bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increased flexibility and efficiency of a double-scattering FLASH proton beamline configuration for in vivo SOBP radiotherapy treatments
Authors: Hachadorian R , Cascio E , Schuemann J
Published: June 2023

Objective. To commission a proton, double-scattering FLASH beamline by maximizing efficiency and field size, enabling higher-linear energy transfer FLASH radiotherapy to cells and small animals using a spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) treatment configuration. We further aim to provide a configuration guide for the design of future FLASH proton double-scattering (DS) beamlines. Approach. Beam spot size and spread were measured with film and implemented into TOol for PArticle Simulation (TOPAS). Monte Carlo simulations were optimized to verify the ideal positioning, dimensions, and material of scattering foils, secondary scatterers, ridge filters, range compensators, and apertures. A ridge filter with three discrete heights was used to create a spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) and was experimentally verified using our in-house experimental FLASH beamline. The increase in dose rate was compared to nominal shoot-through techniques. Results. The configuration and scatterer distance producing the largest field size of acceptable flatness, without drastically compromising dose rate was determined to be an elliptical field of 2 cm × 1.5 cm (25% larger than a previous configuration). SOBP testing yielded three distinct but connected spikes in dose with flatness under 5%. Reducing the thickness of the (first) scattering foil by a factor of two was found to increase efficiency by 50%. The new settings increased the field size, provided a Bragg peak treatment option, and increased the maximum available dose rate by 85%, as compared to the previous, shoot through method. Significance. Beam line updates established FLASH dose rates of over 135 Gy s−1 (potentially higher) at our double-scattering beamline, increased the efficiency and field size, and enabled SOBP treatments by incorporating an optimized ridge filter. Based on our simulations we provide parametric suggestions when commissioning a new proton DS beamline. This enhanced FLASH beamline for SOBP irradiations with higher dose rates and larger field sizes will enable a wider variety of experimentation in future studies.
Magnetic field effect on the linear and nonlinear refractive index and optical absorption of a donor in a GaAs quantum ring
Authors: El-Bakkari K , Iqraoun E , Jaouane M , Arraoui R , Sali A , Fakkahi A , Ed-Dahmouny A , Azmi H
Published: June 2023

The effects of the magnetic field (γ), the radial position of impurity and the degree of confinement on the oscillator strength (OS), refractive index and optical absorption (α) of an impurity inside a GaAs quantum ring (QR) are explored using the effective mass approximation and variational method. It is shown that the peak position of the optical absorption and the refractive index decrease and move toward the lower incident photon energy as the strength of the γ increases. In addition, it is found that the strongest α relates to the case when the impurity is positioned at the right side of QR in the presence of the magnetic field. Our examinations also show that the oscillator strength decreases as the γ increases especially for an on-center donor impurity.
Theoretical study of vertical van der Walls metal-porphyrin and metal free-porphyrin junctions
Authors: Albeydani Ohood
Published: June 2023

This paper provides a theoretical study of the thermoelectric properties of a vertical graphene/porphyrins/graphene architecture. It presents the details of calculating the conductance of metal-porphyrins, which is found to be enhanced by manipulating the metal central atom of the organic 125 porphyrin framework over the family

N
i
,

Z
n
,

F
e

I
I

,

and

C
o

I
I

.

The results demonstrate that even when there is no direct inter-molecular coupling, indirect inter-molecular interactions mediated by the graphene electrodes produce quantum interference effects in the electronic structure of the molecular junction. These junctions are all observed to be HOMO-dominated, meaning that their Seebeck exhibit the same sign and similar behavior. The resulting single-molecule thermopowers range from almost +50 μV/K for both

Z
n

- and

N
i

-porphyrin to +77 μV/K and +85 μV/K for

C
o

- and

F
e

-porphyrin, respectively. For these geometries, the effect of the metal complex with porphyrin on the conductance of the junctions can be seen. An extra resonance appeared in the HOMO-LOMO gap, and it can be disappeared or be shifted closer to Fermi energy to create a new path for the electron transmission. It only depends on the type of metal coordinating at the porphyrin center. Introducing such a new technique for designing high conductance and thermopower opens a door for high thermoelectric performance materials.
Fabrication of array microelectrodes: achieving geometrical characteristics using reverse micro-EDM process
Authors: Pratap Suresh , Datta Somak
Published: June 2023

