bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the regulation of long noncoding RNAs in cancer
Authors: Ebrahimi Nasim , Saremi Jamileh , Ghanaatian Masoud , Yazdani Elnaz , Adelian Samaneh , Samsami Sahar , Moradi Neda , Rostami Ravari Nadi , Ahmadi Amirhossein , Hamblin Michael R. , Aref Amir Reza
Published: August 2022

Cancer cells must overcome a variety of external and internal stresses to survive and proliferate. These unfavorable conditions include the accumulation of mutations, nutrient deficiency, oxidative stress, and hypoxia. These stresses can cause aggregation of misfolded proteins inside the endoplasmic reticulum. Under these conditions, the cell undergoes endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER‐stress), and consequently initiates the unfolded protein response (UPR). Activation of the UPR triggers transcription factors and regulatory factors, including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which control the gene expression profile to maintain cellular stability and hemostasis. Recent investigations have shown that cancer cells can ensure their survival under adverse conditions by the UPR affecting the expression of lncRNAs. Therefore, understanding the relationship between lncRNA expression and ER stress could open new avenues, and suggest potential therapies to treat various types of cancer.
Completion of postoperative polysomnography for children with severe obstructive sleep apnea: A quality improvement project
Authors: Jiang Wen , Bhattacharjee Rakesh , Nation Javan , Brigger Matthew T.
Published: August 2022

Objective

Pediatric patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at risk for residual OSA following tonsillectomy with/without adenoidectomy (T ± A). We initiated a quality improvement (QI) project to increase the percentage of postoperative (postop) polysomnography (PSG) completion to identify residual OSA.

Methods

This is a prospective QI project carried out at a tertiary pediatric academic hospital. Children ≤18 years of age who underwent T ± A for severe OSA were included. Our Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time‐based (SMART) aim was to increase the percentage of completed postop PSGs in this cohort from a baseline of 70% to95% by May 31, 2021. We focused on patient education and leveraged both clinical decision support and reporting functionalities of the electronic medical record for project implementation.

Results

During the pre‐intervention period between January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, 472 patients met the inclusion criteria with an average age of 8.6 years (SD 4.6). The rate of postop PSG completion was 69.7% (SD 11.4%) with an average time of 99 days (SD 66) between surgery and the postop PSG. A shift was observed starting in September 2020, and the PSG completion rate improved to 94.9% by September 30, 2021. Post‐intervention, there were 178 patients with an average age of 9.3 years (SD 4.9). The average time between surgery and the postop PSG was significantly reduced to 57 days (SD 16; p < .001).

Conclusions

Through a multidisciplinary approach, we successfully completed our SMART aim. With the establishment of QI infrastructure, our goal is to deliver better care in a sustainable fashion using QI methodology.
Opportunities to Foster Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction: A Role for Scientists
Authors: Muraki Gottlieb Hiroko , Girguis Peter R.
Published: August 2022

Countries are currently negotiating a comprehensive global binding treaty at the United Nations to better protect biodiversity in the high seas (referred to from here as “the Treaty”). Developing a governance framework for the sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources (MGRs) of the high seas (or areas beyond national jurisdiction, referred to from here as “ABNJ”) is a crucial element of the proposed treaty. Negotiating countries' positions on MGRs vary widely, ranging from no regulation to the establishment of a new global regulatory mechanism. For the scientists who may be involved with collecting MGRs in ABNJ, the Treaty could impact their research activities, including mandatory precollection notification. There could also be new requirements for daily research activities associated with utilizing physical materials collected in ABNJ or data generated from such materials. For indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) that may hold relevant traditional knowledge, the Treaty could ensure their rights to prior, free, and informed consent and the use of mutually agreed terms. The scientific community and IPLC have an opportunity to engage with key stakeholders to increase the chances that any new requirements will be practical, remain relevant in decades to come, and provide a platform that will foster research, collaboration, and marine biological diversity conservation.
A novel automatic‐dependent surveillance‐broadcast patch antenna for aircraft tracking
Authors: Aguni Lahcen , Chabaa Samira , Ibnyaich Saida , Sellak Lahcen , Sarosh Ahmad , Zeroual Abdelouhab
Published: August 2022

This paper focuses on the design of a novel automatic‐dependent surveillance‐broadcast (ADS‐B) patch antenna operating at 1090 MHz with good bandwidth and good gain for aircraft tracking and navigation purposes. The structure of the proposed antenna consists of a long strip line ended by a crescent patch, a U‐shaped ground plane, and a rectangular substrate. The proposed antenna is simulated using both HFSS and CST electromagnetic simulators. The overall dimensions of the antenna are 130 × 26 × 1.6 mm3, and is fabricated on a low‐cost FR‐4 epoxy substrate. Various parameters are determined and analyzed to evaluate the antenna performance in terms of reflection coefficient, impedance bandwidth, radiation pattern, gain, and efficiency. It has been verified and tested that the simulated results are in very good agreement with the measured ones. At the desired frequency of 1090 MHz, the ADS‐B patch antenna has a gain of 2.23 dBi and a measured impedance bandwidth at −10 dB of 200 MHz. The antenna has an omnidirectional radiation pattern, which will allow the antenna to pick up ADS‐B signals broadcasted by aircraft in all directions. An ADS‐B system has been built and validated using aircraft data provided by the Flightradar platform.
Synthesis of syndiotactic polystyrene—Polyisobutylene graft copolymers by cationic half‐sandwich scandium complex
Authors: Yang Ke , Wang Shanda , Zhou Rifeng , Cheng Qingli , Wang Quanguo , Li Yang
Published: August 2022

