bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trends in the Management of Abdominal Gunshot Wounds Over the Last Decade: A South African Experience
Authors: Lee Hong , Kong Victor , Cheung Cynthia , Thirayan Varun , Rajaretnam Nigel , Elsabagh Abdallah , Bruce John , Laing Grant , Manchev Vasil , Clarke Damian 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundThis study aimed to review our decade‐long experience with the management of abdominal gunshot wounds (GSWs), to document trends in our approach and to develop an evidence base for our contemporary management algorithms in a major trauma in South Africa.Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective study that included all adult patients with abdominal GSWs between January 2013 and October 2020 managed at a major trauma centre in South Africa.ResultFive hundred and ninety‐six cases were included (87% male, mean age: 32 years). The median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 12. 52% (309/596) of cases had indications of immediate laparotomy and proceeded directly to the operating room without any CT imaging. Of this cohort, the laparotomy was positive in 292 and in the remainder (5%) was negative. Of the remaining 287 cases, 209 underwent a CT scan (35%). 78 were managed without any CT imaging. Of the 78 who did not undergo CT scan, all were managed without any operation and discharged home well. Of the 209 who underwent CT scan, 99 were observed and only one case in this group subsequently required a laparotomy. The remaining 110 cases underwent a laparotomy, which was negative in 7. There were correlations with increasing use of CT, as well as a decrease in those proceeding directly to laparotomy. The overall morbidity rate was 8% (47/596). 32% (190/596) require intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The overall mortality rate was 8% (67/596).ConclusionsThe management of abdominal GSWs has continued to evolve. There is now a well‐defined role for selective non‐operative management in this group of patients and relies on accurate CT assessment. CT scan is now an important component in the management of abdominal GSW even in our resource‐constrained environment.
Botulinum toxin injection for the treatment of chronic anal fissure: uni- and multivariate analysis of the factors that promote healing
Authors: Brisinda Giuseppe , Chiarello Maria Michela , Crocco Anna , Bentivoglio Anna Rita , Cariati Maria , Vanella Serafino 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Purpose
Anal fissure is caused by a pathological contraction of the internal anal sphincter. Lateral internal sphincterotomy remains the gold standard for the treatment of fissure. Botulinum toxin injections have been proposed to treat this condition without any risk of permanent injury of the internal sphincter. We investigate clinical and pathological variables and the effects of different dosage regimens of botulinum toxin to induce healing in patients with idiopathic anal fissure.

Methods
This is a retrospective study at a single center. The patients underwent a pre-treatment evaluation that included clinical inspection of the fissure and anorectal manometry. We collected and analyzed demographic data, pathological variables, associated pathological conditions, and treatment variables. Success was defined as healing of the fissure, and improvement of symptoms was defined as asymptomatic persistent fissure.

Results
The findings of 1003 patients treated with botulinum toxin injections were reported. At 2 months evaluation, complete healing was evident in 780 patients (77.7%). Resting anal tone (77.1 ± 18.9 mmHg) was significantly lower from baseline (P < 0.0001) and from 1-month value (P = 0.0008). Thirty-nine not healed patients underwent lateral internal sphincterotomy, and 184 were re-treated with 50 UI of botulinum toxin. In these patients, the healing rate was 93.9% (171 patients). Dose and injection site of toxin correlates with healing rate. There were no relapses during an average of about 71 months.

Conclusion
Our data show that injection of botulinum toxin into the internal anal sphincter is a safe and effective alternative to surgery in patients with chronic anal fissure.
Contact orientation distributions for visualisation of granular fabric
Authors: He Guoliang , Karatza Zeynep , Papanicolopulos Stefanos-Aldo 
Published: February 2022

