bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computed tomographic angiography of a presumed acquired transhepatic portosystemic shunt in a miniature horse filly
Authors: Iranmanesh Maryam , Sato Amy F. , Tenney Wade , Brinker Emily J. , Cortez Keaton , Mazan Melissa
Published: June 2024

A 1‐year‐old Miniature Horse filly was presented for chronic lethargy and hyporexia. Elevated liver enzymes, bile acids, and ammonia were noted on bloodwork. The primary differential diagnosis was a portosystemic shunt (PSS). Three‐phase computed tomographic angiography findings were consistent with a transhepatic portosystemic shunt. Percutaneous liver biopsy confirmed severe diffuse hepatic changes, most likely due to chronic pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicosis, and medical management was elected. Based on an extensive literature review, this is the first report of a transhepatic portosystemic collateral vessel in a horse. Computed tomographic angiography is feasible and useful for the diagnosis of PSS in miniature horses.
Badly approximable grids and k$k$‐divergent lattices
Authors: Moshchevitin Nikolay , Rao Anurag , Shapira Uri
Published: June 2024

Let be a matrix. In this paper, we investigate the set of badly approximable targets for , where is the ‐torus. It is well known that is a winning set for Schmidt's game and hence is a dense subset of full Hausdorff dimension. We investigate the relationship between the measure of and Diophantine properties of . On the one hand, we give the first examples of a nonsingular such that has full measure with respect to some nontrivial algebraic measure on the torus. For this, we use transference theorems due to Jarnik and Khintchine, and the parametric geometry of numbers in the sense of Roy. On the other hand, we give a novel Diophantine condition on that slightly strengthens nonsingularity, and show that under the assumption that satisfies this condition, is a null‐set with respect to any nontrivial algebraic measure on the torus. For this, we use naive homogeneous dynamics, harmonic analysis, and a novel concept that we refer to as mixing convergence of measures.
Hierarchical Organization and Adjustment of Force Coordination in Response to Self-Triggered and External-Triggered Cues in Simulated Archery Performance
Authors: Kim Kitae , Song Junkyung , Park Dawon , Park Jaebum
Published: June 2024

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hierarchical organization of digit force production and its effect on stability and performance during the simulated archery task. The simulated archery shooting task required the production of a prescribed level of force in virtual space with the left hand and an equivalent force with all 4 fingers of right hand. A single trial had 2 phases, including static force production as aiming in archery and quick force release to shoot the virtual arrow. The timing of the force release was determined by the participant’s choice or response to the external cue. The coordination indices, that is, the synergy index, of force stabilization were quantified in 2 hierarchies by decomposing the variance components. The accuracy and precision of the hit position of the virtual arrow were calculated as performance-related indices. The results confirmed that the precision, that is, reproducibility, of the performance was greater when the force release time was determined by the self-selected time, suggesting the beneficial effect of the anticipatory mechanism. There was a distinct synergistic organization of digit forces for the stabilization of net forces in both bimanual and multifinger levels, which was especially correlated with the precision of performance.
Anti-Black Misandry as an Emotional Reflection With Black American Male College Athletes: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study
Authors: McAulay Donald D.
Published: June 2024

Black American males, specifically Black male athletes, experience a form of twoness that uniquely recognizes their talents but also a societal fear. This work addresses Black American males’ multidimensionality and emotional and psychological expressions when dealing with societal racism. This work explores Anti-Black misandry through an interpretive phenomenological lens. Five Black American men who are former college athletes reflect and emotionally express their experiences being a Black man and an athlete throughout their entire athletic continuum and post their athletic tenure. Results suggest that Black males are willing to express their vulnerabilities emotionally in safe spaces while recognizing racialized gender norms about emotional expressions. Implications of this study suggest that Black American male college athletes, when given constructive support, have meaningful ideas and resolutions about how society can honestly acknowledge their humanity and not just gaze at their existence as entertaining objects.
Python tooth–inspired fixation device for enhanced rotator cuff repair
Authors: Kurtaliaj Iden , Hoppe Ethan D. , Huang Yuxuan , Ju David , Sandler Jacob A. , Yoon Donghwan , Smith Lester J. , Betancur Silvio Torres , Effiong Linda , Gardner Thomas , Tedesco Liana , Desai Sohil , Birman Victor , Levine William N. , Genin Guy M. , Thomopoulos Stavros
Published: June 2024

Rotator cuff repair surgeries fail frequently, with 20 to 94% of the 600,000 repairs performed annually in the United States resulting in retearing of the rotator cuff. The most common cause of failure is sutures tearing through tendons at grasping points. To address this issue, we drew inspiration from the specialized teeth of snakes of the Pythonoidea superfamily, which grasp soft tissues without tearing. To apply this nondamaging gripping approach to the surgical repair of tendon, we developed and optimized a python tooth–inspired device as an adjunct to current rotator cuff suture repair and found that it nearly doubled repair strength. Integrated simulations, 3D printing, and ex vivo experiments revealed a relationship between tooth shape and grasping mechanics, enabling optimization of the clinically relevant device that substantially enhances rotator cuff repair by distributing stresses over the attachment footprint. This approach suggests an alternative to traditional suturing paradigms and may reduce the risk of tendon retearing after rotator cuff repair.
Live-cell analysis of IMPDH protein levels during yeast colony growth provides insights into the regulation of GTP synthesis
Authors: Shand Erica L. , Sweeney Kieran , Sundling Kaitlin E. , McClean Megan N. , Brow David A.
Published: June 2024

