bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bubaak-SpLit: Split what you cannot verify (Competition contribution)
Authors: Chalupa Marek , Richter Cedric
Published: April 2024

Bubaak-SpLit is a tool for dynamically splitting verification tasks into parts that can then be analyzed in parallel. It is built on top ofBubaak, a tool designed for running combinations of verifiers in parallel. In contrast toBubaak, that directly invokes verifiers on the inputs,Bubaak-SpLit first starts by splitting the input program into multiple modified versions calledprogram splits. During the splitting process,Bubaak-SpLit utilizes aweakverifier (in our case symbolic execution with a short timelimit) to analyze each generated program split. If the weak verifier fails on a program split, we split this program split again and start the verification process again on the generated program splits. We run the splitting process until a predefined number ofhard-to-verifyprogram splits is generated or a splitting limit is reached. During the main verification phase, we run a combination ofBubaak-LeeandSlowbeastin parallel on the remaining unsolved parts of the verification task.
ESBMC v7.4: Harnessing the Power of Intervals
Authors: Menezes Rafael Sá , Aldughaim Mohannad , Farias Bruno , Li Xianzhiyu , Manino Edoardo , Shmarov Fedor , Song Kunjian , Brauße Franz , Gadelha Mikhail R. , Tihanyi Norbert , Korovin Konstantin , Cordeiro Lucas C.
Published: April 2024

ESBMC implements many state-of-the-art techniques that combine abstract interpretation and model checking. Here, we report on new and improved features that allow us to obtain verification results for previously unsupported programs and properties. ESBMC now employs a new static interval analysis of expressions in programs to increase verification performance. This includes interval-based reasoning over booleans and integers, and forward-backward contractors. Other relevant improvements concern the verification of concurrent programs, as well as several operational models, internal ones, and also those of libraries such as pthread and the C mathematics library. An extended memory safety analysis now allows tracking of memory leaks that are considered still reachable.
NeuroSynt: A Neuro-symbolic Portfolio Solver for Reactive Synthesis
Authors: Cosler Matthias , Hahn Christopher , Omar Ayham , Schmitt Frederik
Published: April 2024

We introduce , a neuro-symbolic portfolio solver framework for reactive synthesis. At the core of the solver lies a seamless integration of neural and symbolic approaches to solving the reactive synthesis problem. To ensure soundness, the neural engine is coupled with model checkers verifying the predictions of the underlying neural models. The open-source implementation of provides an integration framework for reactive synthesis in which new neural and state-of-the-art symbolic approaches can be seamlessly integrated. Extensive experiments demonstrate its efficacy in handling challenging specifications, enhancing the state-of-the-art reactive synthesis solvers, with  contributing novel solves in the current SYNTCOMP benchmarks.
Observational Equality Meets CIC
Authors: Pujet Loïc , Tabareau Nicolas
Published: April 2024

Equality is at the heart of dependent type theory, as it plays a fundamental role in specifications and mathematical reasoning. The standard way to handle it in mainstream proof assistants such as Agda, Lean or Coq is based on Martin-Löf’s identity type, which comes straight out of the ’70s—its elegance and simplicity have earned it a long-standing use, despite a major discrepancy with traditional mathematical formulations: it does not satisfy any extensionality principles. Recently, the work on observational equality has regained interest as a new way to encode equality in proof assistants that support a universe of definitionally proof-irrelevant propositions; however it has yet to be integrated in any major proof assistant, because it is not fully compatible with another important feature of type theory: indexed inductive types. In this paper, we propose a systematic integration of indexed inductive types with an observational equality, and show that this integration can only be completely satisfactory if the observational equality satisfies the computational rule of Martin-Löf’s identity type. The second contribution of this paper is a formal proof that this additional computation rule, although not present in previous works on observational equality, can be integrated to the system without compromising the decidability of conversion.
Artifact Description
Authors: Laurent Théo , Lennon-Bertrand Meven , Maillard Kenji
Published: April 2024

This document describes the Coq formalisation accompanying the paper Definitional Functoriality for Dependent (Sub)Types, more specifically the content of section 4.
Deciding Subtyping for Asynchronous Multiparty Sessions
Authors: Li Elaine , Stutz Felix , Wies Thomas
Published: April 2024

Multiparty session types (MSTs) are a type-based approach to verifying communication protocols, represented as global types in the framework. We present a precise subtyping relation for asynchronous MSTs with communicating state machines (CSMs) as implementation model. We address two problems: when can a local implementation safely substitute another, and when does an arbitrary CSM implement a global type? We define safety with respect to a given global type, in terms of subprotocol fidelity and deadlock freedom. Our implementation model subsumes existing work which considers local types with restricted choice. We exploit the connection between MST subtyping and refinement to formulate concise conditions that are directly checkable on the candidate implementations, and use them to show that both problems are decidable in polynomial time.
Suspension Analysis and Selective Continuation-Passing Style for Universal Probabilistic Programming Languages
Authors: Lundén Daniel , Hummelgren Lars , Kudlicka Jan , Eriksson Oscar , Broman David
Published: April 2024

