EARS计划在结直肠癌外科患者中的应用效果分析

目的对结直肠癌外科患者治疗过程中,快速康复(enhanced recovery after surgery,ERAS)计划的应用价值进行分析。方法选择2020年7月1日—2022年3月1日常德市第一人民医院普通外科结直肠癌患者150例,按随机数字表法分为研究组与对照组,每组各75例,分别对患者进行传统开腹手术+EARS计划与传统开腹手术治疗,分析两组并发症、炎症因子水平、首次下床活动时间、进食时间、术后住院天数、排气时间、排便时间、满意度。结果研究组术后住院天数、排便、首次下床活动、进食、排气时间等指标均短于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗有效率比较,研究组高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。对照组并发症发生率高于研究组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。研究组炎症因子水平均低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论EARS计划推广价值较高,可以抑制炎症因子水平,提升治疗效果,预后效果显著。

Genetically modified pigs:Emerging animal models for hereditary hearing loss

Hereditary hearing loss(HHL),a genetic disorder that impairs auditory function,significantly affects quality of life and incurs substantial economic losses for society.To investigate the underlying causes of HHL and evaluate therapeutic outcomes,appropriate animal models are necessary.Pigs have been extensively used as valuable large animal models in biomedical research.In this review,we highlight the advantages of pig models in terms of ear anatomy,inner ear morphology,and electrophysiological characteristics,as well as recent advancements in the development of distinct genetically modified porcine models of hearing loss.Additionally,we discuss the prospects,challenges,and recommendations regarding the use pig models in HHL research.Overall,this review provides insights and perspectives for future studies on HHL using porcine models.

Hyaluronic acid injection in the auricular base for the aesthetic correction of lying ears:A retrospective study

Background Ears play an important role in facial profiles.Lying ears are not perceived favorably in Asian cultures;therefore,surgical procedures are implemented to adjust this defect.However,surgery has complications and requires recovery time.We introduced a hyaluronic acid(HA)injection technique to aesthetically improve ear prominence.Methods This retrospective study examined 25 Chinese patients aged 20-47 years with congenital lying ears who received HA injections in the auricular base at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital and Hangzhou Yijie Medical Cosmetology Clinic between November 2019 and December 2022.The average injection volume was 6.32​±​1.22 mL in the auricular base unilaterally,and the follow-up time ranged from 6 to 24 months.Morphological measurement data were recorded.Two-dimensional(2D)and three-dimensional(3D)images were obtained to evaluate the effects.Results All patients showed improvements in ear prominence.The cranioauricular angle(CAA)increased from 22.24°​±​4.53°to 65.90°​±​5.38°immediately post-injection and was maintained at 49.18°​±​4.74°6 months later.The ear projection(EP)increased from 14.75​±​2.72 mm to 26.26​±​2.94 mm immediately post-injection and was 22.51​±​2.68 mm after 6 months.No serious complications were noted.Conclusion HA injection in the auricular base effectively corrected the lying ears and aesthetically optimized the facial profile.It also had a face-lift effect that made the face look younger and more compact.The injection procedure was minimally invasive and required no recovery period.The effect was maintained for a long time and was satisfactory.

基于EARS理念下联合延续性护理干预对泌尿外科微创术后患者下肢深静脉血栓形成的应用价值分析

探讨基于加速康复外科(EARS)理念下的联合延续性护理干预对泌尿外科微创术后患者住院期间及出院后下肢深静脉血栓形成的应用价值。方法 选取2021年8月至2022年8月于济南市第八人民医院泌尿外科病区就治的泌尿外科微创术后患者100例,根据随机数字表法将其分为对照组和观察组两组。比较两组患者临床情况。结果 干预一个月后,观察组FBG、PLT、D-二聚体低于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P值均<0.05)。干预一个月后观察组的疼痛程度评分低于对照组,日常生活活动能力评分高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P值均<0.05)。干预一个月后,两组生理舒适度评分、心理精神舒适度评分、GCQ总分均高于干预前(P值均<0.05),且观察组显著高于对照组(P值均<0.05)干预一个月后,观察组患者的霍曼斯征阳性、下肢深静脉血栓发生率显著低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P值均<0.05)。结论 基于EARS理念下的联合延续性护理干预有助于维持患者的凝血稳定性,缓解患者疼痛。此外,该干预能够有效降低医院相关性血栓形成的风险,并提高患者的舒适度和日常生活活动能力。

