bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Facile Deficiency Engineering in a Cobalt‐Free Perovskite Air Electrode to Achieve Enhanced Performance for Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cells
Authors: Ye Qirui , Ye Huaqing , Ma Zilin , Lin Haoqing , Zhao Bote , Yang Guangming , Dong Feifei , Ni Meng , Lin Zhan , Zhang Shanqing
Published: February 2024

As a crucial component responsible for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), cobalt‐rich perovskite‐type cathode materials have been extensively investigated in protonic ceramic fuel cell (PCFC). However, their widespread application at a commercial scale is considerably hindered by the high cost and inadequate stability. In response to these weaknesses, the study presents a novel cobalt‐free perovskite oxide, Ba0.95La0.05(Fe0.8Zn0.2)0.95O3‐δ (BLFZ0.95), with the triple‐conducting (H+|O2−|e−) property as an active and robust air electrode for PCFC. The B‐site deficiency state contributes significantly to the optimization of crystal and electronic structure, as well as the increase in oxygen vacancy concentration, thus in turn favoring the catalytic capacity. As a result, the as‐obtained BLFZ0.95 electrode demonstrates exceptional electrochemical performance at 700 °C, representing extremely low area‐specific resistance of 0.04 Ω cm2 in humid air (3 vol.% H2O), extraordinarily high peak power density of 1114 mW cm−2, and improved resistance against CO2 poisoning. Furthermore, the outstanding long‐term durability is achieved without visible deterioration in both symmetrical and single cell modes. This study presents a simple but crucial case for rational design of cobalt‐free perovskite cathode materials with appreciable performance via B‐site deficiency regulation.
Hot Deformation Behavior of a Marine Engineering Steel for Novel 980 MPa Grade Extra‐Thick Plate
Authors: Wang Wei , Ren Liguo , Liu Haonan , Li Rongbin , Wang Yong , Qi Jianjun , Lv Zhiqing , Fu Wantang
Published: February 2024

The hot deformation behavior of a marine engineering steel for a novel 980 MPa grade extra‐thick plate is investigated through hot compression tests at temperatures of 850–1200 °C and strain rates of 0.01–10 s−1. The flow stress curves are corrected to eliminate the effects of friction on the flow stress, and a modified constitutive model is established to accurately quantify the flow behaviors of the steel. Hot working maps of the steel are derived by using a dynamic materials model and the Prasad instability criterion. The effects of the deformation parameters on the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) nucleation mechanisms are evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. The flow stress and peak strain increased with decreasing deformation temperature and increasing strain rate, respectively. The activation energy for hot deformation after friction correction is 380.49 kJ mol−1. The DRX mechanism involves the migration of subgrains. The deformation parameters are optimized by combining the degree of DRX and the size of recrystallized grain. The optimum hot working window is determined as 1100–1200 °C and 0.1–10 s−1.
Heat generation and melting heat transfer effects on MHD flow of Carreau fluid in a porous medium
Authors: Adnan Awais , Muhammad Shakoor , Zeb Salman , Makinde Oluwole Daniel
Published: February 2024

We consider heat and mass transfer analysis of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Carreau fluid flow along a stretching sheet in a permeable medium with impacts of melting condition, heat generation, double diffusion, and variable thermal conductivity. The novelty of the present work is to study the effects of melting heat transfer and heat generation on MHD flow of Carreau fluid along a stretched sheet in a porous medium with influence of Dufour and Soret effects, and variable thermal conductivity. Similarity transformations procedure is used which transform the partial differential equations (PDEs) of fluid flow model into nonlinear dimensionless ordinary differential equations (ODEs). We obtained numerical solutions of ODEs and the effects of assorted governing parameters are investigated. The results showed that boosting melting parameter increases velocity and concentration fields and reduces temperature profile. Enhancing heat source parameter increases temperature profile, concentration profile observing decline for modified Dufour parameter, Schmidt number, and Soret number, and velocity of the fluid decline for magnetic and porosity parameters. Impact of governing parameters on physical quantities comprising Nusselt number, skin friction, and Sherwood number is evaluated numerically. The accuracy of our results are established in comparison with previous research for skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number.
Sommerfeld effect for continuum gamma-ray spectra from Dark Matter annihilation
Authors: Jäger Barbara , Vollmann Martin
Published: February 2024

Abstract

We present a calculation of the continuum part of the gamma-ray spectra resulting from Dark Matter annihilation in the framework of the MSSM taking into account Sommerfeld effects. Concentrating on pure wino and pure higgsino scenarios we compare our calculation to existing work and explore the numerical impact of the features not captured by previous approximative descriptions. We find that, in particular for large neutralino masses, when the Sommerfeld enhancement is very large, chargino-antichargino annihilation processes, which have not been considered before, lead to sizable differences with respect to existing calculations. In scenarios with neutralinos in the intermediate-mass range, we find that the role of the charginos is crucial in the endpoint regime. Our calculation provides the currently most accurate prediction for the continuum gamma-ray spectra.
Orbital angular momentum at small x revisited
Authors: Kovchegov Yuri V. , Manley Brandon
Published: February 2024

