bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The use of neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio for the prediction of refractory disease and coronary artery lesions in patients with Kawasaki disease
Authors: Farias Juan S. , Villarreal Enrique G. , Savorgnan Fabio , Acosta Sebastian , Flores Saul , Loomba Rohit S.
Published: April 2023

Background:

Kawasaki disease is a vasculitis that can lead to cardiac complications, including coronary artery disease and cardiogenic shock. Various scoring systems have been developed to determine those that will be refractory to routine intravenous immunoglobulin therapy or develop coronary artery disease. The objective of this study was to determine if the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio could predict refractory disease and coronary artery lesions in patients with Kawasaki disease.

Methods:

A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify manuscripts describing comparisons of neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio between those who had refractory disease and those who did not, and between those who developed coronary artery lesions and those who did not. Mean difference was compared between groups. Areas under the curve were utilised to determine the pooled area under the curve.

Results:

12 studies with 5593 patients were included in the final analyses of neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio for the prediction of refractory disease. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio before therapy was higher in refractory disease with a mean difference of 2.55 (p < 0.01) and pooled area under the curve of 0.724. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio after therapy was higher in refractory disease with a mean difference of 1.42 (p < 0.01) and pooled area under the curve for of 0.803. Five studies with 1690 patients were included in the final analyses of neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio for the prediction of coronary artery lesions. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio before therapy was higher in coronary artery lesions with a mean difference of 0.65 (p < 0.01).

Conclusion:

The use of neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio may help physicians in the identification of patients at risk of refractory disease and coronary artery lesions in patients with Kawasaki disease.
Patterns of West Nile Virus in the Northeastern United States Using Negative Binomial and Mechanistic Trait‐Based Models
Authors: Keyel Alexander C.
Published: April 2023

West Nile virus (WNV) primarily infects birds and mosquitoes but has also caused over 2,000 human deaths, and >50,000 reported human cases in the United States. Expected numbers of WNV neuroinvasive cases for the present were described for the Northeastern United States, using a negative binomial model. Changes in temperature‐based suitability for WNV due to climate change were examined for the next decade using a temperature‐trait model. WNV suitability was generally expected to increase over the next decade due to changes in temperature, but the changes in suitability were generally small. Many, but not all, populous counties in the northeast are already near peak suitability. Several years in a row of low case numbers is consistent with a negative binomial, and should not be interpreted as a change in disease dynamics. Public health budgets need to be prepared for the expected infrequent years with higher‐than‐average cases. Low‐population counties that have not yet had a case are expected to have similar probabilities of having a new case as nearby low‐population counties with cases, as these absences are consistent with a single statistical distribution and random chance.
Optical Insight Into Riverine Influences on Dissolved and Particulate Organic Carbon in a Coastal Arctic Lagoon System
Authors: Catipovic L. , Longnecker K. , Okkonen S. R. , Koestner D. , Laney S. R.
Published: April 2023

Arctic coastal margins receive organic material input from rivers, melted sea ice, and coastal erosion, phenomena that are all undergoing changes related to global climate. The optical properties of coastal Arctic waters contain information on this organic material, and we examined three optical properties of seawater (absorption, backscatter, and fluorescence) for their relationships to variability in dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC) in Stefansson Sound, Alaska, a coastal Arctic embayment. During open water periods in 2018 and 2019, DOC was inversely correlated with salinity (r2 = 0.97) and positively correlated with dissolved organic matter fluorescence (fDOM; r2 = 0.67). DOC showed strong correlation with the nonparticulate absorption coefficient at 440 nm (ag(440)) only in 2018 (r2 = 0.95). The vertical structure of fDOM in Stefansson Sound aligned with density profiles more strongly in 2018 than in 2019, and higher levels of fDOM, ag(440), and backscatter seen near the bottom in 2019 suggest wind‐driven mixing and/or bottom resuspension events. In both years, DOC correlated strongly with the spectral slope of the absorption coefficient between 412 and 550 nm (r2 = 0.70), and POC was well correlated with spectral backscattering at 470, 532, and 660 nm (r2 = 0.90, 0.71, and 0.59). These interannual differences in the spatial and vertical distributions of DOC and POC, and their respective correlations with optical proxies, likely reflect regional climatological factors such as precipitation over the adjacent watersheds, wind patterns, and residual sea ice in late summer.
SLF/ELF Fields From VED Solved by Normalized Spherical Harmonic Functions
Authors: Liang PengFei , Di QingYun , Fu Changmin , Chen Wenxuan , Zhang Wenxiu
Published: April 2023

Electromagnetic (EM) fields excited by a vertical electric dipole (VED) at the super‐low frequency and the extremely low frequency have been widely used in different studies such as space weather, earthquake predictions, geophysical investigations, and communications. Accurate and efficient algorithms are necessary for quick estimations of worldwide EM fields. This study proposes a recursive algorithm to calculate EM fields excited by a VED embedded in a layered spherical model. A set of local/general reflection and transmission coefficients is defined to describe propagations of EM fields in each spherical layer and the outgoing‐type waves and the standing‐type waves of EM fields are expressed by normalized spherical Bessel/Hankel functions. The normalized spherical Bessel/Hankel functions are not only useful to overcome the overflow problem in calculations of spherical Bessel/Hankel functions but also helpful to speed up the convergence of summation expressions of EM fields, because the normalized spherical Bessel/Hankel functions mitigate small oscillations terms. Calculating the primary fields and the secondary fields of the total EM fields, respectively, is also helpful to reach convergent summations, because their convergence radiuses are different.
Investigating the potential anti-depressive mechanisms of statins: a transcriptomic and Mendelian randomization analysis
Authors: Jiang Jiayue-Clara , Hu Chenwen , McIntosh Andrew M. , Shah Sonia
Published: April 2023

