bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protein Characterization and Amino Acid Profiles of Various Wheat Varieties and Their Effect on Pasting Properties of Starch
Authors: Katyal Mehak , Singh Narpinder , Kathuria Deepika
Published: August 2024

The present study is to investigate amino acid compositions and protein characteristics of gluten extracted from different varieties of wheat and their influence on the pasting properties of starch. The starch and gluten are isolated separately from 12 wheat varieties categorized by grain hardness, i.e., hard (HW), medium hard (MHW), and soft (SW)with value ranged from 83 to 95, 72 to 80, and 17 to 29, respectively. Amino acid profiling reveals significant variations among the wheat varieties, with extraordinarily soft wheat (Ex‐SW) varieties exhibited higher levels of essential amino acid including methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, histidine, lysine, and valine. Protein fraction analysis indicates that gluten from HW varieties has a higher proportion of gliadin and lower glutenin content compared to MHW and Ex‐SW varieties. Furthermore, starch from Ex‐SW varieties possesses higher pasting parameters than MHW and HW varieties. Further, incorporation of gluten significantly reduced the pasting characteristics of starch. Flours with higher protein content demonstrate lower paste breakdown, highlighting the influence of protein content on viscoelastic properties. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) reveals associations between specific amino acids and protein fractions with various pasting properties, highlighting the complex interplay between gluten composition and starch behavior.
Influence of fire severity and concrete properties on the thermo‐hygral behavior of concrete during fire exposure
Authors: Pulkit Umang , Adhikary Satadru Das , Kodur Venkatesh
Published: August 2024

Since the world is transitioning toward performance based design, the study of thermo‐hygral behavior of concrete when subjected to real fire becomes crucial. Fire accidents have revealed that nominal fire curves cannot be applied because of varying severity of real fire. In 2008, traveling fire concept was developed in which severity is dependent on heat release rate and fire size. This study explores the effect of fire severity and other concrete properties like strength, aggregate type, and relative humidity. The proposed model has been developed by combining the principles of mechanics and thermodynamics and upon validation with the experimental results, a reasonable agreement has been observed. It can be concluded that severity of fire is directly related to thermo‐hygral behavior of concrete. On the other hand, this study also highlights the influence of type of aggregate and moisture content in addition to the traditional variables like volume fraction of solid and permeability. On studying the influence of type of aggregate, it can be concluded that recycled aggregate concrete performed better than conventional concrete. The integration of proposed model in the performance based design is a leap toward development of resilient structure subjected to dynamic fire conditions.
Global trends in opioid use for pain management in acute pancreatitis: A multicentre prospective observational study
Authors: Knoph Cecilie Siggaard , Lucocq James , Kamarajah Sivesh Kathir , Olesen Søren Schou , Jones Michael , Samanta Jayanta , Talukdar Rupjyoti , Capurso Gabriele , de‐Madaria Enrique , Yadav Dhiraj , Siriwardena Ajith K. , Windsor John , Drewes Asbjørn Mohr , Nayar Manu ,   PAINAP Collaborative, Pandanaboyana Sanjay
Published: August 2024

Background

Since there is no current international consensus on the optimal approach for pain management in acute pancreatitis (AP), analgesic practices may vary across different healthcare settings.

Objective

This study explored global disparities in analgesic use, in particular opioids, during admission and at discharge in hospitalised AP patients.

Methods

This was a post hoc analysis of the prospective PAINAP database, which included all admissions for AP between April and June 2022 with a 1‐month follow‐up. Demographic details, analgesic use, and clinical outcomes were recorded during admission and at discharge. Odds ratios (ORs) for opioid use during admission and at discharge were identified using multivariable regression analyses.

Results

Amongst the 1864 patients (52% males, median age 56 (interquartile range, 41–71)) across three different continents, simple analgesics were predominantly used as the primary analgesic (70%). Opioid use during admission was lowest in European centres (67%). Admission in Asian (OR, 2.53 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.59–4.04), p < 0.001), and Australian (OR, 5.81 (95% CI, 3.19–10.56), p < 0.001) centres was associated with opioid administration during admission compared with European centres. Increased pain severity, longer pre‐admission pain duration, organ failure, and longer length of admission increased opioid use during admission. At discharge, Asian (OR, 2.01 (95% CI, 1.40–2.88), p < 0.001) and Australian (OR, 1.91 (95% CI, 1.28–2.85), p = 0.002) centres were associated with opioid prescription compared with European centres. Increased pain severity, longer pre‐admission pain duration, acute necrotic collections, and walled‐off necrosis also increased the likelihood of opioid prescription at discharge.

