bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Network analysis of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Goodwin Grace J. , Moeller Stacey , Nguyen Amy , Cummings Jeffrey L. , John Samantha E.
Published: August 2023

Background

Neuropsychiatric symptoms due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can decrease quality of life for patients and increase caregiver burden. Better characterization of neuropsychiatric symptoms and methods of analysis are needed to identify effective treatment targets. The current investigation leveraged the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set (UDS) to examine the network structure of neuropsychiatric symptoms among symptomatic older adults with cognitive impairment.

Methods

The network relationships of behavioral symptoms were estimated from Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) data acquired from 12,494 older adults with MCI and AD during their initial visit. Network analysis provides insight into the relationships among sets of symptoms and allows calculation of the strengths of the relationships. Nodes represented individual NPI-Q symptoms and edges represented the pairwise dependency between symptoms. Node centrality was calculated to determine the relative importance of each symptom in the network.

Results

The analysis showed patterns of connectivity among the symptoms of the NPI-Q. The network (M = .28) consisted of mostly positive edges. The strongest edges connected nodes within symptom domain. Disinhibition and agitation/aggression were the most central symptoms in the network. Depression/dysphoria was the most frequently endorsed symptom, but it was not central in the network.

Conclusions

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in MCI and AD are highly comorbid and mutually reinforcing. The presence of disinhibition and agitation/aggression yielded a higher probability of additional neuropsychiatric symptoms. Interventions targeting these symptoms may lead to greater neuropsychiatric symptom improvement overall. Future work will compare neuropsychiatric symptom networks across dementia etiologies, informant relationships, and ethnic/racial groups, and will explore the utility of network analysis as a means of interrogating treatment effects.
Fetal Muse-based therapy prevents lethal radio-induced gastrointestinal syndrome by intestinal regeneration
Authors: Dushime Honorine , Moreno Stéphanie G. , Linard Christine , Adrait Annie , Couté Yohann , Peltzer Juliette , Messiaen Sébastien , Torres Claire , Bensemmane Lydia , Lewandowski Daniel , Romeo Paul-Henri , Petit Vanessa , Gault Nathalie
Published: August 2023

Background

Human multilineage-differentiating stress enduring (Muse) cells are nontumorigenic endogenous pluripotent-like stem cells that can be easily obtained from various adult or fetal tissues. Regenerative effects of Muse cells have been shown in some disease models. Muse cells specifically home in damaged tissues where they exert pleiotropic effects. Exposition of the small intestine to high doses of irradiation (IR) delivered after radiotherapy or nuclear accident results in a lethal gastrointestinal syndrome (GIS) characterized by acute loss of intestinal stem cells, impaired epithelial regeneration and subsequent loss of the mucosal barrier resulting in sepsis and death. To date, there is no effective medical treatment for GIS. Here, we investigate whether Muse cells can prevent lethal GIS and study how they act on intestinal stem cell microenvironment to promote intestinal regeneration.

Methods

Human Muse cells from Wharton’s jelly matrix of umbilical cord (WJ-Muse) were sorted by flow cytometry using the SSEA-3 marker, characterized and compared to bone-marrow derived Muse cells (BM-Muse). Under gas anesthesia, GIS mice were treated or not through an intravenous retro-orbital injection of 50,000 WJ-Muse, freshly isolated or cryopreserved, shortly after an 18 Gy-abdominal IR. No immunosuppressant was delivered to the mice. Mice were euthanized either 24 h post-IR to assess early small intestine tissue response, or 7 days post-IR to assess any regenerative response. Mouse survival, histological stainings, apoptosis and cell proliferation were studied and measurement of cytokines, recruitment of immune cells and barrier functional assay were performed.

Results

Injection of WJ-Muse shortly after abdominal IR highly improved mouse survival as a result of a rapid regeneration of intestinal epithelium with the rescue of the impaired epithelial barrier. In small intestine of Muse-treated mice, an early enhanced secretion of IL-6 and MCP-1 cytokines was observed associated with (1) recruitment of monocytes/M2-like macrophages and (2) proliferation of Paneth cells through activation of the IL-6/Stat3 pathway.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that a single injection of a small quantity of WJ-Muse may be a new and easy therapeutic strategy for treating lethal GIS.
A deep learning framework for accurate reaction prediction and its application on high-throughput experimentation data
Authors: Li Baiqing , Su Shimin , Zhu Chan , Lin Jie , Hu Xinyue , Su Lebin , Yu Zhunzhun , Liao Kuangbiao , Chen Hongming
Published: August 2023

In recent years, it has been seen that artificial intelligence (AI) starts to bring revolutionary changes to chemical synthesis. However, the lack of suitable ways of representing chemical reactions and the scarceness of reaction data has limited the wider application of AI to reaction prediction. Here, we introduce a novel reaction representation, GraphRXN, for reaction prediction. It utilizes a universal graph-based neural network framework to encode chemical reactions by directly taking two-dimension reaction structures as inputs. The GraphRXN model was evaluated by three publically available chemical reaction datasets and gave on-par or superior results compared with other baseline models. To further evaluate the effectiveness of GraphRXN, wet-lab experiments were carried out for the purpose of generating reaction data. GraphRXN model was then built on high-throughput experimentation data and a decent accuracy (R2 of 0.712) was obtained on our in-house data. This highlights that the GraphRXN model can be deployed in an integrated workflow which combines robotics and AI technologies for forward reaction prediction.
Dynamic of the nonclassical diffusion equation with memory
Authors: Wang Jing , Ma Qiaozhen , Zhou Wenxue , Yao Xiaobin
Published: August 2023

