bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Support and services available to at-risk mothers and their children in maternity residences: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Edwards Rosann , Hamilton Catherine , Keeping Burke Lisa , Goudreau Alex
Published: December 2023

Objective:

The objective of this scoping review is to identify, categorize, and map the types of support and services available to at-risk mothers and their children in maternity residences. A secondary objective is to identify and map the measures used to evaluate the efficacy of these types of support and services.

Introduction:

Pregnant and parenting women and their children experiencing complex challenges related to the social determinants of health, including unstable housing and poverty, are at high risk of long-term negative health and socioeconomic outcomes. Maternity residences may provide support and services that improve this population’s outcomes; however, there is little understanding of what services are offered and how efficacious they may be. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a comprehensive overview of support and services in maternity residences, and to identify the measures used to evaluate the efficacy of the support and services. This will provide the foundation to evaluate these services and outcomes and inform the development of future maternity residential programs.

Inclusion criteria:

Studies including pregnant and parenting women and gender-diverse individuals who are housed in, or accessing the services of, maternity residences in politically stable high-income countries due to challenges rooted in the social determinants of health will be considered for inclusion. We define maternity residences as any agency with a residential component offering support/services to this population

Methods:

This review will be conducted in accordance with JBI methodology for scoping reviews. The data will be analyzed using a quantitative descriptive analysis approach. The data analysis and discussion will be informed by the Social Determinants of Health, Reproductive Justice, Harm Reduction, and Health in All Policies frameworks.
High Temperature Oxidation of Additively and Traditionally Manufactured Inconel 718
Authors: Gazella Matthew R. , Polanka Marc D. , Kemnitz Ryan A. , Eckley Cayla C. , Sexton Brianna M. , Sebastian James R. , Hunt Reece C.
Published: December 2023

Additively manufactured nickel-based superalloys are now being considered as a replacement for traditionally manufactured components on commercial and military aircraft. While the potential of additive manufacturing for gas turbine engines is promising, the quality and performance of additive manufactured components still need extensive study. Coupon-sized test specimens comprised of as-printed additively and traditionally manufactured Inconel 718 with and without yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coating were tested under simulated isothermal and thermal cycling combustion conditions that were representative of gas turbine environments. Pre-test scanning electron microscopy indicated that traditionally manufactured coupons had a smooth surface finish with minor imperfections while additive manufactured coupons had a rough surface finish. Post-test scanning electron microscopy exhibited differences in oxide scale between the isothermal and thermal cycling conditions. The thermal cycling condition increased the amount of oxide scale for both additively manufactured and traditionally manufactured Inconel 718. The size of the oxide islands on traditionally manufactured coupons was significantly larger than the additively manufactured coupons. The results indicated that differences in surface roughness may affect the growth of the oxidation scale in a high-temperature combustion environment. The benefits of yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coating were characterized. The substrate of the coupons experienced little to no formation of oxide scales compared to the uncoated additive and traditionally manufactured coupons. The results further suggested that yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coating can be utilized to provide both insulation and oxidation protection when desired. Post-test energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry results corresponded well with known elemental compositions and oxidation mechanisms.
As Existing Cities Adapt to Climate Change, Can Dynamic Systems Analysis Be Useful in Building a Sustainable Future?
Authors: Ghosh Amit B.
Published: December 2023

The World Meteorological Organization estimates that Swiss glaciers lost 6% of their volume in 2022 (Niiler, 2023, “Europe’s Glaciers Melted at Record Rate,” Wall Street J). For summer tourism, this happens to be good news. This means a busier and longer season, more biking and hiking tours and more income for tour operators. However, there are steeper costs that come with such localized benefits of climate change; smaller glaciers also mean less water for drinking, less water for the crops, and less hydroelectricity for the population at-large. This paper outlines how cities and urban areas may moderate the effects of climate change, adapt coping strategies and assure a sustainable future for local populations and the region’s economy by analyzing the cross-correlation, magnitude, and time-dependence of the “causes” and the “effects.” After investigating other mathematical models addressing the effects of climate change (Fernandez et al., 2017, “A 3D Optimal Control Problem Related to the Urban Heat Islands,” J. Math. Anal. Appl., 446(2), pp. 1571–1605; Eikenberry and Gumel, 2018, “Mathematical Modeling of Climate Change and Malaria Transmission Dynamics: A Historical Review,” J. Math. Biol., 77(4), pp. 857–933; Mordecai et al., 2013, “Optimal Temperature for Malaria Transmission is Dramatically Lower Than Previously Predicted,” Ecol. Lett., 16(1), pp. 22–30), this paper proposes a dynamic systems and controls approach to urban development and planning. Climate-related risks such as a rise in temperature that diminishes the ability of typically low-skilled workers to work outside or coastal flooding that shrinks a city’s housing stock and pushes poorer populations to homelessness, crime, and drug abuse are interconnected as in a dynamic system that changes with time in scale and need to be analyzed accordingly (see Fig.1). The author also proposes creating “digital twins” of critical infrastructure, which can be done at comparatively lower cost, in order to analyze if the “inputs” including the remedial measures proposed, will yield the desired “outputs” and run iterations as needed until stable solutions are found.
A Probabilistic Approach to Turbine Uncertainty
Authors: Bhatnagar Lakshya , Paniagua Guillermo , Clemens Eugene , Bloxham Matthew
Published: December 2023

