bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin-(1–7) infusion in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU: a seamless phase 1–2 randomized clinical trial
Authors: Martins Ana Luiza Valle , Annoni Filippo , da Silva Filipe Alex , Bolais-Ramos Lucas , de Oliveira Gisele Capanema , Ribeiro Renata Cunha , Diniz Mirella Monique Lana , Silva Thuanny Granato Fonseca , Pinheiro Beatriz Dias , Rodrigues Natália Abdo , dos Santos Matos Alana Helen , Motta-Santos Daisy , Campagnole-Santos Maria José , Verano-Braga Thiago , Taccone Fabio Silvio , Santos Robson Augusto Souza
Published: September 2024

Background

The coronavirus-related disease (COVID-19) is mainly characterized by a respiratory involvement. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has a relevant role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, as the virus enters host’s cells via the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

Methods

This investigator-initiated, seamless phase 1–2 randomized clinical trial was conceived to test the safety and efficacy of continuous short-term (up to 7 days) intravenous administration of Angiotensin-(1–7) in COVID-19 patients admitted to two intensive care units (ICU). In addition to standard of care, intravenous administration of Angiotensin-(1–7) was started at 5 mcg/Kg day and increased to 10 mcg/Kg day after 24 h (Phase 1; open label trial) or given at 10 mcg/Kg day and continued for a maximum of 7 days or until ICU discharge (Phase 2; double-blind randomized controlled trial). The rate of serious adverse events (SAEs) served as the primary outcome of the study for Phase 1, and the number of oxygen free days (OFDs) by day 28 for Phase 2.

Results

Between August 2020 and July 2021, when the study was prematurely stopped due to low recruitment rate, 28 patients were included in Phase 1 and 79 patients in Phase 2. Of those, 78 were included in the intention to treat analysis, and the primary outcome was available for 77 patients. During Phase 1, one SAE (i.e., bradycardia) was considered possibly related to the infusion, justifying its discontinuation. In Phase 2, OFDs did not differ between groups (median 19 [0–21] vs. 14 [0–18] days; p = 0.15). When patients from both phases were analyzed in a pooled intention to treat approach (Phase 1–2 trial), OFDs were significantly higher in treated patients, when compared to controls (19 [0–21] vs. 14 [0–18] days; absolute difference −5 days, 95% CI [0–7] p = 0.04).

Conclusions

The main findings of our study indicate that continuous intravenous infusion of Angiotensin-(1–7) at 10 mcg/Kg day in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU with severe pneumonia is safe. In Phase II intention to treat analysis, there was no significant difference in OFD between groups.

Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04633772—Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos, UTN number: U1111-1255-7167.
Chromosomal instability: a key driver in glioma pathogenesis and progression
Authors: Mazzoleni Adele , Awuah Wireko Andrew , Sanker Vivek , Bharadwaj Hareesha Rishab , Aderinto Nicholas , Tan Joecelyn Kirani , Huang Helen Ye Rim , Poornaselvan Jeisun , Shah Muhammad Hamza , Atallah Oday , Tawfik Aya , Elmanzalawi Mohamed Elsayed Abdelmeguid Elsayed , Ghozlan Sama Hesham , Abdul-Rahman Toufik , Moyondafoluwa Jeremiah Adepoju , Alexiou Athanasios , Papadakis Marios
Published: September 2024

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a pivotal factor in gliomas, contributing to their complexity, progression, and therapeutic challenges. CIN, characterized by frequent genomic alterations during mitosis, leads to genetic abnormalities and impacts cellular functions. This instability results from various factors, including replication errors and toxic compounds. While CIN’s role is well documented in cancers like ovarian cancer, its implications for gliomas are increasingly recognized. CIN influences glioma progression by affecting key oncological pathways, such as tumor suppressor genes (e.g., TP53), oncogenes (e.g., EGFR), and DNA repair mechanisms. It drives tumor evolution, promotes inflammatory signaling, and affects immune interactions, potentially leading to poor clinical outcomes and treatment resistance. This review examines CIN’s impact on gliomas through a narrative approach, analyzing data from PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Scopus. It highlights CIN’s role across glioma subtypes, from adult glioblastomas and astrocytomas to pediatric oligodendrogliomas and astrocytomas. Key findings include CIN’s effect on tumor heterogeneity and its potential as a biomarker for early detection and monitoring. Emerging therapies targeting CIN, such as those modulating tumor mutation burden and DNA damage response pathways, show promise but face challenges. The review underscores the need for integrated therapeutic strategies and improved bioinformatics tools like CINdex to advance understanding and treatment of gliomas. Future research should focus on combining CIN-targeted therapies with immune modulation and personalized medicine to enhance patient outcomes.
Vehicle-to-Grid: quantification of its contribution to security of supply through the F-Factor methodology
Authors: Giannelos Spyros , Borozan Stefan , Strbac Goran , Zhang Tai , Kong Wangwei
Published: September 2024