The environment,especially the minimum temperature,affects summer maize grain yield by regulating ear differentiation and grain development

Ear differentiation,grain development and their interaction with factors in the growing environment,such as temperature,solar radiation and precipitation,greatly influence grain number and grain weight,and ultimately affect summer maize production.In this study,field experiments involving different sowing dates were conducted over three years to evaluate the effects of temperature factors,average solar radiation and total precipitation on the growth process,ear differentiation,fertilization characteristics,grain filling and yield of summer maize varieties with different growth durations.Four hybrids were evaluated in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain(HHHP),China from 2018 to 2020 with five different sowing dates.The results showed that the grain yield formation of summer maize was strongly impacted by the environment from the silking(R1)to milking(R3)stage.Average minimum temperature(AT_(min))was the key environmental factor that determined yield.Reductions in the length of the growing season(r=–0.556,P<0.01)and the total floret number on ear(R^(2)=0.200,P<0.001)were found when AT_(min) was elevated from the emerging(VE)to R1 stage.Both grain-filling rate(R^(2)=0.520,P<0.001)and the floret abortion rate on ear(R^(2)=0.437,P<0.001)showed quadratic relationships with AT_(min) from the R1 to physiological maturity(R6)stage,while the number of days after the R1 stage(r=–0.756,P<0.01)was negatively correlated with AT_(min).An increase in AT_(min) was beneficial for the promotion of yield when it did not exceeded a certain level(above 23°C during the R1–R3 stage and 20–21°C during the R1-R6 stage).Enhanced solar radiation and precipitation during R1–R6 increased the grain-filling rate(R^(2)=0.562,P<0.001 and R^(2)=0.229,P<0.05,respectively).Compared with short-season hybrids,full-season hybrids showed much greater suitability for a critical environment.The coordinated regulation of AT_(min),ear differentiation and grain development at the pre-and post-silking stages improved maize yield by increasing total floret number and grain-filling rate,and by reducing the floret abortion rate on ear.

Ear keloid and epidermal cyst following auricular cartilage harvest for rhinoplasty:A case report

BACKGROUND This case report highlights a rare instance of concurrent keloid and epidermal cyst development at an ear cartilage harvest site following rhinoplasty in a 25-year-old woman.Both conditions,which typically stem from skin trauma,seldom occur together,demonstrating the exceptional characteristics of this case.CASE SUMMARY The patient underwent successful surgical removal of both the keloid and the epidermal cyst.Postoperative treatment included the use of silicone sheets,gel,and oral tranilast to reduce scarring.No recurrence was observed over a 6-mo follow-up period,indicating effective management of the condition.CONCLUSION The effective management of complex skin trauma cases underscores the need for individualized treatment strategies in plastic surgery.

Evaluation of Ear and Facial Indices of Ibibio and Efik Female Children of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, Nigeria

Background: The ear and face are indispensable and distinctive features for hearing and identification. Objectives: This study was designed to generate anthropometric data of the ear and facial indices of females of Efik and Ibibio children in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, show morphological and aesthetic differences and ethnicity. Methods: A total of 600 female children (300 Efiks and 300 Ibibios) aged 2 to 10 years that met the inclusion criteria were chosen from selected primary schools in Calabar Municipality, Calabar South of Cross River State and from Uyo, Itu of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Standardized measurements of face length, face width, ear length, and ear width were taken with a spreading caliper;the facial (proscopic) and ear (auricular) indices were determined. Results: Efik subjects presented a mean face length of 8.36 ± 0.06 cm, face width of 11.04 ± 0.04 cm, ear length of 4.92 ± 0.02 cm, and ear width of 3.06 ± 0.01 cm. Ibibio subjects had mean values for face length, face width, ear length, and ear width as 8.17 ± 0.05 cm, 10.75 ± 0.05 cm, 4.77 ± 0.03 cm, and 2.94 ± 0.02 cm respectively. The mean facial index and ear index for Efik subjects were 75.68 ± 0.31 and 62.16 ± 0.27 respectively;while the mean facial and ear indices for Ibibio subjects were 74.79 ± 0.36 and 61.80 ± 0.34 respectively. Statistical analysis demonstrated significant differences in face length, ear length, ear width and facial index, with the Efik subjects having higher values than Ibibio subjects (p Conclusion: The results showed hypereuryproscopic face as the prevalent face type among females of both ethnic groups, therefore can be of importance in sex, ethnic, and racial differentiation, and in clinical practice, aesthetics and forensic medicine.