Efficiency is an essential metric for assessing turbine performance. Modern turbines rely heavily on numerical computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools for design improvement. With more compact turbines leading to lower aspect ratio airfoils, the influence of secondary flows is significant on performance. Secondary flows and detached flows, in general, remain a challenge for commercial CFD solvers; hence, there is a need for high-fidelity experimental data to tune these solvers used by turbine designers. Efficiency measurements in engine-representative test rigs are challenging for multiple reasons; an inherent problem to any experiment is to remove the effects specific to the turbine rig. This problem is compounded by the narrow uncertainty band required to detect the incremental improvements achieved by turbine designers. Efficiency measurements carried out in engine-representative turbine rigs have traditionally relied upon assumptions such as constant gas properties and neglecting heat loss. This research presents an uncertainty framework that combines inputs from experiments and computational tools. This methodology allows quantifying uncertainty for high-fidelity efficiency data in engine-representative turbine facilities. This paper presents probabilistic sampling techniques to allow for uncertainty propagation. The effect of rig-specific effects, such as heat transfer and gas properties, on efficiency is demonstrated. Sources of uncertainty are identified, and a framework is presented which divides the sources into bias and stochastic. The framework allows the combination of experimental and numerical uncertainty. Gaussian regression models are developed to obtain speed-lines for the turbine map using the uncertainty of the measured efficiency.
RecBCD enzyme: mechanistic insights from mutants of a complex helicase-nuclease
Authors: Amundsen Susan K. , Smith Gerald R.
Published: December 2023

RecBCD enzyme is a multi-functional protein that initiates the major pathway of homologous genetic recombination and DNA double-strand break repair in
Escherichia coli
. It is also required for high cell viability and aids proper DNA replication. This 330-kDa, three-subunit enzyme is one of the fastest, most processive helicases known and contains a potent nuclease controlled by Chi sites, hotspots of recombination, in DNA. RecBCD undergoes major changes in activity and conformation when, during DNA unwinding, it encounters Chi (5′-GCTGGTGG-3′) and nicks DNA nearby. Here, we discuss the multitude of mutations in each subunit that affect one or another activity of RecBCD and its control by Chi. These mutants have given deep insights into how the multiple activities of this complex enzyme are coordinated and how it acts in living cells. Similar studies could help reveal how other complex enzymes are controlled by inter-subunit interactions and conformational changes.
Direct metagenomic and amplicon-based Nanopore sequencing of French human monkeypox from clinical specimen
Authors: Kwasiborski Aurelia , Hourdel Véronique , Balière Charlotte , Hoinard Damien , Grassin Quentin , Feher Maxence , De La Porte Des Vaux Clémentine , Cresta Mélanie , Vanhomwegen Jessica , Manuguerra Jean-Claude , Batéjat Christophe , Caro Valérie
Published: December 2023

We report the whole-genome sequence of monkeypox virus obtained using MinION technology (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) from a French clinical specimen during the 2022 epidemic. Amplicon-based sequencing and shotgun metagenomic approaches were directly applied to the sample.
Draft genome sequences of halotolerant
Halomonas
spp. SpR1 and SpR8, potential plant growth-promoting bacteria associated with
Salicornia
rhizosphere in a hydrothermal lagoon ecosystem of the Altiplano, Northern Chile
Authors: Álvarez-Hubert Inaudis , Durán Roberto E. , Vega-Celedón Paulina , Vásconez Ingrid-Nicole , Macaya Constanza C. , Seeger Michael
Published: December 2023

Halotolerant
Halomonas
spp. SpR1 and SpR8 are potential plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) isolated from
Salicornia
rhizosphere in a Chilean Altiplano hydrothermal lagoon. We report draft genomes of
Halomonas
sp. SpR1 (5.17Mb) and
Halomonas
sp. SpR8 (4.47 Mb). Both represent potentially novel independent species closely related to
Halomonas boliviensis
DSM 15516
T
.
Repurposing of the antimalarial agent tafenoquine to combat MRSA
Authors: She Pengfei , Yang Yifan , Li Linhui , Li Yimin , Liu Shasha , Li Zehao , Zhou Linying , Wu Yong
Published: December 2023

Staphylococcus aureus
is an important human pathogen that often leads to hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections. The appearance of methicillin-resistant
S. aureus
(MRSA) has made the treatment extremely challenging. There is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial agents to combat MRSA infections. In this study, through high-throughput screening, we found that tafenoquine (TAF), an antimalarial agent, exhibited antimicrobial efficacy against MRSA and its highly resistant phenotypes of biofilm and persister cells. No resistant mutation emerged by consecutive sub-minimal inhibitory concentration of TAF induction. Mechanistic studies by fluorescent probes of SYTOX Green/DiSC3(5), molecular dynamic simulations, electron microscopy, and proteomic analysis revealed that TAF exerts antimicrobial activity mainly through selective bacterial cell membrane disruption. In addition, TAF exhibited an effective antimicrobial effect in a subcutaneous abscess model
in vivo
with a good toxicity profile. In conclusion, TAF may have the potential to be developed as a new antimicrobial agent to treat refractory MRSA infections.

