bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanism underlying vascular remodeling in relation to circulating CD34-positive cells among older Japanese men
Authors: Shimizu Yuji
Published: December 2022

Development of structural atherosclerosis, an established cardiovascular risk factor, requires hematopoietic stem cells known as CD34-positive cells. However, an inverse association between circulating CD34-positive cell count and cardiovascular disease has been reported. These studies evoke a contradiction: characteristics associated with a low risk of developing structural atherosclerosis are also associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. To clarify the mechanisms underlying vascular remodeling, we conducted several epidemiological studies of Japanese men aged 60 to 69 years who participated in annual health check-ups. The present study summarizes those epidemiological studies and adds some discussion. From the perspective of endothelial repair activity, there are significant differences between functional versus structural atherosclerosis. Aggressive endothelial repair increases both functional and structural atherosclerosis. Deficient endothelial repair related to a shortage of CD34-positive cells due to consumption furthers functional atherosclerosis but not structural atherosclerosis. Therefore, the lack of structural atherosclerosis does not always reflect a favorable condition for the endothelium. Although further investigation is necessary, the present study suggests that higher endothelial repair activity that leads to structural atherosclerosis might have a beneficial effect on vascular health among older men.
Machine learning-derived gut microbiome signature predicts fatty liver disease in the presence of insulin resistance
Authors: Kang Baeki E. , Park Aron , Yang Hyekyung , Jo Yunju , Oh Tae Gyu , Jeong Seung Min , Ji Yosep , Kim Hyung‐Lae , Kim Han‐Na , Auwerx Johan , Nam Seungyoon , Park Cheol-Young , Ryu Dongryeol
Published: December 2022

A simple predictive biomarker for fatty liver disease is required for individuals with insulin resistance. Here, we developed a supervised machine learning-based classifier for fatty liver disease using fecal 16S rDNA sequencing data. Based on the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital cohort (n = 777), we generated a random forest classifier to predict fatty liver diseases in individuals with or without insulin resistance (n = 166 and n = 611, respectively). The model performance was evaluated based on metrics, including accuracy, area under receiver operating curve (AUROC), kappa, and F1-score. The developed classifier for fatty liver diseases performed better in individuals with insulin resistance (AUROC = 0.77). We further optimized the classifiers using genetic algorithm. The improved classifier for insulin resistance, consisting of ten microbial genera, presented an advanced classification (AUROC = 0.93), whereas the improved classifier for insulin-sensitive individuals failed to distinguish participants with fatty liver diseases from the healthy. The classifier for individuals with insulin resistance was comparable or superior to previous methods predicting fatty liver diseases (accuracy = 0.83, kappa = 0.50, F1-score = 0.89), such as the fatty liver index. We identified the ten genera as a core set from the human gut microbiome, which could be a diagnostic biomarker of fatty liver diseases for insulin resistant individuals. Collectively, these findings indicate that the machine learning classifier for fatty liver diseases in the presence of insulin resistance is comparable or superior to commonly used methods.
The effects for inflammatory responses by CPP with different colloidal properties in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Mukai Hideyuki , Miura Yutaka , Kotani Kazuhiko , Kotoda Atsushi , Kurosu Hiroshi , Yamada Toshiyuki , Kuro-o Makoto , Iwazu Yoshitaka
Published: December 2022

Calciprotein particles (CPPs) are colloids composed of solid-phase calcium-phosphate and serum protein fetuin-A. CPPs form a polydispersed system with different particle size and density. CPPs with specific physical properties can induce calcification and innate immune responses in cultured cells. In hemodialysis patients, blood CPP levels were reported to correlate with vascular calcification and inflammation. However, little is known about relation between these disorders and physical properties of CPPs. Here, we show that the association between physical properties of plasma CPPs and serum levels of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines in 78 hemodialysis out-patients by cross-sectional study. Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) had significantly higher high density CPP (H-CPP) levels than patients without CVD but not low density CPP (L-CPP). Seven cytokines/chemokines (EGF, eotaxin, IL-8, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1, MIP-1β and TNFα) were detectable in the serum samples from > 95% of the patients. In multivariate regression analysis, H-CPP was positively associated with eotaxin after adjusting for age, gender, smoking, serum phosphate and FGF23. L-CPP was negatively associated with IL-8 after adjusting for age, gender, serum albumin, phosphate and FGF23. High H-CPP levels were associated with pro-inflammatory response, whereas L-CPPs were associated with anti-inflammatory response. CPPs with different physical properties may impact differently on pathophysiology in HD patients.
Effects of diversity on thermal niche variation in bird communities under climate change
Authors: Marjakangas Emma-Liina , Santangeli Andrea , Johnston Alison , Michel Nicole L. , Princé Karine , Lehikoinen Aleksi
Published: December 2022