Universal probabilistic programming languages (PPLs) make it relatively easy to encode and automatically solve statistical inference problems. To solve inference problems, PPL implementations often apply Monte Carlo inference algorithms that rely on execution suspension. State-of-the-art solutions enable execution suspension either through (i) continuation-passing style (CPS) transformations or (ii) efficient, but comparatively complex, low-level solutions that are often not available in high-level languages. CPS transformations introduce overhead due to unnecessary closure allocations—a problem the PPL community has generally overlooked. To reduce overhead, we develop a new efficient selective CPS approach for PPLs. Specifically, we design a novel static suspension analysis technique that determines parts of programs that require suspension, given a particular inference algorithm. The analysis allows selectively CPS transforming the program only where necessary. We formally prove the correctness of the analysis and implement the analysis and transformation in the Miking CorePPL compiler. We evaluate the implementation for a large number of Monte Carlo inference algorithms on real-world models from phylogenetics, epidemiology, and topic modeling. The evaluation results demonstrate significant improvements across all models and inference algorithms.
Higher-Order LCTRSs and Their Termination
Authors: Guo Liye , Kop Cynthia
Published: April 2024

Logically constrained term rewriting systems (LCTRSs) are a formalism for program analysis with support for data types that are not (co)inductively defined. Only imperative programs have been considered through the lens of LCTRSs so far since LCTRSs were introduced as a first-order formalism. In this paper, we propose logically constrained simply-typed term rewriting systems (LCSTRSs), a higher-order generalization of LCTRSs, which suits the needs of representing and analyzing functional programs. We also study the termination problem of LCSTRSs and define a variant of the higher-order recursive path ordering (HORPO) for the newly proposed formalism.
Formalizing Date Arithmetic and Statically Detecting Ambiguities for the Law
Authors: Monat Raphaël , Fromherz Aymeric , Merigoux Denis
Published: April 2024

Legal expert systems routinely rely on date computations to determine the eligibility of a citizen to social benefits or whether an application has been filed on time. Unfortunately, date arithmetic exhibits many corner cases, which are handled differently from one library to the other, making faithfully transcribing the law into code error-prone, and possibly leading to heavy financial and legal consequences for users.

In this work, we aim to provide a solid foundation for date arithmetic working on days, months and years. We first present a novel, formal semantics for date computations, and formally establish several semantic properties through a mechanization in the F$$^\star $$

⋆

proof assistant. Building upon this semantics, we then propose a static analysis by abstract interpretation to automatically detect ambiguities in date computations. We finally integrate our approach in the Catala language, a recent domain-specific language for formalizing computational law, and use it to analyze the Catala implementation of the French housing benefits, leading to the discovery of several date-related ambiguities.
Observables from classical black hole scattering in Scalar-Tensor theory of gravity from worldline quantum field theory
Authors: Bhattacharyya Arpan , Ghosh Debodirna , Ghosh Saptaswa , Pal Sounak
Published: April 2024

Abstract

In this paper, we compute the two observables, impulse and waveform, in a black hole scattering event for the Scalar-Tensor theory of gravity with a generic scalar potential using the techniques of Worldline Quantum Field Theory. We mainly investigate the corrections to the above mentioned observables due to the extra scalar degree of freedom. For the computation of impulse, we consider the most general scenario by making the scalar field massive and then show that each computed diagram has a smooth massless limit. We compute the waveform for scalar and graviton up to 2PM, taking the scalar as massless. Furthermore, we discuss if the scalar has mass and how the radiation integrals get more involved than the massless case. We also arrive at some analytical results using stationary phase approximation. Interestingly, we also show that the λ4φ4 interaction vertex does not contribute to the radiation by showing that the integral has no non-zero finite value.
Characterizing 4-string contact interaction using machine learning
Authors: Erbin Harold , Fırat Atakan Hilmi
Published: April 2024

Abstract

The geometry of 4-string contact interaction of closed string field theory is characterized using machine learning. We obtain Strebel quadratic differentials on 4-punctured spheres as a neural network by performing unsupervised learning with a custom-built loss function. This allows us to solve for local coordinates and compute their associated mapping radii numerically. We also train a neural network distinguishing vertex from Feynman region. As a check, 4-tachyon contact term in the tachyon potential is computed and a good agreement with the results in the literature is observed. We argue that our algorithm is manifestly independent of number of punctures and scaling it to characterize the geometry of n-string contact interaction is feasible.
Perturbative method for mutual information and thermal entropy of scalar quantum fields
Authors: Bramante Joseph , Buchanan Andrew
Published: April 2024

Abstract

A new approach is presented to compute entropy for massless scalar quantum fields. By perturbing a skewed correlation matrix composed of field operator correlation functions, the mutual information is obtained for disjoint spherical regions of size r at separation R, including an expansion to all orders in r/R. This approach also permits a perturbative expansion for the thermal field entropy difference in the small temperature limit (T ≪ 1/r).
Nonlocal Lagrangian fields and the second Noether theorem. Non-commutative U(1) gauge theory
Authors: Heredia Carlos , Llosa Josep
Published: April 2024

Abstract

This article focuses on three main contributions. Firstly, we provide an in-depth overview of the nonlocal Lagrangian formalism. Secondly, we introduce an extended version of the second Noether’s theorem tailored for nonlocal Lagrangians. Finally, we apply both the formalism and the extended theorem to the context of non-commutative U(1) gauge theory, including its Hamiltonian and quantization, showcasing their practical utility.
Bound on Lyapunov exponent in Kerr-Newman-de Sitter black holes by a charged particle
Authors: Park Junsu , Gwak Bogeun
Published: April 2024