Abstract

We revisit the problem of the small Bjorken-x asymptotics of the quark and gluon orbital angular momentum (OAM) distributions in the proton utilizing the revised small-x helicity evolution derived recently in [1]. We relate the quark and gluon OAM distributions at small x to the polarized dipole amplitudes and their (first) impact-parameter moments. To obtain the OAM distributions, we derive novel small-x evolution equations for the impact-parameter moments of the polarized dipole amplitudes in the double-logarithmic approximation (summing powers of αs ln2(1/x) with αs the strong coupling constant). We solve these evolution equations numerically and extract the leading large-Nc, small-x asymptotics of the quark and gluon OAM distributions, which we determine to be$$ {L}_{q+\overline{q}}\left(x,{Q}^2\right)\sim {L}_G\left(x,{Q}^2\right)\sim \Delta \Sigma \left(x,{Q}^2\right)\sim \Delta G\left(x,{Q}^2\right)\sim {\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)}^{3.66\sqrt{\frac{\alpha_s{N}_c}{2\uppi}}}, $$

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in agreement with [2] within the precision of our numerical evaluation. (Here Nc is the number of quark colors.) We also investigate the ratios of the quark and gluon OAM distributions to their helicity distribution counterparts in the small-x region.
Krebserkrankungen bei Menschen mit einer Intelligenzminderung in Deutschland: Prävalenzen, Genetik und Versorgungslage
Authors: Sappok Tanja , Kowalski Christoph , Zenker Martin , Weißinger Florian , Berger Andreas W.
Published: February 2024

Bei etwa 1 % der Bevölkerung besteht eine Intelligenzminderung; bezogen auf Deutschland sind das ca. 0,5–1 Mio. Menschen. Bei diesem Personenkreis ist die Lebenserwartung reduziert, wobei Krebserkrankungen zu den häufigsten Todesursachen (ca. 20 %) zählen. Trotz limitierter Datenlage kann festgestellt werden, dass das Krebsrisiko und das Sterblichkeitsrisiko im Vergleich zur Allgemeinbevölkerung erhöht sind.

Bestimmte genetische Syndrome prädisponieren für Krebserkrankungen in dieser vulnerablen Bevölkerungsgruppe, aber auch behinderungsassoziierte Komorbiditäten oder die Lebensweise könnten Risikofaktoren für onkologische Erkrankungen darstellen. Menschen mit kognitiven Beeinträchtigungen nehmen Vorsorgeuntersuchungen seltener wahr und bei der medizinischen Versorgung treten aufgrund körperlicher, kommunikativer und interaktioneller Besonderheiten Herausforderungen auf. Eine optimierte Zusammenarbeit von spezialisierten Fachkliniken für Menschen mit Behinderungen und den jeweiligen Krebszentren ist erforderlich, um die Prozesse individuell auf die krebskranke Person zuzuschneiden.

In Deutschland fehlen Daten zu den Prävalenzen einzelner Tumorentitäten, der Inanspruchnahme und des Bedarfs von Gesundheitsleistungen. Es ist dringend notwendig, den Themen Krebsprävention, -therapie und -forschung in der vulnerablen und heterogenen Patientengruppe von krebserkrankten Menschen mit einer Intelligenzminderung Aufmerksamkeit zu widmen, um dem Anstieg der krebsbedingten Todesfälle in dieser Bevölkerungsgruppe wirksam zu begegnen.

Der Beitrag fasst Fachwissen zu Krebserkrankungen bei Menschen mit einer kognitiven Beeinträchtigung zusammen, arbeitet Besonderheiten in der Behandlung heraus, stellt Versorgungsstrukturen dar und leitet konkrete Bedarfe für Klinik und Forschung ab.
Quality costs and Industry 4.0: inspection strategy modelling and reviewing
Authors: Reis Angélica Muffato , Dall-Orsoletta Alaíze , Nunes Eusébio , Costa Lino , Sousa Sérgio
Published: February 2024

Inspection strategy (IS) is a key component impacting quality costs. Although often considered an inflexible output of initial quality plans, it may require revisions given the dynamic quality situation of the manufacturing system. It is from this background that the present study aims to model and compare different IS based on the cost of quality (CoQ) approach for a case study in the automotive manufacturing industry. While many computational inspection strategy models (ISMs) are available in the literature, most of them face application challenges and struggle to incorporate real-world data. The present study addresses this gap by developing a model that not only represents a real testing station in a manufacturing line but also uses historical production data. Additionally, in relation to model inputs, this study explores the challenges and opportunities of acquiring reliable quality cost estimates in the Industry 4.0 context. Among the main contributions of this work, the developed CoQ-based ISM can be used as a decision-making aiding tool for inspection revision and improvement, while conclusions about quality cost data collection in the industrial digitalization context can help advance the CoQ approach in practice.
Individual differences in GHB consumption in a new voluntary GHB self-administration model in outbred rats
Authors: Wolf Casper J. H. , Spoelder Marcia , Beurmanjer Harmen , Bulthuis Ronald , Schellekens Arnt F. A. , Homberg Judith R.
Published: February 2024

Background and purpose

The use of the recreational drug gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) has increased over the past decade, concomitantly leading to a higher incidence of GHB use disorder. Evidence-based treatment interventions are hardly available and cognitive effects of long-term GHB use remain elusive. In order to study the development of GUD and the causal effects of chronic GHB consumption, a GHB self-administration model is required.

