bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-performance enhancement-mode GaN-based p-FETs fabricated with O3-Al2O3/HfO2-stacked gate dielectric
Authors: Jin Hao , Huang Sen , Jiang Qimeng , Wang Yingjie , Fan Jie , Yin Haibo , Wang Xinhua , Wei Ke , Liu Jianxun , Zhong Yaozong , Sun Qian , Liu Xinyu
Published: October 2023

In this letter, an enhancement-mode (E-mode) GaN p-channel field-effect transistor (p-FET) with a high current density of −4.9 mA/mm based on a O3-Al2O3/HfO2 (5/15 nm) stacked gate dielectric was demonstrated on a p++-GaN/p-GaN/AlN/AlGaN/AlN/GaN/Si heterostructure. Attributed to the p++-GaN capping layer, a good linear ohmic I−V characteristic featuring a low-contact resistivity (ρ
c) of 1.34 × 10−4 Ω·cm2 was obtained. High gate leakage associated with the HfO2 high-k gate dielectric was effectively blocked by the 5-nm O3-Al2O3 insertion layer grown by atomic layer deposition, contributing to a high I
ON/I
OFF ratio of 6 × 106 and a remarkably reduced subthreshold swing (SS) in the fabricated p-FETs. The proposed structure is compelling for energy-efficient GaN complementary logic (CL) circuits.
The onset distribution of rotating

m
,
n
=
2
,
1

tearing modes and its consequences on the stability of high-confinement-mode plasmas in DIII-D
Authors: Bardóczi L. , Richner N.J. , Logan N.C.
Published: October 2023

Analysis of a multi-scenario database of over 13 000 DIII-D H-mode discharges shows that the

m
,
n
=
2
,
1

magnetic islands are dominantly pressure gradient driven, stochastically triggered non-linear instabilities at all edge safety factor (

q
95

) values. The instability onset time closely follows the exponential distribution in intermediate and high

q
95

scenarios and is characterized by near constant onset rate (λ), in accordance with Poisson-point processes. This implies that the plasmas are operated in marginally stable conditions, characterized by a small threshold for instability growth and variations in the trigger amplitude and/or the stabilizing mechanisms with temporally uniform random distribution in this database. While the majority of the tearing modes occur in the first current-profile relaxation time of the

β
N

flattop, constant λ throughout the

β
N

flattop shows that the tearing onset is insensitive to the evolution of the equilibrium current profile. In low

q
95

scenarios, where a large fraction of the plasmas are operated at low torque, λ increases over the course of the

β
N

flattop, showing that these plasmas evolve toward more unstable conditions. The onset rate rapidly increases with

β
N

, while it does not show a clear dependence on the current gradient at the mode rational surface. Overall, these observations support that the majority of the analyzed 2,1 tearing modes are non-linear, neoclassically driven instabilities and classical stability does not play a dominant role in their onset.
An injectable and 3D printable pro-chondrogenic hyaluronic acid and collagen type II composite hydrogel for the repair of articular cartilage defects
Authors: O’Shea Donagh G , Hodgkinson Tom , Curtin Caroline M , O’Brien Fergal J
Published: October 2023

Current treatments for repairing articular cartilage defects are limited. However, pro-chondrogenic hydrogels formulated using articular cartilage matrix components (such as hyaluronic acid (HA) and collagen type II (Col II)), offer a potential solution if they could be injected into the defect via minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures, or used as bioinks to 3D print patient-specific customised regenerative scaffolds—potentially combined with cells. However, HA and Col II are difficult to incorporate into injectable/3D printable hydrogels due to poor physicochemical properties. This study aimed to overcome this by developing an articular cartilage matrix-inspired pro-chondrogenic hydrogel with improved physicochemical properties for both injectable and 3D printing (3DP) applications. To achieve this, HA was methacrylated to improve mechanical properties and mixed in a 1:1 ratio with Col I, a Col I/Col II blend or Col II. Col I possesses superior mechanical properties to Col II and so was hypothesised to enhance hydrogel mechanical properties. Rheological analysis showed that the pre-gels had viscoelastic and shear thinning properties. Subsequent physicochemical analysis of the crosslinked hydrogels showed that Col II inclusion resulted in a more swollen and softer polymer network, without affecting degradation time. While all hydrogels exhibited exemplary injectability, only the Col I-containing hydrogels had sufficient mechanical stability for 3DP applications. To facilitate 3DP of multi-layered scaffolds using methacrylated HA (MeHA)-Col I and MeHA-Col I/Col II, additional mechanical support in the form of a gelatin slurry support bath freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels was utilised. Biological analysis revealed that Col II inclusion enhanced hydrogel-embedded MSC chondrogenesis, thus MeHA-Col II was selected as the optimal injectable hydrogel, and MeHA-Col I/Col II as the preferred bioink. In summary, this study demonstrates how tailoring biomaterial composition and physicochemical properties enables development of pro-chondrogenic hydrogels with potential for minimally invasive delivery to injured articular joints or 3DP of customised regenerative implants for cartilage repair.
Potential of nanotheranostic zeolitic imidazolate frameworks in cancer management
Authors: Jalil Abduladheem Turki , Abdulhadi Mohanad Ali , Al-Ameer Lubna R , Kareem Doaa Saadi , Merza Muna S , Zabibah Rahman S , Galib Ibrahem
Published: October 2023

