bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
School counselor perceptions of factors facilitating transitional support: Focus group interviews with school counselors
Authors: Sugizaki Masako , Iida Junko
Published: July 2023

This study aimed to identify factors that promote transitional support for K‐12 students through focus group interviews with 18 school counselors with 10 or more years of experience. In the interviews, the respondents were asked about their perception of the current status, challenges, and ideals related to transitional support. As a result, several themes were extracted. These themes were categorized and discussed: factors related to SCs, factors related to schools, factors specific to transitional support, and factors related to the community. Factors related to SCs were considered to be SCs' own skills and work structure that made transitional support behaviors more difficult. Factors related to schools were cited as barriers to transitional support in the school setting. That is, differences in teachers' views and perspectives about children at different school levels were considered to make it difficult to build a foundation of trust between schools. Factors specific to transitional support include the need for a standardized system and manuals and a smooth handover of information. As for factors related to the community, the utilization of a network of local resources was highlighted. Overcoming these issues and improving these factors are expected to promote the provision of transitional support.
Human Aha1's N‐terminal extension confers it holdase activity in vitro
Authors: Tang Junying , Hu Huifang , Zhou Chen , Zhang Naixia
Published: July 2023

Molecular chaperones are key components of protein quality control system, which plays an essential role in controlling protein homeostasis. Aha1 has been identified as a co‐chaperone of Hsp90 known to strongly accelerate Hsp90's ATPase activity. Meanwhile, it is reported that Aha1 could also act as an autonomous chaperone and protect stressed or disordered proteins from aggregation. Here, in this article, a series of in vitro experiments were conducted to verify whether Aha1 has a non‐Hsp90‐dependent holdase activity and to elucidate the associated molecular mechanism for substrate recognition. According to the results of the refolding assay, the highly conserved N‐terminal extension spanning M1 to R16 in Aha1 from higher eukaryotes is responsible for the holdase activity of the protein. As revealed by the NMR data, Aha1's N‐terminal extension mainly adopts a disordered conformation in solution and shows no tight contacts with the core structure of Aha1's N‐terminal domain. Based on the intrinsically disordered structure feature and the primary sequence of Aha1's N‐terminal extension, the fuzzy‐type protein–protein interactions involving this specific region and the unfolded substrate proteins are expected. The following mutation analysis data demonstrated that the Van der Waals contacts potentially involving two tryptophans including W4 and W11 do not play a dominant role in the interaction between Aha1 and unfolded maltose binding protein (MBP). Meanwhile, since the high concentration of NaCl could abolish the holdase activity of Aha1, the electrostatic interactions mediated by those charged residues in Aha1's N‐terminal extension are thus indicated to play a crucial role in the substrate recognition.
Efficacy and safety of paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) in the treatment of COVID‐19: An updated meta‐analysis and trial sequential analysis
Authors: Tian Haokun , Yang Changsen , Song Tiangang , Zhou Kechen , Wen Lequan , Tian Ye , Tang Lirui , Xu Weikai , Zhang Xinyuan
Published: July 2023

Our study is aimed to access the efficacy and safety outcomes for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients treated with Paxlovid. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, databases were used to retrieve articles from 1 January 2020 to 1 January 2023. Article screening, quality evaluation and data extraction were completed and cross‐checked. The meta‐analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) were conducted using RevMan, StataMP, and TSA software. A total of 42 original articles were included. Overall meta‐analysis results showed that for death, hospitalisation, death or hospitalisation, emergency department (ED) visit, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and extra oxygen requirement outcomes, every odds ratio (OR) was <1 and p < 0.05. For rebound outcome, the OR was >1 and p > 0.05. For adverse events (AEs) outcome, the OR was >1 and p < 0.05. In conclusion, Paxlovid effectively reduced the risks of death, hospitalisation, death or hospitalisation, ED visit, ICU admission, and extra oxygen requirement. There was no significant statistical difference considering rebound, but people should pay attention to possible AEs. However, for rebound and AEs outcomes, observations in certain subgroups suggested conclusions contrary to the overall meta‐analysis. Trial sequential analysis indicated these two outcomes have a risk of false negative or false positive conclusions, so additional original studies are needed for further validation.
The mean‐square consensus of stochastic multi‐agent systems under denial‐of‐service and deception attacks via event‐triggered impulsive control
Authors: Chen Junjie , Zhang Wei , Long Kongming
Published: July 2023

The problem of event‐triggered impulsive control (ETIC) for stochastic multi‐agent systems (SMASs) under stochastic cyber attacks is investigated. In a stochastic cyber‐attack model, it is suggested to combine denial‐of‐service (DoS) and deception attacks using two independent Bernoulli random sequences. The event triggering mechanism (ETM) in the ETIC system creates the impulsive control time sequences. It is suggested to use ETMs with waiting times to stop Zeno behavior. Based on the proposed ETMs, sufficient criteria are given for the mean square consensus of SMASs. Two simulation examples are provided to validate our ETIC scheme.
Healthy and successful: Health‐behavior goal striving in daily work life
Authors: Koch Theresa J. S. , Völker Jette , Sonnentag Sabine
Published: July 2023