Experimental approach

Long Evans rats had access to GHB in their home cage according to a two-bottle choice procedure for 3 months. Intoxication and withdrawal symptoms were assessed using an automated sensor-based setup for longitudinal behavioral monitoring. Rats were trained in an operant environment according to a fixed ratio (FR) 1, 2, and 4 schedule of reinforcement. Addiction-like behaviors were assessed through progressive ratio-, non-reinforced-, and quinine-adulterated operant tests. In addition, the novel object recognition test and elevated plus maze test were performed before and after GHB self-administration to assess memory performance and anxiety-like behavior, respectively.

Key results

All rats consumed pharmacologically relevant levels of GHB in their home cage, and their intake remained stable over a period of 3 months. No clear withdrawal symptoms were observed following abstinence. Responding under operant conditions was characterized by strong inter-individual differences, where only a subset of rats showed high motivation for GHB, habitual GHB-seeking, and/or continued responding for GHB despite an aversive taste. Male rats showed a reduction in long-term memory performance 3 months after home-cage GHB self-administration. Anxiety-like behavior was not affected by GHB self-administration.

Conclusion and implications

The GHB self-administration model was able to reflect individual susceptibility for addiction-like behavior. The reduction in long-term memory performance upon GHB self-administration calls for further research into the cognitive effects of chronic GHB use in humans.
Generalised Graph Laplacians and Canonical Feynman Integrals with Kinematics
Authors: Brown Francis
Published: February 2024

To any graph with external half-edges and internal masses, we associate canonical integrals which depend non-trivially on particle masses and momenta, and are always finite. They are generalised Feynman integrals which satisfy graphical relations obtained from contracting edges in graphs, and a coproduct involving both ultra-violet and infra-red subgraphs. Their integrands are defined by evaluating bi-invariant forms, which represent stable classes in the cohomology of the general linear group, on a generalised graph Laplacian matrix which depends on the external kinematics of a graph.
Localization Theorem for Homological Vector Fields
Authors: Serganova Vera , Sherman Alexander
Published: February 2024

We present a general theorem which computes the cohomology of a homological vector field on global sections of vector bundles over smooth affine supervarieties. The hypotheses and results have the clear flavor of a localization theorem.
Shallow Convection Dataset Simulated by Three Different Large Eddy Models
Authors: Zhao Yaxin , Wang Xiaocong , Liu Yimin , Wu Guoxiong , Liu Yanjie
Published: February 2024

Shallow convection plays an important role in transporting heat and moisture from the near-surface to higher altitudes, yet its parameterization in numerical models remains a great challenge, partly due to the lack of high-resolution observations. This study describes a large eddy simulation (LES) dataset for four shallow convection cases that differ primarily in inversion strength, which can be used as a surrogate for real data. To reduce the uncertainty in LES modeling, three different large eddy models were used, including SAM (System for Atmospheric Modeling), WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting model), and UCLA-LES.

Results show that the different models generally exhibit similar behavior for each shallow convection case, despite some differences in the details of the convective structure. In addition to grid-averaged fields, conditionally sampled variables, such as in-cloud moisture and vertical velocity, are also provided, which are indispensable for calculation of the entrainment/detrainment rate. Considering the essentiality of the entraining/detraining process in the parameterization of cumulus convection, the dataset presented in this study is potentially useful for validation and improvement of the parameterization of shallow convection.
Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation: is it a case for genetic testing?
Authors: van der Crabben S. N. , Wilde A. A. M.
Published: February 2024

Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) is a diagnosis of exclusion in sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors. Although there are clear guidelines on the clinical work-up of SCA survivors, less than one in five patients receives a complete work-up. This increases the chances of erroneously labelling these patients as having IVF, while 10–20% of them have an inherited cardiac condition (ICC). Diagnoses of ICC increase over time due to (additional) deep phenotyping or as a result of spontaneous expression of ICC over time. As SCA survivors can also harbor (likely) pathogenic variants in cardiomyopathy-associated genes in the absence of a phenotype, or can have another ICC without a clear cardiac phenotype, the question arises as to whether genetic testing in this group should be routinely performed. Family history (mainly in the case of sudden death) can increase suspicion of an ICC in an SCA victim, but does not add great value when adults underwent a complete cardiological work-up. The diagnosis of ICC has treatment consequences not only for the patient but also for their family. Genetic diagnostic yield does not appear to increase with larger gene panels, but variants of unknown significance (VUS) do. Although VUS can be confusing, careful and critical segregation analysis in the family can be performed when discussed in a multidisciplinary team at a center of expertise with at least a cardiologist as well as a clinical and laboratory geneticist, thereby degrading or promoting VUS. When to introduce genetic testing in SCA survivors remains a matter of debate, but the combination of quick, deep phenotyping with additional genetic testing for the unidentifiable phenotypes, especially in the young, seems preferable.
Blue laser for the exclusive endoscopic transcanal approach to middle ear paraganglioma
Authors: Quer-Castells Mireia , Sandoval Marta , Larrosa Francisco
Published: February 2024

Background

The management of glomus tympanicum tumours can be challenging. Blue laser coagulation may improve bleeding control thus facilitating an endoscopic transcanal excision. The objective of this presentation is to illustrate the authors’ experience using this novel tool.