Observational studies and randomized controlled trials presented inconsistent findings on the effects of cholesterol-lowering statins on depression. It therefore remains unclear whether statins have any beneficial effects on depression, and if so, what the underlying molecular mechanisms are. Here, we aimed to use genomic approaches to investigate this further. Using Connectivity Map (CMap), we first investigated whether statins and antidepressants shared pharmacological effects by interrogating gene expression responses to drug exposure in human cell lines. Second, using Mendelian randomization analysis, we investigated both on-target (through HMGCR inhibition) and potential off-target (through ITGAL and HDAC2 inhibition) causal effects of statins on depression risk and depressive symptoms, and traits related to the shared biological pathways identified from CMap analysis. Compounds inducing highly similar gene expression responses to statins in HA1E cells (indicated by an average connectivity score with statins > 90) were found to be enriched for antidepressants (12 out of 38 antidepressants; p = 9E-08). Genes perturbed in the same direction by both statins and antidepressants were significantly enriched for diverse cellular and metabolic pathways, and various immune activation, development and response processes. MR analysis did not identify any significant associations between statin exposure and depression risk or symptoms after multiple testing correction. However, genetically proxied HMGCR inhibition was strongly associated with alterations in platelets (a prominent serotonin reservoir) and monocyte percentage, which have previously been implicated in depression. Genetically proxied ITGAL inhibition was strongly associated with basophil, monocyte and neutrophil counts. We identified biological pathways that are commonly perturbed by both statins and antidepressants, and haematological biomarkers genetically associated with statin targets. Our findings warrant pre-clinical investigation of the causal role of these shared pathways in depression and potential as therapeutic targets, and investigation of whether blood biomarkers may be important considerations in clinical trials investigating effects of statins on depression.
Carbonate system in the Cabo Frio upwelling
Authors: Silva Carlos Augusto Ramos e , de Godoy Fernandes Livia Viana , de Souza Flavo Elano Soares , Marotta Humberto , da Costa Fernandes Flavio , Mello Thaise Machado Senez , Monteiro Nicole Silva Caliman , Rocha Anderson Araújo , Coutinho Ricardo , de Almeida Fernandes Lohengrin Dias , Damasceno Raimundo Nonato , dos Santos Ludmila Caetano
Published: April 2023

The quantitative assessment of the carbonate system represents one of the biggest challenges toward the "Sustainable Development Goals" defined by the United Nations in 2015. In this sense, the present study investigated the Spatio-temporal dynamics of the carbonate system and the effects of the El Niño and La Niña phenomena over the Cabo Frio upwelling area. The physical characterization of the site was carried out through data on wind speed and sea surface temperature. Water samples were also collected during the oceanographic cruise onboard the Diadorim R/V (Research Vessel). From these samples, the parameters of absolute and practical salinity, density, pH, total alkalinity, carbonate, calcite, aragonite, bicarbonate dissolved inorganic carbon, carbon dioxide, partial pressure of carbon, calcium, and total boron were obtained. The highest average concentration of bicarbonate in S1 (2018 µmol/kg) seems to contribute to the dissolved inorganic carbon values (2203 µmol/kg). The values of calcite saturation state, aragonite saturation state, and carbonate were higher on the surface of each station (calcite saturation state = 4.80–5.48; aragonite saturation state = 3.10–3.63, and carbonate = 189–216 µmol/kg). The mean values of pH were similar in the day/night samples (7.96/7.97). The whole carbonate system was calculated through thermodynamic modeling with the Marine Chemical Analysis (AQM) program loaded with the results of the following parameters: temperature, salinity, total alkalinity, and pH parameters. This manuscript presents original data on the carbonate system and the "acidification" process influenced by the Cabo Frio upwelling, which directly depends on the El Niño and La Niña phenomena oscillations in the sea surface temperature.
High-dimensional spatiotemporal visual analysis of the air quality in China
Authors: Liu Jia , Wan Gang , Liu Wei , Li Chu , Peng Siqing , Xie Zhuli
Published: April 2023

Air quality is a significant environmental issue among the Chinese people and even the global population, and it affects both human health and the Earth’s long-term sustainability. In this study, we proposed a multiperspective, high-dimensional spatiotemporal data visualization and interactive analysis method, and we studied and analyzed the relationship between the air quality and several influencing factors, including meteorology, population, and economics. Six visualization methods were integrated in this study, each specifically designed and improved for visualization analysis purposes. To reveal the spatiotemporal distribution and potential impact of the air quality, we designed a comprehensive coupled visual interactive analysis approach visually express both high-dimensional and spatiotemporal attributes, reveal the overall situation and explain the relationship between attributes. We clarified the current spatiotemporal distribution, development trends, and influencing factors of the air quality in China through interactive visual analysis of a 25-dimensional dataset involving 31 Chinese provinces. We also verified the correctness and effectiveness of relevant policies and demonstrated the advantages of our method.
Risk taking for potential losses but not gains increases with time of day
Authors: Bedder Rachel L. , Vaghi Matilde M. , Dolan Raymond J. , Rutledge Robb B.
Published: April 2023

