bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Skeleton‐level control for multi‐agent simulation through deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Elías Alonso Guillermo , Jin Xiaogang
Published: June 2022

Multi‐agent simulation has attracted much attention in the field of computer animation in the last decades for its ability to model interaction between autonomous micro level entities. It widely uses deep reinforcement learning (DRL), which allows us to model environments and its agents approaching real‐world and human‐level complexity, with applications in robotics and computer animation, among others. However, DRL multi‐agent simulation faces additional challenges: they have to be able to generalize high‐dimensional observations and relate them with a high‐dimensional action space, maximizing long‐term cumulated reward. Due to this, DRL systems with numerous interacting agents seldom consider skeleton‐level action spaces. To this end, we present skeleton‐level control for multi‐agent simulation with DRL. With our method, we are able to procedurally generate real‐time collision‐free simulations directly on individual agents with a high‐dimensional skeleton‐level action space. The state in our DRL system includes the velocity of the agent, its destination, and the status of its joints, as well as visual‐based information about the environment and other agents. Our reward function encourages motion into the target destinations, and enalizes collision. We provide extensive experimentation to show the ability of agents to reach their goal through its skeleton motion while successfully avoiding inter‐collisions.
The role of digital interactive technology in cultural heritage learning: Evaluating a mid‐air gesture‐based interactive media of Ruihetu
Authors: Li Qiang , Luo Tian , Wang Jingjing
Published: June 2022

In this study, we investigate the role of mid‐air gesture‐based interaction technologies in cultural heritage learning. In an experiment, a mid‐air gesture‐based interactive media for Chinese Song Dynasty traditional paintingRuihetu was developed and validated. Participants tested three experimental conditions: video learning only; interactive experience first, then video learning; and video learning first, then interactive experience. According to the research results, the outcomes of participants' learning of this cultural heritage differed significantly across all three experimental conditions. This study's findings offer insights into cultural learning of Chinese traditional painting in museums using mid‐air gesture‐based technology, specifically that video learning exhibits should be combined with and preceded by multimedia interactive exhibits for improved memory and understanding.
A General Electro‐Synthesis Approach to Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids
Authors: Pollok Dennis , Großmann Luca M. , Behrendt Torsten , Opatz Till , Waldvogel Siegfried R.
Published: June 2022

Amaryllidaceae alkaloids appeal to organic chemists with their attractive structures and their impressive antitumor and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory properties. We demonstrate a highly versatile access to this family of natural products. A general protocol with high yields in a sustainable electro‐organic key transformation on a metal‐free anode to spirodienones facilitates functionalization to the alkaloids. The biomimetic syntheses start with the readily available, inexpensive biogenic starting materials methyl gallate, O‐methyl tyramine, and vanillin derivatives. Through known dynamic resolutions, this technology provides access to both enantiomeric series of (epi‐)martidine, (epi‐)crinine, siculine, and galantamine, clinically prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
CO2‐Induced Two‐Dimensional Amorphous TiO2 and Its Excellent Film‐Forming Properties
Authors: Yan Pengfei , Han Yixin , Xu Qun
Published: June 2022

Fabrication of amorphous transition metal oxides (TMOs) is necessary to explore their functionality for potential applications, while it is challenging for this type of inorganic materials. Finding an ideal and efficient route for their amorphization is in anticipation. Herein, as a typical non‐layered TMO, two‐dimensional amorphous TiO2(B) has been successfully fabricated with the assistance of supercritical CO2 (SC CO2). Depending on multi‐level theoretical simulations, it demonstrates that the defect regions in TiO2(B) are favorable for CO2 to exert its amorphization effect. Therefore, it provides a new insight into understanding the microscopic mechanism of SC CO2 to functionalize non‐layered TMOs. Further, stable optically transparent thin films based on the as‐prepared samples were conveniently obtained, and their excellent optical stability is also identified.
Ransomware recognition in blockchain network using water moth flame optimization‐aware DRNN
Authors: Nalinipriya Ganapathi , Balajee Maram , Priya Chittibabu , Rajan Cristin
Published: June 2022

The emergence of networking systems and quick deployment of applications cause huge increase in cybercrimes which involves various applications like phishing, hacking, and malware propagation. However, the Ransomware techniques utilize certain device which may lead to undesirable properties which might shrink the paying‐victim pool. This paper devises a new method, namely Water Moth Flame optimization (WMFO) and deep recurrent neural network (Deep RNN) for determining Ransomware. Here, Deep RNN training is done with WMFO, and is developed by combining Moth Flame optimization (MFO) and Water wave optimization (WWO). Moreover, features are mined with opcodes and by finding term frequency‐inverse document frequency (TF‐IDF) amongst individual features. Moreover, Probabilistic Principal Component Analysis (PPCA) is adapted to choose significant features. These features are adapted in Deep RNN for classification, wherein the proposed WMFO is employed to produce optimum weights. The WMFO offered enhanced performance with elevated accuracy of 95.025%, sensitivity of 95%, and specificity of 96%.
A novel adaptive H‐infinity filtering method for the accurate SOC estimation of lithium‐ion batteries based on optimal forgetting factor selection
Authors: Liu Yuyang , Wang Shunli , Xie Yanxin , Fernandez Carlos , Qiu Jingsong , Zhang Yixing
Published: June 2022