Abstract

We investigate the bound on the Lyapunov exponents by a charged particle in Kerr-Newman-de Sitter black holes using analytic and numerical methods. We determine whether the Lyapunov exponent can exceed the bound by an electrically charged particle with an angular momentum. Our tests are applied to the de Sitter spacetime by the positive cosmological constant such as Reissner-Nordström-de Sitter, Kerr-de Sitter, and Kerr-Newman-de Sitter black holes. In particular, we consider Nariai and ultracold limits on these black holes for our tests. From our analysis results, there remain violations on the bound under the positive cosmological constant, and electric charge and angular momentum of the particle significantly impact the Lyapunov exponent.
El Escorial, Derand and Guarini: About Formal Control of Ribbed Spherical and Elliptical Vaults
Authors: Calvo-López José
Published: April 2024

Guarino Guarini’s ribbed vaults have been connected with Islamic sources. However, this connection relies almost exclusively on plans and visual observations from the church floor. By contrast, the vertical layout, although clearly shown in Guarini’s Dissegni di architettura civile ed ecclesiastica, and the intrados surface of the ribs have not been taken into account, except by Marco Boetti (Guarino Guarini, Umberto Allemandi, Torino, 2006). In this contribution, I will deal with some possible sources of Guarini’s designs for the ribbed vaults of Sainte-Anne-la-Royale in Paris, Padri Somaschi in Messina, San Lorenzo in Turin and San Gaetano in Nice. I will take into account not only the plan layout of the ribs, but also their shape in space, and the nature of the intrados surface, analysing such possible sources as the stereotomic treatise of François Derand and several Spanish stonecutting manuscripts connected with El Escorial.
An $$L^p$$-Spectral Multiplier Theorem with Sharp p-Specific Regularity Bound on Heisenberg Type Groups
Authors: Niedorf Lars
Published: April 2024

We prove an $$L^p$$

L
p

-spectral multiplier theorem for sub-Laplacians on Heisenberg type groups under the sharp regularity condition $$s>d\left| 1/p-1/2\right| $$

s
>
d

1
/
p
-
1
/
2

, where d is the topological dimension of the underlying group. Our approach relies on restriction type estimates where the multiplier is additionally truncated along the spectrum of the Laplacian on the center of the group.
Evaluating the effectiveness of functional decomposition in early-stage design: development and application of problem space exploration metrics
Authors: She Jinjuan , Belanger Elise , Bartels Caroline
Published: April 2024

This paper aims to explore metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of functional decomposition methods regarding problem space exploration at the early design stage. Functional decomposition involves breaking down the main purpose of a complex problem or system into a set of more manageable sub-functions, leading to a clearer understanding of the problem space and its various aspects. While various metrics have been used to evaluate functional decomposition outcomes, little literature has focused on assessing its effectiveness in problem space exploration. To address the gap, this research introduces three metrics for problem space evaluation defined by functional models: quantity of unique functions (M1), breadth and depth of the hierarchical structure (M2), and relative semantic coverage ratio of the problem space (M3). An example study is conducted to illustrate the evaluation process, comparing functional analysis with and without explicit human-centric considerations using a power screwdriver as a case product. The analysis in the example study reveals that the breadth of the hierarchical structure (part of M2) is marginally larger in the condition with explicit human-centric considerations (Condition A) compared to the condition without such considerations (Condition B). However, no significant differences are observed in terms of other metrics. The qualitative analysis based on semantic comparisons suggests that Condition A facilitates participants in generating a diverse set of functions supporting user safety requirements more effectively than Condition B. Overall, the example study demonstrates the evaluation process for each metric and discusses their nuances and limitations. By proposing these metrics, this research contributes to benchmarking and evaluating the effectiveness of different methods in promoting functional analysis in engineering design. The metrics provide valuable insights into problem space exploration, offering designers a better understanding of the efficacy of their functional decomposition methods in early design stages. This, in turn, fosters more informed decision-making and contributes to the advancement of functional analysis methodologies in engineering design practices.
Validation of putative biomarkers of furan exposure through quantitative analysis of furan metabolites in urine of F344 rats exposed to stable isotope labeled furan
Authors: Kalisch C. , Reiter M. , Krieger M. , Wüst L. , Klotz C. , Dekant R. , Lachenmeier D. W. , Scherf-Clavel O. , Mally A.
Published: April 2024