Syndiotactic polystyrene is a high strength engineering plastic, and polyisobutylene is an excellent elastomers. In order to combine the advantages of syndiotactic polystyrene and polyisobutylene, isobutylene was achieved to graft onto the crystalline syndiotactic polystyrene, forming graft copolymers, under half sandwich scandium complex [(C5Me4SiMe3)Sc(CH2SiMe3)2THF]/[Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] after the application of syndiotactic copolymers of styrene and 4‐isopropenylstyrene with pendant double bonds. Grafted copolymers based on crystalline polystyrene and rubbery polyisobutylene block have both high Tm (270°C) and low Tg (−67°C), meanwhile, these materials have relative good mechanical properties.
Establishing construct validity of neuropsychological tests in cancer survivors
Authors: Treviño Melissa , Zhu Xiaoshu , Lu Yi Yi , Scheuer Luke Sanders , Passell Eliza , Huang Grace , Germine Laura Thi , Horowitz Todd Steven
Published: August 2022

Objective

Cancer‐related cognitive impairments (CRCI) are frequently reported among cancer survivors, and attention is the most frequently assessed cognitive domain in CRCI. However, there is no consensus as to whether attention is impaired. We suggest that a major reason for this lack of agreement is a lack of construct validity for neuropsychological attention tests. We propose to assess the construct validity of neuropsychological attention tests with respect to experimental paradigms from cognitive psychology.

Methods

Self‐reported cancer survivors (N = 314) completed an online battery comprising six experimental attention paradigms and eight neuropsychological tests. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the fit of five models derived from a general population sample (N = 636) in a previous study (M. Treviño, Cogn Res Princ Implic, in press). We then subjected the best‐fitting model to a measurement invariance analysis.

Results

The best‐fitting model was a six intercorrelated factor structure, comprising Capacity, Search, Digit Span, Arithmetic, Sustained Attention, and Flanker Interference factors. Configural and weak invariance held, indicating that the factor loadings were invariant across groups. Strong invariance, indicating that intercepts were also invariant, held except for the Approximate Number Sense test.

Conclusions

According to our factor model, Spatial Span and Digit Symbol Coding measure attentional capacity, while the Trail Making Test (A&B) and Letter Cancellation tests measure visual search ability. However, Digit Span and Arithmetic tests do not measure attention. We hope that these results will lead to better scientific models, better patient education, and, ultimately, improved outcomes for survivors.
At‐home end‐tidal carbon dioxide measurement in children with invasive home mechanical ventilation
Authors: Foster Carolyn C. , Kwon Soyang , Shah Avani V. , Hodgson Caroline A. , Hird‐McCorry Lindsey P. , Janus Angela , Jedraszko Aneta M. , Swanson Philip , Davis Matthew M. , Goodman Denise M. , Laguna Theresa A.
Published: August 2022

Background

Carbon dioxide concentration trending is used in chronic management of children with invasive home mechanical ventilation (HMV) in clinical settings, but options for end‐tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) monitoring at home are limited. We hypothesized that a palm‐sized, portable endotracheal capnograph (PEC) that measures EtCO2 could be adapted for in‐home use in children with HMV.

Methods

We evaluated the internal consistency of the PEC by calculating an intraclass correlation coefficient of three back‐to‐back breaths by children (0–17 years) at baseline health in the clinic. Pearson's correlation was calculated for PEC EtCO2 values with concurrent mean values of in‐clinic EtCO2 and transcutaneous CO2 (TCM) capnometers. The Bland–Altman test determined their level of agreement. Qualitative interviews and surveys assessed usability and acceptability by family‐caregivers at home.

Results

CO2 values were collected in awake children in varied activity levels and positions (N = 30). The intraclass correlation coefficient for the PEC was 0.95 (p < 0.05). The correlation between the PEC and in‐clinic EtCO2 device was 0.85 with a mean difference of −3.8 mmHg and precision of ±1.1 mmHg. The correlation between the PEC and the clinic TCM device was 0.92 with a mean difference of 0.2 mmHg and precision of ±1.0. Family‐caregivers (N = 10) trialed the PEC at home; all were able to obtain measurements at home while children were awake and sometimes asleep.

Conclusions

A portable, noninvasive device for measuring EtCO2 was feasible and acceptable, with values that trend similarly to currently in‐practice, outpatient models. These devices may facilitate monitoring of EtCO2 at home in children with invasive HMV.
Isolation of phosphate solubilizing fungus from rice fields of Odisha for agro‐ecological sustainable agriculture
Authors: Krishna Samal D P , Sukla Lala Behari
Published: August 2022