Health behaviors (physical activity and healthy eating) can be an essential part of everyday work life and are relevant for employees' affective states. Many worksite interventions, including goal‐striving approaches, have been developed to promote health behavior at work. However, these approaches often neglect that making progress with respect to health‐behavior goals necessarily takes place during workday episodes, so that work tasks are accomplished simultaneously. In our study, we aim to advance the understanding of how health‐behavior goal progress is facilitated and how reflecting on it evokes affective states—taking into account simultaneous pursuit of work‐task progress. We collected daily diary data from 205 employees on 1399 days. Analyses showed that goal importance positively predicted health‐behavior goal progress, which in turn positively predicted pride and negatively predicted shame at the end of the workday. The negative relation between health‐behavior goal progress and shame was stronger on days with low work‐task progress, implying compensatory effects. Work‐task progress did not moderate the relation between health‐behavior goal progress and pride. We discuss the theoretical and practical relevance of integrating research on multiple goal striving when promoting health behavior in daily work life by means of goal‐striving techniques.
Design and Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Properties of a Ferroelectric Cyclophosphazene Salt
Authors: Deswal Swati , Panday Rishukumar , Naphade Dipti R. , Cazade Pierre‐Andre , Guerin Sarah , Zaręba Jan K. , Steiner Alexander , Ogale Satishchandra , Anthopoulos Thomas D. , Boomishankar Ramamoorthy
Published: July 2023

Cyclophosphazenes offer a robust and easily modifiable platform for a diverse range of functional systems that have found applications in a wide variety of areas. Herein, for the first time, it reports an organophosphazene‐based supramolecular ferroelectric [(PhCH2NH)6P3N3Me]I, [PMe]I. The compound crystallizes in the polar space group Pc and its thin‐film sample exhibits remnant polarization of 5 µC cm−2. Vector piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) measurements indicated the presence of multiaxial polarization. Subsequently, flexible composites of [PMe]I are fabricated for piezoelectric energy harvesting applications using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as the matrix. The highest open‐circuit voltages of 13.7 V and the maximum power density of 34.60 µW cm−2 are recorded for the poled 20 wt.% [PMe]I/TPU device. To understand the molecular origins of the high performance of [PMe]I‐based mechanical energy harvesting devices, piezoelectric charge tensor values are obtained from DFT calculations of the single crystal structure. These indicate that the mechanical stress‐induced distortions in the [PMe]I crystals are facilitated by the high flexibility of the layered supramolecular assembly.
Phase‐dependent Friction on Exfoliated Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Atomic Layers
Authors: Lee Dooho , Jeong Hochan , Lee Hyunsoo , Kim Yong‐Hyun , Park Jeong Young
Published: July 2023

The fundamental aspects of energy dissipation on 2‐dimensional (2D) atomic layers are extensively studied. Among various atomic layers, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) exists in several phases based on their lattice structure, which give rise to the different phononic and electronic contributions in energy dissipation. 2H and 1T’ (distorted 1T) phase MoS2 and MoTe2 atomic layers exfoliated on mica substrate are obtained and investigated their nanotribological properties with atomic force microscopy (AFM)/ friction force microscopy (FFM). Surprisingly, 1T’ phase of both MoS2 and MoTe2 exhibits ≈10 times higher friction compared to 2H phase. With density functional theory analyses, the friction increase is attributed to enhanced electronic excitation, efficient phonon dissipation, and increased potential energy surface barrier at the tip‐sample interface. This study suggests the intriguing possibility of tuning the friction of TMDs through phase transition, which can lead to potential application in tunable tribological devices.
Dielectric Matching by the Unique Dynamic Dipoles in Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Superlattices toward Ultrathin Microwave Absorber
Authors: Cui Ruopeng , Li Yi , Huang Yujia , Wang Wei , Wan Chunlei
Published: July 2023

There is an urgent demand of ultrathin high‐performance microwave absorbing materials (MAMs) in the electromagnetic protection field. However, minimizing thickness is challenging mainly due to dielectric mismatch at high permittivity from excessive dielectric loss, leading to strong reflection at 2–18 GHz. Here, a hybrid TaS2/Co(Cp)2 superlattice is fabricated with alternating [TaS2] inorganic layers and [Co(Cp)2] organic layers. Dynamic Ta─Co dipoles offer a unique interfacial polarization relaxation mechanism involving the inversion and rotation of dynamic Ta─Co dipoles. The prolonged relaxation time of limited dynamic Ta─Co dipoles contributes to enhanced dielectric matching at high permittivity, which is essential for ultrathin high‐performance MAMs. Furthermore, the confinement of paramagnetic Co(Cp)2 molecules in the interlayer space of the diamagnetic TaS2 sublattice triggers unexpected ferromagnetism via interfacial magnetic coupling conducive to the improved microwave‐absorbing performance at reduced thickness. Therefore, it presents a 1.271‐mm thick ultrathin absorber that can attenuate up to 99.99% of electromagnetic wave energy with a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 4.05 GHz, thus pushing the limits of thickness of 2D‐based high‐performance MAMs. This paper demonstrates a new strategy toward ultrathin MAMs with tunable and decent electromagnetic loss derived from electrical and magnetic coupling at the atomic scale.
Sponge‐Like Porous‐Conductive Polymer Coating for Ultrastable Silicon Anodes in Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Yu Yuanyuan , Yang Chen , Jiang Yan , Zhu Jiadeng , Zhao Yingying , Liang Shuheng , Wang Kaixiang , Zhou Yulin , Liu Yuying , Zhang Junhua , Jiang Mengjin
Published: July 2023