Cancer is a major threat to human health, and it is still the leading cause of death from disease. Due to how quickly nanomedicine is developing, it is thought that nanoscale metal–organic frameworks (MOF) could be used in the treatment and biomedical imaging of many types of cancer. More and more researchers are interested in zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF)−8 because it has a high porosity, a large specific surface area, and reacts to changes in pH. Understanding the properties of nanomaterials and how tumour works requires a complex and thorough look at how ZIF-8 nanoparticles (NPs) are made, how they can be changed, and how drugs are loaded into them. We mostly looked at the research that came out in the last three years, summed up how their use in imaging and treating tumour has changed, and talked about the pros and cons of using ZIF-8 NPs for cancer theranostic now and in the future. As a MOF material with a lot of potentials, ZIF-8 is likely to be used in more therapeutic systems in the future and to continue to help with all parts of tumour therapy and diagnosis.
Enhanced vacuum ultraviolet photoemission from graphene nanoribbons
Authors: Corso Martina , Lobo-Checa Jorge , Weber Andrew P , Piquero-Zulaica Ignacio , Abd El-Fattah Zakaria M , Le Fèvre Patrick , Enrique Ortega J , Krasovskii Eugene
Published: October 2023

Photon-energy dependence of photoemission from seven-atoms-wide armchair graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) is studied experimentally and theoretically up to

ℏ
ω
=
95

 eV. A strong photon energy dependence of the normal emission from the valence band maximum (VB1) is observed, sharply peaked at

ℏ
ω
=
12

 eV. The detailed analysis of the light-polarization dependence of the photoemission from VB1 unambiguously characterizes the symmetry of the state. The experimental observations are analyzed based on ab initio one-step theory of photoemission. Off-normal emission is studied in detail and its relation to the standing-wave character of the valence band states is discussed. Excellent agreement with the earlier experiment (Senkovskiy et al 2018 2D Mater.
5 035007) is obtained. Rapid variations of the intensity with the ribbon-transverse photoelectron momentum are predicted from the ab initio theory, which are at variance with the prediction of the tight-binding rigid-wall model. These findings can help interpret angle-resolved photoemission measurements of similar systems. Moreover, the strong enhancement of the photoyield could trigger the GNR application as narrow-band photodetectors and contribute to the design of novel photocathodes for vacuum ultraviolet photodetection.
Phase and surface structures-optical transmittance correlation of sputtered Al-doped ZnO film on glass substrate
Authors: Niyom Kanchanee , Rattanasakulthong Watcharee
Published: October 2023

The electrical and optical properties of sputtered Al-doped ZnO films prepared on a glass substrate with different thicknesses (97, 127, 161, 211, and 276 nm) were systematically investigated. The 97 nm film showed only the main peak of the AZO (002) phase, whereas the rest films exhibited AZO (002) and (004) phases, and the peak intensities were obviously increased with increasing thickness. The films displayed a granular grain surface and columnar-like structure with different sizes and distributions depending on film thickness. Surface roughness was increased, whereas the electrical resistance was decreased with increasing film thickness. The smallest crystallite size of about 26 nm with the highest resistivity and lowest carrier concentration was observed on a 127 nm film, whereas the crystallite size of about 29 nm was observed on the 97, 161, 211, and 276 nm films. All AZO films exhibited good electrical properties and transparency with an averaged optical transmittance higher than 80% in the visible wavelength. The 162 nm film showed the highest transmittance of 86% in the wavelength range of 350–900 nm and a wide energy band gap of 3.52 eV because of the highest mobility and crystallite size with a columnar structure and random size distribution. The figure of merit (FOM) was strongly related to the optical band gap and tended to increase with increasing thickness. The results are attributed that the optical energy band gap was altered by film thickness by improving phase structure and surface morphology.
Characterization of 3D metal printed cutting tool with transpiration cooling channels
Authors: S S Anuj Srivathsa , Muralidharan B
Published: October 2023

This study characterizes the 3D-printed transpiration cooling (TC) channels in a single-point cutting tool to enhance lubrication and cooling at the cutting zones. Five different TC channels, namely two circular profiled channels (Designs 1-A & 1-B), two hexagonal profiled channel (Designs 2-A & 2-B), and one bio-inspired blood vessel (Designs 3), are designed inside a single-point turning tool and 3D printed using AISI-1.2709 in powder bed fusion (PBF). From the materials and mechanical characterisation, fine cellular microstructure and high hardness are achieved. X-ray microcomputed tomography (XRμCT) has been used as a non-destructive inspection strategy to analyse the built structures. The results of XRμCT showed that the TC channel built is highly orientation-dependent, steeper angles deviate highly, and nominal angles such as 0° and 90° (to the build platform) provide the best dimensional accuracy. The average dimensional deviations of the five designs are −35.8%, −19.42%, −19.45%, −15.85%, and −5.02%, respectively, from the as-designed. The best designs are circular free-form (Design 1-B), hexagonal free-form (Design 2-B), and bio-inspired blood vessel (Design 3), which have the least dimensional deviation and highest accuracy.
Total power operations in spectral sequences
Authors: Balderrama William
Published: October 2023