The increasing adoption of electric vehicles is expected to substantially raise electricity demand. This could require significant grid investment to maintain secure electricity supply, which has traditionally been provided through infrastructure upgrades. The potential of smart technologies like Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) to contribute to security of supply has prompted the need to quantify their impact. We hypothesize that the F-Factor methodology can effectively quantify V2G’s security of supply contribution. Applying F-Factor analysis to V2G through optimization modeling and sensitivity studies, we find that key parameters like V2G charger ratings, EV battery capacities, and load profile peakiness significantly influence the results. We conclude that the F-Factor provides a valuable tool for assessing V2G’s potential to enhance security of supply, with implications for more efficient grid planning in the context of transport electrification.
A serological survey of COVID-19 among predominantly aboriginal residents of a tourist island in southern Thailand
Authors: Sripaew Supakorn , Yasharad Kameelah , Rahari Dzerlina S. , Feng Weiyan , Qian Zhenzhu , Thanh Huynh Ngoc , Li Pei , Fitriangga Agus , Purwanto Satiti Palupi , Phyu Aye Nyein , Xianyu Fangming , Phadungvitvatthana Sombat , Wichaidit Wit , Kumwichar Ponlagrit , Chongsuvivatwong Virasakdi
Published: September 2024

Background

The current survey describes the seroprevalence, history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and vaccination status among predominantly aboriginal residents on a tourist island in southern Thailand. This information can be translated into COVID-19 vaccination and control plans for this population.

Methods

We implemented questionnaire interviews and collected blood samples from 249 residents of Lipe Island, Satun Province, in January 2022. We measured the anti-nucleocapsid protein and anti-spike (anti-S) receptor-binding protein levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG. The differences in antibody levels among participants with different histories of vaccination and infection were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance with multiple comparisons.

Results

During the 2-year pandemic period, no island residents with COVID-19 required hospitalization despite the high prevalence of hypertension (33.3%) and diabetes mellitus (21.7%). Approximately 18.8% of the participants reported a history of COVID-19 diagnosis. In total, 95.1% of the participants had a history of complete vaccination, of which 93.5% were seropositive. The anti-S IgG geometric means (geometric standard deviation) were 3945.8 (2.0), 829.8 (9.7) AU/mL, 789.9 (5.3) AU/mL, and 22.7 (7.1) AU/mL, respectively, in participants with a history of both COVID-19 diagnosis and complete vaccination (group 1), incomplete vaccination and subsequent COVID-19 diagnosis (group 2), complete vaccination but no previous infection (group 3), or neither previous COVID-19 and complete vaccination (group 4). Significant pairwise differences in anti-S IgG levels were found between certain groups (1 vs 3, 1 vs 4, 2 vs 4, and 3 vs 4).

Conclusions

The high coverage of vaccination, high levels of population antibody titers, variable antibody levels among completely vaccinated non-infected residents, and high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) suggested that the local health systems could control the pandemic. However, continuing surveillance, booster vaccinations, and NCD prevention programs were still required.
Antibiotic resistance challenge: evaluating anthraquinones as rifampicin monooxygenase inhibitors through integrated bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Arabestani Mohammad Reza , Saadat Masoumeh , Taherkhani Amir
Published: September 2024

Objective

Antibiotic resistance poses a pressing and crucial global public health challenge, leading to significant clinical and health-related consequences. Substantial evidence highlights the pivotal involvement of rifampicin monooxygenase (RIFMO) in the context of antibiotic resistance. Hence, inhibiting RIFMO could offer potential in the treatment of various infections. Anthraquinones, a group of organic compounds, have shown promise in addressing tuberculosis. This study employed integrated bioinformatics approaches to evaluate the potential inhibitory effects of a selection of anthraquinones on RIFMO. The findings were subsequently compared with those of rifampicin (RIF), serving as a positive control inhibitor.

Methods

The AutoDock 4.0 tool assessed the binding free energy between 21 anthraquinones and the RIFMO catalytic cleft. The ligands were ranked based on the most favorable scores derived from ΔGbinding. The docking analyses for the highest-ranked anthraquinone and RIF underwent a cross-validation process. This validation procedure utilized the SwissDock server and the Schrödinger Maestro docking software. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to scrutinize the stability of the backbone atoms in free RIFMO, RIFMO-RIF, and RIFMO complexed with the top-ranked anthraquinone throughout a 100-ns computer simulation. The Discovery Studio Visualizer tool visualized interactions between RIFMO residues and ligands. An evaluation of the pharmacokinetics and toxicity profiles of the tested compounds was also conducted.

Results

Five anthraquinones were indicated with ΔGbinding scores less than − 10 kcal/mol. Hypericin emerged as the most potent RIFMO inhibitor, boasting a ΔGbinding score and inhibition constant value of − 12.11 kcal/mol and 798.99 pM, respectively. The agreement across AutoDock 4.0, SwissDock, and Schrödinger Maestro results highlighted hypericin’s notable binding affinity to the RIFMO catalytic cleft. The RIFMO-hypericin complex achieved stability after a 70-ns computer simulation, exhibiting a root-mean-square deviation of 0.55 nm. Oral bioavailability analysis revealed that all anthraquinones except hypericin, sennidin A, and sennidin B may be suitable for oral administration. Furthermore, the carcinogenicity prediction analysis indicated a favorable safety profile for all examined anthraquinones.

