bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of aging on dichotic listening ability
Authors: Tawfik Somaia Mohamed , Shafik Noha Ali 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Elderly patients frequently suffer from problems in speech discrimination especially in noisy situation, and they also have several problems from using amplifications devices especially binaural amplification. This necessitates the need for central auditory evaluation in association of peripheral auditory evaluation. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of aging on dichotic listening performance. This was a case-control study conducted at the Audiology Unit, ENT Department. Participant were 46 individuals within the age range of 60 to 89 years with no history of neurological disorder or cognitive impairment, and all the participants were of high social class. Forty-five adult individuals (control group) with the age range 32–57 years, with no history of neurological disorders. Both cases and control groups were subjected to otological examination, immittancemetry, puretone audiometry, speech audiometry, and central auditory processing assessment by the use of central questionnaire for elderly and dichotic digits (version II) test.

Results
The elderly group scored significantly depressed scores of dichotic digits’ test, especially in the left ear than in the adult group.

Conclusion
Dichotic listening ability was significantly affected in elderly patients.
Parents’ awareness of ear health in Madinah region, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Bedaiwi Reenad Hussain , Salamah Marzouqi Abdulaziz , Halawani Roa Talal 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Hearing is fundamental for language acquisition and socioemotional development. Public awareness of ear health and hearing loss is essential for early intervention and treatment, but the level of parents’ awareness of ear health in Madinah region, KSA, is yet unknown.

Objectives
To evaluate parents’ awareness of ear health and hearing loss in Madinah region, Saudi Arabia.

Methods
This is a cross-sectional study. It had been conducted with a 2 months’ duration (October to November 2020). A self-administered electronic questionnaire was distributed among 1577 Saudi parents using simple random sampling. Non-Saudi parents and those who live outside Al-Madinah region were excluded.

Results
Out of 1577 parents who participated in the questionnaire, 65.3% were mothers, and 34.7% were fathers. Females had the highest mean of correct responses compared to males (0.745 ± .1265 vs 0.743 ± .1335). Furthermore, the mean number of correct responses differed significantly among various age groups (P = 0.001). Parents aged 50–59 years old had the highest mean of correct answers (.758 ± .1247).
The educational level had been also significantly associated with awareness level (P = 0.011). Parents who completed their intermediate school had the highest mean of correct answers (.803 ± .1219). Also, high monthly income had been significantly associated with parents’ awareness level (P = 0.002).

Conclusion
Parents’ awareness of ear health is good, particularly among older aged parents and high monthly income groups. Thus, we suggest implementing an educational program/material to be available for new parents as well as the general population.
Incentive strategies for the evolution of cooperation: Analysis and optimization
Authors: Wang Shengxian , Liu Linjie , Chen Xiaojie 
Published: March 2022

AbstractHow to explain why cooperation can emerge in the real society is one of the most challenging scientific problems. In the past few years, in order to solve the evolutionary puzzle of cooperation, researchers have put forward a variety of solutions and accordingly proposed some mechanisms for the evolution of cooperation. Among them, the implementation of prosocial incentive strategy can increase the benefits of cooperators or reduce the benefits of defectors, which has been regarded as an effective measure to solve the cooperation problem. In this perspective, we provide a mini yet profound review of recent research efforts that explore the roles of incentive strategies in the evolution of cooperation and how to design the optimal incentive protocols to promote the evolution of cooperation more efficiently. Importantly, we show some crucial developments about incentive strategies which have been made in the field and meanwhile come up with some significant routes of further research.
Endocrine Autoantibodies Determine Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-induced Endocrinopathy: A Prospective Study
Authors: Labadzhyan Artak , Wentzel Kristopher , Hamid Omid , Chow Kamlynn , Kim Sungjin , Piro Lawrence , Melmed Shlomo 
Published: March 2022

Abstract

Context
Incidence and awareness of endocrine-related adverse events (ERAE) associated with use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has grown with increased ICI use, yet mechanisms for ERAE prediction, surveillance, and development are not well established.

Objective
We prospectively evaluated the impact of endocrine autoimmunity on ERAE development and overall survival (OS).