IMPORTANCE

This study represents the first investigation into the antimicrobial effect of TAF against
S. aureus
and its potential mechanisms. Our data highlighted the effects of TAF against MRSA planktonic cells, biofilms, and persister cells, which is conducive to broadening the application of TAF. Through mechanistic studies, we revealed that TAF targets bacterial cell membranes. In addition, the
in vivo
experiments in mice demonstrated the safety and antimicrobial efficacy of TAF, suggesting that TAF could be a potential antibacterial drug candidate for the treatment of infections caused by multiple drug-resistant
S. aureus
.
Virome of Australia’s most endangered parrot in captivity evidenced of harboring hitherto unknown viruses
Authors: Klukowski Natalie , Eden Paul , Uddin Muhammad Jasim , Sarker Subir
Published: December 2023

The detection of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) within endangered animal populations is increasing rapidly because of many factors, such as anthropogenic influences and climate change. Their impacts can be extensive and may further contribute to the processes risking the threat of extinction of these species. EIDs may be caused by a range of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. However, detection and diagnosis can be challenging with limited knowledge of existing pathogens in endangered wildlife. The critically endangered orange-bellied parrot (OBP,
Neophema chrysogaster
), with as few as 70 wild individuals, is a species at risk of extinctions, yet little research has been conducted into their existing viral diversity (virome). To determine the virome in a subset of the captive OBP population, this study characterized the fecal virome using a viral metagenomic approach. Analysis of the generated sequence data sets identified 11 viruses belonging to the families
Adenoviridae
,
Circoviridae
,
Parvoviridae
, and
Picornaviridae
. Strikingly, eight viruses were detected in the OBPs housed in Aviary 1 compared to only three viruses in OBPs housed at Aviary 2. In addition to detecting six novel viruses, this study also demonstrated ongoing infection with psittacine siadenovirus F. This study highlights the need to broaden this research to other populations of this species. Further virome characterization of co-habiting birds could also identify potential novel viruses and provide insight into their evolutionary relationship. These findings may contribute to strategic management and biosecurity plans for the conservation of endangered parrots.

IMPORTANCE

The impact of circulating viruses on the critically endangered, orange-bellied parrot (OBP) population can be devastating. The OBP already faces numerous threats to its survival in the wild, including habitat loss, predation, and small population impacts. Conservation of the wild OBP population is heavily reliant on supplementation using OBPs from a managed captive breeding program. These birds may act as a source for introduction of a novel disease agent to the wild population that may affect survival and reproduction. It is, therefore, essential to monitor and assess the health of OBPs and take appropriate measures to prevent and control the spread of viral infections. This requires knowledge of the existing virome to identify novel and emerging viruses and support development of appropriate measures to manage associated risk. By monitoring and protecting these animals from emerging viral diseases, we can help ensure their ongoing survival and preserve the biodiversity of our planet.
A Method for Determining the Density and Velocity of Pulse Gas Flows of Millisecond Duration
Authors: Kosarev A. V. , Podkovyrov V. L. , Yaroshevskaya A. D. , Meleshko A. V. , Gutorov K. M.
Published: December 2023

An experimental setup for studying pulse gas flows within short periods (up to 1 ms) was developed and an experimental data processing method is presented. Based on high-speed frame interferometry data and the results of dynamic pressure measurements, the spatial and temporal distributions of the helium flow density and velocity are determined. The optimal method for reconstructing the spatial density distributions with consideration for the experimental errors is described. The presented method allows characterization of the gas flows with a density of more than 0.0001 kg/m3 and a velocity of more than 400 m/s.
Design and development of MEMS quartz gyroscope measurement and control circuit with automatic gain control principle
Authors: Ma Cheng , Leng Shuang , Cao Shanshan
Published: December 2023

Angular velocity is a very important measurement parameter for autonomous driving and industrial applications. The design of MEMS quartz gyro measurement and control circuit has always been the key to restricting the measurement angular velocity performance of gyro system. This paper introduces the application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design and implementation of a MEMS quartz gyro measurement and control circuit for angular velocity measurement. The designed nonlinear multiplier can use a square wave to drive the gyro’s sensitive structure at the beginning of gyro start-up, thereby reducing the gyro power-up time. The drive circuit replaces the PLL with an automatic gain control unit composed of peak detection and proportional integration (PI) controller, which makes the MEMS gyro system have good robustness. First, SIMULINK is used to model and simulate the MEMS gyroscope system-level model, which illustrates the feasibility of the drive circuit design scheme. Then, the operating principle of the drive loop is analyzed, and the design of the key circuit modules of the measurement and control circuit is introduced. Finally, the performance of the gyroscope drive and detection circuit is experimentally tested, the amplitude and frequency uncertainty of the gyroscope drive circuit are evaluated, and the bias instability and nonlinearity of the gyroscope are tested, the experiment results show that the gyroscope has good performance.
A Gaze Estimation Method Based on Binocular Cameras
Authors: Wu Zihan , Wang Changyuan , Sun Gang , Fu Zhen
Published: December 2023