Accurate estimation of the state of charge (SOC) of lithium‐ion batteries is quite crucial to battery safety monitoring and efficient use of energy; to improve the accuracy of lithium‐ion battery SOC estimation under complicated working conditions, the research object of this study is the ternary lithium‐ion battery; the forgetting factor recursive least square (FFRLS) method optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) and adaptive H‐infinity filter (HIF) algorithm are adopted to estimate battery SOC. The PSO algorithm is improved with dynamic inertia weight to optimize the forgetting factor to solve the contradiction between FFRLS convergence speed and anti‐noise ability. The noise covariance matrixes of the HIF are improved to realize adaptive correction function and improve the accuracy of SOC estimation. To verify the rationality of the joint algorithm, a second‐order Thevenin model is established to estimate the SOC under three complex operating conditions. The experimental results show that the absolute value of the maximum estimation error of the improved algorithm under the three working conditions is 0.0192, 0.0131, and 0.0111, respectively, which proves that the improved algorithm has high accuracy and offers a theoretical basis for the safe and efficient operation of the battery management system.
IoT streamed data handling model using delta encoding
Authors: Jindal Rajni , Kumar Neetesh , Patidar Sanjay
Published: June 2022

Internet of Thing (IoT) is a trending internet connectivity extension to connect physical devices on the heterogeneous networks to meet application requirements on various grounds, that is, health, agriculture, industry, and so forth. The amount of streamed data is generated by the IoT devices and processed via IoT device itself or external resources such as Cloud/Fog by considering real‐time constraints. The problem arises in real‐time data transmission when a huge amount of stream data is generated from IoT devices, and it travels through the network and needs to be processed on low‐speed IoT infrastructure. Considering this scenario, there is an extremely requirement for designing a model relying on real‐time stream data handling for speedy transmission considering IoT device real‐time communication constraint. On the other hand, IoT devices are also very sensitive towards energy consumption during the streamed data transmission, and low battery devices become a barrier in data handling in real‐time. To overcome these limitations, a model is proposed to compress and encrypt the data stream during the IoT network transmission. In this model, delta encoding facilitates the compression in form of deltas. To ensure security requirements, a light weighted stream cipher encryption technique is proposed. For the experimentation, a test‐bed setup is prepared to utilize Raspberry Pi (IoT device), CPU, and collectors to collect data stream. The proposed approach is compared with the baseline model, that is, LDPC encoding on temperature sensor datasets. As an outcome, the data are compressed up to 37.59%, and the average transmission time and the average power consumption are reduced by 72.57% and 68.86%, respectively.
Numerical characterization of inter‐core coalescence by AC dielectrophoresis in double‐emulsion droplets
Authors: Tao Ye , Liu Weiyu , Ge Zhenyou , Song Chunlei , Xue Rui , Ren Yukun
Published: June 2022

The utilization of an alternating current electric field provides a good means to achieve controlled coalescence between paired inner cores encapsulated in water‐in‐oil‐in‐water double‐emulsion (DE) droplets. Although previous studies have experimentally determined the conditions under which inter‐core electrokinetic fusion occurs, the transient interfacial dielectrophoretic (DEP) dynamics key to understand the underlying fluid mechanics is still unclear from a physical point of view. By coupling DEP motion of two‐phase flow to phase‐field formulation, bulk‐coupled numerical simulations are conducted to characterize the spatial–temporal evolution of the surface charge wave and the resulting nonlinear electrical force induced at both the core/shell and medium/shell oil/water interfaces. The effect of interfacial charge relaxation and droplet geometry on inter‐core attractive dipolar interaction is investigated within a wide parametric space, and four distinct device operation modes, including normal inter‐core fusion, shell elongation, partial core leakage, and complete core release, are well distinguished from one another by flow regime argumentation. Our results herein reveal for the first time the hitherto unknown transient electrohydrodynamic fluid motion of DE droplet driven by Maxwell–Wagner structural polarization. The dynamic simulation method proposed in present study points out an effective outlet to predict the nonlinear electrokinetic behavior of multicore DE droplets for realizing a more controlled triggering of microscale reactions for a wide range of applications in drug discovery, skin care, and food industry.
Optimization of a mAb production process with regard to robustness and product quality using quality by design principles
Authors: Wohlenberg Ole Jacob , Kortmann Carlotta , Meyer Katharina V. , Schellenberg Jana , Dahlmann Katharina , Bahnemann Janina , Scheper Thomas , Solle Dörte
Published: June 2022