In this paper, we consider the nonclassical diffusion equation with memory and the nonlinearity of the polynomial growth condition of arbitrary order in the time-dependent space. First, the well-posedness of the solution for the equation is obtained in the time-dependent space $\mathscr{U}_{t}$

U
t

. Then, we establish the existence and regularity of the time-dependent global attractor. Finally, we also conclude that the fractal dimension of the time-dependent attractor is finite.
Blockchain enabled task offloading based on edge cooperation in the digital twin vehicular edge network
Authors: Li Chunhai , Chen Qiyong , Chen Mingfeng , Su Zhaoyu , Ding Yong , Lan Dapeng , Taherkordi Amir
Published: August 2023

The rapid development of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) along with the emergence of intelligent applications have put forward higher requirements for massive task offloading. Even though Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) can diminish network transmission delay and ease network congestion, the constrained heterogeneous resources of a single edge server and the highly dynamic topology of vehicular edge networks may compromise the efficiency of task offloading, including latency and energy consumption. Vehicular edge networks are also vulnerable to malicious outside attacks. In this paper, we propose a new blockchain-enabled digital twin vehicular edge network (DTVEN) where digital twin (DT) is exploited to monitor network communication, computation, and caching (3C) resources management in real time to provide rich data for offloading decision-making, and blockchain is utilized to secure fair and decentralized offloading transactions among DTs. To ensure 3C resources sharing across edge servers, we design a DT-assisted edge cooperation scheme, which makes full use of edge resources in vehicular networks. Furthermore, a DT-based smart contract is built to achieve a quick and effective consensus process. Then, we apply a task offloading algorithm based on an improved cuckoo algorithm (ICA) and a resource allocation scheme based on greedy strategy to minimize network cost by comprehensively taking into account latency and energy consumption. Numerical results demonstrate that our proposed scheme outperforms the existing schemes in terms of network cost.
Association between usage of household cooking fuel and congenital birth defects-18 months multi-centric cohort study in Nepal
Authors: KC Ashish , Halme Sanni , Gurung Rejina , Basnet Omkar , Olsson Erik , Malmqvist Ebba
Published: August 2023

Background

- An estimated 240,000 newborns die worldwide within 28 days of birth every year due to congenital birth defect. Exposure to poor indoor environment contributes to poor health outcomes. In this research, we aim to evaluate the association between the usage of different type household cooking fuel and congenital birth defects in Nepal, as well as investigate whether air ventilation usage had a modifying effect on the possible association.

Methods

- This is a secondary analysis of multi-centric prospective cohort study evaluating Quality Improvement Project in 12 public referral hospitals of Nepal from 2017 to 2018. The study sample was 66,713 women with a newborn, whose information was available in hospital records and exit interviews. The association between cooking fuel type usage and congenital birth defects was investigated with adjusted multivariable logistic regression. To investigate the air ventilation usage, a stratified multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed.

Results

-In the study population (N = 66,713), 60.0% used polluting fuels for cooking and 89.6% did not have proper air ventilation. The prevalence rate of congenital birth defect was higher among the families who used polluting fuels for cooking than those who used cleaner fuels (5.5/1000 vs. 3.5/1000, p < 0.001). Families using polluting fuels had higher odds (aOR 1.49; 95% CI; 1.16, 1.91) of having a child with a congenital birth defect compared to mothers using cleaner fuels adjusted with all available co-variates. Families not using ventilation while cooking had even higher but statistically insignificant odds of having a child with congenital birth defects (aOR 1.34; 95% CI; 0.86, 2.07) adjusted with all other variates.

Conclusion

- The usage of polluted fuels for cooking has an increased odds of congenital birth defects with no significant association with ventilation. This study adds to the increasing knowledge on the adverse effect of polluting fuels for cooking and the need for action to reduce this exposure.
Risk and protective factors for resilience among adolescents and young adults with beta-thalassemia major
Authors: Rambod Masoume , Hamidizadeh Saeed , Bazrafshan Mohammad-Rafi , Parviniannasab Ali Mohammad
Published: August 2023

Background

Resilience is the ability to overcome adversity in response to a potentially traumatic event. It can relieve people’s discomfort and build personal capacity when facing a stressful situation such as beta thalassemia major. Resilience is a complex and multidimensional concept and is influenced by protective and risk factors. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to (1) investigate the relationship between protective (social support and hope) and risk (uncertainty and defensive coping) factors with resilience and (2) examine the mediating role of courageous coping between these protective and risk factors in resilience.

Methods

This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 312 adolescents and young adults with beta-thalassemia major aged 12–24 years; they were selected using purposeful sampling from two different outpatient thalassemia clinics in the south of Iran. Data were collected in a face-to-face survey using Zimmet Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Herth Hope, Stewart Uncertainty in Illness scale, Jalowiec Coping, and Connor–Davidson resilience Scale from April 2022 to November 2022. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive tests, Pearson correlation, and a structural equation model.

