bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
50,000 yr of recurrent volcaniclastic megabed deposition in the Marsili Basin, Tyrrhenian Sea
Authors: Sawyer Derek E. , Urgeles Roger , Iacono Claudio Lo
Published: August 2023

Megabeds are exceptionally large submarine deposits interpreted to originate from single catastrophic events. Megabeds are significant components of deep-water basins and are critical for understanding geohazards. We discovered a succession of four megabeds within the upper 70 m of the western Marsili Basin, Tyrrhenian Sea, deposited within the past 50 k.y. The megabeds were imaged as distinctive acoustically transparent units with ponded geometries, 10–25 m thick, separated by parallel-bedded strata. Cores from Site 650 of Ocean Drilling Program Leg 107 revealed that three of the four megabeds are made of alternating volcaniclastic sand and mud, and one is a volcaniclastic debris flow. Abundant shallow-water benthic foraminifera within the megabeds suggest that they were not sourced locally from the active Marsili Seamount, but most likely originated from the Campanian volcanic province to the north. The time interval during which the megabeds were deposited includes the 39.8 ka Campanian ignimbrite supereruption of the Campi Flegrei caldera, Italy, which is among the largest known eruptions on Earth, and the 14.9 ka Neapolitan Yellow Tuff supereruption. Volume (minimum) estimates range from 1.3 to 13.3 km3. However, similar megabeds observed in the neighboring Vavilov Basin to the west suggest that the megabeds in both basins may be correlative, and thus volumes could be much larger. The newly discovered megabeds of the Marsili Basin reveal significant geohazard events for the circum–Tyrrhenian Sea coastlines with a recurrence interval on the order of ~10–15 k.y.
Technical and clinical outcomes following EUS-guided thrombin injection and coil implantation for parastomal varices
Authors: Todd Andrew , Shekhar Chander , O’Rourke Joanne , Forde Colm , Pallan Arvind , Wadhwani Sharan Suresh , Tripathi Dhiraj , Mahon Brinder Singh
Published: August 2023

Background and aims

Bleeding from parastomal varices causes significant morbidity and mortality. Treatment options are limited, particularly in high-risk patients with significant underlying liver disease and other comorbidities. The use of EUS-guided embolisation coils combined with thrombin injection in gastric varices has been shown to be safe and effective. Our institution has applied the same technique to the treatment of parastomal varices.

Methods

A retrospective review was performed of 37 procedures on 24 patients to assess efficacy and safety of EUS-guided injection of thrombin, with or without embolisation coils for treatment of bleeding parastomal varices. All patients had been discussed in a multidisciplinary team meeting, and correction of portal hypertension was deemed to be contraindicated. Rebleeding was defined as stomal bleeding that required hospital admission or transfusion.

Results

All patients had significant parastomal bleeding at the time of referral. 100% technical success rate was achieved. 70.8% of patients had no further significant bleeding in the follow-up period (median 26.2 months) following one procedure. 1-year rebleed-free survival was 80.8% following first procedure. 7 patients (29.1%) had repeat procedures. There was no significant difference in rebleed-free survival following repeat procedures. Higher age was associated with higher risk of rebleeding. No major procedure-related complications were identified.

Conclusions

EUS-guided thrombin injection, with or without embolisation coils, is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of bleeding parastomal varices, particularly for patients for whom correction of portal venous hypertension is contraindicated.
Dual bronchodilators in Bronchiectasis study (DIBS): protocol for a pragmatic, multicentre, placebo-controlled, three-arm, double-blinded, randomised controlled trial studying bronchodilators in preventing exacerbations of bronchiectasis
Authors: Morton Miranda , Wilson Nina , Homer Tara Marie , Simms Laura , Steel Alison , Maier Rebecca , Wason James , Ternent Laura , Abouhajar Alaa , Allen Maria , Joyce Richard , Hildreth Victoria , Lakey Rachel , Cherlin Svetlana , Walker Adam , Devereux Graham , Chalmers James D , Hill Adam T , Haworth Charles , Hurst John R , De Soyza Anthony
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Bronchiectasis is a long-term lung condition, with dilated bronchi, chronic inflammation, chronic infection and acute exacerbations. Recurrent exacerbations are associated with poorer clinical outcomes such as increased severity of lung disease, further exacerbations, hospitalisations, reduced quality of life and increased risk of death. Despite an increasing prevalence of bronchiectasis, there is a critical lack of high-quality studies into the disease and no treatments specifically approved for its treatment. This trial aims to establish whether inhaled dual bronchodilators (long acting beta agonist (LABA) and long acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA)) taken as either a stand-alone therapy or in combination with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) reduce the number of exacerbations of bronchiectasis requiring treatment with antibiotics during a 12 month treatment period.

Methods

This is a multicentre, pragmatic, double-blind, randomised controlled trial, incorporating an internal pilot and embedded economic evaluation. 600 adult patients (≥18 years) with CT confirmed bronchiectasis will be recruited and randomised to either inhaled dual therapy (LABA+LAMA), triple therapy (LABA+LAMA+ICS) or matched placebo, in a 2:2:1 ratio (respectively). The primary outcome is the number of protocol defined exacerbations requiring treatment with antibiotics during the 12 month treatment period.

