bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lithium-ion battery state-of-charge estimation based on long-short-term memory neural network and square-root cubature Kalman filter
Authors: Hu Feifu , Li Hengyu , Lin Cheng , Fang Dian , Lin Yuan
Published: September 2023

Due to the widespread use of Li-ion batteries in electric vehicles, battery management systems for monitoring the status and ensuring the safe operation of Li-ion batteries have been extensively studied. Online monitoring of the state of charge (SOC) is crucial for lithium-ion batteries, but achieving precise SOC estimation is a difficult task due to battery dynamics and the influence of factors such as current, temperature, and operating conditions on SOC variability. This paper introduces a novel approach that combines a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network with a square-root cubature Kalman filter (SRCKF) to address this challenge. To tackle the issue at hand, the proposed methodology employs a two-step approach. Initially, the LSTM network is utilized to capture the complex relationship between the state of charge (SOC) and the measured variables, including current, voltage, and temperature. Subsequently, the output of the LSTM network is subjected to smoothing using the SRCKF technique, leading to precise and consistent SOC estimation. A notable advantage of this method is its ability to simplify the arduous task of parameter tuning for the LSTM network, eliminating the need for constructing a battery model. The experimental results demonstrate that the maximum error in estimating the state of charge (SOC) using this particular method is constrained within the 5% threshold. Compared with using a separate LSTM method at different temperatures, by using the combination method, the root mean square error and maximum error of SOC estimation are greatly reduced.
Development and application of creepage distance measurement system for zinc oxide arrester
Authors: Sun Ming , Wang Yifan , Zeng Mingquan , Luo Li , Ma Anan
Published: September 2023

Arrester is used to protect various electrical equipment in the power system from lightning overvoltage, working overvoltage, power frequency transient overvoltage impact and damage. Zinc oxide arrester is widely used in power system. Creepage distance is a necessary item of arrester performance test. It is a necessary project for lightning arrester factory testing and centralized network access testing. At present, the measurement of arrester creepage distance mainly adopts the artificial method of paper tape measurement or wire measurement. In this paper, a measurement system for arrester creepage distance is developed by using three-dimensional reconstruction and laser vision detection, which realizes one-click and fully automatic detection of creepage distance. The field application results show that the system not only solves the problems of heavy workload and low measurement accuracy of manual measurement methods, but also displays the measurement results in real time, which significantly improves the reliability and flexibility of measurement work, shortens the measurement time and improves the work efficiency.
Research on the overvoltage suppression strategy of single-phase photovoltaic grid-connected systems based on FCS-MPDPC
Authors: Yang Aimin , Yang Jianfeng , Li Ting
Published: September 2023

For the overvoltage problem brought by the access of high-penetration photovoltaic power plants to the low-voltage distribution network, this paper chooses to deal with it by using the reactive power regulation capability of photovoltaic power plant inverters, which reduces the equipment investment in distribution line voltage regulation. Based on the reactive power regulation theory of the inverter, a finite set model predictive direct power control method is proposed by constructing a virtual voltage vector, taking a single-phase cascaded 2H bridge grid-connected inverter as an example, to realize independent control of active and reactive power. By setting different power reference values, the inverter can be made to have two functions: grid-connected per-unit power factor and reactive power control during overvoltage. Finally, the two modes of inverter operation are verified by Simulink simulation, and the verification by example shows that the method can limit the grid-connected voltage deviation to within 7% and meet the requirements of grid-connected regulations.
Monte Carlo simulation of 64Cu production
Authors: Wang Tianquan , Zhang Hu , Zhang Jiuhui , Wang Ruimin , Zhang Xiaofei , Yin Yongzhi , Fan Wei
Published: September 2023

Cooper-64 (64Cu) has good potential for use in the diagnosis and treatment of tumors. It can be produced by irradiating an enriched 64Ni target with a small proton cyclotron system. Based on the demand for 64Cu, a suitable production plan can be developed. Due to the high cost of 64Ni, it is important to simulate the production process in order to find a cost-effective method for producing 64Cu. In this work, Geant4 software was used in conjunction with the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF/B-VII.1) and the TALYS-based Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (TENDL-2019) to calculate the 64Ni(p,n)64Cu reaction cross section. The TRIM code was then used to calculate the proton projection range in the 64Ni target. Finally, the saturation yield of 64Cu was obtained for proton energies between 2 MeV and 20 MeV and target thicknesses ranging from 0.1 mm to 1 mm.
Functional hydrogel dressings for wound management: a comprehensive review
Authors: Fu Xinming , Zheng Long , Wen Xianjie , Yin Xianze
Published: September 2023