Climate change alters ecological communities by affecting individual species and interactions between species. However, the impacts of climate change may be buffered by community diversity: diverse communities may be more resistant to climate-driven perturbations than simple communities. Here, we assess how diversity influences long-term thermal niche variation in communities under climate change. We use 50-year continental-scale data on bird communities during breeding and non-breeding seasons to quantify the communities’ thermal variability. Thermal variability is measured as the temporal change in the community’s average thermal niche and it indicates community’s response to climate change. Then, we study how the thermal variability varies as a function of taxonomic, functional, and evolutionary diversity using linear models. We find that communities with low thermal niche variation have higher functional diversity, with this pattern being measurable in the non-breeding but not in the breeding season. Given the expected increase in seasonal variation in the future climate, the differences in bird communities’ thermal variability between breeding and non-breeding seasons may grow wider. Importantly, our results suggest that functionally diverse wildlife communities can mitigate effects of climate change by hindering changes in thermal niche variability, which underscores the importance of addressing the climate and biodiversity crises together.
Effect of using 5A’s model for lifestyle counseling on psychological symptoms in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized field trial
Authors: ZareMobini Fatemeh , Farajzadegan Ziba , Kazemi Ashraf , Salehi Mehrdad
Published: December 2022

Lifestyle modification in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) could be associated with increased psychological symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of lifestyle modification counseling using 5A’s model on the psychological symptoms of women with PCOS. This double-blind, randomized field trial was performed on 70 women with PCOS in two groups of lifestyle modification counseling based on 5A’s model and counseling without using the model. The intervention was performed based on five stages of the 5A’s model (Assess, Advise, Agree, Assist, Arrange) during a week, and psychological symptoms were assessed using Symptom Checklist-90-R before the intervention and one and three months after the intervention. The results showed that one and three months after the intervention, the level of psychological symptoms, except obsessive–compulsive level, were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the level of these symptoms decreased over time in the intervention group (p < 0.0001). Using the 5A’s model in lifestyle modification counseling is associated with the promotion of psychological health in women with PCOS, and this model is recommended for lifestyle counseling in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
A longitudinal investigation on problematic Facebook use, psychological distress and well-being during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Bonfanti Rubinia Celeste , Salerno Laura , Brugnera Agostino , Lo Coco Gianluca
Published: December 2022

The social isolation and the subsequent, increased use of Social Networking Sites due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had an impact on subjective well-being around the world. The present longitudinal study examined whether changes in psychological distress and well-being during the Italian second wave of the pandemic differ among people with different levels of Problematic Facebook Use (PFU). A total of 493 participants (Mage = 24.55 ± 7.25; 80.3% females) completed measures of passive use of Facebook, social comparison orientation on Facebook, fear of missing out, psychological distress (depressive symptoms and fear of COVID-19 pandemic) and well-being across three waves. Latent class analysis (LCA) categorized participants into three groups with different PFU levels: healthy users, moderate PFU users, and high PFU users. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) showed that the between-person level (class membership) accounted for most of the variability in psychological distress and well-being. No significant changes were found in psychological distress and well-being over time, but the High PFU users showed greater levels of psychological distress and lower levels of well-being at each time point. The findings of this study suggest that the relationship between PFU, psychological distress and well-being may reflect trait-like time-invariant differences between individuals rather than state-like changes.
Chemical chaperones ameliorate neurodegenerative disorders in Derlin-1-deficient mice via improvement of cholesterol biosynthesis
Authors: Sugiyama Takashi , Murao Naoya , Kadowaki Hisae , Nishitoh Hideki
Published: December 2022

There are no available therapies targeting the underlying molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. Although chaperone therapies that alleviate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress recently showed promise in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. We previously reported that mice with central nervous system-specific deletion of Derlin-1, which encodes an essential component for ER quality control, are useful as models of neurodegenerative diseases such as spinocerebellar degeneration. Cholesterol biosynthesis is essential for brain development, and its disruption inhibits neurite outgrowth, causing brain atrophy. In this study, we report a novel mechanism by which chemical chaperones ameliorate brain atrophy and motor dysfunction. ER stress was induced in the cerebella of Derlin-1 deficiency mice, whereas the administration of a chemical chaperone did not alleviate ER stress. However, chemical chaperone treatment ameliorated cholesterol biosynthesis impairment through SREBP-2 activation and simultaneously relieved brain atrophy and motor dysfunction. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that ER stress may not be the target of action of chaperone therapies and that chemical chaperone-mediated improvement of brain cholesterol biosynthesis is a promising novel therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases.
Classification with 2-D convolutional neural networks for breast cancer diagnosis
Authors: Sharma Anuraganand , Kumar Dinesh
Published: December 2022

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Classification of cancer/non-cancer patients with clinical records requires high sensitivity and specificity for an acceptable diagnosis test. The state-of-the-art classification model—convolutional neural network (CNN), however, cannot be used with such kind of tabular clinical data that are represented in 1-D format. CNN has been designed to work on a set of 2-D matrices whose elements show some correlation with neighboring elements such as in image data. Conversely, the data examples represented as a set of 1-D vectors—apart from the time series data—cannot be used with CNN, but with other classification models such as Recurrent Neural Networks for tabular data or Random Forest. We have proposed three novel preprocessing methods of data wrangling that transform a 1-D data vector, to a 2-D graphical image with appropriate correlations among the fields to be processed on CNN. We tested our methods on Wisconsin Original Breast Cancer (WBC) and Wisconsin Diagnostic Breast Cancer (WDBC) datasets. To our knowledge, this work is novel on non-image tabular data to image data transformation for the non-time series data. The transformed data processed with CNN using VGGnet-16 shows competitive results for the WBC dataset and outperforms other known methods for the WDBC dataset.
Pathway expression analysis
Authors: Mankovich Nathan , Kehoe Eric , Peterson Amy , Kirby Michael
Published: December 2022