Phosphorus (P), the second most essential nutrient, plays a remarkable role in energy transfer, storage, plant growth, and development. It is the least mobile and accessible to plants in most soil conditions as compared to the other key nutrients. Phosphate‐solubilizing fungus (PSF) plays a vital role in supplying phosphorous to plants from the soil. Hence this research intends to assess the phosphorous and nutritional status of collected soil samples as well as isolation of potential fungal strains. Twelve soil samples were taken from three costal districts of Odisha (Bhadrak, Jajpur, and Balasore). All six key soil parameters like pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium were examined for correlation and found to be significantly associated with each other. Fungal colonies were enumerated, grown and pure colonies were found. A total of four potential fungal strains were isolated, screened from rhizospheric soil and evaluated for their phosphate solubilization efficiency on Pikovskaya's agar selective media. They produce the halo zones around their colony approximately 3.3 cm (PRF2), 2.96(PRF3), and 3.06(PRF4) cm within 10 days of incubation. Aspergillus niger was a highly efficient strain in solubilizing phosphate with the solubilization index (SI) of 3.56 cm and also showed the greatest drop in pH in the PVK broth containing rock phosphate.
Influence of institutional attributes on fulfillment of transfer and breeding recommendations in zoos and aquariums
Authors: Gray Steven M. , Faust Lisa J. , Senner Paul , Eebes Kristine S. , Che‐Castaldo Judy P.
Published: August 2022

Compliance with Breeding and Transfer Plan (BTP) recommendations is important to promote long‐term viability and meet the management goals of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium Species Survival Plans (SSPs®). However, individual institutions may fulfill recommendations at different rates, potentially compromising management efforts. We examined institution‐level fulfillment rates of BTP recommendations (i.e, “Hold,” “Send To,” “Breed With,” and “Do Not Breed”), and how rates differ based on institutional attributes related to resource levels, geographic location and climate, involvement in population management, and the SSPs in which institutions participated using conditional random forests and generalized linear mixed models. We analyzed 52,182 recommendations from 375 SSPs issued to 170 institutions in BTPs published from 2012 to 2019. Contrary to predictions, our results did not reveal large differences in fulfillment rates based on resources, geographic location, or climate variables at the institution level. We found modest patterns indicating that recommendation fulfillment for Hold and Do Not Breed recommendations in mammals was lower with longer interplanning periods, while fulfillment of Hold recommendations in birds increased with the average experience of individuals in SSP leadership roles. For herptiles, fulfillment of Send To recommendations was moderately higher in institutions with species spread across more herptile taxonomic advisory groups (the management unit for related species). Although our results suggest that overarching institutional factors do not have a strong influence on fulfillment rates at the scale of our study, more focused research within a specific temporal window, taxa, or suite of SSPs may reveal more informative patterns for population management.
Do Financial Conditions Play a Role in University Dropout? New Evidence from Administrative Data
Authors: Contini Dalit , Zotti Roberto
Published: August 2022

A large strand of research in the economics and sociology of education has highlighted the existence of deeply rooted inequalities in educational choices along socioeconomic lines, even when net of prior performance. These disparities may take different forms at different stages of schooling and across institutional systems. Yet, due to the lack of data, it is often difficult to disentangle the role played by the various dimensions of socioeconomic background on students’ educational careers. While parental education and occupation may shape aspirations (and thus the wish to undertake ambitious educational programmes), lack of income could represent a material obstacle to the continuation of study. In this chapter, we focus on the effect of financial conditions on the probability of dropping out from university. Italy is an interesting study case, because the education system is mainly public and university tuition fees are relatively low and income progressive. Because direct costs for disadvantaged students are low, we would expect income not to be highly relevant in this context. By exploiting a unique data set from the University of Torino (in northern Italy) linking administrative data from students’ university careers and information on parental characteristics collected at matriculation, we analyse how socioeconomic background influences the first-year dropout probability. While extremely relevant in earlier educational outcomes, parental education and occupation no longer exert a sizable effect at this point in students’ lives. Instead, we find that economic conditions greatly influence the chances of completing university. This result suggests that low tuition fees may be insufficient to foster the participation of low-income high school graduates and that additional forms of support might be needed to ensure equity and, at the same time, raise the share of young people with higher education degrees, which is still too low in Italy.
Social Network Tools for the Evaluation of Individual and Group Scientific Performance
Authors: Stefano Domenico De , Kronegger Luka , Sciabolazza Valerio Leone , Vitale Maria Prosperina , Zaccarin Susanna
Published: August 2022

Over the past few decades, scientific collaboration has been widely considered an important driver of research innovation. By collaborating together, scientists can benefit from both methodological and technological complementarities and synergy, improving the quality and quantity of their research outputs. As evidence of this, collaboration among scientists is increasing in all disciplines and government policies in international exchange programs are aimed at promoting collaboration among researchers. Collaboration among scientists can be represented as a network, usually adopting co-authorship as linkages. In this view, Social Network Analysis provides a useful theoretical and methodological approach because collaboration features can be related to the topological characteristics of the network. Recently, several empirical studies have found positive associations between researchers’ position in the co-authorship network and their productivity, although the results can be different depending on the discipline, scientific performance measure, and data source retrieved to construct the co-authorship networks. In this contribution, we propose the use of SNA tools for scientific evaluation purposes. Network indices at the individual and subgroup levels will be introduced to analyze the relation with both the individual research productivity and scientific output quality measure provided by the Italian academic researchers involved in VQR from the period 2011–2014.
Fokussierung III
Authors: Groschupp Steffen
Published: August 2022

Der Autor legt die bis hierher lediglich in Zitate gefasste Motivation, den Text am Prozess der Theorie U von Otto Scharmer (Scharmer, C. O. (2020). Theorie U - Von der Zukunft her führen: Presencing als soziale Technik (5. Edition). Carl-Auer Verlag.) zu orientieren offen. Den Leser:innen den Blick in das Neue aus der offenbarten Bewegung des U heraus nahezulegen und gleichzeitig die Bereitschaft für den Gang über jeweils eigene innere Schwellen zu schaffen ist Voraussetzung für den Einstieg in die nachfolgende praktische Forschung.

