bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Brief Review on Manipulation of Essential Metal Ions as Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Weng Lin , Chen Xin
Published: December 2023

In this review, the latest progress in essential metal‐ion‐based nanomedicines for tumor therapy is summarized, existing challenges are addressed, and possible directions are proposed for such therapeutic strategies. Essential metal ions are critical for the metabolic activity of organisms. Their abnormal spatial and temporal distribution in biological systems, particularly inside the cell, disrupts biochemical processes and leads to irreversible physicochemical damage to cells. Thus, they can function as the foundation of targeted cancer therapies for tumor inhibition and eradication. Over the last decade, numerous essential metal‐ion‐based cancer therapies have been developed to fight a wide spectrum of cancers with improved efficiency and minor drug resistance. Triggering biocatalysis, affecting protein metabolism, interfering with signal transduction, damaging DNA, and initiating biomineralization are the main mechanisms underlying these therapies. In this study, it is aimed to provide readers with general implications for future research for an increased interest in future clinical applications of these advanced cancer therapies.
Thermoformed Parylene‐C Cuff Electrodes for Small Nerve Interfacing
Authors: Zurita Francisco , Freko Sebastian , Hiendlmeier Lukas , Del Duca Fulvia , Groll Tanja , Seelbach Olga , Steiger Katja , Wolfrum Bernhard
Published: December 2023

Peripheral nerve interfacing plays a crucial role in various healthcare applications. Generally, interfacing peripheral nerves results in a compromise between selectivity and invasiveness. In particular, large nerves carry many axonal fibers, which are difficult to address selectively without penetrating the nerve. Higher selectivity without nerve penetration can be achieved by targeting small nerves with extraneural cuff electrodes. However, in practice, small nerves are challenging to interface appropriately. Herein, a new multielectrode device is presented that can selectively interface small nerves (<200 μm). The device is fabricated using rapid laser‐based processing with biocompatible materials such as parylene‐C and Pt/Ir alloy. Furthermore, the cuff electrode is prefolded via a stick‐and‐roll thermoforming process, which simplifies the interfacing procedure. It is shows that the device is capable of selectively stimulating the nerve of a locust in vivo. Moreover, the subjects show no increased mortality 2 weeks after the implantation of the device.
Parallelized Immunomagnetic Isolation of Basophils Directly from Whole Blood
Authors: Myles Justin , Castaño Nicolas , Kim Sungu , Zhu Zhenyun , Tang Sindy K.Y.
Published: December 2023

Basophils are the rarest circulating white blood cells (WBCs), but they play important roles in allergic disorders and other diseases. To enhance diagnostic capabilities, it would be desirable to isolate and analyze basophils efficiently from small blood samples. In 100 μL of whole blood, there are typically ≈103basophils, outnumbered by ≈105WBCs and ≈108red blood cells (RBCs). Basophils’ low abundance has therefore presented a significant challenge in their isolation from whole blood. Conventional in‐bulk basophil isolation methods require lengthy processing steps and cannot work with small volumes of blood. Herein, a parallelized integrated basophil isolation device (pi‐BID) is reported for the negative immunomagnetic selection of basophils directly from four samples of 100 μL of whole blood, in parallel, within 14 min including sample preparation time. The pi‐BID interfaces directly with standard sample tubes, and uses a single pressure source to drive the flow in parallel microfluidic channels. Compared with conventional in‐bulk basophil isolation, the pi‐BID is >3× faster, and has higher purity (≈93%) and similar recovery (≈67%). Compared with other microfluidic devices for the immunomagnetic isolation of WBC subtypes, the pi‐BID achieves 10× higher enrichment of target cells from whole blood, with no prior removal of RBCs necessary.
Exploring preferred binding domains of IgG1 mAbs to multimodal adsorbents using a combined biophysics and simulation approach
Authors: Dhingra Kabir , Sinha Imee , Snyder Mark , Roush David , Cramer Steven M.
Published: December 2023

In this work, we employ a recently developed biophysical technique that uses diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) covalent labeling and mass spectrometry for the identification of mAb binding patches to two multimodal cation exchange resins at different pH. This approach compares the labeling results obtained in the bound and unbound states to identify residues that are sterically shielded and thus located in the mAb binding domains. The results at pH 6 for one mAb (mAb B) indicated that while the complementarity determining region (CDR) had minimal interactions with both resins, the FC domain was actively involved in binding. In contrast, DEPC/MS data with another mAb (mAb C) indicated that both the CDR and FC domains were actively involved in binding. These results corroborated chromatographic retention data with these two mAbs and their fragments and helped to explain the significantly stronger retention of both the intact mAb C and its Fab fragment. In contrast, labeling results with mAb C at pH 7, indicated that only the CDR played a significant role in resin binding, again corroborating chromatographic data. The binding domains identified from the DEPC/MS experiments were also examined using protein surface hydrophobicity maps obtained using a recently developed sparse sampling molecular dynamics (MD) approach in concert with electrostatic potential maps. These results demonstrate that the DEPC covalent labeling/mass spectrometry technique can provide important information about the domain contributions of multidomain proteins such as monoclonal antibodies when interacting with multimodal resins over a range of pH conditions.
Elevated BMI reduces the humoral response to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection
Authors: Tong Marcus ZW , Sng Julian DJ , Carney Meagan , Cooper Lucy , Brown Samuel , Lineburg Katie E , Chew Keng Yih , Collins Neve , Ignacio Kirsten , Airey Megan , Burr Lucy , Joyce Briony A , Jayasinghe Dhilshan , McMillan Christopher LD , Muller David A , Adhikari Anurag , Gallo Linda A , Dorey Emily S , Barrett Helen L , Gras Stephanie , Smith Corey , Good‐Jacobson Kim , Short Kirsty R
Published: December 2023