Humans exhibit distinct risk preferences when facing choices involving potential gains and losses. These preferences are believed to be subject to neuromodulatory influence, particularly from dopamine and serotonin. As neuromodulators manifest circadian rhythms, this suggests decision making under risk might be affected by time of day. Here, in a large subject sample collected using a smartphone application, we found that risky options with potential losses were increasingly chosen over the course of the day. We observed this result in both a within-subjects design (N = 2599) comparing risky options chosen earlier and later in the day in the same individuals, and in a between-subjects design (N = 26,720) showing our effect generalizes across ages and genders. Using computational modelling, we show this diurnal change in risk preference reflects a decrease in sensitivity to increasing losses, but no change was observed in the relative impacts of gains and losses on choice (i.e., loss aversion). Thus, our findings reveal a striking diurnal modulation in human decision making, a pattern with potential importance for real-life decisions that include voting, medical decisions, and financial investments.
Charge-optimized many-body interaction potential for AlN revisited to explore plasma–surface interactions
Authors: Gergs Tobias , Mussenbrock Thomas , Trieschmann Jan
Published: April 2023

Plasma–surface interactions during AlN thin film sputter deposition could be studied by means of reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) methods. This requires an interaction potential that describes all species as well as wall interactions (e.g., particle emission, damage formation) appropriately. However, previous works focused on the establishment of AlN bulk potentials. Although for the third-generation charge-optimized many-body (COMB3) potential at least a single reference surface was taken into account, surface interactions are subject to limited reliability only. The demand for a revised COMB3 AlN potential is met in two steps: First, the Ziegler–Biersack–Littmark potential is tapered and the variable charge model QTE$$^{+}$$

+

is implemented to account for high-energy collisions and distant charge transport, respectively. Second, the underlying parameterization is reworked by applying a self-adaptive evolution strategy implemented in the GARFfield software. Four wurtzite, three zinc blende and three rock salt surfaces are considered. An example study on the ion bombardment induced particle emission and point defect formation reveals that the revised COMB3 AlN potential is appropriate for the accurate investigation of plasma–surface interactions by means of RMD simulations.
A new phase model of the spatiotemporal relationships between three circadian oscillators in the brainstem
Authors: Ahern Jake , Chrobok Łukasz , Champneys Alan R. , Piggins Hugh D.
Published: April 2023

Analysis of ex vivo Per2 bioluminescent rhythm previously recorded in the mouse dorsal vagal complex reveals a characteristic phase relationship between three distinct circadian oscillators. These signals represent core clock gene expression in the area postrema (AP), the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and the ependymal cells surrounding the 4th ventricle (4Vep). Initially, the data suggests a consistent phasing in which the AP peaks first, followed shortly by the NTS, with the 4Vep peaking 8–9 h later. Wavelet analysis reveals that this pattern is not consistently maintained throughout a recording, however, the phase dynamics strongly imply that oscillator interactions are present. A simple phase model of the three oscillators is developed and it suggests that realistic phase dynamics occur between three model oscillators with coupling close to a synchronisation transition. The coupling topology suggests that the AP bidirectionally communicates phase information to the NTS and the 4Vep to synchronise the three structures. A comparison of the model with previous experimental manipulations demonstrates its feasibility to explain DVC circadian phasing. Finally, we show that simulating steadily decaying coupling improves the model’s ability to capture experimental phase dynamics.
Synchronized proinsulin trafficking reveals delayed Golgi export accompanies β-cell secretory dysfunction in rodent models of hyperglycemia
Authors: Boyer Cierra K. , Bauchle Casey J. , Zhang Jianchao , Wang Yanzhuang , Stephens Samuel B.
Published: April 2023

The pancreatic islet β-cell’s preference for release of newly synthesized insulin requires careful coordination of insulin exocytosis with sufficient insulin granule production to ensure that insulin stores exceed peripheral demands for glucose homeostasis. Thus, the cellular mechanisms regulating insulin granule production are critical to maintaining β-cell function. In this report, we utilized the synchronous protein trafficking system, RUSH, in primary β-cells to evaluate proinsulin transit through the secretory pathway leading to insulin granule formation. We demonstrate that the trafficking, processing, and secretion of the proinsulin RUSH reporter, proCpepRUSH, are consistent with current models of insulin maturation and release. Using both a rodent dietary and genetic model of hyperglycemia and β-cell dysfunction, we show that proinsulin trafficking is impeded at the Golgi and coincides with the decreased appearance of nascent insulin granules at the plasma membrane. Ultrastructural analysis of β-cells from diabetic leptin receptor deficient mice revealed gross morphological changes in Golgi structure, including shortened and swollen cisternae, and partial Golgi vesiculation, which are consistent with defects in secretory protein export. Collectively, this work highlights the utility of the proCpepRUSH reporter in studying proinsulin trafficking dynamics and suggests that altered Golgi export function contributes to β-cell secretory defects in the pathogenesis of Type 2 diabetes.
Rat model of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder exhibits delayed recovery from acute incisional pain due to impaired descending noradrenergic inhibition
Authors: Suto Takashi , Kato Daiki , Koibuchi Ikuya , Arai Yuki , Ohta Jo , Hiroki Tadanao , Obata Hideaki , Saito Shigeru
Published: April 2023