Methods
Adults ≥ 18 years of age prescribed ICI treatment for advanced or metastatic solid tumors and no known active/past endocrine disorders were eligible for enrollment. Thyroid, adrenal, and pancreatic antibodies as well as hormone levels were assessed prior to ICI treatment and at 8 to 9 weeks and 36 weeks after treatment for ERAE in relation to presence and changes in endocrine-specific antibodies, hormone levels, and OS.

Results
Sixty patients were enrolled and ERAE were detected in 14 (23.3%), with a median onset of 52 days (IQR, 38.5-71.5) after first ICI dose. Hypothyroidism occurred in 12 (20%) patients, and 2 (3.33%) patients developed hypophysitis. Diabetes and primary adrenal insufficiency were not observed. Antibodies were detected in 14 patients (11 at baseline, 3 developed during follow-up) and their presence was significantly associated with ERAE (R2 59.3%, P &lt; 0.001). Thyroid peroxidase antibody (20%) and thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (3.3%) were most common, and anti-GAD was present in 1 patient. The presence of ERAE was associated with a more favorable OS (P = 0.001).

Conclusion
Endocrine-specific autoantibodies play an important role in ERAE pathogenesis and may serve as predictive markers for early identification and treatment of ICI-induced endocrinopathies.
Association Between SGLT2 Inhibitors vs DPP4 Inhibitors and Renal Outcomes Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Au Philip C M , Tan Kathryn C B , Cheung Bernard M Y , Wong Ian C K , Li Hang-Long , Cheung Ching-Lung 
Published: March 2022

Abstract

Context
Diabetic kidney disease is a major burden among diabetic patients. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) were shown to reduce renal outcomes in clinical trials and real-world studies. However, head-to-head comparisons with individual classes of glucose-lowering agents warranted further investigation.

Objective
This work aimed to investigate the associations between SGLT2is use vs dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4is) use and 4 renal outcomes: end-stage renal disease (ESRD), albuminuria, acute renal failure (ARF), and the rate of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) change using a territory-wide electronic medical database in Hong Kong.

Methods
For this retrospective cohort study, the “prevalent new-user” design was adopted to account for previous exposure to study drugs. Propensity score matching was used to balance baseline characteristics. Electronic health data of type 2 diabetes patients using SGLT2is and DPP4is between 2015 and 2018 were collected.

Results
The matched cohort consisted of 6333 SGLT2is users and 25 332 DPP4is users, with a median follow-up of 3.8 years. Compared to DPP4is, SGLT2is use was associated with lower risks of ESRD (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.51; 95% CI, 0.42-0.62; P &lt; .001) and ARF (HR: 0.59; 95% CI, 0.48-0.73; P &lt; .001), and a slower decline in eGFR. The associations remained statistically significant among patients with or without rapid eGFR decline and patients who added or switched to SGLT2is from DPP4is. The association with albuminuria was inconsistent across analyses.

Conclusion
Compared to DPP4is, SGLT2is use was associated with reduced risks of ESRD and ARF, and a slower eGFR decline in a real-world setting. The associations remained statistically significant in patients with or without preindex rapid eGFR decline.
Increased Mortality Persists after Treatment of Cushing’s Disease: A Matched Nationwide Cohort Study
Authors: Bengtsson Daniel , Ragnarsson Oskar , Berinder Katarina , Dahlqvist Per , Edén Engström Britt , Ekman Bertil , Höybye Charlotte , Järås Jacob , Valdemarsson Stig , Burman Pia , Wahlberg Jeanette 
Published: March 2022

Abstract

Context
Whether biochemical remission normalizes life expectancy in Cushing’s disease (CD) patients remains unclear. Previous studies evaluating mortality in CD are limited by using the expected number of deaths in the background population instead of the actual number in matched controls.

Objective and setting
To study mortality by time-to-event analysis in an unselected nationwide CD patient cohort.

Design and participants
Longitudinal data from the Swedish Pituitary Register of 371 patients diagnosed with CD from 1991 to 2018 and information from the Swedish Cause of Death Register were evaluated. Four controls per patient (n = 1484) matched at the diagnosis date by age, sex, and residential area were included.

Main outcome measures
Mortality and causes of death.