Quality by Design principles are well described and widely used in biopharmaceutical industry. The characterization of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) production process is crucial for novel process development and control. Yet, the application throughout the entire upstream process was rarely demonstrated. Following previously published research, this study marks the second step toward a complete process characterization and is focused on the effect of critical process parameters on the antibody production efficiency and quality of the process. In order to conduct the complex Design of Experiments approach with optimal control and comparability, the ambr®15 micro bioreactor platform was used. Investigated parameters included the pH and dissolved oxygen set points, the initial viable cell density (iVCD) as well as the N‐1 duration. Various quality attributes (e.g., growth rate, viability, mAb titer, and peak proportion) were monitored and analyzed using multivariate data analysis to evaluate the parameter effects. The pH set point and the initial VCD were identified as key process parameters with strong influence on the cell growth as well as the mAb production and its proportion to the total protein concentration. For optimization and improvement in robustness of these quality attributes the pH must be increased to 7.2, while the iVCD must be lowered to 0.2 × 106 cells/mL. Based on the defined design space, additional experiments verified the results and confirmed the intact bioactivity of the antibody. Thereby, process control strategies could be tuned toward high cell maintenance and mAb production, which enable optimal downstream processing.
Design and optimization of a novel reverse layered air‐cooling battery management system using U and Z type flow patterns
Authors: Lan Xin , Li Xiangrui , Ji Shaobo , Gao Chunyu , He Zhiwei
Published: June 2022

Battery thermal management technology is critical to the lifespan and performance of the lithium‐ion battery packs. In this work, a reverse layered series cooling scheme with a U/Z type flow pattern is introduced to enhance the temperature uniformity of the forced‐air cooling BTMS. The cooling performance of the current design is investigated and compared with that of the parallel cooling for the dynamic unsteady heat generation process. It is demonstrated that the proposed cooling scheme provides good cooling performance and uniform temperature distribution. Then, the geometric structure of the proposed cooling scheme with a U‐type inlet/outlet manifold is optimized by the response surface methodology and the Cuckoo search algorithm. In comparison with the initial design, the maximum temperature of the optimized design is reduced by 0.97°C and the temperature difference is reduced by up to 36.4% (1.23°C) with the pressure drop increased merely by 1.28 Pa.
EWSR1::YY1 fusion positive peritoneal epithelioid mesothelioma harbors mesothelioma epigenetic signature: Report of 3 cases in support of an emerging entity
Authors: Dermawan Josephine K. , Torrence Dianne , Lee Cheng‐Han , Villafania Liliana , Mullaney Kerry A. , DiNapoli Sara , Sukhadia Purvil , Benayed Ryma , Borsu Laetitia , Agaram Narasimhan P. , Nash Garrett M. , Dickson Brendan C. , Benhamida Jamal , Antonescu Cristina R.
Published: June 2022

Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive malignant neoplasm of mesothelial origin. A small subset of peritoneal mesothelioma is driven by recurrent gene fusions, mostly EWSR1/FUS::ATF1 fusions, with predilection for young adults. To date, only two cases of mesothelioma harboring EWSR1::YY1 fusions have been described. We present three additional cases of EWSR1::YY1‐fused peritoneal mesotheliomas, two localized and one diffuse, all occurring in the peritoneum of middle‐aged adults (2 females and 1 male), and discovered incidentally by imaging or during surgery performed for unrelated reasons. None presented with symptoms or had a known history of asbestos exposure. All three cases were cellular epithelioid neoplasms with heterogeneous architectural patterns comprising mostly solid nests and sheets with variably papillary and trabecular areas against collagenous stroma. Cytologically, the cells were monomorphic, polygonal, epithelioid cells with dense eosinophilic cytoplasm and centrally located nuclei. Overt mitotic activity or tumor necrosis was absent. All cases showed strong diffuse immunoreactivity for pancytokeratin, CK7, and nuclear WT1, patchy to negative calretinin, retained BAP1 expression, and were negative for Ber‐EP4 and MOC31. RNA‐sequencing confirmed in‐frame gene fusion transcripts involving EWSR1 exon 7/8 and YY1 exon 2/3. By unsupervised clustering analysis, the methylation profiles of EWSR1::YY1‐fused mesotheliomas clustered similarly with EWSR1/FUS::ATF1‐fused mesotheliomas and conventional mesotheliomas, suggesting a mesothelioma epigenetic signature. All three patients underwent surgical resection or cytoreductive surgery of the masses. On follow‐up imaging, no recurrence or progression of disease was identified. Our findings suggest that EWSR1::YY1‐fusion defines a small subset of peritoneal epithelioid mesothelioma in middle‐aged adults without history of asbestos exposure.
Personal socio‐cultural preferences modulate neural correlates of decisions to socialize with powerful persons
Authors: Chien Jui‐Hong , Hung I‐Tzu , Goh Joshua Oon Soo , Kuo Li‐Wei , Chang Wei‐Wen
Published: June 2022

