bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cutaneous sensory block area of the ultrasound-guided subcostal transversus abdominis plane block: an observational study
Authors: Salmonsen Christopher Blom , Lange Kai Henrik Wiborg , Rothe Christian , Kleif Jakob , Bertelsen Claus Anders 
Published: August 2023

Background and objectivesThe transversus abdominis plane block (TAP) can be applied using different approaches, resulting in varying cutaneous analgesic distributions. This study aimed to assess the cutaneous sensory block area (CSBA) after ultrasound-guided TAP (US-TAP) using the subcostal approach.MethodsThirty patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy received a subcostal US-TAP with 20 mL 2.5 mg/mL ropivacaine bilaterally. Measurements were performed 150 min after block application. The CSBA was mapped using cold sensation and a sterile marker, photodocumented, and transferred to a transparency. The area of the CSBA was calculated from the transparencies.ResultsThe median CSBA of the subcostal US-TAP was 174 cm2(IQR 119–219 cm2; range 52–398 cm2). In all patients, the CSBA had a periumbilical distribution. In 42 of the 60 (70%) unilateral blocks, the CSBA had both an epigastric and infraumbilical component; in 12 of the 60 (20%) unilateral blocks, it covered only the epigastrium; and in 4 of the 60 (7%) unilateral blocks, it had only an infraumbilical distribution. No CSBA was found in 2 of the 60 (3%) unilateral blocks. In none of the patients did the CSBA cover the abdominal wall lateral to a vertical line through the anterior superior iliac spine.ConclusionThe subcostal US-TAP results in a heterogeneous non-dermatomal CSBA with varying size and distribution across the medial abdominal wall.
Mechanisms of action of therapeutic exercise for knee and hip OA remain a black box phenomenon: an individual patient data mediation study with the OA Trial Bank
Authors: Runhaar Jos , Holden Melanie A , Hattle Miriam , Quicke Jonathan , Healey Emma Louise , van der Windt Danielle , Dziedzic Krysia S , Middelkoop Marienke van , Bierma-Zeinstra Sita , Foster Nadine E ,   The STEER OA Patient Advisory Group
Published: August 2023

ObjectivesTo evaluate mediating factors for the effect of therapeutic exercise on pain and physical function in people with knee/hip osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsFor Subgrouping and TargetEd Exercise pRogrammes for knee and hip OsteoArthritis (STEER OA), individual participant data (IPD) were sought from all published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing therapeutic exercise to non-exercise controls in people with knee/hip OA. Using the Counterfactual framework, the effect of the exercise intervention and the percentage mediated through each potential mediator (muscle strength, proprioception and range of motion (ROM)) for knee OA and muscle strength for hip OA were determined.ResultsData from 12 of 31 RCTs of STEER OA (1407 participants) were available. Within the IPD data sets, there were generally statistically significant effects from therapeutic exercise for pain and physical function in comparison to non-exercise controls. Of all potential mediators, only the change in knee extension strength was statistically and significantly associated with the change in pain in knee OA (β −0.03 (95% CI −0.05 to −0.01), 2.3% mediated) and with physical function in knee OA (β −0.02 (95% CI −0.04 to −0.00), 2.0% mediated) and hip OA (β −0.03 (95% CI −0.07 to −0.00), no mediation).ConclusionsThis first IPD mediation analysis of this scale revealed that in people with knee OA, knee extension strength only mediated ±2% of the effect of therapeutic exercise on pain and physical function. ROM and proprioception did not mediate changes in outcomes, nor did knee extension strength in people with hip OA. As 98% of the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise compared with non-exercise controls remains unexplained, more needs to be done to understand the underlying mechanisms of actions.
Linear stability of shock waves in ultrarelativistic anisotropic hydrodynamics
Authors: Kovalenko Aleksandr 
Published: August 2023

AbstractLinear stability of a plane shock waves in ultrarelativistic anisotropic hydrodynamics is investigated. The properties of the amplitudes of perturbations of physical quantities are studied depending on the components of the wave vector of a small harmonic perturbation. Analytical calculations for the longitudinal and transverse propagation of shock wave normal with respect to the anisotropy axis (beam-axis) and numerical calculations for an arbitrary polar angle are carried out.
Effect of transition metal doping on the photoelectric effect of monolayer NbS2 under strain: First-principles calculations
Authors: Ni Junjie , Yang Lu , Chen Shu 
Published: August 2023

