bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) technique in thumb injuries: a systematic review
Authors: do Rosario Saraiva Maria , Vázquez Olalla Saiz , Ortiz-Huerta Juan Hilario , Santamaría-Vázquez Montserrat
Published: July 2024

Human hands have a complex anatomical structure. The thumb, being an integral part of the hand, has an essential function in gripping. In this sense, thumb fractures account for 4% of all hand fractures (it may occur in association with fractures of the trapezium). The majority of hand fractures should be treated non-surgically and surgeons must avoid unnecessary surgery. Historically, hand surgery has used a combination of local/regional/general anaesthesia and a tourniquet. This study aims to carry out a systematic review to determine whether the WALANT technique is an advantageous alternative to conventional anaesthesia for surgical procedures on thumb injuries, in terms of patient function and pain. Method: We conducted a search in the following databases: Pubmed/Medline, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar, using the equation "WALANT" OR "Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet" AND "thumb pathology". Results: In five of the 584 articles included, two studied trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis, one De Quervain's disease and the remaining two flexor injuries. WALANT showed good results in active movements, but with similar levels of pain between anaesthetics. Patients were more anxious during general anaesthesia, plus the fact that they were fasting and suspending medication. Conclusion: WALANT is a convenient and favourable option in several studies. It has been demonstrated the benefits in terms of return to function and pain.
Trajectories of BMI before and after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in a real-world population
Authors: Donnelly Louise A. , McCrimmon Rory J. , Pearson Ewan R.
Published: July 2024

Aims/hypothesis

Few studies have examined the clinical characteristics associated with changes in weight before and after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Using a large real-world cohort, we derived trajectories of BMI before and after diabetes diagnosis, and examined the clinical characteristics associated with these trajectories, including assessing the impact of pre-diagnosis weight change on post-diagnosis weight change.

Methods

We performed an observational cohort study using electronic medical records from individuals in the Scottish Care Information Diabetes Collaboration database. Two trajectories were calculated, based on observed BMI measurements between 3 years and 6 months before diagnosis and between 1 and 5 years after diagnosis. In the post-diagnosis trajectory, each BMI measurement was time-dependently adjusted for the effects of diabetes medications and HbA1c change.

Results

A total of 2736 individuals were included in the study. There was a pattern of pre-diagnosis weight gain, with 1944 individuals (71%) gaining weight overall, and 875 (32%) gaining more than 0.5 kg/m2 per year. This was followed by a pattern of weight loss after diagnosis, with 1722 individuals (63%) losing weight. Younger age and greater social deprivation were associated with increased weight gain before diagnosis. Pre-diagnosis weight change was unrelated to post-diagnosis weight change, but post-diagnosis weight loss was associated with older age, female sex, higher BMI, higher HbA1c and weight gain during the peri-diagnosis period. When considering the peri-diagnostic period (defined as from 6 months before to 12 months after diagnosis), we identified 986 (36%) individuals who had a high HbA1c at diagnosis but who lost weight rapidly and were most aggressively treated at 1 year; this subgroup had the best glycaemic control at 5 years.

Conclusions/interpretation

Average weight increases before diagnosis and decreases after diagnosis; however, there were significant differences across the population in terms of weight changes. Younger individuals gained weight pre-diagnosis, but, in older individuals, type 2 diabetes is less associated with weight gain, consistent with other drivers for diabetes aetiology in older adults. We have identified a substantial group of individuals who have a rapid deterioration in glycaemic control, together with weight loss, around the time of diagnosis, and who subsequently stabilise, suggesting that a high HbA1c at diagnosis is not inevitably associated with a poor outcome and may be driven by reversible glucose toxicity.

Graphical Abstract
Reinforcing effects of fentanyl analogs found in illicit drug markets
Authors: Maitland Alexander D. , McGriff Shelby A. , Glatfelter Grant C. , Schindler Charles W. , Baumann Michael H.
Published: July 2024

Rationale

The potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, and its analogs, continue to drive opioid-related overdoses. Although the pharmacology of fentanyl is well characterized, there is little information about the reinforcing effects of clandestine fentanyl analogs (FAs).

Objectives

Here, we compared the effects of fentanyl and the FAs acetylfentanyl, butyrylfentanyl, and cyclopropylfentanyl on drug self-administration in male and female rats. These FAs feature chemical modifications at the carbonyl moiety of the fentanyl scaffold.

Methods

Sprague-Dawley rats fitted with intravenous jugular catheters were placed in chambers containing two nose poke holes. Active nose poke responses resulted in drug delivery (0.2 mL) over 2 s on a fixed-ratio 1 schedule, followed by a 20 s timeout. Acquisition doses were 0.01 mg/kg/inj for fentanyl and cyclopropylfentanyl, and 0.03 mg/kg/inj for acetylfentanyl and butyrylfentanyl. After 10 days of acquisition, dose-effect testing was carried out, followed by 10 days of saline extinction.

