bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serum sclerostin levels in osteoporotic fracture patients
Authors: Gorter Erwin A. , Reinders Casper R. , Krijnen Pieta , Appelman-Dijkstra Natasha M. , Schipper Inger B. 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Purpose
Sclerostin inhibits bone formation and stimulates bone resorption. Previous studies found a positive association between bone density and serum sclerostin, but literature on sclerostin levels in osteoporotic fracture patients is scarce. The aim of the present study was to compare the serum sclerostin levels in osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic fracture patients and to assess the correlation of the sclerostin levels with bone mineral density and vitamin D status.

Methods
In this cross-sectional study, we included patients over 50 years, with an extremity fracture after low-energy trauma treated between 2012 and 2018, with biobank samples and available bone density measurements by Dual X-ray Absorption. Osteoporosis was diagnosed according the World Health Organisation criteria. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a 25(OH)D concentration < 30 nmol/L. After defrosting biobank samples, serum sclerostin was measured using the human SOST (sclerostin) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. We prespecified a subgroup analysis including only female patients.

Results
179 patients were included of whom 139(78%) were female. In 46 patients (25.7%), osteoporosis was diagnosed. Bone mineral density was positively associated with sclerostin levels (r = 0.17, p = 0.026) and patients with osteoporosis had a significantly lower serum sclerostin compared to non-osteoporotic fracture patients (mean 41.9 pmol/L vs 48.1 pmol/L; p = 0.03). This difference remained significant after correction for potential confounders. Similar results were found in the subgroup of female patients. No association between serum sclerostin and vitamin D deficiency was found.

Conclusion
Osteoporotic fracture patients had lower levels of sclerostin than non-osteoporotic fracture patients. Future research should focus on the use of sclerostin as biomarker for osteoporosis in fracture patients.
Omission of tranexamic acid does not increase the amount of perioperative blood transfusions in patients undergoing one-level spinal fusion surgery: a retrospective propensity score-matched noninferiority study
Authors: Alfitian Jonas , Scheyerer Max Joseph , Rohde Axel , Schick Volker , Kammerer Tobias , Schier Robert 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Introduction
Application of tranexamic acid (TXA) in spine surgery is very frequent even without signs of hyperfibrinolysis, although its beneficial blood-saving effects are offset by harmful adverse events such as thromboembolic incidents. Thus, we investigated whether in relatively less invasive spinal procedures such as one-level posterior spinal fusion, omission of TXA affects the requirement for blood transfusions.

Methods
We conducted a retrospective propensity score-matched noninferiority study with 212 patients who underwent one-level posterior spine fusion and who were stratified according to whether they received TXA intraoperatively at our tertiary care center. The primary endpoint was the volume of transfused packed red cells. Testing for noninferiority or equivalence was performed by two one-sided testing procedure (TOST) with a priori defined noninferiority margins ($$\delta$$
δ
).

Results
After propensity score matching a total of five patients (11.6%) treated with TXA were transfused compared with five patients (11.6%) who did not receive TXA. The majority of patients (51.2%) had a risk-increasing condition. The risk difference (no TXA–TXA) of intraoperative transfusion was − 4.7% (CI 90% − 13.62 to 4.32%), and omitting TXA was noninferior ($$\delta$$
δ
= $$\pm$$
±
10%). The mean intergroup difference in transfused volume (no TXA–TXA) was − 23.26 ml intraoperatively (CI 90% − 69.34 to 22.83 ml) and − 46.51 ml overall (CI 90% − 181.12 to 88.1 ml), respectively, suggesting equivalence of TXA omission ($$\delta$$
δ
= $$\pm$$
±
300 ml). The hemoglobin decline between both groups was also equivalent (with $$\delta$$
δ
= $$\pm$$
±
1 g/dl) both on the first postoperative day ($$\Delta \Delta$$

Δ
Δ

Hb = 0.02 g/dl, CI 90% − 0.53 to 0.56 g/dl) and at discharge ($$\Delta \Delta$$

Δ
Δ

Hb = − 0.29 g/dl, CI 90% − 0.89 to 0.31 g/dl).