Conclusion

There are substantial intercontinental differences in opioid use for AP pain. Accordingly, there is a need for international guidelines on pain management in AP.
Entropy generation in Johnson–Segalman peristaltic flow with magnetic field and activation energy
Authors: Zahir Hina , Akram Javaria , Bayram Mustafa , Shakeel Mehnaz , Fatima Rabbia , Rezapour Shahram , Inc Mustafa
Published: August 2024

This study examines entropy generation in the peristaltic flow of Johnson–Segalman fluid through a curved channel, considering the effects of Hall and ion slip due to an externally applied magnetic field and activation energy. The fluid dynamics are modeled using a highly nonlinear mathematical framework, which is non‐dimensionalized and simplified with a lubrication approach. Numerical solutions are obtained using the shooting technique to analyze fluid flow properties. The results, presented graphically, provide a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between the non‐Newtonian characteristics of the Johnson–Segalman fluid, entropy generation, and activation energy effects. The study finds that increasing the Hall parameter enhances entropy generation. Higher activation energy increases the rate of chemical reactions and by‐products, raising system randomness. Additionally, reducing the channel curvature or increasing the curvature parameter elevates the system's entropy. These insights are valuable for biomedical and industrial applications.
Scholarly Question Answering Using Large Language Models in the NFDI4DataScience Gateway
Authors: Babaei Giglou Hamed , Taffa Tilahun Abedissa , Abdullah Rana , Usmanova Aida , Usbeck Ricardo , D’Souza Jennifer , Auer Sören
Published: August 2024

This paper introduces a scholarly Question Answering (QA) system on top of the NFDI4DataScience Gateway, employing a Retrieval Augmented Generation-based (RAG) approach. The NFDI4DS Gateway, as a foundational framework, offers a unified and intuitive interface for querying various scientific databases using federated search. The RAG-based scholarly QA, powered by a Large Language Model (LLM), facilitates dynamic interaction with search results, enhancing filtering capabilities and fostering a conversational engagement with the Gateway search. The effectiveness of both the Gateway and the scholarly QA system is demonstrated through experimental analysis.
The Effect of Knowledge Graph Schema on Classifying Future Research Suggestions
Authors: Alivanistos Dimitrios , van der Bijl Seth , Cochez Michael , van Harmelen Frank
Published: August 2024

The output of research doubles at least every 20 years and in most research fields the number of research papers has become overwhelming. A critical task for researchers is to find promising future directions and interesting scientific challenges in the literature. To tackle this problem, we hypothesize that structured representations of information in the literature can be used to identify these elements. Specifically, we look at structured representations in the form of Knowledge Graphs (KGs) and we investigate how using different input schemas for extraction impacts the performance on the tasks of classifying sentences as future directions. Our results show that the MECHANIC-Granular schema yields the best performance across different settings and achieves state of the art performance when combined with pretrained embeddings. Overall, we observe that schemas with limited variation in the resulting node degrees and significant interconnectedness lead to the best downstream classification performance.
Assessing the Overlap of Science Knowledge Graphs: A Quantitative Analysis
Authors: Ciuciu-Kiss Jenifer Tabita , Garijo Daniel
Published: August 2024

Science Knowledge Graphs (SKGs) have emerged as a means to represent and capture research outputs (papers, datasets, software, etc.) and their relationships in a machine-readable manner. However, different SKGs use different taxonomies, making it challenging to understand their overlaps, gaps and differences. In this paper, we propose a quantitative bottom-up analysis to assess the overlap between two SKGs, based on the type annotations of their instances. We implement our methodology by assessing the category overlap of 100,000 publications present both in OpenAlex and OpenAIRE. As a result, our approach produces an alignment of 71 categories and discusses the level of agreement between both KGs when annotating research artefacts.
FoRC@NSLP2024: Overview and Insights from the Field of Research Classification Shared Task
Authors: Abu Ahmad Raia , Borisova Ekaterina , Rehm Georg
Published: August 2024

This article provides an overview of the Field of Research Classification (FoRC) shared task conducted as part of the Natural Scientific Language Processing Workshop (NSLP) 2024. The FoRC shared task encompassed two subtasks: the first was a single-label multi-class classification of scholarly papers across a taxonomy of 123 fields, while the second focused on fine-grained multi-label classification within computational linguistics, using a taxonomy of 170 (sub-)topics. The shared task received 13 submissions for the first subtask and two for the second, with teams surpassing baseline performance metrics in both subtasks. The winning team for subtask I employed a multi-modal approach integrating metadata, full-text, and images from publications, achieving a weighted F1 score of 0.75, while the winning team for the second subtask leveraged a weakly supervised X-transformer model enriched with automatically labelled data, achieving a micro F1 score of 0.56 and a macro F1 of 0.43.
Advancing Automatic Subject Indexing: Combining Weak Supervision with Extreme Multi-label Classification
Authors: Rajendram Bashyam Lakshmi , Krestel Ralf
Published: August 2024

The multi-label automatic classification of scientific publications based on a pre-defined taxonomy, also called automatic subject indexing is a continuing research endeavor with significant cross-domain applicability. In this paper, we assess the performance of X-transformer and its variants with other extreme multi-label classification models for the above task. Our model Weak X-transformer achieves a micro F1-score of 0.65 and 64% accuracy on the task outperforming all other methods. We also investigate the impact of incorporating additional unlabelled data and hierarchical structure into the models. Our findings demonstrate that the transformer-based model with weak supervision outperforms other approaches, providing insights into effective strategies for extreme multi-label classification in scholarly publications.
Enriched BERT Embeddings for Scholarly Publication Classification
Authors: Wolff Benjamin , Seidlmayer Eva , Förstner Konrad U.
Published: August 2024

With the rapid expansion of academic literature and the proliferation of preprints, researchers face growing challenges in manually organizing and labeling large volumes of articles. The NSLP 2024 FoRC Shared Task I addresses this challenge organized as a competition. The goal is to develop a classifier capable of predicting one of 123 predefined classes from the Open Research Knowledge Graph (ORKG) taxonomy of research fields for a given article. This paper presents our results.