Results

Self-administration of fentanyl and FAs was acquired by both male and female rats, with no sex differences in acquisition rate. Fentanyl and FAs showed partial inverted-U dose-effect functions; cyclopropylfentanyl and fentanyl had similar potency, while acetylfentanyl and butyrylfentanyl were less potent. Maximal response rates were similar across drugs, with fentanyl and cyclopropylfentanyl showing maximum responding at 0.001 mg/kg/inj, acetylfentanyl at 0.01 mg/kg/inj, and butyrylfentanyl at 0.003 mg/kg/inj. No sex differences were detected for drug potency, efficacy, or rates of extinction.

Conclusions

Our work provides new evidence that FAs display significant abuse liability in male and female rats, which suggests the potential for compulsive use in humans.
Comparison between admissible and de Jong coverings in mixed characteristic
Authors: Gaulhiac Sylvain
Published: July 2024

Let X be an adic space locally of finite type over a complete non-archimedean field k, and denote $${\textbf {Cov}}_{X}^{\textrm{oc}}$$

Cov

X

oc

(resp. $${\textbf {Cov}}_{X}^{\textrm{adm}}$$

Cov

X

adm

) the category of étale coverings of X that are locally for the Berkovich overconvergent topology (resp. for the admissible topology) disjoint union of finite étale coverings. There is a natural inclusion $${\textbf {Cov}}_{X}^{\textrm{oc}}\subseteq {\textbf {Cov}}_{X}^{\textrm{adm}}$$

Cov

X

oc

⊆

Cov

X

adm

. Whether or not this inclusion is strict is a question initially asked by de Jong. Some partial answers have been given in the recents works of Achinger, Lara and Youcis in the finite or equal characteristic 0 cases. The present note shows that this inclusion can be strict when k is of mixed characteristic (0, p) and p-closed. As a consequence, the natural morphism of Noohi groups $$\pi _1^{\mathrm {dJ, \, adm}}(\mathcal {C}, \overline{x})\rightarrow \pi _1^{\mathrm {dJ, \,oc}}(\mathcal {C},\overline{x}) $$

π
1

dJ
,

adm

(
C
,

x
¯

)

→

π
1

dJ
,

oc

(
C
,

x
¯

)

is not an isomorphism in general.
Evaluation of 3D T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo MR image quality using artificial intelligence image reconstruction techniques in the pediatric brain
Authors: Nagaraj Usha D. , Dillman Jonathan R. , Tkach Jean A. , Greer Joshua S. , Leach James L.
Published: July 2024

Purpose

To assess image quality and diagnostic confidence of 3D T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo (SPGR) MRI using artificial intelligence (AI) reconstruction.

Materials and methods

This prospective, IRB-approved study enrolled 50 pediatric patients (mean age = 11.8 ± 3.1 years) undergoing clinical brain MRI. In addition to standard of care (SOC) compressed SENSE (CS = 2.5), 3D T1-weighted SPGR images were obtained with higher CS acceleration factors (5 and 8) to evaluate the ability of AI reconstruction to improve image quality and reduce scan time. Images were reviewed independently on dedicated research PACS workstations by two neuroradiologists. Quantitative analysis of signal intensities to calculate apparent grey and white matter signal to noise (aSNR) and grey-white matter apparent contrast to noise ratios (aCNR) was performed.

Results

AI improved overall image quality compared to standard CS reconstruction in 35% (35/100) of evaluations in CS = 2.5 (average scan time = 221 ± 6.9 s), 100% (46/46) of CS = 5 (average scan time = 113.3 ± 4.6 s) and 94% (47/50) of CS = 8 (average scan time = 74.1 ± 0.01 s). Quantitative analysis revealed significantly higher grey matter aSNR, white matter aSNR and grey-white matter aCNR with AI reconstruction compared to standard reconstruction for CS 5 and 8 (all p-values < 0.001), however not for CS 2.5.

Conclusions

AI reconstruction improved overall image quality and gray-white matter qualitative and quantitative aSNR and aCNR in highly accelerated (CS = 5 and 8) 3D T1W SPGR images in the majority of pediatric patients.
Development and validation of a predictive model for double-J stent encrustation after upper urinary tract calculi surgery
Authors: Jia Weihui , Chi Wenyu , Liu Chen , Song Yifen , Yang Shunshun , Yin Chonggao
Published: July 2024

The study is aimed to establish a predictive model of double-J stent encrustation after upper urinary tract calculi surgery. We collected the clinical data of 561 patients with indwelling double-J tubes admitted to a hospital in Shandong Province from January 2019 to December 2020 as the modeling group and 241 cases of indwelling double-J tubes from January 2021 to January 2022 as the verification group. Univariate and binary logistic regression analyses were used to explore risk factors, the risk prediction equation was established, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis model was used for prediction. In this study, 104 of the 561 patients developed double-J stent encrustation, with an incidence rate of 18.5%. We finally screened out BMI (body mass index) > 23.9 (OR = 1.648), preoperative urine routine white blood cell quantification (OR = 1.149), double-J tube insertion time (OR = 1.566), postoperative water consumption did not reach 2000 ml/d (OR = 8.514), a total of four factors build a risk prediction model. From the ROC curve analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.844, and the maximum Oden index was 0.579. At this time, the sensitivity was 0.735 and the specificity was 0.844. The research established in this study has a high predictive value for the occurrence of double-J stent encrustation in the double-J tube after upper urinary tract stone surgery, which provides a basis for the prevention and treatment of double-J stent encrustation.
Two wrongs do not make a right: the assumption that an inhibitor acts as an inverse activator
Authors: Jayathilaka Chathranee , Araujo Robyn , Nguyen Lan , Flegg Mark
Published: July 2024