Der Inhalt dieses Kapitels ist mit Hinweis auf die Fußnoten und das Literaturverzeichnis vollständig von der Zitier- und Abbildungsbefugnis des § 51 Urheberrechtsgesetz, Satz 1 - 3 umfasst.
Exkurs
Authors: Groschupp Steffen
Published: August 2022

Der Autor bietet den Leser:innen in diesem Kapitel einen Exkurs zur Aussagenlogik und der Aussagenlogik als ein Modell Boolescher Algebra an. Die Leser:innen sind ausdrücklich eingeladen diesen Exkurs zu studieren. Er könnte das Verständnis der Dichotomie Nachhaltigkeit / Nichtnachhaltigkeit erleichtern und macht nachvollziehbar warum die zweiwertige Logik als unser etabliertes Denksystem dringend hinterfragt werden sollte. Aussagenlogik in einem Modell Boolescher Algebra kann die Dimensionalität dieser Aussage als auch das in diesem Modell ‚spiegelbare‘ unterstützen.

Der Inhalt dieses Kapitels ist mit Hinweis auf die Fußnoten und das Literaturverzeichnis vollständig von der Zitier- und Abbildungsbefugnis des § 51 Urheberrechtsgesetz, Satz 1 - 3 umfasst.
Fokussierung II
Authors: Groschupp Steffen
Published: August 2022

Eine kurze Gegenüberstellung des momentanen Soll und Haben in Bezug auf die Fähigkeiten der KI und eine Aufforderung zur Suche nach Konzepten, welche der KI Wahrnehmungs- und Interpretationsmöglichkeiten verschafft stehen hier im Fokus.

Der Inhalt dieses Kapitels ist mit Hinweis auf die Fußnoten und das Literaturverzeichnis vollständig von der Zitier- und Abbildungsbefugnis des § 51 Urheberrechtsgesetz, Satz 1 - 3 umfasst.
Zu einer neuen Form der Wissenschaft
Authors: Groschupp Steffen
Published: August 2022

Den Beobachter als ein Drittes und nicht mit Zweiwertigkeit zu beschreibenden einzuführen ist nicht nur ein Versuch Wissenschaft neu zu fassen, sondern die Aufforderung zum Aufbruch in eine Wissenschaft die Kategorien wie ‚wahr‘ und ‚falsch‘ einer neuen Erkundung unterwerfen wird. Wissenschaft könnte sich dabei selbst in einer neuen Form etablieren.

Der Inhalt dieses Kapitels ist mit Hinweis auf die Fußnoten und das Literaturverzeichnis vollständig von der Zitier- und Abbildungsbefugnis des § 51 Urheberrechtsgesetz, Satz 1 - 3 umfasst.
A Cohort Study of the Surgical Risks and Prediction of Complications in Surgical Tracheostomies
Authors: Ben‐Ishay Yotam , Eliashar Ron , Weinberger Jeffrey M. , Shavit Sagit Stern , Hirshoren Nir
Published: August 2022

Background

Current protocols favor percutaneous tracheostomies over open procedures. We analyzed the effects of this conversion from the open approach to the percutaneous procedure in terms of relevant clinical status, complications, and mortality in surgical open tracheostomies. Relevant laboratory and clinical parameters, potentially associated with complications, were also examined.

Main outcome measures

Comparison of clinical, laboratory data and outcome of surgical tracheostomy during the two eras. Investigate potential pertinent predictive parameters associated with complications.

Methods

A single center retrospective case series of consecutive patients who underwent surgical tracheostomy between the years 2006–2009 (“early era”) and 2016–2020 (“late era”).

Results

The study included 304 patients, 160 in the “early” and 144 in the “late” era. Despite a 78% increase in patient volume in the intensive care units, there was a 55% decrease in surgical tracheostomy during the “late era”. Significantly more patients with structural deformities (p < 0.001), insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (p = 0.004), extreme (high and low) body weight (p = 0.006), anemia (p < 0.001) and coagulation disorders (p < 0.001), were referred for an open tracheostomy during the “late era”. The complication rate was significantly higher during the “late era” (11.7 vs. 2.5%, OR 6.09 CI 95% [1.91–19.39], p = 0.001). Diabetes mellitus (p = 0.005), anemia (p = 0.033), malnutrition (p = 0.017), thrombocytopenia (p = 0.002) and poor renal function, (p = 0.008), were all significantly associated with higher complication rates.

