bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamic scheduling of market price-based combined heat–power-constrained renewable microgrid
Authors: Shukla Sunita , Pandit Manjaree
Published: August 2023

In this paper, a market price-based combined heat–power dynamic dispatch model for a microgrid is presented. The microgrid comprises cogeneration units and wind and solar power-generation units. A battery and a heat storage tank are incorporated to optimally balance variations in heat-and-power load demands. The proposed model explores the impact of market prices of electricity, heat supply and load variability on the optimal schedule such that profit maximizes and emission, loss and waste heat are minimized. The Weibull probability distribution function is applied to characterize the uncertain renewable power variable in the model and to find the over- and under-scheduling costs. The problem is solved using an improved differential evolution algorithm in which a fuzzy membership module is appended to obtain a solution having the highest attainment for the selected multiple objectives. The results show that the proposed model can handle uncertain heat–power demand and price scenarios to produce feasible and optimal schedules with owner profits, heat utilization and renewable share varying between 10.55–115.97%, 72.51–90.39% and 26.82–38.05%, respectively.
Optimal numerical integration and approximation of functions on ℝd equipped with Gaussian measure
Authors: Dũng Dinh , Kien Nguyen Van
Published: August 2023

We investigate the numerical approximation of integrals over $\mathbb{R}^{d}$ equipped with the standard Gaussian measure $\gamma $ for integrands belonging to the Gaussian-weighted Sobolev spaces $W^{\alpha }_{p}(\mathbb{R}^{d}, \gamma )$ of mixed smoothness $\alpha \in \mathbb{N}$ for $1 < p < \infty $. We prove the asymptotic order of the convergence of optimal quadratures based on $n$ integration nodes and propose a novel method for constructing asymptotically optimal quadratures. As for related problems, we establish by a similar technique the asymptotic order of the linear, Kolmogorov and sampling $n$-widths in the Gaussian-weighted space $L_{q}(\mathbb{R}^{d}, \gamma )$ of the unit ball of $W^{\alpha }_{p}(\mathbb{R}^{d}, \gamma )$ for $1 \leq q < p < \infty $ and $q=p=2$.
Rancière, music, and the musicality of teaching
Authors: Rytzler Johannes
Published: August 2023

While the aesthetics of Rancière is a well-explored topic, there has been something missing from the reception of his works, and that is the relation between Rancière’s aesthetics and music. However, in recent years an interest in this relation has resulted in several academic contributions, which is sign enough that there is in fact a musical element in his works. Rancière himself, in response to this reception, has acknowledged as much. Music is a human form of expression that uses the physicality of air to produce vibrations that encounter and resonate with the human body. Musicality is the ability to attend to such vibrations and harness the expectations and surprises that they bring about. In this article, I explore how a musical approach to Rancière’s writings can inform educational philosophy, especially as regards the practice of teaching. Particular attention is paid to his notion of the sensorium as a sensible realm where we experience and encounter difference and otherness, in political events as well as in teaching situations. Attending ethically to these situations is predicated on a certain sensibility that involves certain aesthetic qualities. In this article, I explore this sensibility as a particular educational musicality. Drawing from educational philosophy, the aesthetic theory of Jacques Rancière, and music philosophy, I connect this musicality of teaching to an ability to navigate in an ethical space that comes to life through a material/sensible community of interests formed in teaching practice. I use the term acousmatic experience as an explorative device in an attempt to depict teaching practice as something that can bring about a specific educational sensorium.
Colossal transverse magnetoresistance due to nematic superconducting phase fluctuations in a copper oxide
Authors: Wårdh Jonatan , Granath Mats , Wu Jie , Bollinger Anthony T , He Xi , Božović Ivan
Published: August 2023

Electronic anisotropy (“nematicity”) has been detected in cuprate superconductors by various experimental techniques. Using angle-resolved transverse resistance (ARTR) measurements, a very sensitive and background-free technique that can detect 0.5% anisotropy in transport, we have observed it also in La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) for 0.02 ≤ x ≤ 0.25. A central enigma in LSCO is the rotation of the nematic director (orientation of the largest longitudinal resistance) with temperature; this has not been seen before in any material. Here, we address this puzzle by measuring the angle-resolved transverse magnetoresistance (ARTMR) in LSCO. We report the discovery of colossal transverse magnetoresistance (CTMR)—an order-of-magnitude drop in the transverse resistivity in the magnetic field of 6 T. We show that the apparent rotation of the nematic director is caused by anisotropic superconducting fluctuations, which are not aligned with the normal electron fluid, consistent with coexisting bond-aligned and diagonal nematic orders. We quantify this by modeling the (magneto-)conductivity as a sum of normal (Drude) and paraconducting (Aslamazov–Larkin) channels but extended to contain anisotropic Drude and Cooper-pair effective mass tensors. Strikingly, the anisotropy of Cooper-pair stiffness is much larger than that of the normal electrons. It grows dramatically on the underdoped side, where the fluctuations become quasi-one-dimensional. Our analysis is general rather than model dependent. Still, we discuss some candidate microscopic models, including coupled strongly-correlated ladders where the transverse (interladder) phase stiffness is low compared with the longitudinal intraladder stiffness, as well as the anisotropic superconducting fluctuations expected close to the transition to a pair-density wave state.
Heterogeneous biological membranes regulate protein partitioning via fluctuating diffusivity
Authors: Sakamoto Ken , Akimoto Takuma , Muramatsu Mayu , Sansom Mark S P , Metzler Ralf , Yamamoto Eiji
Published: August 2023