Objective

Class III obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 40 kg m−2) significantly impairs the immune response to SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination. However, the effect of an elevated BMI (≥ 25 kg m−2) on humoral immunity to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and COVID‐19 vaccination remains unclear.

Methods

We collected blood samples from people who recovered from SARS‐CoV‐2 infection approximately 3 and 13 months of post‐infection (noting that these individuals were not exposed to SARS‐CoV‐2 or vaccinated in the interim). We also collected blood samples from people approximately 5 months of post‐second dose COVID‐19 vaccination (the majority of whom did not have a prior SARS‐CoV‐2 infection). We measured their humoral responses to SARS‐CoV‐2, grouping individuals based on a BMI greater or less than 25 kg m−2.

Results

Here, we show that an increased BMI (≥ 25 kg m−2), when accounting for age and sex differences, is associated with reduced antibody responses after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. At 3 months of post‐infection, an elevated BMI was associated with reduced antibody titres. At 13 months of post‐infection, an elevated BMI was associated with reduced antibody avidity and a reduced percentage of spike‐positive B cells. In contrast, no significant association was noted between a BMI ≥ 25 kg m−2 and humoral immunity to SARS‐CoV‐2 at 5 months of post‐secondary vaccination.

Conclusions

Taken together, these data showed that elevated BMI is associated with an impaired humoral immune response to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. The impairment of infection‐induced immunity in individuals with a BMI ≥ 25 kg m−2 suggests an added impetus for vaccination rather than relying on infection‐induced immunity.
Estimating the magnitude and sensitivity of energy fluxes for stickleback hosts and Schistocephalus solidus parasites using the metabolic theory of ecology
Authors: Claar Danielle C. , Faiad Sara M. , Mastick Natalie C. , Welicky Rachel L. , Williams Maureen A. , Sasser Kristofer T. , Weber Jesse N. , Wood Chelsea L.
Published: December 2023

Parasites are ubiquitous, yet their effects on hosts are difficult to quantify and generalize across ecosystems. One promising metric of parasitic impact uses the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) to calculate energy flux, an estimate of energy lost to parasites. We investigated the feasibility of using metabolic scaling rules to compare the energetic burden of parasitism among individuals. Specifically, we found substantial sensitivity of energy flux estimates to input parameters used in the MTE equation when using available data from a model host–parasite system (Gasterosteus aculeatus and Schistocephalus solidus). Using literature values, size data from parasitized wild fish, and a respirometry experiment, we estimate that a single S. solidus tapeworm may extract up to 32% of its stickleback host's baseline metabolic energy requirement, and that parasites in multiple infections may collectively extract up to 46%. The amount of energy siphoned from stickleback to tapeworms is large but did not instigate an increase in respiration rate in the current study. This emphasizes the importance of future work focusing on how parasites influence ecosystem energetics. The approach of using the MTE to calculate energy flux provides great promise as a quantitative foundation for such estimates and provides a more concrete metric of parasite impact on hosts than parasite abundance alone.
Thermal Runaway Propagation Analytics and Crosstalk in Lithium‐Ion Battery Modules
Authors: Karmakar Avijit , Zhou Hanwei , Vishnugopi Bairav S. , Mukherjee Partha P.
Published: December 2023

The thermal safety of lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) batteries continues to remain a critical concern for widespread vehicle electrification. Under abuse scenarios, thermal runaway (TR) of individual energy‐dense Li‐ion cells can be dominated by various exothermic mechanisms due to interelectrode crosstalk, resulting in an enormous heat generation response that can potentially lead to thermal runaway propagation (TRP) in a battery module. Herein, a hierarchical TRP analytics approach is developed, which includes cell‐level thermokinetic and electrode crosstalk interactions derived from accelerating rate calorimetry characteristics of a representative high‐energy 18650 cylindrical Li‐ion cell with Ni‐rich cathodes and Si–C anodes. The hierarchical TRP model, coupled with multimodal heat dissipation, demonstrated for an exemplar energy‐dense Li‐ion battery module configuration, determines TRP criticality at module level for a wide range of conditions, including ambient temperature, intercell spacing, trigger cell location, external heating power, and heat dissipation coefficients. Potential propagation pathways have been identified, and their underlying attributes in terms of propagation speed, heat release from exothermic reactions, critical thermal energy input, and heat dissipation to surroundings have been quantified. This hierarchical approach, including thermal transfer and chemical interelectrode crosstalk during TR, can provide high‐resolution TRP analytics for energy‐dense Li‐ion battery modules and is scalable to packs.
Cross‐investments by multinationals: A new perspective
Authors: Casson Mark , Wadeson Nigel
Published: December 2023

Research Summary

Cross‐flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) occur when firms invest in each other's home countries, affecting the terms of competition in each market. They are explained by internalization theory but have never been comprehensively investigated. This article models cross‐investment in a duopoly with differentiated products. The firms decide whether to enter each market and whether to serve it through trade or local production. The model combines firm‐, country‐, and industry‐level factors. It places cross‐investment in the wider context of cross‐sourcing, including cross‐trading and asymmetric sourcing. It reveals different forms of cross‐investment rather than being limited to cross‐multidomestic. Overall, cross‐investment is favored by highly differentiated products, low comparative advantage, large markets, high trade costs, and low costs of FDI.