Ethics and dissemination

Favourable ethical opinion was received from the North East—Newcastle and North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee (reference: 21/NE/0020). Results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications, at national and international conferences, in the NIHRHealth Technology Assessmentsjournal and to participants and the public (using lay language).

Trial registration number

ISRCTN15988757.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease increases risk of chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhou Jianghua , Sun Dan-Qin , Targher Giovanni , D Byrne Christopher , Lee Byung-wan , Hamaguchi Masahide , Kim Seung Up , Hou Xuhong , Fadini Gian Paolo , Shimabukuro Michio , Furuhashi Masato , Wang Ning-Jian , Tilg Herbert , Zheng Ming-Hua
Published: August 2023

Background and aim

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is an alternative description and classification of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that may have better utility than NAFLD in clinical practice. We performed a meta-analysis to quantify the magnitude of the association between MAFLD and risk of both prevalent and incident chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Medline (OVID), Embase (OVID), Web of Science and Cochrane Library from database inception until 29 May 2022. We included observational studies examining the association between MAFLD and risk of CKD, defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤60 mL/min/1.73 m2or presence of abnormal albuminuria. Meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models to obtain summary HRs or ORs with 95% CIs.

Results

Seventeen observational studies with aggregate data on 845 753 participants were included in meta-analysis. In the 7 cohort studies, the pooled random-effects HR for incident CKD in patients with MAFLD was 1.29 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.41, I2=87.0%). In the 10 cross-sectional studies, the pooled random-effects OR for prevalent CKD in patients with MAFLD was 1.35 (95% CI 1.11 to 1.64, I2=92.6%).

Conclusion

MAFLD is significantly associated with an increased prevalence and incidence of CKD.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42022352366.
Risk factors of primary liver cancer initiation associated with tumour initiating cell emergence: novel targets for promising preventive therapies
Authors: Brouillet Arthur , Lafdil Fouad
Published: August 2023

Primary liver cancers ranked as the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancers and the third-leading cause of cancer-related death in 2020. Despite encouraging findings on diagnosis and treatments, liver cancer remains a life-threatening disease with a still increasing incidence.

Therefore, it is of interest to better characterise and understand the mechanistic process occurring at early steps of carcinogenesis. Inflammatory responses in liver diseases participate in the activation of liver progenitor cells (LPCs) facultative compartment but also to their transformation into cancer stem cells (CSCs) and give rise to primary liver cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Higher intratumoural heterogeneity has been associated with poorer prognosis and linked to tumour escape from the immune surveillance and to resistance to chemotherapy. A better understanding of the malignant transformation of LPC as tumour initiating cells (ie, CSC) should also provide a potential new therapeutic target for anticancer therapy. In this review, we summarise the recent reports identifying underlying mechanisms by which chronic liver inflammatory responses could trigger the early steps in liver carcinogenesis, notably through the transformation of LPCs into tumour initiating cells.
Severe hypoglycaemia in paediatric oncology: characterisation and risk factors
Authors: Joseph-Frederick Zakia , Keis Jennifer , Green Gloria , Petrazzini Ariana , Alexander Sarah , Kovacevic Anja , Oei Krista , Sung Lillian
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Primary objective was to describe the cumulative incidence of severe hypoglycaemia in paediatric patients with cancer. Secondary objectives were to determine risk factors for severe hypoglycaemia and to describe its clinical course and management.

Methods

In this single institution retrospective study, for the cumulative incidence cohort, we included cancer diagnosis and hypoglycaemia episodes between June 2018 and November 2021. For the chart review cohort, we included cancer diagnosis January 2009–November 2021 and hypoglycaemia episodes June 2018–November 2021.

Results

There were 1237 cancer diagnoses and 142 patients with severe hypoglycaemia in the cumulative incidence cohort. Cumulative incidence at 6 months after cancer diagnosis was 9.4% (95% CI 7.7% to 11.0%). Severe hypoglycaemia incidence significantly increased over time (r=0.77, p=0.004). Independent risk factors were age at diagnosis (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.91); acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (HR 3.06, 95% CI 2.19 to 4.29) and relapse (HR 9.54, 95% CI 3.83 to 23.76). There were 4672 cancer diagnoses and 267 episodes of severe hypoglycaemia in the chart review cohort.

Conclusions

The cumulative incidence of severe hypoglycaemia 6 months after cancer diagnosis was 9.4%. Severe hypoglycaemia increased over time. Younger patients, those with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and those with a history of disease relapse, were at higher risk of severe hypoglycaemia.
Optical vortices in brief: introduction for experimentalists
Authors: Stoyanov Lyubomir , Topuzoski Suzana , Paulus Gerhard G. , Dreischuh Alexander
Published: August 2023