Cell membranes phase separate into ordered Lo and disordered Ld domains depending on their compositions. This membrane compartmentalization is heterogeneous and regulates the localization of specific proteins related to cell signaling and trafficking. However, it is unclear how the heterogeneity of the membranes affects the diffusion and localization of proteins in Lo and Ld domains. Here, using Langevin dynamics simulations coupled with the phase-field (LDPF) method, we investigate several tens of milliseconds-scale diffusion and localization of proteins in heterogeneous biological membrane models showing phase separation into Lo and Ld domains. The diffusivity of proteins exhibits temporal fluctuations depending on the field composition. Increases in molecular concentrations and domain preference of the molecule induce subdiffusive behavior due to molecular collisions by crowding and confinement effects, respectively. Moreover, we quantitatively demonstrate that the protein partitioning into the Lo domain is determined by the difference in molecular diffusivity between domains, molecular preference of domain, and molecular concentration. These results pave the way for understanding how biological reactions caused by molecular partitioning may be controlled in heterogeneous media. Moreover, the methodology proposed here is applicable not only to biological membrane systems but also to the study of diffusion and localization phenomena of molecules in various heterogeneous systems.
Development of a Prediction Score for Evaluation of Extubation Readiness in Neurosurgical Patients with Mechanical Ventilation
Authors: Xu Shan-Shan , Tian Ye , Ma Yan-Juan , Zhou Yi-Min , Tian Ying , Gao Ran , Yang Yan-Lin , Zhang Linlin , Zhou Jian-Xin
Published: August 2023

Background

There is no widely accepted consensus on the weaning and extubating protocols for neurosurgical patients, leading to heterogeneity in clinical practices and high rates of delayed extubation and extubation failure−related health complications.

Methods

In this single-center prospective observational diagnostic study, mechanically ventilated neurosurgical patients with extubation attempts were consecutively enrolled for 1 yr. Responsive physicians were surveyed for the reasons for delayed extubation and developed the Swallowing, Tongue protrusion, Airway protection reflected by spontaneous and suctioning cough, and Glasgow Coma Scale Evaluation (STAGE) score to predict the extubation success for neurosurgical patients already meeting other general extubation criteria.

Results

A total of 3,171 patients were screened consecutively, and 226 patients were enrolled in this study. The rates of delayed extubation and extubation failure were 25% (57 of 226) and 19% (43 of 226), respectively. The most common reasons for the extubation delay were weak airway-protecting function and poor consciousness. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of the total STAGE score associated with extubation success was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.64 to 0.79). Guided by the highest Youden index, the cutoff point for the STAGE score was set at 6 with 59% (95% CI, 51 to 66%) sensitivity, 74% (95% CI, 59 to 86%) specificity, 90% (95% CI, 84 to 95%) positive predictive value, and 30% (95% CI, 21 to 39%) negative predictive value. At STAGE scores of 9 or higher, the model exhibited a 100% (95% CI, 90 to 100%) specificity and 100% (95% CI, 72 to 100%) positive predictive value for predicting extubation success.

Conclusions

After a survey of the reasons for delayed extubation, the STAGE scoring system was developed to better predict the extubation success rate. This scoring system has promising potential in predicting extubation readiness and may help clinicians avoid delayed extubation and failed extubation–related health complications in neurosurgical patients.

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Osteopontin characterizes bile duct–associated macrophages and correlates with liver fibrosis severity in primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: De Muynck Kevin , Heyerick Lander , De Ponti Federico F. , Vanderborght Bart , Meese Tim , Van Campenhout Sanne , Baudonck Leen , Gijbels Eva , Rodrigues Pedro M. , Banales Jesus M. , Vesterhuus Mette , Folseraas Trine , Scott Charlotte L. , Vinken Mathieu , Van der Linden Malaïka , Hoorens Anne , Van Dorpe Jo , Lefere Sander , Geerts Anja , Van Nieuwerburgh Filip , Verhelst Xavier , Van Vlierberghe Hans , Devisscher Lindsey
Published: August 2023

Background and Aims:

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an immune-mediated cholestatic liver disease for which pharmacological treatment options are currently unavailable. PSC is strongly associated with colitis and a disruption of the gut-liver axis, and macrophages are involved in the pathogenesis of PSC. However, how gut-liver interactions and specific macrophage populations contribute to PSC is incompletely understood.