Results

According to the main findings of mediation analysis, courageous coping partially mediated the relationship between social support and resilience [(β = 0.042; 95% BC CI (0.003, 0.131)] and fully mediated the relationship between hope and resilience [(β = 0.166; 95% BC CI (0.031, 0.348)]. In other cases, uncertainty and defensive coping had a direct and indirect effect on resilience, respectively.

Conclusion

Based on these results, health professionals and healthcare policymakers should consider this mediator in developing programs to improve resilience. Also, the use of courageous coping could modulate the effect of defensive coping on resilience. Therefore, teaching the use of courageous coping can play an important role in improving resilience.
The effect of childhood trauma and resilience on psychopathology in adulthood: Does bullying moderate the associations?
Authors: Švecová Júlia , Furstova Jana , Kaščáková Natália , Hašto Jozef , Tavel Peter
Published: August 2023

Background

Exposure to traumatic events in childhood, including bullying, can negatively affect physical and mental health in adulthood. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of bullying in different sociodemographic groups of the Slovak Republic and to assess the moderating effect of bullying on the associations between childhood trauma, resilience, and the later occurrence of psychopathology.

Methods

For the analyses, a representative sample of the population of the Slovak Republic was used (N = 1018, mean age 46.24 years, 48.7% of men). Multivariate linear regression models were used to investigate the predictive ability of childhood trauma (The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ) and resilience (The Brief Resilience Scale, BRS) to explain psychopathology (The Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI-53). Bullying (The Adverse Childhood Experiences – International Questionnaire, ACE-IQ) was used as a moderator.

Results

In total, 13.5% of respondents have experienced bullying. The most common form of bullying was making fun of someone because of how their body or face looked (46.7%) and excluding someone from activities or ignoring them (36.5%). Higher scores in all types of psychopathology and the Global Severity Index (GSI) were significantly associated with higher scores of emotional and sexual abuse, and some of them with physical neglect. The protective effect of resilience was moderated by bullying in several types of psychopathology, specifically in somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, psychoticism, and the GSI.

Conclusion

Understanding the links between childhood trauma, bullying, and later psychopathology can help professionals target policies, resources, and interventions to support children and families at risk. Every child should feel accepted and safe at home and school.
A novel ELOVL4 variant, L168S, causes early childhood-onset Spinocerebellar ataxia-34 and retinal dysfunction: a case report
Authors: Gyening Yeboah Kofi , Boris Keren , Cyril Mignot , Brush Richard S. , Nassogne Marie-Cécile , Agbaga Martin-Paul
Published: August 2023

Spinocerebellar ataxia 34 (SCA34) is an autosomal dominant inherited disease characterized by age-related cerebellar degeneration and ataxia caused by mutations in the Elongation of Very Long Chain Fatty Acid-4 (ELOVL4) gene. The ELOVL4 enzyme catalyzes the biosynthesis of both very long chain saturated fatty acids (VLC-SFA) and very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFA) that are important for neuronal, reproductive, and skin function. Several variants in ELOVL4 have been shown to cause different tissue-specific disorders including SCA34 with or without Erythrokeratodermia Variabilis (EKV), a skin condition characterized by dry, scaly skin, Autosomal Dominant Stargardt-Like Macular Dystrophy (STGD3), and seizures associated with neuro-ichthyotic disorders. What is puzzling is how different mutations in the same gene seem to cause different tissue-specific disorders. To date, no SCA34 patients have presented with both SCA34 and STGD3 pathology that is caused by ELOVL4 variants that cause truncation of ELOVL4. Here, we report a novel case of an early childhood onset and rapidly progressive cerebellar degeneration and retinal dysfunction in a Belgian-Italian girl who developed severe dysarthria and gait problems starting at about 3.5 years of age and progressed to immobility by 4.5 years of age. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed progressive vermian, cerebellar, cortical atrophy, progressive corpus callosum slimming, and hot cross bun sign visible on the MRI. Ophthalmological examinations also revealed progressive macular dysfunction as measured by electroretinography. Using exome sequencing, we identified a novel heterozygous ELOVL4 variant, c.503 T > C (p. L168S) in the patient. To understand the enzymatic function of this novel ELOVL4 variant and how it alters the levels of VLC-PUFA and VLC-SFA biosynthesis to contribute to cerebellar and retinal dysfunction, we expressed wild-type ELOVL4 or the L168S ELOVL4 variant in cell culture and supplemented the cultures with VLC-PUFA or VLC-SFA precursors. We showed that the L168S ELOVL4 variant is deficient in the biosynthesis of VLC-SFA and VLC-PUFA. Our work suggests that differential depletion of these fatty acids may be a contributing factor to the pathogenic mechanism of SCA34 with or without EKV. Further studies will help further define how the different ELOVL4 variants cause different tissue-specific disorders with variable ages of onset.
16S metabarcoding, total soil DNA content, and functional bacterial genes quantification to characterize soils under long-term organic and conventional farming systems
Authors: Maretto Laura , Deb Saptarathi , Ravi Samathmika , Della Lucia Maria Cristina , Borella Matteo , Campagna Giovanni , Squartini Andrea , Concheri Giuseppe , Nardi Serenella , Stevanato Piergiorgio
Published: August 2023

Background

The threatening impact of conventional agriculture (CA) on soils could be due to the detrimental effects on soil microbial communities. Conversely, organic agriculture (OA) is envisaged as potentially enhancing helpful microbial communities and is proposed as environmentally sustainable. The soil microbiome influences soil health and quality, hence, it requires deeper investigation and understanding. In this study, applying 16S metabarcoding and qPCR techniques, we compared the microbial patterns of long-term organically and conventionally managed soils to explore their similarities and differences.