Hydrogels have gained significant attention as wound dressings due to their potential for rapid healing. Researchers have actively explored a range of techniques for antimicrobial applications, including incorporating drug payloads, utilizing inorganic nanometals, and harnessing the properties of natural cationic polymers. In terms of hemostasis and coagulation promotion, techniques such as drug delivery, adhesive physical hemostasis, and adhesive functional groups have been studied. To control inflammation, researchers have investigated the application of natural antioxidants and antioxidant functional groups, which have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects. Furthermore, the smart responsiveness of hydrogel wound dressings to pH, temperature, and light has been explored. This review presents a summary of the research progress and application prospects in these areas and offers an outlook on the future development direction of hydrogel wound dressings.
The damage mechanism of tension-tension fatigue interaction with creep damage of the compacted graphite cast iron alloy at high temperatures
Authors: Yue Wu , Zehui Pei , Zhijun Ma , Zhong Yang , Yongchun Guo , Minxian Liang , Jianping Li , Hua Chen
Published: September 2023

The tension-tension fatigue test of the compacted graphite cast iron (CGI) alloy was carried out by RDL100 universal testing at 500 °C and 550 °C, respectively. A tension-tension trapezoidal load is applied to the CGI specimen. Because of the time-dependent deformation at elevated temperatures, the stress–strain curve presents hysteresis loops, and the area of the hysteresis loop increases gradually with continuous cyclic loading and sustained loading times. Intergranular and transgranular cracks in the microstructure accelerate the CGI alloy fracture failure. The fatigue life is sensitive to the short loading time and decreases with the sustained loading time exponentially under the tension-tension fatigue condition. The short holding time has a great influence on the fatigue life of CGI. The fatigue behavior of CGI alloys and the influence of holding time on the fatigue life can be characterized by y = aexp(bx) (a and b are constants, can be fitted through the test data). In addition, the fatigue life of CGI alloy can be predicted by the ductility depletion method. But the equivalent stress amplitude needs to be modified to eliminate the effects of oxidation damage.
Investigating the material removal mechanism and cutting performance in ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling of carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic
Authors: Liu Sinan , Sun Yu , Du Yu , Zhang Zhijun , Wu Xiaojie
Published: September 2023

Carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) has emerged as a sustainable alternative to carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) due to its improved reparability and recyclability. CFRTP, particularly carbon fibre reinforced polyetheretherketone (CF/PEEK), is a high-performance material known for its excellent mechanical, thermal, and corrosion resistance properties, making it well-suited for extreme environments in civil aviation equipment. However, machining processes such as milling often result in defects due to the material’s high toughness and anisotropic nature. This study aims to investigate the material removal mechanism in ultrasonic-assisted milling (UAM) of CF/PEEK and compare the effects of fibre cutting angle (θ) and milling processes on milling performance. To simulate the fibre fracture mechanisms under different θ, finite element analysis (FEA) is employed. The results reveal different fracture modes, including bending, bending-shear, compression, and compression-shear, at various θ. Additionally, UAM demonstrates lower cutting forces and temperatures compared to conventional milling (CM). Notably, UAM greatly improves surface quality by reducing burr height and facilitating chip evacuation, while also enhancing surface integrity by minimizing cavity defects and fibre pull-out phenomena. These findings contribute to the development of low-damage machining methods that aim to achieve higher accuracy in CFRTP.
Multi-organ segmentation of CT via convolutional neural network: impact of training setting and scanner manufacturer
Authors: Weisman Amy J , Huff Daniel T , Govindan Rajkumar Munian , Chen Song , Perk Timothy G
Published: September 2023

Objective. Automated organ segmentation on CT images can enable the clinical use of advanced quantitative software devices, but model performance sensitivities must be understood before widespread adoption can occur. The goal of this study was to investigate performance differences between Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) trained to segment one (single-class) versus multiple (multi-class) organs, and between CNNs trained on scans from a single manufacturer versus multiple manufacturers. Methods. The multi-class CNN was trained on CT images obtained from 455 whole-body PET/CT scans (413 for training, 42 for testing) taken with Siemens, GE, and Phillips PET/CT scanners where 16 organs were segmented. The multi-class CNN was compared to 16 smaller single-class CNNs trained using the same data, but with segmentations of only one organ per model. In addition, CNNs trained on Siemens-only (N = 186) and GE-only (N = 219) scans (manufacturer-specific) were compared with CNNs trained on data from both Siemens and GE scanners (manufacturer-mixed). Segmentation performance was quantified using five performance metrics, including the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). Results. The multi-class CNN performed well compared to previous studies, even in organs usually considered difficult auto-segmentation targets (e.g., pancreas, bowel). Segmentations from the multi-class CNN were significantly superior to those from smaller single-class CNNs in most organs, and the 16 single-class models took, on average, six times longer to segment all 16 organs compared to the single multi-class model. The manufacturer-mixed approach achieved minimally higher performance over the manufacturer-specific approach. Significance. A CNN trained on contours of multiple organs and CT data from multiple manufacturers yielded high-quality segmentations. Such a model is an essential enabler of image processing in a software device that quantifies and analyzes such data to determine a patient’s treatment response. To date, this activity of whole organ segmentation has not been adopted due to the intense manual workload and time required.
Partially insoluble regenerated silk fibroin film induced by UV irradiation for electronic skins
Authors: Song Fangmiao , Zhou Mengyuan , Sun Wei , Qiao Yan , Lu Zhisong
Published: September 2023

The regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) film has been regarded as an ideal substrate for biocompatible, flexible, and biodegradable electronic skin (e-skin) devices. However, it is still a great challenge to balance the flexibility and solubility of the RSF film by adjusting its secondary structure. Herein, a film prepared with the hydrolyzed RSF was exposed to the 254 nm ultraviolet (UV) light to prepare a crosslinked and partially water-insoluble substrate for a strain-sensing e-skin. The hydrolyzed low-molecular-weight RSF was produced by heating the LiBr-silk fibroin solution at 85 °C for a certain duration. The film cast with the hydrolyzed RSF solution could be thoroughly dissolved in water rapidly. The UV irradiation could induce the crosslinking of the low-molecular-weight RSF to form insoluble substances, thus producing a partially insoluble RSF film. After silver nanowires painting, an e-skin strain sensor was successfully constructed based on the UV-irradiated film. The sensor shows a fast response time (2.01 s), high sensitivity (GF = 1.03 within 0%–40% strain range), and good stability. The device could be tightly attached to human skin with a drop of water. The finger, wrist, elbow, and knee bending could be sensitively detected in real-time. The head nodding and mouth opening could also be sensed by sticking the e-skin at the neck and cheek, respectively. This work may provide a facile way to prepare a stretchable and stickable RSF film, which could serve as an ideal substrate of low-cost, biodegradable, direct-to-skin sensors for wearable applications.
Econometric Methods for Business Cycle Dating
Authors: Camacho Alonso Máximo , Gadea Lola
Published: September 2023

Over time, the reference cycle of an economy is determined by a sequence of non-observable business cycle turning points involving a partition of the time calendar into non-overlapping episodes of expansions and recessions. Dating these turning points helps develop economic analysis and is useful for economic agents, whether policymakers, investors, or academics.

Aiming to be transparent and reproducible, determining the reference cycle with statistical frameworks that automatically date turning points from a set of coincident economic indicators has been the source of remarkable advances in this research context. These methods can be classified into different broad sets of categories. Depending on the assumptions made in the data-generating process, the dating methods are parametric and non-parametric. There are two main approaches to dealing with multivariate data sets: average then date and date then average. The former approach focuses on computing a reference series of the aggregate economy, usually by averaging the indicators across the cross-sectional dimension. Then, the global turning points are dated on the aggregate indicator using one of the business cycle dating models available in the literature. The latter approach consists of dating the peaks and troughs in a set of coincident business cycle indicators separately, assessing the reference cycle itself in those periods where the individual turning points cohere.

In the early 21st century, literature has shown that future work on dating the reference cycle will require dealing with a set of challenges. First, new tools have become available, which, being increasingly sophisticated, may enlarge the existing academic–practitioner gap. Compiling the codes that implement the dating methods and facilitating their practical implementation may reduce this gap. Second, the pandemic shock hitting worldwide economies led most industrialized countries to record 2020’s most significant fall and the largest rebound in national economic indicators since records began. Under these influential observations, the outcomes of dating methods could misrepresent the actual reference cycle, especially in the case of parametric approaches. Exploring non-parametric approaches, big data sources, and the classification ability offered by machine learning methods could help improve dating analyses’ performance.
Stochastic Volatility in Bayesian Vector Autoregressions
Authors: Clark Todd E. , Mertens Elmar
Published: September 2023

Vector autoregressions with stochastic volatility (SV) are widely used in macroeconomic forecasting and structural inference. The SV component of the model conveniently allows for time variation in the variance-covariance matrix of the model’s forecast errors. In turn, that feature of the model generates time variation in predictive densities. The models are most commonly estimated with Bayesian methods, most typically Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, such as Gibbs sampling. Equation-by-equation methods developed since 2018 enable the estimation of models with large variable sets at much lower computational cost than the standard approach of estimating the model as a system of equations. The Bayesian framework also facilitates the accommodation of mixed frequency data, non-Gaussian error distributions, and nonparametric specifications. With advances made in the 21st century, researchers are also addressing some of the framework’s outstanding challenges, particularly the dependence of estimates on the ordering of variables in the model and reliable estimation of the marginal likelihood, which is the fundamental measure of model fit in Bayesian methods.
Long-term intake of α-glycerophosphocholine (GPC) suppresses microglial inflammation and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and promotes neurogenesis in senescence-accelerated mice prone 8 (SAMP8)
Authors: Umino Mitsuki , Okuda Mayumi , Ohkubo Takeshi , Fujii Tsutomu , Matsubara Kiminori
Published: September 2023

We evaluated the effects of long-term glycerophosphocholine (GPC) intake on microglia, the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and neurogenesis in senescence-accelerated mice prone 8 (SAMP8). The GPC intake suppressed microglial activation and BBB disruption and sustained doublecortin-positive cells in the hippocampus. The results indicate that GPC intake exerts anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in the brain of aged mice.
Normal values for native T1 at 1.5 T in the pericardial fluid of healthy volunteers
Authors: Thalén Simon , Ramos Joao G , Engblom Henrik , Sigfridsson Andreas , Sörensson Peder , Ugander Martin
Published: September 2023

Aims

T1 mapping cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has been used to characterize pericardial effusions. The aim of this study was to measure pericardial fluid native T1 values in healthy volunteers to establish normal values.