In recent years, multi-stream gaze estimation methods have become mainstream, which estimate gaze point by eye picture or combine with facial appearance, have achieved considerable accuracy. However, these methods based on a single camera fail to obtain accurate eye spatial position information. To address this issue, we propose a multi-stream gaze estimation model that incorporates spatial position information. We acquire eye spatial position information using a stereo camera and fuse eye image features with eye spatial position information using a ResNet network with a fused attention mechanism. Additionally, we perform calibration of eye image features using the computed eye spatial position information. Our model demonstrates superior performance on our experimental dataset.
GCNet: Ground Collapse Prediction Based on the Ground-Penetrating Radar and Deep Learning Technique
Authors: Yao Wei , Zhou Xu , Tan Guanghua , Yang Shenghong , Li Kenli
Published: December 2023

Manual methods to detect and identify potential ground collapse hazards have a high volume of workload and rely on manual skills and experience strongly, with substantial inconsistencies. This paper proposes an automatic recognition method of potential underground hazards and designs an object detection-based algorithm to predict the hidden danger of ground collapse, called GCNet. The GCNet is a ground collapse hazard detection network, which is developed to detect underground hazards, including cavities, poor soil quality, pipelines, and soil background. The GCNet uses the deep residual network ResNet101 and feature pyramid network (FPN) to extract features and a task coordination network (TCN) to identify the category and location of hidden underground hazards. Further, a feature enhancement method based on the regional binary pattern is proposed to improve the accuracy of the proposed model by expanding the ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data by adding multi-level features to GPR images. The experiments are conducted on a large amount of real GPR data and experiment results show that the proposed automatic recognition method can surpass the existing deep learning-based methods in hidden underground hazard recognition and identification.
Boosting Multi-Label Classification Performance Through Meta-Model
Authors: Guehria Sonia , Belleili Habiba , Azizi Nabiha , Zenakhra Djamel
Published: December 2023

Multi-label classification problem, where each instance can be associated with multiple labels, has received considerable attention from machine learning community. To address the inherent challenges of multi-label classification including data imbalance, label dependence, and high dimensionality, ensemble approaches have been developed, gaining popularity across various real-world applications. This paper proposes a novel ensemble method called ConfBoost that addresses these challenges and enhances the generalization ability of learning systems. ConfBoost which is a meta-model based on a weighted stacking paradigm using local confidence, combines heterogeneous and complementary ensembles of multi-label classifiers. The proposed approach achieves two main objectives: Firstly, by focusing on label weights based on their confidence scores, the model can generate more relevant predictions and enhance the accuracy at the base-level by mitigating the impact of irrelevant labels during the stacking process. Moreover, assigning higher weights to certain labels exhibits better discrimination and adaptability to capture complex label relationships. Second, applying adjusted thresholds enables the model to generate predictions adapted to the specific characteristics of each label, effectively addressing imbalanced label distributions. Extensive experiments on publicly available datasets demonstrate that ConfBoost outperforms conventional combination methods and consistently surpasses related state-of-the-art methods. These findings highlight the effectiveness and potential of ConfBoost as an advanced ensemble method for multi-label classification tasks.
Weighted Two-Hidden-Layer Extreme Learning Machine Method with Improved Gray Wolf Optimization for Complex Data Classification
Authors: Qin Xiwen , Yuan Liping , Ma Yonghua , Dong Xiaogang , Zhang Siqi
Published: December 2023

Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) is widely popular for its advantages such as fast training speed and good generalization performance. However, the randomness of hidden layer parameters in ELM leads to unstable prediction performance of the model. We propose a novel two-hidden-layer extreme learning machine (TELM) for complex data classification. Firstly, the idea of weighting is introduced into TELM, and a weighted two-hidden-layer extreme learning machine (WTELM) model is proposed to improve the classification accuracy of the model. Secondly, the convergence factor and position update formula in gray wolf optimization algorithm (GWO) are adjusted to enhance the optimization algorithm’s ability to search for optimal parameters. Finally, an improved gray wolf optimization (IGWO) is utilized to search for the optimal parameters of the WTELM model. The impact of different intelligent optimization algorithms on the model’s classification results is compared. The experimental results demonstrate that the classification accuracy of the WTELM model has been improved by about 11–18% compared to traditional ELM models. Moreover, compared to the WTELM model, the classification accuracy of the IGWO-WTELM model has improved by about 1–19%. This indicates that the method proposed in this paper is significantly superior to traditional ELM methods and their variants, improving the stability, training speed and classification accuracy of the model.
Research on Visual Recognition and Localization Methods for Different Feature Parts
Authors: Zhou Zhikai , Tang Wenxian , Guo Sheng
Published: December 2023