Methods

Case report of a patient that underwent exclusive endoscopic transcanal blue laser surgery of a class A2 glomus tympanicum tumour in a tertiary referral center.

Conclusion

The present study provides evidence of the safety and efficacy of endoscopic blue laser surgery, for the minimally invasive treatment of early-stage glomus tympanicum tumours.
Radiomics analysis of contrast-enhanced computerized tomography for differentiation of gastric schwannomas from gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors
Authors: Zhang Cui , Wang Chongwei , Mao Guoqun , Cheng Guohua , Ji Hongli , He Linyang , Yang Yang , Hu Hongjie , Wang Jian
Published: February 2024

Purpose

To assess the performance of radiomics-based analysis of contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CE-CT) images for distinguishing GS from gastric GIST.

Methods

Forty-nine patients with GS and two hundred fifty-three with GIST were enrolled in this retrospective study. CT features were evaluated by two associate chief radiologists. Radiomics features were extracted from portal venous phase images using Pyradiomics software. A non-radiomics dataset (combination of clinical characteristics and radiologist-determined CT features) and a radiomics dataset were used to build stepwise logistic regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression models, respectively. Model performance was evaluated according to sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and Delong’s test was applied to compare the area under the curve (AUC) between different models.

Results

A total of 1223 radiomics features were extracted from portal venous phase images. After reducing dimensions by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients (PCCs), 20 radiomics features, 20 clinical characteristics + CT features were used to build the models, respectively. The AUC values for the models using radiomics features and those using clinical features were more than 0.900 for both the training and validation groups. There were no significant differences in predictive performance between the radiomic and clinical data models according to Delong’s test.

Conclusion

A radiomics-based model applied to CE-CT images showed comparable predictive performance to senior physicians in the differentiation of GS from GIST.
Development of a novel lncRNA-derived immune gene score using machine learning-based ensembles for predicting the survival of HCC
Authors: Cai Qun , Li Guoqi , Zhu Mingyan , Zhuo Tingting , Xiao Jiaying
Published: February 2024

Background

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in the tumor immunology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

HCC mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles were used to extract immune-related genes with the ImmPort database, and immune-related lncRNAs with the ImmLnc algorithm. The MOVICS package was used to cluster immune-related mRNA, immune-related lncRNA, gene mutation and methylation data on HCC from the TCGA. GEO and ICGC datasets were used to validate the model. Data from single-cell sequencing was used to determine the expression of genes from the model in various immune cell types.

Results

With this model, the area under the curve (AUC) for 1-, 3- and 5-year survival of HCC patients was 0.862, 0.869 and 0.912, respectively. Single-cell sequencing showed EREG was significantly expressed in a variety of immune cell types. Knockdown of the EREG target gene resulted in significant anti-apoptosis, pro-proliferation and pro-migration effects in HepG2 and HUH7 cells. Moreover, serum and liver tissue EREG levels in HCC patients were significantly higher than those of healthy control patients.

Conclusion

We built a prognostic model with good accuracy for predicting HCC patient survival. EREG is a potential immunotherapeutic target and a promising prognostic biomarker.
Anatomical and morphometric studies on the axial skeleton of ostrich (Struthio camelus)
Authors: Kassem Menna Allah M. , Tahon Reem R. , El-Ayat Medhat A.
Published: February 2024

The present study showed a descriptive anatomical study of the parts of the axial skeleton in the ostrich (Struthio camelus) in addition to a morphometric study of each bone. We studied 7 male ostriches aged from 1 to 3 years with an average weight of 120.00 kg. The cranium exhibited two vast orbits supported by a sclerotic ring. Hyoid apparatus was fine delicate horseshoe-shaped and comprised Basihyale, Urohyale, and Cornu branchiale. Cornu branchiale were paired and long rod-shaped, consisting of a proximal bony part Ceratobranchiale and slightly curved distal cartilaginous process, the Epibranchiale located on either side of the hyoid apparatus. The whole vertebral column comprised 54 vertebrae, including 18 cervical vertebrae, 7 separated thoracic vertebrae, a synsacrum, and 9 separated caudal vertebrae. Atlas had a butterfly-shape with a narrow width and large vertebral foramen. Axis had a protruded dens with a rounded tip that arose from the cranial surface of the body for articulation with the Incisura fossae of atlas. Several Pneumatic foramina were found in the cervical vertebrae. The transverse foramen was found in all the cervical vertebrae except atlas. The ribs were nine pairs in number, the sternal ribs extended from the third to the seventh rib while the rest were asternal floating ribs. The sternum was a broad quadrilateral extensive bone, lacking the keel bone. It had dorsally several Pneumatic foramina.
Eine Familie mit Malaria tropica
Authors: Wörnle Markus
Published: February 2024