In this review, starting with the essence of phase singularities (Sect. 1) and continuing with the methods for the generation of singular beams of different kind (Sect. 2), we concentrate on optical vortices (OVs), which are the only known purely two-dimensional dark beams carrying point phase singularities. We describe some methods to determine their topological charges (Sect. 3) and how to convert them, e.g., in the linear process of diffraction from a hologram with an encoded OV, as well as after nonlinear processes of cascaded four-wave mixing and of the non-perturbative process of high harmonic generation (Sect. 5). In Sect. 6, we describe a method based on singular optics for the generation of long-range Bessel-Gaussian beams. Particular attention is paid to the suppression of the interaction of pairs of OVs and to the generation of large arrays of hundreds of OVs on a common background beam in square-shaped and hexagonal OV lattices (Sect. 7). The rich possibilities for the controllable generation of ordered focal structures of bright peaks and the possible additional structuring of each peak with other singular beams are illustrated, as well as the mixing of such OV arrays. New experimental results, devoted to novel possibilities for generating rich structures composed by bright peaks in the artificial far field from OV lattices with high TCs, are also presented for the first time in this paper and discussed in detail in (Sect. 8). In the last section, we describe a new method for the generation of arrays of long-range Bessel–Gaussian beams (Sects. 9). Without any claim for completeness or comprehensiveness, we believe that this overview will present to reader at least some of the beauty of experimental singular optics in space and could serve as a valuable initial step in order to dig deeper into the field.
A baseline estimation procedure to improve MDA evaluation in gamma-ray spectrometry
Authors: Tomarchio Elio , Giardina Mariarosa , Buffa Pietro
Published: August 2023

The evaluation of minimum detectable activity (MDA) for a radionuclide in a gamma-ray spectrum is generally carried out through the computation of a suitable background count. This task is sometimes difficult for complex spectra for the presence of many photopeaks which make the trend of continuum extremely variable due to multiple dispersion effects and interference factors. It follows that the MDA assessment must be take into account the contributions of all gamma emissions of radionuclides contained in a sample and its value can be significantly higher than that determined by considering only the background of the spectrometric system due to the overlapping of other peaks. A procedure or an algorithm to determine, each time, the count values to be used for the calculation of MDA is interesting and useful. In this work, some of the more recent algorithms proposed for background subtraction in a gamma-ray spectrum have been examined, applying them in an inverse way for the evaluation of baseline trend in the whole energy range. Among the algorithms examined, particular attention was paid to the application of SNIP (statistical sensitive nonlinear iterative peak clipping) algorithms, which are the simplest to adopt and implement in an application procedure. The results obtained in the analysis of test gamma-ray spectra are satisfactory and allow to quickly determine the MDA values with a formulation based on the ISO-11929 standard.
Effect of internal magnetic flux on a relativistic spin-1 oscillator in the spinning point source-generated spacetime
Authors: Guvendi Abdullah , Dogan Semra Gurtas
Published: August 2023

In this paper, we consider a charged relativistic spin-1 oscillator under the influence of an internal magnetic flux in a [Formula: see text]-dimensional spacetime induced by a spinning point source. In order to analyze the effects of the internal magnetic flux and spin of the point source on the relativistic dynamics of such a vector field, we seek a non-perturbative solution of the associated spin-1 equation derived as an excited state of Zitterbewegung. By performing an analytical solution of the resulting equation, we determine exact results for the system in question. Accordingly, we analyze the effects of spin of the point source and internal magnetic flux on the relativistic dynamics of the considered test field. We see that the spin of such a field can be altered by the magnetic flux and this means that the considered system may behave as a fermion or boson according to the varying values of the magnetic flux, in principle. We observe that the internal magnetic flux and the spin of the point source impact on the relativistic energy levels and probability density functions. Also, our results indicate that the spin of the point source breaks the symmetry of the energy levels corresponding to particle–antiparticle states.
A Study of the Corporate Design Packaging of Malaysia’s Processed Food
Authors: Siek Hwee Ling , Liew Yek Ming , Keoy Kay Hooi , Cherukuri Aswani Kumar
Published: August 2023

Through the analysis of visual elements, the study identifies how the packaging designs comply with the Malaysian authority’s regulations while remaining attractive to potential consumers of the product. This study also factors in the incorporation of entrepreneurial design that matches market-driven requirements from a local product perspective, specifically how the packaging’s graphics images, fonts, and colours are presented to consumers. In-depth interviews were conducted with two food industry experts in Malaysia and further supported with content analysis on visual elements of 17 samples of durian snack packaging by three expert graphic designers. The findings showed that the snack manufacturers had made the labelling design on the packaging monotonous. This study urges the authority can take into consideration relaxing the following three components of the labelling: (1) graphic images, which do not have to be realistic images; (2) for typography and size of fonts, such as the “serving suggestion” which has to be in san serif fonts and with a minimum of 10 points font size, this information can be removed from the label of the packaging and placed into a QR code, as it can reduce the display information’s space on the product label, same goes to the secondary texts. (3) Ease the restriction of the requirement of colour contrasted on the product itself and background, allowing the young designers to unleash their creativity on it, as it can attract those young consumers who emphasised the outer appearance of the packaging in purchasing.
An Exploration of Interlinkages between International Trades and Green Energy Volatility over Quantiles
Authors: Hoa Ha Quynh , Hung Nguyen Viet , Ha Le Thanh , Phuong Luu Thi , Hieu Truong Nhu , Ngoc Tran Anh
Published: August 2023