Social power differences fundamentally shape the behavioral interaction dynamics of groups and societies. While it has long been recognized that individual socio‐cultural preferences mitigate social interactions involving persons of power, there is limited empirical data on the underlying neural correlates. To bridge this gap, we asked university student participants to decide whether they were willing to engage in social activities involving their teachers (higher power status), classmates (equal power status), or themselves (control) while functional brain images were acquired. Questionnaires assessed participants' preferences for power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and cultural intelligence. As expected, participants generally accepted more social interactions with classmates than teachers. Also, left inferior frontal activity was higher when accepting than when rejecting social interactions with teachers. Critically, power distance preferences further modulated right lateral frontoparietal activity contrasting approach relative to avoidance decisions towards teachers. In addition, uncertainty avoidance modulated activity in medial frontal, precuneus, and left supramarginal areas distinguishing approach decisions towards teachers relative to classmates. Cultural intelligence modulated neural responses to classmate approach/avoidance decisions in anterior cingulate and left parietal areas. Overall, functional activities in distinct brain networks reflected different personal socio‐cultural preferences despite observed social decisions to interact with others of differential power status. Such findings highlight that social approach or avoidance behaviors towards powerful persons involves differential subjective neural processes possibly involved in computing implicit social utility.
Sulci 3D mapping from human cranial endocasts: A powerful tool to study hominin brain evolution
Authors: de Jager Edwin John , Risser Laurent , Mescam Muriel , Fonta Caroline , Beaudet Amélie
Published: June 2022

Key questions in paleoneurology concern the timing and emergence of derived cerebral features within the human lineage. Endocasts are replicas of the internal table of the bony braincase that are widely used in paleoneurology as a proxy for reconstructing a timeline for hominin brain evolution in the fossil record. The accurate identification of cerebral sulci imprints in endocasts is critical for assessing the topographic extension and structural organisation of cortical regions in fossil hominins. High‐resolution imaging techniques combined with established methods based on population‐specific brain atlases offer new opportunities for tracking detailed endocranial characteristics. This study provides the first documentation of sulcal pattern imprints from the superolateral surface of the cerebrum using a population‐based atlas technique on extant human endocasts. Human crania from the Pretoria Bone Collection (South Africa) were scanned using micro‐CT. Endocasts were virtually extracted, and sulci were automatically detected and manually labelled. A density map method was applied to project all the labels onto an averaged endocast to visualise the mean distribution of each identified sulcal imprint. This method allowed for the visualisation of inter‐individual variation of sulcal imprints, for example, frontal lobe sulci, correlating with previous brain‐MRI studies and for the first time the extensive overlapping of imprints in historically debated areas of the endocast (e.g. occipital lobe). In providing an innovative, non‐invasive, observer‐independent method to investigate human endocranial structural organisation, our analytical protocol introduces a promising perspective for future research in paleoneurology and for discussing critical hypotheses on the evolution of cognitive abilities among hominins.
Early alterations in cortical morphology after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients: A longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study
Authors: Zhou Xiaoyu , Tan Yong , Yu Hong , Liu Jiang , Lan Xiaosong , Deng Yongchun , Yu Feng , Wang Chengfang , Chen Jiao , Zeng Xiaohua , Liu Daihong , Zhang Jiuquan
Published: June 2022

There is growing evidence that chemotherapy may have a significant impact on the brains of breast cancer patients, causing changes in cortical morphology. However, early morphological alterations induced by chemotherapy in breast cancer patients are unclear. To investigate the patterns of those alterations, we compared female breast cancer patients (n = 45) longitudinally before (time point 0, TP0) and after (time point 1, TP1) the first cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, using voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) and surface‐based morphometry (SBM). VBM and SBM alteration data underwent correlation analysis. We also compared cognition‐related neuropsychological tests in the breast cancer patients between TP0 and TP1. Reductions in gray matter volume, cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and gyrification index were found in most brain areas, while increments were found to be mainly concentrated in and around the hippocampus. Reductions of fractal dimension mainly occurred in the limbic and occipital lobes, while increments mainly occurred in the anterior and posterior central gyrus. Significant correlations were found between altered VBM and altered SBM mainly in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus. We found no significant differences in the cognition‐related neuropsychological tests before and after chemotherapy. The altered brain regions are in line with those associated with impaired cognitive domains in previous studies. We conclude that breast cancer patients showed widespread morphological alterations soon after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, despite an absence of cognitive impairments. The affected brain regions may indicate major targets of early brain damage after chemotherapy.
Research progress of endogenous neural stem cells in spinal cord injury
Authors: Wang Ya‐Ting , Yuan Hao
Published: June 2022

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe disabling disease, which mainly manifests as impairments of sensory and motor functions, sexual function, bladder and intestinal functions, respiratory and cardiac functions below the injury plane. In addition, the condition has a profound effect on the mental health of patients, which often results in severe sequelae. Some patients may be paraplegic for life or even die, which places a huge burden on the family and society. There is still no effective treatment for SCI. Studies have confirmed that endogenous neural stem cells (ENSCs), as multipotent neural stem cells, which are located in the ependymal region of the central canal of the adult mammalian spinal cord, are activated after SCI and then differentiate into various nerve cells to promote endogenous repair and regeneration. However, the central canal of the spinal cord is often occluded to varying degrees in adults, and residual ependymal cells cannot be activated and do not proliferate after SCI. Besides, the destruction of the microenvironment after SCI is also an important factor that affects the proliferation and differentiation of ENSCs and spinal cord repair. Therefore, this review describes the role of ENSCs in SCI, in terms of the origin, transformation, treatment, and influencing factors, to provide new ideas for clinical treatment of SCI.
Social support and end‐of‐semester depression, burnout, and adjustment in students making the transition to university
Authors: Dunn Leigh C. , Alexander Sean M. , Howard Andrea L.
Published: June 2022

