bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of the Macroscopically Normal Appendix Left in Situ in Patients with Suspected Appendicitis
Authors: Lee Sara , Connelly Tara M. , Ryan Jessica M. , Power‐Foley Megan , Neary Peter M. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackgroundRight iliac fossa (RIF) pain is a common indication for laparoscopy to diagnose and treat appendicitis. When a macroscopically normal appendix is found, there is no standard consensus regarding excision. Some surgeons remove the appendix due to the risk of microscopic inflammation and to avoid a future, repeat laparoscopy for possible appendicitis. Alternatively, others leave the appendix in situ to avoid morbidity from a potentially unnecessary procedure. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients with macroscopically normal appendices left in situ.MethodsAll emergency laparoscopies without appendicectomy between January 1st 2010‐ December 31st 2020 were identified from theatre records. All operative notes were individually evaluated and comments on the macroscopic appearance of the appendix and any intra‐operative pathology were recorded. Only patients undergoing laparoscopy for suspected appendicitis with macroscopically normal appendices were included.ResultsA total of 120 patients [median age 21.68 (range 9–90.8) years] were included. The cohort was predominantly female (n=105, 87.5%). Forty‐eight patients (40.0%) had a positive finding during index laparoscopy. During a median duration of 94.5 (range 8–131) months’ follow‐up, 16 patients (13.33%) underwent a repeat laparoscopy for recurrent RIF pain. Thirteen (10.8% of total cohort) subsequently underwent an appendicectomy. Histology confirmed acute appendicitis in six cases (4.17% of entire cohort). On subanalysis of smaller cohort, index laparoscopies with no positive findings (n=72), nine patients (12.5%) underwent appendicectomy with two (2.7%) appendices demonstrating appendicitis on histological examination.Conclusion87% of the total cohort with a normal appendix at laparoscopy for RIF pain did not undergo further laparoscopy. Less than 5% of the total cohort and 2.7% of subanalysis cohort had an appendicectomy for histologically‐proven appendicitis within the follow‐up period. From the evidence in this study, we conclude that leaving the appendix in situ unless macroscopically inflamed is a viable alternative to excision.
L-cysteine modulates visceral nociception mediated by the CaV2.3 R-type calcium channels
Authors: Ghodsi Seyed Mohammadreza , Walz MacKenzie , Schneider Toni , Todorovic Slobodan M. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractCaV2.3 channels are subthreshold voltage-gated calcium channels that play crucial roles in neurotransmitter release and regulation of membrane excitability, yet modulation of these channels with endogenous molecules and their role in pain processing is not well studied. Here, we hypothesized that an endogenous amino acid l-cysteine could be a modulator of these channels and may affect pain processing in mice. To test this hypothesis, we employed conventional patch-clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration using recombinant CaV2.3 subunit stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells. We found in our in vitro experiments that l-cysteine facilitated gating and increased the amplitudes of recombinant CaV2.3 currents likely by chelating trace metals that tonically inhibit the channel. In addition, we took advantage of mouse genetics in vivo using the acetic acid visceral pain model that was performed on wildtype and homozygous Cacna1e knockout male littermates. In ensuing in vivo experiments, we found that l-cysteine administered both subcutaneously and intraperitoneally evoked more prominent pain responses in the wildtype mice, while the effect was completely abolished in knockout mice. Conversely, intrathecal administration of l-cysteine lowered visceral pain response in the wildtype mice, and again the effect was completely abolished in the knockout mice. Our study strongly suggests that l-cysteine-mediated modulation of CaV2.3 channels plays an important role in visceral pain processing. Furthermore, our data are consistent with the contrasting roles of CaV2.3 channels in mediating visceral nociception in the peripheral and central pain pathways.
Repeatability of dental shade by digital spectrophotometry in current, former, and never smokers
Authors: Conte Gianluca , Pacino Sebastiano Antonio , Urso Salvatore , Emma Rosalia , Pedullà Eugenio , Cibella Fabio , Stefanini Martina , Zucchelli Giovanni , Polosa Riccardo 
Published: March 2022