Approach and Results:

We investigated the impact of cholestasis and colitis on the hepatic and colonic microenvironment, and performed an in-depth characterization of hepatic macrophage dynamics and function in models of concomitant cholangitis and colitis. Cholestasis-induced fibrosis was characterized by depletion of resident KCs, and enrichment of monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages (MoMFs) in the liver. These MoMFs highly express triggering-receptor-expressed-on-myeloid-cells-2 (Trem2) and osteopontin (Spp1), markers assigned to hepatic bile duct-associated macrophages, and were enriched around the portal triad, which was confirmed in human PSC. Colitis induced monocyte/macrophage infiltration in the gut and liver, and enhanced cholestasis-induced MoMF-Trem2 and Spp1 upregulation, yet did not exacerbate liver fibrosis. Bone marrow chimeras showed that knockout of Spp1 in infiltrated MoMFs exacerbates inflammation in vivo and in vitro, while monoclonal antibody–mediated neutralization of SPP1 conferred protection in experimental PSC. In human PSC patients, serum osteopontin levels are elevated compared to control, and significantly increased in advanced stage PSC and might serve as a prognostic biomarker for liver transplant-free survival.

Conclusions:

Our data shed light on gut-liver axis perturbations and macrophage dynamics and function in PSC and highlight SPP1/OPN as a prognostic marker and future therapeutic target in PSC.
Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibody-detection, and vaccination status in patients with ocular vascular occlusion
Authors: Dera Adrianna U. , Brockmann Tobias , Rusch Wladislaw , Weiland Ada L. , Reisinger Emil C. , Fuchsluger Thomas A. , Brockmann Claudia
Published: August 2023

Purpose:

To analyze the annual prevalence of ocular vascular occlusion in relation to COVID-19 infection and vaccination status in a prospective study.

Methods:

All patients were examined for an active SARS-CoV-2 infection by RNA detection, for a previous infection by virus-specific antibody detection (ECLIA), their vaccination status was documented. Data from pandemic year 2020 and previous years, before COVID-19 (2019, 2018, 2017), were retrospectively analyzed.

Results:

In 2021, a total of 103 patients with the first diagnosis of ocular vascular occlusion were treated. Most frequent sub-diagnoses were central retinal vein occlusion (20.4%), non-arteriitic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (18.4%), central retinal artery occlusion (13.6%) and branch retinal artery occlusion (12.6%). Thereof, only 3 patients (2.9%) presented with virus-specific SARS-CoV-2-antibodies, none was PCR-positive. Patients with preceded SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (59.2%) presented with comparable characteristics as unvaccinated patients with vascular occlusion regarding age, gender distribution, systemic risk factors, duration of symptoms, visual acuity and the present sub-diagnoses (p>0.05). The total number of cases in 2021 (103 cases) was comparable to the pandemic year 2020, at which no vaccination was available (114 cases), and to earlier years 2017, 2018, and 2019 without COVID pandemic (100, 120 and 119 cases). Furthermore, we did not reveal any differences between pandemic and reference years regarding patients’ characteristics (p>0.05).

Conclusion:

Our study did not reveal an increased annual prevalence of ocular vascular occlusions during COVID-19 pandemic years 2020 and 2021. Patients with previous COVID vaccination did not present differences regarding the risk profile nor symptoms, compared to unvaccinated individuals.
Prevalence of long-term symptoms varies by using different post-COVID-19 definitions in positively and negatively tested adults: the PRIME post-COVID study
Authors: Pagen Demi ME , van Bilsen Céline JA , Brinkhues Stephanie , Herck Maarten Van , Konings Kevin , den Heijer Casper DJ , ter Waarbeek Henriëtte LG , Spruit Martijn A , Hoebe Christian JPA , Dukers-Muijrers Nicole HTM
Published: August 2023

Background

Long-term symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection (i.e., post-COVID-19 condition or long COVID), constitute a substantial public health problem. Yet, the prevalence remains currently unclear as different case definitions are used, and negatively tested controls are lacking. We aimed to estimate post-COVID-19 condition prevalence using six definitions.

Methods

The Prevalence, Risk factors, and Impact Evaluation (PRIME) post-COVID-19 condition study is a population-based sample of COVID-19 tested adults. End 2021, 61,655 adults were invited to complete an online questionnaire, including 44 symptoms plus a severity score (0-10) per symptom. The prevalence was calculated in both positively and negatively tested adults, stratified by time since their COVID-19 test (3-5, 6-11 or ≥12 months ago).

Results

In positives (n=7,405; 75.6%), the prevalence of long-term symptoms was between 26.9% and 64.1% using the six definitions, while in negatives (n=2,392; 24.4%) the prevalence varied between 11.4% and 32.5%. The prevalence of long-term symptoms potentially accountable to COVID-19 ranged from 17.9% to 26.3%.

Conclusion

There is a (substantial) variation in prevalence estimates by using different definitions as is current practice, showing limited overlap between definitions, indicating that the essential post-COVID-19 condition criteria are still unclear. Including negatives is important to determine long-term symptoms accountable to COVID-19.

Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govIdentifier:NCT05128695.
Factors associated with awareness and uptake of breast and cervical cancer screening among Nepalese women: Evidence from Nepal demographic and health survey 2022
Authors: Lamichhane Bipul , Adhikari Bikram , Poudel Lisasha , Pandey Achyut Raj , Kakchhapati Sampurna , Saugat Pratap KC , Giri Santosh , Dulal Bishnu Prasad , Tiwari Ishwar , Joshi Deepak , Gautam Ghanshyam , Baral Sushil Chandra
Published: August 2023

Objective

To determine the factors associated with awareness and uptake of breast cancer screening (BCS) and cervical cancer screening (CCS) among Nepalese women aged 15-49 years.

Methods

We analyzed data from nationally representative Nepal demographic health survey 2022. We used weighted analysis to account for complex survey design of the survey. We presented categorical variables with frequency, percent (%) and 95% CI around percent. We used univariate and multivariable logistic regression to determine factors associated with awareness and uptake of BCS and CCS. The results of regression analysis were presented with crude odds ratio (COR) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and their 95% CI.

Results

The awareness and uptake of BCS among Nepalese women were 48.9% and 4.4% respectively whereas the awareness and uptake of CCS were 29.9% and 6.4% respectively among Nepalese women. The awareness of BCS and CCS were 1.10 and 1.22 times respectively among women with media exposure and 1.58 and 1.24 times among women with health insurance coverage. Compared to the poorest, the richest and richer have higher odds of being aware of BCS and CCS and have higher odds of BCS and CCS uptake. The uptake of CCS was 5.64 times higher among women who have heard about CCS and women who had heard about BCS had 7 times higher odds of BCS uptake.

Conclusion

Though awareness is relatively good, the uptake of BCS and CCS screening was very poor in Nepalese women. Provinces, ethnicity, age, education, wealth, marital status, employment, media exposure and health insurance coverage were identified as key factors associated with the awareness and uptake of BCS and CCS. These findings highlight the importance of considering socio-demographic factors in implementing effective cancer screening programs and targeting specific populations for increased awareness and uptake of screenings.
Early underdetected dissemination across countries followed by extensive local transmission propelled the 2022 mpox epidemic
Authors: Paredes Miguel I. , Ahmed Nashwa , Figgins Marlin , Colizza Vittoria , Lemey Philippe , McCrone John T. , Müller Nicola , Tran-Kiem Cécile , Bedford Trevor
Published: August 2023

The World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022. To investigate global mpox transmission and population-level changes associated with controlling spread, we built phylogeographic and phylodynamic models to analyze MPXV genomes from five global regions together with air traffic and epidemiological data. Our models reveal community transmission prior to detection, changes in case-reporting throughout the epidemic, and a large degree of transmission heterogeneity. We find that viral introductions played a limited role in prolonging spread after initial dissemination, suggesting that travel bans would have had only a minor impact. We find that mpox transmission in North America began declining before more than 10% of high-risk individuals in the USA had vaccine-induced immunity. Our findings highlight the importance of broader routine specimen screening surveillance for emerging infectious diseases and of joint integration of genomic and epidemiological information for early outbreak control.
Pulmonary Embolism Obstruction Model to Evaluate Clinical Deterioration
Authors: Yeh Jian-Kuan , Chen Po-Wei , Chang Wei-Ting , Chiu Pin-Hsuan , Su Pei-Fang , Hsu Chih-Hsin , Lin Chih-Chan , Chang Hsien-Yuan
Published: August 2023

Hemodynamic instability may develop in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) days after the emboli event. Simplified methods to predict clinical deterioration are currently lacking. This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with acute. The aim is to develop a simplified imaging model with good clinical accessibility to predict the clinical deterioration of patients with acute PE. This study included patients with acute PE under the International Classification of Disease, ninth or tenth revision. Seven models based on computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) were developed based on the location (central versus peripheral) and the degree (nearly total versus partial) of obstruction. The outcome includes clinical deterioration, which is defined as death from PE, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, vasopressor therapy, thrombolysis, catheter-directed therapy, and surgical embolectomy. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the association between different models and clinical deterioration. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to test the predictive ability. The category-free net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were used to quantify the improvement of the proposed models plus the simplified Pulmonary Severity Index (sPESI) compared with the sPESI alone. Calculating the nearly totally obstructed 20 peripheral arteries provides good predictive ability in the seven models (AUC: 0.77). Calculating nearly totally obstructed 20 peripheral segments can predict clinical deterioration. Obstruction on CTPA combined with the sPESI increased the ability to predict clinical deterioration compared to the sPESI alone and may be used as guidance in clinical decision-making.

Clinical perspective

A simple model based on computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) to predict clinical deterioration in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is currently lacking.

