bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relative contribution of sensory and motor impairments to mobility limitations in children with cerebral palsy: an observational study
Authors: Chiu Hsiu-Ching , Ada Louise , Cherng Rong-Ju , Chen Chiehfeng 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the relative contribution of sensory and motor impairments to mobility limitations in cerebral palsy. An observational study was carried out in 83 children with all types of cerebral palsy with a mean age of 10.8 years (SD 1.2). Five impairments (coordination, strength, spasticity, contracture, proprioception) and three aspects of mobility (standing up from a chair, short and long distance walking) were measured. Standard multiple regression was used to determine the relative contribution of impairments to mobility as well as the relative contribution of strength of individual muscle groups (dorsiflexors, plantarflexors, knee extensors, hip abductors and hip extensors) to mobility. Five impairments accounted for 48% of the variance in overall mobility (p < 0.001): coordination independently accounted for 9%, contracture for 4% and strength for 3% of the variance. Five muscle groups accounted for 53% of the variance in overall mobility (p < 0.001): hip extensors independently accounted for 9%, knee extensors for 4%, dorsiflexors for 4% and plantarflexors for 3% of the variance. Our findings demonstrate that the impairments making a significant independent contribution to mobility in pre-adolescent cerebral palsy were loss of coordination, loss of strength and contracture.
Enhanced bone tissue regeneration using a 3D-printed poly(lactic acid)/Ti6Al4V composite scaffold with plasma treatment modification
Authors: Zarei Masoud , Shabani Dargah Motahareh , Hasanzadeh Azar Mahdi , Alizadeh Reza , Mahdavi Fatemeh Sadat , Sayedain Sayed Shahab , Kaviani Alireza , Asadollahi Mohammad , Azami Mahmoud , Beheshtizadeh Nima 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe mechanical and biological properties of polylactic acid (PLA) need to be further improved in order to be used for bone tissue engineering (BTE). Utilizing a material extrusion technique, three-dimensional (3D) PLA-Ti6Al4V (Ti64) scaffolds with open pores and interconnected channels were successfully fabricated. In spite of the fact that the glass transition temperature of PLA increased with the addition of Ti64, the melting and crystallization temperatures as well as the thermal stability of filaments decreased slightly. However, the addition of 3–6 wt% Ti64 enhanced the mechanical properties of PLA, increasing the ultimate compressive strength and compressive modulus of PLA-3Ti64 to 49.9 MPa and 1.9 GPa, respectively. Additionally, the flowability evaluations revealed that all composite filaments met the print requirements. During the plasma treatment of scaffolds, not only was the root-mean-square (Rq) of PLA (1.8 nm) increased to 60 nm, but also its contact angle (90.4°) significantly decreased to (46.9°). FTIR analysis confirmed the higher hydrophilicity as oxygen-containing groups became more intense. By virtue of the outstanding role of plasma treatment as well as Ti64 addition, a marked improvement was observed in Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cell attachment, proliferation (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining), and differentiation (Alkaline phosphatase and Alizarin Red S staining). Based on these results, it appears that the fabricated scaffolds have potential applications in BTE.
Angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor delays progression from paroxysmal to persistent atrial fibrillation
Authors: Dong Youzheng , Zhai Zhenyu , Wang Jihong , Xia Zhen , Xia Zirong , Zhu Bo , Dong Quanbing , Li Qing , Li Juxiang 
Published: February 2023