We describe how power operations descend through homotopy limit spectral sequences. We apply this to describe how norms appear in the

C
2

C_2

-equivariant Adams spectral sequence, to compute norms on

π
0

\pi _0

of the equivariant

K
U

KU

-local sphere, and to compute power operations for the

K
(
1
)

K(1)

-local sphere. An appendix contains material on equivariant Bousfield localizations which may be of independent interest.
A decomposition theorem of surface vector fields and spectral structure of the Neumann-Poincaré operator in elasticity
Authors: Fukushima Shota , Ji Yong-Gwan , Kang Hyeonbae
Published: October 2023

We prove that the space of vector fields on the boundary of a bounded domain with the Lipschitz boundary in three dimensions is decomposed into three subspaces: elements of the first one extend to inside the domain as divergence-free and rotation-free vector fields, the second one to the outside as divergence-free and rotation-free vector fields, and the third one to both the inside and the outside as divergence-free harmonic vector fields. We then show that each subspace in the decomposition is infinite-dimensional. We also prove under a mild regularity assumption on the boundary that the decomposition is almost direct in the sense that any intersection of two subspaces is finite-dimensional. We actually prove that the dimension of intersection is bounded by the first Betti number of the boundary. In particular, if the boundary is simply connected, then the decomposition is direct. We apply this decomposition theorem to investigate spectral properties of the Neumann-Poincaré operator in elasticity, whose cubic polynomial is known to be compact. We prove that each linear factor of the cubic polynomial is compact on each subspace of decomposition separately and those subspaces characterize eigenspaces of the Neumann-Poincaré operator. We then prove all the results for three dimensions, decomposition of surface vector fields and spectral structure, are extended to higher dimensions. We also prove analogous but different results in two dimensions.
ProbioMinServer: an integrated platform for assessing the safety and functional properties of potential probiotic strains
Authors: Liu Yen-Yi , Hsu Chu-Yi , Yang Ya-Chu , Huang Chien-Hsun , Chen Chih-Chieh
Published: October 2023

Motivation

ProbioMinServer is a platform designed to help researchers access information on probiotics regarding a wide variety of characteristics, such as safety (e.g. antimicrobial resistance, virulence, pathogenic, plasmid, and prophage genes) and functionality (e.g. functional classes, carbohydrate-active enzyme, and metabolite gene cluster profile). Because probiotics are functional foods, their safety and functionality are a crucial part of health care. Genomics has become a crucial methodology for investigating the safety and functionality of probiotics in food and feed. This shift is primarily attributed to the growing affordability of next-generation sequencing technologies. However, no integrated platform is available for simultaneously evaluating probiotic strain safety, investigating probiotic functionality, and identifying known phylogenetically related strains.

Results

Thus, we constructed a new platform, ProbioMinServer, which incorporates these functions. ProbioMinServer accepts whole-genome sequence files in the FASTA format. If the query genome belongs to the 25 common probiotic species collected in our database, the server performs a database search and analyzes the core-genome multilocus sequence typing. Front-end applications were implemented in JavaScript with a bootstrap framework, and back-end programs were implemented using PHP, Perl, and Python. ProbioMinServer can help researchers quickly and easily retrieve information on the safety and functionality of various probiotics.

Availability and implementation

The platform is available at https://probiomindb.imst.nsysu.edu.tw.
A controlled effects approach to assessing immune correlates of protection
Authors: Gilbert Peter B , Fong Youyi , Kenny Avi , Carone Marco
Published: October 2023

An immune correlate of risk (CoR) is an immunologic biomarker in vaccine recipients associated with an infectious disease clinical endpoint. An immune correlate of protection (CoP) is a CoR that can be used to reliably predict vaccine efficacy (VE) against the clinical endpoint and hence is accepted as a surrogate endpoint that can be used for accelerated approval or guide use of vaccines. In randomized, placebo-controlled trials, CoR analysis is limited by not assessing a causal vaccine effect. To address this limitation, we construct the controlled risk curve of a biomarker, which provides the causal risk of an endpoint if all participants are assigned vaccine and the biomarker is set to different levels. Furthermore, we propose a causal CoP analysis based on controlled effects, where for the important special case that the biomarker is constant in the placebo arm, we study the controlled vaccine efficacy curve that contrasts the controlled risk curve with placebo arm risk. We provide identification conditions and formulae that account for right censoring of the clinical endpoint and two-phase sampling of the biomarker, and consider G-computation estimation and inference under a semiparametric model such as the Cox model. We add modular approaches to sensitivity analysis that quantify robustness of CoP evidence to unmeasured confounding. We provide an application to two phase 3 trials of a dengue vaccine indicating that controlled risk of dengue strongly varies with 50$\%$ neutralizing antibody titer. Our work introduces controlled effects causal mediation analysis to immune CoP evaluation.
Atopic dermatitis phenotypes based on cluster analysis of the Danish Skin Cohort
Authors: Nymand Lea , Nielsen Mia-Louise , Vittrup Ida , Halling Anne-Sofie , Francis Thomsen Simon , Egeberg Alexander , Thyssen Jacob P
Published: October 2023

Background

Despite previous attempts to classify atopic dermatitis (AD) into subtypes (e.g. extrinsic vs. intrinsic), there is a need to better understand specific phenotypes in adulthood.