Results
The median diagnosis age was 44 years (interquartile range 32-56), and the median follow-up was 10.6 years (5.7-18.0). At the 1-, 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year follow-ups, the remission rates were 80%, 92%, 96%, 91%, and 97%, respectively. Overall mortality was increased in CD patients compared with matched controls [hazard ratio (HR) 2.1 (95% CI 1.5-2.8)]. The HRs were 1.5 (1.02-2.2) for patients in remission at the last follow-up (n = 303), 1.7 (1.03-2.8) for those in remission after a single pituitary surgery (n = 177), and 5.6 (2.7-11.6) for those not in remission (n = 31). Cardiovascular diseases (32/66) and infections (12/66) were overrepresented causes of death.

Conclusions
Mortality was increased in CD patients despite biochemical remission compared to matched controls. The study highlights the importance of careful comorbidity monitoring, regardless of remission status.
The Ideal Narratee and the Rhetorical Model of Audiences
Authors: Copland Sarah , Phelan James 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
This article proposes to revise rhetorical narrative theory's model of audiences in fiction (actual, authorial, narrative, ideal narrative, and narratee) by replacing the term/concept of the ideal narrative audience with that of the ideal narratee, defined as the audience the narrator wishes they were addressing. This revision calls attention to the various ways that authors can handle the relations between the actual narratee and the ideal narratee (the actual may—or may not—coincide with the ideal), and such variety, in turn, points to the need for a more general taxonomy of authorial uses of the narratee. This taxonomy identifies three recognizably distinct ranges along a single broad spectrum of degrees of alignment between actual and ideal narratees: (1) clear alignment, (2) uncertain alignment, and (3) non-alignment. The taxonomy also identifies two main variants within each category, based on how an author's handling of the degree of alignment guides their readers’ focus: is it primarily on the narrated, the narrating, or both? The essay demonstrates the interpretive payoffs of the taxonomy through its analysis of a wide array of case studies including Mohsin Hamid's Reluctant Fundamentalist, Andrew Marvell's “To His Coy Mistress,” Sandra Cisneros's “Barbie-Q,” and Albert Camus's Fall.
Business trends & challenges in Islamic FinTech: A systematic literature review
Authors: Dawood Hatim , Al Zadjali Dr. Fatin , Al Rawahi Mohammed , Karim Dr. Sitara , Hazik Dr Mohamed 
Published: March 2022

Background: This systematic literature review (SLR) study is on Islamic financial technology (FinTech) business trends and challenges. It follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. This research identifies the gaps in Islamic FinTech, which require further studies. Moreover, it highlights the issues raised during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This study is based on the FinTech business model (BM) classifications by Lee & Shin and Imerman & Fabozzi. Furthermore, the set of challenges used in this study are adopted from research by Lee & Shin and Li & Xu. The Scopus database was used to collect data using nine keywords. Articles and review papers published between 2016 and 2022 were included. Studies that were not published in English, and those with no ranking journals were excluded. The results were presented using bibliometric analysis. Results: The results showed 36 articles discussing Islamic FinTech business trends and challenges, and most of these studies are conducted on FinTech crowdfunding vertical BM. By contrast, the most dominant horizontal BMs are FinTech regulation and FinTech funding BMs. The top challenge found in this study is the regulation management challenges. Moreover, there are remarkable dominating articles and reviews published in 2020 and 2021 discussing COVID-19. Conclusions: This study concluded that many horizontal BMs were not covered in Islamic FinTech, especially horizontal technology BMs. Investment, property and insurance BMs are examples of unavailable articles. Islamic FinTech is considered a promising field due to the size of the opportunities it presents, the available capital, and the great demand for banking and financial products that comply with the Sharia. This study will help the Islamic FinTech industry grow and predict the demand, and provide an alternative to conventional banking FinTech and further boost the technology progress in the financial industry.
Evaluating the effectiveness of integrating digital technology into orthodontic cephalometric measurement teaching
Authors: Yu Xin , Tian Yu , Li Dandan , Sun Wen , Wang Hua , Yuan Siyang , Yan Bin , Wang Lin , Pan Yongchu 
Published: March 2022