Results

Total DNA quantification showed an over 20-fold higher amount of DNA in OA soils (mean = 22.1 ± 3.92 μg g−1), compared to CA soils (mean = 0.95 ± 0.17 μg g−1). While 16S metabarcoding evidenced the absence of significant differences among communities of the two farming systems in terms of ecological indices, the qPCR analyses targeting functional genes reported a significantly higher abundance of all considered targets in OA sites spanning up to four-fold log increases. While OA and CA did not appear to affect overall bacterial diversity or evenness per se, qPCR-based functional analysis in OA showed a consistently higher abundance of all the salient microbial genes tested, when compared to CA, underlying a potentially beneficial impact on soil fertility and sustainability.

Conclusions

In essence, the sequencing-based analysis of absolute bacterial diversity could not differentiate the farming systems based on the amount of diversity but identified a unique set of taxa defining each. Hence, pairing this evaluation with the qPCR-based functional gene analyses can be a suitable approach to distinguish the exerted effects of CA or OA on soils.

Graphical Abstract
Organosolv pretreatment: an in-depth purview of mechanics of the system
Authors: Nair Lakshana G. , Agrawal Komal , Verma Pradeep
Published: August 2023

The concept of biorefinery has been advancing globally and organosolv pretreatment strategy has seen an upsurge in research due to its efficiency in removing the recalcitrant lignin and dissolution of cellulose. The high-performance organosolv system uses green solvents and its reusability contributes concurrently to the biorefinery sector and sustainability. The major advantage of the current system involves the continuous removal of lignin to enhance cellulose accessibility, thereby easing the later biorefinery steps, which were immensely restricted due to the recalcitrant lignin. The current system process can be further explored and enhanced via the amalgamation of new technologies, which is still a work in progress. Thus, the current review summarizes organosolv pretreatment and the range of solvents used, along with a detailed mechanistic approach that results in efficient pretreatment of LCB. The latest developments for designing high-performance pretreatment systems, their pitfalls, and advanced assessments such as Life Cycle Assessment along with Techno-Economic Assessment have also been deliberated to allow an insight into its diverse potential applicability towards a sustainable future.

Graphical Abstract
FPGA design and implementation for adaptive digital chaotic key generator
Authors: Elsayed Ghada , Soleit Elsayed , Kayed Somaya
Published: August 2023

Background

Information security is very important in today’s digital world, especially cybersecurity. The most common requirement in securing data in all services: confidentiality, digital signature, authentication, and data integrity is generating random keys. These random keys should be tested for randomness. Hardware security is more recommended than software. Hardware security has more speed and less exposure to many attacks than software security. Software security is vulnerable to attacks like buffer overflow attacks, side-channel attacks, and Meltdown–Spectre attacks.

Results

In this paper, we propose an FPGA Implementation for the adaptive digital chaotic generator. This algorithm is proposed and tested before. We introduce its implementation as hardware. This algorithm needs a random number seed as input. We propose two designs. The first one has an input random number. The second one has PRNG inside. The target FPGA is Xilinx Spartan 6 xc6slx9-2-cpg196. We used MATLAB HDL Coder for the design. We propose a configurable Key block’s length. For 32 bit the maximum frequency is 15.711 MHz versus 11.635 MHz for the first and second designs respectively. The area utilization of the Number of Slice Registers is 1% versus 2%. The number of Slice Look Up Tables is 40% versus 59%. number of bonded input output blocks is 64% versus 66%. otherwise are the same for the two designs.

Conclusions

In this paper, we propose an efficient and configurable FPGA Design for adaptive digital chaotic key generator. Our design has another advantage of storing the output keys internally and reading them later.
Microbiological analysis of nosocomial pneumonia at Tanta University Chest Hospital
Authors: Elkholy Amira Abdelgalil , Hantera Mohamed Sayed , Abd El-Zaher Ayman Hassan , Mwafy Mai M. , Tourky Amira Samy , Abo Elnoor Mostafa Tarek , Torky Mohamed
Published: August 2023

Background

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) represent a major health problem among hospitalized patients leading to consequent morbidity and mortality specially after Covid-19 era and spread of multidrug-resistance organisms)MDRO) in hospitals.

Aim

This study aimed to analyze the commonest microorganisms responsible for HAP and VAP at Tanta University Chest Hospital.