This paper introduces a pathway expression framework as an approach for constructing derived biomarkers. The pathway expression framework incorporates the biological connections of genes leading to a biologically relevant model. Using this framework, we distinguish between shedding subjects post-infection and all subjects pre-infection in human blood transcriptomic samples challenged with various respiratory viruses: H1N1, H3N2, HRV (Human Rhinoviruses), and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). Additionally, pathway expression data is used for selecting discriminatory pathways from these experiments. The classification results and selected pathways are benchmarked against standard gene expression based classification and pathway ranking methodologies. We find that using the pathway expression data along with selected pathways, which have minimal overlap with high ranking pathways found by traditional methods, improves classification rates across experiments.
Non-collinear magnetic configuration mediated exchange coupling at the interface of antiferromagnet and rare-earth nanolayers
Authors: Huang Junyu , Liu Chang , Cui Yifan , Ling Yuxiang , Chen Keming , Zhao Kunlong , Xiao Xiangshang , Yuan Bin , Paul Amitesh
Published: December 2022

Mn$$_{3}$$3Ir/CoFe bilayer is a prototypical exchange-coupled antiferromagnet (AF)–ferromagnet (FM) system. Nevertheless, a strong exchange coupling between FM and rare-earth(RE) interfaces of Fe/Dy and Fe/Tb has been established earlier. Strong coupling at the FM–RE interface originates from the number of irreversible spins owing to the imbalance in the non-collinear configuration in RE. However, exchange coupling between AF–RE could not be established due to the minimal number of irreversible spins in AF and RE. A frustrated inter-domain magnetic interaction leads to the coexistence of spin-freezing-like ordering around the temperature range of helical spin modulation at the exchange-coupled interfaces of RE-based specimens. To overcome the lack of coupling between the AF–RE interface, we use a sandwich structure of AF–FM–RE layers (Mn$$_{3}$$3Ir/CoFe/Dy) as we demonstrate establishing considerable exchange bias in the system. Changing the bias direction during field cooling introduces possible differences in non-collinear directions (helicities), which affects the number of irreversible spins and consequent exchange coupling differently for opposite directions. The non-collinear structures in RE are topologically stable; thus, their directions of orientation can be regarded as an additional degree of freedom, which can be manipulated in all-spin-based technology.
Predicting stress, strain and deformation fields in materials and structures with graph neural networks
Authors: Maurizi Marco , Gao Chao , Berto Filippo
Published: December 2022

Developing accurate yet fast computational tools to simulate complex physical phenomena is a long-standing problem. Recent advances in machine learning have revolutionized the way simulations are approached, shifting from a purely physics- to AI-based paradigm. Although impressive achievements have been reached, efficiently predicting complex physical phenomena in materials and structures remains a challenge. Here, we present an AI-based general framework, implemented through graph neural networks, able to learn complex mechanical behavior of materials from a few hundreds data. Harnessing the natural mesh-to-graph mapping, our deep learning model predicts deformation, stress, and strain fields in various material systems, like fiber and stratified composites, and lattice metamaterials. The model can capture complex nonlinear phenomena, from plasticity to buckling instability, seemingly learning physical relationships between the predicted physical fields. Owing to its flexibility, this graph-based framework aims at connecting materials’ microstructure, base materials’ properties, and boundary conditions to a physical response, opening new avenues towards graph-AI-based surrogate modeling.
Surgical outcomes of adnexal masses classified by IOTA ultrasound simple rules
Authors: Carballo Erica V. , Maturen Katherine E. , Li Zhanhai , Patel-Lippmann Krupa K. , Wasnik Ashish P. , Sadowski Elizabeth A. , Barroilhet Lisa M.
Published: December 2022

IOTA (International Ovarian Tumor Analysis) Simple Rules classifies adnexal masses as benign, malignant, or indeterminate based on sonographic features. We seek to determine if IOTA inappropriately directed women to surgery, or more aggressive surgery, than their final diagnosis warranted. This is a retrospective study of sonographically detected adnexal masses with known clinical outcomes from two institutions (n = 528). Surgically managed patients (n = 172) were categorized based on pathology and compared using Chi-square and t-test for categorical and continuous variables respectively. A logistic regression was used to predict characteristics that predicted surgery or imaging follow up of indeterminate masses. Of the 528 masses imaged, 29% (n = 155) underwent surgery for benign pathology. Only 1.9% (n = 10) underwent surgery after classification as malignant by IOTA for what was ultimately a benign mass. Surgical complications occurred in 10 cases (5.8%), all benign. Fifteen (3.2%) patients went into surgically induced menopause for benign masses, one of which was inaccurately classified by IOTA as malignant. Of the 41 IOTA indeterminate masses, the presence of soft tissue nodules on ultrasound was the only statistically significant predictor of the patient being triaged directly to surgery (OR 1.79, p = 0.04). Our findings support that the IOTA ultrasound classification system can provide clinical guidance without incurring unnecessary surgeries or surgical complications.
Predicting potential global distribution and risk regions for potato cyst nematodes (Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida)
Authors: He Yitong , Wang Rui , Zhao Honghai , Ren Yonglin , Agarwal Manjree , Zheng Dan , Gao Shan , McKirdy Simon J. , Chu Dong
Published: December 2022

