bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Hardware Approach For Accelerating Inductive Learning In Description Logic
Authors: Algahtani Eyad
Published: May 2024

The employment of Machine Learning (ML) techniques in embedded systems has seen constant growth in recent years, especially for black-box ML techniques (such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)). However, despite the successful employment of ML techniques in embedded environments, their performance potential is constrained by the limited computing resources of their embedded computers. Several hardware-based approaches were developed (e.g., using FPGAs and ASICs) to address the constraints of limited computing resources. The scope of this work focuses on improving the performance for Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) on embedded environments. ILP is a powerful logic-based ML technique that uses logic programming to construct human-interpretable ML models, where those logic-based ML models are capable of describing complex and multi-relational concepts. In this work, we present a hardware-based approach that accelerates the hypothesis evaluation task for ILPs in embedded environments that use Description Logic (DL) languages as their logic-based representation. In particular, we target the

\(\mathcal {ALCQ}^{\mathcal {(D)}}\)

language. According to experimental results (through an FPGA implementation), our presented approach has achieved speedups up to 48.7-fold for a disjunction of 32 concepts on 100 M individuals, where the baseline performance is the sequential CPU performance of the Raspberry Pi 4. For role and concrete role restrictions, the FPGA implementation achieved speedups up to 2.4-fold (for MIN cardinality role restriction on 1M role assertions); all FPGA implemented role and concrete role restrictions have achieved similar speedups. In the worst-case scenario, the FPGA implementation achieved either a similar or slightly better performance than the baseline (for all DL operations); the worst-case scenario resulted from using small datasets such as: using conjunction and disjunction on < 100 individuals, and using role and concrete (float/string) role restrictions on < 100,000 assertions.
Color Theme Evaluation through User Preference Modeling
Authors: Yang Bailin , Wei Tianxiang , Li Frederick W. B. , Liang Xiaohui , Deng Zhigang , Fang Yili
Published: May 2024

Color composition (or color theme) is a key factor to determine how well a piece of art work or graphical design is perceived by humans. Despite a few color harmony models have been proposed, their results are often less satisfactory since they mostly neglect the variations of aesthetic cognition among individuals and treat the influence of all ratings equally as if they were all rated by the same anonymous user. To overcome this issue, in this article we propose a new color theme evaluation model by combining a back propagation neural network and a kernel probabilistic model to infer both the color theme rating and the user aesthetic preference. Our experiment results show that our model can predict more accurate and personalized color theme ratings than state of the art methods. Our work is also the first-of-its-kind effort to quantitatively evaluate the correlation between user aesthetic preferences and color harmonies of five-color themes, and study such a relation for users with different aesthetic cognition.
Designing Digital Voting Systems for Citizens: Achieving Fairness and Legitimacy in Participatory Budgeting
Authors: Yang Joshua C. , Hausladen Carina I. , Peters Dominik , Pournaras Evangelos , Hnggli Fricker Regula , Helbing Dirk
Published: May 2024

Participatory Budgeting (PB) has evolved into a key democratic instrument for resource allocation in cities. Enabled by digital platforms, cities now have the opportunity to let citizens directly propose and vote on urban projects, using different voting input and aggregation rules. However, the choices cities make in terms of the rules of their PB have often not been informed by academic studies on voter behaviour and preferences. Therefore, this work presents the results of behavioural experiments where participants were asked to vote in a fictional PB setting. We identified approaches to designing PB voting that minimise cognitive load and enhance the perceived fairness and legitimacy of the digital process from the citizens’ perspective. In our study, participants preferred voting input formats that are more expressive (like rankings and distributing points) over simpler formats (like approval voting). Participants also indicated a desire for the budget to be fairly distributed across city districts and project categories. Participants found the Method of Equal Shares voting rule to be fairer than the conventional Greedy voting rule. These findings offer actionable insights for digital governance, contributing to the development of fairer and more transparent digital systems and collective decision-making processes for citizens.
Quantum Circuit Cutting for Classical Shadows
Authors: Chen Daniel Tzu Shiuan , Saleem Zain Hamid , Perlin Michael Alexandrovich
Published: May 2024

Classical shadow tomography is a sample-efficient technique for characterizing quantum systems and predicting many of their properties. Circuit cutting is a technique for dividing large quantum circuits into smaller fragments that can be executed more robustly using fewer quantum resources. We introduce a divide-and-conquer circuit cutting method for estimating the expectation values of observables using classical shadows. We derive a general formula for making predictions using the classical shadows of circuit fragments from arbitrarily cut circuits and provide the sample complexity analysis for the case when observables factorize across fragments. Then, we numerically show that our divide-and-conquer method outperforms traditional uncut shadow tomography when estimating high-weight observables that act non-trivially on many qubits and discuss the mechanisms for this advantage.
On Mean-Optimal Robust Linear Discriminant Analysis
Authors: Li Xiangyu , Wang Hua
Published: May 2024

Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is widely used for dimensionality reduction under supervised learning settings. Traditional LDA objective aims to minimize the ratio of the squared Euclidean distances that may not perform optimally on noisy datasets. Multiple robust LDA objectives have been proposed to address this problem, but their implementations have two major limitations. One is that their mean calculations use the squared

\(\ell_{2}\)