Chronic pain and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently coexist. However, the common pathology is still unclear. Attenuated noradrenergic endogenous analgesia can produce acute pain chronification, and dysfunction of noradrenergic systems in the nervous system is relevant to ADHD symptoms. Noxious stimuli-induced analgesia (NSIA) is measured to estimate noradrenergic endogenous analgesia in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) as an ADHD model and control. Recovery of pain-related behaviors after paw incision was assessed. Contributions of noradrenergic systems were examined by in vivo microdialysis and immunohistochemistry. The SHR showed attenuated NSIA and needed a more extended period for recovery from acute pain. These results suggest ADHD patients exhibit acute pain chronification due to pre-existing attenuated noradrenergic endogenous analgesia. Immunohistochemistry suggests abnormal noradrenaline turnover and downregulation of the target receptor (alpha2a adrenoceptor). Standard ADHD treatment with atomoxetine restored NSIA and shortened the duration of hypersensitivity after the surgery in the SHR. NSIA protocol activated the locus coeruleus, the origin of spinal noradrenaline, of both strains, but only the control exhibited an increase in spinal noradrenaline. This result suggests dysfunction in the noradrenaline-releasing process and can be recognized as a novel mechanism of attenuation of noradrenergic endogenous analgesia.
Development and validation of machine learning-based clinical decision support tool for identifying malnutrition in NICU patients
Authors: Yalçın Nadir , Kaşıkcı Merve , Çelik Hasan Tolga , Demirkan Kutay , Yiğit Şule , Yurdakök Murat
Published: April 2023

Hospitalized newborns have an increased risk of malnutrition and, especially preterm infants, often experience malnutrition-related extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR). The aim of this study was to predict the discharge weight and the presence of weight gain at discharge with machine learning (ML) algorithms. The demographic and clinical parameters were used to develop the models using fivefold cross-validation in the software-R with a neonatal nutritional screening tool (NNST). A total of 512 NICU patients were prospectively included in the study. Length of hospital stay (LOS), parenteral nutrition treatment (PN), postnatal age (PNA), surgery, and sodium were the most important variables in predicting the presence of weight gain at discharge with a random forest classification (AUROC:0.847). The AUROC of NNST-Plus, which was improved by adding LOS, PN, PNA, surgery, and sodium to NNST, increased by 16.5%. In addition, weight at admission, LOS, gestation-adjusted age at admission (> 40 weeks), sex, gestational age, birth weight, PNA, SGA, complications of labor and delivery, multiple birth, serum creatinine, and PN treatment were the most important variables in predicting discharge weight with an elastic net regression (R2 = 0.748). This is the first study on the early prediction of EUGR with promising clinical performance based on ML algorithms. It is estimated that the incidence of EUGR can be improved with the implementation of this ML-based web tool (http://www.softmed.hacettepe.edu.tr/NEO-DEER/) in clinical practice.
Microvascular and structural analysis of the retina and choroid in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction
Authors: Khalilipur Ehsan , Mahdizad Zahra , Molazadeh Negin , Faghihi Hooshang , Naderi Nasim , Mehrabi Bahar Mohammadreza , Firouzi Ata , Sadeghipour Parham , Maleki Majid , Soltani Shahgoli Sahel , Khalili Pour Elias , Riazi-Esfahani Hamid
Published: April 2023

This cross-sectional study was designed to assess alterations of choroidal and retinal microvasculature in patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) and compare them with a normal age and sex-matched population. Fifty-two eyes of 26 patients with HFrEF (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] < 40%) and 64 eyes of 32 healthy individuals were considered as the patient and the control groups, respectively. We found no statistically significant differences in age-adjusted mean central macular thickness (CMT), superficial or deep retinal capillary plexus vascular densities, and choriocapillaris flow (CC flow) density between the HFrEF group and the normal controls, with the exception of the parafoveal mean superficial capillary plexus vascular density (P = 0.023), which remained statistically significant after adjusting for age (P = 0.034). The patients with HFrEF had a significantly lower subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) than the normal subjects (264 ± 82 vs 313 ± 72; P = 0.009), and the difference was still statistically significant after age adjustment (P = 0.026). Although choroidal vascularity index (CVI) was lower in the HFrEF group than in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant before and after age adjustment (73.45 ± 6.67 vs 75.77 ± 5.92; P = 0.118 and P = 0.096, respectively). In conclusion, in patients with HFrEF, we observed a reduction in parafoveal retinal VD in the superficial capillary plexus, as well as SFCT, but no significant change in CVI, CMT, or CC flow density.
Facile synthesis approach of bifunctional Co–Ni–Fe oxyhydroxide and spinel oxide composite electrocatalysts from hydroxide and layered double hydroxide composite precursors
Authors: Kitano Sho , Sato Yuki , Tagusari Reiko , Zhu Ruijie , Kowalski Damian , Aoki Yoshitaka , Habazaki Hiroki
Published: April 2023