Potato cyst nematodes (PCNs), golden (yellow) cyst nematode (Globodera rostochiensis, gPCN) and pale (white) cyst nematode (G. pallida, pPCN), are important invasive pests in many countries and regions where they can cause significant yield and economic loss for agriculture. Prediction and identification of habitats suitable for PCNs are critical for developing biosecurity strategies, both pre and post border, to maximise the potential for early elimination should an incursion occur. To date, the potential global distribution of PCNs has not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, this study conducted a species distribution model to illustrate the potential global distribution of PCNs and risk regions. In this study, the Maximum Entropy Model (Maxent) associated with the Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed to reveal the potential distribution of the gPCN and pPCN. In addition to bioclimate, soil quality was also included in the model. The global cultivated lands, whether the susceptible hosts were present or not, were used to assess the maximum potential risk regions. The limitation factors for PCNs distribution were also assessed. Results showed that 66% of the global land surface was suitable for gPCN or pPCN or both, and both species can colonise more than 75% of the global cultivated lands. The coldest quarter’s mean temperature and precipitation were critical limitations in unsuitable regions. In summary, the global risk maps of PCNs contribute valuable additional information that complements previous national/regional distribution predictions. The results of this distribution research will contribute practical support for decision-makers and practitioners to implement biosecurity strategies from a global perspective, that incorporate prevention or promptly enforce control practices to limit the damage caused by future incursions.
Diabetes mellitus degenerates cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in short hydration method: a propensity score-matching analysis
Authors: Saito Yoshitaka , Sakamoto Tatsuhiko , Takekuma Yoh , Kobayashi Masaki , Okamoto Keisuke , Shinagawa Naofumi , Shimizu Yasushi , Kinoshita Ichiro , Sugawara Mitsuru
Published: December 2022

Cisplatin (CDDP)-induced nephrotoxicity (CIN) is dose-limiting. We revealed that co-administration of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and baseline comorbidity of diabetes mellitus (DM) are associated with CIN development in the short hydration method; however, the results were accessorily obtained without appropriate power calculation. This study aimed to demonstrate the influence of DM complications on CIN incidence in a real-world setting. Lung cancer patients receiving CDDP (≥ 75 mg/m2)-containing regimens with a short hydration method (n = 227) were retrospectively evaluated. The patients were divided into control and baseline DM complication groups. The primary endpoint was the evaluation of CIN incidence between the groups. Propensity score-matching was performed to confirm the robustness of the primary analysis results. CIN occurred in 6.8% of control and 27.0% of DM patients, respectively, with a significant difference in all-patient populations (P = 0.001). In addition, variation of serum creatinine and creatinine clearance significantly worsened in DM patients. Similar results were obtained in a propensity-matched population. Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that DM complication is a singular risk factor for CIN development (adjusted odds ratio; 4.31, 95% confidence interval; 1.62–11.50, P = 0.003). In conclusion, our study revealed that baseline DM complications significantly worsen CIN.
Seismic inversion with L2,0-norm joint-sparse constraint on multi-trace impedance model
Authors: Dai Ronghuo , Yang Jun
Published: December 2022

Impedance inversion of post-stack seismic data is a key technology in reservoir prediction and characterization. Compared to the common used single-trace impedance inversion, multi-trace impedance simultaneous inversion has many advantages. For example, it can take lateral regularization constraint to improve the lateral stability and resolution. We propose to use the L2,0-norm of multi-trace impedance model as a regularization constraint in multi-trace impedance inversion in this paper. L2,0-norm is a joint-sparse measure, which can not only measure the conventional vertical sparsity with L0-norm in vertical direction, but also measure the lateral continuity with L2-norm in lateral direction. Then, we use a split Bregman iteration strategy to solve the L2,0-norm joint-sparse constrained objective function. Next, we use a 2D numerical model and a real seismic data section to test the efficacy of the proposed method. The results show that the inverted impedance from the L2,0-norm constraint inversion has higher lateral stability and resolution compared to the inverted impedance from the conventional sparse constraint impedance inversion.
An injectable hydrogel scaffold with IL-1β-activated MSC-derived exosomes for the treatment of endometritis
Authors: Zhao Chenchen , Li Jianping , Cai Huihua , Wu Dingwei , Tao Suwan , Pi Chaoran , Zhu Lian , Xu Na , Zhang Tongcun
Published: December 2022

An injectable polypeptide hydrogel scaffold loading exosomes derived from IL-1β simulated-mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) can treat chronic endometritis and accelarate endometrial regeneration.
Synthesis, structure analysis and catalytic activity of two Ln-coordination polymers containing benzophenone-4,4′-dicarboxylate linker
Authors: Hajiashrafi Taraneh , Sheikholeslami Mohaddeseh , Arjanaki Maryam Ahmadi , Tarighi Sara , Guo Zhifang , Junk Peter C.
Published: December 2022

Two Lanthanide-coordination polymers (Ln-CPs) were synthesized, characterized and used as heterogeneous catalysts for the acetalization of glycerol.
Photo-induced redox cascade reaction of nitroarenes and amines
Authors: Shao Xing-Zhuo , Xu Guo-Yong , Fan Weigang , Zhang Sheng , Li Man-Bo
Published: December 2022

A photo-induced redox cascade reaction has been developed for the chemoselective construction of isoxazolidine derivatives from stable and easily available nitroarenes and amines.
Quality factor measurement based on direct energy method for piezoelectric resonator
Authors: Li Jian , Wu Xiaosheng
Published: December 2022