This retrospective study included 210 patients and used the model for calculating the nearly totally obstructed segmental pulmonary arteries as an efficient and simple method to predict clinical deterioration. This model added to the simplified PE severity index (sPESI) has an increased predictive ability compared to the sPESI alone. CTPA images can predict the clinical deterioration of patients with acute PE and may assist in clinical decision-making.
Comprehensive Blood Indicator PSI: A Novel Prognostic Tool for Resectable Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Cai Hao , Li Jiancheng , Chen Yu , Zhang Qiao , Liu Yang , Jia Houjun
Published: August 2023

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major global health concern, with significant morbidity and mortality rates. Identifying reliable prognostic indicators is essential for optimizing risk stratification and guiding clinical management. In this study, we aimed to develop a comprehensive blood indicator based on systemic inflammation and nutritional condition to predict the prognosis of resectable CRC patients.

Methods

A retrospective cohort of 210 CRC patients who underwent radical resection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China, between January 2015 and December 2017, was included in the analysis. Baseline characteristics, preoperative blood markers, including neutrophil count, monocyte count, lymphocyte count, platelets, albumin, and CEA were retrospectively reviewed. Various blood indicators, such as NLR, PLR, MLR, SIRI and OPNI were calculated. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method (LASSO) was employed to select indicators to establish a novel comprehensive biomarker (named PSI). Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank tests were used to evaluate the prognostic impact of preoperative OPNI, SIRI, and PSI. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression model were conducted to identify independent prognostic factors for CRC. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) method assessed the predictive ability of PSI, stage, OPNI, and SIRI.

Results

Patients with higher preoperative OPNI and lower SIRI values had significantly better overall survival (OS). PSI was identified as an independent prognostic factor for OS in both univariate and multivariate analysis. Patients with medium (28.3-43.4) and high (>43.4) PSI scores exhibited superior OS compared to those with low (≤ 28.3) PSI scores. PSI showed higher predictive ability (AUC: 0.734) than individual indicators alone (OPNI: 0.721, SIRI: 0.645, stage: 0.635).

Conclusion

The novel comprehensive indicator, PSI, based on preoperative SIRI and OPNI, demonstrated significant prognostic value for resectable CRC patients. PSI outperformed individual indicators and could serve as a reliable tool for risk stratification and prognostic management in CRC patients.
Loss of severe respiratory syncytial virus infection-associated antibody function during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures
Authors: Abu-Raya Bahaa , Reicherz Frederic , Michalski Christina , Majdoubi Abdelilah , Golding Liam , Vienta Marina , Granoski Madison , Stojic Aleksandra , Marchant David J , Lavoie Pascal M.
Published: August 2023

Studies have linked reduced respiratory syncytial virus-specific Fc-mediated phagocytic function and complement deposition to more severe infection. This study shows a loss of these functions during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic. These findings corroborate other data supporting a general waning of RSV antibody functions in absence of viral circulation.
The predictive role of pain catastrophising following genicular arterial embolisation for the treatment of mild and moderate knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Harrison Richard , Salomons Tim V. , MacGill Sarah , Little Mark W.
Published: August 2023

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of OA and is not currently considered to be a curable disease. Specifically, mild-to-moderate knee OA that is resistant to conservative treatment, but does not warrant joint replacement, poses a significant clinical problem. Genicular arterial embolisation (GAE) is an interventional radiological technique designed to subvert neoangiogenesis within the joint, in turn reducing pain and improving function. Preliminary data has identified a subset of patients who do not respond, despite a technically successful procedure. We therefore investigated individual differences in pain and pain perception to identify predictive pre-surgical markers for clinical outcomes. Specifically, we investigated pain catastrophising (PC) and its neural correlates using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Thirty patients participated in a presurgical assessment battery during which they completed psychometric profiling and quantitative sensory testing. A subset of seventeen patients also completed an rs-fMRI session. Patients then recorded post-surgical outcomes at 6-weeks, 3-months, 12-months and 24-months. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) served as a seed for whole-brain voxel-wise connectivity with pain catastrophising scores entered as a regressor in group analysis. Pain catastrophising was associated with a myriad of aversive psychological/lifestyle variables at baseline, as well as a predisposition for attending to pain. Surprisingly, high pain catastrophisers stood to gain the best improvements from GAE, with PC scores predicting the higher reductions in pain across all time-points. Seed-based whole-brain connectivity revealed that PCS was associated with higher connectivity between the DLPFC and areas of the brain associated with pain processing, suggesting more frequent engagement of top-down modulatory processes when experiencing pain. These results are an early step towards understanding outcomes from novel interventional treatments for mild-to-moderate knee OA. Data suggests that improvements in pain and function via GAE could help high catastrophisers manage their pain, and in turn, the negative associations with pain that were identified at baseline.
A robust continuous wavelet transform (CWT) based for R-peak detection method of ECG
Authors: Sahmarany Lola El , Alshammari Maha , Tamal Mahbubunnabi , Alomari Abdulhakeem
Published: August 2023