Conclusion
We demonstrated that requirement of transfusion is rare among one-level fusion surgery and the omission of TXA is noninferior with regard to blood transfusion in high-risk patients undergoing this procedure. Therefore, the prophylactic use of TXA cannot be recommended here, suggesting to focus on alternative blood conservation strategies, if necessary.
Diagnostic captioning: a survey
Authors: Pavlopoulos John , Kougia Vasiliki , Androutsopoulos Ion , Papamichail Dimitris 
Published: June 2022

AbstractDiagnostic captioning (DC) concerns the automatic generation of a diagnostic text from a set of medical images of a patient collected during an examination. DC can assist inexperienced physicians, reducing clinical errors. It can also help experienced physicians produce diagnostic reports faster. Following the advances of deep learning, especially in generic image captioning, DC has recently attracted more attention, leading to several systems and datasets. This article is an extensive overview of DC. It presents relevant datasets, evaluation measures, and up-to-date systems. It also highlights shortcomings that hinder DC’s progress and proposes future directions.
Domestic pig sound classification based on TransformerCNN
Authors: Liao Jie , Li Hongxiang , Feng Ao , Wu Xuan , Luo Yuanjiang , Duan Xuliang , Ni Ming , Li Jun 
Published: June 2022

AbstractExcellent performance has been demonstrated in implementing challenging agricultural production processes using modern information technology, especially in the use of artificial intelligence methods to improve modern production environments. However, most of the existing work uses visual methods to train models that extract image features of organisms to analyze their behavior, and it may not be truly intelligent. Because vocal animals transmit information through grunts, the information obtained directly from the grunts of pigs is more useful to understand their behavior and emotional state, which is important for monitoring and predicting the health conditions and abnormal behavior of pigs. We propose a sound classification model called TransformerCNN, which combines the advantages of CNN spatial feature representation and the Transformer sequence coding to form a powerful global feature perception and local feature extraction capability. Through detailed qualitative and quantitative evaluations and by comparing state-of-the-art traditional animal sound recognition methods with deep learning methods, we demonstrate the advantages of our approach for classifying domestic pig sounds. The scores for domestic pig sound recognition accuracy, AUC and recall were 96.05%, 98.37% and 90.52%, respectively, all higher than the comparison model. In addition, it has good robustness and generalization capability with low variation in performance for different input features.
Types of Vertical Structure of the Nocturnal Boundary Layer
Authors: Mahrt L. , Acevedo O. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe vertical structure of the observed stable boundary layer often deviates substantially from textbook profiles. Even over flat homogeneous surfaces, the turbulence may not be completely related to the surface conditions and instead generated by elevated sources of turbulence such as low-level jets and transient modes. In stable conditions, even modest surface heterogeneity can alter the vertical structure of the stable boundary layer. With clear skies and low wind speeds, cold-air drainage is sometimes generated by very weak slopes and induces a variety of different vertical structures. Our study examines the vertical structure of the boundary layer at three contrasting tower sites. We emphasize low wind speeds with strong stratification. At a given site, the vertical structure may be sensitive to the surface wind direction. Classification of vertical structures is posed primarily in terms of the profile of the heat flux. The nocturnal boundary layer assumes a variety of vertical structures, which can often be roughly viewed as layering of the heat-flux divergence (convergence). The correlation coefficient between the temperature and vertical velocity fluctuations provides valuable additional information for classification of the vertical structure.
Assessing Visual Avoidance of Faces During Real-Life Social Stress in Children with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Mobile Eye-Tracking Study