Models of biochemical networks are often large intractable sets of differential equations. To make sense of the complexity, relationships between genes/proteins are presented as connected graphs, the edges of which are drawn to indicate activation or inhibition relationships. These diagrams are useful for drawing qualitative conclusions in many cases by the identifying recurring of topological motifs, for example positive and negative feedback loops. These topological features are usually classified under the presumption that activation and inhibition are inverse relationships. For example, inhibition of an inhibitor is often classified the same as activation of an activator within a motif classification, effectively treating them as equivalent. Whilst in many contexts this may not lead to catastrophic errors, drawing conclusions about the behavior of motifs, pathways or networks from these broad classes of topological feature without adequate mathematical descriptions can lead to obverse outcomes. We investigate the extent to which a biochemical pathway/network will behave quantitatively dissimilar to pathway/ networks with similar typologies formed by swapping inhibitors as the inverse of activators. The purpose of the study is to determine under what circumstances rudimentary qualitative assessment of network structure can provide reliable conclusions as to the quantitative behaviour of the network. Whilst there are others, We focus on two main mathematical qualities which may cause a divergence in the behaviour of two pathways/networks which would otherwise be classified as similar; (i) a modelling feature we label ‘bias’ and (ii) the precise positioning of activators and inhibitors within simple pathways/motifs.
Investigating the seasonal SST Predictability in the Northern Tropical Atlantic Ocean in an ensemble prediction system
Authors: Liu Ting , Wang Chunzai , Yang Jiao , Song Xunshu , Zheng Jiayu , Wen Yonghan
Published: July 2024

The present study comprehensively investigates the practical and intrinsic predictability of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the Northern Tropical Atlantic (NTA) based on the 138-year-long coupled hindcasts with a recently developed seasonal ensemble prediction system. This system can yield skillful deterministic predictions for the prominent warm and cold events at least 6 months ahead. Notably, it excels in providing probabilistic predictions for below- and above-normal events rather than for neutral events. The predictability of SST in the NTA undergoes remarkable seasonal variation with two peaks of predictability targeted at April and October regardless of the lead time. Various sources of predictability for these target months are revealed. For the target month of April, the preceding remote forcing from the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropical Pacific Ocean combined with local signal results in the phase locking of the SST variation and seasonality of signal component over the NTA. This ultimately contributes to the high predictability targeted at April. However, From the perspective of potential predictability of the predictability targeted at October, which has been rarely mentioned in previous studies. It is also encouraging that, similar to the Indian Ocean Dipole, ENSO and the signal-to-noise ratio of the system mainly contribute to predictability beyond persistence at long lead times for the spring SST in the NTA. This indicates that potential future ENSO improvements may leave much room for improvement in the current SST prediction in the NTA.
Intake of free sugar among children and adolescents in Germany declines – current results of the DONALD study
Authors: Perrar Ines , Alexy Ute , Nöthlings Ute
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Our recent analysis reported decreasing trends in intake of free sugar in children and adolescents in Germany. Here we set out to update this analysis with current dietary intake (until 2023) because of the strong public health nutrition interest in sugar intake.

Methods

In total, 4,218 dietary records kept between 2010 and 2023 by 751 participants (46.0% females, 3–18 years) from the German Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) cohort were examined. Age and time trends in free sugar intake (%E/d) were analysed using polynomial mixed-effects regression models.

Results

Median intake data indicate a decline in the intake of free sugar between 2010/2011 (16.7%E) and 2022/2023 (11.7%E). Trend analyses confirmed, that intake of free sugars decreased continuously between 2017 and 2023 (Linear trend: β = -0.4126, p < 0.0001). In addition, free sugar intake changed significantly with age (Linear trend: β = 1.2922, p < 0.0001; quadratic trend: β = -0.08613, p = 0.0094; cubic trend: β = 0.001442, p = 0.1725), i.e. the intake of free sugars increases continuously up to early adolescence (9/10 years) and decreases again thereafter.

Conclusion

The intake of free sugar among children and adolescents continued to decline, but still exceeded the WHO recommendations in 2023. Further measures to reduce free sugar intake would therefore be desirable, as well as continuous monitoring of sugar intake levels among this age groups.
Cementless short stem total hip arthroplasty in patients older than 75 years: is it feasible?
Authors: Luger Matthias , Holzbauer Matthias , Klotz Matthias C. , Fellner Franz , Gotterbarm Tobias
Published: July 2024

Background

In recent years, the indication for cementless short stem total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been widened to elderly patients as they might profit by the advantages of the short-curved implant design as well. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcome of a cementless short stem in elderly patients (≥ 75 years) compared to a young control group (≤ 60 years).

Methods

A retrospective cohort of 316 THAs performed between 2014 and 2017 was prospectively examined. In all patients a cementless, curved short stem and press-fit cup (Fitmore® stem; Allofit®/-S cup; both ZimmerBiomet, Warsaw, IN, USA) were implanted via a minimally-invasive anterolateral approach. Clinical and radiological outcome as well as rate of complications and revision were assessed.