Urgent calls for reversible cycling performance of silicon (Si) requires an efficient solution to maintain the silicon‐electrolyte interface stable. Herein, a conductive biphenyl‐polyoxadiazole (bPOD) layer is coated on Si particles to enhance the electrochemical process and prolong the cells lifespan. The conformal bPOD coatings are mixed ionicelectronic conductors, which not only inhibit the infinite growth of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) but also endow electrodes with outstanding ion/electrons transport capacity. The superior 3D porous structure in the continuous phase allows the bPOD layers to act like a sponge to buffer volume variation, resulting in high structural stability. The in situ polymerized bPOD coating and it‐driven thin LiF‐rich SEI layer remarkably improve the lithium storage performance of Si anodes, showing a high reversible specific capacity of 1600 mAh g−1 even after 500 cycles at 1 A g−1 along with excellent rate capacity of over 1500 mAh g−1 at 3 A g−1. It should be noticed that a long cycle life of 800 cycles with 1065 mAh g−1 at 3 A g−1 can also be achieved with a capacity retention of more than 80%. Therefore,  we  believe this unique polymer coating design paves the way for the widespread adoption of next‐generation lithium‐ion batteries.
Buckling resistance of hot‐finished CHS beam‐columns using FE modelling and machine learning
Authors: Rabi Musab , Abarkan Ikram , Shamass Rabee
Published: July 2023

The use of circular hollow sections (CHS) has increased in recent years owing to its excellent mechanical behaviour including axial compression and torsional resistance as well as its aesthetic appearance. They are popular in a wide range of structural members, including beams, columns, trusses and arches. The behaviour of hot‐finished CHS beam‐columns made from normal‐ and high‐strength steels is the main focus of this article. A particular attention is given to predict the ultimate buckling resistance of CHS beam‐columns using the recent advancement of the artificial neural network (ANN). Finite element (FE) models were established and validated to generate an extensive parametric study. The ANN model is trained and validated using a total of 3439 data points collected from the generated FE models and experimental tests available in the literature. A comprehensive comparative analysis with the design rules in Eurocode 3 is conducted to evaluate the performance of the developed ANN model. It is shown that the proposed ANN‐based design formula provides a reliable means for predicting the buckling resistance of the CHS beam‐columns. This formula can be easily implemented in any programming software, providing an excellent basis for engineers and designers to predict the buckling resistance of the CHS beam–columns with a straightforward procedure in an efficient and sustainable manner with least computational time.
Research-Based Learning (RBL), Curriculum, and Courses in Undergraduate Science Education in the Post-COVID-19
Authors: Elmehdi Hussein M. , Qawasmeh Raed A. L. , Gamouz Abdel Aziz , Arooj Mahreen , Hasan Kamrul , Shehadi Ihsan A.
Published: July 2023

This paper discusses the formal implementation of scientific research at all levels of university education; programs and courses as an approach being adopted in the post-COVID-19 era. Research-based learning (RBL) shall be used in delivering the research components in the undergraduate programs and courses. National, institutional, and individual research interests shall be addressed through defined modules and directed research projects impeded in the curriculum and course deliveries and assessments.
Investigating the Impact of Extracurricular Activities on the Academic and Social Skills of University Students in Post-Covid-19: A Case Study
Authors: Zaki Amel Fawzi
Published: July 2023

In the aftermath of COVID-19, education has been disrupted worldwide. Universities had to instantly adapt to online education taking into consideration all the factors that foster success of education in such unprecedented circumstances. However, online education negatively affected students’ academic and social skills. This study explores the impact of relaunching Extra-Curricular Activities (ECA) in the post-COVID-19 period on enhancing university students’ academic and social skills. The ECA used is magazine writing; it was launched in March 2021 at the Arab academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport/Sharjah; the outcome was the first issue of the students’ magazine Ibn Majid. The ECA aimed at enhancing students’ academic and social skills and increasing their engagement in classes, which was drastically affected due to the isolation and social distancing of online education. The study is conducted on the students who took part in the magazine aiming at identifying their perception of their skills enhancement. It adopts a quantitative and qualitative analysis of students’ answers to two questionnaires where they express the way they perceive their academic and social skills before, during and after online learning and upon joining the ECA. Findings show that students who joined this ECA experienced a productive learning environment that positively impacted their academic and social skills. Moreover, this project’s outcome played a significant role in motivating them to take part in future ECAs. The study recommends more implementation of product-based ECAs as one of the significant solutions to the online education problems.
Enhancing Student Learning Capacity in a Biotechnology Course by Employing Interteaching Strategy Compared to Instructor-Centered Approach
Authors: Soliman Sameh S. M. , Hamdy Rania , Soliman Youssef S. , Ghonaim Jana H. , Ibrahim Haidy O. , Ibrahim Osama Mohamed
Published: July 2023