Conclusion

Inhibiting RIFMO, particularly with anthraquinones such as hypericin, holds promise as a potential therapeutic strategy for infectious diseases.
Hypofractionated Preoperative Radiation Should Not Yet Be Used as Standard of Care for Extremity and Truncal Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Authors: Baldini Elizabeth H. , Guadagnolo B. Ashleigh , Salerno Kilian E. , Chung Peter , Bishop Andrew J. , Kalbasi Anusha , Miah Aisha , Bedi Meena , Harris Jeremy P. , Petersen Ivy , Gillham Charles , Wiltink Lisette M. , Alektiar Kaled M. , Haas Rick L. , Kirsch David G.
Published: September 2024

Hypofractionated radiation therapy regimens should not be used as standard of care for localized soft tissue sarcoma
Episteme und asthetik der raummodellierung in literatur und kunst des Theodoros Metochites
Authors: Κερμανίδης Μάρκος
Published: September 2024

Η παρούσα Διατριβή αναλύει τη συνθετική δομή των αναπαραστάσεων Χώρου στο λογοτεχνικό και καλλιτεχνικό έργο ενός σημαίνοντος βυζαντινού λογίου της πρώιμης παλαιολόγειας εποχής, του Θεοδώρου Μετοχίτη (1270–1332), λαμβάνοντας υπόψη της τις εξελίξεις στην αισθητική του Χώρου στους αντίστοιχους ή παρεμφερείς με τους προαναφερθέντες τομείς αναπαράστασης κατά την εποχή της λεγόμενης ευρωπαϊκής Αναγέννησης ή πρώιμης Νεωτερικότητας. Η έρευνα επικεντρώνει το ενδιαφέρον της σε δύο καταστατικά στοιχεία αυτών των αναπαραστάσεων, το επιστημολογικό/επιστημονικό και στυλιστικό/αισθητικό υπόβαθρο ή επίπεδο του Λόγου και της Τέχνης, αξιοποιώντας την επιστημονική μεθοδολογία της ανάλυσης Λόγου, της αφηγηματολογίας και της στυλιστικής (λογοτεχνικής και καλλιτεχνικής) σημειολογίας. Η μελέτη καταλήγει στο συμπέρασμα ότι οι χωρικές αναπαραστάσεις του Μετοχίτη αποκλίνουν όχι μόνο από την αρχαία, αλλά και από την ίδια τη βυζαντινή παράδοση του λογοτεχνικού και καλλιτεχνικού Χώρου προς μια κατεύθυνση, η οποία δε θα μπορούσε να καταστεί ερμηνεύσιμη και κατανοητή χωρίς την επισκόπηση της αντίστοιχης "μοντέρνας αισθητικής" του Χώρου την ευρωπαϊκής Αναγέννησης.
Preparing Future Teachers for the Use of Distance Learning Technologies: A Communicative Aspect
Authors: Fulin V.
Published: September 2024

The article considers the communicative aspect of preparing future teachers for the use of distance educational technologies. In the context of the digital transformation of education, the role of information and communication competencies of a young specialist for organizing the educational process is increasing. The use of new technologies in the educational process often leads to problems in the educational and pedagogical interaction of its participants and requires an orientation towards the communicative aspect of professional pedagogical training in the context of the use of digital technologies.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of the communicative aspect of preparing future teachers for the use of distance educational technologies.

The research is based on theoretical (analysis, systematization, generalization of the statements of the scientific literature on the research topic) and empirical methods (analysis of the results of students' activities, pedagogical supervision). The necessity of developing competencies among future teachers in the field of using communication tools of the digital educational space in the educational process is shown. The types of educational and pedagogical interactions in digital learning are determined and digital educational space tools for their implementation are proposed.

Prospects for further research may be related to the development of methodological recommendations for the use of digital educational space (DES) elements to implement the communicative aspect, as well as expanding the participants in the educational process by adding a new subject “Parents of the student.”
Elasticidad y resistencia de materiales. Del punto a la estructura
Authors: Barroso Caro Alberto , Cañas Delgado José , Correa Montoto Elena , Graciani Díaz Enrique , Justo Estebaranz Jesús
Published: September 2024

"Elasticidad y resistencia de materiales. Del punto a la estructura" es una obra concebida para el aprendizaje de la asignatura del mismo nombre que se imparte en el grado de Ingeniería de Tecnologías Industriales de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de la Universidad de Sevilla. Se trata de un texto de referencia para los que se inician en el estudio de estructuras de barras, que viene precedido de una breve introducción a la mecánica del sólido deformable. El libro, además de diversos capítulos dedicados a estudiar el efecto que las diversas solicitaciones tienen sobre el comportamiento estructural de la barra o de la estructura, incluye al final de cada capítulo una colección de problemas resueltos sobre la temática abordada. Asimismo, se incluye una serie de anexos que amplían los conocimientos sobre diferentes aspectos relacionados con las estructuras de barras.
Code and Data Repository for A Sequential Follower Refinement Algorithm for Robust Surgery Scheduling
Authors: Bansal Ankit , Richard Jean-Philippe , Berg Bjorn P. , Huang Yu-Li
Published: September 2024