AbstractContact orientation distributions are widely used to describe the fabric of granular assemblies and its evolution under load. Different types of visualisations, mainly histograms, are used in the literature to plot these distributions. While there are different ways to create such histograms, however, there is generally no discussion of how the chosen way affects the visualisation of the distribution and its interpretation. We develop in this paper a novel, rigorous framework for discussing contact orientations and their visualisation through histograms. This allows presenting, for the first time, in a unified way several existing visualisations and explaining how they are computed. We identify first some issues in how existing visualisations represent the main features of the contact distribution. We then exploit the framework to introduce new histogram types that avoid these issues and provide a better insight into the granular fabric.
Virtual reality exergame for supplementing multimodal pain therapy in older adults with chronic back pain: a randomized controlled pilot study
Authors: Stamm Oskar , Dahms Rebecca , Reithinger Norbert , Ruß Aaron , Müller-Werdan Ursula 
Published: February 2022

AbstractImmersive Virtual Reality (VR) with head-mounted displays (HMD) can be a promising tool for increasing adherence to exercise in older adults. However, there is little known about the effectiveness of an interactive multimodal therapy in VR for older chronic back pain (CBP) patients. The aim of the exploratory randomized controlled trial was to examine the preliminary effectiveness of a VR multimodal therapy for older adults with CBP in a laboratory setting over a period of four weeks. The intervention group (IG; n = 11) received a multimodal pain therapy in VR (movement therapy and psychoeducation) and the control group (CG; n = 11) received a conventional multimodal pain therapy (chair-based group exercises and psychoeducation in a group setting). Although the VR therapy (IG) did not reach the pain intensity reduction of the CG (IG: MD = 0.64, p = .535; CG: MD = 1.64, p = .07), both groups showed a reduction in pain intensity on the Numeric Rating Scale. The functional capacity in the IG improved from Visit 1, $$\overline{x }$$

x
¯

= 73.11% to Visit 2, $$\overline{x }$$

x
¯

= 81.82% (MD = 8.71%; p = .026). In the changes of fear avoidance beliefs and general physical and mental health, no significance was achieved in either group. Although the IG did not reach a significant pain intensity reduction compared to the CG, the results of the present study showed that a pain intensity reduction can be achieved with the current VR application.
The power of weak ion-exchange resins assisted by amelogenin for natural remineralization of dental enamel: an in vitro study
Authors: Diez-García Sandra , Sánchez-Martín María-Jesús , Valiente Manuel 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis study aims to develop an innovative dental product to remineralize dental enamel by a proper combination of ion-exchange resins as controlled release of mineral ions that form dental enamel, in the presence of amelogenin to guide the appropriate crystal growth. The novel product proposed consists of a combination of ion-exchange resins (weak acid and weak base) individually loaded with the remineralizing ions: Ca2+, PO43− and F−, also including Zn2+ in a minor amount as antibacterial, together with the protein amelogenin. Such cocktail provides onsite controlled release of the ions necessary for enamel remineralization due to the weak character of the resins and at the same time, a guiding tool for related crystal growth by the indicated protein. Amelogenin protein is involved in the structural development of natural enamel and takes a key role in controlling the crystal growth morphology and alignment at the enamel surface. Bovine teeth were treated by applying the resins and protein together with artificial saliva. Treated teeth were evaluated with nanoindentation, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The innovative material induces the dental remineralization creating a fluorapatite layer with a hardness equivalent to sound enamel, with the appropriate alignment of corresponding nanocrystals, being the fluorapatite more acid resistant than the original mineral. Our results suggest that the new product shows potential for promoting long-term remineralization leading to the inhibition of caries and protection of dental structures.
Support trees in vanilla agroforests of Madagascar: diversity, composition and origin
Authors: Osewold J. , Korol Y. , Osen K. , Soazafy M. R. , Rabemanantsoa T. , Martin D. A. , Wurz A. , Hölscher D. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractTrees in agroforestry systems provide multiple ecological and economic functions. Smallholder vanilla agroforests include shade trees common across agroforestry systems, and small-statured support trees carrying the vanilla vine. Support trees have received little scientific attention so far. The objectives of our study were to assess the diversity, composition and geographic origin of support trees in vanilla agroforestry systems of north-eastern Madagascar. The region is a global biodiversity hotspot, has been undergoing a rapid land-use change and produces a large share of the globally traded vanilla spice. The studied vanilla agroforests differed in land-use history: established either directly inside forest (forest-derived) or on land previously used for slash-and-burn agriculture (fallow-derived). Among the support trees, we found 122 species of which 25% were endemic to Madagascar. The species richness per plot was four times higher in forest-derived than in fallow-derived vanilla agroforests. The species distribution was particularly uneven in fallow-derived vanilla agroforests with one species (Jatropha curcas) comprising 52% of all individuals. In forest-derived vanilla agroforests, 44% of all trees were native or endemic to Madagascar, whereas in fallow-derived vanilla agroforests only 11% were native or endemic. We conclude that there is a considerable diversity among support trees in Malagasy vanilla agroforestry. The support tree diversity is strongly affected by land-use history. Fallow-derived vanilla agroforests currently have a comparatively low species richness, yet they can play an important role in land rehabilitation, and more emphasis on growing native and endemic tree species would contribute to aligning production with conservation goals.
Image based Localization under large perspective difference between Sfm and SLAM using split sim(3) optimization
Authors: Rajamohan Deepak , Kim Jonghyuk , Garratt Matt , Pickering Mark 
Published: February 2022