In this paper, we employ the quantile vector autoregression (QVAR) technique to determine the degree of connectedness between seven variables from 1985 to 2019 for the purpose of examining the relationships between the Trade market and Green energy consumption. Based on our findings, dynamic connectedness, which is 24.18% in the short term and 9% in the long term, is influenced by both long-term and short-term periods. Based on the dynamic net total connectedness of a quantile, a quantile of 50% describes the period’s overall connectedness, which is associated both with highly positive changes (above the 80% quantile) and with highly volatile variables (below the 20% quantile) of export, import, and green energy consumption. In both durations, export and import values turn into a net shock transmitter, and green energy consumption acts like a net shock receiver since the last half of the period. In 2008, uncertain events were correlated with dynamic net pairwise directional connectedness over a quantile, such as the Global Financial crisis, have an influence on the trade market and green energy consumption’s volatility.
Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence-extended Reality (AI-XR) for Metaverses
Authors: Qayyum Adnan , Butt Muhammad Atif , Ali Hassan , Usman Muhammad , Halabi Osama , Al-Fuqaha Ala , Abbasi Qammer H. , Imran Muhammad Ali , Qadir Junaid
Published: August 2023

Metaverse is expected to emerge as a new paradigm for the next-generation Internet, providing fully immersive and personalized experiences to socialize, work, and play in self-sustaining and hyper-spatio-temporal virtual world(s). The advancements in different technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G/6G communication will be the key enablers behind the realization of AI-XR metaverse applications. While AI itself has many potential applications in the aforementioned technologies (e.g., avatar generation, network optimization), ensuring the security of AI in critical applications like AI-XR metaverse applications is profoundly crucial to avoid undesirable actions that could undermine users’ privacy and safety, consequently putting their lives in danger. To this end, we attempt to analyze the security, privacy, and trustworthiness aspects associated with the use of various AI techniques in AI-XR metaverse applications. Specifically, we discuss numerous such challenges and present a taxonomy of potential solutions that could be leveraged to develop secure, private, robust, and trustworthy AI-XR applications. To highlight the real implications of AI-associated adversarial threats, we designed a metaverse-specific case study and analyzed it through the adversarial lens. Finally, we elaborate upon various open issues that require further research interest from the community.
mmDrive: Fine-grained Fatigue Driving Detection Using mmWave Radar
Authors: Juncen Zhu , Cao Jiannong , Yang Yanni , Ren Wei , Han Huizi
Published: August 2023

Early detection of fatigue driving is pivotal for the safety of drivers and pedestrians. Traditional approaches mainly employ cameras and wearable sensors to detect fatigue features, which are intrusive to drivers. Recent advances in radio frequency (RF) sensing enable non-intrusive fatigue feature detection from the signal reflected by driver’s body. However, existing RF-based solutions only detect partial or coarse-grained fatigue features, which reduces the detection accuracy. To tackle the above limitations, we propose a mmWave-based fatigue driving detection system, called mmDrive, which can detect multiple fine-grained fatigue features from different body parts. However, achieving accurate detection of various fatigue features during driving encounters practical challenges. Specifically, normal driving activities and driver’s involuntary facial movements inevitably cause interference to fatigue features. Thus, we exploit unique geometric and behavioral characteristics of fatigue features and design effective signal processing methods to remove noises from fatigue-irrelevant activities. Based on the detected fatigue features, we further develop a fatigue determination algorithm to decide the driver’s fatigue state. Extensive experiment results from both simulated and real driving environments show that the average accuracy for detecting nodding and yawning features is about 96%, and the average errors for estimating eye blink, respiration, and heartbeat rates are around 2.21
bpm
, 0.54
bpm
, and 2.52
bpm
, respectively. And the accuracy of the fatigue detection algorithm we proposed reached 97.63%.
ViWise: Fusing Visual and Wireless Sensing Data for Trajectory Relationship Recognition
Authors: Wu Fang-Jing , Lai Sheng-Wun , Sou Sok-Ian
Published: August 2023

People usually form a social structure (e.g., a leader-follower, companion, or independent group) for better interactions among them and thus share similar perceptions of visible scenes and invisible wireless signals encountered while moving. Many mobility-driven applications have paid much attention to recognizing trajectory relationships among people. This work models visual and wireless data to quantify the trajectory similarity between a pair of users. We design a visual and wireless sensor fusion system, called ViWise, which incorporates the first-person video frames collected by a wearable visual device and the wireless packets broadcast by a personal mobile device for recognizing finer-grained trajectory relationships within a mobility group. When people take similar trajectories, they usually share similar visual scenes. Their wireless packets observed by ambient wireless base stations (called wireless scanners in this work) usually contain similar patterns. We model the visual characteristics of physical objects seen by a user from two perspectives: micro-scale image structure with pixel-wise features and macro-scale semantic context. However, we model characteristics of wireless packets based on the encountered wireless scanners along the user’s trajectory. Given two users’ trajectories, their trajectory characteristics behind the visible video frames and invisible wireless packets are fused together to compute the
visual-wireless data similarity
that quantifies the correlation between trajectories taken by them. We exploit modeled visual-wireless data similarity to recognize the social structure within user trajectories. Comprehensive experimental results in indoor and outdoor environments show that the proposed ViWise is robust in trajectory relationship recognition with an accuracy of above 90%.
The Emergence and Sustainability of Urban Entomology
Authors: Rust Michael K. , Lee Chow-Yang , Bennett Gary W. , Robinson William H.
Published: August 2023