Objectives

To identify, using machine learning (ML), adult AD phenotypes.

Methods

We used unsupervised cluster analysis to identify AD phenotypes by analysing different responses to predetermined variables (age of disease onset, severity, itch and skin pain intensity, flare frequency, anatomical location, presence and/or severity of current comorbidities) in adults with AD from the Danish Skin Cohort.

Results

The unsupervised cluster analysis resulted in five clusters where AD severity most clearly differed. We classified them as ‘mild’, ‘mild-to-moderate’, ‘moderate’, ‘severe’ and ‘very severe’. The severity of multiple predetermined patient-reported outcomes was positively associated with AD, including an increased number of flare-ups and increased flare-up duration and disease severity. However, an increased severity of rhinitis and mental health burden was also found for the mild-to-moderate phenotype.

Conclusions

ML confirmed the use of disease severity for the categorization of phenotypes, and our cluster analysis provided novel detailed information about how flare patterns and duration are associated with AD disease severity.
The Importance of Information Processing in Child Protection Cases—A Study of Social Workers’ Integration of Other Professionals’ Knowledge
Authors: Greve Rakel Aasheim , Persdotter Birgitta , Christiansen Øivin , Jørgensen Tone
Published: October 2023

The processes used by social workers to collect, interpret and use stakeholder information in child protection cases are an unexplored but essential part of the decision-making process. This study focuses on social workers’ efforts to integrate the knowledge of other professionals. This article draws on a framework for managing knowledge across organisational boundaries and a process-oriented conceptualisation of knowledge integration. The analysis of ten interviews with social workers shows that the process of knowledge integration affects the basis of social workers’ decision making. We argue that knowledge possessed by other professionals is often viewed as easily transferrable and correctly received, when in fact this knowledge is often complex and subjective and requires extra effort to obtain, understand and integrate into case-specific situations. This implies a need to recognise information processing as an influencing factor in decision making within child protection that pertains to both practice and research.
Neurofilament light chain for classifying the aetiology of alteration of consciousness
Authors: Ongphichetmetha Tatchaporn , Thanapornsangsuth Poosanu , Luechaipanit Watayuth , Loymunkong Nattawan , Rattanawong Wanakorn , Hiransuthikul Akarin , Supharatpariyakorn Thirawat , Sriswasdi Sira , Hemachudha Thiravat
Published: October 2023

Neurofilament light chain has become a promising biomarker for neuroaxonal injury; however, its diagnostic utility is limited to chronic disorders or specific contexts. Alteration of consciousness is a common clinical problem with diverse aetiologies, many of which require timely diagnoses. We evaluated the value of neurofilament light chain alone, as well as creating diagnostic models, in distinguishing causes of alteration of consciousness. Patients presenting with alteration of consciousness were enrolled. Initial clinical data of each participant were evaluated by a neurologist to give a provisional diagnosis. Each participant subsequently received advanced investigations and follow-up to conclude the final diagnosis. All diagnoses were classified into a structural or non-structural cause of alteration of consciousness. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid levels of neurofilament light chain were measured. Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain and other clinical parameters were used to develop logistic regression models. The performance of cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain, the neurologist’s provisional diagnosis, and the model to predict the final diagnosis were compared. For the results, among 71 participants enrolled, 67.6% and 32.4% of their final diagnoses were classified as structural and non-structural, respectively. Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.75 (95% confidence interval 0.63–0.88) which was not significantly different from a neurologist’s provisional diagnosis 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.75–0.94) (P = 0.14). The multivariable regression model using cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain and other basic clinical data achieved an area under the curve of 0.90 (95% confidence interval 0.83–0.98). In conclusion, neurofilament light chain classified causes of alteration of consciousness with moderate accuracy. Nevertheless, including other basic clinical data to construct a model improved the performance to a level that was comparable to clinical neurologists.
Role of articulatory motor networks in perceptual categorization of speech signals: a 7T fMRI study
Authors: Lankinen Kaisu , Ahveninen Jyrki , Uluç Işıl , Daneshzand Mohammad , Mareyam Azma , Kirsch John E , Polimeni Jonathan R , Healy Brian C , Tian Qiyuan , Khan Sheraz , Nummenmaa Aapo , Wang Qing Mei , Green Jordan R , Kimberley Teresa J , Li Shasha
Published: October 2023