Simple and durable: the multi-metal oxyhydroxide and spinal oxide composite catalyst containing Co, Fe and Ni are synthesized from hydroxide and layered double hydroxide composite precursors and shows excellent bifunctional ORR/OER activities.
l-Fucose increases the fucosylation of colorectal cancer cells via promoting the accumulation of serine
Authors: Yao Ye , Qian Chengjia , Chang Zepeng , Yang Jiayu , Chen Yinghan , Wang Hongchao , Zhu Jinlin , Xiao Yue , Li Yahui , Zhao Jianxin , Lu Wenwei
Published: April 2023

This study uncovers a novel role of serine synthesis and PSAT1 in the regulation of fucosylation and provides insights into the potential application of l-fucose in CRC therapy.
Cu(ii) immobilized on poly(guanidine-sulfonamide)-functionalized Bentonite@MgFe2O4: a novel magnetic nanocatalyst for the synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole
Authors: Alavinia Sedigheh , Ghorbani-Vaghei Ramin , Ghiai Ramin , Gharehkhani Alireza
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we aim at synthesizing a new nanocomposite material in which bentonite acts as a nucleation site for MgFe2O4nanoparticles precipitation in the attendance of an external magnetic field (MgFe2O4@Bentonite).
Gut bacterial alginate degrading enzymes
Authors: Rønne Mette E. , Madsen Mikkel , Tandrup Tobias , Wilkens Casper , Svensson Birte
Published: April 2023

Alginates are abundant marine anionic polysaccharides consumed by humans. Thus, over the years some understanding has emerged about alginate utilization by human gut microbiota (HGM). However, insights have been obtained only recently at the molecular level with regard to structure and function of alginate degrading and metabolizing enzymes from HGM. Still, numerous studies report on effects of alginates on bacterial communities from digestive tracts of various, predominantly marine organisms feeding on alginate and some of the involved alginate lyases have been characterized. Other studies describe the beneficial impact on gut microbiota elicited by alginates in animal models, for example, high-fat-diet-fed mice addressing obesity or as feed supplements for livestock. Alginates are depolymerized by a β-elimination reaction catalyzed by polysaccharide lyases (PLs) referred to as alginate lyases (ALs). The ALs are found in 15 of the 42 PL families categorized in the CAZy database. While genome mining has led to prediction of ALs encoded by bacteria of the HGM; currently, only four enzymes from this niche have been characterized biochemically and two crystal structures are reported. Alginates are composed of mannuronate (M) and guluronate (G) residues organized in M-, G-, and MG-blocks, which calls for ALs of complementary specificity to effectively depolymerize alginate to alginate oligosaccharides (AOSs) and monosaccharides. Typically, ALs of different PL families are encoded by genes arranged in clusters denoted as polysaccharide utilization loci. Currently, biochemical and structural analyses of marine bacterial ALs contribute to depicting the mode of action of predicted enzymes from bacteria of the HGM.
Vowel Production in Children and Adults With Down Syndrome: Fundamental and Formant Frequencies of the Corner Vowels
Authors: Vorperian Houri K. , Kent Raymond D. , Lee Yen , Buhr Kevin A.
Published: April 2023

Purpose:

Atypical vowel production contributes to reduced speech intelligibility in children and adults with Down syndrome (DS). This study compares the acoustic data of the corner vowels /i/, /u/, /æ/, and /ɑ/ from speakers with DS against typically developing/developed (TD) speakers.

Method:

Measurements of the fundamental frequency (
f
o
) and first four formant frequencies (F1–F4) were obtained from single word recordings containing the target vowels from 81 participants with DS (ages 3–54 years) and 293 TD speakers (ages 4–92 years), all native speakers of English. The data were used to construct developmental trajectories and to determine interspeaker and intraspeaker variability.

Results:

Trajectories for DS differed from TD based on age and sex, but the groups were similar with the striking change in
f
o
and F1–F4 frequencies around age 10 years. Findings confirm higher
f
o
in DS, and vowel-specific differences between DS and TD in F1 and F2 frequencies, but not F3 and F4. The measure of F2 differences of front-versus-back vowels was more sensitive of compression than reduced vowel space area/centralization across age and sex. Low vowels had more pronounced F2 compression as related to reduced speech intelligibility. Intraspeaker variability was significantly greater for DS than TD for nearly all frequency values across age.