Managerial Summary

Cross‐investment, where firms conduct FDI into each other's home countries, is an important phenomenon but has received little recent attention in international business literature. This article seeks, through mathematical modeling, to establish a better understanding of it in the wider context of cross‐sourcing. This helps to show how the strategy of the individual firm fits with those of the other firms in an international industry and how different possible industry structures and performance levels result. It includes choices over the locations from which markets are served being a potential source of first‐mover advantage. For instance, committing to producing in a country could reduce the cost of serving its market, potentially altering the equilibrium outcome in favor of the first mover.
The effect of triangular shutter type flow deflector perforated baffle plate on the thermofluid performance of a heat exchanger
Authors: Rahman Md. Atiqur
Published: December 2023

The study aimed to investigate the heat transfer (HT) properties of a tubular heat exchanger (HX) by using innovative baffle plate arrangements. The newly designed baffle plate was circular with triangular openings and adjustable triangular flow deflectors. These deflectors were strategically placed at the inlet of the HX to create a swirling flow downstream. Three baffle plates were installed along the flow direction with different length‐to‐diameter ratios (pitch ratios) to assess their impact on HT, pressure drop, and thermal enhancement factor. The study compared these results with a smooth channel under varying Reynolds numbers (16,500–29,500). The findings revealed that both the pitch ratio (0.6–1.2) and the inclination angle of the deflectors (30⁰–50⁰) significantly affected the HX's performance. Notably, the baffle plate with a deflector inclination angle of 30° and a pitch ratio of 1 showed a remarkable average improvement of 36.5% compared to other angles and ratios.
Social and cultural aspects of human–wildlife conflicts: Understanding people's attitudes to crop‐raiding animals and other wildlife in agricultural systems of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Li Mengjiao , Jiang Wei , Li Bajin , Butt Nathalie
Published: December 2023

The social dimensions of human–wildlife conflicts are becoming increasingly important. In regions where crop‐raiding is a common issue, local people's attitudes toward wildlife is an important indicator of how successful conservation efforts are likely to be. One such area is the east Tibetan Plateau—a biodiversity hotspot with well‐preserved forest ecosystems and mountain villages where subsistence farming is practiced. In this context, we conducted a survey of people's tolerance toward wildlife in five Tibetan villages that experience conflicts arising from crop‐raiding incidents. We interviewed 83 respondents, 76 of whom were participants in a compensation scheme that provided payments for crop damage. Wildlife tolerance was generally high, mostly due to mutualistic wildlife values, whereby people believed they should coexist with animals equally instead of exploiting them as natural resources. Tolerance was influenced by people's wildlife preference rather than the level of damage to croplands: people were likely to show higher tolerance toward culturally important species even when they were crop‐raiding animals. While economic and mitigation efforts as part of traditional conservation management led to increased tolerance, the compensation scheme and fencing were less important than wildlife preference. We suggest that conservation management for human‐wildlife conflicts should develop region and stakeholder‐specific engagement strategies. Crucially, such strategies should incorporate cultural considerations to fully address the complex human dimensions inherent in these issues.
An investigation of healthcare professionals’ perspectives on the tasks of mental health counselors in hospital settings
Authors: Micallef Marmara’ Suelle , Kemer Gülşah
Published: December 2023

In this study, we attempted to understand what other healthcare professionals considered mental health counselors’ (MHCs) tasks in their hospital setting to facilitate medical and mental health services and enhance patients’ well‐being. Using an exploratory sequential mixed‐methods design (concept mapping), we obtained 3 regions of MHCs’ tasks (i.e., Overarching Roles and Responsibilities of MHCs in the Hospital Setting, MHCs’ Specific Roles in the Hospital Setting, and MHCs’ Roles and Responsibilities as a Multidisciplinary Team Member) represented in 11 clusters. We discussed the results with implications for MHCs, healthcare professionals, counselor educators, and researchers, along with the current study's limitations.
Increased bone resorption that outpaces increased bone formation: An important pathology of rapidly destructive coxarthrosis
Authors: Watanabe Naoto , Ogawa Takahisa , Miyatake Kazumasa , Takada Ryohei , Jinno Tetsuya , Koga Hideyuki , Yoshii Toshitaka
Published: December 2023