In unserer Notaufnahme stellte sich eine 42-jährige Patientin mit hohem Fieber, Erbrechen und Durchfall vor. Die Vigilanz war deutlich eingeschränkt. Die Vorstellung erfolgte in der 30. Schwangerschaftswoche. Die Patientin war zuvor bei einem Verwandtenbesuch an der Elfenbeinküste. Bei uns konnte eine Malaria tropica Infektion gesichert werden. Bei den übrigen Familienmitgliedern lag ebenfalls eine Malaria tropica vor. Wir geben einen Überblick über die Kriterien für eine komplizierte Malaria tropica und beschreiben das therapeutische Vorgehen, insbesondere mit dem Fokus auf die Behandlung von schwangeren Patientinnen mit einer Malariainfektion.
A mixed reality application for total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Juan M.-Carmen , Hidaldo Cora , Mifsut Damian
Published: February 2024

Total hip arthroplasty (or total hip replacement) is the current surgical solution for the treatment of advanced coxarthrosis, with the objective of providing mobility and pain relief to patients. For this purpose, surgery can be planned using preoperative images acquired from the patient and navigation systems can also be used during the intervention. Robots have also been used to assist in interventions. In this work, we propose a new mixed reality application for total hip arthroplasty. The surgeon only has to wear HoloLens 2. The application does not require acquiring preoperative or intraoperative images of the patient and uses hand interaction. Interaction is natural and intuitive. The application helps the surgeon place a virtual acetabular cup onto the patient's acetabulum as well as define its diameter. Similarly, a guide for drilling and implant placement is defined, establishing the abduction and anteversion angles. The surgeon has a direct view of the operating field at all times. For validation, the values of the abduction and anteversion angles offered by the application in 20 acetabular cup placements have been compared with real values (ground-truth). From the results, the mean (standard deviation) is 0.375 (0.483) degrees for the error in the anteversion angle and 0.1 (0.308) degrees for the abduction angle, with maximum discrepancies of 1 degree. A study was also carried out on a cadaver, in which a surgeon verified that the application is suitable to be transferred to routine clinical practice, helping in the guidance process for the implantation of a total hip prosthesis.
Inner Ear Organoids: Strengths and Limitations
Authors: Pianigiani Giulia , Roccio Marta
Published: February 2024

Inner ear organoids derived from differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells have recently gained momentum as tools to study inner ear development and developmental defects. An additional exciting aspect about this technology is represented by its translational potential, specifically, the use of organoids to validate therapeutics for hearing and balance restoration on human/patient-specific cells. This latter aspect will be briefly discussed here including opportunities and current limitations.
A novel group decision-making method for interval-valued q-rung dual hesitant fuzzy information using extended power average operator and Frank operations
Authors: Xu Wuhuan , Yao Zhong , Wang Jun , Xu Yuan
Published: February 2024

This paper advances the field of multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) by proposing a novel framework based on interval-valued q-rung dual hesitant fuzzy sets (IVq-RDHFSs). IVq-RDHFSs, which surpass most existing fuzzy sets, effectively represent complex fuzzy information by describing membership and non-membership degrees through interval value sets. However, prior MAGDM methods based on IVq-RDHFSs have been limited by the functions of operation rules and aggregation operators (AOs). This limitation is addressed through the construction of a new MAGDM framework, leveraging the robust Frank t-norm and t-conorm (FTT) operation and the extended power average (EPA) operator. The proposed framework features the interval-valued q-rung dual hesitant fuzzy Frank weighted extended power average (IVq-RDHFFWEPA) operator to obtain comprehensive evaluation values. The paper also introduces novel techniques for determining the weights of decision-makers and attributes. Practical applications of the proposed method are demonstrated through the assessment of desalination technology selection and rural green eco-tourism projects. Sensitivity and comparison analyses validate the superior functionality, accuracy, and flexibility of this method compared to many state-of-the-art methods. The contributions of this paper are two-fold: it develops efficient measurement techniques for IVq-RDHFSs, such as distance and weight calculation, and it introduces a comprehensive MAGDM method by integrating FTT and EPA under IVq-RDHFSs, which improves the efficiency of solving decision-making problems.
Variational autoencoders for 3D data processing
Authors: Molnár Szilárd , Tamás Levente
Published: February 2024

Variational autoencoders (VAEs) play an important role in high-dimensional data generation based on their ability to fuse the stochastic data representation with the power of recent deep learning techniques. The main advantages of these types of generators lie in their ability to encode the information with the possibility to decode and generalize new samples. This capability was heavily explored for 2D image processing; however, only limited research focuses on VAEs for 3D data processing. In this article, we provide a thorough review of the latest achievements in 3D data processing using VAEs. These 3D data types are mostly point clouds, meshes, and voxel grids, which are the focus of a wide range of applications, especially in robotics. First, we shortly present the basic autoencoder with the extensions towards the VAE with further subcategories relevant to discrete point cloud processing. Then, the 3D data specific VAEs are presented according to how they operate on spatial data. Finally, a few comprehensive table summarizing the methods, codes, and datasets as well as a citation map is presented for a better understanding of the VAEs applied to 3D data. The structure of the analyzed papers follows a taxonomy, which differentiates the algorithms according to their primary data types and application domains.
Some like it hot: small genomes may be more prevalent under climate extremes
Authors: Meyerson Laura A. , Cronin James T. , Lučanová Magdalena , Lambertini Carla , Brix Hans , Packer Jasmin G. , Čuda Jan , Wild Jan , Pergl Jan , Pyšek Petr
Published: February 2024