Conclusions

Risk assessment and training programs must reflect the decrease in surgical volume of open tracheostomies and consequently reduced experience. The increase of a patient subset characterized by pertinent comorbidities should reflect this change.
Time to match; when do homologous chromosomes become closer?
Authors: Solé M. , Blanco J. , Gil D. , Valero O. , Cárdenas B. , Fonseka G. , Anton E. , Pascual Á. , Frodsham R. , Vidal F. , Sarrate Z.
Published: August 2022

In most eukaryotes, pairing of homologous chromosomes is an essential feature of meiosis that ensures homologous recombination and segregation. However, when the pairing process begins, it is still under investigation. Contrasting data exists in Mus musculus, since both leptotene DSB-dependent and preleptotene DSB-independent mechanisms have been described. To unravel this contention, we examined homologous pairing in pre-meiotic and meiotic Mus musculus cells using a three-dimensional fluorescence in situ hybridization-based protocol, which enables the analysis of the entire karyotype using DNA painting probes. Our data establishes in an unambiguously manner that 73.83% of homologous chromosomes are already paired at premeiotic stages (spermatogonia-early preleptotene spermatocytes). The percentage of paired homologous chromosomes increases to 84.60% at mid-preleptotene-zygotene stage, reaching 100% at pachytene stage. Importantly, our results demonstrate a high percentage of homologous pairing observed before the onset of meiosis; this pairing does not occur randomly, as the percentage was higher than that observed in somatic cells (19.47%) and between nonhomologous chromosomes (41.1%). Finally, we have also observed that premeiotic homologous pairing is asynchronous and independent of the chromosome size, GC content, or presence of NOR regions.
Comparison of findings identified at traditional invasive autopsy and postmortem computed tomography in suicidal hangings
Authors: Lyness James R. , Collins Anthony J. , Rutty Jane E. , Rutty Guy N.
Published: August 2022

Cases of suicidal hanging are a common death referred for medico-legal autopsy throughout the world. Although some advocate using postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) without traditional invasive autopsy (TIA) to investigate such deaths, others reject this approach. There is currently limited evidence to guide practice. In this context, the TIA reports and PMCT images of 50 cases of suspected suicidal hanging during an 11-month period were reviewed. The reviewers were blinded to the findings of the other modality. A Cohen’s Kappa coefficient (K) was calculated to assess agreement between TIA and PMCT across a range of pertinent findings. This analysis demonstrated perfect agreement for identification of a ligature (K = 1.00) and a strong level of agreement for identification of a ligature suspension point (K = 0.832) but only a minimal level of agreement for overall ligature mark (K = 0.223). PMCT demonstrated a weak level of agreement for fractures of hyoid bone (K = 0.555) and thyroid cartilage (K = 0.538). Three probable fractures not identified at TIA were identified on PMCT. TIA was shown to be superior in the identification of intramuscular and laryngeal fracture–related haemorrhage/bruising whereas PMCT was superior to TIA in identifying body gas deposition. There was overall good correlation between the natural disease and trauma identified elsewhere in the body during the TIA and PMCT. The study demonstrates that PMCT can assist the investigation of suspected suicidal hangings. However, the accuracy of many findings is limited, and if it is used as an alternative to the TIA, potentially pertinent findings, such as fractures of the laryngeal cartilages, could be missed.
Deep learning analysis of clinical course of primary nephrotic syndrome: Japan Nephrotic Syndrome Cohort Study (JNSCS)
Authors: Kimura Tomonori , Yamamoto Ryohei , Yoshino Mitsuaki , Sakate Ryuichi , Imai Enyu , Maruyama Shoichi , Yokoyama Hitoshi , Sugiyama Hitoshi , Nitta Kosaku , Tsukamoto Tatsuo , Uchida Shunya , Takeda Asami , Sato Toshinobu , Wada Takashi , Hayashi Hiroki , Akai Yasuhiro , Fukunaga Megumu , Tsuruya Kazuhiko , Masutani Kosuke , Konta Tsuneo , Shoji Tatsuya , Hiramatsu Takeyuki , Goto Shunsuke , Tamai Hirofumi , Nishio Saori , Nagai Kojiro , Yamagata Kunihiro , Yasuda Hideo , Ichida Shizunori , Naruse Tomohiko , Nishino Tomoya , Sobajima Hiroshi , Akahori Toshiyuki , Ito Takafumi , Terada Yoshio , Katafuchi Ritsuko , Fujimoto Shouichi , Okada Hirokazu , Mimura Tetsushi , Suzuki Satoshi , Saka Yosuke , Sofue Tadashi , Kitagawa Kiyoki , Fujita Yoshiro , Mizutani Makoto , Kashihara Naoki , Sato Hiroshi , Narita Ichiei , Isaka Yoshitaka
Published: August 2022

Background

Prognosis of nephrotic syndrome has been evaluated based on pathological diagnosis, whereas its clinical course is monitored using objective items and the treatment strategy is largely the same. We examined whether the entire natural history of nephrotic syndrome could be evaluated using objective common clinical items.

Methods

Machine learning clustering was performed on 205 cases from the Japan Nephrotic Syndrome Cohort Study, whose clinical parameters, serum creatinine, serum albumin, dipstick hematuria, and proteinuria were traceable after kidney biopsy at 5 measured points up to 2 years. The clinical patterns of time-series data were learned using long short-term memory (LSTM)-encoder–decoder architecture, an unsupervised machine learning classifier. Clinical clusters were defined as Gaussian mixture distributions in a two-dimensional scatter plot based on the highest log-likelihood.

Results

Time-series data of nephrotic syndrome were classified into four clusters. Patients in the fourth cluster showed the increase in serum creatinine in the later part of the follow-up period. Patients in both the third and fourth clusters were initially high in both hematuria and proteinuria, whereas a lack of decline in the urinary protein level preceded the worsening of kidney function in fourth cluster. The original diseases of fourth cluster included all the disease studied in this cohort.