In this paper, the effects of transition metal doping on the electronic structure of monolayer NbS2 were studied through the first principles. The electronic structure changes caused by doping transition metal (TM) atoms were recorded, including the energy band, the density of states, binding energy, and optical properties. Studies show that all doping systems are metal. Still, under strain regulation, some doping systems offer an indirect bandgap; NbS2 transforms into a narrow bandgap diluted semiconductor and can improve the activity. Doping atoms lead to [Formula: see text] type doping in NbS2. Regarding optical properties, IVB group metals are selected as the typical dopant of three periods. Composite NbS2 has excellent reflector characteristics and can be applied to infrared and ultraviolet regions. The spectral response and electromagnetic wave absorption range of low-energy areas are also improved. This study effectively solves the problem of impurity states introduced by doping and provides a solution for the doping modification of monolayer NbS2, which will lay a foundation for nanoelectronics.
NNTBFV: Simplifying and Verifying Neural Networks Using Testing-Based Formal Verification
Authors: Liu Haiyi , Liu Shaoying , Xu Guangquan , Liu Ai , Fang Dingbang 
Published: August 2023

Neural networks are extensively employed in safety-critical systems. However, these critical systems incorporating neural networks continue to pose risks due to the presence of adversarial examples. Although the security of neural networks can be enhanced by verification, verifying neural networks is an NP-hard problem, making the application of verification algorithms to large-scale neural networks a challenging task. For this reason, we propose NNTBFV, a framework that utilizes the principles of Testing-Based Formal Verification (TBFV) to simplify neural networks and verify the simplified networks. Unlike conventional neural network pruning techniques, this approach is based on specifications, with the goal of deriving approximate execution paths under given preconditions. To mitigate the potential issue of unverifiable conditions due to overly broad preconditions, we also propose a precondition partition method. Empirical evidence shows that as the range of preconditions narrows, the size of the execution paths also reduces accordingly. The execution path generated by NNTBFV is still a neural network, so it can be verified by verification tools. In response to the results from the verification tool, we provide a theoretical method for analysis. We evaluate the effectiveness of NNTBFV on the ACAS Xu model project, choosing Verification-based and Random-based neural network simplification algorithms as the baselines for NNTBFV. Experiment results show that NNTBFV can effectively approximate the baseline in terms of simplification capability, and it surpasses the efficiency of the random-based method.
Cerebral Microbleed Patterns and Cortical Amyloid-β: The ARIC-PET Study
Authors: Okine Derrick N. , Knopman David S. , Mosley Thomas H. , Wong Dean F. , Johansen Michelle C. , Walker Keenan A. , Jack Clifford R. , Kantarci Kejal , Pike James R. , Graff-Radford Jonathan , Gottesman Rebecca F. 
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:
Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are associated with cognitive decline, but their importance outside of cerebral amyloid angiopathy and the mechanisms of their impact on cognition are poorly understood. We evaluated the cross-sectional association between CMB patterns and cerebral Aβ (amyloid-β) deposition, by florbetapir positron emission tomography.

METHODS:

The longitudinal ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) recruited individuals from 4 US communities from 1987 to 1989. From 2012 to 2014, the ARIC-PET (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities - Positron Emission Tomography) ancillary recruited 322 nondemented ARIC participants who completed 3T brain magnetic resonance imaging with T2*GRE as part of ARIC visit 5 to undergo florbetapir positron emission tomography imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging images were read for CMBs and superficial siderosis; on positron emission tomography, global cortical standardized uptake value ratio >1.2 was considered a positive Aβ scan. Multivariable logistic regression models evaluated CMB characteristics in association with Aβ positivity. Effect modification by sex, race,
APOE
status, and cognition was evaluated.

RESULTS:

CMBs were present in 24% of ARIC-PET participants. No significant associations were found between CMBs and Aβ positivity, but a pattern of isolated lobar CMBs or superficial siderosis was associated with over 4-fold higher odds of elevated Aβ when compared with those with no CMBs (odds ratio, 4.72 [95% CI, 1.16–19.16]). A similar elevated risk was not observed in those with isolated subcortical or mixed subcortical and either lobar CMBs or superficial siderosis. Although no significant interactions were found, effect estimates for elevated Aβ were nonsignificantly lower (
P
>0.10, odds ratio, 0.4–0.6) for a mixed CMB pattern, and odds ratios were nonsignificantly higher for lobar-only CMBs for 4 subgroups: women (versus men); Black participants (versus White participants),
APOE
ε4 noncarriers (versus carriers), and cognitively normal (versus mild cognitive impairment).