Changing climates can influence species range shifts and biological invasions, but the mechanisms are not fully known. Using the model speciesPhragmites australis(Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (Poaceae), we conducted a global analysis of climate and plant native and introduced cytotypes to determine whether this relationship influences population distributions, hypothesizing that smaller genomes are more common in regions of greater environmental stress. First, we identified 598Phragmites australisfield-collected native and introduced genome size variants using flow cytometry. We then evaluated whether temperature and precipitation were associated withP. australismonoploid genome size (Cx-value) distributions using Cx-value and Worldclim data. After accounting for potential spatial autocorrelation among source populations, we found climate significantly influenced Cx-value prevalence on continents. The relationships of Cx-value to temperature and precipitation varied according to whether plants were native or introduced in North America and Europe, and Cx-values were strongly influenced by precipitation during the dry season. Smaller plant monoploid genome size was associated with more stressful abiotic conditions; under extreme high temperatures and under drought, plants had smaller Cx-values. This may influence genome dominance, biological invasions, and range expansions and contractions as climate change selects for genome sizes that maximize fitness.
Profiles of Loneliness and Ostracism During Adolescence: Consequences, Antecedents, and Protective Factors
Authors: Kiuru Noona , Salmela-Aro Katariina , Laursen Brett , Vasalampi Kati , Beattie Marguerite , Tunkkari Mari , Junttila Niina
Published: February 2024

This longitudinal study (N = 1078, 46% boys; 54% girls) examined profiles of loneliness and ostracism during adolescence and their consequences and antecedents. Longitudinal latent profiles analyses identified four distinct profiles: (1) High emotional loneliness (25%), High and increasing social loneliness (15%), High peer exclusion and high social impact (9%) and No peer problems (51%). Subsequent internalizing problems were typical for the High and increasing social loneliness profile and externalizing problems for the High emotional loneliness and High peer exclusion and high social impact profiles. Furthermore, effortful control, prosocial skills, and relationship quality with parents and teachers were highest in the No peer problems profile, whereas the High and increasing social loneliness profile had the lowest self-esteem and was characterized by low surgency/extraversion, high affiliativeness, and high negative affectivity.
Influence of Cross-Correlation on the Modelled Uncertainty in Stress–Strain Behavior of Soft Clays
Authors: Löfman Monica Susanne , Korkiala-Tanttu Leena Katariina
Published: February 2024

Reliability-based design is increasingly being applied to geotechnical problems because it allows the robust consideration of various sources of uncertainty, such as the inherent variability of soil properties. Some soil properties, however, are mutually dependent, and ignoring this cross-correlation may lead to biased estimates of the probability of unsatisfactory performance. Hence, in this study, the Gaussian copula was used to evaluate how the applied cross-correlation or independence between the compressibility properties affects the uncertainty in the stress–strain response of two marine soft clays. Two settlement calculation methods were considered: the compression index and Janbu tangential stiffness methods. The correlation coefficients were defined from the site-specific oedometer data at two extensively studied clay sites, and from a database. The simulated oedometer curves were compared to the observed variability in the site-specific data. The settlements in the clay sublayers were then computed, and different cases were compared by means of boxplots. It is concluded that the Janbu method leads to a significant overestimation of uncertainty in settlement if the cross-correlation between the compressibility parameters is ignored. On contrary, the compression index method seems less sensitive to the assumed correlation structure, and as such, the parameters can be treated as independent in most cases.
A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Framework to Evaluate the Impact of Industry 5.0 Technologies: Case Study, Lessons Learned, Challenges and Future Directions
Authors: Abdel-Basset Mohamed , Mohamed Rehab , Chang Victor
Published: February 2024

Smart technologies have demonstrated striking outcomes regarding the early diagnosis of diseases and the delivery of the necessary healthcare in the last decade. However, by emphasizing the core fundamentals of social justice and sustainability, together with digitalization and smart technologies that predicate raising productivity and flexibility, Industry 5.0 has proven to achieve more efficient results. Industry 5.0 technologies provide more intelligent ways for human employees and higher efficiency development while also improving safety and performance in many applications. In this research, the contribution is focused on the healthcare and how Industry 5.0 technologies demonstrate several advantages for the healthcare sector, starting with automated and precise disease prediction, moving on to aiding medical personnel in continual surveillance and monitoring and concluding with successful digital automation of smart equipment. The objective of this study is to apply a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach under a neutrosophic environment to evaluate the advantages of industry 5.0 technologies in the healthcare sector. Industry 5.0 primary value is to reach human-centric, sustainable, and resilient industries. While Industry 5.0 technologies sub-values regarding the healthcare sector are determined and distinguished according to the 3-main values mentioned previously based on literature. The methodologies applied in this study are: The Analytical Hierarchy approach (AHP) evaluates the main values and sub-values. Subsequently, the effectiveness of industry 5.0 technologies according to their values to the healthcare sector are ranked by Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The approach is constructed under uncertainty based on a neutrosophic environment to achieve accuracy in the evaluation process. The results show that the most influential technology in healthcare are AI and cloud computing, while nano-technology, drone technology, and robots are at the end of the ranking. While validating the suggested technique, outcome comparisons were carried out to demonstrate the benefits of the methodologies. A sensitivity study indicates that adjusting the weightings of the sub-values has no significant effect on the ranking of technologies.
Investigation of Terp-Pyr/p-Si diode using complex impedance spectroscopy depending on measurement temperatures and frequencies
Authors: Oruç Pınar , Eymur Serkan , Tuğluoğlu Nihat
Published: February 2024