AbstractProgression from paroxysmal to persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) is linked to adverse clinical outcomes. The present study sought to clarify whether angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) can delay AF progression. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on consecutive patients with paroxysmal AF admitted at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between January 2017 and January 2022. The risk of AF progression from paroxysmal to persistent was compared between paroxysmal patients treated with ARNI and those who received an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). Seven-day Holter monitoring was performed to identify persistent AF. Propensity-score matched analysis was performed to compare the two groups. Cox-regression was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for AF progression events. A total of 1083 patients were screened, and 113 patients in the ARB group and 57 patients in the ARNI group were eligible for analysis. Before propensity-score matching, the ARNI therapy was associated with a lower risk of AF progression than the ARB therapy (HR 0.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.14–0.81; P = 0.015) after a median follow-up of 705 (interquartile range [IQR] 512 to 895) days. Among 170 patients, 47 ARNI-treated patients were successfully matched to 47 ARB-treated patients. After a median follow-up of 724 (541–929) days, compared to ARB, ARNI significantly reduced the risk of AF progression (HR 0.32; 95% CI 0.12–0.88; P = 0.016). ARNI may be superior to ARB in reducing the risk of progression from paroxysmal to persistent AF.
Acid-modified CNT/Zinc Oxide nanowires based high performance broadband photodetector
Authors: Aier K. Moatemsu , Dhar Jay Chandra 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn this study, the authors have reported the impact of post-treatment via exposure to acid on single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) thin film (TF) based SWNT/ZnO Nanowire (NW) broad band photodetector. The ZnO NWs were deposited on SWNT (with and without acid-treated) using a simple catalytic free process called glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique. Acid-treated SWNT samples warranted the growth of high quality ZnO NWs over them. On fabricating photodetectors with the acid-treated ZnO NW/SWNT TF heterostructure (HS) gave better device performance as compared to the as-deposited ZnO NW/SWNT TF HS (without acid-treatment) sample. The acid-treated device showed a largeresponsivity(85.45 A/W),specific detectivity(0.859 × 1012Jones) and with a lownoise equivalent powerof 3.9101 pW values. Moreover, the oxygen adsorption–desorption mechanism in SWNTs impacted the electrical resistance of the nanotubes which affected nanotube conductivity. The acid-treatment favoured relatively faster charge separation at the ZnO NW/SWNT heterojunction thus providing a fast device response (trise = 0.11 s,tfall = 0.39 s at + 5 V). The fabricated acid-treated device showed good broad band detection (250 nm-750 nm) which was explained with respect to the optical absorption profile of the sample.
Reorientation methodology for reproducible head posture in serial cone beam computed tomography images
Authors: Mangal Utkarsh , Lee Sung Min , Lee Seeyoon , Cha Jung-Yul , Lee Kee-Joon , Yu Hyung-Seog , Jung Hong , Choi Sung-Hwan 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLow dose and accessibility have increased the application of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Often serial images are captured for patients to diagnose and plan treatment in the craniofacial region. However, CBCT images are highly variable and lack harmonious reproduction, especially in the head’s orientation. Though user-defined orientation methods have been suggested, the reproducibility remains controversial. Here, we propose a landmark-free reorientation methodology based on principal component analysis (PCA) for harmonious orientation of serially captured CBCTs. We analyzed three serial CBCT scans collected for 29 individuals who underwent orthognathic surgery. We first defined a region of interest with the proposed protocol by combining 2D rendering and 3D convex hull method, and identified an intermediary arrangement point. PCA identified the y-axis (anterioposterior) followed by the secondary x-axis (transverse). Finally, by defining the perpendicular z-axis, a new global orientation was assigned. The goodness of alignment (Hausdorff distance) showed a marked improvement (> 50%). Furthermore, we clustered cases based on clinical asymmetry and validated that the protocol was unaffected by the severity of the skeletal deformity. Therefore, it could be suggested that integrating the proposed algorithm as the preliminary step in CBCT evaluation will address a fundamental step towards harmonizing the craniofacial imaging records.
A comprehensive overview of SMN and NAIP copy numbers in Iranian SMA patients
Authors: Savad Shahram , Ashrafi Mahmoud Reza , Samadaian Niusha , Heidari Morteza , Modarressi Mohammad-Hossein , Zamani Gholamreza , Amidi Saloomeh , Younesi Sarang , Amin Mohammad Mahdi Taheri , Saadati Pourandokht , Ronagh Alireza , Ardakani Hossein Shojaaldini , Eslami Solat , Ghafouri-Fard Soudeh 
Published: February 2023

AbstractSpinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is among the most common autosomal recessive disorders with different incidence rates in different ethnic groups. In the current study, we have determined SMN1, SMN2 and NAIP copy numbers in an Iranian population using MLPA assay. Cases were recruited from Genome-Nilou Laboratory, Tehran, Iran and Pars-Genome Laboratory, Karaj, Iran during 2012–2022. All enrolled cases had a homozygous deletion of exon 7 of SMN1. Moreover, except for 11 cases, all other cases had a homozygous deletion of exon 8 of SMN1. Out of 186 patients, 177 (95.16%) patients showed the same copy numbers of exons 7 and 8 of SMN2 gene. In addition, 53 patients (28.49%) showed 2 copies, 71 (38.17%) showed 3 copies and 53 patients (28.49%) showed 4 copies of SMN2 gene exons 7 and 8. The remaining 9 patients showed different copy numbers of exons 7 and 8 of SMN2 gene. The proportions of SMA patients with different numbers of normal NAIP were 0 copy in 73 patients (39.24%), 1 copy in 59 patients (31.72%), 2 copies in 53 patients (28.49%) and 4 copies in one patient (0.5%). These values are different from values reported in other populations. Integration of the data of the SMN1/2 and NAIP genes showed 17 genotypes. Patients with genotype 0-0-3-3-1 (0 copies of SMN1 (E7,8), 3 copies of SMN2 (E7,8) and 1 copy of NAIP (E5)) were the most common genotype in this study. Patients with 0-0-2-2-0 genotype were more likely to have type I SMA. The results of the current study have practical significance, particularly in the genetic counseling of at-risk families.
Influence of junction resistance on spatiotemporal dynamics and reservoir computing performance arising from an SWNT/POM 3D network formed via a scaffold template technique
Authors: Azhari Saman , Banerjee Deep , Kotooka Takumi , Usami Yuki , Tanaka Hirofumi 
Published: February 2023

A porous scaffold template technique was used to fabricate a 3D network of a single-walled carbon nanotube polyoxometalate nanocomposite, demonstrating the advantage of an additional spatial dimension for in materio reservoir computing performance.
Nitrogen-rich covalent phosphazene-based framework for efficient removal of lead(ii) ions
Authors: Peng Lin-ling , Zhou Wei-Fang , Xu Wei-Feng , Liu Yu , Zhou Cong-Shan , Xie Jun , Tang Ke-Wen 
Published: February 2023

Nitrogen-rich phosphazene-based covalent organic framework was synthesized for efficient Pb2+ removal from aqueous solution. The N-CPF exhibits an exceedingly high Pb2+ uptake capacity of 816 mg g−1 and a fast adsorption rate.
Semantic Difficulty for Bilingual Children: Effects of Age, Language Exposure, and Language Ability
Authors: McMillen Stephanie , Albudoor Nahar , Peña Elizabeth D. , Bedore Lisa M. 
Published: February 2023

Purpose:
Semantic tasks evaluate dimensions of children's lexical-semantic knowledge. However, the relative ease of semantic task completion depends on individual differences in developmental and language experience factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how language experience and language ability impact semantic task difficulty in English for school-age Spanish–English bilingual children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD).

Method:

Participants included 232 Spanish–English bilingual children in second through fifth grade with (
n
= 35) and without (
n
= 197) DLD. Data included children's performance on the English Semantics subtest of the Bilingual English–Spanish Assessment—Middle Extension Field Test Version (BESA-ME), age of English acquisition, and percent English language exposure. Task difficulty, a measurement of the relative ease of task completion, was calculated for six semantic task types included on the BESA-ME. Multilevel regression modeling was conducted to estimate longitudinal growth trajectories for each semantic task type.

Results:
Results showed that language ability and grade level drive semantic task difficulty for all task types, and children with DLD experienced greater difficulty on all task types compared to their typically developing peers. Longitudinally, semantic task difficulty decreased for all children, regardless of language ability, indicating that semantic task types became easier over time. While children made gains on all semantic tasks, the growth rate of task difficulty was not equal across task types, where some task types showed slower growth compared with others. English language exposure emerged as a significant predictor of semantic task difficulty while age of acquisition was not a significant factor.