Nearly 40% of Canadian university students are depressed. However, strong social support may mitigate adverse outcomes for some. This study examined: (1) If students who showed initial depression were more likely to experience poorer end‐of‐semester well‐being (continued depressive symptoms, burnout, and poor social and academic adjustment); and (2) if social support was a moderator for initial depression effects on poorer end‐of‐semester well‐being. Participants (N = 461) were first‐time first‐year undergraduates who completed questionnaires in September and December 2018. Entering university with depressive symptoms was associated with end‐of‐semester depression, burnout and decreased academic adjustment. Across well‐being outcomes, social support was not beneficial for those who entered university with high depressive symptoms.
Are lower interest rates really associated with higher growth? New empirical evidence on the interest rate thesis from 19 countries
Authors: Lee Kang‐Soek , Werner Richard A.
Published: June 2022

There is a substantial literature on the link between finance and growth. Empirical evidence remains inconclusive and the debate continues. In this paper, we adopt the research strategy of focusing on a narrower underlying issue that remains at the core of most macroeconomic theories, namely the interest rate thesis (that lower rates result in higher growth and vice versa). If there are problems with this relationship, this could explain the lack of consensus on the finance‐growth nexus. The question is also of practical relevance: Central banks have been focusing on interest rate policy on the assumption that the interest rate thesis holds. There are theoretical reasons why this may not be the case. We conduct an analysis of time‐varying dynamic conditional correlation in a GARCH model and of the direction of statistical causation between nominal interest rates and real economic activity in 19 industrialized and emerging economies. We find evidence that interest rates are not negatively correlated with economic growth and do not cause growth. Instead, we find evidence that the relationship may be the opposite in both dimensions. This adds to recent doubts about the prevailing conduct of monetary policy and common theoretical models. Specifically, lowering interest rates may be counter‐productive when trying to stimulate the economy.
Links between growth, trade and financial openness in South Africa: An empirical investigation
Authors: Katircioglu Setareh , Katircioglu Salih , Irani Farid
Published: June 2022

This study aims to confirm an empirical link between financial openness, foreign trade and income growth in South Africa. Although domestic credits, trade and growth are cointegrated, the findings indicate that no such link can be observed between money supply and exports as exports are a result of foreign demand and hence subject to foreign monetary factors rather than domestic financial development. The results of causality analyses reveal that the export‐led and supply‐leading hypotheses are confirmed for South Africa. Money supply in South Africa is also output driven. Finally, the study shows that changes in domestic credits precede significant changes in trade and growth in South Africa. As a result, this study suggests that the creation of domestic credits is a significant force behind trade and aggregate income in the region.
On delivering cloud‐network slicing networking and service management through EDCS slice granularity monitoring
Authors: Costa Kevin , Dantas Silva Felipe S. , Maciel Douglas , Santos Charles , Neto Augusto J. V.
Published: June 2022

In the last years, several new Internet service models have been consolidated due to the innovative business vision introduced by the 5G verticals. This scenario, designed to support diverse application requirements with very stringent quality constraints, demands the rapid development of new management and orchestration strategies which the main goal is to accomplish end‐to‐end service delivery. One of the main advancements in the 5G development is the network slicing concept, which seeks to maximize its capabilities by offering network service and resource abstraction over several different physical networks, thus improving end‐to‐end service delivery flexibly. Our previous work introduces an edge‐cloud‐supported monitoring approach (EDCS) to cope with current demands in slicing resource monitoring. This paper extends the previous study with a detailed operational description of the proposed EDCS solution, highlighting how it can be deployed to operationalize slicing monitoring in cloud‐network slicing scenarios.
Implantable graded‐index fibers for neural‐dynamics‐resolving brain imaging in awake mice on an air‐lifted platform
Authors: Pochechuev Matvey S. , Fedotov Ilya V. , Martynov Grigoriy N. , Solotenkov Maxim A. , Ivashkina Olga I. , Rogozhnikova Olga S. , Fedotov Andrei B. , Anokhin Konstantin V. , Zheltikov Aleksei M.
Published: June 2022

We demonstrate a versatile framework for cellular brain imaging in awake mice based on suitably tailored segments of graded‐index (GRIN) fiber. Closed‐form solutions to ray‐path equations for graded‐index waveguides are shown to offer important insights into image‐transmission properties of GRIN fibers, suggesting useful recipes for optimized GRIN‐fiber‐based deep‐brain imaging. We show that the lengths of GRIN imaging components intended for deep‐brain studies in freely moving rodents need to be chosen as a tradeoff among the spatial resolution, the targeted imaging depth and the degree of fiber‐probe invasiveness. In the experimental setting that we present in this paper, the head of an awake mouse with a GRIN‐fiber implant is fixed under a microscope objective, but the mouse is free to move around an in‐house‐built flat‐floored air‐lifted platform, exploring a predesigned environment, configured as an arena for one of standard cognitive tests. We show that cellular‐resolution deep‐brain imaging can be integrated in this setting with robust cell‐specific optical neural recording to enable in vivo studies with minimal physical restraints on animal models. The enhancement of the information capacity of the fluorescence signal, achieved via a suitable filtering of the GRIN‐fiber readout, is shown to open routes toward practical imaging modalities whereby the deep‐brain neuronal dynamics and axonal connections underpinning the integrative functions of essential brain structures can be studied in awake rodent models.
Shape memory injectable cryogel based on carboxymethyl chitosan/gelatin for minimally invasive tissue engineering: In vitro and in vivo assays
Authors: Olov Nafiseh , Mirzadeh Hamid , Moradi Roshanak , Rajabi Sarah , Bagheri‐Khoulenjani Shadab
Published: June 2022