-norm distance to center the data, which is not valid when the objective depends on other distance functions. The second problem is that there is no generalized optimization algorithm to solve different robust LDA objectives. In addition, most existing algorithms can only guarantee that the solution is locally optimal rather than globally optimal. In this article, we review multiple robust loss functions and propose a new and generalized robust objective for LDA. Besides, to remove the mean value within data better, our objective uses an optimal way to center the data through learning. As one important algorithmic contribution, we derive an efficient iterative algorithm to optimize the resulting non-smooth and non-convex objective function. We theoretically prove that our solution algorithm guarantees that both the objective and the solution sequences converge to globally optimal solutions at a sub-linear convergence rate. The results of comprehensive experimental evaluations demonstrate the effectiveness of our new method, achieving significant improvements compared to the other competing methods.
Social Perception with Graph Attention Network for Recommendation
Authors: Jiang JieLin , Guo Pengcheng , Xu Xiaolong , Wu Jintao , Cui Yan
Published: May 2024

Recommendation systems are designed to uncover users’ potential preferences and make recommendations. However, they often face challenges such as data sparsity and the cold start problem. Although the introduction of knowledge graphs has partially addressed the issue of data sparsity, the challenge of cold start has not been effectively resolved. In this paper, a novel approach called
Social Perception with Graph Attention Network (SPGAT)
for Recommendation is proposed. In SPGAT, we aim to leverage social perception to solve the cold start effectively for more accurate recommendations. The approach utilizes a multi-layer graph attention network to aggregate user preference features from collaborative knowledge graphs and social perception graphs. By analyzing the social network of a new user, associated friend users can be identified. The interaction data of these friend users is then provided as side information to recommend to the new user. To handle one-to-many and many-to-many relations, we introduce the TransD graph embedding model, which maps different types of relations and entities to different spaces. To optimize the proposed SPGAT, self-adversarial negative sampling is utilized to implement entity and relation embedding and generate negative samples. Experimental results demonstrate that SPGAT has achieved superior performance compared to several advanced methods.
Continuous Space-Time Video Super-Resolution with Multi-Stage Motion Information Reorganization
Authors: Zhang Yuantong , Yang Daiqin , Chen Zhenzhong , Ding Wenpeng
Published: May 2024

Space-time video super-resolution (ST-VSR) aims to simultaneously expand a given source video to a higher frame rate and resolution. However, most existing schemes either consider fixed intermediate time and scale or fail to exploit long-range temporal information due to model design or inefficient motion estimation and compensation. To address these problems, we propose a continuous ST-VSR method to convert the given video to any frame rate and spatial resolution with Multi-
s
tage
M
otion information
r
eorganization (MsMr). To achieve time-arbitrary interpolation, we propose a forward warping guided frame synthesis module and an optical flow-guided context consistency loss to better approximate extreme motion and preserve similar structures among input and prediction frames. To realize continuous spatial upsampling, we design a memory-friendly cascading depth-to-space module. Meanwhile, with the sophisticated reorganization of optical flow, MsMr realizes more efficient motion estimation and motion compensation, making it possible to propagate information from long-range neighboring frames and achieve better reconstruction quality. Extensive experiments show that the proposed algorithm is flexible and performs better on various datasets than the state-of-the-art methods. The code will be available at
https://github.com/hahazh/LD-STVSR
.
Multiparametric MRI and 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT for the Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer
Authors: Privé Bastiaan M. , Israël Bas , Janssen Marcel J. R. , van der Leest Marloes M. G. , de Rooij Maarten , van Ipenburg Jolique A. , Jonker Marianne , Peters Steffie M. B. , de Groot Michel , Zámecnik Patrik , Hoepping Alexander , Bomers Joyce G. , Gotthardt Martin , Sedelaar J. P. Michiel , Barentsz Jelle O. , van Oort Inge M. , Nagarajah James
Published: May 2024

Fluorine 18 prostate-specific membrane antigen 1007 PET/CT showed good sensitivity and moderate specificity for the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer, effectively ruling this out in 93% of participants with Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System category 3 lesions.
Patient Characteristics Impact Performance of AI Algorithm in Interpreting Negative Screening Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Studies
Authors: Nguyen Derek L. , Ren Yinhao , Jones Tyler M. , Thomas Samantha M. , Lo Joseph Y. , Grimm Lars J.
Published: May 2024

Patient characteristics influenced the performance of a commercially available artificial intelligence algorithm analyzing true-negative screening digital breast tomosynthesis studies.
Evaluation of Reliability, Repeatability, Robustness, and Confidence of GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 on a Radiology Board–style Examination
Authors: Krishna Satheesh , Bhambra Nishaant , Bleakney Robert , Bhayana Rajesh
Published: May 2024

Default GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 were reliably accurate over three attempts at answering radiology board–style multiple-choice questions but had poor repeatability and robustness and were frequently overconfident, limiting usability without domain-specific optimization.
IL-22 regulates MASTL expression in intestinal epithelial cells
Authors: Pravoverov Kristina , Fatima Iram , Barman Susmita , Jühling Frank , Primeaux Mark , Baumert Thomas F. , Singh Amar B. , Dhawan Punita
Published: May 2024