Reverse micro-EDM is the most suitable method for fabricating circular cross-section array microelectrodes. This work presents an experimental investigation into the effect of process parameters such as capacitance, voltage, and feed on the geometrical characteristics (diameter, length, and taper) of tungsten carbide (WC) array microelectrodes. Using a ø2 mm × 35 mm length rod of tungsten carbide, a 3 × 3 array of microelectrodes was fabricated with a 230 μm diameter hole in a copper sheet, providing a depth of 1.5 mm. Increasing the process parameters from 10 nF capacitance, 90 V voltage, and 0.3 mm min−1 feed to 100 nF capacitance, 130 V voltage, and 0.9 mm min−1 feed decreased the diameter by 6.75% and increased the taper of the electrodes by 3%. The ANOVA analysis indicates that capacitance, voltage, and feed significantly affect the geometrical characteristics of array microelectrodes. Using the multi-objective optimization technique grey relational analysis (GRA), it was found that at a capacitance of 10 nF, a voltage of 130 V, and a feed rate of 0.3 mm min−1 achieved the minimum deviation in the geometrical characteristics of WC array microelectrodes. This paper will help determine the hole size required to achieve the specific dimensions on the array microelectrodes and select optimal process parameters.
Influence of the initial parameters on soliton interaction in nonlinear optical systems
Authors: Zhang Xinyi , Wu Ye
Published: June 2023

In nonlinear optical systems, optical solitons have the transmission properties of reducing error rate, improving system security and stability, and have important research significance in future research on all optical communication. This paper uses the bilinear method to obtain the two-soliton solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. By analyzing the relevant physical parameters in the obtained solutions, the interaction between optical solitons is optimized. The influence of the initial conditions on the interactions of the optical solitons is analyzed in detail, the reason why the interaction of the optical solitons is sensitive to the initial condition is discussed, and the interactions of the optical solitons are effectively weakened. The relevant results are beneficial for reducing the error rate and promoting the communication quality of the system.
Long-term near-continuous recording with Neuropixels probes in healthy and epileptic rats
Authors: Ghestem Antoine , Pompili Marco N , Dipper-Wawra Matthias , Quilichini Pascale P , Bernard Christophe , Ferraris Maëva
Published: June 2023

Neuropixels probes have become a crucial tool for high-density electrophysiological recordings. Although most research involving these probes is in acute preparations, some scientific inquiries require long-term recordings in freely moving animals. Recent reports have presented prosthesis designs for chronic recordings, but some of them do not allow for probe recovery, which is desirable given their cost. Others appear to be fragile, as these articles describe numerous broken implants. Objective. This fragility presents a challenge for recordings in rats, particularly in epilepsy models where strong mechanical stress impinges upon the prosthesis. To overcome these limitations, we sought to develop a new prosthesis for long-term electrophysiological recordings in healthy and epileptic rats. Approach. We present a new prosthesis specifically designed to protect the probes from strong shocks and enable the safe retrieval of probes after experiments. Main results. This prosthesis was successfully used to record from healthy and epileptic rats for up to three weeks almost continuously. Overall, 10 out of 11 probes could be successfully retrieved with a retrieval and reuse success rate of 91%. Significance. Our design and protocol significantly improved previously described probe recycling performances and prove usage on epileptic rats.
Are single global warming potential impact assessments adequate for carbon footprints of agri-food systems?
Authors: McAuliffe Graham A , Lynch John , Cain Michelle , Buckingham Sarah , Rees Robert M , Collins Adrian L , Allen Myles , Pierrehumbert Raymond , Lee Michael R F , Takahashi Taro
Published: June 2023

The vast majority of agri-food climate-based sustainability analyses use global warming potential (GWP100) as an impact assessment, usually in isolation; however, in recent years, discussions have criticised the ‘across-the-board’ application of GWP100 in Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), particularly of food systems which generate large amounts of methane (CH4) and considered whether reporting additional and/or alternative metrics may be more applicable to certain circumstances or research questions (e.g. Global Temperature Change Potential (GTP)). This paper reports a largescale sensitivity analysis using a pasture-based beef production system (a high producer of CH4 emissions) as an exemplar to compare various climatatic impact assessments: CO2-equivalents using GWP100 and GTP100, and ‘CO2-warming-equivalents’ using ‘GWP Star’, or GWP*. The inventory for this system was compiled using data from the UK Research and Innovation National Capability, the North Wyke Farm Platform, in Devon, SW England. LCAs can have an important bearing on: (i) policymakers’ decisions; (ii) farmer management decisions; (iii) consumers’ purchasing habits; and (iv) wider perceptions of whether certain activities can be considered ‘sustainable’ or not; it is, therefore, the responsibility of LCA practitioners and scientists to ensure that subjective decisions are tested as robustly as possible through appropriate sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. We demonstrate herein that the choice of climate impact assessment has dramatic effects on interpretation, with GWP100 and GTP100 producing substantially different results due to their different treatments of CH4 in the context of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents. Given its dynamic nature and previously proven strong correspondence with climate models, out of the three assessments covered, GWP* provides the most complete coverage of the temporal evolution of temperature change for different greenhouse gas emissions. We extend previous discussions on the limitations of static emission metrics and encourage LCA practitioners to consider due care and attention where additional information or dynamic approaches may prove superior, scientifically speaking, particularly in cases of decision support.
Spatial-temporal pattern of tuberculosis mortality in China and its relationship with long-term PM2.5 exposure based on a causal inference approach
Authors: Wu Gonghua , Wang Shenghao , Jiang Zini , Hopke Philip K , Rich David Q , Chen Liang , Lin Shao , Zhang Kai , Romeiko Xiaobo Xue , Qu Yanji , Deng Xinlei , Lin Ziqiang , Xiao Jianpeng , Zhang Wangjian , Hao Yuantao
Published: June 2023