Aimed at the problems of complex industrial site environment, difficult identification of assembly features and low positioning accuracy, a new visual identification and positioning method is proposed, which can well identify and locate parts and products with different characteristics. First, combined filtering is used in preprocessing to repair low-quality images. Then, edge detection and contour finding are performed on the preprocessed image. Finally, the internal and external parameters of the camera are calculated through the camera calibration, and the acquired pixel coordinates are converted into world coordinates. The results show that the combined filtering algorithm has good noise reduction effect and can remove image surface noise, which improves the recognition accuracy for the identification and positioning of different feature parts by the subsequent contour search method, and the algorithm can meet the requirements of the actual positioning accuracy of the assembly.
Classifying entanglement by algebraic geometry
Authors: Gharahi Masoud
Published: December 2023

Quantum Entanglement is one of the key manifestations of quantum mechanics that separate the quantum realm from the classical one. Characterization of entanglement as a physical resource for quantum technology became of uppermost importance. While the entanglement of bipartite systems is already well understood, the ultimate goal to cope with the properties of entanglement of multipartite systems is still far from being realized. This paper covers characterization of multipartite entanglement using algebraic-geometric tools. First, we establish an algorithm to classify multipartite entanglement by [Formula: see text]-secant varieties of the Segre variety and [Formula: see text]-multilinear ranks that are invariant under Stochastic Local Operations with Classical Communication (SLOCC). We present a fine-structure classification of multiqubit and tripartite entanglement based on this algorithm. Another fundamental problem in quantum information theory is entanglement transformation that is quite challenging regarding to multipartite systems. It is captivating that the proposed entanglement classification by algebraic geometry can be considered as a reference to study SLOCC and asymptotic SLOCC interconversions among different resources based on tensor rank and border rank, respectively. In this regard, we also introduce a new class of tensors that we call persistent tensors and construct a lower bound for their tensor rank. We further cover SLOCC convertibility of multipartite systems considering several families of persistent tensors.
International Trade Friction and Firm Disclosure Tone: Evidence from China
Authors: Xu Haoran , Wu Yongliang , Zhang Min
Published: December 2023

Synopsis

The research problem

This study examines whether international trade friction has an impact on firm disclosure tone.

Motivation

The past two decades have witnessed a large amount of trade friction worldwide. Under this background, the impact of trade friction on microenterprises is of great concern to researchers. Previous studies have shown that trade friction is related to firm operating or financial activities such as performance, investment, stock prices, loan financing, and employment. However, there are no published papers about how trade friction impacts the disclosure behaviors of firms subject to the friction. This study attempts to fill this void by investigating whether firms manage disclosure tone when they are subject to trade friction.

The test hypotheses

We test two competing hypotheses in this study. Our first hypothesis is that firms impacted by trade friction increase the positive tone of their information disclosure. Second, firms impacted by trade friction decrease the positive tone of their information disclosure.

Target population

This study should be of interest to firm managers, investors, creditors, and policy makers.

Adopted methodology

Ordinary least squares regressions and archival data.

Analyses

We conducted this study by using a sample of listed firms in China. Over the past two decades, China has been the world’s largest country subject to trade frictions. In addition, China’s weak institutional environment and language habit provide an ideal setting for this study. Firm disclosure tone is measured as the frequency difference between the positive and negative words scaled by total words in an annual report. We tested whether there is a positive/negative association between trade friction and firm disclosure tone.

Findings

We find that firms strategically increase their positive tone in annual reports when they are subject to trade friction. Further analyses reveal that the impact of trade friction on disclosure tone is more pronounced for smaller firms, firms with more financial constraints, and firms with less analyst following. In addition, this impact is attenuated when firms have stronger corporate governance. Finally, we show that using more positive tones help firms subject to trade friction improve short-term market valuation, obtain more bank loans, and have lower cost of debt.
Stochastic method of dynamic hedging applied to the high liquid asset markets
Authors: Romanov Maksim Y. , Vavilov Sergey A.
Published: December 2023

In this study, the problem of hedging the risk of price slumping for a given volume of high-liquid assets is considered. One such possible hedging strategy may be the management of a portfolio constituted by the futures contracts holding a short position with respect to the basic asset. Besides that, the amount of having been sold futures is to satisfy the restrictions on the admissible minimal and maximum volume at each instant of time. The goal of such portfolio management is the increase of the weighted average price of futures sales through the speculative transactions realized in the real-time regime. Moreover, as feedback in the process of such management realization, one may use the prices of being executed market bargains only. The efficiency of the proposed hedging scheme is demonstrated by its comparison with the financial results achieved by the static hedging in the process of their both practical realizations based on the historical market prices. In this paper by the “dynamic hedging” concept, one means the execution of speculative transactions with futures taking a short position to provide the additional value of basic asset taking a long position. This notion is introduced in counterweight to the “static hedging” concept when the futures quantity does not vary in time and which goal is to preserve the basic asset value only.
Forecasting Urban Sensory Values through Learning Attention-adjusted Graph Spatio-temporal Networks
Authors: Lu Yi-Ju , Li Cheng-Te
Published: December 2023