AbstractCigarette smoking contributes to poor oral health and dental discoloration. Therefore, stopping smoking may translate into measurable amelioration of dental shade indices. We compared dental shade parameters by digital spectrophotometry among current, former, and never smokers and verified their repeatability at 7 and 30 days. Dental shade parameters (CIE L*a*b* and corresponding whiteness index for dentistry-WID) were measured in current, former, and never smokers with a digital spectrophotometer (Vita Easyshade V) on three separate study visits: at baseline (day 0), at day 7, and day 30. Dental shade parameters were analyzed in 18 current, 18 former, and 20 never smokers. The repeatability of shade parameters was consistent in current, former, and never smokers. L*, a*, b*, and WID show significant short and long-term repeatability (p < 0.0001, by regression analyses). The mean (± SD) WID score of 13.42 (± 4.9) in current smokers was significantly lower compared to the WID score of 20.38 (± 5.3) in never smokers (p = 0.001). No significant differences were observed between current and former smokers and between former smokers and former smokers. Dental shade measurements by digital spectrophotometry were highly reproducible and showed that teeth whiteness of current smokers is substantially inferior compared to never smokers. Objective discrimination of dental shade can be a valuable regulatory science endpoint for investigating oral hygiene and dental aesthetics of consumer care products, smoking cessation medications, and tar-free tobacco products (e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, oral nicotine products) for cigarette substitution.Clinical trial registration: the study was not registered in ClinicalTrials.gov considering that it is a pilot study, parts of a larger project with ID: NCT04649645
Crafting Swahili Beads: Exploring a New Glass Bead Assemblage from Northern Zanzibar, Tanzania
Authors: Rødland Henriette 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis article presents the discovery and analysis of a new glass bead assemblage from the Swahili site of Mkokotoni, an early second millennium AD settlement in northwestern Zanzibar. It explores the possibilities for local production of glass beads using imported glass cullet or glass tubes at this site. Glass beads are ubiquitous at archaeological sites from the second millennium on the East African coast. They are presumed to have been traded via long-distance networks from South and Southeast Asia, and used locally in personal adornment, barter, and ritual practices. However, the data from Mkokotoni offers a new and unique perspective on glass bead-making traditions, which places the East African coast as an area of production and distribution.
Childlessness and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Is There Evidence for a U-shaped Pattern?
Authors: Verkroost Florianne C. J. , Monden Christiaan W. S. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn high-income countries, women increasingly remain permanently childless. Little is known about the relationship between childlessness and socioeconomic development in non-Western societies and particularly sub-Saharan Africa. At lower levels of development, poverty-driven (i.e., involuntary) childlessness may decrease with increases in levels of development, while at higher levels of development opportunity-driven (i.e., voluntary and circumstantial) childlessness may rise with development. Thus, we expect a U-shaped relationship between childlessness and development overall. We examine this idea for sub-Saharan Africa. We further contribute by differentiating between female and male childlessness; and between involuntary, voluntary and circumstantial childlessness. Moreover, we construct new indicators of subnational historical development to assess both inter- and intra-country variation, and distinguish between three components (health, education and income) to investigate the drivers behind the hypothesized U-shaped relationship. Using 291 Demographic and Health Surveys between 1986 and 2018 from 38 countries and 384 regions, we find a U-shaped relationship between female childlessness and development, and a linear relationship for men. The U-shape for women results from negative associations of female involuntary childlessness with health and educational advancements, combined with positive correlations of voluntary and circumstantial childlessness with education and income improvements. While these positive associations are stronger among men than women, the negative relationships of involuntary childlessness with health and education observed for women are absent for men, resulting in an overall positive and linear relationship between development and childlessness among men. Our findings have implications for how we might expect childlessness rates to evolve with future levels of development.
Likely year-round presence of beaked whales in the Bay of Biscay
Authors: Robbins J. R. , Bell E. , Potts J. , Babey L. , Marley S. A. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBeaked whales are cryptic and difficult to study species, often distributed in deep offshore waters and only briefly visible at the surface. A diverse range of cetacean species has been documented in the Bay of Biscay, including several species of beaked whales. However, little is known about how persistent their presence is. Citizen science data collected during ferry-based surveys between 2006 and 2018 were analysed to investigate how encounter rates varied across space and time, and their drivers for beaked whale species. Approximately 244,400 km were surveyed, and there were 419 encounters with beaked whales recorded including Cuvier’s beaked whales, (n = 260), Northern bottlenose whales (n = 19), Sowerby’s beaked whales (n = 13), and True’s beaked whales (n = 1). Generalized Additive Models revealed that encounters were generally more frequent in the southern bay, on northern facing slopes, with all species except Sowerby’s showing a preference for both deep waters and shallow shelf waters. Animals were recorded in each of the eight surveyed months, suggesting that beaked whales may be present year-round, with increased encounter rates in summer months. This study is the first to indicate that beaked whales may persist in this area throughout the year, which is key information for appropriate management.
Layer-by-layer model-based adaptive control for wire arc additive manufacturing of thin-wall structures
Authors: Mu Haochen , Polden Joseph , Li Yuxing , He Fengyang , Xia Chunyang , Pan Zengxi 
Published: March 2022