The purine nucleotides ATP and GTP are made from the common precursor inosine monophosphate (IMP). Maintaining the correct balance of these nucleotides for optimal cell growth is controlled in part by the enzyme IMP dehydrogenase (IMPDH), which catalyzes the first dedicated step of GTP biosynthesis. The regulation of IMPDH mRNA and protein levels in the yeast
S. cerevisiae
grown in liquid culture has been studied in some detail, but regulation of IMPDH protein under conditions of cellular crowding on a solid substrate has not been examined. Here, we report real-time, live-cell analysis of the accumulation of the Imd2 isoform of IMPDH in yeast cells forming a monolayer colony in a microfluidic device over a 50-hour time course. We observe two distinct phases of increased Imd2 accumulation: a guanine-insensitive phase early in outgrowth and a guanine-sensitive phase later, when cells become crowded. We show that the IMPDH inhibitor mycophenolic acid enhances both phases of increase. Deletion of a transcription attenuator upstream of the mRNA start site that decreases Imd2 mRNA synthesis in the presence of high GTP increases the baseline level of Imd2 protein 10-fold and abolishes guanine-sensitive but not guanine-insensitive induction. Our results suggest that at least two mechanisms of yeast Imd2 regulation exist, the known GTP-dependent attenuation of RNA polymerase II elongation and a GTP concentration-independent pathway that may be controlled by cell growth state. Live-cell analysis of IMPDH protein levels in a growing yeast colony confirms a known mechanism of regulation and provides evidence for an additional mode of regulation.

IMPORTANCE

This study used live-cell microscopy to track changes in the level of a key enzyme in GTP nucleotide biosynthesis, inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), during growth of a brewers yeast colony over 2 days in a microfluidic device. The results show that feedback regulation via transcription attenuation allows cells to adapt to nutrient limitation in the crowded environs of a yeast colony. They also identify a novel mode of regulation of IMPDH level that is not driven by guanine nucleotide availability.
Activities and genetic interactions of fission yeast Aps1, a Nudix-type inositol pyrophosphatase and inorganic polyphosphatase
Authors: Ghosh Shreya , Sanchez Ana M. , Schwer Beate , Prucker Isabel , Jork Nikolaus , Jessen Henning J. , Shuman Stewart
Published: June 2024

Inositol pyrophosphate 1,5-IP
8
regulates expression of a fission yeast phosphate homeostasis regulon, comprising phosphate acquisition genes
pho1
,
pho84
, and
tgp1
, via its action as an agonist of precocious termination of transcription of the upstream lncRNAs that repress
PHO
mRNA synthesis. 1,5-IP
8
levels are dictated by a balance between the Asp1 N-terminal kinase domain that converts 5-IP
7
to 1,5-IP
8
and three inositol pyrophosphatases—the Asp1 C-terminal domain (a histidine acid phosphatase), Siw14 (a cysteinyl-phosphatase), and Aps1 (a Nudix enzyme). In this study, we report the biochemical and genetic characterization of Aps1 and an analysis of the effects of Asp1, Siw14, and Aps1 mutations on cellular inositol pyrophosphate levels. We find that Aps1’s substrate repertoire embraces inorganic polyphosphates, 5-IP
7
, 1-IP
7
, and 1,5-IP
8
. Aps1 displays a ~twofold preference for hydrolysis of 1-IP
7
versus 5-IP
7
and
aps1
∆ cells have twofold higher levels of 1-IP
7
vis-à-vis wild-type cells. While neither Aps1 nor Siw14 is essential for growth, an
aps1
∆
siw14
∆ double mutation is lethal on YES medium. This lethality is a manifestation of IP
8
toxicosis, whereby excessive 1,5-IP
8
drives derepression of
tgp1,
leading to Tgp1-mediated uptake of glycerophosphocholine. We were able to recover an
aps1
∆
siw14
∆ mutant on ePMGT medium lacking glycerophosphocholine and to suppress the severe growth defect of
aps1
∆
siw14
∆ on YES by deleting
tgp1
. However, the severe growth defect of an
aps1
∆
asp1-H397A
strain could not be alleviated by deleting
tgp1
, suggesting that 1,5-IP
8
levels in this double-pyrophosphatase mutant exceed a threshold beyond which overzealous termination affects other genes, which results in cytotoxicity.