Rapid joint destruction caused by rapidly destructive coxarthrosis (RDC) can increase surgical complexity and intraoperative blood loss. This single‐center retrospective study investigates osteoporosis‐related biomarkers for early RDC diagnosis and explores new treatment targets. We included 398 hip joints from patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty, examining medical records for preoperative patient demographics, bone mineral density of the hip and lumbar spine from dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry scans, and osteoporosis‐related biomarkers including TRACP‐5b, total P1NP, intact parathyroid hormone, and homocysteine. We compared RDC and osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and univariate analysis showed that RDC patients were older (p < 0.001) and had lower serum levels of albumin (p < 0.001) and higher serum levels of TRACP‐5b, total P1NP (p < 0.001), and homocysteine (p = 0.006). Multivariable analysis showed that the ratio of serum TRACP‐5b to total P1NP had a more significant difference in RDC patients than in OA patients (p = 0.04). Serum TRACP‐5b levels were negatively correlated with the time between RDC onset and blood collection, and Japanese Orthopedic Association pain score. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the ratio of serum TRACP‐5b to total P1NP had the highest area under the curve value. This study is the first to demonstrate that the ratio of serum TRACP‐5b to total P1NP—increased bone resorption that outpaces increased bone formation—is significantly elevated in patients with RDC and that TRACP‐5b is higher in the early stages of RDC. Inhibiting serum levels of TRACP‐5b, activated osteoclasts, during early RDC may suppress disease progression.
Peripherally inserted central catheter securement with cyanoacrylate glue and bloodstream infection: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Kurata Yoshihiro , Ohira Gaku , Hayano Koichi , Imanishi Shunsuke , Tochigi Toru , Takahashi Yumiko , Mamiya Hisashi , Iwata Moe , Uesato Masaya , Murakami Kentaro , Toyozumi Takeshi , Matsumoto Yasunori , Nakano Akira , Otsuka Ryota , Hayashi Hideki , Matsubara Hisahiro
Published: December 2023

Background

Treatment via a peripherally inserted central venous catheter is important for anticancer treatment, perioperative management, and nutrition management. In this study, we aimed to investigate the usefulness of cyanoacrylate glue (CG) in managing peripherally inserted central venous catheters in adults.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study enrolled 411 adults requiring a central venous catheter for treatment in the Chiba University Esophageal‐Gastro‐Intestinal Surgery department between January 2021 and October 2022. The preventive effect of CG in reducing adverse events, including infection, tip migration, and thrombus formation, was evaluated by reviewing electronic medical records, chest radiographs, and contrast‐enhanced computed tomography scans.

Results

CG and other dressings were used in 158 (CG group) and 253 (control group) patients, respectively. The incidence of catheter infection based on the clinical course was lower in the CG group (3.2%) than in the control group (9.1%; P = 0.03). However, cases of infection confirmed by blood or catheter cultures did not differ between the CG (1.3%) and control (1.9%) groups (P = 1.0). Chest radiographs revealed that catheter tip migration (mean ± SD) was lesser in the CG group (8.2 ± 6.7 mm) than in the control group (15.0 ± 15.8 mm; P < 0.01). There were two cases of venous thrombus formation in the control group.

Conclusion

In a population dominated by esophago‐gastroenterological malignancy, peripherally inserted central catheter securement via CG was associated with decreased catheter removal because of suspected catheter infection. Further research on larger cohorts is needed to determine if other adverse events decrease following peripherally inserted central catheter securement via CG.
Predatory journals and their practices present a conundrum for systematic reviewers and evidence synthesisers of health research: A qualitative descriptive study
Authors: Pollock Danielle , Barker Timothy Hugh , Stone Jennifer C , Aromataris Edoardo , Klugar Miloslav , Scott Anna M , Stern Cindy , Ross‐White Amanda , Whitehorn Ashley , Wiechula Rick , Shamseer Larissa , Munn Zachary
Published: December 2023

Predatory journals are a blemish on scholarly publishing and academia and the studies published within them are more likely to contain data that is false. The inclusion of studies from predatory journals in evidence syntheses is potentially problematic due to this propensity for false data to be included. To date, there has been little exploration of the opinions and experiences of evidence synthesisers when dealing with predatory journals in the conduct of their evidence synthesis. In this paper, the thoughts, opinions, and attitudes of evidence synthesisers towards predatory journals and the inclusion of studies published within these journals in evidence syntheses were sought. Focus groups were held with participants who were experienced evidence synthesisers from JBI (previously the Joanna Briggs Institute) collaboration. Utilising qualitative content analysis, two generic categories were identified: predatory journals within evidence synthesis, and predatory journals within academia. Our findings suggest that evidence synthesisers believe predatory journals are hard to identify and that there is no current consensus on the management of these studies if they have been included in an evidence synthesis. There is a critical need for further research, education, guidance, and development of clear processes to assist evidence synthesisers in the management of studies from predatory journals.
Comparative histopathological analysis of age‐associated intervertebral disc degeneration in CD‐1 and C57BL/6 mice: Anatomical and sex‐based differences
Authors: Hutchinson Jeffrey L. , Veras Matthew A. , Serjeant Meghan E. , McCann Matthew R. , Kelly Ashley L. , Quinonez Diana , Beier Frank , Séguin Cheryle A.
Published: December 2023

Background

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a major contributor to back pain and disability. The cause of IVD degeneration is multifactorial, with no disease‐modifying treatments. Mouse models are commonly used to study IVD degeneration; however, the effects of anatomical location, strain, and sex on the progression of age‐associated degeneration are poorly understood.