Methods and results

Prospectively recruited volunteers (n = 30) underwent CMR at 1.5 T, and native T1 maps were acquired using a modified look-locker inversion recovery 5s(3s)3s acquisition scheme. A volume of pericardial fluid was imaged in a short-axis slice and in a slice perpendicular to the short-axis orientation. A reliable measurement had a region of interest (ROI) size > 10 mm2, coefficient of variation < 10%, and a relative difference < 5% between the two slice orientations. In 26/30 (87%) of volunteers, there was a sufficient amount of pericardial fluid to enable reliable measurement. Native T1 of pericardial fluid was 3262 ± 163 (95% normal limits 2943–3581 ms) and did not differ in the perpendicular slice orientation (3267 ± 173 ms, P = 0.75), due to sex (female 3311 ± 177 vs. male 3220 ± 142 ms, P = 0.17), age (R2 = 0.03, P = 0.44), heart rate (R2 = 0.005, P = 0.7), or size of the ROI (0.06, P = 0.23).

Conclusion

This study shows that T1 values can be reliably measured in the pericardial fluid of healthy volunteers. It is the first to report normal reference ranges for T1 values at 1.5 T in the pericardial fluid of healthy volunteers.
Paediatric quality of life in toddlers and children who underwent arterial switch operation beyond early neonatal period
Authors: Ramanan Sowmya , Gopalakrishnan Arun , Sundaram Soumya , Varma Ravi Prasad , Gopakumar Deepak , Viswam Vinitha K , Satheesan Rahul , Baruah Sudip Dutta , Menon Sabarinath , Dharan Baiju S
Published: September 2023

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of children who underwent the arterial switch operation (ASO) for Transposition of Great Arteries in our population and, specifically, to explore early modifiable factors and the influence of parental and socioeconomic factors on the QOL of these children.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study using Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ 3.0 Cardiac Module was carried out on 3- to 12-year-old children who had undergone ASO between the years 2012–2018. Socioeconomic status was calculated using the modified Kuppuswamy scale (2019). Other clinical factors with possible bearing on the outcome were also analysed.

RESULTS

Immediate survival after surgery was 196 out of 208 (94.2%) with an attrition of 19 patients (9.6%) over the follow-up period. Most surviving children (98.9%) had started formal schooling in age-appropriate classes. Two children had severe neuromotor impairment. The median cumulative health-related QOL score of the children was 97.9 (interquartile range 4.2) at 5.6 ± 1.27 years of life. The median scores each of the health-related QOL parameters, viz, heart problem symptoms, treatment compliance, perceived physical appearance, treatment-related anxiety, cognitive problems, and communication was 100 with negative skewing.

CONCLUSIONS

Excellent QOL was observed in most children after ASO with the median total paediatric QOL scores in all domains of 97.9. Social factors did not show a statistically significant influence on the QOL parameters in the current cohort. The gradually declining trend across the age groups emphasizes the need for continued follow-up for early identification of possible correctable factors and initiating intervention to ensure good QOL into teenage and adulthood.
Comparison of decision tree and naïve Bayes algorithms in detecting trace residue of gasoline based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry data
Authors: Md Ghazi Md Gezani Bin , Chuen Lee Loong , Samsudin Aznor S , Sino Hukil
Published: September 2023

Fire debris analysis aims to detect and identify any ignitable liquid residues in burnt residues collected at a fire scene. Typically, the burnt residues are analysed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and are manually interpreted. The interpretation process can be laborious due to the complexity and high dimensionality of the GC–MS data. Therefore, this study aims to compare the potential of classification and regression tree (CART) and naïve Bayes (NB) algorithms in analysing the pixel-level GC–MS data of fire debris. The data comprise 14 positive (i.e. fire debris with traces of gasoline) and 24 negative (i.e. fire debris without traces of gasoline) samples. The differences between the positive and negative samples were first inspected based on the mean chromatograms and scores plots of the principal component analysis technique. Then, CART and NB algorithms were independently applied to the GC–MS data. Stratified random resampling was applied to prepare three sets of 200 pairs of training and testing samples (i.e. split ratio of 7:3, 8:2, and 9:1) for estimating the prediction accuracies. Although both the positive and negative samples were hardly differentiated based on the mean chromatograms and scores plots of principal component analysis, the respective NB and CART predictive models produced satisfactory performances with the normalized GC–MS data, i.e. majority achieved prediction accuracy >70%. NB consistently outperformed CART based on the prediction accuracies of testing samples and the corresponding risk of overfitting except when evaluated using only 10% of samples. The accuracy of CART was found to be inversely proportional to the number of testing samples; meanwhile, NB demonstrated rather consistent performances across the three split ratios. In conclusion, NB seems to be much better than CART based on the robustness against the number of testing samples and the consistent lower risk of overfitting.
Male-derived transcripts isolated from the mated female reproductive tract in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Cridland Julie M , Begun David J
Published: September 2023