AbstractImproving the geometric accuracy of the deposited component is essential for the wider adoption of wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) in industries. This paper introduces an online layer-by-layer controller that operates robustly under various welding conditions to improve the deposition accuracy of the WAAM process. Two control strategies are proposed and evaluated in this work: A PID algorithm and a multi-input multi-output model-predictive control (MPC) algorithm. After each layer of deposition, the deposited geometry is measured using a laser scanner. These measurements are compared against the CAD model, and geometric errors are then compensated by the controller, which generates a new set of welding parameters for the next layer. The MPC algorithm, combined with a linear autoregressive (ARX) modelling process, updates welding parameters between successive layers by minimizing a cost function based on sequences of input variables and predicted responses. Weighting coefficients of the ARX model are trained iteratively throughout the manufacturing process. The performance of the designed control architecture is investigated through both simulation and experiments. Results show that the real-time control performance is improved by increasing the complexity of implemented control algorithm: controlled geometric fluctuations in the test component were reduced by 200% whilst maintaining fluctuations within a 3 mm limit under various welding conditions. In addition, the adaptiveness of designed control strategy is verified by accurately controlling the fabrication of a part with complex geometry.
Inheritances and wealth inequality: a machine learning approach
Authors: Salas-Rojo Pedro , Rodríguez Juan Gabriel 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis paper explores the relationship between received inheritances and the distribution of wealth (financial, non-financial and total) in four developed countries: the United States, Canada, Italy and Spain. We follow the inequality of opportunity (IOp) literature and − considering inheritances as the only circumstance− we show that traditional IOp approaches can lead to non-robust and arbitrary measures of IOp depending on discretionary cut-off choices of a continuous circumstance such as inheritances. To overcome this limitation, we apply Machine Learning methods (‘random forest’ algorithm) to optimize the choice of cut-offs and we find that IOp explains over 60% of wealth inequality in the US and Spain (using the Gini coefficient), and more than 40% in Italy and Canada. Including parental education as an additional circumstance −available for the US and Italy− we find that inheritances are still the main contributor. Finally, using the S-Gini index with different parameters to weight different parts of the distribution, we find that the effect of inheritances is more prominent at the middle of the wealth distribution, while parental education is more important for the asset-poor.
Implicitly Extrapolated Geometric Multigrid on Disk-Like Domains for the Gyrokinetic Poisson Equation from Fusion Plasma Applications
Authors: Kühn Martin J. , Kruse Carola , Rüde Ulrich 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe gyrokinetic Poisson equation arises as a subproblem of Tokamak fusion reactor simulations. It is often posed on disk-like cross sections of the Tokamak that are represented in generalized polar coordinates. On the resulting curvilinear anisotropic meshes, we discretize the differential equation by finite differences or low order finite elements. Using an implicit extrapolation technique similar to multigrid $$\tau $$
τ
-extrapolation, the approximation order can be increased. This technique can be naturally integrated in a matrix-free geometric multigrid algorithm. Special smoothers are developed to deal with the mesh anisotropy arising from the curvilinear coordinate system and mesh grading.
Focused ultrasound for the treatment of glioblastoma
Authors: Roberts Jill W. , Powlovich Lauren , Sheybani Natasha , LeBlang Suzanne 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Purpose
Six years ago, in 2015, the Focused Ultrasound Foundation sponsored a workshop to discuss, and subsequently transition the landscape, of focused ultrasound as a new therapy for treating glioblastoma.

Methods
This year, in 2021, a second workshop was held to review progress made in the field. Discussion topics included blood–brain barrier opening, thermal and nonthermal tumor ablation, immunotherapy, sonodynamic therapy, and desired focused ultrasound device improvements.

Results
The outcome of the 2021 workshop was the creation of a new roadmap to address knowledge gaps and reduce the time it takes for focused ultrasound to become part of the treatment armamentarium and reach clinical adoption for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma. Priority projects identified in the roadmap include determining a well-defined algorithm to confirm and quantify drug delivery following blood–brain barrier opening, identifying a focused ultrasound-specific microbubble, exploring the role of focused ultrasound for liquid biopsy in glioblastoma, and making device modifications that better support clinical needs.