Initially, we enrich the dataset (containing English scholarly articles sourced from ORKG and arXiv), then leverage different pre-trained language Models (PLMs), specifically BERT, and explore their efficacy in transfer learning for this downstream task. Our experiments encompass feature-based and fine-tuned transfer learning approaches using diverse PLMs, optimized for scientific tasks, including SciBERT, SciNCL, and SPECTER2. We conduct hyperparameter tuning and investigate the impact of data augmentation from bibliographic databases such as OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and Crossref. Our results demonstrate that fine-tuning pre-trained models substantially enhances classification performance, with SPECTER2 emerging as the most accurate model. Moreover, enriching the dataset with additional metadata improves classification outcomes significantly, especially when integrating information from S2AG, OpenAlex and Crossref. Our best-performing approach achieves a weighted F1-score of 0.7415. Overall, our study contributes to the advancement of reliable automated systems for scholarly publication categorization, offering a potential solution to the laborious manual curation process, thereby facilitating researchers in efficiently locating relevant resources.
SOMD@NSLP2024: Overview and Insights from the Software Mention Detection Shared Task
Authors: Krüger Frank , Karmakar Saurav , Dietze Stefan
Published: August 2024

Software is a central part of the scientific process and involved in obtaining, analysing, visualising and processing research data. Understanding the provenance of research requires an understanding of the involved software. However, software citations in scientific publications often are informal, what creates challenges when aiming at understanding software adoption. This paper provides an overview of the Software Mention Detection (SOMD) shared task conducted as part of the 2024 Natural Scientific Language Processing Workshop, aiming at advancing the state-of-the-art with respect to NLP methods for detecting software mentions and additional information in scholarly publications. The SOMD shared task encompasses three subtasks, concerned with software mention recognition (subtask I), recognition of additional information (subtask II) and classification of involved relations (subtask III). We present an overview of the tasks, received submissions and used techniques. The best submissions achieved F1 scores of 0.74 (subtask I), 0.838 (subtask II) and 0.911 (subtask III) indicating both task feasibility but also potential for further performance gains.
Enhancing Software-Related Information Extraction via Single-Choice Question Answering with Large Language Models
Authors: Otto Wolfgang , Upadhyaya Sharmila , Dietze Stefan
Published: August 2024

This paper describes our participation in the Shared Task on Software Mentions Disambiguation (SOMD), with a focus on improving relation extraction in scholarly texts through generative Large Language Models (LLMs) using single-choice question-answering. The methodology prioritises the use of in-context learning capabilities of LLMs to extract software-related entities and their descriptive attributes, such as distributive information. Our approach uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques and LLMs for Named Entity Recognition (NER) and Attributive NER to identify relationships between extracted software entities, providing a structured solution for analysing software citations in academic literature. The paper provides a detailed description of our approach, demonstrating how using LLMs in a single-choice QA paradigm can greatly enhance IE methodologies. Our participation in the SOMD shared task highlights the importance of precise software citation practices and showcases our system’s ability to overcome the challenges of disambiguating and extracting relationships between software mentions. This sets the groundwork for future research and development in this field.
RTaC: A Generalized Framework for Tooling
Authors: Bhavsar Nisarg , Thakur Abhinav , Singh Amrit Lal , Patwa Ashish
Published: August 2024

In the rapidly evolving domain of Large Language Models (LLMs), integrating tool usage remains a formidable challenge, particularly when it comes to the dynamic selection and sequencing of tools in response to complex queries. Addressing this, we introduce Reimagining Tooling as Coding (RTaC), a groundbreaking framework that transforms tool usage into a coding paradigm. Inspired by recent advancements [18], RTaC conceptualizes tools as Python functions within a dual-agent system [2], significantly enhancing LLMs’ tool usage efficiency. Our comprehensive experiments reveal that RTaC enables coding-based LLMs, such as DeepSeek and CodeLlama, to achieve and surpass GPT-4 benchmarks in cost-effectiveness and latency without compromising on handling intricate tool sequencing with conditional and iterative logic. This research not only sets a new benchmark for tooling efficiency in LLMs but also opens new avenues for the application of LLMs in complex problem-solving scenarios, heralding a significant leap forward in the functionality and versatility of LLMs across diverse domains.
Automated Extraction of Research Software Installation Instructions from README Files: An Initial Analysis
Authors: Utrilla Guerrero Carlos , Corcho Oscar , Garijo Daniel
Published: August 2024

Research Software code projects are typically described with a README files, which often contains the steps to set up, test and run the code contained in them. Installation instructions are written in a human-readable manner and therefore are difficult to interpret by intelligent assistants designed to help other researchers setting up a code repository. In this paper we explore this gap by assessing whether Large Language Models (LLMs) are able to extract installation instruction plans from README files. In particular, we define a methodology to extract alternate installation plans, an evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness of each result and an initial quantitative evaluation based on state of the art LLM models ( and ). Our results show that while LLMs are a promising approach for finding installation instructions, they present important limitations when these instructions are not sequential or mandatory.
Scattering on the supermembrane
Authors: Seibold Fiona K. , Tseytlin Arkady A.
Published: August 2024