MASTL is upregulated in colorectal cancer; however, its role in colitis and colitis-associated cancer is poorly understood. This study is the first to draw a link between MASTL and IL-22, a proinflammatory/intestinal epithelial recovery-promoting cytokine that is also implicated in colon tumorigenesis. We propose that IL-22 increases MASTL protein stability by promoting its association with CAIX potentially via AKT signaling to promote cell survival and proliferation.
A comprehensive map of proteoglycan expression and deposition in the pulmonary arterial wall in health and pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Mutgan Ayse Ceren , Radic Nemanja , Valzano Francesco , Crnkovic Slaven , El-Merhie Natalia , Evermann Matthias , Hoetzenecker Konrad , Foris Vasile , Brcic Luka , Marsh Leigh M. , Tran-Lundmark Karin , Jandl Katharina , Kwapiszewska Grazyna
Published: May 2024

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) pulmonary arteries (PAs) displayed the greatest proteoglycan (PG) changes, with PH associated with pulmonary fibrosis (PH-PF) and PH associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PH-COPD) following. Agrin, an endothelial cell-specific PG, was solely upregulated in IPAH. Among all cells, neo-intima-forming smooth muscle cells (SMCs) displayed the most significant PG increase. Increased levels of circulating decorin, lumican, and versican, mainly derived from SMCs, and adventitial fibroblasts, may serve as systemic indicators of pulmonary remodeling, reflecting perivascular fibrosis and neointima formation.
Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced senescence in human lung fibroblasts
Authors: Koloko Ngassie Maunick Lefin , Drake Li Y. , Roos Benjamin B. , Koenig-Kappes Amanda , Pabelick Christina M. , Gosens Reinoud , Brandsma Corry-Anke , Burgess Janette K. , Prakash Y. S.
Published: May 2024

The current study establishes functional links between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cellular senescence per se in the specific context of aging human lung fibroblasts. Recognizing that the process of aging per se is complex, modulated by the myriad of lifelong and environmental exposures, it is striking to note that chronic ER stress may play a crucial role in the establishment and maintenance of cellular senescence in lung fibroblasts.
CXCR3-independent role of CXCL10 in alveolar epithelial repair
Authors: Zhang Yanli , Liang Jiurong , Ye Jun , Liu Ningshan , Noble Paul W. , Jiang Dianhua
Published: May 2024

CXCL10 may aid in lung injury recovery by promoting the proliferation of alveolar stem cells and using a distinct regulatory pathway from the classical one.
Does acute heat stress alter lactation performance in postpartum mothers?
Authors: Lefebvre KarLee , Razi Yasamin , Klarner Taryn , Newhouse Ian , Ravanelli Nicholas
Published: May 2024

Introduction: Heat stress has been shown to acutely decrease lactation performance in various mammalian species, however whether a similar effect is present in humans remains largely unexplored. Objective and hypothesis: The objective of the present study was to determine whether an acute whole-body heat stress reduces lactation performance in postpartum mothers in the proceeding 24 h. Methods: To date, 9 postpartum mothers (32±4 y; 1.6 ±0.1 m; 67±13 kg; 8±3 months postpartum) have participated in the study. During the 24 h period before and after the acute passive heat stress, participants were asked to record their voluntary fluid intake and their milk production defined as the volume of expressed milk and/or breastfeeding volume based on the baby’s weight before and immediately after nursing, accounting for evaporative water losses. The passive heat stress protocol involved participants laying supine while donning a tube-lined garment continuously perfused with 49°C water for 60 minutes. Rectal temperature and heart rate were measured during the passive heat stress intervention to confirm thermal strain, and whole-body sweat losses were calculated as the net difference in body mass following passive heat stress. Results: The 60-minute passive heat stress protocol increased rectal temperature by 0.4±0.3°C, increased heart rate (17±12 BPM), and resulted in a whole-body sweat loss of 278±201 g. The frequency of lactation was similar during the 24 h before (5.4±1.6 times) and 24 h after (5.1±1.1 times, P=0.20) acute passive heat stress. The total volume of human milk production in the 24 h prior to heat stress was not different to the 24 h following heat stress (pre: 327±123 ml, post: 312±148 ml, P=0.33). Maternal fluid intake was higher during the 24 h after passive heat stress (1561±73 ml) in comparison to the 24 h before (1377±244 ml, P=0.05). Conclusion: Preliminary data suggests that an acute bout of whole-body heat stress does not modulate lactation performance in postpartum mothers.

This research was supported by Dr. Ravanelli’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (PIN#2022-05096).

This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.
Development of White Cabbage, Coffee, and Red Onion Extracts as Natural Phosphodiesterase-4B (PDE4B) Inhibitors for Cognitive Dysfunction: In Vitro and In Silico Studies
Authors: Ahmad Nazir , Lesa Kaisun Nesa , Ujiantari Navista Sri Octa , Sudarmanto Ari , Fakhrudin Nanang , Ikawati Zullies
Published: May 2024