CONCLUSIONS:
In this community-based cohort of nondemented adults, lobar-only pattern of CMBs or superficial siderosis is most strongly associated with brain Aβ, with no elevated risk for a mixed CMB pattern. Further studies are needed to understand differences in CMB patterns and their meaning across subgroups.
Robust Human Influence across the Troposphere, Surface, and Ocean: A Multivariate Analysis
Authors: Blackport Russell , Fyfe John C. , Santer Benjamin D. 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Human influence has been robustly detected throughout many parts of the climate system. Pattern-based methods have been used extensively to estimate the strength of model-predicted “fingerprints,” both human and natural, in observational data. However, individual studies using different analysis methods and time periods yield inconsistent estimates of the magnitude of the influence of anthropogenic aerosols, depending on whether they examined the troposphere, surface, or ocean. Reducing the uncertainty of the impact of aerosols on the climate system is crucial for understanding past climate change and obtaining more reliable estimates of climate sensitivity. To reconcile divergent estimates of aerosol effects obtained in previous studies, we apply the same regression-based detection and attribution method to three different variables: mid-to-upper-tropospheric temperature, surface temperature, and ocean heat content. We find that quantitative estimates of human influence in observations are consistent across these three independently monitored components of the climate system. Combining the troposphere, surface, and ocean data into a single multivariate fingerprint results in a small (∼10%) reduction of uncertainty of the magnitude of the greenhouse gas fingerprint, but a large (∼40%) reduction for the anthropogenic aerosol fingerprint. This reduction in uncertainty results in a substantially earlier time of detection of the multivariate aerosol fingerprint when compared to aerosol fingerprint detection time in each of the three individual variables. Our results highlight the benefits of analyzing data across the troposphere, surface, and ocean in detection and attribution studies, and motivate future work to further constrain uncertainties in aerosol effects on climate.

Significance Statement
Fingerprints of human influence have been detected separately across the troposphere, surface, and ocean. Previous studies examining the different parts of the climate system are difficult to compare quantitatively, however, because they use different methods and cover differ timespans. Here we find consistent estimates of the human influence on the troposphere, surface, and ocean over recent decades when the same fingerprint method and analysis period is used. When we combine the three variables into a single fingerprint, the uncertainty of the influence of anthropogenic aerosols is substantially reduced and the signal is detectable considerably earlier in the observational record. Our results highlight the benefits of performing analysis across different variables instead of focusing on one variable only.
Gender affirmation and mental health in prison: A critical review of current corrections policy for trans people in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Dalzell Laura G , Pang Sam C , Brömdal Annette 
Published: August 2023

Background: Trans people in prison experience disproportionate rates of harm, including negative mental health outcomes, and thus require special protections. Instead, corrections policies have historically further marginalised them. This critical policy review aimed to compare corrections policies for trans people in Australia and New Zealand with human rights standards and consider their mental health impact. Methods: Online searches were conducted on corrections websites for each state/territory in Australia and New Zealand. Drawing on the Nelson Mandela Rules and Yogyakarta Principles, 19 corrections policies relevant to placement, naming, appearance and gender-affirming healthcare for trans people were reviewed. The potential mental health impact of these policies on incarcerated trans people was discussed using the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience framework. Results: Australian and New Zealand corrections policies have become more concordant with human rights standards in the past 5 years. However, gender-related discrimination and human rights violations were present in corrections policies of all jurisdictions. New South Wales and Victorian policies had the highest concordance with human rights standards, while Queensland and South Australian policies had the lowest. Conclusion: Policies that contribute to discrimination and minority stress may increase risk of mental health problems and suicide for incarcerated trans people. Mental health professionals working in prisons need to be aware of these risks to provide safe and accessible mental healthcare for trans people. Collaborative policy development with trans people is essential to protect the safety and rights of incarcerated trans people and consider models beyond the gender binary on which correctional systems have been founded.
Modulation of Autophagy and Nitric Oxide Signaling via Glycyrrhizic Acid and 7-Nitroindazole in MPTP-induced Parkinson’s Disease Model
Authors: Kartik Shipra , Pal Rishi , Chaudhary Manju J. , Nath Rajendra , Kumar Madhu 
Published: August 2023

Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by dopaminergic (DA) neuron loss, Lewy body build-up, and motor dysfunction. One of the primary pathogenic mechanisms of PD development is autophagy dysfunction and nitric oxide-mediated neurotoxicity. Purpose The current study focuses on autophagy and nitric oxide (NO) signaling roles in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-intoxicated PD mice and their protection by their modulators. Method BALB/c mice were administered MPTP (30 mg/kg/i.p/day) for five consecutive days in order to create a PD model. Following MPTP poisoning, the doses of GA (16.8 mg/kg/day/i.p.), 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) (10 mg/kg/day/i.p.), and their combination were administered once daily for 14 days. Animals were observed for behavioral and locomotor changes, biochemical examination, inflammatory mediators, and analysis of molecular markers. Results GA, 7-NI alone significantly reduced MPTP-induced locomotor, behavioral, and oxidative damage. Additionally, in MPTP-intoxicated animals, 7-NI and GA had protective effects on dopamine levels, TH positive DA neurons, inflammatory cytokines interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) concentration. Furthermore, GA increases LC3BII expression, which in turn increases autophagy. It also decreases total NO content, and a significant response of 7-NI demonstrates their interaction, which is neuroprotective. Conclusion Present research suggests that dysregulation of autophagy and NO-mediated neuroinflammation are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of MPTP-induced PD. The use of two pharmacotherapeutics, GA and 7-NI, respectively, significantly reduces MPTP-induced PD distortions and their interaction enhances the overall protective effect, suggesting that these pharmacological agents may be used for the treatment of PD.
Early Outcomes on Triple-Branch Arch Device With Retrograde Left Common Carotid Branch: A Case Series
Authors: Nana Petroula , Houérou Thomas Le , Guihaire Julien , Gaudin Antoine , Fabre Dominique , Haulon Stéphan 
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Endovascular aortic arch repair using multibranch devices has been applied in patients considered at high risk for open repair. The aim of this case series was to report the early outcomes in patients managed with a new design 3 branch arch custom-made device, including a retrograde left common carotid artery (LCCA) branch. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Of CaSe Series in Surgery (PROCESS) guidelines were followed. All consecutive patients undergoing endovascular repair of an aortic arch lesion with a custom-made triple-branch device, including a retrograde LCCA branch (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN, USA), between October 27, 2022, and February 28, 2023, were included. The presence of an arch aneurysm (degenerative or post-dissection) with diameter ≥55 mm and high risk for a conventional open repair set the indication for treatment. The primary outcomes were technical success and mortality at 30 days. Early morbidity and reinterventions were considered as secondary outcomes. Results: Eight elective patients (87.5% men, mean age 72.3±27.0 years) were included. Five of them (62.5%) had undergone a previous ascending aorta repair of an acute type A aortic dissection. All patients were asymptomatic, except one, with left recurrent laryngeal nerve compression. The mean maximum aortic diameter was 70.4±21.0 mm. Percutaneous femoral and axillary access was used in all cases except three in which a cut down for right carotid access was performed. Technical success was 100%. Femoral access to the LCCA and implantation of the bridging stent was performed without technical challenges. No death nor cerebrovascular event was recorded during the 30 day follow-up. Five patients (62.5%) presented major complications, 3 related to access needing reintervention and the remaining related to congestive heart failure (CHF), which were managed successfully with medical treatment. Follow-up (range 1–4 month) was uneventful, except for one patient who presented a secondary type Ia endoleak. Conclusions: According to our early experience, the presence of a retrograde branch facilitated the revascularization of the LCCA through femoral access, decreasing the risk of cerebrovascular morbidity. Further analyses with longer follow-up are needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the device. Clinical Impact Data arising mainly from the retrograde branch for the revascularization of the LSA are encouraging from a variety of devices. The premiminary experience with a triple-branched arch device, with a retrograde branche for the LSA but also for the LCCA, was associated with no 30 day mortality and 100% technical success.The device’s design allowed swift catheterization and completion of the LCCA revascularization using femoral access exclusively.
Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation: A Comprehensive Analysis of Adverse Events
Authors: Merrill Tyler B. , Patel Vijay A. , Pool Christopher , Dornhoffer John L. , Saadi Robert A. 
Published: August 2023

Background Eustachian tube balloon dilation (ETBD) has been Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for refractory Eustachian tube dysfunction since 2016. While ETBD is generally seen as safe, the complication profile has not been well defined. Objective The objective of this study was to utilize the FDA manufacturer and user facility device experience (MAUDE) database to better assess adverse events (AE) related to ETBD. Methods This is a study of a multiinstitutional database maintained by the U.S. FDA. A database analysis was performed via the collaboration of multiple clinicians at tertiary referral centers. The FDA MAUDE database was queried for all medical device reports (MDR) related to ETBD devices from January 2012 to November 2022. Eighty-eight unique MDR were identified, 16 of which met inclusion criteria. Results Three MDRs were classified as device-related (18.8%); none resulted in an AE. Thirteen MDRs (81.3%) were patient-related; all were classified as AEs. The most common AE was postoperative subcutaneous emphysema (n = 6, 46.2%). Of the patients with subcutaneous emphysema, there was a wide range of severity. The most severe AE (n = 1, 6.3%) was postoperative stroke secondary to carotid artery dissection. Conclusion Though ETBD is generally seen as a safe procedure, there have been several concerning AEs reported to date. Increased awareness of ETBD complications can serve as a primer for improved patient education and counseling during the informed consent process and aid surgeons in clinical decision-making. Future studies with standardized reporting protocols are warranted to create a central registry for ETBD.