Conclusions:
This study clarifies developmental profiles of lexical-semantic performance in bilingual children with and without DLD and supports clinical decision-making regarding children's English language learning.
Time‐space‐power allocation for enhanced IoT‐terminal services in cognitive satellite‐aerial networks
Authors: Li Tong , Yao Ru‐Gui , Fan Ye , Zuo Xiao‐Ya 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn remote and inaccessible areas, the traffic request for Internet‐of‐Things (IoT) terminals is growing. This paper proposes a cognitive satellite‐aerial network (CSAN) to provide sufficient access services. The proposed CSAN consists of the primary beam‐hopping (BH) satellite and secondary aerial‐based station (ABS) systems. Since the two systems share spectrums, co‐channel interference (CCI) between the two systems is complicated, and the quality of service (QoS) is seriously degraded. To improve the QoS, the dynamic BH (DBH) pattern, ABS access in the time domain, and ABS power control in the power domain are studied. First, based on the sparsity of the DBH pattern, the greedy quick tracking (GAT) algorithm is proposed to design the DBH pattern quickly. Then, subject to the DBH pattern, a greedy access monitor (GAM) algorithm is determined for timely ABS access and power control. Since each ABS only serves terminals within a suitable distance, the placement and terminal cluster of multi‐ABSs in the space domain are required to ensure full terminal coverage. Thus, the mutual selection K algorithm is proposed to save required ABS numbers and improve service fairness among terminal clusters. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of time‐space‐power allocation for enhanced IoT‐terminal services in the proposed CSAN.
A video drowning detection device based on underwater computer vision
Authors: Liu Tingzhuang , He Xinyu , He Linglu , Yuan Fei 
Published: February 2023

AbstractDrowning is a significant public health concern. A video drowning detection algorithm is a helpful tool for finding drowning victims. However, there are three challenges that drowning detection research typically encounters: a lack of actual drowning video data, subtle early drowning traits, and a lack of real time. In this paper, the authors propose an underwater computer vision based drowning detection device composed of embedded AI devices, camera, and waterproof case to solve the above problems. The detection device utilizes the high‐performance computing of Jetson Nano to realize real‐time detection of drowning events through the proposed drowning detection algorithm on the acquired underwater video stream. The proposed drowning detection algorithm primarily consists of two stages: in the first step, to successfully solve the interference of the surroundings and to give a trustworthy basis for video drowning detection, the YOLOv5n network is used to detect the near‐vertical human body based on the characteristics of the drowning person. In the second stage, the authors propose a lightweight drowning detection network (DDN) based on a deep Gaussian model for fast feature vector detection. The lightweight DDN is combined with the Gaussian model to detect anomaly in the high‐level semantic features, which has higher robustness and solves the lack of drowning videos. The experimental results show that the proposed drowning detection algorithm has good comprehensive performance and practical application value.
Synergistic enhancement of dielectric properties of polymer matrix composites by micro‐nano bicomponent ceramics and conductive particles
Authors: Wu Dongyi , Zhai Yue , Xu Haiping , Guo Lihe 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBarium titanate (BaTiO3, BT) was co‐doped by solid‐state sintering with niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) and cobalt trioxide (Co3O4) as dopants. The modified barium titanate containing Nb and Co (BTNC) with larger particle size (0.5–1 μm) and silver powder (Ag) with smaller particle size (25 nm) were co‐filled with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to prepare (BTNC‐Ag)/PVDF three‐phase composites. The morphology and crystal structure of composites were characterised by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. SEM shows that when the volume ratio of BTNC and Ag in the composite is 4:1, the two fillers have good dispersion in polymer matrix and could intersperse with each other to reduce voids. XRD patterns display that the filling of BTNC and Ag powders was conducive to promoting the enhancement of the diffraction peaks of β phase and γ phase in PVDF. The dielectric properties of the composites are effectively enhanced through the synergistic effect of the micro‐nano bicomponent ceramic BTNC and conductive particles Ag co‐filled polymer PVDF. When the volume ratio of filler (BTNC:Ag = 4:1) to matrix PVDF is 2/1, the dielectric properties of the composite are the best, the dielectric constant reaches 134.1 at 102 Hz and the dielectric loss is 0.04.
Multiple‐model generalised labelled multi‐Bernoulli filter with distributed sensors for tracking manoeuvring targets using belief propagation
Authors: Cao Chenghu , Zhao Yongbo 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe multi‐sensor multiple‐model generalised labelled multi‐Bernoulli filter (MS‐MM‐GLMB) is presented for tracking multiple manoeuvring targets. And we develop efficient implementation for computing multi‐target posterior. The proposed implementation of the MS‐MM‐GLMB filter is composed of two main parts including centralised fusion with distributed sensors and posterior calculation using belief propagation. Specifically, the centralised fusion with distributed sensors is performed based on common predicted information to enable a full parallelisation. This fusion strategy yields the exact solution along with independence of the sensor ordering. More importantly, this fusion allows multiple sensor fusion with the MM‐GLMB filters for iterative update step for synchronous measurements. Subsequently, the belief propagation algorithm is adopted to implement the MS‐MM‐GLMB filter by efficiently calculating the marginal posterior distributions of GLMB form with superior tracking performance. The belief propagation solution to solving data association is presented for the computationally efficient centralised tracking of the manoeuvring targets. Compared with Gibbs‐based implementation, the proposed belief‐propagation‐based method performs well or better, especially in more challenging scenario.
Efficacy of Melatonin for Insomnia in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-analysis
Authors: Xiong Mei , Li Fang , Liu Zhaohua , Xie Xin , Shen Hongli , Li Weiteng , Wei Liping , He Rongfang 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Aim This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of melatonin in treating insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods Comprehensive searches were conducted in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from their inception to April 20, 2022. Data were extracted and assessed for quality by two researchers. Statistical analysis was performed using the Stata 15.0 software.
Results Four studies including 238 patients were included. The results showed that compared with the control group, melatonin could shorten the sleep-onset latency (standardized mean difference [SMD] = − 1.34, 95% CI: −2.19 to −0.48), reduce the number of awakenings (SMD = -2.35, 95% CI: −4.62 to −0.08), and prolong the total sleep time (SMD = 1.42, 95% CI: 0.5–2.33) in children with ASD.
Conclusion Melatonin has a certain effect on relieving sleep disturbances in children with ASD, which can shorten sleep latency, reduce the number of awakenings, and prolong total sleep time. Larger studies are required to verify this hypothesis.
How are Research for Development Programmes Implementing and Evaluating Equitable Partnerships to Address Power Asymmetries?
Authors: Snijder Mieke , Steege Rosie , Callander Michelle , Wahome Michel , Rahman M. Feisal , Apgar Marina , Theobald Sally , Bracken Louise J. , Dean Laura , Mansaray Bintu , Saligram Prasanna , Garimella Surekha , Arthurs-Hartnett Sophia , Karuga Robinson , Mejía Artieda Adriana Elizabeth , Chengo Victoria , Ateles Joanes 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe complexity of issues addressed by research for development (R4D) requires collaborations between partners from a range of disciplines and cultural contexts. Power asymmetries within such partnerships may obstruct the fair distribution of resources, responsibilities and benefits across all partners. This paper presents a cross-case analysis of five R4D partnership evaluations, their methods and how they unearthed and addressed power asymmetries. It contributes to the field of R4D partnership evaluations by detailing approaches and methods employed to evaluate these partnerships. Theory-based evaluations deepened understandings of how equitable partnerships contribute to R4D generating impact and centring the relational side of R4D. Participatory approaches that involved all partners in developing and evaluating partnership principles ensured contextually appropriate definitions and a focus on what partners value.
Development and x-ray imaging performance of Tb-doped GdAlO3-αAl2O3 submicron-diameter phase-separated scintillator fibers
Authors: Yoshino M. , Kamada K. , Yamamoto S. , Yajima R. , Sasaki R. , Sagisaka M. , Kataoka J. , Horiai T. , Yokota Y. , Yoshikawa A. 
Published: February 2023