Human cognition fundamentally depends on memory. Alzheimer’s disease exhibits a strong correlation with a decline in this factor. Phosphodiesterase-4 B (PDE4B) plays a crucial role in neurodegenerative disorders, and its inhibition is one of the promising approaches for memory enhancement. This study aimed to identify secondary metabolites in white cabbage, coffee, and red onion extracts and identify their molecular interaction with PDE4B by in silico and in vitro experiments. Crushed white cabbage and red onion were macerated separately with ethanol to yield respective extracts, and ground coffee was boiled with water to produce aqueous extract. Thin layer chromatography (TLC)–densitometry was used to examine the phytochemicals present in white cabbage, coffee, and red onion extracts. Molecular docking studies were performed to know the interaction of test compounds with PDE4B. TLC-densitometry analysis showed that chlorogenic acid and quercetin were detected as major compounds in coffee and red onion extracts, respectively. In silico studies revealed that alpha-tocopherol (binding free energy (∆Gbind) = −38.00 kcal/mol) has the strongest interaction with PDE4B whereas chlorogenic acid (∆Gbind = −21.50 kcal/mol) and quercetin (∆Gbind = −17.25 kcal/mol) exhibited moderate interaction. In vitro assay showed that the combination extracts (cabbage, coffee, and red onion) had a stronger activity (half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 0.12 ± 0.03 µM) than combination standards (sinigrin, chlorogenic acid, and quercetin) (IC50 = 0.17 ± 0.03 µM) and rolipram (IC50 = 0.15 ± 0.008 µM). Thus, the combination extracts are a promising cognitive enhancer by blocking PDE4B activity.
Echinatin Inhibits Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Processes in Trophoblast Cells by Inhibiting TLR4‐MyD88‐NF‐κB Pathway in Preeclampsia
Authors: Deng Xiangyun , Chen Hu , Zhang Yang , Xu Fengmei , Zhou Qian
Published: May 2024

Background. Preeclampsia (PE) is a common obstetric disorder hallmarked by impaired trophoblast invasion and a skew toward an inflammatory immune response. Echinatin, a flavonoid with established anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities, may offer therapeutic benefits in PE. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of echinatin on preeclampsia in vitro and in vivo and to reveal the potential molecular mechanism of its action. Methods. Eighteen adult female Sprague Dawley rats were randomized into three experimental groups: a PE model group, a PE + echinatin treatment group, and a PE + echinatin treatment group with TLR4 overexpression. Placental tissue CK7 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. TUNEL immunofluorescence staining quantified placental cell apoptosis. Cell viability, proliferation, and migration were evaluated using cell counting kit‐8, EdU incorporation, and Transwell assays, respectively. Oxidative stress parameters of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase were measured. Flow cytometry determined cell apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Western blotting evaluated the expression of proteins related to the TLR4‐MyD88‐NF‐κB signaling pathway, and the concentrations of TNF‐α, IL‐6, and IL‐18 were measured with ELISA kits. Results. Echinatin mitigated placental damage, reduced apoptosis, and increased CK7 expression. It significantly enhanced HTR‐8/SVneo cell viability and migration. Echinatin also counteracted H2O2‐induced ROS production and cell death in HTR‐8/SVneo cells. Moreover, it inhibited the expression of proteins within the TLR4‐MyD88‐NF‐κB signaling cascade. Overexpression of TLR4 negated echinatin’s protective effects. Conclusion. Echinatin exerts protective effects against oxidative stress and inflammation in PE by targeting the TLR4‐MyD88‐NF‐κB pathway, suggesting its therapeutic potential for the management of preeclampsia.
Composite Electromagnetic Scattering Characteristics of Actual Terrain and Moving Rockets
Authors: Peng Guanhongye , Ren Xincheng , Guo Lixin , Zhu Xiaomin , Yang Pengju , Zhao Ye , Zhang Bohang , Wu Guoshan
Published: May 2024

This research involved studying the characteristics of composite electromagnetic scattering from a rocket moving above actual terrain using the finite-difference time-domain method. The angular distribution curve of the composite scattering coefficient was obtained, and the influences of factors such as the angle of incidence, the frequency of the incident electromagnetic wave, the content of moisture in soil, the dielectric constant of the rocket-shell material, the height of the rocket, and the undulation of the terrain on the composite scattering coefficient were investigated. Results show that the composite scattering coefficient oscillates with the scattering angle and increases in the direction of mirror reflection. It also decreases with increasing angle of incidence, frequency of the incident wave, and altitude of the rocket, while it increases with increasing soil moisture and dielectric constant of the rocket-shell materials. Although the influence of different terrain undulations on the composite scattering coefficient is noticeable, it follows no fixed pattern.
Enough Terror to Belong: The Nonlinear Association of Death Anxiety with Group Identification
Authors: Li Chao , Dang Jianning , Liu Li
Published: May 2024

Death anxiety is presumed to be positively associated with group identification; however, recent evidence of a null correlation between the two constructs raises questions regarding this assumption. In contrast to the traditional linear perspective, we proposed and tested a J-shaped curvilinear association that only death anxiety beyond a certain threshold predicts group identification. Using two-wave longitudinal data from the UK, study 1 (N=1,402) revealed that only after reaching a moderate-to-high level could death anxiety measured during the COVID-19 pandemic positively predict later identification with the community, one’s country, and all humanity. Furthermore, using World Values Survey data, study 2 (N=56,871) found that death-related anxiety (i.e., worry about a terrorist attack) was only positively associated with perceived closeness to one’s village, county, and country after reaching a moderate-to-high level. Our findings provide a novel insight into the process of managing terror and the replication failure of the mortality salience effect.
A Comparison of Models for Teaching Suturing and Surgical Skills to Dental Students
Authors: Macluskey Michaelina , Revie Gavin , Shepherd Simon D.
Published: May 2024