Conclusion
This article reviews the key preclinical and clinical updates from the workshop, outlines next steps to research, and provides relevant references for focused ultrasound in the treatment of glioblastoma.
Revisiting the diagnosis of intertemporal preference reversals
Authors: Li Zhihua , Loomes Graham 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIntertemporal preference reversals occur when individuals choose future option A over future option B in a direct choice between the two but place a higher ‘immediate cash’ value on B than on A. Tversky et al. (1990) reported strong evidence of such reversals, which they attributed mainly to valuation biases rather than intransitivity. We find similar levels of reversals, even after adjusting for considerable degrees of variability and imprecision in people’s responses. However, we disagree with Tversky et al.’s conclusions about the causes of the majority of these reversals. We find substantial levels of intransitivity in respondents’ binary choices as well as differential overvaluation of both options relative to the values inferred from their choices.
A method for estimating stored sediment volumes by check dam systems at the watershed level: example of an application in a Mediterranean environment
Authors: Bombino Giuseppe , Barbaro Giuseppe , D’Agostino Daniela , Denisi Pietro , Labate Antonino , Zimbone Santo Marcello 
Published: March 2022

AbstractPurposeIn this paper a quick, easy and accessible methodology to estimate the sediment volume trapped behind a fully filled check dam system is proposed. As it is well known, check dams play an important role in the sediment balance between watershed and coastline. However, on a large scale, especially in those contexts where a great number of structures was installed, detailed surveys and measurements of sediment storage capacity would be extremely time-consuming and costly in terms of both economic efforts and human resources.MethodsTo this aim, the proposed method considers only four easy-to-obtain morphometric parameters to combine with thenumber of check dams. The method was calibrated on a sample of 912 check dams located in seven long-term studied watersheds and, therefore, validated in a sample of three regulated Spanish catchments with an independent dataset.ResultsAt watershed level, the comparison between the calculated and estimated values showed a good capability of the method in evaluating the sediment volume trapped by the 912 studied check dams (RMSE≈ 16,900 m3;R2 > 0.9). The validation revealed encouraging results with estimation errors below 25%.ConclusionThe use of this accessible and easily usable method could represent a supporting tool for planning, monitoring and assessment of the environmental effects of control works. Moreover, these results are useful to carry out actions aimed to mitigate natural hazard and environmental as well as socio-economic problems of the watershed-coast system (e.g. shoreline retreat and morphological instability of the urban and tourist areas).
Robots and Sustainability: Robots as Persuaders to Promote Recycling
Authors: Lo Shih-Yu , Lai Yueh-Yi , Liu Jen-Chi , Yeh Su-Ling 
Published: March 2022

AbstractHumans tend to interact socially with humanoid devices, such as robots. Therefore, a possible application of robotics technology is the promotion of pro-social behavior, namely recycling. To test the effectiveness of this application, an experimental setting in which participants were required to dispose of waste was created. Two types of electronic instructors, a robot and a tablet computer, were located close to the disposal area to provide instructions on appropriate waste disposal. The comparison of the effectiveness of the two types of electronic instructors found that participants exposed to the robot sorted the waste more accurately than participants exposed to the tablet computer. Scores for perceived anthropomorphism and induced empathy were higher for the robot than the tablet computer. We conclude that robots, because of their anthropomorphic features, are more likely to evoke empathy than tablet computers, and thus robots can be more effective in promoting pro-social behavior.
Geotechnical database building and 3D modeling of the soil in Medina, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Masoud Alaa A. , Saad Ahmed M. , El Shafaey Osama N. H. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Sustainable innovative uses of underground space dictate the use of efficient and cost-effective techniques for geo-investigation and planning. This is now affordable with detailed three-dimensional (3D) geotechnical models of the soil properties that provide key source data to tackle the inherent complex nature of the subsurface beneath the densely urbanized cities. These models are vital for the sustainable cities safe urban expansion, tunneling, and optimal design of settlements. In the present research, 3D models were built using 189 samples collected from 92 boreholes distributed in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Models built included the database generated for soil varieties, classes of cohessionless, and cohesive soils based on their standard penetration test (SPT)-N value, along with rock quality designation (RQD) of the sound bedrocks, soil classes according to AASHTO, grain size analysis, Atterberg limits (liquid limits and plasticity index), the shear stress parameters (friction angle, Ø, and cohesion, c), the unconfined compression strength, and the soil water chemistry (pH, SO32−, and Cl−). Five soil varieties that were recognized ranged in size from clays to cobbles overlain by fills and underlain by basalt, rhyolite/granite, or andesite. AASHTO main soil types are A-1-b, A-2–4, and A-1-a. Out of the 189 samples, 174 were non-plastic while 15 samples showed an average liquid limit of 42.57% and plasticity index average of 9.92. Friction angle averaged 30.47° with c values average of 0.11. Unconfined compressive stress averaged 609 kg/cm2. Soil water chemistry clarified alkaline water (8–8.6 pH) with means of 0.1 for Cl− and SO32− contents. Geotechnical properties are spatially rendered in 3D and interpreted to better enable city planners predict and locate risk zones in the urban underground space.