Shape‐memory cryogels have drawn attention as an injectable system to minimize the risks associated with surgical implantation in tissue engineering. To achieve shape memory behavior with hydration as an external stimulus, it is necessary to have a porous elastic network. To achieve this, it is crucial to control the crosslinking process at the time of pore formation, especially for natural‐based polymers. In this study, a versatile method using a cryogelation method in the presence of chemical and physical crosslinkers is investigated to obtain an injectable super macroporous elastic structure based on a poly(ampholyte) (carboxymethyl chitosan) and a protein (gelatin). Mechanical, swelling, shape memorizing behavior, injectability, and in vitro and in vivo behavior of cryogels were studied. Cryogelation in a subzero temperature led to the formation of scaffolds with interconnected pores of the size of 350 μm which swelled completely after 3 min. Cryogels had crosslink density up to 22% and elastic modulus in the hydrated state up to 0.054 and 1.733 MPa at low and high strains, respectively, and low hysteresis (<30 kPa). Injectability studies confirmed the ability of the cryogels to be injected through a 16G needle. In vitro studies demonstrated good cellular penetration, cell adhesion, and high cell viability (>100%). In vivo studies using mice showed that the body's response was befitting without inflammation and any side effect for the liver and kidneys.
Mobilization with high‐dose granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor alone at 12 μg/kg twice a day in high‐risk pediatric patients: A retrospective analysis of the experience in a single center
Authors: Iriondo June , Zubicaray Josune , Sebastián Elena , González de Pablo Jesús , González‐Vicent Marta , Molina Blanca , López‐Torija Ivan , Castillo Ana , Ramírez Manuel , Madero Luis , Díaz Miguel Ángel , Sevilla Julián
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Mobilization regimes in pediatric patients at high risk for poor mobilization are not standardized across different institutions. We present a retrospective analysis of our experience with a high‐dose granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) regime of 12 μg/Kg per body weight (BW) twice a day for 4 days used in high‐risk patients.

Material and methods

We report the results of all pediatric patients mobilized with high‐dose G‐CSF between January 1999 and February 2021 in our center. A successful mobilization was defined as a peripheral blood (PB) CD34+ cell count of ≥10 CD34+ cells/μl on the fifth day of mobilization immediately before leukapheresis. A minimum cell yield of ≥2 × 106 CD34+ cells/Kg of BW was required for a successful collection.

Results

Of the 262 patients included in the analysis, mobilization failure was found in 27 (10.3%). In a univariate analysis, this was associated with age, weight, baseline diagnosis, and having undergone a previous mobilization cycle, the latter being the only factor that remained significantly associated in a multivariate analysis (P = 0.03). The 54 patients (20.6%) did not reach the minimum required CD34+ cell yield. 50.4% of the patients reported adverse events (AEs) during the mobilization period, and 23 (9.1%) reported 3 or more concomitant AEs. However, all of them were mild and did not affect the mobilization schedule.

Conclusions

Although most high‐risk pediatric patients are successfully mobilized with the high‐dose G‐CSF regime, this approach does not salvage all of them and significantly increases the presence of AEs in comparison to standard‐dose regimes.
Controlled synthesis of aliphatic polycarbonate diols using dimethyl carbonate and various diols
Authors: Liu Tong , Wang Gongying , Yang Xiangui
Published: June 2022

Polycarbonate diols (PCDLs) are mainly used as soft segments for the synthesis of high‐performance polyurethanes. In this work, dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and aliphatic diols are selected as reactants and CH3COONa is used as a catalyst to synthesize a series of PCDLs with different structures and different molecular weights by ester exchange polymerization reaction. The chemical structures of the PCDLs are characterized by FT‐IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR, and the components of the distillates in the ester exchange stage are analyzed by gas chromatography. Due to the azeotropic problem of DMC and by‐product methanol during the ester exchange process, It is difficult to design and control the reactions of PCDLs to obtain the target molecular weight products. Based on the reaction process of PCDLs, we proposed a method to design and synthesize the target molecular weight of PCDLs by using the reaction molar ratio of DMC and aliphatic diols involved in the transesterification reaction, which is not affected by the conditions of transesterification reaction and is applicable to the reactions of DMC with various diols.
Association Between Antiosteoporotic Drugs and Risk of Acute Kidney Injury: A Cross‐Sectional Study Using Disproportional Analysis and a Pharmacovigilance Database
Authors: Mitsuboshi Satoru , Kaseda Ryohei , Narita Ichiei
Published: June 2022