Results

In total, 292 patients have been included for analysis of complications and revisions (Øfollow-up: 4.5 years) and 208 patients for clinical and radiological outcome (Øfollow-up: 4.4 years). Complication rate was significantly increased in elderly patients (13.7% vs. 5.8%, p = 0.023), while the revision rate was increased without statistical significance (5.2% vs. 2.2%, p = 0.169). Periprosthetic fractures occurred significantly higher in the elderly patients (5.2% vs. 0.7%; p = 0.026). Both groups showed a comparable clinical outcome in the Harris Hip Score (93.7 vs. 91.9; p = 0.224), Oxford Hip Score (44.5 vs. 43.7; p = 0.350), Forgotten Joint Score (81.7 vs. 81.5; p = 0.952) and WOMAC (7.4 vs. 9.3; p = 0.334).

Conclusion

Cementless short stem total hip arthroplasty shows a comparable clinical and radiological outcome in patients over 75 years of age compared to younger patients under 60 years of age. However, cementless shorts stem THA shows an increased rate of overall complications and periprosthetic fractures in elderly patients over 75 years of age. Cemented fixation of the femoral component should be considered in patients over 75 years of age.

Level of evidence

III Case-controlled study.

Trial registration

Observational study without need for trial registration due to ICMJE criteria.
The role of different acetabular morphologies on patient-reported outcomes following periacetabular osteotomy in borderline hip dysplasia
Authors: Fischer Maximilian , Nonnenmacher Lars , Zimmerer Alexander , Reichert Johannes C. , Möller Alexander , Hofer Andre , Matziolis Georg , Wassilew Georgi I.
Published: July 2024

Introduction

The treatment option for borderline hip dysplasia (BHD) includes hip arthroscopy and periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). To the present day the controversial discussion remains, which intervention to prefer. Literature reports supporting an educated choice are scare, based on small patient cohorts and do not address the variability of acetabular morphology. Consequently, we intended to report PAO outcomes, from patients diagnosed with BHD, dependent on acetabular morphology, in a large patient cohort and aimed to define risk factors for poor clinical results and patient satisfaction.

Materials and methods

A prospective monocentre study was conducted. Patients enrolled underwent PAO for symptomatic BHD (LCEA, 18°–25°). A total of 107 hips were included with 94 complete data sets were available for evaluation with a minimum follow-up of 1 year and a mean follow-up of 2.3 years. The mean age was 31 ± 8.2 years, and 81.3% were female. As the primary outcome measure, we utilized the modified Harris hip score (mHHS) with minimal clinically important change (MCID) of eight to define clinical failure. Results were compared after a comprehensive radiographic assessment distinguishing between lateral deficient vs. anterior/posterolateral deficient acetabular and stable vs. unstable hip joints.

Results

Overall, clinical success was achieved in 91.5% of patients and the mHHS improved significantly (52 vs. 84.7, p < 0.001). Eight hips failed to achieve the MCID and four had radiographic signs of overcorrection. Comparing variable joint morphologies, the rate of clinical success was higher in patients with an anterior/posterolateral deficient acetabular covarage compared to lateral deficient acetabular (95.2% vs. 90.4%). tThe highest rate of clinical failure was recorded in unstable hip joints (85.7% vs. 92.5% in stable hips).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that PAO is an effective means to treat symptomatic BHD with variable acetabular morphologies, achieving a clinical success in 91.5% of all patients. To maintain a high level of safety and patient satisfaction technical accuracy appears crucial.
Developing hazard scenarios from monitoring data, historical chronicles, and expert elicitation: a case study of Sangay volcano, Ecuador
Authors: Bernard Benjamin , Tadini Alessandro , Samaniego Pablo , Bevilacqua Andrea , Vasconez Francisco J. , Aravena Alvaro , Vitturi Mattia de’ Michieli , Hidalgo Silvana
Published: July 2024

Sangay volcano is considered as one of the most active volcanoes worldwide. Nevertheless, due to its remote location and low-impact eruptions, its eruptive history and hazard scenarios are poorly constrained. In this work, we address this issue by combining an analysis of monitoring data and historical chronicles with expert elicitation. During the last 400 years, we recognize periods of quiescence, weak, and enhanced eruptive activity, lasting from several months to several years, punctuated by eruptive pulses, lasting from a few hours to a few days. Sangay volcano has been mainly active since the seventeenth century, with weak eruptive activity as the most common regime, although there have also been several periods of quiescence. During this period, eruptive pulses with VEI 1–3 occurred mainly during enhanced eruptive activity and produced far-reaching impacts due to ash fallout to the west and long-runout lahars to the south-east. Four eruptive pulse scenarios are considered in the expert elicitation: strong ash venting (SAV, VEI 1–2), violent Strombolian (VS, VEI 2–3), sub-Plinian (SPL, VEI 3–4), and Plinian (PL, VEI 4–5). SAV is identified as the most likely scenario, while PL has the smallest probability of occurrence. The elicitation results show high uncertainty about the probability of occurrence of VS and SPL. Large uncertainties are also observed for eruption duration and bulk fallout volume for all eruptive scenarios, while average column height is better characterized, particularly for SAV and VS. We interpret these results as a consequence of the lack of volcano-physical data, which could be reduced with further field studies. This study shows how historical reconstruction and expert elicitation can help to develop hazard scenarios with uncertainty assessment for poorly known volcanoes, representing a first step towards the elaboration of appropriate hazard maps and subsequent planning.
Equality Conditions for the Fractional Superadditive Volume Inequalities
Authors: Meyer Mark
Published: July 2024