Learning a subject is a cumulative process that requires cooperation between educators and students to reach the best outcomes. Here, a modified Interteaching strategy was employed to enhance students’ engagement, learning capacity, and motivation, while learning new topics. Master’s students were given preparatory guides in news related to Nobel Prize-awarded scientists at the course’s beginning. The information described the scientist’s breakthrough in DNA-information biotechnology and highlighted the knowledge that was covered later in the course. Students discussed and evaluated their initial understanding. They asked regularly following every lecture to re-read and re-evaluate the same preparatory guide. The students’ achievements were assessed using formative feedback, summative evaluations, and conference-based discussion. Compared to the instructor-centered teaching style, Interteaching enhanced the students’ focus and motivation. In the four-lecture period, students’ understanding of the subject increased dramatically to >95%. Most of the students received ‘A’ grade, and they rate the overall course 4.5/5. Students’ attraction to the field increased 6 times. SWOT analysis indicated the success of the teaching style.
Hands-on Teaching: The Significance of Introductory Courses in Building Architectural Engineering Curriculum
Authors: Bleibleh Sahera , Bande Lindita , Adan Rahma
Published: July 2023

The implications of hands-on introductory courses in architectural engineering (AE) discipline influence students’ comprehension of the interdisciplinary nature of the field and help them build basic needed skills. This chapter reviews the recent inclusion of an introductory course to the Architectural Engineering Curriculum (AEC), at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), to provide general insights and to effectively engage teaching tools. Based on the program assessment in Spring 2018, a three credits course Arch 302: Introduction to Architectural Engineering, designed to be taught in a studio format, has been added to the  AE program. The course includes a brief introduction to the AE professions, AE design process, and communication skills and digital tools. Through small project design exercises, the course applies multiple hands-on teaching methods to provide students with basic design skills and formal visual principles with an emphasis on developing creativity and effective communication. In addition to instructors’ experience in teaching the course, a survey has been conducted with AE students to collect insights on the course’s impact on their understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of the AE, and the subsequent design and building construction courses. This paper evaluates the course development, significance, and interrelationships with other courses aligned with the achievement of the course learning outcomes. The outcomes of this assessment shed light on the significance of introductory courses in improving students’ achievement in subsequent courses in terms of understanding the AE interdisciplinary scope of work and gained skills.
Perspectives on anomaly resolution
Authors: Vandermeulen Thomas
Published: July 2023

Abstract

We examine in detail the process of resolving ’t Hooft anomalies by extending the symmetry of a theory. Specifically, we interpret the ingredients of existing prescriptions for anomaly resolution as the addition of topological operators with designated mixed anomalies, which can be interpreted as coupling our original field theory to a topological one. We show that, upon gauging, the presence of such mixed anomalies leads to a modified version of the original symmetry which now acts on the newly introduced operators, allowing for an overall anomaly-free action. We also show that the original, anomalous symmetry remains present in the theory. This analysis is applied to anomaly-resolving extensions by both ordinary and higher-form symmetries, leading to related but qualitatively distinct stories.
Global Stability for Charged Scalar Fields in an Asymptotically Flat Metric in Harmonic Gauge
Authors: Kauffman Christopher
Published: July 2023

We prove global stability for the charged scalar field system on a background spacetime, which is close to $$1+3$$

1
+
3

-dimensional Minkowski space and whose outward light cones converge to those for the Schwarzs-child metric at null infinity. The key technique to this proof is the use of a modified null frame, depending only on the mass M of the metric, which captures the asymptotic behavior of the metric at future null infinity. Our results are analogous to results obtained in Minkowski space by Lindblad and Sterbenz in (IMRP Int Math Res Pap 2006:52976, 2006) up to a change in coordinates, and will in the sequel be used to prove the full structure of the Einstein–charge scalar field system in these modified harmonic coordinates.
An Algebraic QFT Approach to the Wetterich Equation on Lorentzian Manifolds
Authors: D’Angelo Edoardo , Drago Nicolò , Pinamonti Nicola , Rejzner Kasia
Published: July 2023

We discuss the scaling of the effective action for the interacting scalar quantum field theory on generic spacetimes with Lorentzian signature and in a generic state (including vacuum and thermal states, if they exist). This is done constructing a flow equation, which is very close to the renown Wetterich equation, by means of techniques recently developed in the realm of perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field theory (pAQFT). The key ingredient that allows one to obtain an equation which is meaningful on generic Lorentzian backgrounds is the use of a local regulator, which keeps the theory covariant. As a proof of concept, the developed methods are used to show that non-trivial fixed points arise in quantum field theories in a thermal state and in the case of quantum fields in the Bunch–Davies state on the de Sitter spacetime.
On the Convergence of Nekrasov Functions
Authors: Arnaudo Paolo , Bonelli Giulio , Tanzini Alessandro
Published: July 2023