Conclusions

Four kinds of clinical courses were identified in nephrotic syndrome. This classified clinical course may help objectively grasp the actual condition or treatment resistance of individual patients with nephrotic syndrome.
Social Support Networks of Individuals with Depressive Disorders: A Cross-sectional Survey in Former Psychiatric Inpatients in Germany
Authors: Löwenstein Heiko , Frank Fabian
Published: August 2022

Depressive disorders are related to social withdrawal and a loss of social contacts. Moreover, a lack of social integration and social support are risk factors for relapse and rehospitalization. Despite the crucial role of social networks for mental health and social support, knowledge about the structure of social networks or how they promote social support in terms of coping with depressive disorders is scarce. The present study aims to analyze social support in people with depressive disorders using ego-centered social network analysis for formal description. Ninety-seven former psychiatric inpatients participated in the study. Network size and density, a small number of conflicts in the relationships of ego to alters, and the multiplexity of social support dimensions were associated with perceived social support—measured via Social Support Questionnaire (F-Soz-U-K-14). Considering relational ratios which correlated with perceived social support, five types of social support networks were differentiated by means of cluster analysis: (1) no social support, (2) professionally supported birth family, (3) the more the merrier, (4) concentrated support, (5) overchallenged nuclear family. More than each relational characteristic on its own, their co-occurring patterns as network types provide the very structures of social support. This underpins the crucial role of structural approaches and networking skills in social work practice.

German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00011561. Trial registration date: 10. March 2017.
Five novel RB1 gene mutations and genotype–phenotype correlations in Chinese children with retinoblastoma
Authors: Li Luting , Li Haibo , Zhang Jing , Gan Hairun , Liu Ruihong , Hu Xinyan , Pang Pengfei , Li Bing
Published: August 2022

Purpose

To identify the spectrum of RB1 gene mutations in 114 Chinese patients with retinoblastoma.

Methods

Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of 114 Rb patients. Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) followed by direct Sanger sequencing were used to screen for mutations in the RB1 gene, which contains 26 exons with flanking intronic sequences, except exon 15. Clinical data, including gender, age at diagnosis, laterality of ocular lesions, and associated symptoms, were recorded and compared.

Results

We identified five novel mutations in the RB1 gene. Twenty-five other mutations found in this study have been previously reported. A higher rate of RB1 mutations, with 47.3% of mutations among bilaterally affected patients vs. 6.8% within unilaterally affected patients, was also observed (p < 0.0001). Bilaterally affected patients were diagnosed earlier when compared to unilaterally affected patients (11 ± 7 months versus 20 ± 14 months, p = 0.0002). Furthermore, nonsense mutations were abundant (n = 14), followed by frameshift mutations (n = 8), splicing site mutations (n = 5), while missense mutations were few (n = 3).

Conclusions

We found five novel mutations in RB1 genes, which expands the mutational spectrum of the gene. Children with bilateral Rb exhibited higher mutation rates and were diagnosed earlier than those with unilateral Rb. These findings will inform clinical diagnosis and genetic therapeutic targeting in Rb patients.
Anatomy of an educational change: The safe learning model, Sierra Leone
Authors: Sugrue Ciaran , Samonova Elena , Capistrano Daniel , Devine Dympna , Sloan Seaneen , Symonds Jennifer , Smith Aimee
Published: August 2022

This paper undertakes a critical analysis of a planned change, the Safe Learning Model (SLM), devised over time by Concern Worldwide, and implemented in 100 primary or elementary schools in a rural district of Sierra Leone. We situate the documentation pertaining to the SLM (micro) within its wider national (meso) and international (macro) context of influential policy texts. We undertake a mixed methods analysis of these macro, meso and micro documents, interrogated through the prism of various change paradigms (scientific management, progressivism, critical theory, teacher professionalism and social movement) and in doing establish where these various document clusters, their explicit and implicit influences, may be located along the arc of change paradigms, thus surfacing their ideological assumptions, intent and influences. The paper concludes that in seeking to improve the quality of teaching, learning, and living in this instance, scientific management casts long shadows. The power, perspectives and financial influence of international agencies dominate change discourses whereby ‘learning crises’ require urgent responses in the form of testing and measuring that prevail over more expansive pedagogical capacity building. Consequently, perpetuating a ‘weighing the pig’ mindset downplays or ignores the ecology of teaching and learning, particularly the centrality of teachers, as professionals and role models, more likely to be compliant than transformative.
Detector Array Readout with Traveling Wave Amplifiers
Authors: Giachero A. , Barone C. , Borghesi M. , Carapella G. , Caricato A. P. , Carusotto I. , Chang W. , Cian A. , Gioacchino D. Di , Enrico E. , Falferi P. , Fasolo L. , Faverzani M. , Ferri E. , Filatrella G. , Gatti C. , Giubertoni D. , Greco A. , Kutlu C. , Leo A. , Ligi C. , Maccarrone G. , Margesin B. , Maruccio G. , Matlashov A. , Mauro C. , Mezzena R. , Monteduro A. G. , Nucciotti A. , Oberto L. , Pagano S. , Pierro V. , Piersanti L. , Rajteri M. , Rizzato S. , Semertzidis Y. K. , Uchaikin S. , Vinante A.
Published: August 2022