In species with internal fertilization, sperm, and seminal fluid are transferred from male to female during mating. While both sperm and seminal fluid contain various types of molecules, including RNA, the role of most of these molecules in the coordination of fertilization or in other possible functions is poorly understood. In Drosophila, exosomes from the accessory gland, which produces seminal fluid, are transferred to females, but their potential cargoes have not been described. Moreover, while the RNA composition of sperm has been described in several mammalian species, little work on this problem has occurred in Drosophila. Here we use single nucleotide polymorphism differences between males and females from a set of highly inbred lines of D. melanogaster, and transcriptome data from the female reproductive tract, sperm, testis, and accessory gland, to investigate the potential origin, male vs female, RNA molecules isolated from 3 female reproductive tract organs, the seminal receptacle and spermatheca, which store sperm, and the parovaria, which does not. We find that mated females carry male-derived transcripts from many genes, including those that are markers of the accessory gland and known seminal fluid proteins. Our observations also support the idea that intact sperm transcripts can be isolated from the female sperm storage organs.
Scaling the discrete-time Wright–Fisher model to biobank-scale datasets
Authors: Spence Jeffrey P , Zeng Tony , Mostafavi Hakhamanesh , Pritchard Jonathan K
Published: September 2023

The discrete-time Wright–Fisher (DTWF) model and its diffusion limit are central to population genetics. These models can describe the forward-in-time evolution of allele frequencies in a population resulting from genetic drift, mutation, and selection. Computing likelihoods under the diffusion process is feasible, but the diffusion approximation breaks down for large samples or in the presence of strong selection. Existing methods for computing likelihoods under the DTWF model do not scale to current exome sequencing sample sizes in the hundreds of thousands. Here, we present a scalable algorithm that approximates the DTWF model with provably bounded error. Our approach relies on two key observations about the DTWF model. The first is that transition probabilities under the model are approximately sparse. The second is that transition distributions for similar starting allele frequencies are extremely close as distributions. Together, these observations enable approximate matrix–vector multiplication in linear (as opposed to the usual quadratic) time. We prove similar properties for Hypergeometric distributions, enabling fast computation of likelihoods for subsamples of the population. We show theoretically and in practice that this approximation is highly accurate and can scale to population sizes in the tens of millions, paving the way for rigorous biobank-scale inference. Finally, we use our results to estimate the impact of larger samples on estimating selection coefficients for loss-of-function variants. We find that increasing sample sizes beyond existing large exome sequencing cohorts will provide essentially no additional information except for genes with the most extreme fitness effects.
Noninvasive 3D-CT simulation versus glue injection to localize small pulmonary nodules prior to anatomical segmentectomy: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Fu Linhai , Wu Wenbin , Oblokulov Alisherjon , Zhu Ting , Ma Zhifeng , Wang Haiyong , Wu Yuanlin , Li Zhupeng , Yu Guangmao , Zhang Chu , Zhang Miao
Published: September 2023

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate whether adding glue injection to three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D-CTBA) has extra benefits to facilitate anatomical segmentectomy for pulmonary nodules.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized controlled trial. The patients undergoing thoracoscopic segmentectomy assisted with 3D-CTBA simulation were enrolled. Then, they were divided into the 3D-CTBA group and the glue-labelling group who received additional computed tomography-guided percutaneous glue (2-octyl cyanoacrylate) injection to label the nodules. The primary outcome was the resection rate of the nodules, and the secondary measures included the operation time, complications and thorax drainage.

RESULTS

A total of 173 patients were randomized into the 3D-CTBA group (89 patients) and glue-labelling group (84 patients) between January 2018 and March 2019. Before the segmentectomy, the patients using glue labelling recorded 5 (6.0%) cases of pneumothorax, 2 (2.4%) cases of haemothorax and 1 (1.2%) case of severe chest pain. All the surgical procedure was performed fluently and safely. The resection rate of the nodules was 100% in both groups. Furthermore, these patients demonstrated similar operation time [(141.5 ± 41.9) vs (142.1 ± 38.9) min], estimated blood loss [(111.3 ± 74.0) vs (106.0 ± 63.8) ml], duration of chest tube duration [(5.1 ± 3.0) vs (5.0 ± 3.5) days] and total drainage volume [(872.3 ± 643.1) vs (826.7 ± 806.0) ml], with a P-value of >0.05 respectively. In addition, 6 (7.1%) patients in the glue-labelling group and 6 (6.7%) patients in the 3D-CTBA group reported air leakage (>5 days) and chylothorax.

CONCLUSIONS

Noninvasive 3D-CTBA alone is probably sufficient to facilitate anatomical segmentectomy. The additional invasive glue labelling could be avoided in selected patients who undergo intentional segmentectomy.