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating digital technology into cephalometric measurement teaching. Methods: In total, 94 undergraduates of stomatology were recruited and randomly allocated to two groups. According to the cross-over design, both groups completed cephalometric measurements by the traditional hand-drawn method and digital technology (the Dolphin software) in different order. In the traditional hand-drawn method, students depicted the outline of the craniofacial anatomical structures on sulfuric transfer paper first, then marked the measurement points and completed the measurement of line spacings and angles; by digital technology, they marked the points in the software and adjust the automatically generated outlines of the structures to obtain the results. Two professional orthodontists were invited as instructors and their measurements were set as standards. An online questionnaire was also used to investigate students' attitudes toward digital technology being used in the cephalometric teaching process. Results: There were significant differences of students’ measurements (P1-SNA<0.01, P1-SNB=0.01 and P1-L1-NB (mm)<0.01; SNA: sella-nasion-subspinale angle, SNB: sella-nasion-supramental angle, L1-NB (mm): the distance from the lower central incisor tip to the nasion-supramental plane) between the traditional method and digital technology. Besides, the results of most items by digital technology were closer to the standards than those by the traditional method, including five items with statistical significance (P2-SNB<0.05, P2-L1-NB (mm)<0.01, P2-FMA<0.05, P2-FMIA<0.05, P2-IMPA<0.01), while three items were the opposite (P2-SNA<0.05, P2-ANB (mm)<0.01, P2-NA-PA<0.01). The questionnaire showed more students preferred digital technology (33%) as a better teaching method than the traditional method (2%) and 72% of participants thought they had mastered 50-80% of cephalometric knowledge after the course. Conclusions: This study demonstrated effectiveness and acceptance of the course applying digital technology during the cephalometric teaching process.
Polska racja stanu i legalizacja przez Józefa Piłsudskiego przewrotu majowego 1926
Authors: Gaul Jerzy 
Published: March 2022

THE POLISH REASON OF STATE AND THE LEGALIZATION OF THE MAY 1926 COUP D’ÉTAT BY JÓZEF PIŁSUDSKI
Having unconstitutionally seized power in the military coup of May 1926, Józef Piłsudski lacked an immediate legal framework that legitimized his rule. This crisis of state not only raised the specter of civil war, but also raised doubts among the countries of Western Europe that Poland could continue as a bulwark of Western civilization and a barrier against Russia. In these circumstances, Józef Piłsudski launched a wide-ranging campaign that included high-ranking government ministers to convince the people of Poland and Western European governments of the legality of the new regime. The campaign was broadly successful. Having rejected the possibility of direct dictatorship in favor of representative government, Józef Piłsudski recognized the marshal of the Parliament, Maciej Rataj, as the interim president of Poland, rejected the idea of imposing military commissioners, and worked with Parliament to establish a new government, at the head of which sat Prime Minister Kazimierz Bartel. Józef Piłsudski himself assumed the portfolio of minister of military affairs after rejecting the National Assembly’s efforts to elect him president. All these steps convinced Polish society and many foreign governments that the regime established as a result of the coup of 1926 was legitimate.
Timing and duration of antibiotic prophylaxis is associated with the risk of infection after hip and knee arthroplasty
Authors: Badge Helen , Churches Timothy , Xuan Wei , Naylor Justine M. , Harris Ian A. 
Published: March 2022

Aims Antibiotic prophylaxis involving timely administration of appropriately dosed antibiotic is considered effective to reduce the risk of surgical site infection (SSI) after total hip and total knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA). Cephalosporins provide effective prophylaxis, although evidence regarding the optimal timing and dosage of prophylactic antibiotics is inconclusive. The aim of this study is to examine the association between cephalosporin prophylaxis dose, timing, and duration, and the risk of SSI after THA/TKA. Methods A prospective multicentre cohort study was undertaken in consenting adults with osteoarthritis undergoing elective primary TKA/THA at one of 19 high-volume Australian public/private hospitals. Data were collected prior to and for one-year post surgery. Logistic regression was undertaken to explore associations between dose, timing, and duration of cephalosporin prophylaxis and SSI. Data were analyzed for 1,838 participants. There were 264 SSI comprising 63 deep SSI (defined as requiring intravenous antibiotics, readmission, or reoperation) and 161 superficial SSI (defined as requiring oral antibiotics) experienced by 249 (13.6%) participants within 365 days of surgery. Results In adjusted modelling, factors associated with a significant reduction in any SSI and deep SSI included: correct weight-adjusted dose (any SSI; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.68 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47 to 0.99); p = 0.045); commencing preoperative cephalosporin within 60 minutes (any SSI, aOR 0.56 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.89); p = 0.012; deep SSI, aOR 0.29 (95% CI 0.15 to 0.59); p < 0.001) or 60 minutes or longer prior to skin incision (aOR 0.35 (95% CI 0.17 to 0.70); p = 0.004; deep SSI, AOR 0.27 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.83); p = 0.022), compared to at or after skin incision. Other factors significantly associated with an increased risk of any SSI, but not deep SSI alone, were receiving a non-cephalosporin antibiotic preoperatively (aOR 1.35 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.81); p = 0.044) and changing cephalosporin dose (aOR 1.76 (95% CI 1.22 to 2.57); p = 0.002). There was no difference in risk of any or deep SSI between the duration of prophylaxis less than or in excess of 24 hours. Conclusion Ensuring adequate, weight-adjusted dosing and early, preoperative delivery of prophylactic antibiotics may reduce the risk of SSI in THA/TKA, whereas the duration of prophylaxis beyond 24 hours is unnecessary. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2022;3(3):252–260.
A Compact Bandstop Filter Design Using DMS-DGS Technique for Radar Applications
Authors: Dokmetas Burak , Arican Galip Orkun , Akcam Nursel , Yazgan Erdem 
Published: March 2022