The data folder includes the surgery time data for the instances addressed in this paper. The MATLAB codes are available upon request.
Code and Data Repository for A Restricted Dual Peaceman-Rachford Splitting Method for a Strengthened DNN Relaxation for QAP
Authors: Graham Naomi , Hu Hao , Im Jiyoung , Li Xinxin , Wolkowicz Henry
Published: September 2024

The goal of this software is to solve a doubly nonnegative (DNN) relaxation for the quadratic assignment problem (QAP).
The Value of Robust Assortment Optimization Under Ranking-Based Choice Models
Authors: Sturt Bradley
Published: September 2024

We study a class of robust assortment optimization problems that was proposed by Farias et al. [Farias VF, Jagabathula S, Shah D (2013) A nonparametric approach to modeling choice with limited data. Management Sci. 59(2):305–322]. The goal in these problems is to find an assortment that maximizes a firm’s worst-case expected revenue under all ranking-based choice models that are consistent with the historical sales data generated by the firm’s past assortments. We establish for various settings that these robust optimization problems can either be solved in polynomial time or can be reformulated as compact mixed-integer optimization problems. To establish our results, we prove that optimal assortments for these robust optimization problems have a simple structure that is closely related to the structure of revenue-ordered assortments. We use our results to show how robust optimization can be used to overcome the risks of estimate-then-optimize and the need for experimentation with ranking-based choice models in the overparameterized regime.

This paper was accepted by Omar Besbes, revenue management and market analytics.

Supplemental Material: The online appendices and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.04059 .
Pheochromocytoma and thyroid storm presenting as ST elevation myocardial infarction in a patient with non-obstructive coronary arteries
Authors: Shehzad Mustafa , Shehzad Dawood , Ahmad Muhammad , Younis Humna , Wassey Abdul , Fatima Rida
Published: September 2024

Introduction: Pheochromocytomas can present as a diagnostic challenge, given their diverse clinical manifestations. Though classically taught as presenting with headaches, palpitations and paroxysmal hypertension, only 1 in 4 present with such a triad. Catecholamines affect the myocardium in various ways, ranging from beta-adrenergic receptor-mediated myofibril dysfunction to direct myocardial injury by catecholamine oxidation products. Case description: We report the case of a 41-year-old female with no significant past medical history, who presented with acute coronary syndrome. She was found to have myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA), and her clinical course was complicated by erratic blood pressure management. Laboratory findings and imaging findings confirmed the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Post-cardiac catheterisation, she developed a thyroid storm and fatal cardiac arrest. Conclusions: The combination of hyperthyroidism with pheochromocytoma is rare but often fatal; iodinated angiography contrast likely precipitated her thyroid storm. This case underscores the importance of considering pheochromocytoma early in patients with MINOCA, particularly in those with erratic blood pressure. Pheochromocytomas have been reported to be associated with MINOCA in rare cases and have significant mortality. Current guidelines do not include pheochromocytoma as a possible differential diagnosis; recognition and early diagnosis are crucial for improved outcomes.
Construction and Application of Internet of Things Network Security Situation Prediction Model Based on BiLSTM Algorithm
Authors: Wu Yubao
Published: September 2024

IIoT is more and more extensive. However, security problem of IIoT is increasing. Traditional network security strategies can not fully evaluate the security situation of IIoT. In view of the incomplete selection of situation elements and the single dimension of evaluation system, we selected 14 secondary indicators from four dimensions: operation dimension, fragility dimension, stability dimension and threat dimension, and constructed the evaluation index system of IIoT. In the experiment, we selected 50 enterprises as samples, measured the IIoT system and collected data, and determined weight of each index. This article proposes an improved arithmetic optimization algorithm. Evaluate the performance of the model using a 10x cross validation method. The results show that our model reaches 92% accuracy, which is higher than existing models. Optimize parameters of the BiLSTM network by improving the sparrow search algorithm. The experimental results show that the optimized model also outperforms existing models in prediction accuracy. The MSE and MAE of our model are 0.023 and 0.018, respectively, which are reduced by 30% and 25% compared to existing models.
Legal Challenges and Perspectives of Cybersecurity in the System of State Governance of Educational Institutions in Ukraine
Authors: Dei Herasym , Shvets Dmytro , Lytvyn Nataliia , Sytnichenko Olena , Kobus Olena
Published: September 2024

The aim of this research is to provide a detailed analysis of the basics of cybersecurity, define the essence of cybersecurity and its characteristics in the system of state governance of educational institutions, determine the prospects for such provision, and take into account all possible legal challenges facing such provision. The study used a number of general and special methods of scientific knowledge, such as the method of systematic analysis and synthesis, the dialectical method, the normative method and the method of studying legal documents. In general, the author identifies the peculiarities of cybersecurity, analyses in detail the current state of cybersecurity in the system of public administration of educational institutions and provides examples of large-scale hacker attacks on universities, the conclusions from which are important for improving the protection of the educational system; outlines the main legal challenges that arise in the course of ensuring cybersecurity of educational institutions and which must be overcome in order to effectively identify and neutralise potential threats; highlights the prospects that arise in this light and which are likely to bring the desired result within the framework of Ukraine’s future European integration.
Comprehensive Survey on Vehicular Communication Security
Authors: Ismail Tayssir , Touati Haifa , Hajlaoui Nasreddine , Hadded Mohamed , Muhlethaler Paul , Bouzefrane Samia , Saidane Leila Azouz
Published: September 2024