Humans are chronically exposed to furan, a potent liver toxicant and carcinogen that occurs in a variety of heat-processed foods. Assessment of human exposure based on the furan content in foods is, however, subject to some uncertainty due to the high volatility of furan. Biomarker monitoring is thus considered an alternative or complementary approach to furan exposure assessment. Previous work suggested that urinary furan metabolites derived from the reaction of cis-2-butene-1,4-dial (BDA), the reactive intermediate of furan, with glutathione (GSH) or amino acids may serve as potential biomarkers of furan exposure. However, some metabolites were also reported to occur in urine of untreated animals, indicating either background contamination via animal feed or endogenous sources, which may limit their suitability as biomarkers of exposure. The overall aim of the present study was to accurately establish the correlation between external dose and concentration of furan metabolites in urine over time and to discriminate against endogenous formation and furan intake via feed. To this end, the furan metabolites GSH-BDA (N-[4-carboxy-4-(3-mercapto-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1-oxobutyl]-L-cysteinylglycine), NAcLys-BDA (R-2-(acetylamino)-6-(2,5-dihydro-2-oxo-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1-hexanoic acid), NAcCys-BDA-NAcLys (N-acetyl-S-[1-[5-(acetylamino)-5-carboxypentyl]-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]-L-cysteine) and NAcCys-BDA-NAcLys sulfoxide (N-acetyl-S-[1-[5-(acetylamino)-5-carboxypentyl]-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]-L-cysteine sulfoxide) were simultaneously analyzed by stable isotope dilution ESI–LC–MS/MS as unlabeled and [13C4]-furan dependent metabolites following oral administration of a single oral dose of isotopically labelled [13C4]-furan (0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1000 µg/kg bw) to male and female F344/DuCrl rats. Although a linear correlation between urinary excretion of [13C4]-furan-dependent metabolites was observed, analysis of unlabeled NAcLys-BDA, NAcCys-BDA-NAcLys and NAcCys-BDA-NAcLys sulfoxide revealed substantial, fairly constant urinary background levels throughout the course of the study. Analysis of furan in animal feed excluded feed as a source for these background levels. GSH-BDA was identified as the only furan metabolite without background occurrence, suggesting that it may present a specific biomarker to monitor external furan exposure. Studies in humans are now needed to establish if analysis of urinary GSH-BDA may provide reliable exposure estimates.
Abelian covers and the second fundamental form
Authors: Frediani Paola
Published: April 2024

We give some conditions on a family of abelian covers of $${\mathbb P}^1$$

P

1

of genus g curves, that ensure that the family yields a subvariety of $${\mathsf A}_g$$

A
g

which is not totally geodesic, hence it is not Shimura. As a consequence, we show that for any abelian group G, there exists an integer M which only depends on G such that if $$g >M$$

g
>
M

, then the family yields a subvariety of $${\mathsf A}_g$$

A
g

which is not totally geodesic. We prove then analogous results for families of abelian covers of $${\tilde{C}}_t \rightarrow {\mathbb P}^1 = {\tilde{C}}_t/{\tilde{G}}$$

C
~

t

→

P

1

=

C
~

t

/

G
~

with an abelian Galois group $${\tilde{G}}$$

G
~

of even order, proving that under some conditions, if $$\sigma \in {\tilde{G}}$$

σ
∈

G
~

is an involution, the family of Pryms associated with the covers $${\tilde{C}}_t \rightarrow C_t= {\tilde{C}}_t/\langle \sigma \rangle $$

C
~

t

→

C
t

=

C
~

t

/

⟨
σ
⟩

yields a subvariety of $${\mathsf A}_{p}^{\delta }$$

A

p

δ

which is not totally geodesic. As a consequence, we show that if $${\tilde{G}}=(\mathbb Z/N\mathbb Z)^m$$

G
~

=

(
Z
/
N
Z
)

m

with N even, and $$\sigma $$
σ
is an involution in $${\tilde{G}}$$

G
~

, there exists an integer M(N) which only depends on N such that, if $${\tilde{g}}= g({\tilde{C}}_t) > M(N)$$

g
~

=
g

(

C
~

t

)

>
M

(
N
)

, then the subvariety of the Prym locus in $${{\mathsf A}}^{\delta }_{p}$$

A

p
δ

induced by any such family is not totally geodesic (hence it is not Shimura).
Quantum dot fluorescent microsphere-based immunochromatographic strip for detecting PRRSV antibodies
Authors: Yang Rui , Ru Yi , Wang Huibao , Hao Rongzeng , Li Yajun , Zhang Tao , Zheng Haixue , Zhang Yong , Zhao Xingxu
Published: April 2024

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an immunosuppressive disease caused by the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Current vaccine prevention and treatment approaches for PRRS are not adequate, and commercial vaccines do not provide sufficient cross-immune protection. Therefore, establishing a precise, sensitive, simple, and rapid serological diagnostic approach for detecting PRRSV antibodies is crucial. The present study used quantum dot fluorescent microspheres (QDFM) as tracers, covalently linked to the PRRSV N protein, to develop an immunochromatography strip (ICS) for detecting PRRSV antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies against PRRSV nucleocapsid (N) and membrane (M) proteins were both coated on nitrocellulose membranes as control (C) and test (T) lines, respectively. QDFM ICS identified PRRSV antibodies under 10 min with high sensitivity and specificity. The specificity assay revealed no cross-reactivity with the other tested viruses. The sensitivity assay revealed that the minimum detection limit was 1.2 ng/mL when the maximum dilution was 1:2,048, comparable to the sensitivity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Moreover, compared to PRRSV ELISA antibody detection kits, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of QDFM ICS after analyzing 189 clinical samples were 96.7%, 97.9%, and 97.4%, respectively. Notably, the test strips can be stored for up to 6 months at 4 °C and up to 4 months at room temperature (18–25 °C). In conclusion, QDFM ICS offers the advantages of rapid detection time, high specificity and sensitivity, and affordability, indicating its potential for on-site PRRS screening.