Methods

This prospective observational study was done at Chest Department, Faculty of Medicine, started from June 2022 to February 2023. Fifty HAP patients’ sputum samples and 50 VAP patients (25 endotracheal aspirates and 25 bronchoalveolar lavages) were included. All collected samples were submitted to standard microbiological tests at Microbiology Department, Tanta Faculty of Medicine.

Results

A total number of 50 HAP and 50 VAP cases were included. Microbial isolates were relatively the same in both groups, where Klebsiella pneumoniae was the predominant isolates (56) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (25), Escherichia coli (14), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13), Acinetobacter baumannii (5), Streptococcus pneumoniae (4), Enterococci (3), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (2), Citrobacter freundii (2), Streptococcus pyogenes (2), Providencia stuartii (1), and 7 isolates of Candida. Antimicrobial susceptibility showed predominance of drug-resistance organisms in VAP (78%) versus HAP (28%), P-value: < 0.001. Klebsiella pneumonia showed higher rates of resistance (37 out of 56 isolates, P-value = 0.020). Four out of 5 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were multidrug resistant, and 2 isolates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia were polydrug resistant. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that intravenous antibiotic administration within last 3 months was associated with risk for MDR-HAP, while univariate regression analysis showed that intravenous antibiotic administration within the last 3 months was the strongest predictor for MDR-VAP. A higher mortality rate was recorded in VAP group (66%), versus (14%) in HAP group (P-value: < 0.001).

Conclusion

Microbial isolates were relatively the same in both HAP and VAP, but VAP showed significant predominance of drug-resistant organisms. The most significant predictor for risk of MDRO infection in HAP and VAP was intravenous antibiotic administration within last 3 months; so, raising attention towards antibiotic choice may improve the outcome. Finally, VAP was associated with higher mortality compared to HAP.
Thermal management strategy for active regeneration of diesel particulate filter
Authors: Guo Shenggang , Zhang Yu , Zhang Xiaoxue , Man Hengxiao , Liu Hao
Published: August 2023

The method of diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) assistance is an effective way to achieve active regeneration of diesel particulate filter (DPF). Therefore, an appropriate DOC inlet temperature is the essential boundary condition for this regeneration process. In this paper, the thermal management measures and a novel strategy based on the requirements of DPF active regeneration have been proposed and studied through experiments. Results show that intake throttling can increase DOC inlet temperature by 45% at high speed and 13% at low speed. However, its effect becomes significant only after the throttle closure exceeds 65%. Near post-injection is a more effective method than intake throttling to increase the DOC inlet temperature, and is suitable for situations where the DOC inlet temperature differs greatly from the target value. Under the premise of economic consideration, the optimal value of near post-injection time is always 20°CA after top dead center (TDC). The near post-injection quantity has a greater effect on DOC inlet temperature than the near post-injection time. However, too large near post-injection quantity can also lead to a sharp deterioration in fuel economy. Meanwhile, a novel thermal management strategy based on engine working zone division is proposed according to the ability of different thermal management measures and the distribution law of original DOC inlet temperature. With this strategy, the DOC inlet temperature in whole engine operating range increases significantly. In steady state, more than 80% of the operating points can reach the target value of 450 ℃. In world harmonized transient cycle (WHTC), the average DOC inlet temperature is also increased by 28.8%.
Endovascular repair for arterio-venous fistula treatment: a case report
Authors: Hayashi Jun , Sekine Yuki , Toyama Shuji , Uchida Tetsuro , Watanabe Tetsuo
Published: August 2023

Background

Arterio-venous fistula is a rare clinical entity that occurs as a result of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm into the inferior vena cava or iliac vein. Open surgery has been considered the treatment of choice for this condition; however, endovascular repair has become an evolving therapeutic option over the past 20 years. The endovascular treatment has contributed to a decrease in the perioperative mortality; nevertheless, some endovascular repair specific concern for residual fistula still remains.

Case presentation

A 70-year-old man was referred to our department for an enlarged inferior vena cava without any complaint. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography demonstrated a 40-mm AAA and a 42-mm right saccular CIAA, with a fistula between the CIAA and left CIV. Endovascular aneurysm repair which focused on the exclusion of the right CIAA and prevention of endoleak formation was performed. To prevent type 2 endoleaks, which cause residual arterio-venous shunt flow, right internal iliac artery was embolized with a vascular plug prior to stent graft procedure. Successful aneurysm exclusion without residual arterio-venous shunt flow was confirmed with a final angiographic examination. The patient had an uneventful recovery, and computed tomography 1 month later showed no sign of persistent fistula.