Significant advancements in Cooperative and Autonomous Driving via Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications owe much to the rapid expansion and technological progress in vehicular communications, promising benefits like enhanced traffic flow and reduced energy consumption. However, this reliance on connected vehicles opens new security vulnerabilities.
This study provides a comprehensive overview of challenges in existing vehicular communications, with a specific focus on security attacks categorised by their impact on MAC, routing, and cross-layer levels. To ensure secure vehicular communication, we analyse existing solutions for both single and cross-layer attacks, evaluating their strengths and limitations from a security standpoint. Additionally, we innovate by addressing vulnerabilities across MAC, routing, and cross-layer interactions, offering practical insights and a unique approach to mitigating their combined impact. Our findings suggest that enhancements are needed for MAC layer security in TDMA protocols, and that routing protocols must be designed with better security features to manage high overheads and real-time requirements.
A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Pandemic: The 1977 "Russian Flu"
Authors: Burke Donald S. , Schleunes Amy
Published: September 2024

abstract: Surprisingly, the 1977 "Russian flu" H1N1 pandemic influenza virus was genetically indistinguishable from strains that had circulated decades earlier but had gone extinct in 1957. This essay puts forward the most plausible chronology to explain the reemergence of the 1977 H1N1 pandemic virus: (1) in January–February 1976, a self-limited small outbreak of a swine H1N1 influenza virus occurred among Army personnel at Fort Dix, New Jersey; (2) in March 1976, the US launched a nationwide H1N1 swine influenza vaccine program; (3) other countries then also launched their own H1N1 R&D efforts; (4) a new H1N1 outbreak, genetically unrelated to the Fort Dix swine virus but indistinguishable from previously extinct H1N1 viruses, was detected early in 1977 in China; (5) the leading Chinese influenza virologist later disclosed that the Chinese military had conducted large H1N1 vaccine R&D studies in 1976. It is likely that the resurrected H1N1 influenza viruses were laboratory-stored strains that were unfrozen and studied as part of the emergency response to a perceived epidemic threat, and that accidentally escaped. The fear of a possible H1N1 pandemic was the critical factor that gave rise to the actual H1N1 pandemic, resulting in an avoidable "self-fulfilling prophecy pandemic."
Moral Diversity for Medical Trainees
Authors: Frush Benjamin W. , Collier Kristin M.
Published: September 2024

abstract: While the proliferation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives among medical schools and residency training programs has provided important benefits of demographic and experiential diversity among medical trainees, there has not been a similar emphasis upon the importance of moral diversity in medical training. Enhanced attention to the importance of moral diversity and the centrality of conscience to medical practice might allow trainees to better interface with the morally diverse patients they serve, learn important virtues like humility, patience, and tolerance, and deepen their understanding of and appreciation for alternative moral viewpoints among their fellow practitioners.
Dual-channel lightweight GAN for enhancing color retinal images with noise suppression and structural protection
Authors: Liu Le , Jan Haseeb , Tang Chen , He Hongxuan , Zhang Liao , Lei Zhenkun
Published: September 2024

As we all know, suppressing noise while maintaining detailed structure has been a challenging problem in the field of image enhancement, especially for color retinal images. In this paper, a dual-channel lightweight GAN named dilated shuffle generative adversarial network (DS-GAN) is proposed to solve the above problems. The lightweight generator consists of the RB branch used in the red-blue channels and the GN branch used in the green channel. The branches are then integrated with a cat function to generate enhanced images. The RB branch cascades six identical RB-enhanced modules and adds skip connections. The structure of the GN branch is similar to that of the RB branch. The generator simultaneously leverages the local context extraction capability of the normal convolution and the global information extraction capability of the dilated convolution. In addition, it facilitates the fusion and communication of feature information between channels through channel shuffle. Additionally, we utilize the lightweight image classification model ShuffleNetV2 as a discriminator to distinguish between enhanced images and corresponding labels. We also constructed a dataset for color retinal image enhancement by using traditional methods and a hybrid loss function by combining the MS-SSIM and perceptual loss for training the generator. With the proposed dataset and loss function, we train the DS-GAN successfully. We test our method on four publicly available datasets (Messidor, DIARETDB0, DRIVE, and FIRE) and a clinic dataset from the Tianjin Eye Hospital (China), and compare it with six existing image enhancement methods. The results show that the proposed method can simultaneously suppress noise, preserve structure, and enhance contrast in color retinal image enhancement. It gets better results than the compared methods in all cases. Furthermore, the model has fewer parameters, which provides the possibility of real-time image enhancement for portable devices.
All-optical control of semiconductor nanostructure scattering/absorption via the photothermal effect [Invited]
Authors: Nishida Kentaro , Cheng Hao-Yu , Petrov Mihail , Chen Kuo-Ping , Takahara Junichi , Li Xiangping , Lin Kung-Hsuan , Chu Shi-Wei
Published: September 2024