Learning suturing skills is an important area of the undergraduate curriculum and ideally requires realistic and anatomically accurate surgical training models to prepare students for treating patients. Little is currently understood regarding which model might be perceived by students to be the best or which might most effectively facilitate their learning. The aim of this study was to compare four teaching models: a tabletop silicon dental model, a restricted access tabletop model, a traditional phantom head mounted model, and a Thiel cadaver. Student preferences were explored for each of the models. Following lecture and video‐based teaching 67 fourth‐year students attended a practical suturing teaching session followed by the second session more focused on the experience of cutting and suturing mucoperiosteal flaps. Forty‐six students (67%) gave online anonymous feedback on the first session. The majority (95%) felt prepared to place a simple interrupted suture on a patient, and 88% felt confident to do so. Twenty‐eight students (40%) provided feedback on the second session with 82% agreeing that they were prepared to cut a mucoperiosteal flap and 48% felt confident to do this for a patient. The cadaver model was rated as the best of the four models for both suturing and mucoperiosteal flap skills. These results support its use for teaching students to suturing and surgical skills. However, despite this teaching student‐rated confidence to cut and suture flaps for a patient remains poor.
An Experimental Study of the Properties of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites Mixed with Rubber Granules
Authors: Joseph Jebaraj Jeremy Jeba Samuel , Rajendran Ramadoss
Published: May 2024

In this research work, the mechanical properties of hybrid composites reinforced with woven carbon fiber mats particulated with natural rubber powders as fillers in the epoxy resin matrix were investigated. The specimens were prepared by the hand‐layup process followed by a vacuum bag moulding process. The vacuum moulding reduces the voids or cavities in the hybrid composites. The natural rubber powder was added in different weight proportions (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%), and carbon fiber is added in 20% for all the specimens. Experiments such as tension testing, flexural testing, water absorption/acid corrosion/base corrosion tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis were conducted to evaluate the epoxy carbon rubber (ECR) composites. The tensile and flexural test findings demonstrated that the addition of 10% natural rubber particles gave better results as compared with other proportions. The water/acid/base absorption test findings reveal that the ECR composites are not affected by water/acid/base. The DMA teat findings show that ECR composites having 10% natural rubber have higher damping factor, storage, and loss modulus. The SEM analysis shows that ECR hybrid composites with 10% rubber particles contained a uniform distribution of rubber particles over reinforcement, and also, there were no cracks and voids. According to this research findings, ECR hybrid composites with 10% natural rubber particles prepared during the vacuum bag moulding process can be used to prepare aerospace interior components.
Life Cycle Patterns of Epigeic Earthworm Species (Eisenia fetida, Eisenia andrei, and Dendrobaena veneta) in a Blend of Brewery Sludge and Cow Dung
Authors: Teferedegn Gezahegn Degefe , Ayele Chirotaw
Published: May 2024

Comprehending the growth and reproductive capabilities of vermicomposting worm species across diverse wastes from various sources is crucial for the effective utilization of earthworms in sustainable waste management systems. This study evaluated the growth and reproductive potential of three epigeic earthworm species in a substrate comprising brewery sludge mixed with cow dung. Following the introduction of sexually matured earthworm species into the experimental substrate, E. fetida released 165 ± 0.88 cocoons at a reproduction rate of 32.8 ± 0.67 cocoons/worm, E. andrei released 164 ± 1.48 cocoons at a cocoon production rate of 32.19 ± 1.38 cocoons/worm, and D. veneta released 110.25 ± 1.2 cocoons at a cocoon production rate of 22.7 ± 1.5 cocoons/worm. The incubation period for E. fetida and E. andrei ranged between 3 and 4 weeks, while D. veneta required a relatively longer period of 5 to 7 weeks. After the introduction of newly hatched hatchlings into the test substrate, a similar pattern of biomass increment was observed between E. fetida and E. andrei, with both species exhibiting progressive growth up to the 5th week. In D. veneta, successive biomass increments were recorded up to the 7th week, after which the biomass of each experimental species gradually declined. The current study demonstrated that all experimental earthworm species exhibited robust growth and reproductive performance in brewery waste mixed with cow dung.
The Worker Flow at the Hive Entrance Predicts When Nest Cleaning is Intensified in Stingless Bees
Authors: Devkota Kedar , dos Santos Charles Fernando , Ferreira Alice Borges , Zuch Júlia Terra , Mishra Binayak Prakash , Blochtein Betina
Published: May 2024

Waste produced by living organisms is commonly disposed of as a prophylactic measure to avoid the spread of diseases and parasite infestation. For social insects, a proportion of workers is allocated to dispose the waste material outside the colony’s nest. However, most nests of social insects have a single entrance, where a high flow of individuals may create congestion, potentially compromising normal foraging activities and colony growth/health. Here, we investigated how two species of stingless bees (Tetragonisca fiebrigi and Plebeia droryana) deal with waste disposal and regular foraging activities, and the impacts of these activities on traffic flow at nest entrances. First, we compared the average traffic of bees assigned to waste removal activities. Following this, we investigated probabilities for waste removal as bee traffic increases. Then, we estimated a cutoff value to predict the likelihood that waste removal activities will be intensified over foraging trips. We found that, on average, the number of bees performing waste removal activities was lower than those undertaking foraging trips for both species. In addition, we observed that as overall bee traffic increases, the number of workers engaged in waste removal reduces or even ceases. Our models indicate that bee traffic of approximately 15 individuals/time is a cutoff score, below which, colonies invest in waste removal and above which, foraging trips are increased. It suggests that both species use the entrances of their colonies in an optimized way by adjusting which tasks should be intensified as the traffic of individuals increases.
Research on Intelligent Detection and Segmentation of Rock Joints Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Peng Lei , Wang Haibo , Zhou Chun , Hu Feng , Tian Xiaoyang , Hongtai Zhu
Published: May 2024