Abstract

We compute the one-loop 2 → 2 scattering amplitude of massless scalars on the world volume of an infinite D = 11 supermembrane quantized in the static gauge. The resulting expression is manifestly finite and turns out to be much simpler than in the bosonic membrane case in arXiv:2308.12189 being proportional to the tree-level scattering amplitude. We also consider the case of ℝ1, 1 × S1 membrane with one dimension compactified on a circle of radius R and demonstrate how the supermembrane scattering amplitude reduces to the one on an infinite D = 10 Green-Schwarz superstring in the limit of R→ 0.
Super Yang-Mills on branched covers and weighted projective spaces
Authors: Mauch Roman , Ruggeri Lorenzo
Published: August 2024

Abstract

In this work we conjecture the Coulomb branch partition function, including flux and instanton contributions, for the $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 vector multiplet on weighted projective space $$ {\mathbbm{CP}}_N^2 $$

CP
N
2

for equivariant Donaldson-Witten and “Pestun-like” theories. More precisely, we claim that this partition function agrees with the one computed on a certain branched cover of $$ {\mathbbm{CP}}^2 $$

CP
2

upon matching conical deficit angles with corresponding branch indices. Our conjecture is substantiated by checking that similar partition functions on spindles agree with their equivalent on certain branched covers of $$ {\mathbbm{CP}}^1 $$

CP
1

. We compute the one-loop determinant on the branched cover of $$ {\mathbbm{CP}}^2 $$

CP
2

for all flux sectors via dimensional reduction from the $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 1 vector multiplet on a branched five-sphere along a free S1-action. This work paves the way for obtaining partition functions on more generic symplectic toric orbifolds.
One-dimensional quasi-uniform Kronecker sequences
Authors: Goda Takashi
Published: August 2024

In this short note, we prove that the one-dimensional Kronecker sequence $$i\alpha \bmod 1, i=0,1,2,\ldots ,$$

i
α

mod

1
,
i
=
0
,
1
,
2
,
…
,

is quasi-uniform over the unit interval [0, 1] if and only if $$\alpha $$
α
is a badly approximable number. Our elementary proof relies on a result on the three-gap theorem for Kronecker sequences due to Halton (Proc Camb Philos Soc, 61:665–670, 1965).
Validation of the implementation of phased-array heating systems in Plan2Heat
Authors: Kok H. P. , Crezee J
Published: August 2024

Background

Hyperthermia treatment planning can be supportive to ensure treatment quality, provided reliable prediction of the heating characteristics (i.e., focus size and effects of phase-amplitude and frequency steering) of the device concerned is possible. This study validates the predictions made by the treatment planning system Plan2Heat for various clinically used phased-array systems.

Methods

The evaluated heating systems were AMC-2, AMC-4/ALBA-4D (Med-Logix srl, Rome, Italy), BSD Sigma-30, and Sigma-60 (Pyrexar Medical, Salt Lake City, UT, USA). Plan2Heat was used for specific absorption rate (SAR) simulations in phantoms representing measurement set-ups reported in the literature. SAR profiles from published measurement data based on E‑field or temperature rise were used to compare the device-specific heating characteristics predicted by Plan2Heat.

Results

Plan2Heat is able to predict the correct location and size of the SAR focus, as determined by phase-amplitude settings and operating frequency. Measured effects of phase-amplitude steering on focus shifts (i.e., local SAR minima or maxima) were also correctly reflected in treatment planning predictions. Deviations between measurements and simulations were typically < 10–20%, which is within the range of experimental uncertainty for such phased-array measurements.

Conclusion

Plan2Heat is capable of adequately predicting the heating characteristics of the AMC‑2, AMC-4/ALBA-4D, BSD Sigma-30, and Sigma-60 phased-array systems routinely used in clinical hyperthermia.
Die Bedeutung von Sarkopenie für die immunvermittelte Toxizität bei Patienten mit malignem Melanom unter einer Immuncheckpoint-Inhibition
Authors: Holtorf Christian , Mengoni Miriam , Tüting Thomas , Wienke Andreas , Borggrefe Jan , Surov Alexey , Alter Mareike
Published: August 2024

Hintergrund

Sarkopenie ist die Verminderung der Muskelkraft und -masse sowie Einschränkung der Funktion. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es zu untersuchen, ob die anhand der Psoasmuskulatur bestimmte prätherapeutische Sarkopenie die therapievermittelte Toxizität bei Patienten mit malignem Melanom unter einer Immuncheckpoint-Inhibition beeinflusst.

Patienten und Methoden

Die Vermessung der Psoasmuskulatur erfolgte prätherapeutisch mithilfe der Computertomographie auf der Höhe des 3. Lendenwirbelkörpers (LWK) bei 75 Patienten zwischen Januar 2011 und Dezember 2020. Die Sarkopenie wurde anhand des Psoasmuskelindex (PMI) definiert. Die immunvermittelte Toxizität wurde retrospektiv ermittelt.