This letter presents a new real‐time and direct measurement method based on energy for piezoelectric resonator. An analytical model considering the stored energy and dissipation energy for quality factor measurement is built up. Using this novel direct energy method, the quality factor for piezoelectric resonator can be measured in real time. The finite element method simulations are introduced to verify the analytical model. Experiments results agree well with the theoretical model and show that quality factor can be measured by direct energy method. This work provides a new method for quality factor measurement of piezoelectric resonator.
Pilot protection method for bipolar CSC‐HVDC transmission lines based on transient currents behaviour
Authors: Khaleghi‐Abbasabadi Ali , Mehrabi‐Kooshki Mohammad , Mirhosseini Seyed Sattar , Jamali Sadegh
Published: December 2022

The unnecessary prolonged operating time of conventional current differential protection under high‐impedance DC line faults is an important issue affecting the continuity of power supply. This issue originates from the extreme differential current fluctuation under fault conditions. This paper presents a reinforced pilot protection algorithm for bipolar CSC‐HVDC transmission lines to achieve a selective and sensitive performance without sacrificing the protection speed. In this regard, the characteristics of low‐frequency transient modal currents are investigated along with the impact of discharging capacitive current under various fault conditions. Based on the features arising from line‐mode compensated currents, it is shown that their opposite changing directions induces a positive high‐value differential current during DC line faults, whereas the compensated line‐mode currents follow the same changing trend under external faults. After detecting internal faults, the faulted pole is detected by utilizing the polarity of ground‐mode components. Compared to other pilot protections, the proposed protection provides more reliability, selectivity, and sensitivity with high operating speed. Moreover, it has robust performance against discharging capacitive current, asynchronous measurement, line parameters uncertainty, and noise. Various simulation tests are performed on a ±500 kV HVDC test system in PSCAD to verify effectiveness of the proposed protection.
Improved demodulation method for fibre optic sensors applied in transformer partial discharge detection
Authors: Qiao Jixian , Zhang Weichao , Wang Yanqi , Zhao Hong
Published: December 2022

The 2 × 2 couplers, as a demodulation core of the fibre optic sensing system, have been extensively employed in fibre optic sensors for partial discharge (PD) detection of power equipment. However, the unstable demodulation sensitivity and low signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of such a system are still unsatisfactory in engineering. This work uses a distributed feedback fibre laser as the sensor and employs a common asymmetric 2 × 3 coupler instead of a 2 × 2 coupler as the demodulation core to design a PD detection system. Then, we propose a new demodulation method for PD acoustic emission signals based on the Naval Postgraduate School method. On the PD detection platform, the performance of the conventional detection system and the proposed system is compared. The experimental results show that the proposed system has better reliability and can identify the PD signals in all instances. Furthermore, the average SNR of the new demodulation method is 6.11 dB higher than the traditional 2 × 2 coupler system and can be extended to most PD detection systems using fibre optic sensors.
SDNet: Image‐based sonar detection network for multi‐scale objects
Authors: Shi Pengfei , Sun Huanru , Xin Yuanxue , He Qi , Wang Xiaotian
Published: December 2022

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) carrying sonar for object detection has become one of the main ways of ocean exploration. However, object detection in sonar images always faces the problems of balancing detection accuracy and efficiency. To this end, this paper proposes an efficient underwater object detection network for sonar images named SDNet. In the model, the authors construct a new feature extraction network based on RepVGG to balance the detection accuracy and speed. By combining channel attention with RepVGG, useful information of high‐order feature maps captured can be selectively paid attention to. Then, the authors design a feature fusion network to efficiently converge the location and semantic information of multi‐scale feature maps. In the network, the authors propose a lightweight cross stage partial network for sonar (CSP_S) module suitable for sonar images, which can enhance the model's feature fusion capability and simplify the model.

Finally, to reduce the conflict between classification and regression tasks, the authors leverage the Decoupled Head for the sonar object classification and localization. By testing on the self‐built Underwater Sonar Dataset underwater sonar dataset (USD) and the public sonar dataset sonar common target detection dataset (SCTD), the detection accuracy of SDNet reaches 99.52% and 95.20%, respectively. Moreover, the detection speed reaches 114 frames per second (FPS) and 138 FPS, respectively. The experimental results show that SDNet can effectively balance the sonar detection accuracy and efficiency.

Code is available at https://github.com/Yukino111/sdnet‐pytorch.
Analysis of reactive power loadability and management of flexible alternating current transmission system devices in a distribution grid using whale optimization algorithm
Authors: Baby Honey , Jayakumar Jayaraj , Mathew Mobi , Hussien Mohamed G. , Kumar Nallapaneni Manoj
Published: December 2022