The current methods for detecting joints on tunnel face rely primarily on manual sketches, which are associated with issues of low detection efficiency and subjectivity. To address these concerns, this paper presents an intelligent recognition and segmentation algorithm based on Mask R‐CNN (mask region‐based convolutional neural network) for detecting joint targets on tunnel face images and automatically segmenting them, thereby improving detection efficiency and objectivity of the results. Additionally, to tackle the challenge of low detection accuracy in existing image processing methods, particularly for complex tunnel joint surfaces in dark environments, the paper introduces a path aggregation network (PANet) to enhance the fusion capability of feature information in Mask R‐CNN, thereby improving the accuracy of the intelligent detection method. The algorithm was trained on a dataset of 800 tunnel face images, and the research findings demonstrate that it can quickly detect the position of joints on tunnel face images and assign masks to the joint pixel regions to achieve joint segmentation. The mean average precision (mAP) of the detection boxes and segmentation in the 80 test set images were 58.0% and 49.2%, respectively, which outperforms the original Mask R‐CNN algorithm and other intelligent recognition and segmentation algorithms.
Design of a Charging Station for Electric Vehicles Based on a Photovoltaic‐Biodiesel Hybrid Renewable Energy System Combined with Battery Storage
Authors: Bdour Mathhar , Al-Masri Hussein M. K. , Al-Addous Mohammad , Al-Quraan Ayman , Al-Khasawneh Yaqoub , Bodoor Mu’men , Otoom Mahmood
Published: May 2024

The rapid deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in Jordan requires massive efforts to prepare the infrastructures that serve the transportation sector. The lack of EV charging stations is the major obstacle that faces EV drivers. Utilizing renewable energy in EV charging stations contributes to the spread of these stations. Renewable energy technologies are environmentally friendly as they mitigate greenhouse gases that cause the global warming phenomenon. In this paper, an EV charging station, based on a PV‐biodiesel‐battery hybrid system, is investigated. The importance of this article is to discuss the hybrid system of PV and waste vegetable oil (WVO) along with storage that applies the maximum reliability supply, having an environmentally friendly supply and achieving the lowest energy cost of charging. This station is designed based on renewable and WVO utilization. In fact, WVO, coming from restaurants, is exploited to produce electricity by a diesel generator through direct burning after converting it into biodiesel. The capacity of each station is 14 cars/day with a medium‐speed charger of 7 kW. The system is simulated and optimized using iHOGA software where multiobjective optimization is applied to achieve the minimum net present cost (NPC) and CO2 emissions considering three cases, PV‐diesel, PV‐biodiesel, and PV‐WVO, all with battery‐hybrid system. These values for the EV charging station that uses the PV‐biodiesel‐battery hybrid system are 624408 € and 15.4 tons/year, respectively. The corresponding values are 781473 € and 15.14 tons/year and 615310 € and 18.84 tons/year for the systems that work with diesel and WVO, respectively, and energy cost is achieved in best solution to be 0.11 Euro/kWh. Simulation results show that the proposed technique led to enhanced operational efficiency in terms of both NPC and annual CO2 emissions.
Anti-EGFR Antibody–Drug Conjugate Carrying an Inhibitor Targeting CDK Restricts Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Growth
Authors: Cheung Anthony , Chenoweth Alicia M. , Johansson Annelie , Laddach Roman , Guppy Naomi , Trendell Jennifer , Esapa Benjamina , Mavousian Antranik , Navarro-Llinas Blanca , Haider Syed , Romero-Clavijo Pablo , Hoffmann Ricarda M. , Andriollo Paolo , Rahman Khondaker M. , Jackson Paul , Tsoka Sophia , Irshad Sheeba , Roxanis Ioannis , Grigoriadis Anita , Thurston David E. , Lord Christopher J. , Tutt Andrew N. J. , Karagiannis Sophia N.
Published: May 2024

Purpose:

Anti-EGFR antibodies show limited response in breast cancer, partly due to activation of compensatory pathways. Furthermore, despite the clinical success of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors in hormone receptor–positive tumors, aggressive triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are largely resistant due to CDK2/cyclin E expression, whereas free CDK2 inhibitors display normal tissue toxicity, limiting their therapeutic application. A cetuximab-based antibody drug conjugate (ADC) carrying a CDK inhibitor selected based on oncogene dysregulation, alongside patient subgroup stratification, may provide EGFR-targeted delivery.

Experimental Design:

Expressions of G1/S-phase cell cycle regulators were evaluated alongside EGFR in breast cancer. We conjugated cetuximab with CDK inhibitor SNS-032, for specific delivery to EGFR-expressing cells. We assessed ADC internalization and its antitumor functions in vitro and in orthotopically grown basal-like/TNBC xenografts.