Evidence on the spatial-temporal distribution of tuberculosis (TB) mortality across China and its relationship with long-term particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure is limited. We aimed to address significant gaps in our understanding of the spatial-temporal clustering patterns of TB mortality in China and provide evidence for its causal links with long-term PM2.5 exposure. Annual pulmonary TB mortality, PM2.5 concentrations, and socioeconomic factors for provinces in mainland China between 2004 and 2017 were obtained. Turning points in the temporal trend and spatial clustering patterns of pulmonary TB mortality were identified. A difference-in-differences causal inference approach was applied to estimate the long-term effect of PM2.5 exposure on the mortality. The average annual percent change of pulmonary TB mortality in China was −2.5% (95% CI: −5.6%, 0.7%), with an 11.1% annual increase in the Northwest since 2012 (P= 0.029). The hot and cold spots, determined by the local Moran’s I index, were all located in northern China, where Xinjiang in the Northwest had the highest mortality across the study period. We found a significant association between long-term PM2.5 exposure and pulmonary TB mortality, with percent increase risk of mortality (IR%) being 0.74% (95 CI%, 0.04%, 1.45%) for 1 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration. This association varied across multiple socioeconomic groups, with the highest IR% in provinces with lower level of latitude (IR% = 0.83%, 95% CI: 0.01%, 1.65%), lower quartile of gross domestic product (IR% = 1.01%, 95% CI: 0.23%, 1.80%) or higher proportion (⩾14%) of people >65 years of age (IR% = 1.24%, 95% CI: 0.44%, 2.04%). Comprehensive sensitivity analyses showed a robust adverse effect of long-term PM2.5 exposure on pulmonary TB mortality. Attention needs to be paid to the rising trend of pulmonary TB mortality in Northwest China. Our study provides the stable evidence to date of the causal association between long-term PM2.5 exposure and the risk of death from pulmonary TB, especially in low-altitude, underdeveloped, and aged provinces.
Assessment of the NASA carbon monitoring system wet carbon stakeholder community: data needs, gaps, and opportunities
Authors: Brown Molly E , Mitchell Catherine , Halabisky Meghan , Gustafson Benjamin , Gomes Helga do Rosario , Goes Joaquim I , Zhang Xuesong , Campbell Anthony D , Poulter Benjamin
Published: June 2023

Wet carbon (WC) ecosystems are a critical part of the carbon cycle, yet they are underrepresented in many policy and science communities due to the relative under-investment in stakeholder and boundary organizations. WC systems include the hydrosphere and carbon cycling systems that operate in wetlands, oceans, rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and permafrost. In this article, we provide evidence from a desk review of WC stakeholders, that includes individuals, groups or organizations that are affected by climate change, and utilize carbon data. These stakeholders are involved in decision-making processes in WC ecosystems, and can be private companies, non-governmental organizations, government agencies ranging in scope from local to federal, parastatals, international organizations, and more. In this paper, we identify and describe the links and interests of WC stakeholders and analyze the gaps between scientific understanding and information needs. A continued focus on WC systems could lead to increased stakeholder engagement and methodological and scientific progress. Our study revealed that stakeholder interest in WC systems was not primarily determined by its role in the carbon cycle, but rather by its significance for local policy, economics, or ecology. To bridge the gap between stakeholders and available WC data, we need improved communication of data availability and uncertainty, capacity building, engagement between stakeholder groups, and data continuity. Enhanced stakeholder engagement across various systems will facilitate greater utilization of carbon monitoring data derived from remote sensing; thereby creating more informed stakeholders as well as more effective decision-making processes.
Three-dimensional neuroimmune co-culture system for modeling Parkinson’s disease microenvironments in vitro
Authors: Rueda-Gensini Laura , Serna Julian A , Rubio Daniela , Orozco Juan Camilo , Bolaños Natalia I , Cruz Juan C , Muñoz-Camargo Carolina
Published: June 2023

