motions between two different equilibrium positions is considered. It effectively conveys that with this approach, the calculation of time intervals relies solely on simple trigonometry. In addition, students can draw interesting conclusions, such as the linear decay of the oscillation’s amplitude and the independence of the period from the oscillation’s amplitude.