Scintillators are key components in high-energy x-ray detectors for x-ray computed tomography, which are applied in medical diagnosis, nondestructive testing, and security inspection. Scintillators in x-ray imaging are required to have both high spatial resolution and sensitivity; however, a trade-off between spatial resolution and sensitivity exists. To improve the sensitivity of a scintillator, its thickness must be increased; however, spatial resolution deteriorates with increasing thickness. Here, we developed a well-aligned Tb-doped GdAlO3-αAl2O3 phase-separated scintillator fiber (PSSF) with a diameter of 1.25-μm by a micro-pulling-down method. The luminescence, scintillation, and imaging performances of a grown PSSF sample were evaluated. X-ray-induced radioluminescence measurements of the sample showed Tb3+ 4f–4f emissions in the wavelength range of 470–700 nm, and the maximum emission peak was at 550 nm. The contrast transfer function at 10 lp/mm was 82% for both 270 and 500 μm-thick PSSF samples. We calculated the luminescence index, which is the product of the scintillator’s light yield and sensitivity, of the samples and compared their values with commercially available conventional CsI:Tl columnar scintillators. The Tb-doped GdAlO3-αAl2O3 PSSF exhibits higher contrast transfer function and luminescence index values at above 60 keV x-ray region compared with the tested conventional scintillators.