A unique Al/Terp-Pyr/p-Si/Al diode structure that has not before been presented was introduced in this paper. Utilizing capacitance-conductance-frequency (C-G-f) characteristics in the frequency range of 20 Hz− 1.5 MHz for four temperatures of 300 K, 325 K, 350 K, and 375 K, admittance analysis was carried out to disclose the impedance and dielectric properties of the diode. The appearance of interface states at the Terp-Pyr/p-Si interface leads to an increase in capacitance values at low frequencies. Using complex impedance spectroscopy, the impedance characteristics of the Al/ Terp-Pyr/p-Si/Al Schottky diode were examined. The fabricated diode’s dielectric, modulus, and ac conductivity properties were investigated in the same frequency and temperature range. It has been revealed that while $${\epsilon }^{{\prime }}$$

ϵ

′

decreases up to high frequencies for all temperatures, it grows with temperature in the low-frequency zone. It becomes apparent that while the real component (M’) of modulus grows for all temperatures from low to high frequencies, it decreases at high frequencies as temperature rises. remarkably adjustable temperature, voltage, and frequency tuning of the dielectric constants $$({\epsilon }^{{\prime }},{{\epsilon }^{{\prime }}}^{{\prime }})$$

(

ϵ

′

,

ϵ

′

′

)

and dielectric loss tangent (tanδ). Additionally, the equivalent circuit of the Al/ Terp-Pyr/p-Si/Al Schottky diode and Cole-Cole diagrams were explored.
Repeat surgery of recurrent glioma for molecularly informed treatment in the age of precision oncology: A risk–benefit analysis
Authors: Alhalabi Obada T. , Dao Trong Philip , Kaes Manuel , Jakobs Martin , Kessler Tobias , Oehler Hannah , König Laila , Eichkorn Tanja , Sahm Felix , Debus Jürgen , von Deimling Andreas , Wick Wolfgang , Wick Antje , Krieg Sandro M. , Unterberg Andreas W. , Jungk Christine
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Surgery for recurrent glioma provides cytoreduction and tissue for molecularly informed treatment. With mostly heavily pretreated patients involved, it is unclear whether the benefits of repeat surgery outweigh its potential risks.

Methods

Patients receiving surgery for recurrent glioma WHO grade 2–4 with the goal of tissue sampling for targeted therapies were analyzed retrospectively. Complication rates (surgical, neurological) were compared to our institutional glioma surgery cohort. Tissue molecular diagnostic yield, targeted therapies and post-surgical survival rates were analyzed.

Results

Between 2017 and 2022, tumor board recommendation for targeted therapy through molecular diagnostics was made for 180 patients. Of these, 70 patients (38%) underwent repeat surgery. IDH-wildtype glioblastoma was diagnosed in 48 patients (69%), followed by IDH-mutant astrocytoma (n = 13; 19%) and oligodendroglioma (n = 9; 13%). Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 50 patients (71%). Tissue was processed for next-generation sequencing in 64 cases (91%), and for DNA methylation analysis in 58 cases (83%), while immunohistochemistry for mTOR phosphorylation was performed in 24 cases (34%). Targeted therapy was recommended in 35 (50%) and commenced in 21 (30%) cases. Postoperatively, 7 patients (11%) required revision surgery, compared to 7% (p = 0.519) and 6% (p = 0.359) of our reference cohorts of patients undergoing first and second craniotomy, respectively. Non-resolving neurological deterioration was documented in 6 cases (10% vs. 8%, p = 0.612, after first and 4%, p = 0.519, after second craniotomy). Median survival after repeat surgery was 399 days in all patients and 348 days in GBM patients after repeat GTR.

Conclusion

Surgery for recurrent glioma provides relevant molecular diagnostic information with a direct consequence for targeted therapy under a reasonable risk of postoperative complications. With satisfactory postoperative survival it can therefore complement a multi-modal glioma therapy approach.
GraphSAGE++: Weighted Multi-scale GNN for Graph Representation Learning
Authors: Jiawei E. , Zhang Yinglong , Yang Shangying , Wang Hong , Xia Xuewen , Xu Xing
Published: February 2024

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have emerged as a powerful tool in graph representation learning. However, they are increasingly challenged by over-smoothing as network depth grows, compromising their ability to capture and represent complex graph structures. Additionally, some popular GNN variants only consider local neighbor information during node updating, ignoring the global structural information and leading to inadequate learning and differentiation of graph structures. To address these challenges, we introduce a novel graph neural network framework, GraphSAGE++. Our model extracts the representation of the target node at each layer and then concatenates all layer weighted representations to obtain the final result. In addition, the strategies combining double aggregations with weighted concatenation are proposed, which significantly enhance the model’s discernment and preservation of structural information. Empirical results on various datasets demonstrate that GraphSAGE++ excels in vertex classification, link prediction, and visualization tasks, surpassing existing methods in effectiveness.
Modulation of the wheat transcriptome by TaZFP13D under well-watered and drought conditions
Authors: Bouard William , Ouellet François , Houde Mario
Published: February 2024