The recent evolution of semiconductor nanodevices, including nanoresonators and metasurfaces, has provided active tunability of optical functionality by efficiently utilizing various mechanisms such as mechanical deformation, carrier concentration modulation, and a tunable liquid crystal medium. Among these ideas, thermally induced nonlinear light–matter interaction holds great potential to realize all-optical control of signal intensity with exceptionally large modulation depth. Here, we review recent innovations on all-optical photothermal control of resonant semiconductor nanophotonics devices by using pulse-excited transient modulation, the thermo-optic effect under continuous wave laser excitation, and chalcogenide phase change materials.
Tunable microwave pulse generation based on active mode-locked optoelectronic oscillator
Authors: Ma Chenyang , Tian Chen , Li Shangyuan , Xie Zhengyang , Zhao Xin , Zheng Zheng
Published: September 2024

Recently, active mode-locked optoelectronic oscillators(AML-OEO) have attracted much attention and discussion due to the characteristics of their output signals. In this paper, a structure of AML-OEO is proposed, which has the advantages of adjustable output signal center frequency and individually adjustable pulse duty cycle. Our experimental results show that this structure generates signals with a tunable range of 14 GHz in the center frequency, an individually adjustable duty cycle of the output pulse signals, and an output signal with a phase noise of up to -118.25dBc/Hz@10kHz. The structure is more compact than other tunable AML-OEO structures, which provides a new solution for the future integration of AML-OEOs.
Steady-state magnon entanglement and backaction-evading of a weak magnetic signal via two-tone modulated cavity electromagnonics
Authors: Hu Nianqi , Tan Huatang
Published: September 2024

Cavity electromagnonics explore the coupling between microwave cavity fields and magnons in micromagnets. This field has emerged as a promising platform for probing fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics and advancing quantum technologies. This paper investigates a scheme involving two-tone frequency modulation to engineer simultaneous magnon-photon two-mode squeezing and beam-splitter-like interactions. We demonstrate that this scheme enables the direct generation of macroscopic magnonic squeezed and entangled states. Moreover, it facilitates ultra-sensitive magnon-based magnetic field sensing through quantum non-demolition (QND) interactions between magnons and photons. The present scheme provides promising opportunities for generating macroscopic nonclassical quantum states in solid magnetic materials and developing spintronics-related quantum devices.
Flexible optical trapping and manipulating Rayleigh particles via the cross-phase modulated partially coherent vortex beams
Authors: Zhang Zhao , Liu Xin , Wang Haiyun , Liang Chunhao , Cai Yangjian , Zeng Jun
Published: September 2024

In structured light tweezers, enhancing control precision and degrees of freedom in optical manipulation remains a significant technical challenge. Traditional optical tweezers, which rely on a three-dimensional adjustable displacement platform, inherently limit both control precision and degrees of freedom. In this study, we achieve controllable separation and precise manipulation of Rayleigh particles in three-dimensional space by modulating a partially coherent vortex beam using cross-phase. The cross-phase modulation induces controllable rotation and splitting in the intensity distribution of the partially coherent vortex beam, allowing flexible adjustment of the number and position of trapping points. Consequently, this enables precise manipulation of Rayleigh particles. Our findings demonstrate that coherence vortex structure engineering can be effectively employed in optical trapping, offering promising potential applications in particle manipulation.
Height dependent asymmetric propagations of polariton fields in twisted MoO3 with an interlayer gap
Authors: Jin Xiaorong , Luo Weiwei
Published: September 2024

Natural in-plane hyperbolic phonon polaritons with low-loss are emerging as an important platform for directional manipulations of electromagnetic fields at the sub-diffraction limit. Especially, further lowering of in-plane polariton symmetry enriches the freedom for sub-diffractional in-plane light manipulations. In this work, we demonstrate height dependent asymmetric propagations of in-plane polariton fields in twisted homostructures of MoO3 with interlayer separation, where the existence of shear-like hyperbolic polaritons and usually symmetric polariton fields are observed at different heights of the homostructure. Our findings demonstrate the interlayer gap as a new degree of freedom for engineering polariton fields in the vertical direction, which is promising for designing novel compact photonic devices for intergraded photonics and thermal transport management.
Springs vs. motors: Ideal assistance in the lower limbs during walking at different speeds
Authors: Luis Israel , Afschrift Maarten , Gutierrez-Farewik Elena M.
Published: September 2024