In this note, we present some results on the convergence of Nekrasov partition functions as power series in the instanton counting parameter. We focus on U(N) $${\mathcal N}=2$$

N
=
2

gauge theories in four dimensions with matter in the adjoint and in the fundamental representations of the gauge group, respectively, and find rigorous lower bounds for the convergence radius in the two cases: if the theory is conformal, then the series has at least a finite radius of convergence, while if it is asymptotically free it has infinite radius of convergence. Via AGT correspondence, this implies that the related irregular conformal blocks of $$W_N$$

W
N

algebrae admit a power expansion in the modulus converging in the whole plane. By specifying to the SU(2) case, we apply our results to analyze the convergence properties of the corresponding Painlevé $$\tau $$
τ
-functions.
Curiosities of two-dimensional planing
Authors: Doctors Lawrence J.
Published: July 2023

The traditional deep-water analysis of two-dimensional planing is studied in detail and applied to efficient splash-free and optimal profiles, as well as to flat plates. The methodology is used to analyze both free-to-rise and free-to-rise-plus-trim profiles. In some cases, the predictions exhibit unexpected discontinuous behavior for the lift, wetted length and other results, with respect to the parameters describing the curvature of the planing surface. These discontinuities are due to the nonlinearities inherent in the practical planing problem, as opposed to previous simplified analyses in which the wetted length was specified.
Direct syntheses of stereoisomers of 3-fluoro GABA and β-fluoroamine analogues of the calcium receptor (CaR) agonists, cinacalcet, tecalcet, fendiline and NPS R-467
Authors: Renault Yohann J. G. , Diao Jiayin , Cordes David B. , Leach Katie , O’Hagan David
Published: July 2023

Synthetic routes following a sequential MacMillan organocatalytic asymmetric α-fluorination protocol for aldehydes and then reductive amination, have allowed ready access to bioactive β-fluoroamines. The approach is demonstrated with a short synthesis of (S)-3-fluoro-γ-aminobutyric acid (3F-GABA) and was extended to β-fluoroamine stereoisomers of cinacalcet, tecalcet, fendiline and NPS R-467, all allosteric modulators of the calcium receptor (CaR). Stereoisomers of the fluorinated calcimimetic analogues were then assayed in a CaR receptor assay and a comparison of β-fluoroamine matched pair stereoisomers revealed a binding mode preference to the receptor as deduced from conformations which will be favoured as a consequence of the electrostatic gauche effect.
Transcriptional repression of lncRNA and miRNA subsets mediated by LRF during erythropoiesis
Authors: Athanasopoulou Katerina , Chondrou Vasiliki , Xiropotamos Panagiotis , Psarias Georgios , Vasilopoulos Yiannis , Georgakilas Georgios K. , Sgourou Argyro
Published: July 2023

Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) species, mainly long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been currently imputed for lesser or greater involvement in human erythropoiesis. These RNA subsets operate within a complex circuit with other epigenetic components and transcription factors (TF) affecting chromatin remodeling during cell differentiation. Lymphoma/leukemia-related (LRF) TF exerts higher occupancy on DNA CpG rich sites and is implicated in several differentiation cell pathways and erythropoiesis among them and also directs the epigenetic regulation of hemoglobin transversion from fetal (HbF) to adult (HbA) form by intervening in the γ-globin gene repression. We intended to investigate LRF activity in the evolving landscape of cells’ commitment to the erythroid lineage and specifically during HbF to HbA transversion, to qualify this TF as potential repressor of lncRNAs and miRNAs. Transgenic human erythroleukemia cells, overexpressing LRF and further induced to erythropoiesis, were subjected to expression analysis in high LRF occupancy genetic loci-producing lncRNAs. LRF abundance in genetic loci transcribing for studied lncRNAs was determined by ChIP-Seq data analysis. qPCRs were performed to examine lncRNA expression status. Differentially expressed miRNA pre- and post-erythropoiesis induction were assessed by next-generation sequencing (NGS), and their promoter regions were charted. Expression levels of lncRNAs were correlated with DNA methylation status of flanked CpG islands, and contingent co-regulation of hosted miRNAs was considered. LRF-binding sites were overrepresented in LRF overexpressing cell clones during erythropoiesis induction and exerted a significant suppressive effect towards lncRNAs and miRNA collections. Based on present data interpretation, LRF’s multiplied binding capacity across genome is suggested to be transient and associated with higher levels of DNA methylation.

Key messages

During erythropoiesis, LRF displays extensive occupancy across genetic loci.

LRF significantly represses subsets of lncRNAs and miRNAs during erythropoiesis.

Promoter region CpG islands’ methylation levels affect lncRNA expression.