The number of fractures related to osteoporosis is expected to increase. Therefore, clarifying the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with each type of antiosteoporotic drug may avoid discontinuation of osteoporosis pharmacotherapy due to onset of AKI. This cross‐sectional study using disproportional analysis and a pharmacovigilance database assessed the risk of AKI with various antiosteoporotic drugs by analyzing data entered into the US Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System from April 2014 to March 2021 and the Medical Data Vision database in Japan in November 2021. All antiosteoporotic drugs were investigated, including bisphosphonates, selective estrogen receptor modulators, denosumab, romosozumab, abaloparatide, and teriparatide. In the analysis of US Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System data, disproportionality for decreasing AKI was observed for oral ibandronate (reporting odds ratios [ROR], 0.22; 95%CI, 0.09‐0.45; P < .01), bazedoxifene (ROR, 0.26; 95%CI, 0.05‐0.77; P = .01), and intravenous ibandronate (ROR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.14‐0.86; P = .01). In the analysis of the Medical Data Vision data, the incidence of AKI was lower in patients taking intravenous ibandronate (odds ratio, 0.22; 95%CI, 0.06‐0.89; P = .03), and the incidence of AKI was higher in patients taking oral alendronate (odds ratio, 2.40; 95%CI, 2.08‐2.77; P < .01). Risk of AKI may differ even among oral antiosteoporotic drugs, and the evidence of this association should be assessed further in future drug safety studies.
The effect of thermal microenvironment in upper thermal tolerance plasticity in tropical tadpoles. Implications for vulnerability to climate warming
Authors: Turriago Jorge L. , Tejedo Miguel , Hoyos Julio M. , Bernal Manuel H.
Published: June 2022

Current climate change is generating accelerated increase in extreme heat events and organismal plastic adjustments in upper thermal tolerances, (critical thermal maximum ‐CTmax) are recognized as the quicker mitigating mechanisms. However, current research casts doubt on the actual mitigating role of thermal acclimation to face heat impacts, due to its low magnitude and weak environmental signal. Here, we examined these drawbacks by first estimating maximum extent of thermal acclimation by examining known sources of variation affecting CTmax expression, such as daily thermal fluctuation and heating rates. Second, we examined whether the magnitude and pattern of CTmax plasticity is dependent of the thermal environment by comparing the acclimation responses of six species of tropical amphibian tadpoles inhabiting thermally contrasting open and shade habitats and, finally, estimating their warming tolerances (WT = CTmax – maximum temperatures) as estimator of heating risk. We found that plastic CTmax responses are improved in tadpoles exposed to fluctuating daily regimens. Slow heating rates implying longer duration assays determined a contrasting pattern in CTmax plastic expression, depending on species environment. Shade habitat species suffer a decline in CTmax whereas open habitat tadpoles greatly increase it, suggesting an adaptive differential ability of hot exposed species to quick hardening adjustments. Open habitat tadpoles although overall acclimate more than shade habitat species, cannot capitalize this beneficial increase in CTmax, because the maximum ambient temperatures are very close to their critical limits, and this increase may not be large enough to reduce acute heat stress under the ongoing global warming.
Impact of delay in adjuvant therapy for gallbladder adenocarcinoma
Authors: Hamad Ahmad , Aquina Christopher T. , Ansari Aliya , Salahuddin Aneesa , Shen Chengli , Cloyd Jordan M. , Pawlik Timothy M. , Ejaz Aslam
Published: June 2022

Background

Receipt of adjuvant therapy for gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GBAC) is associated with a survival benefit. This study sought to identify whether delays in initiation of adjuvant therapy among patients with resected GBAC impacts long‐term survival.

Methods

Patients with stage II and III GBAC who underwent a curative‐intent resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation between 2004 and 2017 were queried from the National Cancer Data Base. Descriptive statistics and multivariate models were constructed to determine the relationship between timely (<12 weeks) and delayed (>12 weeks) adjuvant therapy and overall survival (OS).

Results

A total of 871 patients with GBAC were identified. The median time to receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy was 67 days and the median time to receipt of adjuvant chemoradiation was 69 days. After controlling for all factors, treatment at an Academic/Research center was the only variable associated with timely receipt of adjuvant therapy. However, after controlling for clinically relevant factors, the timing of adjuvant therapy did not impact OS (delayed: HR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.46‐1.85; P = .83).

Conclusion

Current guidelines support the use of adjuvant therapy following resection of GBAC. This national cohort study demonstrates that delays in adjuvant therapy >12 weeks did not impact long‐term survival.
Risk factors for postoperative pneumonia after hepatectomy with extrahepatic bile duct resection
Authors: Uemura Masao , Ashida Ryo , Sugiura Teiichi , Okamura Yukiyasu , Ohgi Katsuhisa , Yamada Mihoko , Otsuka Shimpei , Notsu Akifumi , Uesaka Katsuhiko
Published: June 2022

Background

The present study investigated the incidence of postoperative pneumonia (POP) after hepatectomy with extrahepatic bile duct resection (BDR) and elucidated risk factors for POP.