Discussion:

Vowel production differences between DS and TD are age- and sex-specific, which helps explain contradictory results in previous studies. Increased intraspeaker variability across age in DS confirms the presence of a persisting motor speech disorder. Atypical vowel production in DS is common and related to dysmorphology, delayed development, and disordered motor control.
Recurrent unit augmented memory network for video summarisation
Authors: Su Min , Ma Ran , Zhang Bing , Li Kai
Published: April 2023

Video summarisation can relieve the pressure on video storage, transmission, archiving, and retrieval caused by the explosive growth of online videos in recent years. Most existing supervised video summarisation methods use convolutional neural network (CNN) or recurrent neural network (RNN) to model the temporal dependencies between video frames or video shots. CNN mainly focuses on local information, and RNN loses long‐term information when the input sequence is long, both of which have limited ability to obtain long‐range memory in the video. Therefore, a recurrent unit augmented memory network (RUAMN) for video summarisation is proposed, which effectively utilises the long‐term memory extraction ability of the end‐to‐end memory network (MemN2N) and solves the problem that MemN2N is insensitive to temporal sequence information. At the same time, the proposed RUAMN enhances the process of memory update between multiple computational steps (hops), and finally generates a meaningful video summarisation result. Specifically, the proposed RUAMN is mainly composed of the input module, the global‐and‐local sampling, the memory module and the output module. The input module uses a bidirectional GRU to obtain the forward and backward information of each video frame. Then the global‐and‐local sampling performs global sampling and local sampling on the output sequence of the input module respectively to obtain several shorter sequences, so that the memory modules can capture the fine‐grained relationship features between video frames more effectively. The memory module extracts the long‐term memory information in the feature sequence, and finally the frame‐level importance scores are predicted by the output module. Extensive experiments on benchmark datasets, that is, TVSum and SumMe, demonstrate the superiority of our method over several state‐of‐the‐art supervised video summarisation methods.
Development of four‐terminal DC circuit breaker based on commutating path multiplexing
Authors: Gan Zhizheng , Tang Bojin , Yu Zhanqing , Wang Jinshi , Qu Lu , Jia Na , Yan Xin , Guo Mingzhu , Zeng Rong , Huang Yulong
Published: April 2023

Multi‐terminal flexible DC power grid plays an important role in large‐scale new energy integration, which usually requires the installation of multi‐terminal DC circuit breaker (MTCB) at the intersection of multiple DC lines. At present, the research on multi‐terminal DC circuit breaker is mostly limited to theoretical simulation calculation, and there are few experimental studies and engineering applications. In this paper, a four‐terminal DC circuit breaker based on commutating path multiplexing is proposed, which combines with the compact natural commutation scheme of hybrid gap, greatly reducing the cost and volume of the circuit breaker. The commutation characteristics of the four‐terminal hybrid DC circuit breaker equivalent prototype at 10‐kV voltage level were tested. On this basis, the equivalent prototype of the circuit breaker test results shows that under 10‐kV voltage level, the four‐terminal circuit breaker topology can achieve breaking of 11 kA in 2.8 ms by the natural commutation method.
„Ich wünsche mir einen offeneren Umgang mit Sexualität und Geschlecht in der Ergotherapie!“ – Netzwerk SexGen-OTOS
Authors: Schneider Jens , Gerasch Leonie
Published: April 2023

Die Abkürzung SexGen-OTOS steht für „International Network on Sexualities and Genders within Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science”. Auf Deutsch: Internationales Netzwerk für Sexualität und Geschlecht in der Ergotherapie und der Occupational Science. Es bietet eine Plattform für Angehörige der beiden Disziplinen, um sich über die Themenfelder Sexualität und Geschlecht auszutauschen.
Überlastungsanzeige – muss das sein?
Authors: Schinz Heidrun
Published: April 2023

Aus Mitarbeitersicht bringt eine Überlastungsanzeige in der Regel nichts, allenfalls Ärger, Arbeitgeber rechnen zumindest mit Unruhe. Sollte man deshalb lieber auf Überlastungsanzeigen verzichten? Das Gegenteil ist der Fall, wie unsere Rechtsexpertin darlegt.
Surgical Treatment of Another Sequalae of COVID-19: Post-COVID CTEPH
Authors: Ermerak Nezih Onur , Yildizeli Sehnaz Olgun , Kocakaya Derya , Mutlu Bulent , Ak Koray , Tas Serpil , Yildizeli Bedrettin
Published: April 2023

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still an ongoing entity and every day we face new sequalae of the disease. We hereby present surgical results of patients who are treated for post-COVID chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Methods Data were collected among patients who underwent pulmonary endarterectomy and had a diagnosis of post-COVID chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. All data were retrospectively reviewed from a prospectively conducted database. Operative mortality was described as death in hospital or within 30 days of surgery.

Results Eleven patients (seven males, four females; median age, 52 [22–63] years) were identified. Pulmonary vascular resistance improved significantly from 572 dyn/s/cm−5 (240–1,192) to 240 (195–377) dyn/s/cm−5 (p < 0.005). Significant difference was also detected in median mPAP, as it decreased from 40 mm Hg (24–54) to 24 mm Hg (15–36) following surgery (p < 0.005). Mortality was observed in one patient due to sepsis on the fifth postoperative day. Median time from COVID-19 disease to surgery was 12 months (6–24). Median length of hospital stay of the survivors was 10 days (8–14).