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death worldwide. An electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is typically used as the first diagnosis tool to detect abnormality in the heart signal. Reliable detection of R-peak in the ECG signal indicates various heart malfunctions (e.g., arrhythmia) and allows for proactive prevention of death due to cardiovascular disease. Though several R-peak detection methods have been proposed, the existence of noise in ECG signals and changes in QRS morphology compromise the robustness and reliability of these methods. Therefore, the need for a reliable detection of R-peak is crucial for diagnosis of heart abnormalities. This paper introduces a time-efficient and novel continuous wavelet transform (CWT) based method for R-peak detection. The proposed method first transforms the ECG signal in to time-frequency spectrum. The contributions of different frequencies at every time point are then calculated from the time-frequency spectrum to efficiently reduce the impact of noise and generate a summed frequency signal. A threshold technique is also proposed to detect the R-peak from the newly generated signal allows. The MIT-BIH arrhythmia database is used as a reference for validation and comparison of the proposed method with the results of other existing R-peak detection methods. The experimental results prove the efficiency and robustness of the developed method on noisy ECG signals with changes in QRS morphology with 99.87% sensitivity, 99.76% positive prediction value and a detection error rate of only 0.37%. In addition to the high accuracy in detecting R-peaks, the ease-to-use and fast-processing make the proposed method an efficient and reliable tool for real-time abnormality detection in ECG signal.
Enhancing grapevine breeding efficiency through genomic prediction and selection index
Authors: Brault Charlotte , Segura Vincent , Roques Maryline , Lamblin Pauline , Bouckenooghe Virginie , Pouzalgues Nathalie , Cunty Constance , Breil Matthieu , Frouin Marina , Garcin Léa , Camps Louise , Ducasse Marie-Agnès , Romieu Charles , Masson Gilles , Julliard Sébastien , Flutre Timothée , Le Cunff Loïc
Published: August 2023

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) breeding reaches a critical point. New cultivars are released every year with resistance to powdery and downy mildews. However, the traditional process remains time-consuming, taking 20 to 25 years, and demands the evaluation of new traits to enhance grapevine adaptation to climate change. Until now, the selection process has relied on phenotypic data and a limited number of molecular markers for simple genetic traits such as resistance to pathogens, without a clearly defined ideotype and was carried out on a large scale. To accelerate the breeding process and address these challenges, we investigated the use of genomic prediction, a methodology using molecular markers to predict genotypic values. In our study, we focused on two existing grapevine breeding programs:Roséwine andCognacproduction. In these programs, several families were created through crosses of emblematic and inter-specific resistant varieties to powdery and downy mildews. 30 traits were evaluated for each program, using two genomic prediction methods: GBLUP (Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Predictor) and LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage Selection Operator). The results revealed substantial variability in predictive abilities across traits, ranging from 0 to 0.9. These discrepancies could be attributed to factors such as trait heritability and trait characteristics. Moreover, we explored the potential of across-population genomic prediction by leveraging other grapevine populations as training sets. Integrating genomic prediction allowed us to identify superior individuals for each program, using multivariate selection index method. The ideotype for each breeding program was defined collaboratively with representatives from the wine-growing sector.
Pre-vaccination immunotypes reveal weak and robust antibody responders to influenza vaccination
Authors: Cevirgel Alper , Shetty Sudarshan A. , Vos Martijn , Nanlohy Nening M. , Beckers Lisa , Bijvank Elske , Rots Nynke , van Beek Josine , Buisman Anne-Marie , van Baarle Debbie
Published: August 2023

Effective vaccine-induced immune responses are particularly essential in older adults who face an increased risk of immunosenescence. However, the complexity and variability of the human immune system make predicting vaccine responsiveness challenging. To address this knowledge gap, our study aimed to characterize immune profiles that are predictive of vaccine responsiveness using “immunotypes” as an innovative approach. We analyzed an extensive set of innate and adaptive immune cell subsets in the whole blood of 307 individuals (aged 25-92) pre- and post-influenza vaccination which we associated with day 28 hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers. Building on our previous work that stratified individuals into nine immunotypes based on immune cell subsets, we identified two pre-vaccination immunotypes associated with weak and one showing robust day 28 antibody response. Notably, the weak responders demonstrated immune regulation (HLA-DR+ T-cells) and activation (CD38+ T-cells) signatures respectively, while the robust responders displayed a high naïve-to-memory T-cell ratio and percentage of non-classical monocytes. These specific signatures deepen our understanding of the relationship between the baseline of the immune system and its functional potential. This approach could enhance our ability to identify individuals at risk of immunosenescence. Our findings highlight the potential of pre-vaccination immunotypes as an innovative tool for informing personalized vaccination strategies and improving health outcomes, particularly for aging populations.
Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in a prospective cohort of COVID-19 survivors
Authors: Gomes Cristiano M. , Hisano Marcelo , Souza Julia D. , Henriques João Victor T. , de Bessa Jose , Moromizato Julyana , Bosi Thulio , Mazoni Rachel , Gismondi João , Camargo Bruno , Sammour Zein M. , Bruschini Homero , Battistella Linamara R. , Nahas William C.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To analyze the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients who survived moderate and severe forms of COVID-19 and the risk factors for LUTS six months after hospital discharge.