Speech and language processing involve complex interactions between cortical areas necessary for articulatory movements and auditory perception and a range of areas through which these are connected and interact. Despite their fundamental importance, the precise mechanisms underlying these processes are not fully elucidated. We measured BOLD signals from normal hearing participants using high-field 7 Tesla fMRI with 1-mm isotropic voxel resolution. The subjects performed 2 speech perception tasks (discrimination and classification) and a speech production task during the scan. By employing univariate and multivariate pattern analyses, we identified the neural signatures associated with speech production and perception. The left precentral, premotor, and inferior frontal cortex regions showed significant activations that correlated with phoneme category variability during perceptual discrimination tasks. In addition, the perceived sound categories could be decoded from signals in a region of interest defined based on activation related to production task. The results support the hypothesis that articulatory motor networks in the left hemisphere, typically associated with speech production, may also play a critical role in the perceptual categorization of syllables. The study provides valuable insights into the intricate neural mechanisms that underlie speech processing.
Developmental plasticity of the structural network of the occipital cortex in congenital blindness
Authors: Jiao Saiyi , Wang Ke , Zhang Linjun , Luo Yudan , Lin Junfeng , Han Zaizhu
Published: October 2023

The occipital cortex is the visual processing center in the mammalian brain. An unanswered scientific question pertains to the impact of congenital visual deprivation on the development of various profiles within the occipital network. To address this issue, we recruited 30 congenitally blind participants (8 children and 22 adults) as well as 31 sighted participants (10 children and 21 adults). Our investigation focused on identifying the gray matter regions and white matter connections within the occipital cortex, alongside behavioral measures, that demonstrated different developmental patterns between blind and sighted individuals. We discovered significant developmental changes in the gray matter regions and white matter connections of the occipital cortex among blind individuals from childhood to adulthood, in comparison with sighted individuals. Moreover, some of these structures exhibited cognitive functional reorganization. Specifically, in blind adults, the posterior occipital regions (left calcarine fissure and right middle occipital gyrus) showed reorganization of tactile perception, and the forceps major tracts were reorganized for braille reading. These plastic changes in blind individuals may be attributed to experience-dependent neuronal apoptosis, pruning, and myelination. These findings provide valuable insights into the longitudinal neuroanatomical and cognitive functional plasticity of the occipital network following long-term visual deprivation.
Exploration of rich-club reorganization in facial synkinesis: insights from structural and functional brain network analysis
Authors: Zhang Chen-hao , Wang Han-qi , Lu Yong , Wang Wei , Ma Hao , Lu Ye-chen
Published: October 2023

Facial palsy therapies based on cortical plasticity are in development, but facial synkinesis progress is limited. Studying neural plasticity characteristics, especially network organization and its constitutive elements (nodes/edges), is the key to overcome the bottleneck. We studied 55 participants (33 facial synkinesis patients, 22 healthy controls) with clinical assessments, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We analyzed rich-club organization and metrics of structural brain networks (rich-club coefficients, strength, degree, density, and efficiency). Functional brain network metrics, including functional connectivity and its coupling with the structural network, were also computed. Patients displayed reduced strength and density of rich-club nodes and edges, as well as decreased global efficiency. All nodes exhibited decreased nodal efficiency in patients. Patients had significantly increased functional connectivity and decreased structural–functional coupling strength in rich-club nodes, rich-club edges, and feeder edges. Our study indicates that facial synkinesis patients have weakened structural connections but enhanced functional transmission from rich-club nodes. The loss of connections and efficiency in structural network may trigger compensatory increases in functional connectivity of rich-club nodes. Two potential biomarkers, rich-club edge density and structural–functional coupling strength, may serve as indicators of disease outcome. These findings provide valuable insights into synkinesis mechanisms and offer potential targets for cortical intervention.
Alteration of the large-scale white-matter functional networks in autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Chen Kai , Zhuang Wenwen , Zhang Yanfang , Yin Shunjie , Liu Yinghua , Chen Yuan , Kang Xiaodong , Ma Hailin , Zhang Tao
Published: October 2023

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose core deficit is social dysfunction. Previous studies have indicated that structural changes in white matter are associated with autism spectrum disorder. However, few studies have explored the alteration of the large-scale white-matter functional networks in autism spectrum disorder. Here, we identified ten white-matter functional networks on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data using the K-means clustering algorithm. Compared with the white matter and white-matter functional network connectivity of the healthy controls group, we found significantly decreased white matter and white-matter functional network connectivity mainly located within the Occipital network, Middle temporo-frontal network, and Deep network in autism spectrum disorder. Compared with healthy controls, findings from white-matter gray-matter functional network connectivity showed the decreased white-matter gray-matter functional network connectivity mainly distributing in the Occipital network and Deep network. Moreover, we compared the spontaneous activity of white-matter functional networks between the two groups. We found that the spontaneous activity of Middle temporo-frontal and Deep network was significantly decreased in autism spectrum disorder. Finally, the correlation analysis showed that the white matter and white-matter functional network connectivity between the Middle temporo-frontal network and others networks and the spontaneous activity of the Deep network were significantly correlated with the Social Responsiveness Scale scores of autism spectrum disorder. Together, our findings indicate that changes in the white-matter functional networks are associated behavioral deficits in autism spectrum disorder.
The observation of below-the-knee artery by optical frequency domain image and angioscopy: a case series
Authors: Yamane Haruya , Ueda Yasunori , Ikeoka Kuniyasu , Kosugi Shumpei , Abe Haruhiko , Mishima Tsuyoshi , Inoue Koichi , Matsumura Yasushi
Published: October 2023

Background

Endovascular treatment (EVT) is a well-established treatment for patients with chronic limb-threatening ischaemia, and below-the-knee (BTK) artery is its main target, although the re-intervention rate is still high. Understanding of the characteristics of BTK artery atherosclerosis would be required to overcome this issue. In this case series, we elucidated the characteristics of non-stenotic BTK artery atherosclerosis in the patients who received EVT of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) using optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) and angioscopy.