Urban entomology is the study of arthropod and other pests of the urban environment. It has gained worldwide recognition as a distinct discipline. Its origin is associated with Walter Ebeling's publication Urban Entomology in 1975. Urbanization, invasive pests, increased demand for pest management services, and changes in legislation collided in the 1970s to create a need for research and extension activities worldwide. This resulted in urban entomology as a discipline and, within two decades, its national and international recognition. In this review, we present the factors that led to the development of urban entomology and how they have shaped its current meaning. As urbanization intensifies and the global economy increases, the demands for urban pest management will continue to grow. We discuss how these future challenges may shape and alter the discipline.
Novel Approaches to Immunomodulation for Solid Organ Transplantation
Authors: Husain Irma , Luo Xunrong
Published: August 2023

Despite significant advances in the field of transplantation in the past two decades, current clinically available therapeutic options for immunomodulation remain fairly limited. The advent of calcineurin inhibitor–based immunosuppression has led to significant success in improving short-term graft survival; however, improvements in long-term graft survival have stalled. Solid organ transplantation provides a unique opportunity for immunomodulation of both the donor organ prior to implantation and the recipient post transplantation. Furthermore, therapies beyond targeting the adaptive immune system have the potential to ameliorate ischemic injury to the allograft and halt its aging process, augment its repair, and promote recipient immune tolerance. Other recent advances include expanding the donor pool by reducing organ discard, and bioengineering and genetically modifying organs from other species to generate transplantable organs. Therapies discussed here will likely be most impactful if individualized on the basis of specific donor and recipient considerations.
Health Digital Twins in Life Science and Health Care Innovation
Authors: Venkatesh Kaushik P. , Brito Gabriel , Kamel Boulos Maged N.
Published: August 2023

Health digital twins (HDTs) are virtual representations of real individuals that can be used to simulate human physiology, disease, and drug effects. HDTs can be used to improve drug discovery and development by providing a data-driven approach to inform target selection, drug delivery, and design of clinical trials. HDTs also offer new applications into precision therapies and clinical decision making. The deployment of HDTs at scale could bring a precision approach to public health monitoring and intervention. Next steps include challenges such as addressing socioeconomic barriers and ensuring the representativeness of the technology based on the training and validation data sets. Governance and regulation of HDT technology are still in the early stages.
Modeling Similarity and Psychological Space
Authors: Roads Brett D. , Love Bradley C.
Published: August 2023

Similarity and categorization are fundamental processes in human cognition that help complex organisms make sense of the cacophony of information in their environment. These processes are critical for tasks such as recognizing objects, making decisions, and forming memories. In this review, we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on similarity and psychological spaces, discussing the theories, methods, and empirical findings that have been generated over the years. Although the concept of similarity has important limitations, it plays a key role in cognitive modeling. The review surfaces three key themes. First, similarity and mental representations are merely two sides of the same coin, existing as a similarity-representation duality that defines a psychological space. Second, both the brain's mental representations and the study of mental representations are made possible by exploiting second-order isomorphism. Third, similarity analysis has near-universal applicability across all levels of cognition, providing a common research language.
Design of Filtering Coupler Based on Patch Resonator with High Selectivity
Authors: Shi Xu , Zhang Qian , Ma Shuokun , Zhang Han , Gao Xiang , Li Rui , Zhang Gang
Published: August 2023

In this paper, a new approach for designing a planar high frequency selectivity filtering coupler based on a circular patch resonator is proposed. In order to explain the operating principle, the resonant property of the circular patch resonator has been investigated firstly. Two circular patch resonators connected by two microstrip lines are used in this design. A filtering coupler is achieved by adjusting the feeder position and the length and width of the microstrip line used to connect the two resonators. Without additional circuits, the desired 0° and 180° phase differences are realized by the inherent in-phase and out-of-phase characteristics of E-fields at the TM11 mode. To improve the passband selectivity, transmission zeros are created by introducing a coupling between the source and load through the coupling slots etched on the ground. Finally, a prototype of the filtering coupler centered at 2.12 GHz is designed, implemented, and tested, while the measured results coincide well with simulated ones, verifying the proposed design concept.
Comparing SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Human Saliva to Oropharyngeal Swabs, Nasopharyngeal Swabs, and Sputum: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Faruque Mouri R. J. , Bikker Floris J. , Laine Marja L.
Published: August 2023