While studying set function properties of Lebesgue measure, F. Barthe and M. Madiman proved that Lebesgue measure is fractionally superadditive on compact sets in $$\mathbb {R}^n$$

R

n

. In doing this they proved a fractional generalization of the Brunn–Minkowski–Lyusternik (BML) inequality in dimension $$n=1$$

n
=
1

. In this paper we will prove the equality conditions for the fractional superadditive volume inequalites for any dimension. The non-trivial equality conditions are as follows. In the one-dimensional case we will show that for a fractional partition $$(\mathcal {G},\beta )$$

(
G
,
β
)

and nonempty sets $$A_1,\dots ,A_m\subseteq \mathbb {R}$$

A
1

,
⋯
,

A
m

⊆
R

, equality holds iff for each $$S\in \mathcal {G}$$

S
∈
G

, the set $$\sum _{i\in S}A_i$$

∑

i
∈
S

A
i

is an interval. In the case of dimension $$n\ge 2$$

n
≥
2

we will show that equality can hold if and only if the set $$\sum _{i=1}^{m}A_i$$

∑

i
=
1

m

A
i

has measure 0.
Weibel-Palade bodies: function and role in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and in diarrhea phase of STEC-hemolytic uremic syndrome
Authors: Monnens Leo
Published: July 2024

Vascular endothelial cells are equipped with numerous specialized granules called Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). They contain a cocktail of proteins that can be rapidly secreted (3–5 min) into the vascular lumen after an appropriate stimulus such as thrombin. These proteins are ready without synthesis. Von Willebrand factor (VWF) and P-selectin are the main constituents of WPBs. Upon stimulation, release of ultralarge VWF multimers occurs and assembles into VWF strings on the apical side of endothelium. The VWF A1 domain becomes exposed in a shear-dependent manner recruiting and activating platelets. VWF is able to recruit leukocytes via direct leukocyte binding or via the activated platelets promoting NETosis. Ultralarge VWF strings are ultimately cleaved into smaller pieces by the protease ADAMTS-13 preventing excessive platelet adhesion. Under carefully performed flowing conditions and adequate dose of Shiga toxins, the toxin induces the release of ultralarge VWF multimers from cultured endothelial cells. This basic information allows insight into the pathogenesis of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and of STEC-HUS in the diarrhea phase. In TTP, ADAMTS-13 activity is deficient and systemic aggregation of platelets will occur after a second trigger. In STEC-HUS, stimulated release of WPB components in the diarrhea phase of the disease can be presumed to be the first hit in the damage of Gb3 positive endothelial cells.

Graphical abstract
A critical take on the role of random and local search-oriented components of modern computational intelligence-based optimization algorithms
Authors: Zolghadr-Asli Babak
Published: July 2024

The concept of computational intelligence (CI)-based optimization algorithms emerged in the early 1960s as a more practical approach to the contemporary derivate-based approaches. This paved the way for many modern algorithms to arise with an unprecedented growth rate in recent years, each claiming to have a novel and present a profound breakthrough in the field. That said, many have raised concerns about the performance of these algorithms and even identified fundamental flaws that could potentially undermine the integrity of their results. On that note, the premise of this study was to replicate some of the more prevalent, fundamental components of these algorithms in an abstract format as a measure to observe their behavior in an isolated environment. Six pseudo algorithms were designed to create a spectrum of intelligence behavior ranging from absolute randomness to local search-oriented computational architecture. These were then used to solve a set of centered and non-centered benchmark suites to see if statistically different patterns would emerge. The obtained result clearly highlighted that the algorithm’s performance would suffer significantly as these benchmarks got more intricate. This is not just in terms of the number of dimensions in the search space but also the mathematical structure of the benchmark. The implication is that, in some cases, sheer processing resources can mask the algorithm’s lack of sufficient intelligence. But as importantly, this study attempted to identify some mechanics and concepts that could potentially cause or amplify this problem. For instance, the excessive use of greedy strategy, a prevalent measure embedded in many modern CI-based algorithms, has been identified as potentially one of these reasons. The result, however, highlights a more fundamental problem in the CI-based optimization field. That is, these algorithms are often treated as a black box. This perception cultivated the culture of not exploring the underlying structure of these algorithms as long as they were deemed capable of generating acceptable results, which permits similar biases to go undetected.
Deep learning and embeddings-based approaches for keyphrase extraction: a literature review
Authors: Giarelis Nikolaos , Karacapilidis Nikos
Published: July 2024