Conclusion In the new era of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, hybrid approach including surgery, balloon pulmonary angioplasty, and medical treatment has been recommended. pulmonary endarterectomy is still the only curative treatment when the disease is surgically accessible. We hereby report the first publication of post-COVID chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients who were surgically treated. As we see a lot of long-term symptoms and clinical manifestations in patients who had COVID-19, we should always remember chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in the differential diagnosis.
Mitochondrial Disease Masquerading as Recurrent Encephalopathy
Authors: Satapathy Rajalaxmi , Das Pragateshnu
Published: April 2023

A young male who was a diabetic presented with gradually progressive hearing loss, recurrent episodic behavioral abnormality, easy fatigability, proximal weakness, and seizures. The patient was evaluated in detail to find out the etiology of encephalitis. The serum autoimmune encephalitis panel was negative. On magnetic resonance imaging of the Brain, there was temporoparietal T2 and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery hyperintensity. In the magnetic resonance spectroscopy study, a lactate peak was found. So, the patient was evaluated for mitochondrial illness mitochondrial encephalopathy lactic acidosis with stroke-like symptoms) and it was confirmed by a genetic study. This case illustrates that though it is a rare disease, always a strong clinical index of suspicion is required for the diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders in case of multisystem involvement so that diagnosis would not be missed.
Study on the decomposition mechanism and insulation stability of HFO-1336mzz(E)/air mixtures as a new environment-friendly insulation medium under AC voltage
Authors: Tang Nian , Nie Jia , Liu Jie , Sun Dongwei , Li Li , Liu Zhenguo , Zhang Manjun , Wang Feng , Qu Zhe , Hu Yuzhu
Published: April 2023

As one of hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), HFO-1336mzz(E) is regarded as a promising eco-friendly alternative insulation medium to Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) owing to its excellent environmental effect and insulation property. To study the decomposition mechanism and insulation stability, the decomposition experiment of a 0.5 MPa mixture containing 8% HFO-1336mzz(E) and 92% air was performed under AC breakdown conditions. The results indicated that the main decomposition products were CF4, C2F6, C3F8, CF3H, CF3C=CH, CF3CH=CHF(E), CF3CHF2, CF3CH=CH2, CF2=CFH, CF2=CH2, CH≡CH, C4H2F6O, CF3O3CF3, etc. Among them, the generation of C3F8, CH≡CH, and C4H2F6O was relatively more difficult than others. Thus, these three compounds can be considered typical decomposition products. New elements, namely C, F, and N, appeared on the electrode surface after breakdowns compared to the state before breakdowns. It can be concluded that some complex chemical reactions were triggered between the electrode material and gas mixture under the action of breakdown discharge. Additionally, the breakdown voltage of the HFO-1336mzz(E)/air mixture almost remained unchanged, showing that the gas mixture still exhibited an excellent insulation stability after multiple breakdowns.
Simultaneous light emission and detection of an AlGaInP quantum well diode
Authors: Ye Ziqi , Zhang Hao , Gao Xumin , Fu Kang , Zeng Haibo , Liu Yuhuai , Wang Yongjin , Amano Hiroshi
Published: April 2023

When a quantum well (QW) diode is biased with a forward voltage and illuminated with an external shorter-wavelength light, the device simultaneously emits and detects light, with the injected current and the induced current mixed inside the wells. Separating these superimposed and dynamic electrical signals is useful for the development of multifunctional displays that can simultaneously transmit and receive light signals. By utilizing the unique overlap between the electroluminescence and detection spectra, we establish a wireless optical communication system using two AlGaInP diodes that have identical QW structures. The communication distance is 25 m, with one diode functioning as the transmitter and the other as the receiver. In particular, at the receiver end, the QW diode demonstrates simultaneous light emission and reception ability, and the mixed signals can be efficiently extracted, suggesting great potential for applications from light communication to advanced displays.
Magnetization switching of a nearly compensated ferrimagnet by enhanced spin-orbit torque
Authors: Zhang Xu , Wang Xiaolu , Jiang Qisheng , He Wenqing , Yang Yongqiang , Gong Qianxun , Guo Tengyu , Chen Peng , Zhang Jing , Yu Guoqiang , Han Xiufeng , Wang Kang L. , Wang Yue , Cui Baoshan , Wu Hao
Published: April 2023

Spin–orbit torques (SOTs) provide an efficient way to electrically manipulate the magnetic order in spintronic devices. Compared with conventional ferromagnetic materials, ferrimagnetic materials have the advantages of antiferromagnetically coupled sublattices and induced ultrafast spin dynamics. In this paper, we study the current-induced magnetization switching in the ferrimagnetic Ta/GdFeCo/MgO system. Robust SOT-induced magnetization switching can be achieved at the magnetic compensation temperature point of around 70 K, where the magnetization is nearly zero and the coercivity can reach almost 3 T. The temperature dependence of the SOT efficiency is quantified by the second harmonic method, and the enhanced SOT efficiency near the magnetic compensation temperature is attributed to the negative exchange coupling between the two sublattices of CoFe and Gd. This work demonstrates the SOT switching of the nearly compensated ferrimagnet, with great potential for future magnetic interaction-free and ultrafast ferrimagnetic applications.
Maneuvering target tracking based on an adaptive variable structure interactive multiple model filtering and smoothing algorithm
Authors: Chen Weiyi , He Fan , Dong Haidi
Published: April 2023