Methods

A total of 257 patients undergoing hepatectomy with BDR between 2011 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the incidence of POP, defined by the Clavien‐Dindo grade ≥ II. The predictive factors for POP were identified using logistic regression analysis of the pre‐ and intraoperative evaluable factors.

Results

Postoperative pneumonia developed in 15 patients (5.8%), diagnosed as grade IV or V in five patients. In a multivariate analysis, a vital capacity ratio (%VC) <80% (odds ratio [OR] 7.30, P = .005), age ≥ 74 years old (OR 5.39, P = .026), and future liver volume remnant (FLR) ratio ≤ 40% (OR 4.97, P = .045) were independent risk factors for POP. Among patients with performing spirometry, the incidence of developing POP was 1.0%, 8.8%, and 60% in patients with 0, 1‐2, and 3 risk factors, respectively.

Conclusions

The incidence of POP in patients undergoing hepatectomy with BDR was 5.8%. A %VC <80%, age ≥74 years old, and FLR ratio ≤40% were identified as preoperative predictive factors of developing POP.
Ascites in infantile onset type II Sialidosis
Authors: Tazi Kaoutar , Guy‐Viterbo Vanessa , Gheldof Alexander , Empain Aurélie , Paternoster Anne , De Laet Corinne
Published: June 2022

Sialidosis is a rare autosomal‐recessive lysosomal storage disease due to mutations in the NEU1 gene leading to a deficit of alpha‐n‐acetyl neuraminidase and causing aberrant accumulation of sialylated glycoproteins/peptides and oligosaccharides in the lysosomes of various organs and tissues. Type II sialidosis (dysmorphic form) is classified into three subgroups based on the age of onset and the clinical severity: Congenital or neonatal, infantile (onset 0–12 months) and juvenile form (onset 13 months–20 years). We report the case of a 3‐year‐old boy with sialidosis type II infantile form, who developed a voluminous ascites. To the best of our knowledge, ascites is not described in the infantile form but in the congenital form of the disease. Ascites seems to be of a multifactorial origin regarding our investigations: on the one hand, portal hypertension and on the other hypoalbuminemia maintained by proteinuria secondary to nephrosialidosis. Loss of plasma proteins in the gastrointestinal tract (protein‐losing enteropathy) should also be considered in the case of portal hypertension and damages of the reticuloendothelial system.
A noise circulating VCO with an intrinsic injection locking tripler
Authors: Xing Zhao , Liu Huihua , Wu Yunqiu , Zhao Chenxi , Yu Yiming , Kang Kai
Published: June 2022

A noise circulating voltage‐controlled oscillator (VCO) with an intrinsic injection locking tripler is introduced. Based on the conventional frequency tripling scheme, by integrating the injection transistor pair into the fundamental VCO core, the current of the fundamental VCO core is reused by the injection transistor pair, and the phase noise is reduced due to the noise circulating behavior. The proposed VCO may achieve the fundamental and 3rd harmonic outputs, simultaneously. A protype design is implemented in a standard 65 nm CMOS process, with a tuning range of 33.68–40.11 GHz (17.4%). The phase noise at 1‐MHz offset varies between −101.2 and −97.9 dBc/Hz among the tuning range. The FoMT is in the range of 190.4 and 187.9 dBc/Hz, at 1‐MHz offset.
Comparing the histological assessment following ridge preservation using a composite bovine‐derived xenograft versus an alloplast hydroxyapatite‐sugar cross‐linked collagen matrix
Authors: Casarez‐Quintana Alicia , Mealey Brian L. , Kotsakis Georgios , Palaiologou Archontia
Published: June 2022

Background

This randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the histological wound healing and alveolar ridge dimensional changes following ridge preservation using two different xenograft/collagen matrices.

Methods

Fifty‐four patients each with non‐molar teeth that required extraction and replacement with dental implants were enrolled. Teeth extractions were completed with minimal flap reflection and were randomized to receive ridge preservation with either 90% bovine‐derived xenograft granules in a 10% porcine collagen matrix (Group A) or a sponge‐like matrix of 80% microparticulate hydroxyapatite alloplast graft with 20% sugar cross‐linked porcine type 1 collagen (Group B). After 16 weeks of healing and at the time of implant placement, a bone core biopsy was harvested followed by dental implant placement. The primary histological outcome evaluated were percentage of vital bone formation and connective tissue/other (fibrous tissue and marrow space). Secondary outcomes included the change in alveolar ridge width and the buccal and lingual ridge height. Statistical analysis was completed with two‐sample t‐test and Fisher exact test.

Results

Forty‐four patients completed the study, 23 in group A and 21 in group B. Group B presented with statistically significantly (p = 0.02) more percentage of vital bone (39.3 ± 17.8) than group A (26.8 ± 15.8). No statistically significant difference was observed for changes in alveolar ridge dimensions.

Conclusions

Group B, when used for ridge preservation, yields statistically significantly more vital bone over a 4‐month healing period. Ridge dimension changes were similar between the two groups and were adequate for implant placement.