IMPORTANCE

Repression of the fission yeast
PHO
genes
tgp1
,
pho1
, and
pho84
by lncRNA-mediated interference is sensitive to changes in the metabolism of 1,5-IP
8
, a signaling molecule that acts as an agonist of precocious lncRNA termination. 1,5-IP
8
is formed by phosphorylation of 5-IP
7
and catabolized by inositol pyrophosphatases from three distinct enzyme families: Asp1 (a histidine acid phosphatase), Siw14 (a cysteinyl phosphatase), and Aps1 (a Nudix hydrolase). This study entails a biochemical characterization of Aps1 and an analysis of how Asp1, Siw14, and Aps1 mutations impact growth and inositol pyrophosphate pools
in vivo
. Aps1 catalyzes hydrolysis of inorganic polyphosphates, 5-IP
7
, 1-IP
7
, and 1,5-IP
8
in vitro
, with a ~twofold preference for 1-IP
7
over 5-IP
7
.
aps1
∆ cells have twofold higher levels of 1-IP
7
than wild-type cells. An
aps1
∆
siw14
∆ double mutation is lethal because excessive 1,5-IP
8
triggers derepression of
tgp1
, leading to toxic uptake of glycerophosphocholine.
Whole-genome sequencing of
Klebsiella pneumoniae
isolated from clinical specimens in Chattogram, Bangladesh
Authors: Tanni Afroza Akter , Sharmen Farjana , Chakma Kallyan , Yasmin Farhana , Akash Al-Shahriar , Akash Md. Ashikur Alim , Riana Sumaiya Hafiz , Afrin Sajia , Ferdous Jannatul , Sultana Nahid , Biswas Sanjoy Kanti , Islam S. M. Rafiqul , Mannan Adnan
Published: June 2024

The emergence of multidrug-resistant
Klebsiella pneumoniae
(Kpn) is a global concern due to the increasing rate of mortality and hospital cost burden in the affected population. This study reports the whole-genome sequences of nine multidrug-resistant Kpn from a hospital in Chattogram city of Bangladesh.
Return of voiding function after greenlight photovaporisation of the prostate for a patient with giant bladder
Authors: Wales Rebecca , Shah Darshi , Munshi Faizanahmed , Hyams Elias
Published: June 2024

Giant bladder is a rare condition with varied definitions and causes. It can lead to complications such as urinary tract infections, retrograde urine reflux, pyelonephritis, renal damage and occasionally vascular obstruction. In this case report, we present a man in his 70s with massive urinary retention >7 L and severe bilateral hydronephrosis. The patient underwent a successful Greenlight photovaporisation of the prostate to address underlying bladder outlet obstruction. The surgical procedure resulted in significant improvement in urinary function, enabling the patient to live catheter and infection free, and without renal damage. This case demonstrates that bladder outlet surgery can be useful in selected cases of giant bladder to avoid complications of chronic catheterisation or ongoing retention.
Unveiling contrasts in microbiota response: A1c control improves dysbiosis in low-A1c T2DM, but fails in high-A1c cases—a key to metabolic memory?
Authors: Napoli Thiago Fraga , Cortez Ramon V , Sparvoli Luiz Gustavo , Taddei Carla R , Salles Joao Eduardo Nunes
Published: June 2024

Introduction

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with dysbiosis in the gut microbiota (MB). Individually, each medication appears to partially correct this. However, there are no studies on the response of the MB to changes in A1c. Therefore, we investigated the MB’s response to intensive glycemic control.

Research design and methods

We studied two groups of patients with uncontrolled T2DM, one group with an A1c <9% (18 patients—G1) and another group with an A1c >9% (13 patients—G2), aiming for at least a 1% reduction in A1c. We collected A1c and fecal samples at baseline, 6, and 12 months. G1 achieved an average A1c reduction of 1.1%, while G2 a reduction of 3.13%.

Results

G1’s microbiota saw a decrease in Erysipelotrichaceae_UCG_003 and in Mollicutes order (both linked to metabolic syndrome and associated comorbidities). G2, despite having a more significant reduction in A1c, experienced an increase in the proinflammatory bacteriaMegasphaeraandAcidaminococcus, and only one beneficial genus,Phascolarctobacterium, increased, producer of butyrate.

Conclusion

Despite a notable A1c outcome, G2 could not restore its MB. This seeming resistance to change, leading to a persistent inflammation component found in G2, might be part of the “metabolic memory” in T2DM.
Decreasing incidence of admission neonatal hypothermia in Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: quality improvement project
Authors: Wotango Biniam Yohannes , Workineh Wubet Mihretu , Abdana Tariku Deressa , Kidane Hailegebriel , Aragaw Aynekulu , Bekele Bisrat Tamene
Published: June 2024

Background

WHO reported that neonatal hypothermia accounts for about 27% of newborn deaths worldwide. It is a serious concern in Ethiopia and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa; it poses a serious threat to global health, increasing morbidity and mortality. Hypothermic neonates are more likely to experience respiratory distress, infections and other issues that could result in longer hospital stays and delayed development. The objective of this quality improvement project was to minimise intensive medical treatments, maximise resource usage and enhance overall health outcomes for newborns at Gandhi Memorial Hospital by reducing neonatal hypothermia.

Methods

Over 10 months (from 1 March 2021 to 30 January 2022), neonatal hypothermia incidence was assessed using Quality Supervision Mentoring Team and Health Management Information System data. Root cause analysis and literature review led to evidence-based interventions in a change bundle. After team training and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) relocation, Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles tested the bundle. Close temperature monitoring and data collection occurred. Run charts evaluated intervention success against baseline data, informing conclusions about effectiveness.