Reducing noise to the quantum limit over a large bandwidth is a fundamental requirement for future applications operating at millikelvin temperatures, such as the neutrino mass measurement, the next-generation X-ray observatory, the CMB measurement, the dark matter and axion detection, and the rapid high-fidelity readout of superconducting qubits. The read out sensitivity of arrays of microcalorimeter detectors, resonant axion-detectors, and qubits, is currently limited by the noise temperature and bandwidth of the cryogenic amplifiers. The Detector Array Readout with Traveling Wave Amplifiers project has the goal of developing high-performing innovative traveling wave parametric amplifiers with a high gain, a high saturation power, and a quantum-limited or nearly quantum-limited noise. The practical development follows two different promising approaches, one based on the Josephson junctions and the other one based on the kinetic inductance of a high-resistivity superconductor. In this contribution, we present the aims of the project, the adopted design solutions and preliminary results from simulations and measurements.
Value is King: The MECForge Deep Reinforcement Learning Solution for Resource Management in 5G and Beyond
Authors: Poltronieri Filippo , Stefanelli Cesare , Suri Niranjan , Tortonesi Mauro
Published: August 2022

Multi-access edge computing (MEC) is a key enabler to fulfill the promises of a new generation of immersive and low-latency services in 5G and Beyond networks. MEC represents a defining function of 5G, offering significant computational power at a reduced latency, allowing to augment the capabilities of user equipments while preserving their battery life. However, the demands generated by a plethora of innovative and concurrent IT services requiring high quality of service and quality of experience levels will likely overwhelm the—albeit considerable—resources available in 5G and Beyond scenarios. To take full advantage of its potential, MEC needs to be paired with innovative resource management solutions capable of effectively addressing the highly dynamic aspects of the scenario and of properly considering the heterogeneous and ever-changing nature of next generation IT services, prioritizing the assignment of resources in a highly dynamic and contextual fashion. This calls for the adoption of Artificial Intelligence based tools, implementing self-* approaches capable of learning the best resource management strategy to adapt to the ever changing conditions. In this paper, we present MECForge, a novel solution based on deep reinforcement learning that considers the maximization of total value-of-information delivered to end-user as a coherent and comprehensive resource management criterion. The experimental evaluation we conducted in a simulated but realistic environment shows how the Deep Q-Network based algorithm implemented by MECForge is capable of learning effective autonomous resource management policies that allocate service components to maximize the overall value delivered to the end-users.
Getting lost in the matrix? On how the characteristics and arrangement of linear landscape elements influence ecological connectivity
Authors: Anderson Calum , Travis Justin M. J. , Palmer Stephen C. F. , Crick Humphrey Q. P. , Lancaster Lesley T.
Published: August 2022

Context

Linear landscape elements (LLEs) such as ditches and hedgerows can increase the ecological connectivity of habitat embedded within agricultural areas by acting as corridors for animal movement. However, we lack knowledge on how the spatial arrangement of LLEs influence dispersal, impeding our ability to offer robust advice on how best to add new LLEs to improve connectivity.

Objectives

To examine how the width and spatial orientations of LLEs composing an intersecting network might influence connectivity across landscapes.

Methods

We used an individual-based dispersal model to simulate the stochastic movement of small organisms through stylised LLEs of different characteristics. Landscapes were composed of two habitat patches separated by a grid-like network of LLEs composed of two types: (1) connecting-edges (touching patches on either end) and (2) transecting-edges (running perpendicular to connecting-edges). By altering numbers and widths of each LLE type we sought to understand the effect of these variables on inter-patch dispersal rates.

Results

Increasing the number or width of connecting-edges improved connectivity but, conversely, increasing numbers or widths of transecting-edges reduced it. The greater freedom of movement offered by increasing numbers of transecting-edges may have inhibited connectivity, as individuals with limited perceptual-range were more likely to become trapped in complex networks and thus fail to navigate to suitable habitat patches.

Conclusions

Orientation of LLEs with respect to landscape resources greatly affects their impact on connectivity. The addition of LLEs to landscapes may decrease their connectivity for small, flightless species if they do not directly channel dispersers toward landscape resources.
SleepReplacer: a novel tool-based approach for replacing thread sleeps in selenium WebDriver test code
Authors: Olianas Dario , Leotta Maurizio , Ricca Filippo
Published: August 2022

Assuring quality of web applications is fundamental, given their relevance in the today’s world. A possible way to reach this goal is through end-to-end (E2E) testing, an approach in which a web application is automatically tested by performing the actions that a user would do. With modern web applications (for example, single-page applications), it is of great importance to properly handle asynchronous calls in the test suite. In E2E Selenium WebDriver test suites, asynchronous calls are usually managed in two ways: using thread sleeps or explicit waits. The first is easier to use, but is inefficient and can lead to instability (also called flakiness, a problem often present in test suites that makes us lose confidence in the testing phase), while the second is usually more efficient but harder to use because, if the correct kind of wait is not carefully selected, it can introduce flakiness too. To help Testers, who often opt for the first strategy, we present in this work a tool-based approach to automatically replace thread sleeps with explicit waits in an E2E Selenium WebDriver test suite without introducing new flakiness. We empirically validated our tool named SleepReplacer on four different test suites, and we found that it can correctly replace in an automatic way from 81 to 100% of thread sleeps, leading to a significant reduction of the total execution time of the test suite (i.e., from 13 to 71%).
miR-22 alleviates sepsis-induced acute kidney injury via targeting the HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway
Authors: Zhang Jie , Chen Qi , Dai Zhuquan , Pan Huibin
Published: August 2022

Background

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe complication of sepsis, and is strongly correlated with MicroRNAs (miRNAs). However, the mechanism of miR-22 on sepsis-induced AKI is not clearly understood. The study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of miR-22 on AKI.