Authors: Lidle Leonie Rabea , Schmitz Julian 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThis study measured visual attention (fixation count, dwell time) during two real-life social stress tasks using mobile eye-tracking glasses in children (9–13 years) diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD; n = 25) and a healthy control group (HC; n = 30). The influence of state anxiety on attention allocation and negative self-evaluation biases regarding gaze behavior were also examined. Compared to the HC group, children with SAD showed visual avoidance (i.e., fewer fixations) of the faces of interaction partners during the second social stress task. While visual avoidance in HC children decreased with declining state anxiety from the first to the second social stress task, no such effect was found in children with SAD. A negative self-evaluation bias regarding gaze behavior in children with SAD was not found. In sum, measuring visual attention during real-life social situations may help enhance our understanding of social attention in childhood SAD.
Modelling the growth and filling of creep-induced grain-boundary cavities in self-healing alloys
Authors: Fu Yifan , van der Zwaag S. , van Dijk N. H. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractA set of numerical and analytical models is presented to predict the growth and contraction of grain-boundary creep cavities in binary self-healing alloys. In such alloys, the healing is realised by preferential precipitation of supersaturated solutes at the free surface of the cavity. The cavity grows due to the diffusional flux of vacancies towards the cavity, which is driven by the stress gradient along the grain boundary. Upon deposition of healing solute atoms on the cavity wall, effectively vacancies are removed from the cavity due to the inverse Kirkendall effect. The competition between the inward and outward vacancy fluxes results in a time-dependent filling ratio (i.e. the fraction of the vacancies removed from the original cavity) of the creep cavity. It is found that for stress levels lower than a critical stress σcr, the filling ratio can proceed to unity, i.e. to complete filling and annihilation of the pore. For applied stresses higher than σcr, complete filling is not achieved and the open volume of the creep cavity will continue to grow once a maximum filling ratio is reached at the critical time tcr. The critical stress σcr, critical time tcr, and time for complete filling th (if fully filling is achievable) are derived from the models for different combinations of parameters. The results from the analytical model and from previous nanotomography experiments are compared and are found to be in good agreement.
Graphical abstract
Structure, Seebeck coefficient and DC electrical conductivity of Bi2Mn4O10 prepared by mechanochemical method
Authors: Fareed Shereef A. , Ibrahim Makram , Hannora Ahmed E. , El-Desoky M. M. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractBismuth and manganese oxides were mixed as source-materials using the mechanochemical technique followed by heat treatment to prepare the phase Bi2Mn4O10. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out to obtain the formed phases during the mechanochemical process. Bismuth manganese oxide phase with the chemical formula Bi2Mn4O10 was formed at heat treatment 1073 K and was partially decomposed to γ-Bi12.8O19.2 and α-Mn2O3 after 5 h of milling time. The variation of the crystallite size is obtained at different milling time (1 h, 5 h, 10 h, 15 h, 30 h and 50 h). The temperature dependency of the DC electrical conductivity was observed at different milling times in the temperature range 300–425 K for the samples milled at 5 h, 10 h, 30 h and 50 h. The temperature dependency (300–4 80 K) of the thermoelectric power/Seebeck coefficient (S) and its modulus variation with milling time were observed; the modulus varied in the range (45 µV/K-277 µV/K). The concentration of manganese ions (N), the average distance between manganese ions (R) and the fraction (C) of reduced transition ions were calculated for all samples. The hopping carrier mobility (μ) of the samples was also calculated at a fixed temperature. As a result, the conduction mechanism agreed with the non-adiabatic process of small polaron hopping.
Framework for simulation-based control design evaluation for a snake robot as an example of a multibody robotic system
Authors: Sibilska-Mroziewicz Anna , Możaryn Jakub , Hameed Ayesha , Fernández María Molina , Ordys Andrzej 
Published: June 2022