Result

The quality improvement project reduced neonatal hypothermia in NICU admissions from a baseline median of 80.6% to a performance median of 30%.

Conclusion and recommendation

The quality improvement project at Gandhi Memorial Hospital effectively reduced neonatal hypothermia through interventions such as the temperature management bundle and NICU relocation, leading to improved patient care, fewer hypothermic neonates and enhanced body temperature management. Continuous monitoring, adherence to best practices, sharing success and outcome assessment are crucial for enhancing the project’s effectiveness and sustaining positive impacts on neonatal hypothermia reduction and patient outcomes.
Improving influenza vaccine uptake in clinical risk groups: patient, provider and commissioner perspectives on the acceptability and feasibility of expanding delivery pathways in England
Authors: Kasstan Ben , Lazarus Rajeka , Ali Ifra , Mounier-Jack Sandra
Published: June 2024

Background

People under the age of 65 in clinical risk groups are at increased risk of severe complications and death from influenza. In England, influenza vaccine coverage rates in this cohort remain profoundly low. This qualitative study aimed to explore (1) the reasons that underly suboptimal influenza vaccine uptake among different clinical risk groups in England and (2) how healthcare providers and commissioners perceive the feasibility and acceptability of integrating the influenza vaccine programme in non-primary care settings.

Methods

The study consisted of two phases. Phase I involved 32 semi-structured interviews conducted with individuals from three clinical risk groups: diabetes, chronic liver disease or chronic respiratory disease (or comorbidities). Phase II consisted of semi-structured interviews with 50 healthcare providers based in National Health Service primary and secondary care settings, and influenza vaccine commissioners and programme managers. Data were analysed thematically.

Results

Access was not the primary issue underlying suboptimal vaccine uptake among participants in clinical risk groups, who instead cited low-risk perceptions of influenza infection and deficits of information about the relevance of vaccination for their condition management. Healthcare providers in non-primary care settings rarely discussed or recommended influenza vaccination across patient pathways, despite being able to address the concerns raised by participants in clinical risk groups. Healthcare providers were positive about the potential to offer vaccine recommendations and delivery, but questions remain around feasibility.

Conclusion

Patient pathways are punctuated with varying opportunities to discuss or deliver influenza vaccines during the winter season, though the commissioning and organisation of chronic disease management shapes how clinical risk groups interface with primary/secondary tiers of healthcare services. Embedding vaccine delivery in non-primary care settings may help to reduce inequalities and offer patients at risk the information and consent pathways they desire but is not a cost-neutral innovation and requires resource allocation.
Large language model-driven sentiment analysis for facilitating fibromyalgia diagnosis
Authors: Venerito Vincenzo , Iannone Florenzo
Published: June 2024

Background

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex disorder with widespread pain and emotional distress, posing diagnostic challenges. FM patients show altered cognitive and emotional processing, with a preferential allocation of attention to pain-related information. This attentional bias towards pain cues can impair cognitive functions such as inhibitory control, affecting patients’ ability to manage and express emotions. Sentiment analysis using large language models (LLMs) can provide insights by detecting nuances in pain expression. This study investigated whether open-source LLM-driven sentiment analysis could aid FM diagnosis.

Methods

40 patients with FM, according to the 2016 American College of Rheumatology Criteria and 40 non-FM chronic pain controls referred to rheumatology clinics, were enrolled. Transcribed responses to questions on pain and sleep were machine translated to English and analysed by the LLM Mistral-7B-Instruct-v0.2 using prompt engineering targeting FM-associated language nuances for pain expression (‘prompt-engineered’) or an approach without this targeting (‘ablated’). Accuracy, precision, recall, specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were calculated using rheumatologist diagnosis as ground truth.

Results

The prompt-engineered approach demonstrated accuracy of 0.87, precision of 0.92, recall of 0.84, specificity of 0.82 and AUROC of 0.86 for distinguishing FM. In comparison, the ablated approach had an accuracy of 0.76, precision of 0.75, recall of 0.77, specificity of 0.75 and AUROC of 0.76. The accuracy was superior to the ablated approach (McNemar’s test p<0.001).

Conclusion

This proof-of-concept study suggests LLM-driven sentiment analysis, especially with prompt engineering, may facilitate FM diagnosis by detecting subtle differences in pain expression. Further validation is warranted, particularly the inclusion of secondary FM patients.
Extended phase space thermodynamics of magnetized black holes with nonlinear electrodynamics
Authors: Kruglov S. I.
Published: June 2024

Einstein’s gravity in AdS space coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics (NED) with two parameters is studied. We investigate magnetically charged black holes. The metric and mass functions and their asymptotic are obtained showing that black holes may have one or two horizons. Thermodynamics in extended phase space was studied and it was proven that the first law of black hole thermodynamics and the generalized Smarr relation hold. The magnetic potential and the vacuum polarization conjugated to coupling (NED parameter), are computed and depicted. We calculate the Gibbs free energy and heat capacity.
AN EFFICIENT SCHEME FOR TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF FRACTIONAL EVOLUTION EQUATIONS
Authors: WANG KANG-LE
Published: June 2024