Ergebnisse

Bei 33 der 75 Patienten (44 %) wurde eine behandlungsbedingte Toxizität unter Therapie mit Immuncheckpoint-Inhibitoren registriert. Davon erlitten 16 Patienten (36,2 %) eine dosislimitierende schwere Toxizität (DLT). Eine prätherapeutische Sarkopenie wurde bei 25 Patienten (33,3 %) ermittelt. Die Vergleichsanalyse ergab, dass die Patienten mit einer DLT im Vergleich zu der Patientengruppe ohne DLT niedrigere PMI-Werte aufwiesen (4,65 ± 1,33 vs. 5,79 ± 1,67 cm2m−2, p = 0,015) (OR = 0,60, 95 %-KI: 0,40–0,92, p = 0,02).

Schlussfolgerungen

Die anhand der Psoasmuskulatur gemessene prätherapeutische Sarkopenie ist kein signifikanter Prädiktor für DLT bei Patienten mit malignem Melanom unter einer Immuncheckpoint-Inhibition. Patienten mit einer DLT weisen jedoch im Vergleich zu der Patientengruppe ohne DLT niedrigere Werte für die Psoasmuskelparameter PMI und Gauge auf.
Mineral chemistry of the Geyer SW tin skarn deposit: understanding variable fluid/rock ratios and metal fluxes
Authors: Meyer Nicolas , Burisch Mathias , Gutzmer Jens , Krause Joachim , Scheibert Henning , Markl Gregor
Published: August 2024

The Geyer tin skarn in the Erzgebirge, Germany, comprises an early skarnoid stage (stage I, ~ 320 Ma) and a younger metasomatic stage (stage II, ~ 305 Ma), but yet, the source and distribution of Sn and the physicochemical conditions of skarn alteration were not constrained. Our results illustrate that contact metamorphic skarnoids of stage I contain only little Sn. REE patterns and elevated concentrations of HFSE indicate that garnet, titanite and vesuvianite of stage I formed under rock-buffered conditions (low fluid/rock ratios). Prograde assemblages of stage II, in contrast, contain two generations of stanniferous garnet, titanite-malayaite and vesuvianite. Oscillation between rock-buffered and fluid-buffered conditions are marked by variable concentrations of HFSE, W, In, and Sn in metasomatic garnet. Trace and REE element signatures of minerals formed under high fluid/rock ratios appear to mimic the signature of the magmatic-hydrothermal fluid which gave rise to metasomatic skarn alteration. Concomitantly with lower fluid-rock ratio, tin was remobilized from Sn-rich silicates and re-precipitated as malayaite. Ingress of meteoric water and decreasing temperatures towards the end of stage II led to the formation of cassiterite, low-Sn amphibole, chlorite, and sulfide minerals. Minor and trace element compositions of cassiterite do not show much variation, even if host rock and gangue minerals vary significantly, suggesting a predominance of a magmatic-hydrothermal fluid and high fluid/rock ratios. The mineral chemistry of major skarn-forming minerals, hence, records the change in the fluid/rock ratio, and the arrival, distribution, and remobilization of tin by magmatic fluids in polyphase tin skarn systems.
Unraveling the complexity of glycosphingolipidome: the key role of mass spectrometry in the structural analysis of glycosphingolipids
Authors: Hořejší Karel , Holčapek Michal
Published: August 2024

Glycosphingolipids (GSL) are a highly heterogeneous class of lipids representing the majority of the sphingolipid category. GSL are fundamental constituents of cellular membranes that have key roles in various biological processes, such as cellular signaling, recognition, and adhesion. Understanding the structural complexity of GSL is pivotal for unraveling their functional significance in a biological context, specifically their crucial role in the pathophysiology of various diseases. Mass spectrometry (MS) has emerged as a versatile and indispensable tool for the structural elucidation of GSL enabling a deeper understanding of their complex molecular structures and their key roles in cellular dynamics and patholophysiology. Here, we provide a thorough overview of MS techniques tailored for the analysis of GSL, emphasizing their utility in probing GSL intricate structures to advance our understanding of the functional relevance of GSL in health and disease. The application of tandem MS using diverse fragmentation techniques, including novel ion activation methodologies, in studying glycan sequences, linkage positions, and fatty acid composition is extensively discussed. Finally, we address current challenges, such as the detection of low-abundance species and the interpretation of complex spectra, and offer insights into potential solutions and future directions by improving MS instrumentation for enhanced sensitivity and resolution, developing novel ionization techniques, or integrating MS with other analytical approaches for comprehensive GSL characterization.
Identifying the primary tumour in patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP) using [18F]FDG PET/CT: a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis
Authors: Willemse Jeroen R. J. , Lambregts Doenja M. J. , Balduzzi Sara , Schats Winnie , Snaebjornsson Petur , Marchetti Serena , Vollebergh Marieke A. , van Golen Larissa W. , Cheung Zing , Vogel Wouter V. , Bodalal Zuhir , Rostami Sajjad , Gerke Oke , Sivakumaran Tharani , Beets-Tan Regina G.H. , Lahaye Max J.
Published: August 2024

Purpose

In this systematic review and individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis, we analysed the diagnostic performance of [18F]FDG PET/CT in detecting primary tumours in patients with CUP and evaluated whether the location of the predominant metastatic site influences the diagnostic performance.