AbstractSnake robots are the multibody mechanisms allowing us to solve specific problems efficiently, i.e., navigate into diverse environments and maneuver through tight spaces or uneven grounds in a way that resembles living organisms. However, the path following and controlling such systems is challenging due to nonlinear dynamics, coupling between links, and nonstandard definitions of the set-point that differ from industrial applications. This paper describes a framework for simulation and evaluation of the controller design for snake robot as the set of tools for the 3D design and robot dynamic simulation. Combined with a theoretical background (equations of robot dynamics), it allows testing new solutions and strategies of robot control design. Firstly, based on the proposed methodology, we provide a mechanical design of a ten-link snake robot. We present control algorithms enabling point-to-point tracking of the robot position in two cases: (i) tracking the center of gravity of the robot and (ii) tracking the position of the head of the robot. Then we provide a simulation-based robustness analysis of a simple fault-tolerant control algorithm, where some snake robot joints are broken. The proposed framework can be used efficiently to study control strategies for multibody mechanisms.
The convergence rate and necessary-and-sufficient condition for the consistency of isogeometric collocation method
Authors: Lin Hong-wei , Xiong Yun-yang , Hu Hui , Yan Jia-cong , Hu Qian-qian 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAlthough the isogeometric collocation (IGA-C) method has been successfully utilized in practical applications due to its simplicity and efficiency, only a little theoretical results have been established on the numerical analysis of the IGA-C method. In this paper, we deduce the convergence rate of the consistency of the IGA-C method. Moreover, based on the formula of the convergence rate, the necessary and sufficient condition for the consistency of the IGA-C method is developed. These results advance the numerical analysis of the IGA-C method.
Development and Validation of a Diagnostic Nomogram to Predict the Anthracycline-Induced Early Cardiotoxicity in Children with Hematological Tumors
Authors: Liu Zhi-yuan , Wang Yun-gong , Huang Xiao-bi , Qi Xiao-hui , Qian Cui-ping , Zhao Sheng 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThis study aimed to establish and validate an effective nomogram to predict the risk of cardiotoxicity in children after each anthracycline treatment. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the eligible children were randomly divided into the training cohort (75%) and the validation cohort (25%). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to select the predictors and a nomogram was developed. Then, concordance index (C-index), the area under the curve (AUC), Hosmer–Lemeshow (H–L) test, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were employed to evaluate the performance and clinical utility of nomogram. Internal validation was processed to inspect the stability of the model. A total of 796 eligible children were included in this study and divided into a training set (n = 597) and a validation set (n = 199). LASSO regression analysis revealed that cumulative anthracycline dose, ejection fractions, NT-proBNP, and diastolic dysfunction were effective predictors of cardiotoxicity. The nomogram was established based on these variables. The C-index and the AUC of the predicting nomogram were 0.818 in the training cohort and 0.773 in the validation cohort, suggesting that the nomogram had good discrimination. The calibration curve of the nomogram presented no significant deviation from the reference line, and the P-value of the H–L test was 0.283, implying a preferable degree of calibration. The threshold of DCA also reflects that the nomogram is clinically useful. A nomogram was developed to predict anthracycline chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity in children with hematological tumors. The nomogram has a good prediction effect and can provide a reference for clinicians’ diagnosis and treatment.
Against Aggression? Revisiting an Overlooked Contender for Moral Bioenhancement
Authors: Brown Cohen Marcus Lionel 
Published: June 2022