Case summary

We presented five patients who underwent EVT of SFA and subsequent observation of ipsilateral BTK artery using OFDI and angioscopy. Patients one and two had advanced atherosclerosis; however, patients three, four, and five had only mild atherosclerosis.

Discussion

All patients had multiple risk factors for atherosclerosis and stenosis/occlusion of the SFA and ipsilateral BTK arteries. Furthermore, some patients had several other atherosclerotic vascular diseases suggesting the presence of advanced systemic atherosclerosis. On the other hand, some patients with multiple BTK artery stenosis/occlusion did not have advanced atherosclerosis in the examined BTK artery. The absence of significant atherosclerosis in a BTK artery in patients with multiple stenoses or occlusion in other ipsilateral BTK arteries may suggest some mechanism of vessel occlusion other than atherosclerosis. Further investigations are needed to clarify the mechanism.
Identification of pararosaniline as a modifier of RNA splicing in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Huynh Dylan , Wu Cheng-Wei
Published: October 2023

Posttranscriptional splicing of premessenger RNA (mRNA) is an evolutionarily conserved eukaryotic process for producing mature mRNA that is translated into proteins. Accurate splicing is necessary for normal growth and development, and aberrant splicing is increasingly evident in various human pathologies. To study environmental factors that influence RNA splicing, we employed a fluorescent Caenorhabditis elegans in vivo splicing reporter as a biomarker for splicing fidelity to screen against the US EPA ToxCast chemical library. We identified pararosaniline hydrochloride as a strong modifier of RNA splicing. Through gene expression analysis, we found that pararosaniline activates the oxidative stress response and alters the expression of key RNA splicing regulator genes. Physiological assays show that pararosaniline is deleterious to C. elegans development, reproduction, and aging. Through a targeted RNAi screen, we found that inhibiting protein translation can reverse pararosaniline's effect on the splicing reporter and provide significant protection against long-term pararosaniline toxicity. Together, this study reveals a new chemical modifier of RNA splicing and describes translation inhibition as a genetic mechanism to provide resistance.
Bivalves as Emerging Model Systems to Study the Mechanisms and Evolution of Sex Determination: A Genomic Point of View
Authors: Nicolini Filippo , Ghiselli Fabrizio , Luchetti Andrea , Milani Liliana
Published: October 2023

Bivalves are a diverse group of molluscs that have recently attained a central role in plenty of biological research fields, thanks to their peculiar life history traits. Here, we propose that bivalves should be considered as emerging model systems also in sex-determination (SD) studies, since they would allow to investigate: 1) the transition between environmental and genetic SD, with respect to different reproductive backgrounds and sexual systems (from species with strict gonochorism to species with various forms of hermaphroditism); 2) the genomic evolution of sex chromosomes (SCs), considering that no heteromorphic SCs are currently known and that homomorphic SCs have been identified only in a few species of scallops; 3) the putative role of mitochondria at some level of the SD signaling pathway, in a mechanism that may resemble the cytoplasmatic male sterility of plants; 4) the evolutionary history of SD-related gene (SRG) families with respect to other animal groups. In particular, we think that this last topic may lay the foundations for expanding our understanding of bivalve SD, as our current knowledge is quite fragmented and limited to a few species. As a matter of fact, tracing the phylogenetic history and diversity of SRG families (such as the Dmrt, Sox, and Fox genes) would allow not only to perform more targeted functional experiments and genomic analyses, but also to foster the possibility of establishing a solid comparative framework.
Stable first-arrival picking through mathematical morphology and edge detection
Authors: Gao Lei , Hong Haolong , Min Fan
Published: October 2023

First-arrival picking is a fundamental and challenging task in seismic data processing. Existing algorithms such as the cross-correlation algorithm (CCT) struggle to achieve satisfactory noise immunity while maintaining picking efficiency. In this paper, we propose the first-arrival picking through mathematical morphology and edge detection (FPME) algorithm with three steps. The converting step transforms the original data into a binary image though a filtering technique, where the binary image represents the global energy distribution of high-energy and low-energy samples. The rendering step delimits the signal zone in the binary image through morphological operations, where the signal zone eliminates the noise in the upper part. The picking step detects first arrivals in the signal zone through the edge detection methods, where an evaluation function is designed to select the optimal detection results as first arrivals. Experiments were performed on four field data sets. The results demonstrated that FPME is more stable and reliable than five classic and popular algorithms.
Urban manufacturing and the role of industrial relatedness in sustaining it: the case of the Brussels Capital Region
Authors: Bonaccolto Giovanni , Pedrini Giulio , Talamo Giuseppina
Published: October 2023