Recent years have witnessed breakthroughs in assistive exoskeletons; both passive and active devices have reduced metabolic costs near preferred walking speed by assisting muscle actions. Metabolic reductions at multiple speeds should thus also be attainable. Musculoskeletal simulation can potentially predict the interaction between assistive moments, muscle-tendon mechanics, and walking energetics. In this study, we simulated devices’ optimal assistive moments based on minimal muscle activations during walking with prescribed kinematics and dynamics. We used a generic musculoskeletal model with tuned muscle-tendon parameters and computed metabolic rates from muscle actions. We then simulated walking across multiple speeds and with two ideal actuation modes–motor-based and spring-based–to assist ankle plantarflexion, knee extension, hip flexion, and hip abduction and compared computed metabolic rates. We found that both actuation modes considerably reduced physiological joint moments but did not always reduce metabolic rates. Compared to unassisted conditions, motor-based ankle plantarflexion and hip flexion assistance reduced metabolic rates, and this effect was more pronounced as walking speed increased. Spring-based hip flexion and abduction assistance increased metabolic rates at some walking speeds despite a moderate decrease in some muscle activations. Both modes of knee extension assistance reduced metabolic rates to a small extent, even though the actuation contributed with practically the entire net knee extension moment during stance. Motor-based hip abduction assistance reduced metabolic rates more than spring-based assistance, though this reduction was relatively small. Our study also suggests that an assistive strategy based on minimal muscle activations might result in a suboptimal reduction of metabolic rates. Future work should experimentally validate the effects of assistive moments and refine modeling assumptions accordingly. Our computational workflow is freely available online.
Factors associated with knowledge and practices of COVID-19 prevention among mothers of under-2 children in Bangladesh
Authors: Tasnim Zarin , Islam Muhammed Nazmul , Roy Antara , Sarker Malabika
Published: September 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic extensively impacted maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH) in Bangladesh. Misconceptions arising from a lack of knowledge related to the virus contributed to reduced uptake of MNCH services, which eventually helped increase maternal and neonatal mortality rates during the pandemic. In this study, we assessed the knowledge and practices related to COVID-19 prevention among the mothers of under-2 children in Bangladesh. The study was conducted in May 2021 as part of a broader research project related to COVID-19 response on MNCH service utilization. We collected data from 2207 mothers in six districts of Bangladesh using a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. We constructed weighted and unweighted composite knowledge and practice scores and identified different socio-demographic characteristics associated with the scores using multilevel generalized mixed-effect linear regression models. In general, the mothers revealed poor knowledge and practices related to COVID-19. On a weighted scale of 100, the mean composite knowledge and practice scores were 32.6 (SD = 16.4) and 53.1 (SD = 13.9), respectively. The mothers presented inadequate knowledge about COVID-19 transmission, symptoms, and the recommended preventive measures. At the same time, maintaining a safe physical distance was the least practiced preventative measure (10.3%). Level of education, access to television, and the internet were significantly positively associated with their knowledge and practices related to COVID-19. Knowledge score was also positively associated with the practice score (OR = 1.26; p-value <0.001). Mothers living in islands or wetlands scored poorly compared to those living in inland. The results indicate significant gaps in knowledge and practices related to COVID-19 prevention among mothers of under-2 children. Addressing these gaps, particularly by targeting mothers with lower levels of education and residing in hard-to-reach geographic locations, could consequently help enhance MNCH service uptake during pandemics like COVID-19.
Factors influencing the maternal choice of packaged snacks for 6–10 years old children: A cross-sectional study from Sri Lanka
Authors: Pujitha Gunawardhana Dulshani , Talagala Ishanka Ayeshwari
Published: September 2024

Childhood overweight and obesity due to unhealthy diet result in several adverse effects. Mothers play a major role in selecting snacks for younger children. This study assessed the factors associated with the choice of packaged food/beverage snacks among mothers of 6- to 10-year-old children in the Medical Officer of Health area Balangoda. A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study with an analytical component was conducted in 2022 among 450 mothers with 6- to 10-year-old children through two-stage, stratified (year of birth considered as a stratum), simple random sampling technique in ten randomly selected Public Health Midwife areas in the medical officer of health area Balangoda. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to assess participants’ sociodemographic, usual practices, attitudes, and knowledge toward packaged snacks. Factors associated with maternal practices related to packaged snack selection were assessed through the chi-square test at the p<0.05 significance level. The response rate was 99.3% (N = 447). Children were commonly provided with biscuits (94.4%) and flavoured milk (44.7%) daily (66.4%) at home (93.5%). The majority of mothers reported poor practices in selecting packaged snacks (88.8%), but good knowledge (62.9%) and favorable attitudes (93.5%) toward packaged snacks. The majority (75.5%) were aware that snacks are important for overcoming the hunger gap among children. Childs’ preference (77.6%) was the leading influencing factor while, the nutritional value of the packaged snacks minimally influenced the maternal (2.7%) choice. Only 49.9% mothers knew that packaged fruits could be consumed as snacks. Maternal Sinhalese ethnicity (p<0.001), secondary or higher education (p<0.001), having one child (p = 0.003), residing in a rural or urban area (p = 0.011) and having favourable attitudes (p = 0.002) were significantly associated with poor maternal practices in packaged snack selection. Although mothers’ knowledge toward packaged snacks were good, their practices in selecting packaged snacks were poor. Maternal ethnicity, educational level, number of children, area of residence and attitudes were significantly associated with mothers’ selection of packaged snacks. The results of the study highlighted the need to plan, develop and implement focused health promotion programmes to empower mothers to select healthier packaged snack options for their 6- to 10-year-old children.
An analysis of differential gene expression in peripheral nerve and muscle utilizing RNA sequencing after polyethylene glycol nerve fusion in a rat sciatic nerve injury model
Authors: Weiss Samantha N. , Legato Joseph M. , Liu Yichuan , Vaccaro Courtney N. , Da Silva Renata Pellegrino , Miskiel Sandra , Gilbert Grace V. , Hakonarson Hakon , Fuller David A. , Buono Russell J.
Published: September 2024