Endoscopic push through tragal cartilage tympanoplasty: A 10-year retrospective review of our technique and outcomes

BACKGROUND Endoscopic ear surgery(EES)provides a magnified,high-definition view of the otological surgical field.EES allows otologists to avoid surgical incisions and associated postoperative complications.It is an ideal technique for the perfor-mance and teaching of tympanoplasty.AIM To examine the efficacy of total Endoscopic Push Through Tragal Cartilage Tympanoplasty(EPTTCT),at our institution over a 10-year period.METHODS A retrospective analysis of 168 cases of EPTTCT for closure of small to medium tympanic membrane perforations from 2013-2023 was conducted.Patient sex,age range(pediatric vs adult),etiology of injury,success rate,complications,and postoperative hearing status were collected.RESULTS Graft uptake results indicated success in 94%of patients,with less than a 2%complication rate.Postoperative pure tone audiometry demonstrated hearing status improvement in 69%of patients.CONCLUSION EPTTCT has been shown to be effective in tympanic membrane perforation closures with minimal complications.This study further demonstrates the efficacy and safety of these procedures in a single-center review.

Evaluation of the Effect and Efficiency of Ear Tip Bloodletting Combined with Xianfang Huoming Yin in the Treatment of Early-Stage Wheals

Objective:To evaluate the effect and efficiency of ear tip bloodletting combined with Xianfang Huoming Yin(XFH)in the treatment of early-stage wheals.Methods:70 patients with early-stage wheals admitted from September 2020 to September 2022 were divided into two groups by randomized numerical table method,with 35 cases/group.Both groups received conventional treatment,the control group combined with XFH,and the observation group combined with ear tip bloodletting therapy and XFH.Conscious symptom scores,ocular indexes,therapeutic effects,and sleep quality between the two groups were compared.Results:After the treatment,the patients in the observation group had lower self-awareness symptom scores and sleep quality scores as compared to those in the control group;the diameter of the mass in the observation group was smaller than that of the control group after treatment;the average tear film rupture time and the time taken for the first non-contact tear film to rupture were longer in the observation group than those in the control group;the total effective rate of the treatment in the observation group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Ear tip bloodletting combined with XFH was ideal for the treatment of early-stage wheals and has a high effective rate.

Effects of Drilling in Mastoid Cavity over Hearing in the Contralateral Ear

In advanced otological surgeries, powered instruments form an indispensable part. The risk of deterioration to hearing in the operated ear is a commonly discussed issue, however, there remains a possibility of affecting the hearing in the contralateral ear due to transcranial vibration. So in this study we aimed to assess the possibility of the non-operated ear being affected by the noise generated during ear surgeries and whether it is temporary or permanent in nature. Methodology: This study included 63 patients diagnosed with unilateral disease who underwent mastoid surgery. Preoperatively all the patients were subjected to Pure tone audiometry (PTA), Transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) and Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE). Patients were operated using both cutting and diamond burrs of ranging from sizes 1 - 6 mm. Total drilling time was recorded. Results: Post-operative hearing evaluation was done at 1 week, 4 weeks and 12 weeks. The sound emitted by various burrs was recorded by Sound Level Meter. Out of the total 58 patients that followed up, 46 showed change in at least one of the hearing parameters. Patients showing changes had a higher drilling time as compared to those with no changes. Of these, the changes associated with the total drilling time and with cutting burr time were found to be significant. The hearing changes seen on PTA, TEOAE and DPOAE were transient in nature with only one patient having a persistent decreased high frequency threshold at the end of 12 weeks. It was also found that cutting burrs produce more sound as compared to diamond burrs and a larger size burr of a type produces more sound than a smaller one of its type. Conclusion: The drilling of mastoid bone during ear surgeries can transiently impair the hearing in the contralateral ear which is of great significance in patients with only one hearing ear.