Maintaining global food security in the context of climate changes will be an important challenge in the next century. Improving abiotic stress tolerance of major crops such as wheat can contribute to this goal. This can be achieved by the identification of the genes involved and their use to develop tools for breeding programs aiming to generate better adapted cultivars. Recently, we identified the wheat TaZFP13D gene encoding Zinc Finger Protein 13D as a new gene improving water-stress tolerance. The current work analyzes the TaZFP13D-dependent transcriptome modifications that occur in well-watered and dehydration conditions to better understand its function during normal growth and during drought. Plants that overexpress TaZFP13D have a higher biomass under well-watered conditions, indicating a positive effect of the protein on growth. Survival rate and stress recovery after a severe drought stress are improved compared to wild-type plants. The latter is likely due the higher activity of key antioxidant enzymes and concomitant reduction of drought-induced oxidative damage. Conversely, down-regulation of TaZFP13D decreases drought tolerance and protection against drought-induced oxidative damage. RNA-Seq transcriptome analysis identified many genes regulated by TaZFP13D that are known to improve drought tolerance. The analysis also revealed several genes involved in the photosynthetic electron transfer chain known to improve photosynthetic efficiency and chloroplast protection against drought-induced ROS damage. This study highlights the important role of TaZFP13D in wheat drought tolerance, contributes to unravel the complex regulation governed by TaZFPs, and suggests that it could be a promising marker to select wheat cultivars with higher drought tolerance.
Trace Operator on von Koch’s Snowflake
Authors: Kazaniecki Krystian , Wojciechowski Michał
Published: February 2024

We study properties of the boundary trace operator on the Sobolev space $$W^1_1(\Omega )$$

W
1
1

(
Ω
)

. Using the density result by Koskela and Zhang (Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 222(1), 1-14 2016), we define a surjective operator $$Tr: W^1_1(\Omega _K)\rightarrow X(\Omega _K)$$

T
r
:

W
1
1

(

Ω
K

)

→
X

(

Ω
K

)

, where $$\Omega _K$$

Ω
K

is von Koch’s snowflake and $$X(\Omega _K)$$

X
(

Ω
K

)

is a trace space with the quotient norm. Since $$\Omega _K$$

Ω
K

is a uniform domain whose boundary is Ahlfors-regular with an exponent strictly bigger than one, it was shown by L. Malý
(2017) that there exists a right inverse to Tr, i.e. a linear operator $$S: X(\Omega _K) \rightarrow W^1_1(\Omega _K)$$

S
:
X

(

Ω
K

)

→

W
1
1

(

Ω
K

)

such that $$Tr \circ S= Id_{X(\Omega _K)}$$

T
r
∘
S
=
I

d

X
(

Ω
K

)

. In this paper we provide a different, purely combinatorial proof based on geometrical structure of von Koch’s snowflake. Moreover we identify the isomorphism class of the trace space as $$\ell _1$$

ℓ
1

. As an additional consequence of our approach we obtain a simple proof of the Peetre’s theorem (Special Issue 2, 277-282 1979) about non-existence of the right inverse for domain $$\Omega $$
Ω
with regular boundary, which explains Banach space geometry cause for this phenomenon.
A Fourier Integral Formula for Logarithmic Energy
Authors: Frerick L. , Müller J. , Thomaser T.
Published: February 2024

A formula which expresses logarithmic energy of Borel measures on $$\mathbb {R}^n$$

R

n

in terms of the Fourier transforms of the measures is established and some applications are given. In addition, using similar techniques a (known) formula for Riesz energy is reinvented.
A cone-beam computed tomography study of canalis sinuosus and its accessory canals in a South African population
Authors: Beckenstrater Michael A. , Gamieldien Mohamed Y. , Smit Chane , Buchanan Glynn D.
Published: February 2024

Objectives

Canalis sinuosus (CS) is a clinically relevant structure in the anterior maxilla. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of CS and its accessory canals (ACs) in the South African population and describe its anatomical variations.

Methods

In total, 500 cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of the anterior maxilla were assessed for prevalence, sidedness, diameter, and distribution of CS. The frequency, number, diameter, configuration, and point of termination of ACs were also recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis, chi-squared, and Fisher Exact tests with P < 0.05.

Results

CS was present in most cases (99.6%), and commonly occurred bilaterally (98.8%). The mean diameter of CS was 1.08 mm (range: 0.50 mm–2.39 mm). Sex, population group, and age had no significant effect on the prevalence or sidedness of CS. Additionally, 535 ACs were observed in 58.8% of the sample, with 42.9% of ACs found bilaterally and 57.1% unilaterally. The mean diameter of the ACs was 0.86 mm on the left and 0.87 mm on the right (range; 0.50 mm–1.52 mm). The majority of ACs maintained a straight vertical configuration (72.3%). ACs most commonly terminated in the anterior palatal region of the maxilla (57.2%). No significant differences were found in any groups mentioned (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

A high prevalence of CS as well as ACs were observed in the sample population. Due to their clinical significance, surgical planning with the aid of high quality CBCT scans of the anterior maxilla is advisable.