Methods

A systematic literature search from January 2005 to February 2024 was performed to identify articles describing the diagnostic performance of [18F]FDG PET/CT for primary tumour detection in CUP. Individual patient data retrieved from original articles or obtained from corresponding authors were grouped by the predominant metastatic site. The diagnostic performance of [18F]FDG PET/CT in detecting the underlying primary tumour was compared between predominant metastatic sites.

Results

A total of 1865 patients from 32 studies were included. The largest subgroup included patients with predominant bone metastases (n = 622), followed by liver (n = 369), lymph node (n = 358), brain (n = 316), peritoneal (n = 70), lung (n = 67), and soft tissue (n = 23) metastases, leaving a small group of other/undefined metastases (n = 40). [18F]FDG PET/CT resulted in pooled detection rates to identify the primary tumour of 0.74 (for patients with predominant brain metastases), 0.54 (liver-predominant), 0.49 (bone-predominant), 0.46 (lung-predominant), 0.38 (peritoneal-predominant), 0.37 (lymph node-predominant), and 0.35 (soft-tissue-predominant).

Conclusion

This individual patient data meta-analysis suggests that the ability of [18F]FDG PET/CT to identify the primary tumour in CUP depends on the distribution of metastatic sites. This finding emphasises the need for more tailored diagnostic approaches in different patient populations. In addition, alternative diagnostic tools, such as new PET tracers or whole-body (PET/)MRI, should be investigated.
Breast radiation dose with contrast-enhanced mammography-guided biopsy: a retrospective comparison with stereotactic and tomosynthesis guidance
Authors: Alcantara Rodrigo , Azcona Javier , Pitarch Mireia , Arenas Natalia , Castells Xavier , Milioni Pablo , Iotti Valentina , Besutti Giulia
Published: August 2024

Objectives

This retrospective study aimed to compare the average glandular dose (AGD) per acquisition in breast biopsies guided by contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM), conventional stereotactic breast biopsy (SBB), and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). The study also investigated the influence of compressed breast thickness (CBT) and density on AGD. Furthermore, the study aimed to estimate the AGD per procedure for each guidance modality.

Methods

The study included 163 female patients (mean age 57 ± 10 years) who underwent mammography-guided biopsies using SBB (9%), DBT (65%), or CEM (26%) guidance. AGD and CBT data were extracted from DICOM headers, and breast density was visually assessed. Statistical analyses included two-sample t-tests and descriptive statistics.

Results

Mean AGD per acquisition varied slightly among CEM (1.48 ± 0.22 mGy), SBB (1.49 ± 0.40 mGy), and DBT (1.55 ± 0.47 mGy), with CEM presenting higher AGD at lower CBTs and less dose escalation at higher CBTs. For CBT > 55 mm, CEM showed reduced AGD compared to SBB and DBT (p < 0.001). Breast density had minimal impact on AGD, except for category A. The estimated AGD per procedure was approximately 11.84 mGy for CEM, 11.92 mGy for SBB, and 6.2 mGy for DBT.

Conclusion

The study found mean AGD per acquisition to be similar for CEM and SBB, with DBT slightly higher. CEM demonstrated higher AGD at lower CBT but lower AGD at higher CBT, indicating reduced dose escalation with increasing thickness. While breast density had minimal overall impact, variations were noted in category A. DBT was more dose-efficient per procedure due to fewer acquisitions required.

Clinical relevance statement

CEM guidance provides effective lesion visualization within safe radiation limits, improving the precision of percutaneous image-guided breast interventions and supporting its potential consideration in a wider range of breast diagnostic procedures.

Key Points

Limited data exist on the AGD using CEM guidance for breast biopsies.

CEM and SBB exhibit similar AGD per acquisition; DBT demonstrated the lowest AGD per procedure.

Radiation from CEM guidance fits within safe limits for percutaneous image-guided breast interventions.

Graphical Abstract
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA): a genetic resource for vertebrate animals
Authors: Tammen Imke , Mather Marius , Leeb Tosso , Nicholas Frank W.
Published: August 2024

Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) is a freely available curated knowledgebase that contains information and facilitates research on inherited traits and diseases in animals. For the past 29 years, OMIA has been used by animal geneticists, breeders, and veterinarians worldwide as a definitive source of information. Recent increases in curation capacity and funding for software engineering support have resulted in software upgrades and commencement of several initiatives, which include the enhancement of variant information and links to human data resources, and the introduction of ontology-based breed information and categories. We provide an overview of current information and recent enhancements to OMIA and discuss how we are expanding the integration of OMIA into other resources and databases via the use of ontologies and the adaptation of tools used in human genetics.
Comparison of juvenile coral assemblages between Australia’s Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks
Authors: Burn Deborah , Hoey Andrew S. , Pisapia Chiara , Chandler Josie F. , Thompson Cassandra A. , Pratchett Morgan S.
Published: August 2024