Forecasting spatio-temporal correlated time series of sensor values is crucial in urban applications, such as air pollution alerts, biking resource management, and intelligent transportation systems. While recent advances exploit graph neural networks (GNN) to better learn spatial and temporal dependencies between sensors, they cannot model time-evolving spatio-temporal correlations (STC) between sensors and require pre-defined graphs, which are neither always available nor totally reliable, and target at only a specific type of sensor data at one time. Moreover, since the form of time-series fluctuation is varied across sensors, a model needs to learn fluctuation modulation. To tackle these issues, in this work, we propose a novel GNN-based model,
Attention-adjusted Graph Spatio-Temporal Network
(AGSTN). In AGSTN, multi-graph convolution with sequential learning is developed to learn time-evolving STC. Fluctuation modulation is realized by a proposed attention adjustment mechanism. Experiments on three sensor data, air quality, bike demand, and traffic flow, exhibit that AGSTN outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
Letter from the Chair
Authors: Murdock Vanessa
Published: December 2023

Greetings SIGIR Members! The new Executive Committee (
Ryen White
, Vice Chair;
Carsten Eickhoff
, Treasurer;
Laura Dietz
, Secretary; and
Ben Carterette
, Past Chair) is completing its first year of service. This year was an interesting year, as we emerge from the Covid times with new challenges.
Report on the 45th European Conference on Information Retrieval (ECIR 2023)
Authors: Gurrin Cathal , Kruschwitz Udo , Kamps Jaap
Published: December 2023

This paper reports on the 45th European Conference on Information Retrieval (ECIR 2023), held in Dublin, Ireland, during April 2--6, 2023. The conference was the largest ECIR ever, and brought together hundreds of researchers from Europe and abroad. For those who like numbers: First, we received 489 submissions in total (including 228 full and 153 short papers) excluding further workshop submissions. Second, the technical program committee consisted of 624 reviewers in total (including 27 chairs, 124 SPC, 473 reviewers) with many serving on multiple tracks. Third, the proceedings necessitated a third volume, and contains a total of 175 papers in 2,151 pages. The rest of this report details the conference program and events.

Date:
2--6 April 2023.

Website:
https://ecir2023.org/.
Verification Column
Authors: Baier Christel
Published: December 2023

Automated theorem proving can be seen as a logic-based approach for generating mathematical proofs mechanically. Important applications are hardware and software verification, general-purpose proof assistants and proof checking. Most state-of-the-art theorem provers rely on proof calculi for higher-order logic that incorporate superposition techniques or satisfiability modulo theories. The article by Bentkamp, Blanchette, Nummelin, Tourret and Waldmann provides an overview of the recently developed λ-superposition approach. It takes inspirations of classical superposition for first-order logic and extends it for higher-order constructs. This new approach paves the way for a new generation of automated theorem provers for powerful logics, still being impressively efficient.
Report on Logic in Computer Science (LICS'23)
Authors: Gaboardi Marco , Walukiewicz Igor
Published: December 2023

Th 38th Annual ACM/ IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science (LICS), took place at Boston University, Boston, USA, from June 26 to June 29, 2023, with co-located events taking place on June 24 and June 25. Five workshops were co-located with LICS 2023: combinatorial games in finite model theory, the decision problem in first order logic, international workshop on quantitative logical method, structure meets power, and the logic mentoring workshop.
Reassessing the Standard Chemotaxis Framework for Understanding Biased Migration in Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Antani Jyot D. , Shaji Aakansha , Gupta Rachit , Lele Pushkar P.
Published: December 2023

Helicobacter pylori infections are a major cause of peptic ulcers and gastric cancers. The development of robust inflammation in response to these flagellated, motile bacteria is correlated with poor prognosis. Chemotaxis plays a crucial role in H. pylori colonization, enabling the bacteria to swim toward favorable chemical environments. Unlike the model species of bacterial chemotaxis, Escherichia coli, H. pylori cells possess polar flagella. They run forward by rotating their flagella counterclockwise, whereas backward runs are achieved by rotating their flagella clockwise. We delve into the implications of certain features of the canonical model of chemotaxis on our understanding of biased migration in polarly flagellated bacteria such as H. pylori. In particular, we predict how the translational displacement of H. pylori cells during a backward run could give rise to chemotaxis errors within the canonical framework. Also, H. pylori lack key chemotaxis enzymes found in E. coli, without which sensitive detection of ligands with a wide dynamic range seems unlikely. Despite these problems, H. pylori exhibit robust ability to migrate toward urea-rich sources. We emphasize various unresolved questions regarding the biophysical mechanisms of chemotaxis in H. pylori, shedding light on potential directions for future research. Understanding the intricacies of biased migration in H. pylori could offer valuable insights into how pathogens breach various protective barriers in the human host.
TRPV1 enhances cholecystokinin signaling in primary vagal afferent neurons and mediates the central effects on spontaneous glutamate release in the NTS
Authors: Arnold Rachel A. , Fowler Daniel K. , Peters James H.
Published: December 2023