Methods

The AKI models were established by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) surgery in SD rats and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induction in HBZY-1 cells. In AKI rats, the content of serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were detected. Kidney tissues were pathologically examined by H&E and PAS staining. The LPS-induced HBZY-1 cells were transfected with mimics miR-22, si-HMGB1, or oe-HMGB1. miR-22 and HMGB1 expression was detected in vivo and in vitro. In transfected cells, HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway-related protein expressions were measured by Western blot. The relationship between miR-22 and HMGB1 was assessed by a dual-luciferase gene report. Inflammatory cytokine levels in serum and cells were assessed by ELISA.

Results

In AKI rats, kidney injury was observed, accompanied by the down-regulated miR-122 expression and up-regulated HMBG1 expression. The dual-luciferase report found miR-22-3p could targetly regulate HMBG1. Furthermore, both in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that the releases of inflammatory cytokine were increased after AKI modeling, but the situation was reversed by mimics miR-22 or si-HMGB1 in vitro. In HBZY-1 cells, mimics miR-22 could suppress LPS-induced overexpression of HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins. However, the oe-HMGB1 addition reversed the effect of mimics miR-22.

Conclusion

miR-22 can inhibit the inflammatory response, target the HMGB1, and inhibit the HMGB1/TLR4/NF-kB pathway, to attenuate the sepsis-induced AKI, which indicates that miR-22 may serve as a potential treatment target in sepsis-induced AKI.
Information-Theoretic Odometry Learning
Authors: Zhang Sen , Zhang Jing , Tao Dacheng
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we propose a unified information theoretic framework for learning-motivated methods aimed at odometry estimation, a crucial component of many robotics and vision tasks such as navigation and virtual reality where relative camera poses are required in real time. We formulate this problem as optimizing a variational information bottleneck objective function, which eliminates pose-irrelevant information from the latent representation. The proposed framework provides an elegant tool for performance evaluation and understanding in information-theoretic language. Specifically, we bound the generalization errors of the deep information bottleneck framework and the predictability of the latent representation. These provide not only a performance guarantee but also practical guidance for model design, sample collection, and sensor selection. Furthermore, the stochastic latent representation provides a natural uncertainty measure without the needs for extra structures or computations. Experiments on two well-known odometry datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.
Improving medical experts’ efficiency of misinformation detection: an exploratory study
Authors: Nabożny Aleksandra , Balcerzak Bartłomiej , Morzy Mikołaj , Wierzbicki Adam , Savov Pavel , Warpechowski Kamil
Published: August 2022

Fighting medical disinformation in the era of the pandemic is an increasingly important problem. Today, automatic systems for assessing the credibility of medical information do not offer sufficient precision, so human supervision and the involvement of medical expert annotators are required. Our work aims to optimize the utilization of medical experts’ time. We also equip them with tools for semi-automatic initial verification of the credibility of the annotated content. We introduce a general framework for filtering medical statements that do not require manual evaluation by medical experts, thus focusing annotation efforts on non-credible medical statements. Our framework is based on the construction of filtering classifiers adapted to narrow thematic categories. This allows medical experts to fact-check and identify over two times more non-credible medical statements in a given time interval without applying any changes to the annotation flow. We verify our results across a broad spectrum of medical topic areas. We perform quantitative, as well as exploratory analysis on our output data. We also point out how those filtering classifiers can be modified to provide experts with different types of feedback without any loss of performance.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Cognitively stimulating maternal language as predictor for vocabulary growth
Authors: Möwisch Dave , Konrad-Ristau Kira , Weinert Sabine
Published: August 2022

Maternal interaction behavior, particularly maternal language input, is considered to be one of the key factors for child vocabulary development. Previous studies have shown that a higher quantity and diversity of maternal language input is associated with faster vocabulary development. In the present study, we examined cognitive-verbal stimulation as a specific aspect of maternal input, controlling for other relevant internal child characteristics and external environmental influences. Additionally, we compared the effects of cognitive stimulation on vocabulary development with a standard measurement of maternal language input, such as its quantity, to identify specific the effects of cognitive-verbally stimulating interaction behavior. We used data from the Newborn Cohort Study of the German National Educational Panel Study (N = 1127 families) and conducted latent growth curve modeling to examine the vocabulary growth of children between 3 and 7 years of age. As control variables, we also included maternal education and household income in the analyses as well as the children’s age, gender, and initial vocabulary level when they were 2 years old, their phonological working memory, and whether they were learning another native language other than German. The results indicated that general aspects of maternal input, such as the quantity and length of the utterances of maternal language input for 2‑years-olds, were relevant in the earlier stages of vocabulary development, while cognitive stimulation was an important predictor of growth across the later stages of vocabulary development in 3‑ to 7‑year-olds.