Conclusions

Although endovascular treatment for AVF has a negative possibility of residual shunt, stent graft with a focus on type 2 endoleak prevention can be an attractive treatment option, reducing the incidence of residual AVF.
Automatic 3D fault detection and characterization — A comparison between seismic attribute methods and deep learning
Authors: Brito Lorenna Sávilla B. , Alaei Behzad , Torabi Anita , Leopoldino-Oliveira Karen M. , Lino Vasconcelos David , Bezerra Francisco Hilário Rego , Nogueira Francisco Cezar Costa
Published: August 2023

Seismic interpretation is crucial for identifying faults, fluid concentrations, and flow migration pathways in the oil and gas industry. Algorithms have been developed to identify faults using seismic data and attributes such as changes in amplitude, phase, polarity, and frequency. Despite technological advancements, challenges remain in seismic interpretation due to noise, quality of data, and fault dimensions. Deep learning has recently been applied to image faults from seismic data, making the process faster and more reliable. This paper evaluates the performance of deep neural networks (DNN) in fault interpretation by comparing the results with traditional seismic attributes in onshore seismic data. Our results indicate that the DNN reveals more structural detail, which is essential in characterizing 3D fault geometry. In addition, DNN results show better continuity, fewer false positives, and are less affected by noise in the onshore seismic data used in this case. The 3D fault model from DNN identifies faults and their fault segments with greater variability of strikes and reveals more minor faults. Based on the DNN fault model, we characterized the 3D geometry of a new fault in the Rio do Peixe Basin without noise influence.
Quantum phase transition in CeCoIn5: Experimental facts and theory
Authors: Shaginyan V. R. , Msezane A. Z. , Zverev M. V. , Leevik Y. S.
Published: August 2023

The condensed-matter community is involved in a hot debate on the nature of quantum critical points (QCP) governing the low-temperature properties of heavy fermion metals. The smeared jump-like behavior revealed both in the residual resistivity

and the Hall resistivity R

H
, along with the violation of the time invariance symmetry

and the charge invariance

, include the violation of quasiparticle-hole symmetry, and provide vital clues on the origin of both the non-Fermi-liquid behavior and QCP. For the first time, based on a number of important experimental data, we show that these experimental observations point out unambiguously that QCP of

is accompanied by the symmetry violation, and QCP itself is represented by the topological fermion-condensation quantum phase transition (FCQPT) connecting two Fermi surfaces of different topological charges.
Higher Risk of Incident Hyperthyroidism in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Huang Pang-Shuo , Cheng Jen-Fang , Chen Jien-Jiun , Wang Yi-Chih , Hwang Juey-Jen , Wu Cho-Kai , Tsai Chia-Ti
Published: August 2023

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been linked to increased hyperthyroidism risk, but contributing factors are unclear.

Objective

We aimed to investigate whether AF could predict hyperthyroidism and related risk factors.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary medical institution and included patients aged 18 years or older with AF but without hyperthyroidism at diagnosis. The endpoint was defined as newly diagnosed hyperthyroidism during the follow-up period.

Results

The study cohort included 8552 participants. Patients who developed new hyperthyroidism were younger and the proportion of females was higher. They had fewer comorbidities, including diabetes (26% vs 29%, P = .121), hypertension (51% vs 58%, P < .001), coronary artery disease (17% vs 25%, P < .001), stroke (16% vs 22%, P < .001), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (6% vs 10%, P = .001). The CHADS2 score was lower in patients with hyperthyroidism (1.74 vs 2.05, P = .031), but there was no statistically significant difference in the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED score. Cox regression analysis identified younger age, female gender, history of congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, non-ESRD status, and lower CHADS2 score but not CHA2DS2-VASc as independent predictors of incident hyperthyroidism during follow-up. We also propose a novel, simple risk stratification score (SAD HEC2 score) with excellent predictive power for incident hyperthyroidism during follow-up.

Conclusion

Our results provide insight into clinical risk factors for the development of hyperthyroidism in AF patients, as identified by the novel SAD HEC2 score. AF appears to be a common precursor of hyperthyroidism.
Global Currents and the Transformation of Space in Indian Ocean Africa
Authors: Prestholdt Jeremy
Published: August 2023

The Indian Ocean region is a continuum of social, economic, and cultural engagements. It is also a remarkably elastic matrix of human relations that has profoundly influenced and been influenced by global engagements. These interregional engagements raise questions of how to frame global circularities within Indian Ocean pasts. How have imbrications with other world regions affected the networks and boundaries of the Indian Ocean region? And how have Indian Ocean societies affected the wider world? To answer these questions this article traces Indian Ocean histories within global contexts between the sixteenth and early twentieth centuries. It offers a stereoscopic history of Indian Ocean Africa that appreciates Indian Ocean linkages alongside the region's global entanglements, which in turn demonstrates how Africa's Indian Ocean rim has affected and been affected by wider global relationships. The article suggests that imbrications of regional and extraregional networks do not negate the Indian Ocean's coherence or the central importance of regional linkages. Rather, it argues that such imbrications prompt alternative ways of perceiving Indian Ocean worlds: namely, as layered matrices shaped by the dual articulation of Indian Ocean rim societies.
Amphibious Media Histories
Authors: Mannil Bindu Menon
Published: August 2023

Film and media circulation between India and cities on the Persian Gulf can be traced back to the 1940s. This article excavates the histories of media goods that made their way to the strictly regimented and highly taxed regimes of India, examining how these mobilities were enacted and what networks were activated in the movement of these goods. The article explores the dhow as an important media infrastructure for the acceleration of media modernity, and it analyzes infrastructure as a poetic object. It takes up and revitalizes infrastructure as aesthetic form, and it subjects visual texts ranging from mainstream commercial movies to independent cinema and photographic projects to closer analysis, through the assembly of infrastructure and aquatic elements. Combining textual analysis with accounts from divergent sources such as customs department personnel, distributors of audio and video, shipping agents, and contemporary periodicals, the article resurrects a history of confluence of media technologies, ocean movement, and coastal media markets. Through tracing such practices and the infrastructural narratives of the dhow, this article argues for a history of film and media in the Indian Ocean littoral that is more than the flow of texts.
Corpse Politics and the Traveling Bones of Jamaluddin al-Afghani
Authors: Utne Kelsey J.
Published: August 2023