Methods

A longitudinal study was conducted to characterize age‐, anatomical‐, and sex‐specific differences in IVD degeneration in two commonly used strains of mice, C57BL/6 and CD‐1. Histopathological evaluation of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and caudal regions of mice at 6, 12, 20, and 24 months of age was conducted by two blinded observers at each IVD for the nucleus pulposus (NP), annulus fibrosus (AF), and the NP/AF boundary compartments, enabling analysis of scores by tissue compartment, summed scores for each IVD, or averaged scores for each anatomical region.

Results

C57BL/6 mice displayed mild IVD degeneration until 24 months of age; at this point, the lumbar spine demonstrated the most degeneration compared to other regions. Degeneration was detected earlier in the CD‐1 mice (20 months of age) in both the thoracic and lumbar spine. In CD‐1 mice, moderate to severe degeneration was noted in the cervical spine at all time points assessed. In both strains, age‐associated IVD degeneration in the thoracic and lumbar spine was associated with increased histopathological scores in all IVD compartments. In both strains, minimal degeneration was detected in caudal IVDs out to 24 months of age. Both C57BL/6 and CD‐1 mice displayed sex‐specific differences in the presentation and progression of age‐associated IVD degeneration.

Conclusions

These results showed that the progression and severity of age‐associated degeneration in mouse models is associated with marked differences based on anatomical region, sex, and strain. This information provides a fundamental baseline characterization for users of mouse models to enable effective and appropriate experimental design, interpretation, and comparison between studies.
3D Reconfigurable Vectorial Holography via a Dual‐Layer Hybrid Metasurface Device
Authors: Wang Yuzhong , Pang Cheng , Qi Jiaran
Published: December 2023

Metasurface‐based vectorial holography manifests itself as an advanced platform for large‐capacity information storage, holographic display, and cryptography. However, a convenient and effective reconfigurable vectorial hologram generation mechanism still remains a challenge. Here, a rotation‐driven reconfigurable vectorial holography scheme is developed via a dual‐layer hybrid metasurface device, in which radiation‐type and birefringent metasurfaces are cascaded hybridly. Thus, reconfigurable and highly customizable intensity and polarization response of holograms in the 3D space is achieved. Rotatable radiation‐type metasurface (RTM) serves as an incidence‐wavefront modulator to excite the non‐rotatable birefringent metasurface (BM). The gradient descent optimization inverse design method is introduced to achieve the high‐efficiency reconstruction of the Jones vector and Jones matrix distribution on both RTM and BM. On this basis, numerical analysis and experimental verification of 3‐D reconfigurable vectorial holography are demonstrated in the microwave region. This scheme implies a new paradigm for 3‐D reconfigurable vectorial holography and can lead to advances in high‐capacity optical display, switchable meta‐devices, and cryptography.
Rosalynn Carter remembered as true champion, leader in mental health field
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: December 2023

Tireless mental health advocate. Humanitarian. Pioneer. These are just a few examples of the tributes that poured in last week to describe the life and legacy of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96. Two days prior to her death, Carter had been admitted to hospice care where she joined her husband, former President Jimmy Carter.
Study: ACO model not serving needs of Medicare clients with depression
Authors: Enos Gary
Published: December 2023

A new longitudinal study concludes that the accountable care organization (ACO) model, in which groups of providers offer coordinated care to a designated population, is failing Medicare beneficiaries with mental health needs. The study's corresponding author told MHW that the results reflect the lingering disparity in care between chronic medical illnesses and common mental health conditions such as depression.
MH community reflects on Rosalynn Carter's life, legacy
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: December 2023

Here are excerpts of what some leaders and advocates in the mental health field said last month to commemorate the life and legacy of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
The bZIP transcription factor ATF1 regulates blue light and oxidative stress responses in Trichoderma guizhouense
Authors: Li Yifan , Li Yanshen , Lu Huanhong , Sun Tingting , Gao Jia , Zhang Jian , Shen Qirong , Yu Zhenzhong
Published: December 2023

In several filamentous fungi, incident light and environmental stress signaling share the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) HOG (SAK) pathway. It has been revealed that short‐term illumination with blue light triggers the activation of the HOG pathway in Trichoderma spp. In this study, we demonstrate the crucial role of the basic leucine zipper transcription factor ATF1 in blue light responses and signaling downstream of the MAPK HOG1 in Trichoderma guizhouense. The lack of ATF1 severely impaired photoconidiation and delayed vegetative growth and conidial germination. Upon blue light or H2O2 stimuli, HOG1 interacted with ATF1 in the nucleus. Genome‐wide transcriptome analyses revealed that 61.8% (509 out of 824) and 85.2% (702 out of 824) of blue light‐regulated genes depended on ATF1 and HOG1, respectively, of which 58.4% (481 out of 824) were regulated by both of them. Our results also show that blue light promoted conidial germination and HOG1 and ATF1 played opposite roles in controlling conidial germination in the dark. Additionally, the lack of ATF1 led to reduced oxidative stress resistance, probably because of the downregulation of catalase‐encoding genes. Overall, our results demonstrate that ATF1 is the downstream component of HOG1 and is responsible for blue light responses, conidial germination, vegetative growth, and oxidative stress resistance in T. guizhouense.
A novel loss function to reproduce texture features for deep learning‐based MRI‐to‐CT synthesis
Authors: Yuan Siqi , Liu Yuxiang , Wei Ran , Zhu Ji , Men Kuo , Dai Jianrong
Published: December 2023

Background

Studies on computed tomography (CT) synthesis based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have mainly focused on pixel‐wise consistency, but the texture features of regions of interest (ROIs) have not received appropriate attention.