Materials and Methods

In this prospective cohort study, patients were evaluated six months after being hospitalized due to COVID-19. LUTS were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score. General health was assessed through the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the EQ5D-L5 scale, which evaluates mobility, ability to perform daily activities, pain and discomfort and completed a self-perception health evaluation.

Results

Of 255 participants, 54.1% were men and the median age was 57.3 [44.3 – 66.6] years. Pre-existing comorbidities included diabetes (35.7%), hypertension (54.5%), obesity (30.2%) and physical inactivity (65.5%). 124 (48.6%) had a hospital stay >15 days, 181 (71.0%) were admitted to an ICU and 124 (48.6%) needed mechanical ventilation. Median IPSS score was 6 [3-11] and did not differ between men and women. Moderate to severe LUTS affected 108 (42.4%) patients (40.6% men and 44.4% women; p=0.610). Nocturia (58.4%) and frequency (45.9%) were the most prevalent symptoms and urgency was the only symptom that affected men (29.0%) and women (44.4%) differently (p=0.013). LUTS significantly impacted the quality of life of 60 (23.5%) patients with women more severely affected (p=0.004). Preexisting diabetes, hypertension and self-perception of worse general health were associated with LUTS.

Conclusions

LUTS are highly prevalent and bothersome six months after hospitalization due to COVID-19. Assessment of LUTS may help ensure appropriate diagnosis and treatment in these patients.
Detection and Characterization of Walking Bouts Using a Single Wrist-Worn Accelerometer in Free-living Conditions
Authors: Brink-Kjær Andreas , Wickramaratne Sajila D. , Parekh Ankit , During Emmanuel H.
Published: August 2023

Detection and characterization of abnormalities of movement are important to develop a method for detecting early signs of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Most of the current research in detection of characteristic reduction of movements due to PD, known as parkinsonism, requires using a set of invasive sensors in a clinical or controlled environment. Actigraphy has been widely used in medical research as a non-invasive data acquisition method in free-living conditions for long periods of time. The proposed algorithm uses triaxial accelerometer data obtained through actigraphy to detect walking bouts at least 10 seconds long and characterize them using cadence and arm swing. Accurate detection of walking periods is the first step toward the characterization of movement based on gait abnormalities. The algorithm was based on a Walking Score (WS) derived using the value of the auto-correlation function (ACF) for the Resultant acceleration vector. The algorithm achieved a precision of 0.90, recall of 0.77, and F1 score of 0.83 compared to the expert scoring for walking bout detection. We additionally described a method to measure arm swing amplitude.
PARIS Coronary Thrombosis Risk Score Combined With D-dimer to Guide New Oral Anticoagulant Antithrombotic Therapy in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Rationale and design of the PRIDE-ACS trial
Authors: Jia Sida , Song Ying , Yuan Deshan , Wang Peizhi , Xu Jingjing , Chen Yan , Zhang Ce , Zhao Xueyan , Yuan Jinqing
Published: August 2023

Background

Residual thrombosis risk is an important contributor to ischemic events in patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). Although previous studies have shown that rivaroxaban 2.5mg twice daily in ACS patients with high ischemic risk can significantly reduce the risk of ischemic recurrence and mortality, individualized treatment with low-dose rivaroxaban is still rare.

Aim

Using D-dimer and PARIS coronary thrombosis risk score to identify ACS patients at high ischemic risk, we aim to investigate whether 3-month low-dose rivaroxaban therapy on the basis of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) could result in reduced ischemic events without increasing bleeding.

Design

This study is a multi-center, prospective, open-label, randomized controlled trial involving 3,944 ACS patients undergoing PCI from more than 40 tertiary hospitals in China (ClinicalTrials.govNCT05638867). Patients with PARIS coronary thrombosis score ≥ 3 and D-dimer ≥ 0.28μg/ml will be 1:1 randomized to experiment group (rivaroxaban 2.5mg twice daily for 3 months on the basis of one-year standard DAPT) or control group (one-year standard DAPT only). The primary endpoint of this study was Major Adverse Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events (MACCE), a composite of death, myocardial infarction, ischemia driven revascularization, stent thrombosis and systemic embolic events. The safety endpoint was BARC type 3 and 5 bleeding events.