In this study, a novel compact bandstop filter (BSF) by utilizing the defected ground structure (DGS) and defected microstrip structure (DMS) techniques are presented. DGS, DMS, and compensated capacitors are used on both bottom and top layers to obtain sharp transition and wider stopband. The operating frequency bandwidth of the filter can be comfortably regulated by tuning the dimensions of the etched structures. In addition to parametric studies, an equivalent circuit model of the proposed filter is extracted. The BSF has an insertion and return losses better than –1.6 and –17 dB in the passband, respectively. Moreover, the developed filter covers X-band frequency range and has stop bandwidth of 10.8–11.8 GHz with the rejection of better than 20 dB. Furthermore, the measurement and simulation results are in compliance with the suggested method. The proposed BSF has a very small size of 14.28 mm ×× 4 mm ×× 0.508 mm and has the potential to be used for radar applications with its high compactness, low cost, and high harmonic rejection performance.
High-temporal-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with free-electron and optical lasers
Authors: Rivas Daniel E. , Serkez Svitozar , Baumann Thomas M. , Boll Rebecca , Czwalinna Marie Kristin , Dold Simon , de Fanis Alberto , Gerasimova Natalia , Grychtol Patrik , Lautenschlager Björn , Lederer Maximilian , Jezynksi Tomasz , Kane Daniel , Mazza Tommaso , Meier Joachim , Müller Jost , Pallas Florent , Rompotis Dimitrios , Schmidt Philipp , Schulz Sebastian , Usenko Sergey , Venkatesan Sandhya , Wang Jinxiong , Meyer Michael 
Published: March 2022

Ultrafast X-ray spectroscopies require flexible X-ray properties together with high temporal and spectral resolution. Here, we demonstrate simultaneous sub-20 fs and sub-eV resolutions for pump/probe experiments, without the need for additional photon arrival-time monitors.
Soliton frequency comb generation in CMOS-compatible silicon nitride microresonators
Authors: Xie Yaozu , Li Jiaqi , Zhang Yanfeng , Wu Zeru , Zeng Shihao , Lin Shuqing , Wu Zhaoyang , Zhou Wenchao , Chen Yujie , Yu Siyuan 
Published: March 2022

The monolithic integration of soliton microcomb devices with active photonic components and high-frequency electronics is highly desirable for practical applications. Among many materials, silicon nitride (

SiN

x

) waveguide layers prepared by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) have been the main platform for on-chip optical frequency comb generation. However, the high temperatures involved in LPCVD render it incompatible as a back-end process with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or active III-V compound semiconductor fabrication flows. We report the generation of coherent soliton frequency combs in micro-ring resonators fabricated in deuterated silicon nitride (

SiN

x

:
D

) waveguides with a loss of 0.09 dB/cm. Deposited at 270°C by an inductance-coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) process, the material preparation and fabrication flow are fully CMOS-compatible. These results enable the integration of silicon-nitride-based optical combs and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) on prefabricated CMOS and/or III-V substrates, therefore marking a major step forward in

SiN

x

photonic technologies.