Clinical trial registration

The trial was registered under the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR). Identifier: ChiCTR1800018293, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=29345.
Safety and efficacy of tislelizumab plus chemotherapy as preoperative treatment in potentially resectable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients
Authors: Huang Xuhua , Zhu Linhai , Liu Jiacong , Wang Yanye , Yu Li , Wu Simeng , Lv Wang , Hu Jian
Published: September 2023

OBJECTIVES

Locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) requires more preoperative regiments in the era of immunotherapy. Tislelizumab was approved for first-line treatment for advanced lung cancer, bringing hope for preoperative therapy in LA-NSCLC. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of preoperative tislelizumab plus chemotherapy in LA-NSCLC.

METHODS

The medical records at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University were examined retrospectively from September 2019 to June 2022 for this descriptive single-arm cohort study. Patients with LA-NSCLC were treated with tislelizumab plus platinum-based dual-drug regimens for 2–6 cycles and regular imaging assessments were performed every 1–2 cycles. Data including demographic characteristics, clinicopathological staging, adverse events and surgery-related details were recorded in specifically designed forms.

RESULTS

Forty patients met the inclusion criteria of the study and 23 patients underwent curative intent surgeries. Significantly clinical and pathological downstaging was observed, with the objective response rate being 65.00%, leading to a major pathological remission (MPR) rate of 56.52% and a pathological complete remission (pCR) rate of 34.78%. Grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 4 patients and no perioperative death occurred. The 1-year progress-free survival rate and the 1-year overall survival rate were 85.0% and 90.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy as preoperative therapy demonstrates promising antitumour activity for potentially resectable LA-NSCLC with high MPR, pCR and acceptable toxicity and survival.
The Atypical Dopamine Transporter Inhibitor CE-158 Enhances Dopamine Neurotransmission in the Prefrontal Cortex of Male Rats: A Behavioral, Electrophysiological, and Microdialysis Study
Authors: Sagheddu Claudia , Cancedda Enzo , Bagheri Farshid , Kalaba Predrag , Muntoni Anna Lisa , Lubec Jana , Lubec Gert , Sanna Fabrizio , Pistis Marco
Published: September 2023

Background

Dopamine plays a key role in several physiological functions such as motor control, learning and memory, and motivation and reward. The atypical dopamine transporter inhibitor S,S stereoisomer of 5-(((S)-((S)-(3-bromophenyl)(phenyl)methyl)sulfinyl)methyl)thiazole (CE-158) has been recently reported to promote behavioral flexibility and restore learning and memory in aged rats.

Methods

Adult male rats were i.p. administered for 1 or 10 days with CE-158 at the dose of 1 or 10 mg/kg and tested for extracellular dopamine in the medial prefrontal cortex by means of intracerebral microdialysis and single unit cell recording in the same brain area. Moreover, the effects of acute and chronic CE-158 on exploratory behavior, locomotor activity, prepulse inhibition, working memory, and behavioral flexibility were also investigated.

Results

CE-158 dose-dependently potentiated dopamine neurotransmission in the medial prefrontal cortex as assessed by intracerebral microdialysis. Moreover, repeated exposure to CE-158 at 1 mg/kg was sufficient to increase the number of active pyramidal neurons and their firing frequency in the same brain area. In addition, CE-158 at the dose of 10 mg/kg stimulates exploratory behavior to the same extent after acute or chronic treatment. Noteworthy, the chronic treatment at both doses did not induce any behavioral alterations suggestive of abuse potential (e.g., motor behavioral sensitization) or pro–psychotic-like effects such as disruption of sensorimotor gating or impairments in working memory and behavioral flexibility as measured by prepulse inhibition and Y maze.

Conclusions

Altogether, these findings confirm CE-158 as a promising pro-cognitive agent and contribute to assessing its preclinical safety profile in a chronic administration regimen for further translational testing.
Improving model transferability for clinical note section classification models using continued pretraining
Authors: Zhou Weipeng , Yetisgen Meliha , Afshar Majid , Gao Yanjun , Savova Guergana , Miller Timothy A
Published: September 2023

Objective

The classification of clinical note sections is a critical step before doing more fine-grained natural language processing tasks such as social determinants of health extraction and temporal information extraction. Often, clinical note section classification models that achieve high accuracy for 1 institution experience a large drop of accuracy when transferred to another institution. The objective of this study is to develop methods that classify clinical note sections under the SOAP (“Subjective,” “Object,” “Assessment,” and “Plan”) framework with improved transferability.

Materials and methods

We trained the baseline models by fine-tuning BERT-based models, and enhanced their transferability with continued pretraining, including domain-adaptive pretraining and task-adaptive pretraining. We added in-domain annotated samples during fine-tuning and observed model performance over a varying number of annotated sample size. Finally, we quantified the impact of continued pretraining in equivalence of the number of in-domain annotated samples added.

Results

We found continued pretraining improved models only when combined with in-domain annotated samples, improving the F1 score from 0.756 to 0.808, averaged across 3 datasets. This improvement was equivalent to adding 35 in-domain annotated samples.