Key points

• QDFM ICS is a novel method for on-site and in-lab detection of PRRSV antibodies

• Its sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy are on par with commercial ELISA kits

• QDFM ICS rapidly identifies PRRSV, aiding the swine industry address the evolving virus
Experimental determination of Fe–Mg interdiffusion in orthopyroxene as a function of Fe content
Authors: Dias Maria A. , Dohmen Ralf
Published: April 2024

We have measured the dependence of the Fe–Mg interdiffusion coefficient,DFe-Mg, on the ferrosilite component in orthopyroxene, which so far has not been experimentally calibrated. Diffusion couples, consisting of approximately 1 µm thin-films were deposited by pulsed laser ablation on orthopyroxene crystals of En91Fs9composition. Diffusion experiments were carried out at atmospheric pressure in vertical gas mixing furnaces (CO-CO2) at temperatures between 950 and 1100 °C at constantfO2 = 10–7Pa. Using a focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM), FIB-foils were cut from diffusion couples before and after annealing. Diffusion profiles were extracted by using combined backscattered electron (BSE) imaging and energy dispersive X-ray (EDXS) mapping on FIB-foils which allowed to resolve concentration gradients within 20 nm. The microstructure of the diffusion experiments was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Using this method, we obtained the first experimentally determined data on the dependence ofDFe-Mgon the ferrosilite content in orthopyroxene at different temperatures, appearing to increase with increasing a temperature. For the temperature range (950 – 1100 °C), logfO2 = -7 Pa, along [001] in the composition Fs9, the logDFe-Mgyields the following Arrhenius equation:$$D_{Fe - Mg} [m^2 /s] = 3.8 \cdot 10^{ - 9} \exp [ - 261.07 \pm 24[kJ/mol]/(R/T[K])]$$DFe-Mg[m2/s]=3.8·10-9exp[-261.07±24[kJ/mol]/(R/T[K])]The effect ofXFeonDFe-Mg,given by$$D(X_{Fe} ) = D(X_{Fe} = 0.09) \cdot {10}^{m (X_{Fe} - 0.09)},$$D(XFe)=D(XFe=0.09)·10m(XFe-0.09),can be calculated by the following parameterization wheremfollows a linear regression ofmon temperature:$$m = - 2.711 \cdot 10^4 /T(K) + 23.5408$$m=-2.711·104/T(K)+23.5408By considering theDFe-Mgdependence onXFe, the timescales of natural processes obtained from modelling the compositional zoning of natural crystal may considerably differ from previously estimated timescales.
Phosphatidylserine externalization as immune checkpoint in cancer
Authors: Kur Ivan-Maximiliano , Weigert Andreas
Published: April 2024

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide. Despite recent advances in cancer treatment including immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors, new unconventional biomarkers and targets for the detection, prognosis, and treatment of cancer are still in high demand. Tumor cells are characterized by mutations that allow their unlimited growth, program their local microenvironment to support tumor growth, and spread towards distant sites. While a major focus has been on altered tumor genomes and proteomes, crucial signaling molecules such as lipids have been underappreciated. One of these molecules is the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PS) that is usually found at cytosolic surfaces of cellular membranes but can be rapidly and massively shuttled to the extracellular leaflet of the plasma membrane during apoptosis to serve as a limiting factor for immune responses. These immunosuppressive interactions are exploited by tumor cells to evade the immune system. In this review, we describe mechanisms of immune regulation in tumors, discuss if PS may constitute an inhibitory immune checkpoint, and describe current and future strategies for targeting PS to reactivate the tumor-associated immune system.
Clinicopathological factors predict residual lymph node metastasis in locally advanced rectal cancer with ypT0-2 after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Cui Yujun , Song Maxiaowei , Tie Jian , Li Shuai , Wang Hongzhi , Zhang Yangzi , Geng Jianhao , Liu Zhiyan , Teng Huajing , Sui Xin , Zhu Xianggao , Cai Yong , Li Yongheng , Wang Weihu
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Residual lymph node metastases (RLNM) remained a great concern in the implementation of organ-preserving strategies and led to poor prognosis in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). In this study, we aimed to identify the clinicopathological factors correlated with RLNM in LARC patients with ypT0-2 after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 417 patients histologically diagnosed middle-low LARC after NCRT and total mesorectal excision (TME), whose pathological staging was ypT0-2. All patients received pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before NCRT. The radiation doses were 50–50.6 Gy for the planning gross tumor volume and 41.8–45 Gy for the planning target volume, respectively. A nomogram for predicting RLNM was constructed using a binary logistic regression. Nomogram performance was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical impact curve (CIC).

Results

After surgery, 191 patients (45.8%) were ypT0, 43 patients (10.3%) were ypT1 and 183 patients (43.9%) were ypT2, and a total of 49 patients (11.8%) were found the presence of RLNM. Multivariable analyses identified MRI-defined mesorectal fascia (MRF)-positive, high-grade histopathology at biopsy, advanced ypT-category, and the presence of perineural invasion (PNI) as the predictive factors. The nomogram, incorporating all these predictors, showed good discrimination and calibration efficacy, with the areas under the ROC curve of 0.690 (95% CI: 0.610–0.771). Both DCA and CIC demonstrated that this nomogram has good clinical usefulness.