The optimal injection of reactive power to minimize power loss and manage voltage profiles is a difficult task that must be addressed and managed effectively for the power system's reliability. The distribution network indices like voltage stability, loss minimization, and power quality enhancement can be improved by the effective management of reactive power regulation. Aside from its interaction with reactive power management, the best location and sizing in a cost‐effective strategy have an impact on overall performance. As a broadly accepted swarm intelligence method in various engineering fields due to its simple assembly, less entails operator constraints, wild convergence speed, and better harmonizing ability between exploration and exploitation faces, the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) is used in conjunction with a Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) device in this paper to manage reactive power effectively. The WOA was implemented and compared with Differential Evolution (DE), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Genetic Algorithm (GA) at 100%, 150%, and 200% load in the IEEE 30 test system. The results reveal that the suggested WOA produces a greater impact on cost management, power loss, and reactive power balance than any previous evolutionary algorithm.
The need for multicomponent dust attenuation in modeling nebular emission: Constraints from SDSS-IV MaNGA
Authors: Ji Xihan , Yan Renbin , Bundy Kevin , Boquien Médéric , Schaefer Adam , Belfiore Francesco , Bershady Matthew A. , Drory Niv , Li Cheng , Westfall Kyle B. , Lin Zesen , Bizyaev Dmitry , Law David R. , Riffel Rogério , Riffel Rogemar A.
Published: December 2022

A fundamental assumption adopted in nearly every extragalactic study that analyzes optical emission lines is that the attenuation of different emission lines can be described by a single attenuation curve, scaled by a single reddening parameter, usually E(B − V). Here we show this assumption fails in many cases with important implications for derived results. We developed a new method to measure the differential nebular attenuation among three kinds of transitions: the Balmer lines of hydrogen; high-ionization transitions (> 13.6 eV) including [Ne III], [O III], and [S III]; and low-ionization transitions (≲13.6 eV) including [O II], [N II], and [S II]. This method bins the observed data in a multidimensional space spanned by attenuation-insensitive line ratios. Within each small bin, the variations in nebular parameters such as the metallicity and ionization parameter are negligible compared to the variation in the nebular attenuation. This allowed us to measure the nebular attenuation using both forbidden lines and Balmer lines. We applied this method to a sample of 2.4 million star-forming (SF) spaxels from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey. We found that the attenuation of high ionization lines and Balmer lines can be well described by a single Fitzpatrick (1999, PASP, 111, 63) extinction curve with RV = 3.1. However, no single attenuation curve can simultaneously account for these transitions and the derived attenuation of low-ionization lines. This strongly suggests that different lines have different effective attenuations, likely because spectroscopy at hundreds of parsecs to kiloparsecs of resolution mixes multiple physical regions that exhibit different intrinsic line ratios and different levels of attenuation. As a result, the assumption that different lines follow the same attenuation curve breaks down. Using a single attenuation curve determined by Balmer lines to correct attenuation-sensitive forbidden line ratios could bias the nebular parameters derived by 0.06–0.25 dex at AV = 1, depending on the details of the dust attenuation model. Observations of a statistically large sample of H II regions with high spatial resolutions and large spectral coverage are vital for improved modeling and deriving accurate corrections for this effect.
Fachkräftemangel - Der heutige Fachkräftemangel in der Medizin und der
„Fall Mausbach“ von vor etwa 50 Jahren
Authors: Goldschmidt Andreas J. W.
Published: December 2022

Der Arzt Hans Mausbach wurde 1971 von der Gesellschaft für Chirurgie
ausgeschlossen, weil er die ärztliche Krankenhaushierarchie kritisiert hatte
1. „Die Medizin trägt
Verantwortung für die Gesundheit der Gesellschaft. Dankbar erinnern wir uns
an die Kolleg:inn:en, die für ein soziales Gesundheitswesen eingetreten
sind“ schreibt Huber E. anlässlich seines Todes 2. Was hat sich seitdem geändert?
Handlungsoptionen zur Krisen-Resilienz
Authors: von Eiff Maximilian C. , von Eiff Wilfried , Ghanem Mohamed
Published: December 2022

Ziel Über die Qualität des Pandemiemanagements in
Deutschland existiert ein kontroverses Meinungsbild. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist
es angezeigt, Fehler und Versäumnisse des Pandemiemanagements sachlich
zu reflektieren und konstruktiv Maßnahmen zur Stärkung der
Resilienz ausgewählter Bereiche des Gesundheitssystems (Lieferketten,
Digitalisierung, Fachkräfteverfügbarkeit, Versorgungsstruktur,
Refinanzierung) zu entwickeln.

Methode Durchgeführt wurde eine Meta-Analyse verschiedener Studien
über die medizinische Versorgungssituation während der Pandemie,
ergänzt durch eine Analyse von Lieferabrissen bei Medizinprodukten und
Arzneimitteln sowie eine Recherche über die Arbeitssituation und
Arbeitszufriedenheit von „am Bett tätigen
Berufsgruppen“. Die Datenerhebung erfolgte durch Literaturanalyse,
anonymisierte Fragebogen und strukturierte Interviews mit Entscheidern
unterschiedlicher Funktionsbereiche (z. B. Einkauf/Logistik,
Medizin/Pflege).

Ergebnisse Die Resilienz von Lieferketten steigt durch teilweise
Rückverlagerung systemkritischer Produkte und verstärkte
Orientierung am Kriterium „Liefersicherheit“ bei der Auswahl von
Partnern und Standorten.

Telemedizinische Dienste zur Betreuung von Patienten im häuslichen
Bereich und digitale Behandlungs-Plattformen für virtuelle Arztbesuche
bewirken Kontaktreduktion im Pandemiefall, verhindern medizinische
Spätfolgen und volkswirtschaftliche Kosten unterlassener
Vorsorgeuntersuchungen, nutzen knappe Arzt-Ressourcen effizienter und
erhöhen die Verfügbarkeit medizinischer Leistungen in der
Fläche.