In this work, the fractional Gross–Pitaevskii equation and fractional Radhakrishnan–Kundu Lakshmanan equation are investigated. A large number of new soliton solutions are obtained by implementing a simple and effective mathematical method, which is called the fractional unified solver method. Moreover, the 3D and 2D graphs are plotted to elaborate on the dynamic characteristics of these acquired solutions.
What Can AI Ethics Learn from Anarchism?
Authors: Agnew William
Published: June 2024

AI ethics is experiencing two crises: It is disconnected from communities being impacted by AI and largely funded by and dependent on tech companies profiting from harms. Drawing on anarchist ideas, AI ethicists have recently started building tools to challenge this status quo. What else can AI ethics learn from anarchism?
Data for Whom, Data from Whom: How Social Movements Might Create Value for Their Community Data Practices
Authors: Harris Tajanae
Published: June 2024

Belief in the power of data-driven decision-making has expanded from corporate environments to include all sectors of society, including social justice efforts. The problem with this newfound trust in "data" is that it can be hard to agree upon what exactly data are, recognize when they are useful, what they are useful for, and whose data should be valued as worthy of informing decisions.
The BiographScope: Exploring Early Cinema in an Immersive Environment
Authors: Alliata Giacomo , Saccone Kate , Yang Yuchen , Serafin Loïc , Mannane Samy , Kenderdine Sarah
Published: June 2024

This paper presents a new interactive installation, the
BiographScope
, meant to immerse visitors in an archival collection of early silent films from the turn of the twentieth century. It further investigates certain important aspects through a pilot study. The frames of seventy films from the Eye Filmmuseum’s Mutoscope and Biograph Collection are digitally reconstructed and distributed in a virtual world that users can freely browse and explore in a 360° Immersive Environment. They are able to appreciate the exceptional materiality of these films, discover them at large-scale projection and benefit from a thorough sonification process.

The pilot study finds that visitors appreciate this mode of access to a silent film collection. Experts on early cinema in particular have noticed certain aspects of the materiality of these films, while casual users benefited more from the sonification process. Finally, participants reported mainly positive emotions: interest, joy and surprise, thus confirming the
BiographScope
can improve access to the Mutoscope and Biograph Collection.
Bayesian Inverse Transfer in Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization
Authors: Liu Jiao , Gupta Abhishek , Ong Yew-Soon
Published: June 2024

Transfer optimization enables data-efficient optimization of a target task by leveraging experiential priors from related source tasks. This is especially useful in multiobjective optimization settings where a set of tradeoff solutions is sought under tight evaluation budgets. In this article, we introduce a novel concept of
inverse transfer
in multiobjective optimization. Inverse transfer stands out by employing Bayesian inverse Gaussian process models to map performance vectors in the objective space to population search distributions in task-specific decision space, facilitating knowledge transfer through
objective space unification
. Building upon this idea, we introduce the first
Inverse Transfer Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimizer
(invTrEMO). A key highlight of invTrEMO is its ability to harness the common objective functions prevalent in many application areas, even when decision spaces do not precisely align between tasks. This allows invTrEMO to uniquely and effectively utilize information from heterogeneous source tasks as well. Furthermore, invTrEMO yields high-precision inverse models as a significant byproduct, enabling the generation of tailored solutions on-demand based on user preferences. Empirical studies on multi- and many-objective benchmark problems, as well as a practical case study, showcase the faster convergence rate and modeling accuracy of the invTrEMO relative to state-of-the-art evolutionary and Bayesian optimization algorithms. The source code of the invTrEMO is made available at
https://github.com/LiuJ-2023/invTrEMO
.
Optimizing Uyghur Speech Synthesis by Combining Pretrained Cross-Lingual Model
Authors: Lu Kexin , Huang Zhihua , Yin Mingming , Chen Ke
Published: June 2024

End-to-end speech synthesis methodologies have exhibited considerable advancements for languages with abundant corpus resources. Nevertheless, such achievements are yet to be realized for languages constrained by limited corpora. This manuscript delineates a novel strategy that leverages contextual encoding information to augment the naturalness of the speech synthesized through FastSpeech2, particularly under resource-scarce conditions. Initially, we harness the cross-linguistic model XLM-RoBERTa to extract contextual features, which serve as an auxiliary input to the mel-spectrum decoder of FastSpeech2. Subsequently, we refine the mel-spectrum prediction module to mitigate the overfitting dilemma encountered by FastSpeech2 amidst scant training datasets. To this end, Conformer blocks, rather than traditional Transformer blocks, are employed within both the encoder and decoder to concentrate intensively on varying levels and granularities of feature information. Additionally, we introduce a token-average mechanism to equalize pitch and energy attributes at the frame level. The empirical outcomes indicate that our pre-training with the LJ Speech dataset, followed by fine-tuning using a modest 10-minute paired Uyghur corpus, yields satisfactory synthesized Uyghur speech. Relative to the baseline framework, our proposed technique halves the character error rate and enhances the mean opinion score by over 0.6. Similar results were observed in Mandarin Chinese experimental evaluations.
The Barriers and Facilitators Influencing Nurses’ Political Participation or Healthcare Policy Intervention: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta‐Synthesis
Authors: Han Nam Kyung , Kim Gwang Suk
Published: June 2024