AbstractImage based Localization (IbL) uses both Structure from Motion (SfM) and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) data for accurate pose estimation. However, under conditions where there is a large perspective difference between the SfM images and SLAM keyframes, the SfM-SLAM co-visibility graph becomes sparse. As a result, the scale drift can increase especially when using monocular SLAM as part of the IbL framework. The drift rarely gets corrected at loop closure due to its large magnitude. We propose a split affine transformation approach that uses SfM-SLAM information along with Sim(3) optimization to minimize the scale drift. Experiments are performed using an image dataset collected in a campus environment with different trajectories, showing the improvement in scale drift correction with the proposed method. The SLAM data was collected close to plainly textured structures like buildings while SfM images were captured from a larger distance from the building facade which leads to a challenging navigation scenario in the context of IbL. Localizing mobile platforms moving close to buildings is an example of such a case. The paper positively impacts the widespread use of small autonomous robotic platforms, which is to perform an accurate outdoor localization under urban conditions using only a monocular camera.
Isotopic signals in an agricultural watershed suggest denitrification is locally intensive in riparian areas but extensive in upland soils
Authors: Sigler W. A. , Ewing S. A. , Wankel S. D. , Jones C. A. , Leuthold S. , Brookshire E. N. J. , Payn R. A. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractNitrogen loss from cultivated soils threatens the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture. Nitrate (NO3−) derived from nitrification of nitrogen fertilizer and ammonified soil organic nitrogen may be lost from soils via denitrification, producing dinitrogen gas (N2) or the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Nitrate that accumulates in soils is also subject to leaching loss, which can degrade water quality and make NO3− available for downstream denitrification. Here we use patterns in the isotopic composition of NO3− observed from 2012 to 2017 to characterize N loss to denitrification within soils, groundwater, and stream riparian corridors of a non-irrigated agroecosystem in the northern Great Plains (Judith River Watershed, Montana, USA). We find evidence for denitrification across these domains, expressed as a positive linear relationship between δ15N and δ18O values of NO3−, as well as increasing δ15N values with decreasing NO3− concentration. In soils, isotopic evidence of denitrification was present during fallow periods (no crop growing), despite net accumulation of NO3− from the nitrification of ammonified soil organic nitrogen. We combine previous results for soil NO3− mass balance with δ15N mass balance to estimate denitrification rates in soil relative to groundwater and streams. Substantial denitrification from soils during fallow periods may be masked by nitrification of ammonified soil organic nitrogen, representing a hidden loss of soil organic nitrogen and an under-quantified flux of N to the atmosphere. Globally, cultivated land spends ca. 50% of time in a fallow condition; denitrification in fallow soils may be an overlooked but globally significant source of agricultural N2O emissions, which must be reduced along-side other emissions to meet Paris Agreement goals for slowing global temperature increase.
Violence against Women and Femicide: an analysis on the murders of foreign women in Italy
Authors: Dino Alessandra 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis paper presents the results of a research on the representations of femicide in the judicial field, in Italy. The use of the term femicide is analysed through the lens of the normative process, examining its social meanings and questioning its political and economic anchoring using the “juridical field” model (Bourdieu 1986). The essay is based on a wide theoretical framework. It starts by highlighting the problems evoked by the term ‘femicide’ (Corradi, et al. 2016; Radford and Russell 1992); its declension in criminal law and jurisprudence through its coding in specific types of offence (Merli 2015). The topics of power and imbalance between the sexes (Goffman 1977) are analysed by presenting their juridical definitions and those found in penal codes (Casanova 2016; Cavina 2011; Feci and Schettini 2017). This perspective helps framing considerations about the results of the empirical research based on quantitative data taken from 93 verdicts of ‘femicide’ sentences which involved foreign or migrant victims (chosen from a corpus of 370 issued in Italy between 2010 and 2016) and qualitative aspects: gathered through expert interviews and the tales of violence against women in a verdicts’ judgemental sample of murders of foreign women. The study confirms the way in which narrations produced in the “judicial field” – despite the “distortions” affecting them (Dubé 2012; Gusfield 1968) – prove to be rich sources for the knowledge of a phenomenon which, still today, suffers from a structural lack of data.
Playful maths! The influence of play-based learning on academic performance of Palestinian primary school children
Authors: Murtagh Elaine M. , Sawalma Jamil , Martin Rosemarie 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis study explores the relationship between play-based learning and achievement in mathematics in Palestinian elementary school children. Forty teachers from eight schools received training in play-based pedagogies and follow-up support visits from programme staff (intervention group); four matched schools served as the control group. Grade-appropriate tests were administered to all students in two consecutive school terms. A total of 859 students (458 females, 401 males) and 832 students (477 females, 355 males) completed maths tests in term 1 and 2, respectively. Results revealed that the intervention group attained higher test scores than the control group in both terms (P < 0.01). Furthermore, in term 2 an interaction effect between group and gender was found (P < 0.05), with girls in the intervention group achieving the highest scores. Our finding suggest that play-based learning approaches may enhance academic achievement.
Thermal and mechanical characterization of complex electrospun systems based on polycaprolactone and gelatin
Authors: Longo Raffaele , Catauro Michelina , Sorrentino Andrea , Guadagno Liberata 
Published: February 2022