Forty-seven years after his death, Jamaluddin al-Afghani was reburied in Kabul. Amid the chaos of World War II, Afghanistan had enlisted the governments of British India, Turkey, and Iraq in a scheme to bring the bones of this nineteenth-century intellectual and Pan-Islamist out of exile in Istanbul, where they had lain buried since 1897. The subsequent exhumation, transnational corpse transfer, and reinterment in Kabul provoked the ire of the Iranian state, which contested Afghanistan's claim to be Jamaluddin's natal state. The significance of Jamaluddin's corpse was inseparable from certain aspects of his self-curated hagiography as a consummate wanderer and anti-imperial Pan-Islamist. Consequently, the two states competed for custody of his remains. This transregional case study engages multidisciplinary scholarship on commemoration of the dead and remaking nationalist spaces. The article proposes that the physical location of the dead conjoined with individual hagiographies is key to disrupting or reifying nationalist narratives.
On Ottoman, British, and Belgian Monarchs' Ownership of Private Property in the Late Nineteenth Century
Authors: Yücel Naz
Published: August 2023

This article investigates the transformation of three coeval monarchs—Sultan Abdülhamid II (r. 1876–1909), Queen Victoria (r. 1837–1901), and King Leopold II (r. 1865–1909)—into private landed property owners in the late nineteenth century. In its comparisons, the article centers Sultan Abdülhamid II's transformation into a private landed property owner with the separation of his privy purse from the state treasury in the early 1880s, to show that despite the distinctive specificities of Ottoman law, institutions, and imperial finances, all three monarchs used private ownership of landed property as private individuals. This article not only joins the extended scholarly literature criticizing characterizations of an unproblematic capitalist “West” or “Europe” whose market society is underpinned by development of “private property” against a stagnant and undifferentiated “East” but also complicates the liberal distinction of “state” and “society” by focusing on the private property ownership of the pinnacle of “state actors,” the monarchs.
Low colostrum intake results in potential accumulation of peroxisome lipid substrates in vaginal tissue of 3-week-old gilts
Authors: Mills Kayla , Sheets Jocelyn , Teeple Kelsey , Mann Adrianna , Suarez-Trujillo Aridany , Stewart Kara , Ferreira Christina , Casey Theresa
Published: August 2023

Low colostrum intake relates to poorer health and infertility in swine. We previously connected vaginal lipid profiles at weaning to fertility of sows. We hypothesized vaginal lipidome varied with colostrum intake. Our objective was to determine whether indicators of colostrum intake, immunocrit (IM) and weight gain 24 h postnatal (PN), related to vaginal lipids at d21 PN. Gilts (n=60) were weighed and blood sampled to measure IM. On d21 PN vaginal swabs were taken and lipids measured using multiple reaction monitoring. Abundance of multiple lipids differed (P<0.05) between gilts categorized as high versus low IM and high versus low 24 h gain. The abundance of multiple lipids correlated with IM and 24 h gain. Phosphatidylcholine PC(36:3), PC(36:2), and arachidonic acid (C20:4) positively (P<0.05) correlated with IM. The ether lipid PCo(38:6) and multiple cholesteryl esters negatively (P<0.05) correlated with IM. ROC analysis indicated arachidonic acid and docosanoic acid (C22:0) may serve as excellent biomarkers that distinguish between high and low IM. Similar to gilts found to be infertile, lipid profiles of low colostrum intake animals had greater abundance of very long chain fatty acids, lipids with high levels of unsaturation, and cholesteryl esters, which are metabolized in peroxisomes indicating their potential dysfunction.
A humanized Caenorhabditis elegans model of hereditary spastic paraplegia-associated variants in KLC4
Authors: Gümüşderelioğlu Selin , Resch Lauren , Brock Trisha ,   Undiagnosed Diseases Network, Luxton G. W. Gant , Cope Heidi , Tan Queenie K.-G. , Hopkins Christopher , Starr Daniel A.
Published: August 2023

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of degenerative neurological disorders. We identified a variant in human kinesin light chain 4 (KLC4) that is suspected to be associated with autosomal-dominant HSP. How this and other variants relate to pathologies is unknown. We created a humanized Caenorhabditis elegans model in which klc-2 was replaced by human KLC4 (referred to as hKLC4) and assessed the extent to which hKLC4 retained function in the worm. We observed a slight decrease in motility but no nuclear migration defects in the humanized worms, suggesting that hKLC4 retains much of the function of klc-2. Five hKLC4 variants were introduced into the humanized model. The clinical variant led to early lethality, with significant defects in nuclear migration when homozygous and a weak nuclear migration defect when heterozygous, possibly correlating with the clinical finding of late-onset HSP when the proband was heterozygous. Thus, we were able to establish humanized C. elegans as an animal model for HSP and to use it to test the significance of five variants of uncertain significance in the human gene KLC4.
The endosomal system of primary human vascular endothelial cells and albumin–FcRn trafficking
Authors: Pannek Andreas , Becker-Gotot Janine , Dower Steven K. , Verhagen Anne M. , Gleeson Paul A.
Published: August 2023