Purpose

This study aimed to propose a novel loss function to reproduce texture features of ROIs and pixel‐wise consistency for deep learning‐based MRI‐to‐CT synthesis. The method was expected to assist the multi‐modality studies for radiomics.

Methods

The study retrospectively enrolled 127 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. CT and MRI images were collected for each patient, and then rigidly registered as pre‐procession. We proposed a gray‐level co‐occurrence matrix (GLCM)‐based loss function to improve the reproducibility of texture features. This novel loss function could be embedded into the present deep learning‐based framework for image synthesis. In this study, a typical image synthesis model was selected as the baseline, which contained a Unet trained mean square error (MSE) loss function. We embedded the proposed loss function and designed experiments to supervise different ROIs to prove its effectiveness. The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) of the GLCM feature was employed to evaluate the reproducibility of GLCM features, which are typical texture features. Besides, we used a publicly available dataset of brain tumors to verify our loss function.

Results

Compared with the baseline, the proposed method improved the pixel‐wise image quality metrics (MAE: 107.5 to 106.8 HU; SSIM: 0.9728 to 0.9730). CCC values of the GLCM features in GTVnx were significantly improved from 0.78 ± 0.12 to 0.82 ± 0.11 (p < 0.05 for paired t‐test). Generally, > 90% (22/24) of the GLCM‐based features were improved compared with the baseline, where the Informational Measure of Correlation feature was improved the most (CCC: 0.74 to 0.83). For the public dataset, the loss function also shows its effectiveness. With our proposed loss function added, the ability to reproduce texture features was improved in the ROIs.

Conclusions

The proposed method reproduced texture features for MRI‐to‐CT synthesis, which would benefit radiomics studies based on image multi‐modality synthesis.
Image factory: A method for synthesizing novel CT images with anatomical guidance
Authors: Krishna Arjun , Yenneti Shanmukha , Wang Ge , Mueller Klaus
Published: December 2023

Background

Deep learning in medical applications is limited due to the low availability of large labeled, annotated, or segmented training datasets. With the insufficient data available for model training comes the inability of these networks to learn the fine nuances of the space of possible images in a given medical domain, leading to the possible suppression of important diagnostic features hence making these deep learning systems suboptimal in their performance and vulnerable to adversarial attacks.

Purpose

We formulate a framework to address this lack of labeled data problem. We test this formulation in computed tomographic images domain and present an approach that can synthesize large sets of novel CT images at high resolution across the full Hounsfield (HU) range.

Methods

Our method only requires a small annotated dataset of lung CT from 30 patients (available online at the TCIA) and a large nonannotated dataset with high resolution CT images from 14k patients (received from NIH, not publicly available). It then converts the small annotated dataset into a large annotated dataset, using a sequence of steps including texture learning via StyleGAN, label learning via U‐Net and semi‐supervised learning via CycleGAN/Pixel‐to‐Pixel (P2P) architectures. The large annotated dataset so generated can then be used for the training of deep learning networks for medical applications. It can also be put to use for the synthesis of CT images with varied anatomies that were nonexistent within either of the input datasets, enriching the dataset even further.

Results

We demonstrate our framework via lung CT‐Scan synthesis along with their novel generated annotations and compared it with other state of the art generative models that only produce images without annotations. We evaluate our framework effectiveness via a visual turing test with help of a few doctors and radiologists.

Conclusions

We gain the capability of generating an unlimited amount of annotated CT images. Our approach works for all HU windows with minimal depreciation in anatomical plausibility and hence could be used as a general purpose framework for annotated data augmentation for deep learning applications in medical imaging.
Simultaneous catheter and multicriteria optimization for HDR cervical cancer brachytherapy with a complex intracavity/interstitial applicator
Authors: Bélanger Cédric , Aubin Sylviane , Lavallée Marie‐Claude , Beaulieu Luc
Published: December 2023

Background

Complex intracavity and interstitial (IC/IS) applicators, such as the Venezia applicator, can improve the HR‐CTV coverage while adequately protecting organs at risk in the treatment of cervical cancer with high‐dose‐rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Although the Venezia applicator offers more choice for catheter selection, commercially available catheter and dose optimization algorithms are still missing for complex applicators. Moreover, studies on catheter and dose optimization for IC/IS implants in the treatment of cervical cancer are still limited.

Purpose

This work aims to combine a GPU‐based multi‐criteria optimization (gMCO) algorithm with a sparse catheter (SC) optimization algorithm for the Venezia applicator.