Background. Nurses, who comprise the largest proportion of healthcare professionals, must advocate for public health in a changing healthcare environment. Therefore, nurses have a social responsibility to be interested in politics, political participation, or healthcare policy interventions as leaders in healthcare policy reforms. However, previous research has reported that nurses’ political interests and participation are insufficient in most countries. Aim. This study systematically reviewed and synthesized qualitative data to identify the barriers and facilitators influencing nurses’ political participation and healthcare policy interventions. Methods. This study performed a systematic review and qualitative meta‐synthesis. Literature searches were conducted using seven databases to comprehensively examine published journals, including doctoral dissertations, until December 31, 2023. The selection criteria for this study were articles analyzed using phenomenology, ethnography, qualitative research, and grounded theory, targeting nurses with extensive experience in healthcare policy intervention and political activities. Two researchers, professors in nursing with extensive experience in healthcare policy interventions and qualitative research screened the qualitative studies and extracted the data. Eighteen papers were analyzed, and the quality of each study was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program Qualitative Checklist. Meta‐ethnography was applied as the qualitative meta‐synthesis method using ATLAS. ti. Results. Barriers include nurses’ lack of political interest and competence, nursing education, restrictive organizational cultures, and the nursing profession’s political activities. Facilitators include recognizing social responsibilities, enhancing political competence, innovating organizational environments, and strengthening nursing organizations’ political activities and policy interventions. Conclusions. This study could be used as data to enhance nurses’ political participation and to plan policy interventions and strategies. Implication for Nursing Management. To activate nurses’ political participation in the future, it is necessary to develop strategies, such as developing nursing political education programs and expanding opportunities for policy intervention.
A Bayesian Probabilistic Framework for Building Models for Structural Health Monitoring of Structures Subject to Environmental Variability
Authors: Simon Patrick , Schneider Ronald , Baeßler Matthias , Morgenthal Guido
Published: June 2024

Managing aging engineering structures requires damage identification, capacity reassessment, and prediction of remaining service life. Data from structural health monitoring (SHM) systems can be utilized to detect and characterize potential damage. However, environmental and operational variations impair the identification of damages from SHM data. Motivated by this, we introduce a Bayesian probabilistic framework for building models and identifying damage in monitored structures subject to environmental variability. The novelty of our work lies (a) in explicitly considering the effect of environmental influences and potential structural damages in the modeling to enable more accurate damage identification and (b) in proposing a methodological workflow for model‐based structural health monitoring that leverages model class selection for model building and damage identification. The framework is applied to a progressively damaged reinforced concrete beam subject to temperature variations in a climate chamber. Based on deflections and inclinations measured during diagnostic load tests of the undamaged structure, the most appropriate modeling approach for describing the temperature‐dependent behavior of the undamaged beam is identified. In the damaged state, damage is characterized based on the identified model parameters. The location and extent of the identified damage are consistent with the cracks observed in the laboratory. A numerical study with synthetic data is used to validate the parameter identification. The known true parameters lie within the 90% highest density intervals of the posterior distributions of the model parameters, suggesting that this approach is reliable for parameter identification. Our results indicate that the proposed framework can answer the question of damage identification under environmental variations. These findings show a way forward in integrating SHM data into the management of infrastructures.
A Machine Learning‐Based Framework for Accurate and Early Diagnosis of Liver Diseases: A Comprehensive Study on Feature Selection, Data Imbalance, and Algorithmic Performance
Authors: Rehman Attique Ur , Butt Wasi Haider , Ali Tahir Muhammad , Javaid Sabeen , Almufareh Maram Fahaad , Humayun Mamoona , Rahman Hameedur , Mir Azka , Shaheen Momina
Published: June 2024

The liver is the largest organ of the human body with more than 500 vital functions. In recent decades, a large number of liver patients have been reported with diseases such as cirrhosis, fibrosis, or other liver disorders. There is a need for effective, early, and accurate identification of individuals suffering from such disease so that the person may recover before the disease spreads and becomes fatal. For this, applications of machine learning are playing a significant role. Despite the advancements, existing systems remain inconsistent in performance due to limited feature selection and data imbalance. In this article, we reviewed 58 articles extracted from 5 different electronic repositories published from January 2015 to 2023. After a systematic and protocol‐based review, we answered 6 research questions about machine learning algorithms. The identification of effective feature selection techniques, data imbalance management techniques, accurate machine learning algorithms, a list of available data sets with their URLs and characteristics, and feature importance based on usage has been identified for diagnosing liver disease. The reason to select this research question is, in any machine learning framework, the role of dimensionality reduction, data imbalance management, machine learning algorithm with its accuracy, and data itself is very significant. Based on the conducted review, a framework, machine learning‐based liver disease diagnosis (MaLLiDD), has been proposed and validated using three datasets. The proposed framework classified liver disorders with 99.56%, 76.56%, and 76.11% accuracy. In conclusion, this article addressed six research questions by identifying effective feature selection techniques, data imbalance management techniques, algorithms, datasets, and feature importance based on usage. It also demonstrated a high accuracy with the framework for early diagnosis, marking a significant advancement.
Count Loss Evaluation for Accuracy Enhancement of a FPGA‐Based Gamma Spectroscopy
Authors: Pham Hoai-Phuong , Le Viet-Huy , Trang The-Dat , Nguyen Nhi-Dien
Published: June 2024