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in human saliva and compared it with the loads in oropharyngeal swabs, nasopharyngeal swabs, and sputum. In addition, the salivary viral loads of symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients were compared. Searches were conducted using four electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, for studies published on SARS-CoV-2 loads expressed by CT values or copies/mL RNA. Three reviewers evaluated the included studies to confirm eligibility and assessed the risk of bias. A total of 37 studies were included. Mean CT values in saliva ranged from 21.5 to 39.6 and mean copies/mL RNA ranged from 1.91 × 101 to 6.98 × 1011. Meta-analysis revealed no significant differences in SARS-CoV-2 load in saliva compared to oropharyngeal swabs, nasopharyngeal swabs, and sputum. In addition, no significant differences were observed in the salivary viral load of symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. We conclude that saliva specimen can be used as an alternative for SARS-CoV-2 detection in oropharyngeal swabs, nasopharyngeal swabs, and sputum.
Figure S3 from T Cell–intrinsic Immunomodulatory Effects of TAK-981 (Subasumstat), a SUMO-activating Enzyme Inhibitor, in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Authors: Lam Vi , Roleder Carly , Liu Tingting , Bruss Nur , Best Scott , Wang Xiaoguang , Phillips Tycel , Shouse Geoffrey , Berger Allison J. , Alinari Lapo , Wang Lili , Siddiqi Tanya , Pennock Nathan D. , Danilov Alexey V.
Published: August 2023

Figure S3 shows Hallmark enrichment plot of RNA collected from naïve T cells from patients with CLL treated with TAK-981
Supplementary Table S2 from Safety and Tolerability of a Novel Anti-HER2 Antibody–Drug Conjugate (PF-06804103) in Patients with HER2-Expressing Solid Tumors: A Phase 1 Dose-Escalation Study
Authors: Meric-Bernstam Funda , Calvo Emiliano , Lee Keun Seok , Moreno Victor , Park Yeon Hee , Rha Sun Young , Chalasani Pavani , Zhong Wei , Zhou Li , Pirie-Shepherd Steven , Leung Abraham C.F. , Curigliano Giuseppe
Published: August 2023

Supplementary Table S2 shows the PK results
Data from T Cell–intrinsic Immunomodulatory Effects of TAK-981 (Subasumstat), a SUMO-activating Enzyme Inhibitor, in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Authors: Lam Vi , Roleder Carly , Liu Tingting , Bruss Nur , Best Scott , Wang Xiaoguang , Phillips Tycel , Shouse Geoffrey , Berger Allison J. , Alinari Lapo , Wang Lili , Siddiqi Tanya , Pennock Nathan D. , Danilov Alexey V.
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Novel targeted agents used in therapy of lymphoid malignancies are recognized to have complex immune-mediated effects. Sumoylation, a posttranslational modification of target proteins by small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMO), regulates a variety of cellular processes indispensable in immune cell activation. Despite this, the role of sumoylation in T-cell biology in context of cancer is not known. TAK-981 (subasumstat) is a small-molecule inhibitor of the SUMO-activating enzyme (SAE) that forms a covalent adduct with an activated SUMO protein. Using T cells derived from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), we demonstrate that targeting SAE activates type I IFN response. This is accompanied by largely intact T-cell activation in response to T-cell receptor engagement, with increased expression of CD69 and CD38. Furthermore, TAK-981 decreases regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation and enhances secretion of IFNγ by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. These findings were recapitulated in mouse models, suggesting an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of T-cell activation regulated by SUMO modification. Relevant to the consideration of TAK-981 as an effective agent for immunotherapy in hematologic malignancies, we demonstrate that the downstream impact of TAK-981 administration is enhancement of the cytotoxic function of CD8+ T cells, thus uncovering immune implications of targeting sumoylation in lymphoid neoplasia.
Supplementary Table S4 from Association and Prediction Utilizing Craniocaudal and Mediolateral Oblique View Digital Mammography and Long-Term Breast Cancer Risk
Authors: Chen Simin , Tamimi Rulla M. , Colditz Graham A. , Jiang Shu
Published: August 2023

Supplementary Table S4: Hazards ratio (95% Confidence Interval) for association between baseline risk factors and breast cancer risk among pre-menopausal women using CC-VPD only.
Supplementary Figure S2 from Association and Prediction Utilizing Craniocaudal and Mediolateral Oblique View Digital Mammography and Long-Term Breast Cancer Risk
Authors: Chen Simin , Tamimi Rulla M. , Colditz Graham A. , Jiang Shu
Published: August 2023

Supplementary Figure S2: Pearson correlation between our algorithm and Volpara shows strong positive linear relationship of 0.81.
TABLE 1 from Phase II Window Study of Olaparib Alone or with Cisplatin or Durvalumab in Operable Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Moutafi Myrto , Koliou Georgia-Angeliki , Papaxoinis George , Economopoulou Panagiota , Kotsantis Ioannis , Gkotzamanidou Maria , Anastasiou Maria , Pectasides Dimitrios , Kyrodimos Efthymios , Delides Alexander , Giotakis Evangelos , Papadimitriou Nikolaos G. , Panayiotides Ioannis G. , Perisanidis Christos , Fernandez Aileen I. , Xirou Vasiliki , Poulios Christos , Gagari Eleni , Yaghoobi Vesal , Gavrielatou Niki , Shafi Saba , Aung Thazin Nwe , Kougioumtzopoulou Andromachi , Kouloulias Vassilis , Palialexis Konstantinos , Gkolfinopoulos Stavros , Strati Areti , Lianidou Evi , Fountzilas George , Rimm David L. , Foukas Periklis G. , Psyrri Amanda
Published: August 2023