Methods

Fifty‐eight cervical cancer patients who received 28 Gy in 4 fx of HDR brachytherapy with the Venezia applicator (combination to external beam radiation therapy) are retrospectively revisited. The modelization of the applicator is done by virtually reconstructing all the IS catheters passing through the ring. Template catheters are reconstructed using an in‐house python script. To perform simultaneous MCO and SC optimization (SC+MCO), the objective function includes aggregated dose objectives in a weighted sum and a group sparsity term that individually penalizes the contribution of IS catheters. Plans generated with the SC+MCO algorithm are compared with plans generated with MCO using clinical catheters (CC+MCO) and the clinical plans (CP). The EMBRACE II soft constraints (planning aims) and hard constraints (limits for prescribed dose) are used as plan evaluation criteria.

Results

CC+MCO gives the most important gain with an increase up to 20.7% in meeting all EMBRACE II soft constraints compared with CP. The SC+MCO algorithm (adding catheter optimization to MCO) provides a second order increase (up to 12.1% with total acceptance rate of 60.3% or 35/58) in the acceptance rate versus CC+MCO (total increase of 32.8% vs. CP). Acceptance rate in EMBRACE II hard constraints is 98.3% (57/58) for both CC+MCO and SC+MCO versus 91.4% (53/58) for CP. The median SC+MCO optimization time is 11 s to generate a total of 5000 Pareto‐optimal plans with different catheter configurations (position and number) for each fraction.

Conclusions

Simultaneous catheter and MCO optimization is clinically feasible for HDR cervical cancer brachytherapy using the Venezia applicator. Clinical catheter configurations could be improved and/or the catheter number could be reduced without decreasing plan quality using SC+MCO compared with the CP.
Explanatory sequential mixed‐methods approach to understand how registered dietitians implemented computed tomography skeletal muscle assessments in clinical practice
Authors: Martin Lisa , Tom Mei , Basualdo‐Hammond Carlota , Baracos Vickie E. , Gramlich Leah
Published: December 2023

Background

There is a need to adopt valid techniques to assess skeletal muscle (SM) in clinical practice. SM can be precisely quantified from computed tomography (CT) images. This study describes how registered dietitians (RDs), trained to quantify SM from CT images, implemented this technique in clinical practice.

Methods

This was an explanatory sequential mixed‐methods design with a quantitative and a qualitative phase. RDs collected data describing how they implemented CT SM assessments in clinical practice, followed by a focus group exploring barriers and enablers to using CT SM assessments.

Results

RDs (N = 4) completed 96 CT SM assessments, with most (94%, N = 90/96) taking <15 min to complete. RDs identified reduced muscle mass in 63% (N = 45/72) of men and 71% (N = 17/24) of women. RDs used results of CT SM assessments to increase protein composition of the diet/nutrition support, advocate for initiation or longer duration of nutrition support, coordinate nutrition care, and provide nutrition education to patients and other health service providers. The main barriers to implementing CT SM assessments in clinical practice related to cumbersome health system processes (ie, CT image acquisition) and challenges integrating CT image analysis software into the health system computing environment.

Conclusion

Preliminary results suggest RDs found CT SM assessments positively contributed to their nutrition care practice, particularly in completing nutrition assessments and in planning, advocating for, and implementing nutrition interventions. Use of CT SM assessments in clinical practice requires innovative IT solutions and strategies to support skill development and use in clinical nutrition care.
Effects of real‐time VR clinical practice on reducing the stigma toward dementia among students of occupational therapy: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ueno Keita , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Niki Kazuyuki , Ueda Masaya , Tanaka Ayumi , Yokoi Katsushi , Naito Yasuo , Ishii Ryouhei
Published: December 2023

Aim

This study aimed to examine the effects of real‐time online clinical practice using real‐time virtual reality (VR) compared with 2D PC screening on reducing stigma toward dementia, and to investigate the feasibility of online clinical practice using VR.

Methods

A single‐center, open‐label, randomized controlled trial was conducted. Occupational therapy students were randomized to view occupational therapy evaluation screens for dementia patients using a VR headset or 2D monitor. The Attitudes Toward Dementia Scale (ADS), the Dementia Knowledge Scale (DKS), and Images of the Elderly with Dementia (IED) were assessed before and after the intervention. The level of clinical practice satisfaction and the System Usability Scale (SUS) were also assessed.

Results

The number of subjects in the intervention and control groups was 10 and 9, respectively. In ADS scores and IED, the main effect was shown in both groups and did not show interactions. In DKS scores, the main effect and interaction were not shown. The VR headset tended to be more usable than the 2D monitor in terms of usability. Satisfaction ratings indicated the characteristics of a realistic clinical experience through real‐time VR viewing.