EARS2基因突变致丘脑脑干受累性脑白质病伴高乳酸血症1例并文献复习

目的探讨EARS2基因突变致丘脑脑干受累性脑白质病伴高乳酸血症(LTBL)的临床特征、实验室检查特点及基因型,提高对该病的认识和管理水平。方法总结和分析1例以肝功能衰竭为首发表现的LTBL病例的临床特点、实验室检查、基因检测结果及随访,并行文献复习。结果男,45 d,因"皮肤黄染43 d"就诊。患儿生后2 d发现皮肤、巩膜黄染,42 d后发现肝功能衰竭(严重胆汁淤积、低血糖、凝血功能异常)、四肢肌张力减低,高乳酸性酸中毒;颅脑MR提示多发脑损伤;外显子捕获与高通量测序检测线粒体基因未见异常,检测核基因发现16号染色体上EARS2基因存在2个致病性复合杂合突变[c.1355T>G(p.L452R),c.813C>A(p.F271L)],确诊为LTBL。随访中黄疸逐渐消退,15月龄时肝功能检查恢复正常,血乳酸水平降至正常;精神运动发育明显落后,颅脑MR提示严重脑积水,予以行脑室-腹腔引流术,术后半年脑积水好转,精神运动发育较前改善。结论肝功能衰竭可以是EARS2基因突变所致的LTBL早期主要发现之一,随着年龄增长,肝功能可逐渐好转,精神运动发育落后及脑积水逐渐成为本病较为显著的临床特点,LTBL表型和基因型的关系还需要进一步研究。

Contribution of ear photosynthesis to grain yield under rainfed and irrigation conditions for winter wheat cultivars released in the past 30 years in North China Plain

To understand the contribution of ear photosynthesis to grain yield and its response to water supply in the improvement of winter wheat, 15 cultivars released from 1980 to 2012 in North China Plain（NCP） were planted under rainfed and irrigated conditions from 2011 to 2013, and the ear photosynthesis was tested by ear shading. During the past 30 years, grain yield significantly increased, the flag leaf area slightly increased under irrigated condition but decreased significantly under rainfed condition, the ratio of grain weight：leaf area significantly increased, and the contribution of ear photosynthesis to grain yield changed from 33.6 to 64.5% and from 32.2 to 57.2% under rainfed and irrigated conditions, respectively. Grain yield, yield components, and ratio of grain weight：leaf area were positively related with contribution of ear photosynthesis. The increase in grain yield in winter wheat was related with improvement in ear photosynthesis contribution in NCP, especially under rainfed condition.

EARS2基因变异致新生儿丘脑脑干受累性脑白质病伴高乳酸血症1例报告并文献复习

目的探讨丘脑脑干受累性脑白质病伴高乳酸血症的临床表型及基因型。方法回顾分析1例新生儿丘脑脑干受累性脑白质病伴高乳酸血症患儿的临床资料并复习相关文献。结果女性患儿,出生26小时,临床表现为反应差、抽搐及顽固性高乳酸血症。患儿于妊娠期时头颅MRI示胼胝体缺如。全外显子测序发现患儿EARS 2核基因第7号外显子c.1294C>T杂合无义变异和第5号外显子c.971G>T杂合错义变异,分别来自父亲和母亲;线粒体基因二代测序未发现患儿线粒体基因变异,但MLPA检测发现患儿及其母亲线粒体基因MTND 1-1*异质性缺失变异。结论发现导致丘脑脑干受累性脑白质病伴高乳酸血症新的EARS 2核基因外显子c.1294C>T无义变异和c.971G>T错义变异。

Postaurical injection is a systemic delivery supported by symmetric distribution of Gd-DOTA in both the ipsilateral and contralateral ears