Discussion

Although considered a straightforward task when performing in-domain, section classification is still a considerably difficult task when performing cross-domain, even using highly sophisticated neural network-based methods.

Conclusion

Continued pretraining improved model transferability for cross-domain clinical note section classification in the presence of a small amount of in-domain labeled samples.
Quantitative analysis of MGMT promoter methylation in glioblastoma suggests nonlinear prognostic effect
Authors: Gibson David , Ravi Akshay , Rodriguez Eduardo , Chang Susan , Oberheim Bush Nancy , Taylor Jennie , Clarke Jennifer , Solomon David , Scheffler Aaron , Witte John , Lambing Hannah , Okada Hideho , Berger Mitchel , Chehab Farid , Butowski Nicholas A
Published: September 2023

Background

Epigenetic inhibition of the O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) gene has emerged as a clinically relevant prognostic marker in glioblastoma (GBM). Methylation of the MGMT promoter has been shown to increase chemotherapy efficacy. While traditionally reported as a binary marker, recent methodological advancements have led to quantitative methods of measuring promoter methylation, providing clearer insight into its functional relationship with survival.

Methods

A CLIA assay and bisulfite sequencing was utilized to develop a quantitative, 17-point, MGMT promoter methylation index. GBMs of 240 newly diagnosed patients were sequenced and risk for mortality was assessed. Nonlinearities were captured by fitting splines to Cox proportional hazard models and plotting smoothed residuals. Covariates included age, Karnofsky performance status, IDH1 mutation, and extent of resection.

Results

Median follow-up time and progression-free survival were 16 and 9 months, respectively. A total of 176 subjects experienced death. A one-unit increase in promoter CpG methylation resulted in a 4% reduction in hazard (95% CI 0.93–0.99, P < .005). GBM patients with low levels of promoter methylation (1-6 CpG sites) fared markedly worse (HR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.03–2.54, P < .036) than individuals who were unmethylated. Subjects with medium levels of promoter methylation (7–12 sites) had the greatest reduction in hazard (HR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.29–0.80, P < .004), followed by individuals in the highest promoter methylation tertile (HR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.40–0.97, P < .035).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the relationship between the extent of MGMT promoter methylation and survival in GBM may be nonlinear. These findings challenge the current understanding of MGMT and underlines the clinical importance of determining its prognostic utility. Potential limitations include censoring, sample size, and extraneous mutations.
How does Mei-yu precipitation respond to climate change?
Authors: Sun Bo , Xue Rufan , Li Wanling , Zhou Siyu , Li Huixin , Zhou Botao , Wang Huijun
Published: September 2023

Mei-yu is an important weather phenomenon in the middle-lower Yangtze River valley (YRV) region. This study investigates the changes in the characteristics of Mei-yu under global warming and the potential reasons based on observation and reanalysis data during 1961–2022. Notable increasing long-term trends are detected in the number of days without rainfall (NDWOR), the intensity of rainfall events, and the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events (EPEs) in the YRV region during the Mei-yu period (15 June–10 July) over past decades. The increasing trend in NDWOR is attributed to decreased relative humidity over land surface and a longer time for the air to be replenished with moisture after rainfall events in a warming climate. The increasing trends in the intensity of rainfall events and frequency/intensity of EPEs are attributed to the strengthened transient water vapor convergence and convection in the atmosphere under global warming. Furthermore, the response of Mei-yu to 2°C of global warming with respect to the pre-industrial climate is analysed using CMIP6 models. The results suggest that the NDWOR, intensity of rainfall events and frequency of EPEs will increase in the YRV region during the Mei-yu period under the 2°C warming scenario, which implies a more challenging climate risk management in the future. Overall, the intensity of rainfall events during the Mei-yu period has the most significant response to climate change in observations and projections. The model results have a relatively large uncertainty.
Baseline Cytomegalovirus Viremia at Cryptococcal Meningitis Diagnosis Is Associated With Long-term Increased Incident TB Disease and Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of Ugandan Adults With HIV
Authors: Ellis Jayne , Bangdiwala Ananta S , Skipper Caleb P , Tugume Lillian , Nsangi Laura , Matovu John , Pastick Katelyn A , Ssebambulidde Kenneth , Morawski Bozena M , Musubire Abdu K , Schleiss Mark R , Moore David A J , Jarvis Joseph N , Boulware David R , Meya David B , Castelnuovo Barbara
Published: September 2023

Background

Adults with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis have overlapping burdens of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and tuberculosis (TB) coinfections. CMV infection/reactivation is strongly associated with CMV-specific memory T-cell activation and upregulation of type 1 interferons, which may lead to increased risk of TB disease and poor outcomes.

Methods

We conducted a cohort study of 2-week survivors of cryptococcal meningitis during 2010–2021 to determine TB incidence and all-cause mortality over time stratified by baseline CMV status.