MiRNAs embedded within lncRNA loci show differential regulation of expression.
Machining grade 4 titanium alloy by minimum quantity lubrication for enhanced sustainable manufacturing
Authors: Mathonsi Thabo Nelson , Laubscher Rudolph Frans
Published: July 2023

Machining is a widely used class of industrial manufacturing operation, wherein cutting fluids play a vital role in terms of machining accurate dimensional quality objects due to their cooling, lubricant, and chip removal abilities. Although certain advanced cutting fluids have changed the manufacturing industry for the better, there are some environmental concerns associated with some of these fluids. The use and disposal of cutting fluids may be costly and subjected to stringent government laws. Hence, the ever-growing research conducted on environmentally friendly cutting fluids may lead to enhanced sustainable manufacturing. The aim of this investigation is therefore to investigate the viability of minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) during machining of titanium alloys with specific focus on the commercially pure grades (grade 4). A comparative study was conducted in order to establish the effects of different modes of lubrication, i.e., dry, wet, and MQL machining on titanium.
Noncommutative Bohnenblust–Hille inequalities
Authors: Volberg Alexander , Zhang Haonan
Published: July 2023

Bohnenblust–Hille inequalities for Boolean cubes have been proven with dimension-free constants that grow subexponentially in the degree (Defant et al. in Math Ann 374(1):653–680, 2019). Such inequalities have found great applications in learning low-degree Boolean functions (Eskenazis and Ivanisvili in Proceedings of the 54th annual ACM SIGACT symposium on theory of computing, pp 203–207, 2022). Motivated by learning quantum observables, a qubit analogue of Bohnenblust–Hille inequality for Boolean cubes was recently conjectured in Rouzé et al. (Quantum Talagrand, KKL and Friedgut’s theorems and the learnability of quantum Boolean functions, 2022. arXiv preprint arXiv:2209.07279). The conjecture was resolved in Huang et al. (Learning to predict arbitrary quantum processes, 2022. arXiv preprint arXiv:2210.14894). In this paper, we give a new proof of these Bohnenblust–Hille inequalities for qubit system with constants that are dimension-free and of exponential growth in the degree. As a consequence, we obtain a junta theorem for low-degree polynomials. Using similar ideas, we also study learning problems of low degree quantum observables and Bohr’s radius phenomenon on quantum Boolean cubes.
Impact of virtual monoenergetic levels on coronary plaque volume components using photon-counting computed tomography
Authors: Vattay Borbála , Szilveszter Bálint , Boussoussou Melinda , Vecsey-Nagy Milán , Lin Andrew , Konkoly Gábor , Kubovje Anikó , Schwarz Florian , Merkely Béla , Maurovich-Horvat Pál , Williams Michelle C. , Dey Damini , Kolossváry Márton
Published: July 2023

Objectives

Virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) from photon-counting CT (PCCT) may change quantitative coronary plaque volumes. We aimed to assess how plaque component volumes change with respect to VMIs.

Methods

Coronary CT angiography (CTA) images were acquired using a dual-source PCCT and VMIs were reconstructed between 40 and 180 keV in 10-keV increments. Polychromatic images at 120 kVp (T3D) were used as reference. Quantitative plaque analysis was performed on T3D images and segmentation masks were copied to VMI reconstructions. Calcified plaque (CP; > 350 Hounsfield units, HU), non-calcified plaque (NCP; 30 to 350 HU), and low-attenuation NCP (LAP; − 100 to 30 HU) volumes were calculated using fixed thresholds.

Results

We analyzed 51 plaques from 51 patients (67% male, mean age 65 ± 12 years). Average attenuation and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) decreased significantly with increasing keV levels, with similar values observed between T3D and 70 keV images (299 ± 209 vs. 303 ± 225 HU, p = 0.15 for mean HU; 15.5 ± 3.7 vs. 15.8 ± 3.5, p = 0.32 for CNR). Mean NCP volume was comparable between T3D and 100–180-keV reconstructions. There was a monotonic decrease in mean CP volume, with a significant difference between all VMIs and T3D (p < 0.05). LAP volume increased with increasing keV levels and all VMIs showed a significant difference compared to T3D, except for 50 keV (28.0 ± 30.8 mm3 and 28.6 ± 30.1 mm3, respectively, p = 0.63).

Conclusions

Estimated coronary plaque volumes significantly differ between VMIs. Normalization protocols are needed to have comparable results between future studies, especially for LAP volume which is currently defined using a fixed HU threshold.

Clinical relevance statement

Different virtual monoenergetic images from photon-counting CT alter attenuation values and therefore corresponding plaque component volumes. New clinical standards and protocols are required to determine the optimal thresholds to derive plaque volumes from photon-counting CT.

Key Points

• Utilizing different VMI energy levels from photon-counting CT for the analysis of coronary artery plaques leads to substantial changes in attenuation values and corresponding plaque component volumes.

• Low-energy images (40–70 keV) improved contrast-to-noise ratio, however also increased image noise.