Densities of juvenile corals (≤ 50 mm diameter) are expected to vary between geographically isolated and more spatially proximate reefs, and may constrain local recovery potential. This study compared juvenile coral densities and their relationships with local abundance of adult congenerics at geographically isolated reefs within Australia’s Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP) versus highly connected reefs within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP). Three latitudinal regions and two habitats (reef crest and slope) were examined within both marine parks to test for spatial variation. Densities of juvenile corals in the CSMP (13.99 ± 0.72 juveniles 10 m−2) were significantly lower compared to those in the GBRMP (23.72 ± 1.86 juveniles 10 m−2). Specifically, there were significantly less Acropora and Pocillopora juveniles on the reef crest in the central CSMP compared to the GBRMP. Relationships between juvenile abundance and percent coral cover were greatest for Acropora and Pocillopora in the GBRMP. This may be due to the low range of coral cover estimates recorded in the CSMP, especially for Acropora (0–15%). Low juvenile coral abundance, and in particular, the lack of fast-growing juvenile corals (e.g., Acropora) in the Central CSMP, in combination with low cover of broodstock (particularly Acropora) on CSMP reefs, poses a significant constraint on post-disturbance recovery capacity, possibly attributable to isolation and limited connectivity among reefs in this region.
The dynamic response of a pressure transducer for measurements in water
Authors: Jentzsch M. , Lechner W. , Woszidlo R. , Nayeri C. N. , Paschereit C. O.
Published: August 2024

Dynamic pressure measurements are indispensable in the field of fluid mechanics. Attaching tubing as a transmission line to the pressure transducer is often unavoidable but significantly reduces the usable bandwidth of the measurement system. Complex fluid-wall interactions and potential outgassing of air are present within systems with water-filled tubes. Comprehensive studies aiding researchers in selecting suitable transmission line parameters (i.e., material, length, and diameter) are not available. A simple calibration apparatus is designed for the frequency response characterization of multiple pressure transducers simultaneously applying a pressure step. The setup is thoroughly characterized and a detailed description is provided to optimize the bandwidth. A piezoresistive pressure transducer attached to water-filled tubes, as commonly used in hydrodynamic experiments, is characterized in the low-frequency range (i.e., $$f \le {300}$$

f
≤
300

Hz). Tube-related effects, such as length, diameter, and material are investigated. The impact of entrapped air within the tubing is analyzed. The feasibility of substituting water with silicone oil to fill the tubes is explored. To optimize the usable bandwidth of the pressure measurement system for dynamic applications, it is essential to maintain short tubing that is as rigid as possible and free from entrapped air. Pressure wave propagation speed is reduced by two orders of magnitude in elastic transmission lines made of silicone. Pressure corrections through dynamic calibration are challenging due to the system’s sensitivity to various parameters affecting the dynamic response.
The discontinuous strain method: accurately representing fatigue and failure
Authors: Herrmann Leon , Daneshyar Alireza , Kollmannsberger Stefan
Published: August 2024

Fatigue simulation requires accurate modeling of unloading and reloading. However, classical ductile damage models treat deformations after complete failure as irrecoverable—which leads to unphysical behavior during unloading. This unphysical behavior stems from the continued accumulation of plastic strains after failure, resulting in an incorrect stress state at crack closure. As a remedy, we introduce adiscontinuous strainin the additive elasto-plastic strain decomposition, which absorbs the excess strain after failure. This allows representing pre- and post-cracking regimes in a fully continuous setting, wherein the transition from the elasto-plastic response to cracking can be triggered at any arbitrary stage in a completely smooth manner. Moreover, the presented methodology does not exhibit the spurious energy release observed in hybrid approaches. In addition, our approach guarantees mesh-independent results by relying on a characteristic length scale—based on the discretization’s resolution. We name this new methodology thediscontinuous strain method. The proposed approach requires only minor modifications of conventional plastic-damage routines. To convey the method in a didactic manner, the algorithmic modifications are first discussed for one- and subsequently for two-/three-dimensional implementations. Using a simple ductile constitutive model, the discontinuous strain method is validated against established two-dimensional benchmarks. The method is, however, independent of the employed constitutive model. Elastic, plastic, and damage models may thus be chosen arbitrarily. Furthermore, computational efforts associated with the method are minimal, rendering it advantageous for accurately representing low-cycle fatigue but potentially also for other scenarios requiring a discontinuity representation within a plastic-damage framework. An open-source implementation is provided to make the proposed method accessible.
Effects of individual characteristics and local body functions on sweating response: A review
Authors: Niu Zhuoxi , Goto Tomonobu
Published: August 2024

In this study, we conducted a literature review to deepen our understanding of the sweating response of the thermoregulatory system, focusing on the influence of individual characteristics and local body functions. Among the factors related to individual characteristics, improvement in aerobic fitness had a positive effect on the sweating response, whereas aging exerted an inhibitory effect. Short-term artificial acclimation and seasonal heat acclimatization promoted sweating, whereas long-term geographical acclimatization suppressed sweating. Male exhibited higher sweat rates than female when the metabolic heat production was high. Individuals with smaller surface area-to-mass ratios tended to have higher sweat rates than those with larger ratios. Regarding local body functions, sweat distribution in the resting state showed high regional sweat rates in the lower limbs and torso, with higher values in the lower limbs when in the supine position and higher values in the torso when in the seated position. During exercise, the regional sweat rates was high in the torso, whereas the limbs exhibited relatively low sweat rates. These differences in sweat distribution stem from the thermoregulatory potential of each body region, which aims to efficiently regulate body temperature. Local effects have only been examined in the thigh and forearm, with temperature coefficient Q10 ranging from 2 to 5. Only the forehead showed significantly high thermosensitivity among all body regions.
Update Merkel-Zell-Karzinom
Authors: Becker Jürgen C. , Stang Andreas , Schrama David , Gutzmer Ralf , Ugurel Selma
Published: August 2024

Hintergrund

Das Merkel-Zell-Karzinom (MCC) ist ein seltener Hautkrebs mit neuroendokriner Differenzierung. Pathogenetisch liegt entweder die Integration des Merkel-Zell-Polyomavirus oder eine UV-Schädigung der Zellen zugrunde. Dadurch kommt es durch die Expression von viralen Proteinen oder Neoantigenen zu einer hohen Immunogenität der Tumorzellen.