Results:

Transcriptomic (6,173 primary, 27 baseline, and matched post-chemotherapy residual tumors), single-cell RNA sequencing (150,290 cells, 27 treatment-naïve tumors), and spatial transcriptomic (43 tumor sections, 22 TNBCs) analyses confirmed expression of CDK2 and its cyclin partners in basal-like/TNBCs, associated with EGFR. Spatiotemporal live-cell imaging and super-resolution confocal microscopy demonstrated ADC colocalization with late lysosomal clusters. The ADC inhibited cell cycle progression, induced cytotoxicity against high EGFR-expressing tumor cells, and bystander killing of neighboring EGFR-low tumor cells, but minimal effects on immune cells. Despite carrying a small molar fraction (1.65%) of the SNS-032 inhibitor, the ADC restricted EGFR-expressing spheroid and cell line/patient-derived xenograft tumor growth.

Conclusions:

Exploiting EGFR overexpression, and dysregulated cell cycle in aggressive and treatment-refractory tumors, a cetuximab–CDK inhibitor ADC may provide selective and efficacious delivery of cell cycle–targeted agents to basal-like/TNBCs, including chemotherapy-resistant residual disease.
miR-497 Target Gene Regulatory Network in Angiosarcoma
Authors: Benton Annaleigh , Moriarty Noah M. , Terwilliger Emma , Liu Bozhi , Murphy Ant , Maluvac Hannah , Shu Mae , Gartenhaus Lauren E. , Janson Nimod D. , Pfeffer Claire M. , Utturkar Sagar M. , Parkinson Elizabeth I. , Lanman Nadia A. , Hanna Jason A.
Published: May 2024

Angiosarcoma is a vascular sarcoma that is highly aggressive and metastatic. Because of its rarity, treatment options for patients are limited. Therefore, more research is needed to identify possible therapeutic vulnerabilities. We previously found that conditional deletion of Dicer1 drives angiosarcoma development in mice. Given the role of DICER1 in canonical miRNA biogenesis, this suggests that miRNA loss is important in angiosarcoma development. After testing miRNAs previously suggested to have a tumor-suppressive role in angiosarcoma, miRNA-497-5p (miR-497) suppressed cell viability most significantly. We also found that miR-497 overexpression led to significantly reduced cell migration and tumor formation. To understand the mechanism of miR-497 in tumor suppression, we identified clinically relevant target genes using a combination of RNA-sequencing data in an angiosarcoma cell line, expression data from patients with angiosarcoma, and target prediction algorithms. We validated miR-497 direct regulation of cyclin-D2, cyclin-dependent kinase 6, and vesicle amine transport protein 1 (VAT1). One of these genes, VAT1, is an understudied protein that has been suggested to promote cell migration and metastasis in other cancers. Indeed, we find that pharmacologic inhibition of VAT1 with the natural product neocarzilin A reduces angiosarcoma migration.

Implications: This work supports the potent tumor-suppressive abilities of miR-497 in angiosarcoma, providing evidence for its potential as a therapeutic agent, and provides insight into the mechanisms of tumor suppression through analysis of the target gene regulatory network of miR-497.
Aortic Valve Calcification Density Measured by MDCT in the Assessment of Aortic Stenosis Severity
Authors: Powers Andréanne , Ali Mulham , Lavoie Nicolas , Haujir Amal , Mogensen Nils Sofus Borg , Ludwig Sebastian , Øvrehus Kristian Altern , Tastet Lionel , Rhéaume Catherine , Schofer Niklas , Dahl Jordi Sanchez , Clavel Marie-Annick
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND:

Aortic valve calcification (AVC) indexation to the aortic annulus (AA) area measured by Doppler echocardiography (AVCd
Echo
) provides powerful prognostic information in patients with aortic stenosis (AS). However, the indexation by AA measured by multidetector computed tomography (AVCd
CT
) has never been evaluated. The aim of this study was to compare AVC, AVCd
CT
, and AVCd
Echo
with regard to hemodynamic correlations and clinical outcomes in patients with AS.

METHODS:

Data from 889 patients, mainly White, with calcific AS who underwent Doppler echocardiography and multidetector computed tomography within the same episode of care were retrospectively analyzed. AA was measured both by Doppler echocardiography and multidetector computed tomography. AVCd
CT
severity thresholds were established using receiver operating characteristic curve analyses in men and women separately. The primary end point was the occurrence of all-cause mortality.

RESULTS:

Correlations between gradient/velocity and AVCd were stronger (both
P
≤0.005) using AVCd
CT
(r=0.68,
P
<0.001 and r=0.66,
P
<0.001) than AVC (r=0.61,
P
<0.001 and r=0.60,
P
<0.001) or AVCd
Echo
(r=0.61,
P
<0.001 and r=0.59,
P
<0.001). AVCd
CT
thresholds for the identification of severe AS were 334 Agatston units (AU)/cm
2
for women and 467 AU/cm
2
for men. On a median follow-up of 6.62 (6.19–9.69) years, AVCd
CT
ratio was superior to AVC ratio and AVCd
Echo
ratio to predict all-cause mortality in multivariate analyses (hazard ratio [HR], 1.59 [95% CI, 1.26–2.00];
P
<0.001 versus HR, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.11–1.65];
P
=0.003 versus HR, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.11–1.46];
P
<0.001; all likelihood test
P
≤0.004). AVCd
CT
ratio was superior to AVC ratio and AVCd
Echo
ratio to predict survival under medical treatment in multivariate analyses (HR, 1.80 [95% CI, 1.27–1.58];
P
<0.001 compared with HR, 1.55 [95% CI, 1.13–2.10];
P
=0.007; HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.03–1.57];
P
=0.01; all likelihood test
P
<0.03). AVCd
CT
ratio predicts mortality in all subgroups of patients with AS.