The count loss, caused by the pileup event and the minimum time required for pulse processing, is necessarily evaluated to restore the counting information in quantitative analysis. In this work, a simple approach was proposed for evaluation of count loss due to the pileup event in gamma spectroscopy. A real‐time digital multichannel analyzer based on a field‐programmable gate array was commissioned subsequently to the detector’s preamplifier, and its performance is comparable to a commercial gamma spectroscopy. To identify the pileup event, a window whose timing equivalent to the trapezoid shaping time was employed. The number of count loss was modelled as the percentage of rejected pulse (PRP), whereas a pileup event is considered as two pulses. Experiment shows that the PRP is linearly proportional to the input rate and dependent on the shaping time. The PRP was proven reproducible with a statistical uncertainty of below 3%. The deterioration of a detected low‐energy peak area induced by a high‐energy radioactive source was realized experimentally, and the count loss evaluation was carried out. The results indicated that the approach in this study is superior to the live‐time correction mode of the commercial system. The developed spectroscopy has been used in the designed measuring system for determining the activity and activity distribution of gamma‐emitting isotopes in radioactive waste drums using the tomography gamma scanning (TGS) technique at the Dalat Research Reactor.
Molecular Screening of Functional Lactic Acid Bacteria with Potential Production of Antimicrobial Peptides from Milk Proteins for Application as Preservative Dairy Starter
Authors: Elsaadany Khaled , Kheadr Ehab , Elmesseiry Sarah , Hamdy Saeed , Dabour Nassra
Published: June 2024

This study aimed to assess the molecular screening and safety of 14 lactic acid bacteria isolates for their capacity to produce antimicrobial peptides from milk proteins. The isolates were molecularly identified as Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus durans, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. hordniae, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, and Weissella confusa. The tested lactococci isolates produced bioactive peptides with a wild‐type antimicrobial spectrum against Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, and Listeria monocytogenes. The majority of isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and ampicillin but resistant to nalidixic acid. Lactococcus lactis FFNL‐2034 and Weissella confusa FFNL‐1850 presented antibiotic multiresistance. Antibiotic resistance genes bla, ermB, tetK, cat, vanA, and vanC were absent in most of the tested isolates. The ermC, strA, strB, and tetM genes were positive in some isolates. These results provide safe LAB, which could act as a potent biopreservative agent for functional dairy products.
Hierarchical Game‐Theoretic Framework for Live Video Transmission with Dynamic Network Computing Integration
Authors: Zeng Qimiao , Zhuang Yirong , Li Zitong , Jiang Hongye , Pan Qing , Chen Ge , Xiao Han
Published: June 2024

Recently, live streaming technology has been widely utilized in areas such as online gaming, e‐healthcare, and video conferencing. The increasing network and computational resources required for live streaming increase the cost of content providers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which may lead to increased latency or even unavailability of live streaming services. The current research primarily focuses on providing high‐quality services by assessing the resource status of network nodes individually. However, the role assignment within nodes and the interconnectivity among nodes are often overlooked. To fill this gap, we propose a hierarchical game theory‐based live video transmission framework to coordinate the heterogeneity of live tasks and nodes and to improve the resource utilization of nodes and the service satisfaction of users. Secondly, the service node roles are set as producers who are closer to the live streaming source and provide content, consumers who are closer to the end users and process data, and silent nodes who do not participate in the service process, and a non‐cooperative game‐based role competition algorithm is designed to improve the node resource utilization. Furthermore, a matching‐based optimal path algorithm for media services is designed to establish optimal matching associations among service nodes to optimize the service experience. Finally, extensive simulation experiments show that our approach performs better in terms of service latency and bandwidth.
TABLE 3 from First-line Avelumab plus Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors: Results from the Phase Ib/II JAVELIN Chemotherapy Medley Study
Authors: Wheatley Duncan A. , Berardi Rossana , Climent Duran Miguel A. , Tomiak Anna , Greystoke Alastair P. , Joshua Anthony M. , Arkenau Hendrik-Tobias , Géczi Lajos , Corbacho Javier Garciá , Paz-Ares Luis G. , Hussain Syed A. , Petruželka Lubos , Delmonte Angelo , Chappey Colombe , Masters Joanna C. , Michelon Elisabete , Murphy Danielle A. , Mwewa Sandrine , Cesari Rossano , Doger de Spéville Bernard
Published: June 2024

Summary of efficacy in the urothelial carcinoma and NSCLC cohorts
Supplementary Data from First-line Avelumab plus Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors: Results from the Phase Ib/II JAVELIN Chemotherapy Medley Study
Authors: Wheatley Duncan A. , Berardi Rossana , Climent Duran Miguel A. , Tomiak Anna , Greystoke Alastair P. , Joshua Anthony M. , Arkenau Hendrik-Tobias , Géczi Lajos , Corbacho Javier Garciá , Paz-Ares Luis G. , Hussain Syed A. , Petruželka Lubos , Delmonte Angelo , Chappey Colombe , Masters Joanna C. , Michelon Elisabete , Murphy Danielle A. , Mwewa Sandrine , Cesari Rossano , Doger de Spéville Bernard
Published: June 2024