Ziel der Arbeit (Fragestellung)

Überblick über das aktuelle Vorgehen beim MCC

Material und Methoden

Literatursuche und eigene Erfahrungen

Ergebnisse

Obwohl das MCC für das Immunsystem potenziell erkennbar ist, ist das Wachstum häufig aggressiv mit hohem Metastasierungspotenzial. Die Datenlage zum Spontanverlauf des MCC ist allerdings gering, da der Tumor insgesamt selten ist und detaillierte klinische Registerdaten fehlen. Im inoperabel metastasierten Stadium kamen in der Vergangenheit häufig zytotoxische Chemotherapien zum Einsatz; das Ansprechen war hier nur kurzzeitig, die mediane Ansprechdauer lag bei nur 3 Monaten. Auf der Basis der potenziellen Immunogenität des MCC wurden Checkpointinhibitoren getestet und haben in prospektiven Studien eine Wirksamkeit mit einem langdauernden Ansprechen in zumindest einer Untergruppe der Patienten gezeigt. Zu den vier getesteten PD-1/PD-L1-Immuncheckpointinhibitoren gehören Avelumab, Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab und Retifanlimab. Aufgrund der Seltenheit des MCC handelt es sich hierbei jedoch um einarmige Studien, randomisierte Studien mit dem Vergleich verschiedener Systemtherapien liegen nicht vor. Im Falle von primären oder sekundären Resistenzen auf eine Checkpointblockade in der fortgeschrittenen Situation gibt es bislang wenig Erfahrung zum weiteren Vorgehen. In der adjuvanten Situation war eine Nivolumabtherapie einer Beobachtung (Referenzarm) überlegen. Für die neoadjuvante Situation gibt es erst wenige Daten, kontrollierte Studien sind hier in Arbeit.

Diskussion

Das MCC ist ein hochaggressiver Tumor. Im fortgeschrittenen Stadium ist die PD-1/PD-L1-gerichtete Checkpointblockade die Standardtherapie. Erste positive Daten legen auch einen Einsatz in der adjuvanten und neoadjuvanten Situation nahe, was weiter in Studien untersucht werden muss.
Exploring the Role of Distress Tolerance and Neuroticism in Internet Gaming Disorder Among USA Young Adult Daily Gamers
Authors: Hatwan Mason L. , Boyd Elizabeth , Swaminath Surabhi , Mojallal Mahsa
Published: August 2024

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is a significant mental health concern. This cross-sectional study tested the indirect effects of childhood maltreatment on distress tolerance, neuroticism, and IGD symptoms in a sample of 475 young adult daily gamers (ages 18–25). We hypothesized the direct effects of childhood maltreatment on distress tolerance and IGD symptoms and an indirect effect of childhood maltreatment on IGD symptoms via distress tolerance. Significant direct effects from trait neuroticism to IGD symptoms were expected; trait neuroticism was hypothesized to strengthen the relationship between distress tolerance and IGD symptoms. No paths were freed post hoc. The results supported all hypothesized direct effects except neuroticism on IGD; the indirect effect of childhood maltreatment via distress tolerance was also supported. As expected, the effect of distress tolerance on IGD symptoms was moderated by neuroticism, particularly at low and average levels of neuroticism. The manuscript discusses our findings in greater detail, and treatment recommendations are offered.
Increase in porosity and permeability resolution for thin-bedded Miocene formation in Carpathian Foredeep using different clustering methods
Authors: Waszkiewicz Sebastian , Krakowska-Madejska Paulina
Published: August 2024

The accurate interpretation of well-logging data is a crucial stage in the exploration of gas- and oil-bearing reservoirs. Geological formations, such as the Miocene deposits, present many challenges related to thin layers, whose thickness is often less than the measurement resolution. This research emphasizes the potential of utilizing electrofacies in such challenging environments. The application of electrofacies not only allows for the grouping of intervals with similar physical characteristics but can also be useful for estimating porosity and permeability parameters. For this purpose, various clustering methods were tested, including the 2D indexed and probabilized self-organizing map (IPSOM) method with and without supervision. Subsequently, the usefulness of the obtained results to improve the estimation of porosity and permeability parameters with the help of artificial neural networks was verified. As a result of the conducted analyses, significantly better results were obtained compared to classical petrophysical interpretation. The calculated porosity and permeability parameters were characterized by much greater variability and alignment with laboratory measurements on porosity and permeability. The best results were obtained for the IPSOM method, but the other methods did not differ significantly. In conclusion, the studies have shown a positive result of applying clustering methods, including the IPSOM method, to improve the estimation of permeability and porosity parameters in complicated, thinly-layered formations.