This paper revisits the ongoing discussion on the concept of industrial relatedness by applying it to manufacturing industries in urban areas. The analysis uses a sample of firms operating in the Brussels Capital Region area and observed over the period 2009–2015. Based on a two-step quantile regression, results show that industrial relatedness is the agglomeration force that mostly sustains the performance of urban manufacturing, whereas this is not the case for other types of agglomeration externalities. Moreover, among the measures of industrial relatedness, the input–output relationship matters more than product similarity in the perspective of a relocation of manufacturing firms in urban areas.
On the p-Rank of Class Groups of p-Extensions
Authors: Liu Yuan
Published: October 2023

We prove a local–global principle for the embedding problems of global fields with restricted ramification. By this local–global principle, for a global field $k$, we use only the local information to give a presentation of the maximal pro-$p$ Galois group of $k$ with restricted ramification, when some Galois cohomological conditions are satisfied. For a Galois $p$-extension $K/k$, we use our presentation result for $k$ to study the structure of pro-$p$ Galois groups of $K$. Then for $k={{\mathbb{Q}}}$ and $k={{\mathbb{F}}}_{q}(t)$ with $p\nmid q$, we give upper and lower bounds for the rank of $p$-torsion subgroup of the class group of $K$, and these bounds depend on the structure of the Galois group and the inertia subgroups of $K/k$. Finally, we study the $p$-rank of class groups of cyclic $p$-extensions of ${{\mathbb{Q}}}$ and the $2$-rank of class groups of multiquadratic extensions of ${{\mathbb{Q}}}$, for a fixed ramification type.
Medical Informatics Operating Room Vitals and Events Repository (MOVER): a public-access operating room database
Authors: Samad Muntaha , Angel Mirana , Rinehart Joseph , Kanomata Yuzo , Baldi Pierre , Cannesson Maxime
Published: October 2023

Objectives

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds great promise for transforming the healthcare industry. However, despite its potential, AI is yet to see widespread deployment in clinical settings in significant part due to the lack of publicly available clinical data and the lack of transparency in the published AI algorithms. There are few clinical data repositories publicly accessible to researchers to train and test AI algorithms, and even fewer that contain specialized data from the perioperative setting. To address this gap, we present and release the Medical Informatics Operating Room Vitals and Events Repository (MOVER).

Materials and Methods

This first release of MOVER includes adult patients who underwent surgery at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center from 2015 to 2022. Data for patients who underwent surgery were captured from 2 different sources: High-fidelity physiological waveforms from all of the operating rooms were captured in real time and matched with electronic medical record data.

Results

MOVER includes data from 58 799 unique patients and 83 468 surgeries. MOVER is available for download at https://doi.org/10.24432/C5VS5G, it can be downloaded by anyone who signs a data usage agreement (DUA), to restrict traffic to legitimate researchers.

Discussion

To the best of our knowledge MOVER is the only freely available public data repository that contains electronic health record and high-fidelity physiological waveforms data for patients undergoing surgery.

Conclusion

MOVER is freely available to all researchers who sign a DUA, and we hope that it will accelerate the integration of AI into healthcare settings, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes.
Hypermedia-based software architecture enables Test-Driven Development
Authors: Post Andrew R , Ho Nancy , Rasmussen Erik , Post Ivan , Cho Aika , Hofer John , Maness Arthur T , Parnell Timothy , Nix David A
Published: October 2023

Objectives

Using agile software development practices, develop and evaluate an architecture and implementation for reliable and user-friendly self-service management of bioinformatic data stored in the cloud.

Materials and methods

Comprehensive Oncology Research Environment (CORE) Browser is a new open-source web application for cancer researchers to manage sequencing data organized in a flexible format in Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) buckets. It has a microservices- and hypermedia-based architecture, which we integrated with Test-Driven Development (TDD), the iterative writing of computable specifications for how software should work prior to development. Relying on repeating patterns found in hypermedia-based architectures, we hypothesized that hypermedia would permit developing test “templates” that can be parameterized and executed for each microservice, maximizing code coverage while minimizing effort.

Results

After one-and-a-half years of development, the CORE Browser backend had 121 test templates and 875 custom tests that were parameterized and executed 3031 times, providing 78% code coverage.

Discussion

Architecting to permit test reuse through a hypermedia approach was a key success factor for our testing efforts. CORE Browser’s application of hypermedia and TDD illustrates one way to integrate software engineering methods into data-intensive networked applications. Separating bioinformatic data management from analysis distinguishes this platform from others in bioinformatics and may provide stable data management while permitting analysis methods to advance more rapidly.