Conclusion

The nomogram model can predict RLNM in patients with ypT0-2 tumors. It can help select suitable patients for performing organ-preserving strategies after NCRT.
Variant effect predictors: a systematic review and practical guide
Authors: Riccio Cristian , Jansen Max L. , Guo Linlin , Ziegler Andreas
Published: April 2024

Large-scale association analyses using whole-genome sequence data have become feasible, but understanding the functional impacts of these associations remains challenging. Although many tools are available to predict the functional impacts of genetic variants, it is unclear which tool should be used in practice. This work provides a practical guide to assist in selecting appropriate tools for variant annotation. We conducted a MEDLINE search up to November 10, 2023, and included tools that are applicable to a broad range of phenotypes, can be used locally, and have been recently updated. Tools were categorized based on the types of variants they accept and the functional impacts they predict. Sequence Ontology terms were used for standardization. We identified 118 databases and software packages, encompassing 36 variant types and 161 functional impacts. Combining only three tools, namely SnpEff, FAVOR, and SparkINFERNO, allows predicting 99 (61%) distinct functional impacts. Thirty-seven tools predict 89 functional impacts that are not supported by any other tool, while 75 tools predict pathogenicity and can be used within the ACMG/AMP guidelines in a clinical context. We launched a website allowing researchers to select tools based on desired variants and impacts. In summary, more than 100 tools are already available to predict approximately 160 functional impacts. About 60% of the functional impacts can be predicted by the combination of three tools. Unexpectedly, recent tools do not predict more impacts than older ones. Future research should allow predicting the functionality of so far unsupported variant types, such as gene fusions.

URL: https://cardio-care.shinyapps.io/VEP_Finder/.

Registration: OSF Registries on November 10, 2023, https://osf.io/s2gct.
Improving the probabilistic drought prediction with soil moisture information under the ensemble streamflow prediction framework
Authors: Kim Gi Joo , Kim Dae Ho , Kim Young-Oh
Published: April 2024

Reliable drought prediction should be preceded to prevent damage from potential droughts. In this context, this study developed a hydrological drought prediction method, namely ensemble drought prediction (EDP) to reflect drought-related information under the ensemble streamflow prediction framework. After generating an ensemble of standardized runoff index by converting the ensemble of generated streamflow, the results were adopted as the prior distribution. Then, precipitation forecast and soil moisture were used to update the prior EDP. The EDP + A model included the precipitation forecast with the PDF-ratio method, and the observed soil moisture index was reflected in the former EDP and EDP + A via Bayes’ theorem, resulting in the EDP + S and EDP + AS models. Eight basins in Korea with more than 30 years of observation data were applied with the proposed methodology. As a result, the overall performance of the four EDP models yielded improved results than the climatological prediction. Moreover, reflecting soil moisture yielded improved evaluation metrics during short-term drought predictions, and in basins with larger drainage areas. Finally, the methodology presented in this study was more effective during periods with less intertemporal variabilities.
Lattice Path Matroids and Quotients
Authors: Benedetti-Velásquez Carolina , Knauer Kolja
Published: April 2024

We characterize the quotients among lattice path matroids (LPMs) in terms of their diagrams. This characterization allows us to show that ordering LPMs by quotients yields a graded poset, whose rank polynomial has the Narayana numbers as coefficients. Furthermore, we study full lattice path flag matroids and show that—contrary to arbitrary positroid flag matroids—they correspond to points in the nonnegative flag variety. At the basis of this result lies an identification of certain intervals of the strong Bruhat order with lattice path flag matroids. A recent conjecture of Mcalmon, Oh, and Xiang states a characterization of quotients of positroids. We use our results to prove this conjecture in the case of LPMs.
Flashes and Rainbows in Tournaments
Authors: Girão António , Illingworth Freddie , Michel Lukas , Savery Michael , Scott Alex
Published: April 2024

Colour the edges of the complete graph with vertex set $${\{1, 2, \dotsc , n\}}$$

{
1
,
2
,
⋯
,
n
}

with an arbitrary number of colours. What is the smallest integer f(l, k) such that if $$n > f(l,k)$$

n
>
f
(
l
,
k
)

then there must exist a monotone monochromatic path of length l or a monotone rainbow path of length k? Lefmann, Rödl, and Thomas conjectured in 1992 that $$f(l, k) = l^{k - 1}$$

f

(
l
,
k
)

=

l

k
-
1

and proved this for $$l \geqslant (3 k)^{2 k}$$

l
⩾

(
3
k
)

2
k

. We prove the conjecture for $$l \geqslant k^3 (\log k)^{1 + o(1)}$$

l
⩾

k
3

(
log
k
)

1
+
o
(
1
)

and establish the general upper bound $$f(l, k) \leqslant k (\log k)^{1 + o(1)} \cdot l^{k - 1}$$

f

(
l
,
k
)

⩽
k

(
log
k
)

1
+
o
(
1
)

·

l

k
-
1

. This reduces the gap between the best lower and upper bounds from exponential to polynomial in k. We also generalise some of these results to the tournament setting.
Einfluss von mobilen Erstversorgungstrupps auf die Versorgungsqualität präklinischer Notfallpatienten in einem „Hotspot“-Areal einer Großstadt
Authors: Özkurtul Orkun , Bräuning David , Otto Sandra , Heitkötter Kalle , Becht Andreas , Brüls Michael , Braun Bernd , Nohl Andre , Tremmel Thomas
Published: April 2024

Hintergrund

Niedrigprioritäre Hilfeersuchen – sogenannte Low-code-Einsätze – machen einen erheblichen Teil der Einsätze im Rettungsdienst in sogenannten Hotspot-Arealen einer Großstadt aus. Ziel unserer Arbeit war es, die im Rahmen des Projekts „Altstadtwache Düsseldorf“ angewendete Dringlichkeitseinschätzung von Erstversorgungstrupps zu bewerten, eine mögliche Fehleinschätzung zu erfassen und die Auswirkungen auf die Versorgungsqualität zu untersuchen.