In ACS patients with higher PARIS coronary thrombosis risk score and elevated D-dimer level, results of the PRIDE-ACS trial will reveal whether short-duration low-dose rivaroxaban can reduce MACCE events without increasing severe bleeding.
A conserved odorant receptor underpins borneol-mediated repellency in culicine mosquitoes
Authors: Vainer Yuri , Wang Yinliang , Huff Robert M. , Perets Dor , Sar-Shalom Evyatar , Yakir Esther , Ghaninia Majid , Coutinho-Abreu Gomes Iliano V. , Ruiz Carlos , Rajamanickam Dhivya , Warburg A. , Akbari Omar S. , Papathanos Philippos A. , Ignell R. , Riffell Jeffrey A. , Pitts R. Jason , Bohbot Jonathan D.
Published: August 2023

The use of essential oils derived from the camphor tree to repel mosquitoes is an ancient practice that originated in Southeast Asia and gradually spread to China and across Europe via the Maritime Silk Road. The olfactory mechanisms by which these oils elicit avoidance behavior are unclear. Here we show that plant bicyclic monoterpenoids and borneol specifically activate a neural pathway that originates in the orphan olfactory receptor neuron of the capitate peg sensillum in the maxillary palp, and projects to the mediodorsal glomerulus 3 in the antennal lobe. This neuron co-locates with two olfactory receptor neurons tuned to carbon dioxide and octenol that mediate human-host detection. We also confirm that borneol elicits repellency against human-seeking female mosquitoes. Understanding the functional role of the mosquito maxillary palp is essential to investigating olfactory signal integration and host-selection behavior.
Growth-dependent concentration gradient of the oscillating Min system inEscherichia coli
Authors: Parada Claudia , Yan Ching-Cher Sanders , Hung Cheng-Yu , Tu I-Ping , Hsu Chao-Ping , Shih Yu-Ling
Published: August 2023

The Min system contributes to the spatiotemporal regulation of division sites inEscherichia coli. The MinD and MinE proteins of this system self-organize into oscillatory waves in the form of concentration gradients. How the intracellular Min protein concentration gradients are coordinated with cell growth to achieve spatiotemporal accuracy of cell division is unknown. Here, we report that the MinD concentration gradient becomes progressively steeper as cells elongate, suggesting that the division inhibitory activity at the midcell also decreases with cell growth. Interestingly, the oscillation period appears relatively stable across different cell lengths. Similar features were found in cells under carbon stress conditions, but the gradient was even steeper, likely favoring division at shorter cell lengths. The length-dependent variation of the concentration gradient was further examinedin silicousing a reaction-diffusion model, which not only supported the above features, but also revealed a decrease in the midcell concentration as the shape of the gradient becomes steeper in growing cells. This growth-dependent regulation of the midcell concentration of MinD may be coupled with the FtsZ ring formation through the MinD-interacting protein MinC. We found that the variable concentration gradients occur by coordinating the reaction rates of the recruitment of MinD and MinE to the membrane and the recharging of MinD with ATP in the cytoplasm. In conclusion, this work uncovers the plasticity of MinD concentration gradients during interpolar oscillations throughout cell growth, an intrinsic property integrated during cell division.
Radiation necrosis after radiation therapy treatment of brain metastases: A computational approach
Authors: Ocaña-Tienda Beatriz , León-Triana Odelaisy , Pérez-Beteta Julián , Pérez-García Víctor M.
Published: August 2023

Metastasis is the process through which cancer cells break away from a primary tumor, travel through the blood or lymph system, and form new tumors in distant tissues. One of the preferred sites for metastatic dissemination is the brain, affecting more than 20% of all cancer patients. This figure is increasing steadily due to improvements in treatments of primary tumors. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is one of the main treatment options for patients with a small or moderate number of brain metastases (BMs). A frequent adverse event of SRS is radiation necrosis (RN), an inflammatory condition caused by late normal tissue cell death. A major diagnostic problem is that RNs are difficult to distinguish from BM recurrences, due to their similarities on standard magnetic resonance images (MRIs). However, this distinction is key to choosing the best therapeutic approach since RNs resolve often without further interventions, while relapsing BMs may require open brain surgery. Recent research has shown that RNs have a faster growth dynamics than recurrent BMs, providing a way to differentiate the two entities, but no mechanistic explanation has been provided for those observations.

In this study, computational frameworks were developed based on mathematical models of increasing complexity, providing mechanistic explanations for the differential growth dynamics of BMs relapse versus RN events and explaining the observed clinical phenomenology. Simulated tumor relapses were found to have growth exponents substantially smaller than the group in which there was inflammation due to damage induced by SRS to normal brain tissue adjacent to the BMs, thus leading to RN. ROC curves with the synthetic data had an optimal threshold that maximized the sensitivity and specificity values for a growth exponentβ∗= 1.05, very close to that observed in patient datasets.

Author summary

After treatment of brain metastases with radiation therapy, a fraction of patients experience tumor recurrences and others display radiation necrosis (RN). Clinical data shows that the growth of RNs is faster, as measured by the growth exponent, than that of recurrent brain metastases. This reflects the inflammatory nature of the former, and provides a method to distinguish RN in the clinics from relapsing metastatic lesions. A simple mathematical model for the inflammatory response and a more sophisticate discrete stochastic simulator with many biological details were been developed to provide a mechanistic explanation of the differential dynamics of tumor growth versus inflammatory responses after stereotactic radiation surgery of metastatic brain lesions.