Postaurical injection of therapeutics was recently applied in clinical practice to treat inner ear diseases based on supposed existence of a direct channel from the postaurical area to the inner ear. Doubting on the associated reports and aiming to provide evidence on the inner ear uptake mechanism, the present study tracked the dynamic distribution of gadolinium-tetra-azacyclo-dodecane-tetra-acetic acid (Gd-DOTA) in rat inner ears after postaurical injection using MRI. A targeted tympanic medial wall delivery was utilized as control. The results showed that, at the early time points after postaurical injection, Gd-DOTA distributed mainly in tissues surrounding the bulla, temporal bone and skull and neck space. In the inner ear, there was gradual uptake of Gd-DOTA on both the ipsilateral and contralateral sides with equal signal intensities. There was no sign of direct channel carrying the agent from the postaurical area to the inner ear. Targeted tympanic medial wall delivery induced significantly greater uptake of Gd-DOTA in the inner ear than did postaurical injection. At 30 min post-administration, targeted tympanic medial wall delivery yielded 4.6-folds higher signal intensity than did postaurical injection. The total dose of Gd-DOTA delivered by the targeted tympanic medial wall approach was only 0.1% of that delivered by postaurical injection. In conclusion, postaurical injection is a systemic administration, which is similar to hypodermic injection, rather than a focal delivery method. By contraries, targeted tympanic medial wall delivery induces fast and abundant uptake of Gd-DOTA in the ipsilateral inner ear without significant distribution in unwanted areas.

Clinical Comparison and Analysis of Decoction of Traditional Chinese Medicine Combined with Ear Acupoint Application and Simple Artificial Tears in the Treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical comparison and analysis of decoction of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) combined with ear acupoint application and simple artificial tears in the treatment of dry eye syndrome. METHODS:A total of 62 patients(124 eyes) with dry eye syndrome treated in the Department of Ophthalmology of The 4th People's Hospital of Shenyang from July 2017 to March 2018 were selected and equally divided into 2 groups according to the admission order. The observation group received the combination therapy of TCM decoction and ear acupoint application, while the control group was given the simple artificial tears. The symptom score after 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks as well as the indicators including break-up time(BUT), Schirmer I test(SIT) and fluorescein(FL) were recorded and compared between groups. RESULTS: The symptom scores had no difference before treatment(P > 0.05), and were better in the observation group than those in the control group after treatment(P < 0.05). At 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks after the treatment, the amelioration level of BUT, SIT, and FL indicators in the observation group was better than that of the control group(P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with the artificial tears treatment method, the TCM decoction combined with ear acupoint application can significantly ameliorate the tear film stability, tear secretion, and reduce ocular surface damage for dry eye patients.

Quantifying.Associations among Dimensions of Ears and Their Form Factors in Maize(Zea Mays)Using Dimensional Analysis

Ear morphological traits such as volume and shape are important features of maize and the quantitative associations among them can help understand kernel yield determination. 150 mature ears each of 4 maize cultivars were collected from field experiments, and ear length(L), diameter(D), area(S) and volume(V) were recorded for individual ears, kernel weight per ear also recorded for a portion of the examined ears. Following principles of dimensional analysis, 8 theoretical equations of 3 sets,which relate ear higher dimensions to its length and diameter, were developed and parameterized and validated with the field observations. The 3 optimized equations showed that the shape of ears in maize can be featured with 3 dimensionless form factors, namely diameter-to-length ratio(c=D/L), areal form factor(b=S/L/D), and volumetric form factor(a=V/L/D/D). Statistically,all of them were significantly different among cultivars, and a's values varied from 0.582 to 0.612, and b's 0.839-0.868, and c's 0.242-0.308. Volumetric form factor and areal form factor could estimate precisely ear volume and area respectively, but diameter-to-length ratio was not suitable to estimate ear diameter by its length. Ear volume explained almost all variation of ear kernel weight and product L*D*D did the same substantially. Dimensional analysis proved to be promising in understanding relationship among morphological traits of ears in maize. Its application in crop researches should improve our knowledge of the physical properties of crop plants.

Chong-Chet Anterior Scoring Technique for the Correction of Prominent Ears: Results in 30 Patients

A lot ofotoplasty techniques have been developed during the past years. However, there is no single perfect technique which is worldwide accepted. We present our assessment of a Chong-Chet anterior scoring technique for the correction of prominent ears which we applied in 30 patients between 2005 and 2010. This study is a report of creating a natural fold of cartilage using Chong-Chet anterior scoring technique by cartilage incision at the border between the antihelix and scapha, with medial scoring of the scapha and lateral scoring of the antihelix. Sutures were used to maintain the created fold. There were no major complications at the 1-year follow-up evaluation. None of the patients developed a recurrence, or retro protrusion of the helix which required a second operation for correction. The procedure is a simple surgical technique. The reconstructed ear shows reliable results in stability, size and normal convolutions. Furthermore, sharp cartilaginous ridges and hidden helix are avoided.