CONCLUSIONS:

AVCd
CT
appears to be equivalent or superior to AVC and AVCd
Echo
to assess AS severity and predict all-cause mortality. Thus, it should be used to evaluate AS severity in patients with nonconclusive echocardiographic evaluations with or without low-flow status. AVCd
CT
thresholds of 300 AU/cm
2
for women and 500 AU/cm
2
for men seem to be appropriate to identify severe AS. Further studies are needed to validate these thresholds, especially in diverse populations.
Home Health Care Use and Outcomes After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors: Thompson Michael P. , Hou Hechuan , Likosky Donald S. , Pagani Francis D. , Falvey Jason R. , Bowles Kathryn H. , Wadhera Rishi K. , Sterling Madeline R.
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND:

Home health care (HHC) has been increasingly used to improve care transitions and avoid poor outcomes, but there is limited data on its use and efficacy following coronary artery bypass grafting. The purpose of this study was to describe HHC use and its association with outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

METHODS:

Retrospective analysis of 100% of Medicare fee-for-service files identified 77 331 beneficiaries undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and discharged to home between July 2016 and December 2018. The primary exposure of HHC use was defined as the presence of paid HHC claims within 30 days of discharge. Hierarchical logistic regression identified predictors of HHC use and the percentage of variation in HHC use attributed to the hospital. Propensity-matched logistic regression compared mortality, readmissions, emergency department visits, and cardiac rehabilitation enrollment at 30 and 90 days after discharge between HHC users and nonusers.

RESULTS:

A total of 26 751 (34.6%) of beneficiaries used HHC within 30 days of discharge, which was more common among beneficiaries who were older (72.9 versus 72.5 years), male (79.4% versus 77.4%), White (90.2% versus 89.2%), and not Medicare-Medicaid dual eligible (6.7% versus 8.8%). The median hospital–level rate of HHC use was 31.0% (interquartile range, 13.7%–54.5%) and ranged from 0% to 94.2%. Nearly 30% of the interhospital variation in HHC use was attributed to the discharging hospital (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.296 [95% CI, 0.275–0.318]). Compared with non-HHC users, those using HHC were less likely to have a readmission or emergency department visit, were more likely to enroll in cardiac rehabilitation, and had modestly higher mortality within 30 or 90 days of discharge.

CONCLUSIONS:

A third of Medicare beneficiaries undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting used HHC within 30 days of discharge, with wide interhospital variation in use and mixed associations with clinical outcomes and health care utilization.
3D Imaging Reveals Complex Microvascular Remodeling in the Right Ventricle in Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Ichimura Kenzo , Boehm Mario , Andruska Adam M. , Zhang Fan , Schimmel Katharina , Bonham Spencer , Kabiri Angela , Kheyfets Vitaly O. , Ichimura Shoko , Reddy Sushma , Mao Yuqiang , Zhang Tianyi , Wang Gordon X. , Santana Everton J. , Tian Xuefei , Essafri Ilham , Vinh Ryan , Tian Wen , Nicolls Mark R. , Yajima Shin , Shudo Yasuhiro , MacArthur John W. , Woo Y. Joseph , Metzger Ross J. , Spiekerkoetter Edda
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND:

Pathogenic concepts of right ventricular (RV) failure in pulmonary arterial hypertension focus on a critical loss of microvasculature. However, the methods underpinning prior studies did not take into account the 3-dimensional (3D) aspects of cardiac tissue, making accurate quantification difficult. We applied deep-tissue imaging to the pressure-overloaded RV to uncover the 3D properties of the microvascular network and determine whether deficient microvascular adaptation contributes to RV failure.

METHODS:

Heart sections measuring 250-µm-thick were obtained from mice after pulmonary artery banding (PAB) or debanding PAB surgery and properties of the RV microvascular network were assessed using 3D imaging and quantification. Human heart tissues harvested at the time of transplantation from pulmonary arterial hypertension cases were compared with tissues from control cases with normal RV function.

RESULTS:

Longitudinal 3D assessment of PAB mouse hearts uncovered complex microvascular remodeling characterized by tortuous, shorter, thicker, highly branched vessels, and overall preserved microvascular density. This remodeling process was reversible in debanding PAB mice in which the RV function recovers over time. The remodeled microvasculature tightly wrapped around the hypertrophied cardiomyocytes to maintain a stable contact surface to cardiomyocytes as an adaptation to RV pressure overload, even in end-stage RV failure. However, microvasculature-cardiomyocyte contact was impaired in areas with interstitial fibrosis where cardiomyocytes displayed signs of hypoxia. Similar to PAB animals, microvascular density in the RV was preserved in patients with end-stage pulmonary arterial hypertension, and microvascular architectural changes appeared to vary by etiology, with patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease displaying a lack of microvascular complexity with uniformly short segments.

CONCLUSIONS:

3D deep tissue imaging of the failing RV in PAB mice, pulmonary hypertension rats, and patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension reveals complex microvascular changes to preserve the microvascular density and maintain a stable microvascular-cardiomyocyte contact. Our studies provide a novel framework to understand microvascular adaptation in the pressure-overloaded RV that focuses on cell-cell interaction and goes beyond the concept of capillary rarefaction.