Keyphrase extraction is a subtask of natural language processing referring to the automatic extraction of salient terms that semantically capture the key themes and topics of a document. Earlier literature reviews focus on classical approaches that employ various statistical or graph-based techniques; these approaches miss important keywords/keyphrases, due to their inability to fully utilize context (that is present or not) in a document, thus achieving low F1 scores. Recent advances in deep learning and word/sentence embedding vectors lead to the development of new approaches, which address the lack of context and outperform the majority of classical ones. Taking the above into account, the contribution of this review is fourfold: (i) we analyze the state-of-the-art keyphrase extraction approaches and categorize them upon their employed techniques; (ii) we provide a comparative evaluation of these approaches, using well-known datasets of the literature and popular evaluation metrics, such as the F1 score; (iii) we provide a series of insights on various keyphrase extraction issues, including alternative approaches and future research directions; (iv) we make the datasets and code used in our experiments public, aiming to further increase the reproducibility of this work and facilitate future research in the field.
Classification of anticancer drugs: an update with FDA- and EMA-approved drugs
Authors: Ostios-Garcia Lorena , Pérez Daniel Martínez , Castelo Beatriz , Herradón Noelia Hernández , Zamora Pilar , Feliu Jaime , Espinosa Enrique
Published: July 2024

Anticancer systemic therapy comprises a complex and growing group of drugs. Some of the new agents with novel mechanisms of action that have appeared are difficult to fit in the groups of classical chemotherapy, hormones, tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, and monoclonal antibodies. We propose a classification based on two levels of information: the site of action and the mechanism of action. Regarding the former, drugs can exert their action in the tumor cell, the tumor vasculature, the immune system, or the endocrine system. The mechanism of action refers to the molecular target.
Delivery of miR-15b-5p via magnetic nanoparticle-enhanced bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles mitigates diabetic osteoporosis by targeting GFAP
Authors: Xu Chen , Wang Zhaodong , Liu Yajun , Duan Keyou , Guan Jianzhong
Published: July 2024

Diabetic osteoporosis (DO) presents significant clinical challenges. This study aimed to investigate the potential of magnetic nanoparticle-enhanced extracellular vesicles (GMNPE-EVs) derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to deliver miR-15b-5p, thereby targeting and downregulating glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in rat DO models. Data was sourced from DO-related RNA-seq datasets combined with GEO and GeneCards databases. Rat primary BMSCs, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs), and osteoclasts were isolated and cultured. EVs were separated, and GMNPE targeting EVs were synthesized. Bioinformatic analysis revealed a high GFAP expression in DO-related RNA-seq and GSE26168 datasets for disease models. Experimental results confirmed elevated GFAP in rat DO bone tissues, promoting osteoclast differentiation. miR-15b-5p was identified as a GFAP inhibitor, but was significantly downregulated in DO and enriched in BMSC-derived EVs. In vitro experiments showed that GMNPE-EVs could transfer miR-15b-5p to osteoclasts, downregulating GFAP and inhibiting osteoclast differentiation. In vivo tests confirmed the therapeutic potential of this approach in alleviating rat DO. Collectively, GMNPE-EVs can effectively deliver miR-15b-5p to osteoclasts, downregulating GFAP expression, and hence, offering a therapeutic strategy for rat DO.
BRISE-plandok: a German legal corpus of building regulations
Authors: Recski Gábor , Iklódi Eszter , Lellmann Björn , Kovács Ádám , Hanbury Allan
Published: July 2024

We present the BRISE-Plandok corpus, a collection of 250 text documents with a total of over 7000 sentences from the Zoning Map of the City of Vienna, annotated manually with formal representations of the rules they convey. The generic rule format used by the corpus enables automated compliance checking of building plans, a process developed as part of the BRISE (https://smartcity.wien.gv.at/en/brise/) project. The format also allows for conversion to multiple logic formalisms, including dyadic deontic logic, enabling automated reasoning. Annotation guidelines were developed in collaboration with experts of the city’s building inspection office, describing nearly 100 domain-specific attributes with examples. Each document was annotated independently by two trained annotators and subsequently reviewed by the authors. A rule-based system for the automatic extraction of rules from text was developed and used in the annotation process to provide suggestions. The reviewed dataset was also used to train a set of baseline machine learning models for the task of attribute extraction, the main step in the rule extraction process. Both the rule-based system and the ML baselines are evaluated on the annotated dataset and released as open-source software. We also describe and release the framework used for generating and parsing the interactive xlsx spreadsheets used by annotators.
Parlamint-it: an 18-karat UD treebank of Italian parliamentary speeches
Authors: Alzetta Chiara , Montemagni Simonetta , Sartor Marta , Venturi Giulia
Published: July 2024

The paper presents ParlaMint-It, a new treebank of Italian parliamentary debates, linguistically annotated based on the Universal Dependencies (UD) framework. The resource comprises 20,460 tokens and represents a hybrid language variety that is underrepresented in the UD initiative. ParlaMint-It results from a manual revision process that relies on a semi-automatic methodology able to identify sentences that are most likely to contain inconsistencies and recurrent error patterns generated by the automatic annotation. Such a method made the revision process faster and more efficient than revising the entire treebank. In addition, it allowed the identification and correction of annotation errors resulting from linguistic constructions inconsistently represented in UD treebanks and from characteristics specific to parliamentary speeches. Hence, the treebank is deemed as an 18-karat resource, since, although not fully manually revised, it is a valuable resource for researchers working on Italian language processing tasks.
Fear of Crime as a Punitive Project—The Swedish Case
Authors: Sahlin Lilja Hanna
Published: July 2024