Material und Methoden

Im Rahmen des Projekts wurde begleitend eine prospektive monozentrische Beobachtungsstudie durchgeführt. Es wurden Erstversorgungstrupps (EVT) eingesetzt, die zentral stationiert waren und parallel zum Regelrettungsdienst alarmiert wurden. Einsatzzeiten waren die zu erwartenden Hochfrequenzphasen an Frei- und Samstagen von 19 bis 1 Uhr des Folgetags. Der Erhebungszeitraum erstreckte sich über drei Monate von 12/2022 bis 02/2023.

Ergebnisse

Im Untersuchungszeitraum von 12/2022 bis 02/2023 wurden 257 Einsätze im Hotspot-Areal der Düsseldorfer Altstadt disponiert. 85 Einsätze wurden ausgeschlossen. Von den 162 Primäreinsätzen waren 10 Fehleinsätze (6 %). Aus der Grundpopulation wurden zwei Gruppen gebildet. Gruppe A waren 83 (55 %) Patienten, die ins Krankenhaus transportiert wurden. Häufigstes Transportmittel war der KTW, der eigens hierfür vorgehalten wurde, mit 44 (29 %) Transporten, gefolgt von RTW-Transporten mit 32 (21 %).

Schlussfolgerung

Durch die korrekte Einschätzung der Erkrankungs- oder Verletzungsschwere können höherwertige Rettungsmittel des Regelrettungsdiensts in den Abendstunden von Wochenenden durch sinnvollen Einsatz eines Krankentransportwagens oder anderer Versorgungsstrukturen geschont und die Arbeitsbelastung durch Bagatelleinsätze in Hotspot-Arealen verhindert werden.

Graphic abstract
A novel lightweight CNN for chest X-ray-based lung disease identification on heterogeneous embedded system
Authors: Sanida Theodora , Dasygenis Minas
Published: April 2024

The global spread of epidemic lung diseases, including COVID-19, underscores the need for efficient diagnostic methods. Addressing this, we developed and tested a computer-aided, lightweight Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for rapid and accurate identification of lung diseases from 29,131 aggregated Chest X-ray (CXR) images representing seven disease categories. Employing the five-fold cross-validation method to ensure the robustness of our results, our CNN model, optimized for heterogeneous embedded devices, demonstrated superior diagnostic performance. It achieved a 98.56% accuracy, outperforming established networks like ResNet50, NASNetMobile, Xception, MobileNetV2, DenseNet121, and ViT-B/16 across precision, recall, F1-score, and AUC metrics. Notably, our model requires significantly less computational power and only 55 minutes of average training time per fold, making it highly suitable for resource-constrained environments. This study contributes to developing efficient, lightweight networks in medical image analysis, underscoring their potential to enhance point-of-care diagnostic processes.
An Improved blockchain-based secure medical record sharing scheme
Authors: Bodur Hüseyin , Al Yaseen Imad Fakhri Taha
Published: April 2024

Today, the confidentiality and security of patient medical records is of great importance. This study proposes a scheme that aims to store, access, and share medical data without risking security vulnerabilities and attacks. In the proposed scheme, medical data are divided into sensitive and non-sensitive patient data. Three consensus mechanisms (Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Stake (PoS), and Proof of Authority (PoA)) are implemented and compared to each other in terms of performance. The performance analysis of the proposed scheme shows that PoW provides approximately 21% and 9% better results than PoA and PoS for non-sensitive data in terms of block size, respectively. It also provides approximately 23% and 32% better results than PoA and PoS for sensitive data in terms of memory usage, respectively. The security analysis demonstrates that it has many security features and is strong against man-in-the-middle, impersonation, and modification attacks.
Exploring the nexus between poor governance and household food security
Authors: Khan Younas , Bojnec Štefan , Daraz Umar , Zulpiqar Farah
Published: April 2024

A cross-sectional-based study was conducted in Torghar Pakistan to analyze the association between impacts of poor governance and household food security through sociological lens. A sample size of 379 household heads was chosen randomly for data collection through structured questionnaire. The collected data was then analyzed in terms of bivariate and multivariate analyses, and binary logit model. At bivariate analysis, the study found that inadequate governance, political instability in terms of shortage of food supply chain, smuggling of food commodities had open new vistas toward starvation and household food insecurity. At multivariate analysis, the family composition has vivid association between household food security and poor governance. Although religious education and lower level of education deteriorate the existing food security at household level were also explored. Lastly, at binary logistic regression model depicted that increased in poor governance influence household food security negatively. Thus, the government should collaborate with local political leaders to identify those lacunas and institutional weakness that affect the good governance patterns in terms of smuggling and nepotism which deteriorate the existing channel of food supply chain during militancy were put forwarded some of the recommendations in light of the present study.
The role of endoscopic ultrasound in the detection of pancreatic lesions in high-risk individuals
Authors: Overbeek Kasper A. , Cahen Djuna L. , Bruno Marco J.
Published: April 2024