Conclusion

Software engineering practices are underutilized in informatics. Similar informatics projects will more likely succeed through application of good architecture and automated testing. Our approach is broadly applicable to data management tools involving cloud data storage.
Postoperative weight-bearing restrictions and rehabilitation protocols after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement: a systematic review
Authors: Hemstock Riley , Mulhall Drew , Didyk Janine , Ogborn Dan , Lemmex Devin
Published: October 2023

Despite recent increased interest in hip arthroscopy for the management of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), there is little evidence to guide weight-bearing recommendations and rehabilitation postoperatively. The primary objective of this study was to determine if sufficient evidence exists to recommend specific weight-bearing restrictions postoperatively. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021247741). PubMed, MEDLINE and Embase were searched on 3 March 2023 for Level I–IV studies including patients over the age of 18 years, with a minimum 1-year follow-up and reporting of a weight-bearing status, a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) and a clinical outcome. Meta-analysis was precluded due to heterogeneity in the included studies, and a descriptive analysis was undertaken. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed with the methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS). Twenty-four studies including 2231 patients who underwent hip arthroscopy for treatment of FAI were included (follow-up interval 33.2 ± 24.7 months). Most articles (62.5%) were case series. There were seven terms describing weight-bearing recommendations, with 83% being some variation of ‘partial weight-bearing’. Eight PROMs were reported, with 83% using the modified Harris Hip Score and 87.5% of studies reporting reoperation rates. Only 75% of studies reported rehabilitation protocols. The average MINORS score was 11.07 ± 1.10 out of 16 for non-comparative studies and 18.22 ± 1.48 out of 24 for comparative studies. The reporting of weight-bearing status, clinical outcomes, PROMs and rehabilitation parameters remains poor. At present, sufficient comparative evidence does not exist to make specific weight-bearing recommendation postoperatively.
Completion pneumonectomy via sternotomy and complete intrathoracic liver migration in metastatic osteosarcoma
Authors: Chang Shantel , Kirk Frazer , Fuller Robert , Provenzano Sylvio
Published: October 2023

Pulmonary metastasectomy is the well-accepted surgical management for recurrent osteosarcoma in the lung. A pneumonectomy is seldom performed, even more so via a sternotomy. We report an unusual case of a pneumonectomy via median sternotomy for a pulmonary metastasis with complete migration of the liver into the intrathoracic space, a complication rarely observed. The patient remains disease-free on follow-up, 21 years following the initial diagnosis. Aggressive approaches for metastasectomy, despite clinician hesitation in the age of minimally invasive surgery, can yield excellent outcomes for a cancer with otherwise poor prognosis.
Berber Influence on Arabic Form IX in North Africa
Authors: Souag Lameen
Published: October 2023

Arabic dialects west of Libya stand out within Arabic and Semitic languages more generally for using a fairly productive verb pattern FʕāL for change-of-state quality verbs, since before the 12th century. This has long been identified with Classical Arabic’s Form IX (iFʕaLLa) or XI (iFʕāLLa), but does not regularly correspond to either, and shows a rather different lexical distribution. This article proposes a new explanation for its unexpected form, greater productivity, and uniquely Western distribution, based on contact with Berber. Across most Berber varieties, a verb pattern whose perfective stem may be reconstructed as *ăFSāL > *əFSāL is regularly used for change-of-state verbs. The originally accidental similarity in form and function would have allowed first-language Berber speakers learning Arabic in the Umayyad period to identify this with Arabic Form IX/XI, and therefore to extend its use to their Arabic.
Nucleoporin 50 proteins affect longevity and salinity stress tolerance in seeds
Authors: Oishi Ayumi , Nakagawa Shitomi , Tamura Kentaro
Published: October 2023

Nucleoporin 50 (Nup50) is an evolutionarily conserved protein that is a constituent of the nuclear pore complex (NPC); however, its physiological role in plants is unclear. Arabidopsis has two Nup50 proteins, Nup50a and Nup50b, which are highly expressed in developing seeds. Green fluoresceent protein (GFP)-fused Nup50a and Nup50b are localized exclusively in the nucleopolasm, implying an additional function beyond the NPC in the nuclear envelope. To investigate the function of Nup50s, we employed the CRISPR/Cas9 [clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9] system to generate a nup50a nup50b double mutant, which exhibited premature translation termination of both Nup50 proteins. While the mutant showed no significant abnormal phenotype during vegetative growth, the nup50a nup50b seeds had an abnormal shape compared with the wild type. Comparative transcriptomics using immature seeds revealed that Nup50s regulate the expression of various genes, including cell wall-related genes. The nup50a nup50b seeds exhibited reduced seed longevity and salinity stress tolerance. Tetrazolium uptake and mucilage release assays implied that the nup50a nup50b seeds had greater water permeability than the wild type. Taken together, our results imply that Nup50s play a critical role in seed formation by regulating gene expression.
PubHubs identity management
Authors: Jacobs Bart , Westerbaana Bram , Javed Omar , van Stekelenburg Harm , Vervoort Lian , den Besten Jan
Published: October 2023

Finding a combination between privacy and accountability in the online world is a challenge. Too little accountability supports problematic behaviour. Too little privacy undermines individual freedom and has a chilling effect. This paper describes the identity infrastructure of a new open source community platform called PubHubs. It combines local group conversations, via its own adaptation of Matrix, with proportional authentication of users, in local identity spaces. PubHubs thus achieves a combination of privacy and accountability. The technical core of the paper describes the cryptographic protocols for managing digital identities, via both personal attributes and local pseudonyms. Around this core, the roles of digital identities within the PubHubs platform are explained in functional terms, giving participants for instance more certainty about others in a conversation, or giving moderators new tools.