AbstractNowadays, continuous development of soft-electronics and wearable devices opens to the development needs of stretchable and flexible materials able to interface with the human body. In this scenario, biopolymers are particularly intriguing materials given their biocompatibility and biodegradability. For the application in this specific field the material requires several properties such as biological and mechanical performance and thermal stability. In this study, membranes able to fulfill some of these requirements are described. The electrospun membranes, composed of a blend of polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin (GN), have been produced in various configurations. The results show how blend or coaxial systems have different effects on both the interactions between the polymers and their thermal and mechanical properties. An important result of the chosen experimental conditions is the narrow dimensional distribution of the nanofiber diameters constituting the electrospun membranes. Thermal and mechanical tests evidenced that, by properly choosing the material composition and the method of the electrospinning process, membranes capable of withstanding high strain values before the failure can be obtained. In particular, optimizing the electrospinning process and using a blend PCL/GN with a mass ratio of 80/20, it is possible to increase the thermal stability up to 310 °C and confer to the sample the ability to reach a percentage of strain up to 350%.
Central nervous system tumors in children under 5 years of age: a report on treatment burden, survival and long-term outcomes
Authors: Metzger Sarah , Weiser Annette , Gerber Nicolas U. , Otth Maria , Scheinemann Katrin , Krayenbühl Niklaus , Grotzer Michael A. , Guerreiro Stucklin Ana S. 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Purpose
The challenges of treating central nervous system (CNS) tumors in young children are many. These include age-specific tumor characteristics, limited treatment options, and susceptibility of the developing CNS to cytotoxic therapy. The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term survival, health-related, and educational/occupational outcomes of this vulnerable patient population.