Viability and hatchability of brine shrimp Artemia franciscana cysts after passing through the digestive system of eared grebes Podiceps nigricollis

Brine shrimp Artemia franciscana provide food for many migrating and staging birds that spend summer and fall on Great Salt Lake,Utah,USA.Artemia produce live young and cysts(hard-walled eggs);these cysts are commercially harvested on Great Salt Lake and support a large industry in Utah.It is unclear the impact that millions of hungry birds have on the Artemia population in the lake.To help assess that,this study evaluated cyst viability(percentage of cysts that contain an embryo)and hatchability(percent of cysts that hatch)from cysts that had passed through the digestive tract of eared grebes Podiceps nigricollis and cysts obtained directly from Great Salt Lake at the same site where each grebe was collected.Hatchability was significantly higher for cysts collected from the water column(19%)than from the stomach(0.3%)or intestines(3%)of eared grebes.Viability also was significantly different for cysts collected from the water column(29%),stomach(0.7%),and intestines(5%).These results indicate that eared grebes nutritionally benefit from eating cysts and that they may be an important food source for grebes in late fall after the adult population of Artemia dies off due to the water becoming too cold.Also,enough cysts survive their passage through the digestive system that grebes can vector hatchable cysts to other waterbodies.

Barley FASCIATED EAR genes determine inflorescence meristem size and yield traits

In flowering plants,the inflorescence meristem(IM)provides founder cells to form successive floral meristems,which are precursors of fruits and seeds.The activity and developmental progression of IM are thus critical for yield production in seed crops.In some cereals,such as rice(Oryza sativa)and maize(Zea mays),the size of undifferentiated IM,which is located at the inflorescence apex,is positively associated with yield traits such as spikelet number.However,the relationship between IM size and yieldrelated spike traits remains unknown in the Triticeae tribe.Here we report that IM size has a negative correlation with yield traits in barley(Hordeum vulgare).Three FASCIATED EAR(FEA)orthologs,HvFEA2,HvFEA3,and HvFEA4,regulate IM size and spike morphogenesis and ultimately affect yield traits.Three HvFEAs genes are highly expressed in developing spikes,and all three loss-of-function mutants exhibit enlarged IM size,shortened spikes,and reduced spikelet number,which may lead to reduced grain yield.Natural variations identified in HvFEAs indicate selection events during barley domestication.We further reveal that HvFEA4,as a transcription factor,potentially targets multiple pathways during reproductive development,including transcriptional control,phytohormone signaling,and redox status.The roles of barley FEA genes in limiting IM size and promoting spikelet formation suggest the potential of increasing yield by manipulating IM activity.

Fine-Grained Soft Ear Biometrics for Augmenting Human Recognition

Human recognition technology based on biometrics has become a fundamental requirement in all aspects of life due to increased concerns about security and privacy issues.Therefore,biometric systems have emerged as a technology with the capability to identify or authenticate individuals based on their physiological and behavioral characteristics.Among different viable biometric modalities,the human ear structure can offer unique and valuable discriminative characteristics for human recognition systems.In recent years,most existing traditional ear recognition systems have been designed based on computer vision models and have achieved successful results.Nevertheless,such traditional models can be sensitive to several unconstrained environmental factors.As such,some traits may be difficult to extract automatically but can still be semantically perceived as soft biometrics.This research proposes a new group of semantic features to be used as soft ear biometrics,mainly inspired by conventional descriptive traits used naturally by humans when identifying or describing each other.Hence,the research study is focused on the fusion of the soft ear biometric traits with traditional(hard)ear biometric features to investigate their validity and efficacy in augmenting human identification performance.The proposed framework has two subsystems:first,a computer vision-based subsystem,extracting traditional(hard)ear biometric traits using principal component analysis(PCA)and local binary patterns(LBP),and second,a crowdsourcing-based subsystem,deriving semantic(soft)ear biometric traits.Several feature-level fusion experiments were conducted using the AMI database to evaluate the proposed algorithm’s performance.The obtained results for both identification and verification showed that the proposed soft ear biometric information significantly improved the recognition performance of traditional ear biometrics,reaching up to 12%for LBP and 5%for PCA descriptors;when fusing all three capacities PCA,LBP,and soft traits using k-nearest neighbors(KNN)classifier.