This paper asks what the role of fear of crime research plays in the conception and framing of the crime problem, by unpacking the theoretical assumptions inherent in fear of crime methodology and examining their function. It presents the empirical example of Sweden and discusses it in relation to accounts on fear of crime and its establishment in the USA and UK. This paper provides an empirical account of how the fear of crime research discourse was implemented and institutionalized in Sweden, and how the occurrence of governmental fear of crime surveys has developed over time. Secondly, it discusses the role the fear of crime discourse plays in the politics of punitivity, concluding fear of crime research rhetorically enables continued political exploitation of crime, constructs crime as a problem of order maintenance and legitimizes further expansions of state control.
Toxicological risk assessment using spring water quality indices in plateaus of Giresun Province/Türkiye: a holistic hydrogeochemical data analysis
Authors: Karadeniz Selin , Ustaoğlu Fikret , Aydın Handan , Yüksel Bayram
Published: July 2024

Water scarcity is a growing concern due to rapid urbanization and population growth. This study assesses spring water quality at 20 stations in Giresun province, Türkiye, focusing on potentially toxic elements and physicochemical parameters. The Water Quality Index rated most samples as "excellent" during the rainy season and "good" during the dry season, except at stations 4 (40° 35′ 12″ North/38° 26′ 34″ East) and 19 (40° 44′ 28″ North/38° 06′ 53″ West), indicating "poor" quality. Mean macro-element concentrations (mg/L) were: Ca (34.27), Na (10.36), Mg (8.26), and K (1.48). Mean trace element values (μg/L) were: Al (1093), Zn (110.54), Fe (67.45), Mn (23.03), Cu (9.79), As (3.75), Ni (3.00), Cr (2.84), Pb (2.70), Co (1.93), and Cd (0.76). Health risk assessments showed minimal non-carcinogenic risks, while carcinogenic risk from arsenic slightly exceeded safe limits (CR = 1.75E−04). Higher arsenic concentrations during the rainy season were due to increased recharge, arsenic-laden surface runoff, and human activities. Statistical analyses (PCA, PCC, HCA) suggested that metals and physico-chemical parameters originated from lithogenic, anthropogenic, or mixed sources. Regular monitoring of spring water is recommended to mitigate potential public health risks from waterborne contaminants.
One bad apple spoils the barrel? Public good provision under threshold uncertainty
Authors: Carlsson Fredrik , Ek Claes , Lange Andreas
Published: July 2024

We report laboratory evidence on the voluntary provision of threshold public goods when the exact location of the threshold is not known. Our experimental treatments explicitly compare two prominent technologies, summation, and weakest link. Uncertainty in threshold location is particularly detrimental to threshold attainment under weakest link, where low contributions by one subject cannot be compensated by others. In contrast, threshold uncertainty does not affect contributions under summation. We demonstrate that non-binding pledges improve the chances of threshold attainment under both technologies, particularly under weakest link.
The Adaptive Role of Bark in the Diet of Budongo Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)
Authors: Freymann E. , Badihi G. , Hobaiter C. , Huffman M. A. , Muhumuza G. , Orbell S. , Sempebwa D. , Yikii E. Robert , Zuberbühler K. , Carvalho S.
Published: July 2024

The ingestion of bark has been observed across the animal kingdom and is well documented in free-ranging chimpanzees. Thus far, the best-supported hypothesis for the adaptive function of this behavior is the fallback food hypothesis, which asserts that chimpanzees consume bark and cambium when preferred foods are scarce. However, alternative explanations exist, including the essential nutrient and mineral hypothesis, the self-medication hypothesis, and the stressed-tree hypothesis. We tested whether the fallback food hypothesis can explain bark-feeding across two communities of Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in the Budongo Forest, Uganda. We used 13 years of the site’s long-term behavioral data, 5 years of food availability data, and 8 months of direct and indirect observations. We also conducted eight 400-m line transects to collect data on the distribution of tree species across community home ranges. We employed several analyses, including Pearson correlation tests, qualitative comparisons of descriptive data and heat maps, and interpretation of behavioral anecdotes. We found varying patterns of bark-feeding seasonality across tree species, with bark-feeding on several species showing no correlation with food scarcity. We also identified differences in the amounts of bark targeted between tree species and report anecdotal evidence of chimpanzees prioritizing bark over high-value foods. Lastly, we found that bark-feeding on certain species disproportionally occurs far from community core areas, despite relative abundance of these species within the home range. As a result, we argue that the fallback food hypothesis cannot explain bark-feeding across all tree species. Instead, we present supporting evidence for several alternative hypotheses, including self-medication, thereby challenging the widely accepted function of this behavior.
The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Sleep in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Sadikova Eleonora , Mazurek Micah O.
Published: July 2024