For maneuvering target tracking, the interactive multiple model (IMM) algorithm and its variants have shown good performance, among which the variable structure IMM (VSIMM) algorithm is the most widely studied one. The approximation degree of the algorithm and the matching degree of the model subset will affect the performance of the VSIMM. In addition, considering that smoothing can provide better estimation of the target state, a new adaptive VSIMM filtering and smoothing (AVSIMMFS) algorithm is proposed in this paper. First, an accurate model of the VSIMM algorithm is established, in which the IMM is run in parallel with and independently from the different model subsets, and the state estimation of the model subset with the highest probability is selected as the final estimation result. Then, an adaptive VSIMM (AVSIMM) algorithm was designed based on the VSIMM algorithm. The adaptation is reflected in the construction of a new model subset from the original model subsets, which improves the matching degree between the model subset and the actual maneuvering model of the target. Finally, by smoothing the filtering data of the AVSIMM algorithm, the AVSIMMFS algorithm is obtained. Because of the combination of forward filtering and backward smoothing, the target tracking accuracy is further improved. Simulation results show that the tracking performance of the AVSIMMFS algorithm is better than that of other methods.
Classifiers, argument expression, and age of acquisition effects in Turkish Sign Language (TİD)
Authors: Sevgi Hande , Gökgöz Kadir
Published: April 2023

This study investigates differences in language production of native, early-learner, and late-learner Turkish Sign Language (Türk İşaret Dili – TİD) signers in the domain of classifiers. For this study, we conducted a picture-signing task to elicit clauses with classifier constructions from adult Deaf signers of these three groups. The results indicate that there is no significant difference among these three groups with respect to the morphological encoding of thematic roles on verbal roots in classifier constructions. Nonetheless, a difference surfaces in the argument expression patterns among these groups. The data show that the age of exposure to a first linguistic input impacts the argument expression rates as well as which arguments are expressed or left unexpressed. Native signers drop the agent argument more frequently than early-learner and late-learner signers. Early-learner signers, in turn, drop the agent argument more frequently than late-learners. The data further indicate that perspective taking interacts with argument expression and age of acquisition. Overall, signers drop the agent more frequently under a character perspective than an observer perspective, with native and early-learner signers employing this strategy more than late-learner signers.
My ‘Perfect’ Dog: Undesired Dog Behaviours and Owners’ Coping Styles
Authors: Roma Renata , Tardif-Williams Christine , Moore Shannon , Pendry Patricia
Published: April 2023

Research continues to shed light on the benefits associated with dog ownership. However, we know virtually nothing about how undesired dog behaviours impact young people’s behavioural and perceptive experiences with their dogs. Understanding these impacts is important because it can offer a more nuanced understanding of the effects of dog ownership. This exploratory study applied a qualitative methodology to examine young people’s perceptions about their dog’s behavioural issues, along with a focus on young people’s coping styles. Seven participants aged between 17 and 26 years engaged in semi-structured in-depth one-on-one interviews about their experiences with their dogs and their coping strategies in response to undesired dog behaviours. Thematic coding identified the following salient themes in participants’ responses which were subsequently explored in detail: (1) severity of dogs’ behavioural issues, (2) participants’ coping styles, (3) the relationship between the dog’s behavioural issues and the participant, (4) participants’ emotional reactions, (5) participants’ self-evaluation – insights – of their coping styles, and (6) similarities between participants’ coping styles with humans to whom they are close and those used with their dogs. Findings from this study indicate that young people prefer proactive coping styles when coping with undesired behaviours in their dogs. This study’s findings also indicate that the severity of dogs’ behavioural issues is associated with young people’s emotions (e.g., more severe behavioural issues seem to elicit more intense emotions). The significance of these findings for practice in the field of human-animal interactions is discussed.
Functional graphs of families of quadratic polynomials
Authors: Mans Bernard , Sha Min , Shparlinski Igor , Sutantyo Daniel
Published: April 2023

We study functional graphs generated by several quadratic polynomials, acting simultaneously on a finite field of odd characteristic. We obtain several results about the number of leaves in such graphs. In particular, in the case of graphs generated by three polynomials, we relate the distribution of leaves to the Sato-Tate distribution of Frobenius traces of elliptic curves. We also present extensive numerical results which we hope may shed some light on the distribution of leaves for larger families of polynomials.
Foundations of Christian Bioethics: Metaphysical, Conceptual, and Biblical
Authors: Cherry Mark J
Published: April 2023

How can we definitively determine which biomedical choices are morally correct and which engage in seriously wrongful acts? Depending on whom one asks, one is informed that choices such as abortion, euthanasia, and significant body modification involve real moral harm (either as forms of murder or as denying the goodness of the body that God has provided), or that disallowing such “medical care” violates the basic rights of persons (where abortion, active euthanasia, and body modification are appreciated as positive expressions of personal autonomy). Secular bioethics appears no longer able to appreciate what could possibly be wrong with such activities, provided that the individuals involved consent in some fashion. Indeed, many actions that were once openly and easily recognized as sinful have become so commonplace, as well as politically desirable, as to appear as if they were obviously good. As the authors in this issue of Christian Bioethics explore, fully to appreciate the serious moral issues raised by modern medicine requires a foundational orientation to the Christian God.