Die Vergütung medizinischer Leistungen sollte auf die Prinzipien des
Value-Based Health Care-Ansatzes umgestellt und durch eine
funktionsabhängige Finanzierung von Vorhaltekosten ergänzt
werden.

Die Schaffung attraktiver Arbeitsbedingungen in Verbindung mit
arbeitgeberseitigen Unterstützungsmaßnahmen wie z. B.
kostenfreie 7/24-KiTa-Plätze und einer angemessenen
Vergütung stellt ein wirksames Maßnahmenbündel zur
Begegnung des Fachkräftemangels dar.

Schlussfolgerungen Es besteht dringender Handlungsbedarf, um die
Krisenresilienz des Gesundheitssystems für die Zukunft zu
stärken.

Krankenhaus-Manager haben die Aufgabe, die Arbeitsbedingungen
familienfreundlicher zu gestalten und die Entgeltsituation für
„am Bett tätige Berufsgruppen“ nachhaltig zu verbessern,
um dem Fachkräftemangel entgegenzuwirken.

Politik und Verbände sind gefordert, die Finanzierung von Vorhaltekosten
in das Vergütungssystem einzubauen, die Digitalisierung voranzutreiben
und für den Aufbau von heimischen Reserve-Produktionskapazitäten
bei systemkritischen Medizinprodukten sowie Arzneimitteln zu sorgen.

Der Beitrag der Medizinindustrie liegt in der Verkürzung globaler
Lieferketten, um deren Steuerbarkeit zu erleichtern sowie deren
Versorgungssicherheit zu erhöhen. Die Entwicklung von nachhaltigen
Produkten verringert den Ressourcenbedarf, senkt die Kosten der
Betriebsbereitschaft, unterstützt die Klimaziele und reduziert das
Risiko von Lieferabrissen.
Einsatz von OTC-Arzneimitteln bei
SARS-CoV-2-Infektionen
Authors: Völkel Lukas , Seibel Jens , Rychlik Reinhard P. T.
Published: December 2022

Publizierte Studien aus dem Jahr 2021 zeigen, dass Acetylsalicylsäure
(ASS) bei hospitalisierten Covid-19-Patienten zu einer Verbesserung des
Krankheitsverlaufs führen kann. Darauf aufbauend wurde mittels eines
Surveys eine retrospektive Datenerhebung von 866 Covid-19-Patienten, die eine
Behandlung mit OTC-Arzneimitteln erhielten, sowie deren Krankheitsverlauf
erhoben (2021/2022).

Die Patientengruppe, die eine Behandlung mit ASS erhielt, war deutlich
älter und schwerer grunderkrankt als die Vergleichsgruppen an Patienten,
die entweder mit Ibuprofen, Paracetamol oder ohne OTC-Arzneimittel behandelt
wurden. Obwohl die SARS-CoV-2-Patienten mit ASS älter und schwerer
vorerkrankt sind, stellt sich der Behandlungsverlauf vergleichbar zu
jüngeren und leichter vorerkrankten Patienten dar. Symptome wie
Gliederschmerzen und Schüttelfrost wurden beispielsweise in der
Subgruppe (Behandlung mit Ibuprofen bzw. Paracetamol) häufiger
dokumentiert. Ebenso waren rein von den relativen Werten Patienten mit einer
ASS-Behandlung häufiger besser eingestellt, wenn es um ambulante
Behandlungen, Notfallbehandlungen, Krankenhauseinweisungen und
Facharztüberweisungen ging.

Ein signifikanter Unterschied konnte bezüglich der ambulanten
Behandlungen und Notfallbehandlungen von Patienten mit einer ASS Behandlung im
Vergleich zu Patienten, die mit Paracetamol behandelt wurden, aufgezeigt werden.
Die Ergebnisse sind Indizien dafür, dass ASS bei älteren
Patienten mit SARS-CoV-2-Infektion, einen milderen Krankheitsverlauf
begünstigen kann.
Wie sind wir bisher durch die COVID-19-Pandemie gekommen? Ein
vergleichender Blick nach Europa
Authors: Bahnsen Lewe , Wild Frank
Published: December 2022

Die Bewältigung der COVID-19-Pandemie hat weitreichende
Eindämmungsmaßnahmen erfordert. Um die Auswirkungen deutscher
Pandemiepolitik einzuordnen, kann ein europäischer Blick hilfreich sein.
Wir greifen das Konzept der Übersterblichkeit auf, um einen Eindruck vom
bisherigen Pandemieverlauf und implizit auch der Pandemiebewältigung in
den EU-27-Staaten und primär Deutschland zu gewinnen. Alles in allem ist
Deutschland bisher vergleichsweise gut durch die Pandemie gekommen. Dies
dürfte auch auf die ergriffenen Maßnahmen
zurückzuführen sein, deren Effektivität sich im
Einzelnen allerdings nicht feststellen lässt. Um kommenden Pandemien
vorbereitet zu begegnen, müssen klare Zuständigkeiten und
Entscheidungsstrukturen festgelegt und ein begleitendes Pandemiemonitoring
etabliert werden.
Erfahrungen des Gemeinsamen Bundesausschusses: Die Pandemie im Blick
behalten und zeitlich befristete Entscheidungen mit Augenmaß
treffen
Authors: Hecken Josef
Published: December 2022