Children with autism spectrum disorder are at higher risk for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). They are also more vulnerable to sleep problems and are less likely to obtain the recommended number of hours of sleep than neurotypical children. In the general population, ACEs have been linked to future sleep difficulties. Despite increased vulnerabilities to both ACEs and sleep problems, no study has examined this association in ASD. Using the National Survey of Children’s Health across four cohorts, we examined whether ACEs were a risk factor to obtaining the recommended number of hours of sleep, while accounting for demographic and health factors typically associated with sleep duration. Findings indicate that children with ASD with more ACEs were less likely to get the recommended number of hours of sleep than children with fewer ACEs. Other factors associated with sleep included race, anxiety, autism severity, and overall health. These findings indicate that sleep problems in children with ASD are complex and multifaceted. Among other considerations, it is important for clinicians to screen children with ASD for ACEs and consider the possible impact of ACEs on sleep.
Incorporating slow NMDA-type receptors with nonlinear voltage-dependent magnesium block in a next generation neural mass model: derivation and dynamics
Authors: Sheheitli Hiba , Jirsa Viktor
Published: July 2024

We derive a next generation neural mass model of a population of quadratic-integrate-and-fire neurons, with slow adaptation, and conductance-based AMPAR, GABAR and nonlinear NMDAR synapses. We show that the Lorentzian ansatz assumption can be satisfied by introducing a piece-wise polynomial approximation of the nonlinear voltage-dependent magnesium block of NMDAR current. We study the dynamics of the resulting system for two example cases of excitatory cortical neurons and inhibitory striatal neurons. Bifurcation diagrams are presented comparing the different dynamical regimes as compared to the case of linear NMDAR currents, along with sample comparison simulation time series demonstrating different possible oscillatory solutions. The omission of the nonlinearity of NMDAR currents results in a shift in the range (and possible disappearance) of the constant high firing rate regime, along with a modulation in the amplitude and frequency power spectrum of oscillations. Moreover, nonlinear NMDAR action is seen to be state-dependent and can have opposite effects depending on the type of neurons involved and the level of input firing rate received. The presented model can serve as a computationally efficient building block in whole brain network models for investigating the differential modulation of different types of synapses under neuromodulatory influence or receptor specific malfunction.
Experimental and numerical characterization of a flexible strain sensor based on polydimethylsiloxane polymeric network and MWCNT’s
Authors: Vázquez-Torres Nadia A. , Benítez-Martínez Jorge A. , Vélez-Cordero Juan R. , Sánchez-Arévalo Francisco M.
Published: July 2024

We demonstrated the feasibility of obtaining a low-cost, flexible strain sensor by spraying a conductive thin layer of MWCNT’s over an S-pattern embedded within a PDMS matrix. The final composite conforms a dog bone-shaped tensile specimen intended to measure the strain associated with a human wrist extension movement. Our sensor works with a combination of different mechanisms, such as piezoresistivity and tunneling, which depend on the level and repetitions of loads applied to the sensor. According to the reported elongation ratios, these sensors can detect large strains, up to 40%, for several uniaxial loading-unloading cycles. This makes them useful for human skin strain measurements.

Graphical abstract
Chaotic dynamics of a continuous and discrete generalized Ziegler pendulum
Authors: Disca Stefano , Coscia Vincenzo
Published: July 2024

We present analytical and numerical results on integrability and transition to chaotic motion for a generalized Ziegler pendulum, a double pendulum subject to an angular elastic potential and a follower force. Several variants of the original dynamical system, including the presence of gravity and friction, are considered, in order to analyze whether the integrable cases are preserved or not in presence of further external forces, both potential and non-potential. Particular attention is devoted to the presence of dissipative forces, that are analyzed in two different formulations. Furthermore, a study of the discrete version is performed. The analysis of periodic points, that is presented up to period 3, suggests that the discrete map associated to the dynamical system has not dense sets of periodic points, so that the map would not be chaotic in the sense of Devaney for a choice of the parameters that corresponds to a general case of chaotic motion for the original system.
Measure for Measure: Operationalising Cognitive Realism
Authors: Beni Majid D.
Published: July 2024

This paper develops a measure of realism from within the framework of cognitive structural realism (CSR). It argues that in the context of CSR, realism can be operationalised in terms of balance between accuracy and generality. More specifically, the paper draws on the free energy principle to characterise the measure of realism in terms of the balance between accuracy and generality.
Analytic wave solutions to the beta-time fractional modified equal width equation based on two efficient approaches
Authors: Zafar Asim , Raheel M. , Jamal M. , Siddique Imran , Tawfiq Ferdous M. , Tchier Fairouz , Bilal Muhammad , Inc Mustafa
Published: July 2024

By using the two distinct methods known as the $$\exp (-\phi (\eta ))$$

exp
(
-
ϕ
(
η
)
)

and the $$Exp_a$$

E
x

p
a

-function methods, various forms of soliton solutions of the modified equal width wave equation (MEWE) with beta time derivative (BTD) are produced in this study. This model is used as a model in partial differential equations for the simulation of one-dimensional wave transmission in nonlinear media with dispersion processes. The obtained solutions are in the form of rational, trigonometry and hyperbolic trigonometry functions. Using Mathematica software, the resulting solitons are validated. Graphs are also used at the conclusion to explain the findings. These soliton solutions imply that these two methods are more dependable, simple and efficient than other methods. The findings can be used to explain how studious structures and other comparable non-linear physical structures are substantially understood. The obtained results are very helpful in the fields of optics, kinetics solid-state physics and hydro-magnetic waves in cold plasma.