Patient and tumor characteristics at baseline
Supplementary Table 3 from Phase II Window Study of Olaparib Alone or with Cisplatin or Durvalumab in Operable Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Moutafi Myrto , Koliou Georgia-Angeliki , Papaxoinis George , Economopoulou Panagiota , Kotsantis Ioannis , Gkotzamanidou Maria , Anastasiou Maria , Pectasides Dimitrios , Kyrodimos Efthymios , Delides Alexander , Giotakis Evangelos , Papadimitriou Nikolaos G. , Panayiotides Ioannis G. , Perisanidis Christos , Fernandez Aileen I. , Xirou Vasiliki , Poulios Christos , Gagari Eleni , Yaghoobi Vesal , Gavrielatou Niki , Shafi Saba , Aung Thazin Nwe , Kougioumtzopoulou Andromachi , Kouloulias Vassilis , Palialexis Konstantinos , Gkolfinopoulos Stavros , Strati Areti , Lianidou Evi , Fountzilas George , Rimm David L. , Foukas Periklis G. , Psyrri Amanda
Published: August 2023

Supplementary Table 3. Genes with significanlty changes pre- and post-Olaparib based treatment
FIGURE 4 from Phase II Window Study of Olaparib Alone or with Cisplatin or Durvalumab in Operable Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Moutafi Myrto , Koliou Georgia-Angeliki , Papaxoinis George , Economopoulou Panagiota , Kotsantis Ioannis , Gkotzamanidou Maria , Anastasiou Maria , Pectasides Dimitrios , Kyrodimos Efthymios , Delides Alexander , Giotakis Evangelos , Papadimitriou Nikolaos G. , Panayiotides Ioannis G. , Perisanidis Christos , Fernandez Aileen I. , Xirou Vasiliki , Poulios Christos , Gagari Eleni , Yaghoobi Vesal , Gavrielatou Niki , Shafi Saba , Aung Thazin Nwe , Kougioumtzopoulou Andromachi , Kouloulias Vassilis , Palialexis Konstantinos , Gkolfinopoulos Stavros , Strati Areti , Lianidou Evi , Fountzilas George , Rimm David L. , Foukas Periklis G. , Psyrri Amanda
Published: August 2023