AbstractIn moral bioenhancement (MBE) discourse, aggression has been identified as one potential target of biomedical intervention. Early suggestions that aggression might be modulated to improve moral outcomes were met with strong opposition from those claiming it is impossible to modulate aggression without harming traits of distinct social and agential value. If we are to preclude (or endorse) particular paths to moral enhancement then we ought to establish sound reasons for doing so. However, in paying due consideration to contemporary aggression studies we will see that current efforts to rule out aggression as one such path are untenable. I argue that the rejection of aggression-reduction as a viable target of MBE is a mistake, and that this arises from a rudimentary view of aggression which is incompatible with current scientific consensus. Drawing on contemporary psychological views I argue that it is necessary to distinguish subtypes of aggression, and that once these distinctions are recognised there is a potential space for MBE to target the biological correlates of specific kinds of aggressive behaviour. Ultimately, I suggest that aggression remains a legitimate target of inquiry, and that mitigating deleterious manifestations may yet offer one prospect for MBE.
Nanocrystalline embedded In2Se3 amorphous thin film investigation and optical enhancement characterization for photo-sensing application
Authors: Ebraheem Bassant , El-Nahass M. M. , Roushdy N. , Farag A. A. M. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractIn this investigation, highly adherent and unique advantageous properties of In2Se3 films were prepared for different studies and applications using a thermal evaporation technique under a high vacuum on different substrates (including glass, quartz, and a p-Si single crystal). X-ray diffraction results show that the prepared In2Se3 powder has a polycrystalline nature with α-phase. The average size of the crystallite, microstrain, and dislocation density was measured and found to be 273.6 nm, 4.9 × 10–3, and 1.34 × 10–5 nm−2, respectively. Due to the long-range array, the deposited In2Se3 films have an amorphous nature. SEM images of the film surface were measured to examine the RMS roughness features and grain-boundary effect. Spectrophotometer measurements of transmittance and reflectance were used to estimate the optical constants of In2Se3 films. The relationship between absorption coefficient and photon energy was tested, and the results revealed that the optical transition is directly allowed with an energy gap of 2.25 eV. The dispersion and oscillator energies were measured using the single oscillator model employing a relation of Wemple–DiDomenico and found to be 3.8 and 1.7 eV. The characteristics of the In2Se3-based junction showed promising candidates for photosensor applications under illumination.
Graphical abstract
Multi-Agent Natural Actor-Critic Reinforcement Learning Algorithms
Authors: Trivedi Prashant , Hemachandra Nandyala 
Published: June 2022

AbstractMulti-agent actor-critic algorithms are an important part of the Reinforcement Learning (RL) paradigm. We propose three fully decentralized multi-agent natural actor-critic (MAN) algorithms in this work. The objective is to collectively find a joint policy that maximizes the average long-term return of these agents. In the absence of a central controller and to preserve privacy, agents communicate some information to their neighbors via a time-varying communication network. We prove convergence of all the three MAN algorithms to a globally asymptotically stable set of the ODE corresponding to actor update; these use linear function approximations. We show that the Kullback–Leibler divergence between policies of successive iterates is proportional to the objective function’s gradient. We observe that the minimum singular value of the Fisher information matrix is well within the reciprocal of the policy parameter dimension. Using this, we theoretically show that the optimal value of the deterministic variant of the MAN algorithm at each iterate dominates that of the standard gradient-based multi-agent actor-critic (MAAC) algorithm. To our knowledge, it is the first such result in multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL). To illustrate the usefulness of our proposed algorithms, we implement them on a bi-lane traffic network to reduce the average network congestion. We observe an almost 25% reduction in the average congestion in 2 MAN algorithms; the average congestion in another MAN algorithm is on par with the MAAC algorithm. We also consider a generic 15 agent MARL; the performance of the MAN algorithms is again as good as the MAAC algorithm.
Extracting time patterns from the lifespans of TikTok challenges to characterize non-dangerous and dangerous ones
Authors: Bonifazi Gianluca , Cecchini Silvia , Corradini Enrico , Giuliani Lorenzo , Ursino Domenico , Virgili Luca 
Published: June 2022

AbstractOne of the key aspects that distinguish TikTok from other social media is the presence of challenges. A challenge is a kind of competition that starts when a user posts a video with certain actions and a certain hashtag and invites other users to replicate the same video in their own way. Most challenges are fun and harmless, but sometimes dangerous challenges are launched as well. The authors of these challenges use various tricks to bypass TikTok’s controls. In this paper, we analyze the lifespans of some TikTok challenges and show how they are very different for non-dangerous and dangerous ones. Then, we deepen our analysis by identifying some time patterns that characterize the two types of challenges. Finally, we test the accuracy of the results obtained on a large set of challenges different from those used during the detection of time patterns. The focus of this paper is the detection of time patterns allowing the classification of challenges in dangerous and non-dangerous ones. This could represent a first step towards an approach for the early detection of dangerous challenges in TikTok.