Application of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to a peripheral nerve injury at the time of primary neurorrhaphy is thought to prevent Wallerian degeneration via direct axolemma fusion. The molecular mechanisms of nerve fusion and recovery are unclear. Our study tested the hypothesis that PEG alters gene expression in neural and muscular environments as part of its restorative properties. Lewis rats underwent unilateral sciatic nerve transection with immediate primary repair. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either PEG treatment or standard repair at the time of neurorrhaphy. Samples of sciatic nerve distal to the injury and tibialis muscle at the site of innervation were harvested at 24 hours and 4 weeks postoperatively. Total RNA sequencing and subsequent bioinformatics analyses were used to identify significant differences in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their related biological pathways (p<0.05) in PEG-treated subjects compared to non-PEG controls. No significant DEGs were identified in PEG-treated sciatic nerve compared to controls after 24 hours, but 1,480 DEGs were identified in PEG-treated tibialis compared to controls. At 4 weeks, 918 DEGs were identified in PEG-treated sciatic nerve, whereas only 3 DEGs remained in PEG-treated tibialis compared to controls. DEGs in sciatic were mostly upregulated (79%) and enriched in pathways present during nervous system development and growth, whereas DEGs in muscle were mostly downregulated (77%) and related to inflammation and tissue repair. Our findings indicate that PEG application during primary neurorrhaphy leads to significant differential gene regulation in the neural and muscular environment that is associated with improved functional recovery in animals treated with PEG compared to sham non-PEG controls. A detailed understanding of key molecules underlying PEG function in recovery after peripheral nerve repair may facilitate amplification of PEG effects through systemic or focal treatments at the time of neurotmesis.
Foodprint 2.0: A computational simulation model that estimates the agricultural resource requirements of diet patterns
Authors: Conrad Zach , Wu Songze , Johnson LuAnn K. , Kun Julia F. , Roy Eric D. , Gephart Jessica A. , Bezares Nayla , Wiipongwii Troy , Blackstone Nicole Tichenor , Love David C.
Published: September 2024

Reducing the environmental pressures stemming from food production is central to meeting global sustainability targets. Shifting diets represents one lever for improving food system sustainability, and identifying sustainable diet opportunities requires computational models to represent complex systems and allow users to evaluate counterfactual scenarios. Despite an increase in the number of food system sustainability models, there remains a lack of transparency of data inputs and mathematical formulas to facilitate replication by researchers and application by diverse stakeholders. Further, many models lack the ability to model multiple geographic scales. The present study introduces Foodprint 2.0, which fills both gaps. Foodprint 2.0 is an updated biophysical simulation model that estimates the agricultural resource requirements of diet patterns and can be adapted to suit a variety of research purposes. The objectives of this study are to: 1) describe the new features of Foodprint 2.0, and 2) demonstrate model performance by estimating the agricultural resource requirements of food demand in the United States (US) using nationally representative dietary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2009–2018. New features of the model include embedded functions to integrate individual-level dietary data that allow for variance estimation; new data and calculations to account for the resource requirements of food trade and farmed aquatic food; updated user interface; expanded output data for over 200 foods that include the use of fertilizer nutrients, pesticides, and irrigation water; supplementary files that include input data for all parameters on an annual basis from 1999–2018; sample programming code; and step-by-step instructions for users. This study demonstrates that animal-sourced foods consumed in the US accounted for the greatest share of total land use, fertilizer nutrient use, pesticide use, and irrigation water use, followed by grains, fruits, and vegetables. Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans was associated with lower use of land and fertilizer nutrients, and greater use of pesticides and irrigation water. Foodprint 2.0 is a highly modifiable model that can be a useful resource for informing sustainable diet policy discussions.
Efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid on blood loss and seizures in patients undergoing meningioma resection: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Liu Xiaoyuan , Liu Minying , Li Shu , Ren Yue , Zheng Maoyao , Zeng Min , Peng Yuming
Published: September 2024

Introduction

It is unclear how tranexamic acid (TXA) affects blood loss and seizures in meningioma resections. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis and tried to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TXA use for patients undergoing meningioma resections.

Methods

Regards to this systematic review and meta-analysis (registered with CRD42023416693), we searched PubMed, Embase (Ovid), EBSCO, and Cochrane central library up to and including Oct 2023. Patients undergoing meningioma resections treated with TXA and placebo or no treatment were eligible for this study. This would allow delineation of the impact of TXA on blood loss, postoperative seizure, and other complication incidences.

Results

Four prospective cohort studies with 781 patients (390 patients in the TXA group and 391 patients in the control group) were conducted via a systematic review and meta-analysis. The results suggested that the application of TXA for patients undergoing meningioma resections reduced mean blood loss of 252 mL with 95% confidence interval (CI) -469.26 to -34.67 (P = 0.02) and I2 of 94% but did not increase postoperative seizure (risk ratio: 1.08; 95%CI: 0.54 to 2.15; P = 0.84) and other complication rates.

Conclusions

This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that the administration of TXA could reduce blood loss in patients undergoing intracerebral meningioma resection.

Registry information

The systematic review protocol has been registered at PROSPERO (Registration No. CRD42023416693) on April 23, 2023.