Results

We followed 497 Ugandans with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis for a median (interquartile range) of 4.6 (2.6–53.9) months. Overall, 42% (210/497) developed incident TB disease or died. One-fifth (98/497, 19.7%) developed incident TB disease, and 29% (142/497) of participants died during follow-up. Of 259 participants with CMV viral load measured at baseline, 37% (96/259) had concurrent CMV viremia (defined as anyone with detectable CMV DNA in plasma/serum by qualitative polymerase chain reaction [PCR] detection). Of 59 with measured CMV immunoglobulin G (IgG), 100% had positive CMV IgG antibody serology (≥10 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay units/mL). CMV viremia was positively associated with higher HIV viral load (196 667 vs 73 295 copies/mL; P = .002) and higher cerebrospinal fluid fungal burden (68 500 vs 14 000 cfu/mL; P = .002) compared with those without. Participants with high-level CMV viremia (defined as CMV viral load ≥1000 IU/mL) had twice the risk of incident TB (subdistribution adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.18; 95% CI, 1.11–4.27) and death (aHR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.14–3.49) compared with participants with no or low-level CMV viremia. There was no association between the CMV IgG index and the incidence of TB/death (P = .75).

Conclusions

CMV viremia >1000 IU/mL at meningitis diagnosis was associated with increased incident TB disease and mortality during long-term follow-up. Future studies to determine the causal relationship and potential for therapeutic intervention are warranted.
Twenty-Year Follow-Up of a Phase II Trial of Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin in Patients With Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Authors: Gomez Marti Juan Luis , Nasrazadani Azadeh , Ding Ying , Normolle Daniel , Brufsky Adam M
Published: September 2023

Background

As the implementation of trastuzumab, several studies have investigated new agents and regimens to treat human epidermal growth factor 2-positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, long-term survival analyses from HER2-targeted therapies are lacking. This is a 20-year follow-up study of a phase II trial that evaluated the activity and safety of docetaxel in combination with carboplatin and trastuzumab (TCH) in patients with HER2+ MBC.

Materials and Methods

This is a follow-up of a phase II, single-arm, open-label study. The primary objective was the activity from the combination of TCH in terms of response rate (RR). Secondary objectives included the activity from TCH in terms of response duration (RD), time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and percent one-year survival.

Results

Between 11/1999 and 10/2002, 40 women were enrolled. Most patients (67.5%) had visceral metastasis on enrollment. After 2 decades and 3 months from first enrollment, there were 4 (10%) survivors (median follow-up of 3.2 years). The RR for complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) was 72.5%. The RR for CR was 42.5%. RD was 8 months. Median TTP was 10.8 months. Participants achieved a median OS of 39.8 months. Percent one-year survival was 92.5%.

Conclusion

A subset of patients (10%) receiving trastuzumab in the metastatic setting have achieved long-term survival beyond 20 years.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection leads to Tau pathological signature in neurons
Authors: Di Primio Cristina , Quaranta Paola , Mignanelli Marianna , Siano Giacomo , Bimbati Matteo , Scarlatti Arianna , Piazza Carmen Rita , Spezia Piero Giorgio , Perrera Paola , Basolo Fulvio , Poma Anello Marcello , Costa Mario , Pistello Mauro , Cattaneo Antonino
Published: September 2023

COVID-19 has represented an issue for global health since its outbreak in March 2020. It is now evident that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection results in a wide range of long-term neurological symptoms and is worryingly associated with the aggravation of Alzheimer’s disease. Little is known about the molecular basis of these manifestations. Here, several strain variants were used to infect SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and K18-hACE C57BL/6J mice. The Tau phosphorylation profile and aggregation propensity upon infection were investigated on cellular extracts, subcellular fractions, and brain tissue. The viral proteins spike, nucleocapsid, and membrane were overexpressed in SH-SY5Y cells, and the direct interaction and effect on Tau phosphorylation were checked using immunoblot experiments. Upon infection, Tau is phosphorylated at several pathological epitopes associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies. Moreover, this event increases Tau’s propensity to form insoluble aggregates and alters its subcellular localization. Our data support the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 infection in the central nervous system triggers downstream effects altering Tau function, eventually leading to the impairment of neuronal function.
Addressing Social Desirability Bias When Measuring Child Labor Use: An Application to Cocoa Farms in Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Jouvin Marine
Published: September 2023

This paper proposes new estimates of child labor use in Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa farms that are certified free of child labor. The study relies on list experiments (LE) to overcome social desirability bias associated with measuring sensitive issues, implemented on a sample of 4,458 Ivorian cocoa farmers. Findings show that 24 percent of them were helped by at least one child under 16 for harvesting and breaking the cocoa pods during the past 12 months, 21 percent for preparing their farm, and 25 percent employed and paid at least one child to perform any task on their cocoa farm. These results are twice as high as those declared by farmers when directly questioning them about their child labor use. This study provides evidence that the LE method, while more cognitively demanding than the direct questioning method, can be successfully understood by populations with low levels of education. Findings further show that, in this setting, the LE estimates are robust to specific LE design changes.