• Normalization protocols are needed to have comparable results between future studies, especially for low-attenuation plaque volume which is currently defined using a fixed HU threshold.
Intrinsic Nonlinear Elasticity: An Exterior Calculus Formulation
Authors: Rashad Ramy , Brugnoli Andrea , Califano Federico , Luesink Erwin , Stramigioli Stefano
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we formulate the theory of nonlinear elasticity in a geometrically intrinsic manner using exterior calculus and bundle-valued differential forms. We represent kinematics variables, such as velocity and rate of strain, as intensive vector-valued forms, while kinetics variables, such as stress and momentum, as extensive covector-valued pseudo-forms. We treat the spatial, material and convective representations of the motion and show how to geometrically convert from one representation to the other. Furthermore, we show the equivalence of our exterior calculus formulation to standard formulations in the literature based on tensor calculus. In addition, we highlight two types of structures underlying the theory: first, the principal bundle structure relating the space of embeddings to the space of Riemannian metrics on the body and how the latter represents an intrinsic space of deformations and second, the de Rham complex structure relating the spaces of bundle-valued forms to each other.
A neural builder for spatial subdivision hierarchies
Authors: Evangelou Iordanis , Papaioannou Georgios , Vardis Konstantinos , Gkaravelis Anastasios
Published: July 2023

Spatial data structures, such as k-d trees and bounding volume hierarchies, are extensively used in computer graphics for the acceleration of spatial queries in ray tracing, nearest neighbour searches and other tasks. Typically, the splitting strategy employed during the construction of such structures is based on the greedy evaluation of a predefined objective function, resulting in a less than optimal subdivision scheme. In this work, for the first time, we propose the use of unsupervised deep learning to infer the structure of a fixed-depth k-d tree from a constant, subsampled set of the input primitives, based on the recursive evaluation of the cost function at hand. This results in high-quality upper spatial hierarchy, inferred in constant time and without paying the intractable price of a fully recursive tree optimisation. The resulting fixed-depth tree can then be further expanded, in parallel, into either a full k-d tree or transformed into a bounding volume hierarchy, with any known conventional tree builder. The approach is generic enough to accommodate different cost functions, such as the popular surface area and volume heuristics. We experimentally validate that the resulting hierarchies have competitive traversal performance with respect to established tree builders, while maintaining minimal overhead in construction times.
Prospective analysis of grip strength and load distribution after surgical treatment of common diseases of the hand with novel’s manugraphy® system
Authors: Grüner Jasmin S. , Cai Aijia , Pingel Isabel , Horch Raymund E. , Beier Justus P. , Arkudas Andreas
Published: July 2023

Background

Carpal tunnel syndrome, A1 annular pulley stenosis and Dupuytren’s contracture are among the most common conditions of the hand. In this study, we investigated the impact of surgical procedure on hand grip strength and high-resolution spatial load distribution in individuals suffering from those diseases over a follow-up period of one year.

Materials and methods

In this prospective study, data of 9 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, 12 patients with A1 annular pulley stenosis and 7 patients with Dupuytren’s contracture were evaluated. Only patients with unilateral disease were included providing the contralateral hand as an intra-individual control. Grip strength was measured with cylindrical instruments in two different sizes with respect to the hand size of the patients. Maximum and average values of grip strength as well as spatial load distribution in each finger, thenar, hypothenar and palm were analyzed. Data of the affected patients were collected preoperatively and 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. Grip strength and spatial load distribution were compared preoperatively to postoperatively. In addition, DASH score, Levine score, 2-point discrimination and degree of flexion contracture were assessed.

Results

The patients with A1 annular pulley stenosis showed a significant increase in grip strength 6 months and one year postoperatively. Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and Dupuytren’s contracture showed no significant difference in grip strength over the course of time. An increase in the percentual grip strength of the thenar in patients with carpal tunnel disease and within the affected finger in A1 annular pulley stenosis was observed over the course of time. The DASH score was significantly lower in all patient cohorts one year postoperatively.

Conclusion

Surgical procedure in carpal tunnel syndrome, A1 annular ligament stenosis and Dupuytren’s contracture improves the functionality of the hand in everyday life. Some areas of the hand seem to compensate other weaker areas in grip strength.
The Museum of the Osservatorio Vesuviano: inviting the public to explore the geoheritage of the world’s first volcano observatory
Authors: Di Vito Mauro Antonio , Sparice Domenico , de Vita Sandro , Doronzo Domenico Maria , Ricciardi Giovanni Pasquale , Uzzo Tullia
Published: July 2023

The Osservatorio Vesuviano (OV) is the oldest volcano observatory in the world having been founded in 1841 by the King of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand II of Bourbon. The historical building, located on the western slope of Vesuvius, hosts a museum with important collections of remarkable scientific, historical and artistic value, including pioneering instruments, rocks and minerals, photos and films of Vesuvius’ eruptions and many other memorabilia. Visitors discover this heritage through permanent exhibitions, and a multimedia path, across the history of Vesuvius and the origin of volcano monitoring. The museum lies within the protected area of Vesuvius National Park, established in 1995. The park’s network of trails allows visitors to enjoy the geodiversity of Somma-Vesuvius, whose activity has been intertwined with that of humans from Bronze Age to modern times, as testified by many important archaeological sites around the volcano, the most famous among them being Pompeii and Herculaneum. The “Grand Tour” was the cultural journey undertaken in the eighteenth century by European intellectuals, in which Italy was an essential destination; we consider the Museum of the OV an essential stop in a modern “Vesuvius Grand Tour”, a journey through the geological and archaeological heritage of Vesuvius territory. Since 2001, the OV is the Naples section of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), which is primarily tasked with monitoring the three active volcanoes of the Neapolitan area—Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ischia—through an advanced surveillance network.
Self-adjusting Population Sizes for Non-elitist Evolutionary Algorithms: Why Success Rates Matter
Authors: Hevia Fajardo Mario Alejandro , Sudholt Dirk
Published: July 2023

Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are general-purpose optimisers that come with several parameters like the sizes of parent and offspring populations or the mutation rate. It is well known that the performance of EAs may depend drastically on these parameters. Recent theoretical studies have shown that self-adjusting parameter control mechanisms that tune parameters during the algorithm run can provably outperform the best static parameters in EAs on discrete problems. However, the majority of these studies concerned elitist EAs and we do not have a clear answer on whether the same mechanisms can be applied for non-elitist EAs. We study one of the best-known parameter control mechanisms, the one-fifth success rule, to control the offspring population size $$\lambda $$
λ
in the non-elitist $${(1,\lambda )}$$

(
1
,
λ
)

 EA. It is known that the $${(1,\lambda )}$$

(
1
,
λ
)

 EA has a sharp threshold with respect to the choice of $$\lambda $$
λ
where the expected runtime on the benchmark function OneMax changes from polynomial to exponential time. Hence, it is not clear whether parameter control mechanisms are able to find and maintain suitable values of $$\lambda $$
λ
. For OneMax we show that the answer crucially depends on the success rate s (i. e. a one-$$(s+1)$$

(
s
+
1
)

-th success rule). We prove that, if the success rate is appropriately small, the self-adjusting $${(1,\lambda )}$$

(
1
,
λ
)

 EA optimises OneMax in O(n) expected generations and $$O(n \log n)$$

O
(
n
log
n
)

expected evaluations, the best possible runtime for any unary unbiased black-box algorithm. A small success rate is crucial: we also show that if the success rate is too large, the algorithm has an exponential runtime on OneMax and other functions with similar characteristics.
Effects of music-based interventions on cancer-related pain, fatigue, and distress: an overview of systematic reviews
Authors: Trigueros-Murillo Ana , Martinez-Calderon Javier , Casuso-Holgado María Jesús , González-García Paula , Heredia-Rizo Alberto Marcos
Published: July 2023

Purpose

To summarize the available evidence from systematic reviews with meta-analysis on the effects of music-based interventions in adults diagnosed with cancer.

Methods

An overview of systematic reviews was conducted. CINHAL, Embase, PEDro, PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched from inception until November 2022. Systematic reviews with meta-analysis in individuals with cancer (any type), any comparator, and outcomes of cancer-related pain, fatigue, and psychosocial symptoms were eligible. The methodological quality of systematic reviews and the amount of spin of information in the abstract were assessed. The Graphical Representation of Overlap for OVErviews tool (GROOVE) was used to explore the overlap of primary studies among systematic reviews.

Results

Thirteen systematic reviews, with over 9000 participants, containing 119 randomized trials and 34 meta-analyses of interest, were included. Music-based interventions involved passive music listening or patients’ active engagement. Most systematic reviews lacked a comprehensive search strategy, did not assess the certainty in the evidence and discussed their findings without considering the risk of bias of primary studies. The degree of overlap was moderate (5.81%). Overall, combining music-based interventions and standard care seems to be more effective than standard care to reduce cancer-related pain, fatigue, and distress. Mixed findings were found for other psychosocial measures.

Conclusion

Music-based interventions could be an interesting approach to modulate cancer-related pain, fatigue, and distress in adults with cancer. The variability among interventions, together with important methodological biases, detract from the clinical relevance of these findings.
mixDA: mixup domain adaptation for glaucoma detection on fundus images
Authors: Yan Ming , Lin Yun , Peng Xi , Zeng Zeng
Published: July 2023

Deep neural network has achieved promising results for automatic glaucoma detection on fundus images. Nevertheless, the intrinsic discrepancy across glaucoma datasets is challenging for the data-driven neural network approaches. This discrepancy leads to the domain gap that affects model performance and declines model generalization capability. Existing domain adaptation-based transfer learning methods mostly fine-tune pretrained models on target domains to reduce the domain gap. However, this feature learning-based adaptation method is implicit, and it is not an optimal solution for transfer learning on the diverse glaucoma datasets. In this paper, we propose a mixup domain adaptation (mixDA) method that bridges domain adaptation with domain mixup to improve model performance across divergent glaucoma datasets. Specifically, the domain adaptation reduces the domain gap of glaucoma datasets in transfer learning with an explicit adaptation manner. Meanwhile, the domain mixup further minimizes the risk of outliers after domain adaptation and improves the model generalization capability. Extensive experiments show the superiority of our mixDA on several public glaucoma datasets. Moreover, our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods by a large margin on four glaucoma datasets: REFUGE, LAG, ORIGA, and RIM-ONE.