Individuals at high risk of developing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma are eligible for surveillance within research programs. These programs employ periodic imaging in the form of magnetic resonance imaging/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography or endoscopic ultrasound for the detection of early cancer or high-grade precursor lesions. This narrative review discusses the role of endoscopic ultrasound within these surveillance programs. It details its overall strengths and limitations, yield, burden on patients, and how it compares to magnetic resonance imaging. Finally, recommendations are given when and how to incorporate endoscopic ultrasound in the surveillance of high-risk individuals.
Cavitation and crack nucleation in thin hyperelastic adhesives
Authors: Rheinschmidt Florian , Drass Michael , Schneider Jens , Rosendahl Philipp L.
Published: April 2024

The present study investigates in the failure of adhesive bondings with structural silicone sealants. Point connectors of two circular metal adherends bonded with DOWSIL™  TSSA are subjected to tensile loading. We formulate and use a constitutive law that captures volumetric softening owing to the formation of cavities. Therein, cavitation is considered a process of elastic instability which is homogenized with a pseudo-elastic approach. Ultimate failure initiating from the free edges is predicted employing the framework of finite fracture mechanics. The concept requires both a strength-of-materials condition and a fracture mechanics condition to be satisfied simultaneously for crack nucleation. For the former, we use a novel multiaxial equivalent strain criterion. For the latter, we employ literature values of the fracture toughness of DOWSIL™  TSSA . The predicted onset of cavitation and ultimate failure loads are in good agreement with our experiments. The proposed model provides initial crack lengths that allow for the derivation of simple engineering models for both initial designs and proof of structural integrity while simultaneously extending the range of usability of the structural silicone compared to standardized approaches.
Exploring gonadotropin dosing effects on MII oocyte retrieval in ovarian stimulation
Authors: Zieliński Krystian , Kloska Anna , Wygocki Piotr , Zieleń Marcin , Kunicki Michał
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Ovarian stimulation with gonadotropins is crucial for obtaining mature oocytes for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Determining the optimal gonadotropin dosage is essential for maximizing its effectiveness. Our study aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) model to predict oocyte counts in IVF patients and retrospectively analyze whether higher gonadotropin doses improve ovarian stimulation outcomes.

Methods

We analyzed the data from 9598 ovarian stimulations. An ML model was employed to predict the number of mature metaphase II (MII) oocytes based on clinical parameters. These predictions were compared with the actual counts of retrieved MII oocytes at different gonadotropin dosages.

Results

The ML model provided precise predictions of MII counts, with the AMH and AFC being the most important, and the previous stimulation outcome and age, the less important features for the prediction. Our findings revealed that increasing gonadotropin dosage did not result in a higher number of retrieved MII oocytes. Specifically, for patients predicted to produce 4–8 MII oocytes, a decline in oocyte count was observed as gonadotropin dosage increased. Patients with low (1–3) and high (9–12) MII predictions achieved the best results when administered a daily dose of 225 IU; lower and higher doses proved to be less effective.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that high gonadotropin doses do not enhance MII oocyte retrieval. Our ML model can offer clinicians a novel tool for the precise prediction of MII to guide gonadotropin dosing.
Low-Density Urbanisation: Prestate Settlement Growth in a Pacific Society
Authors: Parton Phillip , Clark Geoffrey
Published: April 2024

The recognition of low-density urbanisation has been important in documenting how diverse human settlements generated enduring social and economic change. In tropical regions, the key challenges to studying low-density urbanisation have been the difficulty in acquiring past built environment data and integrating the frameworks that illuminate the social behaviours intrinsic to urbanisation. The introduction of lidar mapping and urban science methods has proven revolutionary in our understanding of low-density urbanisation as demonstrated by emerging research on settlements and states in Mesoamerica and Southeast Asia. These studies draw on urban theory to highlight patterns in the built environment associated with profound societal changes including the rise of social institutions, agglomeration effects, and ongoing settlement growth. Here, we present an approach that combines lidar survey and archaeological fieldwork with recent developments in urban science to understand the built environment of Tongatapu; the location of an archaic state whose influence spread across the southwest Pacific Ocean between the thirteenth and nineteenth centuriesa.d.Quantitative results show—for the first time—that settlements on a Pacific island were urbanised in a distinct low-density form and that the processes of urbanisation began prior to state development. This study highlights the potential contribution of Pacific landscapes to urban science and the low-density settlement phenomena given the presence of large populations, hierarchical societies, and vast distributions of archaeological built remains on many island groups.
A review of external sensors for human detection in a human robot collaborative environment
Authors: Saleem Zainab , Gustafsson Fredrik , Furey Eoghan , McAfee Marion , Huq Saif
Published: April 2024

Manufacturing industries are eager to replace traditional robot manipulators with collaborative robots due to their cost-effectiveness, safety, smaller footprint and intuitive user interfaces. With industrial advancement, cobots are required to be more independent and intelligent to do more complex tasks in collaboration with humans. Therefore, to effectively detect the presence of humans/obstacles in the surroundings, cobots must use different sensing modalities, both internal and external. This paper presents a detailed review of sensor technologies used for detecting a human operator in the robotic manipulator environment. An overview of different sensors installed locations, the manipulator details and the main algorithms used to detect the human in the cobot workspace are presented. We summarize existing literature in three categories related to the environment for evaluating sensor performance: entirely simulated, partially simulated and hardware implementation focusing on the ‘hardware implementation’ category where the data and experimental environment are physical rather than virtual. We present how the sensor systems have been used in various use cases and scenarios to aid human–robot collaboration and discuss challenges for future work.