Conclusion

Real‐time VR and 2D online clinical practice could reduce the stigma toward dementia, but there were no significant differences between the types. The real‐time VR experience was more similar to actual clinical practice than a 2D PC screening due to the sense of immersion, but issues in blinding and lack of audio and video quality were found.
Triangulating the path: Globalization, development, and migration in developing countries
Authors: Ullah A. K. M. Ahsan , Ferdous Jannatul
Published: December 2023

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how globalization responds to migration and development. Migration, globalization, and development are interconnected forces shaping our world, where the movement of people across borders, the spread of ideas and technologies, and socioeconomic progress influence and transform societies on a global scale. We argue that the interaction between globalization, migration, and development is three‐way, and that globalization does not always promote migration. To support our argument, we conducted an extensive review of the relevant literature. Content and contextual analyses were also conducted to provide a good overview of contemporary discourse on the three concepts: globalization, migration, and development. Of course, the interaction between globalization and development is controversial. Some argue that globalization has a negative impact on development. Others believe that globalization has been an important factor in reducing poverty and has led to faster improvements in life expectancy and other indicators of progress. We attempt to provide a theoretical framework to explain how globalization, migration, and development affect each other. This study has significant policy implications for both the Global South and the North.
Topographic correction of visible near‐infrared reflectance spectra for horizon‐scale soil organic carbon mapping
Authors: Duro Alyssa M. , Hirmas Daniel R. , Ajami Hoori , Billings Sharon A. , Zhang Xi , Li Li , Flores Alejandro , Moreno Victoria , Cao Xiaoyang , Guilinger James , Oleghe Ewan , Giménez Daniel , Gray Andrew , Sullivan Pamela L.
Published: December 2023

Understanding soil organic carbon (SOC) response to global change has been hindered by an inability to map SOC at horizon scales relevant to coupled hydrologic and biogeochemical processes. Standard SOC measurements rely on homogenized samples taken from distinct depth intervals. Such sampling prevents an examination of fine‐scale SOC distribution within a soil horizon. Visible near‐infrared hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has been applied to intact monoliths and split cores surfaces to overcome this limitation. However, the roughness of these surfaces can influence HSI spectra by scattering reflected light in different directions posing challenges to fine‐scale SOC mapping. Here, we examine the influence of prescribed surface orientation on reflected spectra, develop a method for correcting topographic effects, and calibrate a partial least squares regression (PLSR) model for SOC prediction. Two empirical models that account for surface slope, aspect, and wavelength and two theoretical models that account for the geometry of the spectrometer were compared using 681 homogenized soil samples from across the United States that were packed into sample wells and presented to the spectrometer at 91 orientations. The empirical approach outperformed the more complex geometric models in correcting spectra taken at non‐flat configurations. Topographically corrected spectra reduced bias and error in SOC predicted by PLSR, particularly at slope angles greater than 30°. Our approach clears the way for investigating the spatial distributions of multiple soil properties on rough intact soil samples.
Joint modeling approaches for censored predictors due to detection limits with applications to metabolites data
Authors: Ye Peng , Bai Shuo , Tang Wan , Feng Han , Qiao Xinhua , Tu Shengjia , He Hua
Published: December 2023

Measures of substance concentration in urine, serum or other biological matrices often have an assay limit of detection. When concentration levels fall below the limit, exact measures cannot be obtained, and thus are left censored. The problem becomes more challenging when the censored data come from heterogeneous populations consisting of exposed and non‐exposed subjects. If the censored data come from non‐exposed subjects, their measures are always zero and hence censored, forming a latent class governed by a distinct censoring mechanism compared with the exposed subjects. The exposed group's censored measurements are always greater than zero, but less than the detection limit. It is very often that the exposed and non‐exposed subjects may have different disease traits or different relationships with outcomes of interest, so we need to disentangle the two different populations for valid inference. In this article, we aim to fill the methodological gaps in the literature by developing a novel joint modeling approach to not only address the censoring issue in predictors, but also untangle different relationships of exposed and non‐exposed subjects with the outcome. Simulation studies are performed to assess the numerical performance of our proposed approach when the sample size is small to moderate. The joint modeling approach is also applied to examine associations between plasma metabolites and blood pressure in Bogalusa Heart Study, and identify new metabolites that are highly associated with blood pressure.
Designing power‐efficient SRAM cells with SGFinFETs using LECTOR technique
Authors: Sankranti Sivaiah , Roji Marjorie S.
Published: December 2023

Static random‐access memory (SRAM) plays a vital component of digital systems. The main issue of SRAM cells is power leakage, which results in an increase in chip area. Therefore this manuscript proposes a shorted‐gate fin‐type field‐effect transistor based SRAM cell utilizing leakage control transistor technique (SGFinFETs‐SRAM‐LECTOR) for decreasing the leakage power delay by improving the static noise margins (SNMs) together with power delay product (PDP). Here, the SGFinFETs‐SRAM‐LECTOR is primarily applied to stacking enhancement for lessening the leakage power dissipation (LPD). Two more transistors are used in LECTOR for reducing the leakage current with delay, which is based on transistor stacking. LECTOR employs two more transistors that are connected in series between pull‐up and pull‐down networks that means additional SG FinFETs PMOS transistor insertions amongst the pull‐up network and output terminal, additional SG FinFETs NMOS transistor insertions amidst the pull down network and output terminal. These additional transistors can decrease the leakage current. The simulation of the proposed approach is implemented in HSPICE simulation tool. Some metrics are computed to validate the efficacy of the proposed approach. Finally, the proposed technique reaches 11.31%, 51.47%, 45.46% less read delay, 44.44%, 26.33%, 33.45% less write delay, 36.12%, 45.28%, 26.45% less read power, 34.5%, 33.56%, 22.41% less write power, 37.4%, 15.3%, 26.54% high read SNM, 33.67%, 35.8%,12.09% high write SNM when analyzed to the existing models.