Human serum albumin (HSA) has a long circulatory half-life owing, in part, to interaction with the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn or FCGRT) in acidic endosomes and recycling of internalised albumin. Vascular endothelial and innate immune cells are considered the most relevant cells for FcRn-mediated albumin homeostasis in vivo. However, little is known about endocytic trafficking of FcRn–albumin complexes in primary human endothelial cells. To investigate FcRn–albumin trafficking in physiologically relevant endothelial cells, we generated primary human vascular endothelial cell lines from blood endothelial precursors, known as blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs). We mapped the endosomal system in BOECs and showed that BOECs efficiently internalise fluorescently labelled HSA predominantly by fluid-phase macropinocytosis. Pulse-chase studies revealed that intracellular HSA molecules co-localised with FcRn in acidic endosomal structures and that the wildtype HSA, but not the non-FcRn-binding HSAH464Q mutant, was excluded from late endosomes and/or lysosomes. Live imaging revealed that HSA is partitioned into FcRn-positive tubules derived from maturing macropinosomes, which are then transported towards the plasma membrane. These findings identify the FcRn–albumin trafficking pathway in primary vascular endothelial cells, relevant to albumin homeostasis.
Acute Effect of Heavy Weightlifting on the Pelvic Floor Muscles in Strength-Trained Women – An Experimental Crossover Study
Authors: Skaug Kristina Lindquist , Engh Marie Ellström , Bø Kari
Published: August 2023

Introduction/Purpose

Heavy lifting may produce strain on the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) due to high increases in intraabdominal pressure, but knowledge of the impact of weightlifting on the PFM is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate acute effects of heavy weightlifting on the PFM in strength-trained women and whether general strength in whole-body exercises correlated to PFM strength.

Methods

Forty-seven nulliparous women between 18-35 years who regularly performed weightlifting and were able to lift their own body weight x 1.2 in back squat and 1.5 in deadlift were included in this experimental crossover study. They participated in baseline evaluations (questionnaire/measurements of background characteristics and pelvic floor disorders, 1 repetition maximum (1RM) tests in back squat and deadlift) and one test day where they were randomized to start with 60 minutes of weightlifting (4 sets of 4 repetitions at 75-85% of 1RM in back squat and deadlift) or seated rest of 60 minutes. Vaginal pressure measurements of PFM resting pressure, strength, and endurance and sEMG-measurements of PFM resting activity were performed before/after weightlifting and rest.

Results

No statistically significant differences were found when comparing the change in PFM resting pressure, strength, endurance, and resting activity after heavy weightlifting and rest. There were no statistically significant correlations between PFM strength and maximum (1RM) or relative strength (1RM/bodyweight) in either back squat or deadlift.

Conclusions

Our results imply that heavy weightlifting is well tolerated by the PFM in short-term among young, nulliparous, and strength-trained women. Strength in whole-body exercises was not correlated to PFM strength.
Eligibility for obesity management in Peru: Analysis of National Health Surveys from 2014 to 2022
Authors: Bernabe-Ortiz Antonio , Carrillo-Larco Rodrigo M.
Published: August 2023

Background:

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased fastest in low- and middle-income countries in the last decades. Together with this rising prevalence, pharmacological and surgical interventions for obesity have emerged. How many people need these treatments is unknown. We quantified the prevalence of people in need of pharmacological and surgical treatment for obesity in Peru between 2014 and 2022.

Methods:

Repeated cross-sectional analysis of national health surveys in Peru was conducted. Eligibility for pharmacological treatment for obesity was: body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 or BMI ≥27 kg/m2 alongside type 2 diabetes or hypertension (self-reported). Eligibility for bariatric surgery were BMI ≥40 kg/m2 or BMI between 35 to 39.9 kg/m2 linked to weight-related health problems. We used Poisson regressions to identify associated factors with eligibility for obesity management.

Results:

Across years, 260,131 people (mean age 44.0 and 54.5% were women) were studied, 66,629 (27.7%; 95% CI: 27.4% - 28.1%) were eligible for obesity medication, and 5,263 (2.5%; 95% CI: 2.4% - 2.6%) were eligible for bariatric surgery. Female sex, older age, higher socioeconomic level and study year were associated with higher probability of eligibility for both obesity medication and bariatric surgery.

Conclusions:

Eligibility for obesity management has increased over time in Peru. There is a need to strengthen policies to tackle overweight and obesity in Peru, acknowledging that some individuals may benefit from pharmacological and surgical interventions.
The genome sequence of the Italian Tubic, Metalampra italica (Baldizzone, 1977)
Authors: Broad Gavin R. ,   Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: August 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Metalampra italica (the Italian Tubic; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Oecophoridae). The genome sequence is 319.4 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the W and Z sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.56 kilobases in length.