Cholecystokinin (CCK) signaling via the vagus nerve reduces food intake and produces satiation, yet the signaling cascades mediating these effects remain unknown. Here we report that the capsaicin receptor transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1) potentiates CCK signaling in the vagus and mediates the ability of CCK to control excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus of the solitary tract. These results may prove useful in the future development of CCK/TRPV1-based therapeutic interventions.
Regulation of the intestinal Na+/H+ exchanger NHE3 by AMP-activated kinase is dependent on phosphorylation of NHE3 at S555 and S563
Authors: Han Yiran , Bagchi Pritha , Yun C. Chris
Published: December 2023

We show that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylates NHE3 at S555 and S563 to inhibit NHE3 activity in intestinal epithelial cells. Phosphorylation of NHE3 by AMPK is necessary for ubiquitination of NHE3.
Investigation of the Stretching/Shrinking of a Convective-Radiative Radial Fin
Authors: Ullah Sharif , De la Sen Manuel , Ali Amir , Din Zia Ud
Published: December 2023

Fins are extended surfaces that increase the surface area for heat transfer between a hot source and an ambient fluid. Heat transfer is increased by adding radial or concentric annular fins to the outside surface of a circular conduit. The fins are used in devices that exchange heat such as car radiators, electrical equipment, and heat exchangers. Based on these applications, the current article examines a stretching/shrinking convective-radiative radial fin. Additionally, parameters such as the Peclet number, surface temperature, and ambient temperature are taken into account. The shooting technique is used to investigate the thermal profile, fin’s tip temperature, and efficiency of the radial fin. It is revealed that the thermal profile enhances with stretching, the Peclet number, surface temperature, and ambient temperature, while declining with radiative and convective parameters. It is observed that the radial fin’s tip temperature versus stretching/shrinking increases with increasing values of the Peclet number and ambient and surface temperatures, but the fin’s tip temperature diminishes with increasing convective and radiative parameters. Additionally, when the radiative and convective parameters increase, efficiency also increases. However, when the Peclet number, surface temperature, and ambient temperature increase, the efficiency decreases. As a result of increasing the convection parameter

N

c

from 0.1 to 0.3, the temperature distribution increases about 7%, and an increase of 5% in temperature distribution is achieved by increasing the radiation parameter

N

r

from 0.1 to 0.3, and when the peclet number

P

e

is increased from 0.3 to 0.8, the temperature distribution decreases by approximately 0.5%. It is also revealed that when the shrinking effect is exposed to a stretching/shrinking moving fin along with the radiative parameter, the thermal performance of the radial fin improves. From the results, it is concluded that stretching/shrinking radial fins improves efficiency and performance. Finally, a comparative study has also been made between the present and published results, and for every case study, superiority of results obtained from the present model is noticed and the degree of supremacy increases with the increase in condensation rate of vapor on fin surfaces.
Colovesical Fistula due to Sigmoid Diverticulitis
Authors: Stefanou Christos K. , Gkogkos Spiridon , Flindris Stefanos , Paxinos Apostolis K. , Tsiantis Thomas , Oikonomou Polyxeni , Tepelenis Kostas , Stefanou Stefanos K.
Published: December 2023

Introduction. The incidence of colonic diverticulosis has risen significantly. Diverticular disease is the most frequent cause of colovesical fistulas, which are uncommon complications of diverticulitis. Clinical signs, such as fecaluria and pneumaturia, are typically required to confirm its presence. Finding the cause of the disease so that the proper therapy can be started is the primary goal of a diagnostic workup rather than observing the fistula tract itself. Case Presentation. We present a 43-year-old man complaining of frequent urinary tract infections for six months. On CT abdomen and pelvis, a colovesical fistula was diagnosed. Surgery was performed, and after the division between the sigmoid colon and the bladder, a sigmoidectomy and an end-to-end colorectal anastomosis were performed. During the surgery, the fistula tract was not detected. The patient was discharged in excellent condition on day six, and the catheter was removed on day 10. Conclusion. In conclusion, as in our case, any patient with a urinary tract infection should be suspected of having this condition, especially if he has persistent symptoms that have not responded to standard medical care. Patients who present with fecaluria, pneumaturia, and other specific symptoms of a colovesicular fistula do not necessarily need a barium enema or cystography to confirm the presence of the fistula.
Aneuploidy Landscape in Precursors of Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Wang Yeh , Douville Christopher , Chien Yen-Wei , Wang Brant G. , Chen Chi-Long , Pinto Andre , Smith Saron Ann , Drapkin Ronny , Chui M. Herman , Numan Tricia , Vang Russell , Papadopoulos Nickolas , Wang Tian-Li , Shih Ie-Ming
Published: December 2023

Purpose:

Serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) is now recognized as the main precursor of ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). Other potential tubal lesions include p53 signatures and tubal intraepithelial lesions. We aimed to investigate the extent and pattern of aneuploidy in these epithelial lesions and HGSC to define the features that characterize stages of tumor initiation and progression.