Differentially expressed genes (A) and gene signatures (B) in pre-olaparib–based treatment relative to post-olaparib–based treatment samples. The significance (P value, P and adjusted P value, Padj) is represented relative to fold change (FC) in the x-axis. Annotated markers are highlighted with orange (increased) or green (decreased). C, “All Signatures” heat map shows relatedness among signature scores for each sample. D, Subgroup analysis looking at the 4 patients with CR (1), PR (2), and pCR (1) revealed an increase in “Genes Within Tumor Inflammation Signature (TIS)” score posttreatement.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Pediatric Dystonia: Clinicians’ Perspectives on the Most Pressing Ethical Challenges
Authors: Kostick-Quenet Kristin M , Kalwani Lavina , Torgerson Laura N , Munoz Katrina , Sanchez Clarissa , Storch Eric A , Blumenthal-Barby J. S. , Lazáro-Muñoz Gabriel
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Pediatric deep brain stimulation (pDBS) is commonly used to manage treatment-resistant primary dystonias with favorable results and more frequently used for secondary dystonia to improve quality of life. There has been little systematic empirical neuroethics research to identify ethical challenges and potential solutions to ensure responsible use of DBS in pediatric populations. Methods: Clinicians (n = 29) who care for minors with treatment-resistant dystonia were interviewed for their perspectives on the most pressing ethical issues in pDBS. Results: Using thematic content analysis to explore salient themes, clinicians identified four pressing concerns: (1) uncertainty about risks and benefits of pDBS (22/29; 72%) that poses a challenge to informed decision-making; (2) ethically navigating decision-making roles (15/29; 52%), including how best to integrate perspectives from diverse stakeholders (patient, caregiver, clinician) and how to manage surrogate decisions on behalf of pediatric patients with limited capacity to make autonomous decisions; (3) information scarcity effects on informed consent and decision quality (15/29; 52%) in the context of patient and caregivers’ expectations for treatment; and (4) narrow regulatory status and access (7/29; 24%) such as the lack of FDA-approved indications that contribute to decision-making uncertainty and liability and potentially limit access to DBS among patients who may benefit from it. Conclusion: These results suggest that clinicians are primarily concerned about ethical limitations of making difficult decisions in the absence of informational, regulatory, and financial supports. We discuss two solutions already underway, including supported decision-making to address uncertainty and further data sharing to enhance clinical knowledge and discovery.
The Incidence of Obstetrics and Gynecology Cases Returning to Operation Theater due to Postoperative Complications in a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Aftab Nighat , Faraz Saima , Fahad Asma Ahmed , Koratkar Raghunandini , Omer Amar
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Unexpected return to operation theater carries high rate of morbidity and mortality for patients, in addition to increased hospital stay. A close look at such cases would help in identifying high-risk patients thus improving outcome. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of Obs/Gyn cases returning to OT due to postoperative complications in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: It was a retrospective observational study done at tertiary care hospital settings affiliated with academic center in the UAE. The records of patients were scrutinized, and all booked and non-booked pregnant patients of any age undergoing emergency or elective obstetrics or gynecological procedure from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020 were enrolled in the study. Relaparotomy was defined as cases opened within same admission and causally associated with previous primary obstetrics or gynecological operation. Result: A total of 21,276 operations were performed from 2016 to 2020. In these 4 years, 33 patients had unexpected return to operation theater making the incidence of re-exploration to 0.15% (33/21,276). There were 16 (48.48%) emergency operations and 17 (51.52%) elective operations previously done on these patients. The most common primary procedure for which re-exploration was done was lower segment caesarean section done in 11 (33.3%) of cases followed by laparoscopic adhesiolysis and myomectomy. Hematoma in the pelvic region and ooze from raw area were the most common per-operative finding in 48.48% of cases. There was no mortality in the abovementioned cases; however, 2 (6.06%) had early acute kidney injury and both recovered from it. Discussion: The incidence of relaparotomy in our hospital is comparable to international literature. Most patients returned to OT within 48 h. Bleeding was the most common indication for laparotomy, and lower segment cesarean section was most common primary operation. This study underscores the need for meticulous hemostasis before closing to avoid return to OT. Conclusion: Return to OT for the right indication saves life. Mortality in such cases may be reduced by earlier detection and treatment of postoperative problems, consideration of relaparotomy, active ICU monitoring, and postoperative care.
Changes in Opioid Agonist Treatment Practice in Germany during the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Have Physicians Done, and What Would They Like to Keep Doing?
Authors: Lehmann Kirsten , Kuhn Silke , Schulte Bernd , Verthein Uwe
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is the most common and most effective treatment option for persons with opioid use disorders (OUD). In Germany, the prescription of OAT medications is regulated by the Narcotic Drugs Prescription Ordinance. With the introduction of restrictions to contain the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the German OAT regulations have been amended to ensure a legal continuation of OAT for people with OUD. In this study, we aimed to examine the use of the OAT regulations in practice, the experience made by physicians prescribing OAT medications, and their perspective on OAT regulations. Methods: Between September and December 2021, a questionnaire on the current situation and potential changes in the provision of OAT during the COVID-19 pandemic was sent out to 2,416 German physicians prescribing OAT medications. Differences between physicians with and without addiction medicine certification were analyzed. Results: The response rate of physicians was 22.8%. Their average age was 57.4 (±10.1) years, and 62.3% were male. During the COVID-19 pandemic, take-home periods for stable patients have been extended by 48.2% of physicians, and 52.6% would like to maintain this prescribing practice in the future. Most physicians (71.6%) indicated that patients handled the extended take-home prescriptions predominantly responsibly. A total of 71.8% of the physicians generally did not use video consultation. A corona pandemic-related switch of the OST medication to depot buprenorphine injection did rather not occur, as 71.2% reported no patients treated with depot buprenorphine, and only 2.6% switched first-time or more patients to depot buprenorphine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The corona situation opened up opportunities for physicians and patients and enabled change processes in OAT. Physicians had positive experiences implementing expanded take-home prescriptions for stable patients. Video contacts rarely took place, suggesting resistance to digital consultation. The number of depot buprenorphine prescriptions has not increased substantially since the pandemic’s beginning and has remained at low levels. Further research is needed to assess to what extent the changes in OAT will be maintained over time and whether they will also lead to long-term benefits for OAT patients.
Clínica Somático-Performativa: afeto como método
Authors: Alice Tania
Published: August 2023

O texto aborda de forma cartográfica a experiência da Clínica SomáticoPerformativa, desenvolvida na Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro desde 2018, apresentando as pesquisas em arte realizadas no contexto dessa atividade, que se configura como uma prática de poéticas do cuidado em sala de aula. Por meio dessa experiência, reflete-se sobre a importância do afeto, da alegria e da coletividade em uma produção artística coletiva.
Bordados de corpus: os silêncios nos praticam
Authors: Bastos Helena
Published: August 2023

Há uma tendência de estarmos replicando respostas num certo automatismo, que não colaboram a criarmos mergulhos mais verticais sobre outras possibilidades de agir em diálogo com um pensamento. Esse automatismo também contamina nossas ações em artes. A partir dessas evidências, propomos Bordados de corpus como uma ação performativa que vai nos delineando o valor de qualquer vida, enunciando um modo de existir na fricção de um comum. O desafio é como potencializarmos distintas vozes que habitam esse comum.
Resposta de Schopenhauer a Jacobi
Authors: Cacciola Maria Lúcia
Published: August 2023

O texto analisa como o problema da coisa em si em Kant, enquanto fundamento real ou não do fenômeno, foi reelaborado pelos filósofos pós-kantianos e como estes buscaram solucionar o possível dualismo da filosofia crítica. A investigação se concentra sobretudo na resposta de Schopenhauer ao problema, evidenciado pela primeira vez pelo filósofo Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, um dos grandes críticos da filosofia transcendental e do idealismo.