Methods
Retrospective study of 128 children diagnosed with a CNS tumor under 5 years of age at a single center in Switzerland between 1990 and 2019.

Results
Median age at diagnosis was 1.81 years [IQR, 0.98–3.17]. Median follow-up time of surviving patients was 8.39 years [range, 0.74–23.65]. The main tumor subtypes were pediatric low-grade glioma (36%), pediatric high-grade glioma (11%), ependymoma (16%), medulloblastoma (11%), other embryonal tumors (7%), germ cell tumors (3%), choroid plexus tumors (6%), and others (9%). The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 78.8% (95% CI, 71.8–86.4%) for the whole cohort. Eighty-seven percent of survivors > 5 years had any tumor- or treatment-related sequelae with 61% neurological complications, 30% endocrine sequelae, 17% hearing impairment, and 56% visual impairment at last follow-up. Most patients (72%) attended regular school or worked in a skilled job at last follow-up.

Conclusion
Young children diagnosed with a CNS tumor experience a range of complications after treatment, many of which are long-lasting and potentially debilitating. Our findings highlight the vulnerabilities of this population, the need for long-term support and strategies for rehabilitation, specifically tailored for young children.
The laws of modality
Authors: Tugby Matthew 
Published: February 2022

AbstractNomic realists have traditionally put laws to work within a theory of natural modality, in order to provide a metaphysical source for causal necessitation, counterfactuals, and dispositions. However, laws are well-suited to perform other work as well. Necessitation is a widespread phenomenon and includes (for example) cases of categorial, conceptual, grounding, mathematical and normative necessitation. A permissive theory of universals allows us to extend nomic realism into these other domains. With a particular focus on grounding necessitation, it is argued that the sorts of reasons for positing laws in the natural causal domain also apply in other domains. Laws might well be the source of all first-order modality.
An inference of the wading depths of the cranes in wintering wetlands through photographic sampling: a case study of black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) in Caohai Wetland, China
Authors: Gou Xue , Sun Xijiao , Khattak Romaan Hayat , Zhao Ruisha , Hu Yao , Hu Canshi , Zhang Mingming , Su Haijun 
Published: February 2022

AbstractSeveral overwintering crane species like Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) mainly depends on wetlands for foraging or roosting, preferring stable water depths. Understating the wading depths of cranes is a pressing concern for the better management of wetlands and robust conservation of the overwintering cranes populations. Yet, practically it is very difficult to precisely measure the wading depths due to several limitations like, inaccessibility and sampling difficulties. In the current study a sample of 1288 wading photographs of cranes, based on the constancy of proportion of tibiotarsus to tarsometatarsus was taken in Caohai wetland situated in the Northwest Guizhou Province of southwest China. Caohai Wetland is the biggest overwintering wetland around the world, and a very promising area to infer the exact ranges of wading depths of these cranes. The ratio of tibiotarsus to tarsometatarsus of the cranes standing on the lands and the ratio of tibiotarsus to the rest of tarsometatarsus of the cranes standing in water were measured; to infer the projection depths of the part of tarsometatarsus submerged in water, which was used to calculate the accurate depth range of the cranes by comparing with the referenced values. According to the results, 89.92% of individuals preferred the water depths from (0–20] cm, 76.11% preferred (0–10] cm% while water depths for 49.04% individuals was (0–5] cm. Thus we conclude that the Black-necked Cranes prefer a depth range of (0–10] cm. This water depth may be relative to the swamps around the lake, which are very important foraging and roosting sites for cranes, For better habitat management, we strongly recommend paying special attention to swamps with specific water depth ranges, particularly when the water level changes.