Die Corona-Pandemie stellte die gesamte Gesundheitsversorgung in Deutschland 2020
vor eine in dieser Dimension bisher nicht gekannte Herausforderung. Aufgrund
seiner Systemkenntnis und seiner Regelungsbefugnis konnte der Gemeinsame
Bundesausschuss die Rahmenbedingungen für Leistungserbringer,
Krankenkassen und Versicherte in Form von zeitlich befristeten Sonderregelungen
rechtssicher an das dynamische Pandemiegeschehen anpassen. Dabei agierte er
schnell, pragmatisch und mit Augenmaß – stets darauf abzielend,
die Balance zu halten zwischen einem in der Krise notwendigen Abweichen von
Richtlinien oder Beschlüssen und dem schrittweisen Zurückkehren.
Als Erkenntnis aus den letzten beiden Jahren lässt sich feststellen: Die
Politik hätte die Funktion des Gemeinsamen Bundesausschusses als
Verhandlungsarena intensiver nutzen können.
MoS2-Catalyzed Aerobic Synthesis of Tetraethylthiuram Disulfide in Batch and Continuous Flow
Authors: Wang Xiao , Zhao Ze-Run , Xu Hao-Xing
Published: December 2022

Tetraethylthiuram disulfide (TETD) is one of the most important thiuram-class rubber vulcanization accelerators and a ‘star molecule’ in other areas. The development of a mild, efficient, low-cost, safe, and sustainable approach to produce TETD is extremely desirable. Here, we developed a much-improved route to synthesize TETD using MoS2 as the catalyst and ethanol as the solvent. A packed-bed microflow strategy was implemented to accelerate the catalytic process. TETD was obtained with an excellent yield and purity within a short residence time. Besides, this continuous process did not generate any waste salts, rendering it a sustainable method for producing thiuram-type compounds.
Evaluation of the Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Motor Cortex on Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Pain Control in the Short Term
Authors: Soltani Ahmad , Ghavipisheh Mahsa , Ardakani Ramin Manouchehri , Ahrari Iman , Salehi Sina , Farrokhi Majid Reza
Published: December 2022

Background This study aimed to evaluate the short-term efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the treatment of failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS).

Methods In this prospective clinical trial study, 13 patients with FBSS were selected to undergo rTMS, including 5 sessions of stimulation of the primary motor cortex of 90 trains with a frequency of 10 Hz for 2 seconds and an intertrain interval of 20 seconds with a total pulse rate of 1800 per session. The time of each session was 30 minutes with an intensity of 80% of the motor threshold. The severity of pain before and after the intervention was measured by the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire and visual analog scale (VAS).

Results The mean of pain severity was 26.54 ± 6.78 and 14.92 ± 10.1 before and after rTMS, respectively. The severity of pain was significantly decreased after the intervention (p = 0.001). According to the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the severity of pain in the patients was decreased by 44.09 ± 27.32. The mean of the severity of pain according to VAS was 77.31 ± 16.66 before rTMS and 53.46 ± 22.49 after rTMS, which showed that pain intensity was significantly decreased after the intervention (p = 0.006).

Conclusions The use of rTMS of the primary motor cortex in patients who have undergone lumbosacral spine surgery and suffer from pain related to FBSS is associated with a significant reduction in the severity of pain. Because rTMS is a noninvasive treatment method, it can be used as a suitable treatment in these patients.
The Effect of Ascorbic Acid Supplementation on the Time of Healing of Rats Submitted to Neurosurgical Procedures
Authors: Rosa Tiago Gonçalves
Published: December 2022

Introduction Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for both humans and rats and has been noted for its beneficial properties, among them, healing.

Objective To verify the effect of oral and subcutaneous vitamin C supplementation on the healing time of surgical wounds of rats skulls.

Statistical Methodology Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: 10 from the control group (GI), 10 from the group treated with oral vitamin C (GII), and 10 from the group treated with subcutaneous vitamin C (GIII). Vitamin C was administered to GI and GIII animals from the 3rd to the 7th postoperative day, totaling 10 days of administration at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day. On the 4th day of the study, the rats were submitted to a surgical procedure consisting of a 2-cm incision of the skin of the animals' heads and suturing with single stitches. After a determined period, the rats were killed and submitted to the collection of material for study by the picrosirius red technique for the evaluation of collagen types I and III, the degree of hematoxylin and eosin healing, and the rate of contraction of the wound on subsequent days. The results were described in averages, medians, minimum and maximum values, and standard deviations. For the comparison of the three groups, the analysis of variance with one factor (one-way ANOVA) or Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test was used. The normality of the variables was evaluated by the Shapiro-Wilk test. Values of p < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. The data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, v.20.0. software. (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

Results The amount of collagen type III was higher in the groups that received vitamin C, however, without significant difference (n = 0.292). In relation to the rate of contraction of the surgical wound, it was higher in the groups treated with vitamin C, with a significant difference between groups I and II (p = 0.001), and between groups I and III (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found between the groups that were treated with vitamin C (p = 0.227).

Conclusion Healing was more effective in the groups treated with vitamin C than in the group that did not receive vitamin supplementation. There was no significant difference in healing between the groups receiving oral or subcutaneous vitamin C.