Supplementary Table 3
Effectiveness of Combined Hemodialysis-Hemadsorption Therapy in Improving Uremic Toxin Clearance, Inflammatory Markers, and Symptoms in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Puspitasari Metalia , Hidayat Auliana Ratri Prabandari , Wijaya Wynne , Wardhani Yulia , Sattwika Prenali Dwisthi , Jonny J. , Puspitawati Ira
Published: June 2024

Introduction: Combined hemodialysis (HD) and hemadsorption (HA) therapy has shown the highest clearance rates for middle and large-sized uremic toxin molecules and reduced mortality rates among maintenance HD (MHD) patients. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of combined HD and HA therapy in patients undergoing MHD. Methods: Forty patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were divided into three groups: HD only (14), HD + biweekly HA (14), and HD + weekly HA (12). The duration of the study was 8 weeks. Uremic toxins (β2-microglobulin, leptin, parathyroid hormone), inflammatory markers (interleukin-6, C-reactive protein), and symptoms (appetite, pruritus, sleep quality) were assessed before the start and at the completion of therapy. Changes in the parameters were compared between the three groups. Mean differences of parameters in each group were also compared between before and after therapy. Results: Decrease in BUN level (−61.34 mg/dL [95% CI: −71.33 to −51.34], p < 0.0001) and pruritus score (−3.93 [95% CI: −6.89 to −0.97], p = 0.013) was significantly larger in HD + biweekly HA group compared to the others. Only HD + biweekly HA group showed significant reductions in CRP level (−0.10 mg/L [95%: −0.18 to −0.01], p = 0.034), VAS appetite score (10.43 [95% CI: 4.99–15.87], p = 0.001), and pruritus score (−3.93 [95% CI: −6.89 to −0.97], p = 0.013) after therapy. Both HD + biweekly HA (−2.79 [95% CI: −4.97 to −0.60], p = 0.016) and HD + weekly HA group (−2.33 [95% CI: −4.59 to −0.08], p = 0.044) exhibited a significant improvement in sleep quality score after therapy. Conclusions: HD combined with a biweekly HA is associated with a greater reduction in BUN level and better improvement of pruritus in ESRD patients compared to HD alone. HD + biweekly HA can significantly reduce CRP levels, alleviate pruritus, improve appetite, and enhance sleep quality.
Antiarrhythmic Mechanisms of Epidural Blockade After Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Hoang Jonathan D. , van Weperen Valerie Y.H. , Kang Ki-Woon , Jani Neil R. , Swid Mohammed A. , Chan Christopher A. , Lokhandwala Zulfiqar Ali , Lux Robert L. , Vaseghi Marmar
Published: June 2024

BACKGROUND:

Thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) has been shown to reduce the burden of ventricular tachycardia in small case series of patients with refractory ventricular tachyarrhythmias and cardiomyopathy. However, its electrophysiological and autonomic effects in diseased hearts remain unclear, and its use after myocardial infarction is limited by concerns for potential right ventricular dysfunction.

METHODS:

Myocardial infarction was created in Yorkshire pigs (N=22) by left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion. Approximately, six weeks after myocardial infarction, an epidural catheter was placed at the C7-T1 vertebral level for injection of 2% lidocaine. Right and left ventricular hemodynamics were recorded using Millar pressure–conductance catheters, and ventricular activation recovery intervals (ARIs), a surrogate of action potential durations, by a 56-electrode sock and 64-electrode basket catheter. Hemodynamics and ARIs, baroreflex sensitivity and intrinsic cardiac neural activity, and ventricular effective refractory periods and slope of restitution (S
max
) were assessed before and after TEA. Ventricular tachyarrhythmia inducibility was assessed by programmed electrical stimulation.

RESULTS:

TEA reduced inducibility of ventricular tachyarrhythmias by 70%. TEA did not affect right ventricular–systolic pressure or contractility, although left ventricular–systolic pressure and contractility decreased modestly. Global and regional ventricular ARIs increased, including in scar and border zone regions post-TEA. TEA reduced ARI dispersion specifically in border zone regions. Ventricular effective refractory periods prolonged significantly at critical sites of arrhythmogenesis, and S
max
was reduced. Interestingly, TEA significantly improved cardiac vagal function, as measured by both baroreflex sensitivity and intrinsic cardiac neural activity.

CONCLUSIONS:

TEA does not compromise right ventricular function in infarcted hearts. Its antiarrhythmic mechanisms are mediated by increases in ventricular effective refractory period and ARIs, decreases in S
max
, and reductions in border zone electrophysiological heterogeneities. TEA improves parasympathetic function, which may independently underlie some of its observed antiarrhythmic mechanisms. This study provides novel insights into the antiarrhythmic mechanisms of TEA while highlighting its applicability to the clinical setting.