Experimental Design:

We applied RealSeqS to compare genome-wide aneuploidy patterns among the precursors, HGSC (cases, n = 85), and histologically unremarkable fallopian tube epithelium (HU-FTE; control, n = 65). On the basis of a discovery set (n = 67), we developed an aneuploidy-based algorithm, REAL-FAST (Repetitive Element AneupLoidy Sequencing Fallopian Tube Aneuploidy in STIC), to correlate the molecular data with pathology diagnoses. We validated the result in an independent validation set (n = 83) to determine its performance. We correlated the molecularly defined precursor subgroups with proliferative activity and histology.

Results:

We found that nearly all p53 signatures lost the entire Chr17, offering a “two-hit” mechanism involving both TP53 and BRCA1 in BRCA1 germline mutation carriers. Proliferatively active STICs harbor gains of 19q12 (CCNE1), 19q13.2, 8q24 (MYC), or 8q arm, whereas proliferatively dormant STICs show 22q loss. REAL-FAST classified HU-FTE and STICs into 5 clusters and identified a STIC subgroup harboring unique aneuploidy that is associated with increased proliferation and discohesive growth. On the basis of a validation set, REAL-FAST showed 95.8% sensitivity and 97.1% specificity in detecting STIC/HGSC.

Conclusions:

Morphologically similar STICs are molecularly distinct. The REAL-FAST assay identifies a potentially “aggressive” STIC subgroup harboring unique DNA aneuploidy that is associated with increased cellular proliferation and discohesive growth. REAL-FAST offers a highly reproducible adjunct technique to assist the diagnosis of STIC lesions.
Backfilling Patients in Phase I Dose-Escalation Trials Using Bayesian Optimal Interval Design (BOIN)
Authors: Zhao Yixuan , Yuan Ying , Korn Edward L. , Freidlin Boris
Published: December 2023

In recent years, there has been increased interest in incorporation of backfilling into dose-escalation clinical trials, which involves concurrently assigning patients to doses that have been previously cleared for safety by the dose-escalation design. Backfilling generates additional information on safety, tolerability, and preliminary activity on a range of doses below the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), which is relevant for selection of the recommended phase II dose and dose optimization. However, in practice, backfilling may not be rigorously defined in trial protocols and implemented consistently. Furthermore, backfilling designs require careful planning to minimize the probability of treating additional patients with potentially inactive agents (and/or subtherapeutic doses). In this paper, we propose a simple and principled approach to incorporate backfilling into the Bayesian optimal interval design (BOIN). The design integrates data from the dose-escalation and backfilling components of the design and ensures that the additional patients are treated at doses where some activity has been seen. Simulation studies demonstrated that the proposed backfilling BOIN design (BF-BOIN) generates additional data for future dose optimization, maintains the accuracy of the MTD identification, and improves patient safety without prolonging the trial duration.
Supplementary Table 2 from Phase Ib Trial of Phenformin in Patients with V600-mutated Melanoma Receiving Dabrafenib and Trametinib
Authors: Chapman Paul B. , Klang Mark , Postow Michael A. , Shoushtari Alexander Noor , Sullivan Ryan J. , Wolchok Jedd D. , Merghoub Taha , Budhu Sadna , Wong Phillip , Callahan Margaret K. , Zheng Bin , Zippin Jonathan
Published: December 2023

Supplementary Table 2. Dose-limiting toxicities
Supplementary Table 1 from Phase Ib Trial of Phenformin in Patients with V600-mutated Melanoma Receiving Dabrafenib and Trametinib
Authors: Chapman Paul B. , Klang Mark , Postow Michael A. , Shoushtari Alexander Noor , Sullivan Ryan J. , Wolchok Jedd D. , Merghoub Taha , Budhu Sadna , Wong Phillip , Callahan Margaret K. , Zheng Bin , Zippin Jonathan
Published: December 2023

Representativeness of study participants
Experience of Conducting a Group Patient Education Program at a Tertiary Hospital in Riyadh
Authors: AlMahameed Mahmoud Ibrahim , Kakish Shadi F. , Abu-Shaheen Amani
Published: December 2023

Introduction: Patient education plays an essential role in improving patient compliance with treatment. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the healthcare educators’ and the patients’ and their companions’ satisfaction and experience with regard to the health education program conducted during their waiting period in the outpatient department (OPD) at King Fahad Medical City. Moreover, compliance with planned educational topics was also assessed. Methods: A pre-post interventional study, including patients and their companions as well as health educators in the waiting rooms of the various OPDs, was conducted. The pre-intervention phase involved group teaching sessions, followed by a survey that assessed patient and educator satisfaction and experience as well as compliance rate. Then, a loophole identification survey was conducted to determine the drawbacks based on which group teaching procedure was modified. Post-intervention, a modified teaching session was completed. Results: A total of 4,362 patients and their companions participated in this study, along with 22 health educators. During the pre-intervention phase, the patient and their companions reported a 78% satisfaction rate for the conducted patient and family educational activities. While, after improving the group teaching process, the satisfaction rates increased to 90% in the post-intervention phase. The health educators’ satisfaction rate improved remarkably from 27.3% to 86.4%. Discussion/Conclusion: By incorporating simple modifications in the educational activities, a higher satisfaction rate might be achieved among the participants and the health educators.