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex and multifaceted neurodegenerative disorder that results from multiple environmental factors and multicellular interactions. Although several PD neuropathologies have been identified and described, the thorough understanding of PD pathophysiology and research has been largely limited by the absence of reliable in vitro models that truly recapitulate PD microenvironments. Here, we propose a neuroimmune co-culture system that models PD neuropathologies by combining relevant multicellular interactions with environments that mimic the brain. This system is composed of: (i) 3D bioprinted cultures of mature human dopaminergic (DA) neurons grown on extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived scaffolds doped with electroconductive nanostructures, and (ii) a direct co-culture of human astrocytes and differentiated monocytes that models neuroinflammatory responses. When co-cultured in a transwell format, these two compartments recreate relevant multicellular environments that model PD pathologies after exposure to the neurotoxin A53T α-synuclein. With immunofluorescent staining and gene expression analyses, we show that functional and mature DA 3D networks are generated within our ECM-derived scaffolds with superior performance to standard 2D cultures. Moreover, by analyzing cytokine secretion, cell surface markers, and gene expression, we define a human monocyte differentiation scheme that allows the appearance of both monocyte-derived macrophages and dendritic cell phenotypes, as well as their optimal co-culture ratios with human astrocytes to recreate synergistic neuroinflammatory responses. We show that the combined response of both compartments to A53T α-synuclein stimulates the formation of intracellular α-synuclein aggregates, induces progressive mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species production, downregulates the expression of synaptic, DA, and mitophagy-related genes, and promotes the initiation of apoptotic processes within the DA networks. Most importantly, these intracellular pathologies were comparable or superior to those generated with a rotenone-stimulated 2D control that represents the current standard for in vitro PD models and showed increased resilience towards these neurotoxic insults, allowing the study of disease progression over longer time periods than current models. Taken together, these results position the proposed model as a superior alternative to current 2D models for generating PD-related pathologies in vitro.
Nilspace Factors for General Uniformity Seminorms, Cubic Exchangeability and Limits
Authors: Candela Pablo , Szegedy Balázs
Published: June 2023

We study a class of measure-theoretic objects that we call cubic couplings, on which there is a common generalization of the Gowers norms and the Host–Kra seminorms. Our main result yields a complete structural description of cubic couplings, using nilspaces. We give three applications. Firstly, we describe the characteristic factors of Host–Kra type seminorms for measure-preserving actions of countable nilpotent groups. This yields an extension of the structure theorem of Host and Kra. Secondly, we characterize sequences of random variables with a property that we call cubic exchangeability. These are sequences indexed by the infinite discrete cube, such that for every integer

k
≥
0

k\geq 0

the joint distribution’s marginals on affine subcubes of dimension

k
k

are all equal. In particular, our result gives a description, in terms of compact nilspaces, of a related exchangeability property considered by Austin, inspired by a problem of Aldous. Finally, using nilspaces we obtain limit objects for sequences of functions on compact abelian groups (more generally on compact nilspaces) such that the densities of certain patterns in these functions converge. The paper thus proposes a measure-theoretic framework on which the area of higher-order Fourier analysis can be based, and which yields new applications of this area in a unified way in ergodic theory and arithmetic combinatorics.
Hierarchical graph transformer with contrastive learning for protein function prediction
Authors: Gu Zhonghui , Luo Xiao , Chen Jiaxiao , Deng Minghua , Lai Luhua
Published: June 2023

Motivation

In recent years, high-throughput sequencing technologies have made large-scale protein sequences accessible. However, their functional annotations usually rely on low-throughput and pricey experimental studies. Computational prediction models offer a promising alternative to accelerate this process. Graph neural networks have shown significant progress in protein research, but capturing long-distance structural correlations and identifying key residues in protein graphs remains challenging.

Results

In the present study, we propose a novel deep learning model named Hierarchical graph transformEr with contrAstive Learning (HEAL) for protein function prediction. The core feature of HEAL is its ability to capture structural semantics using a hierarchical graph Transformer, which introduces a range of super-nodes mimicking functional motifs to interact with nodes in the protein graph. These semantic-aware super-node embeddings are then aggregated with varying emphasis to produce a graph representation. To optimize the network, we utilized graph contrastive learning as a regularization technique to maximize the similarity between different views of the graph representation. Evaluation of the PDBch test set shows that HEAL-PDB, trained on fewer data, achieves comparable performance to the recent state-of-the-art methods, such as DeepFRI. Moreover, HEAL, with the added benefit of unresolved protein structures predicted by AlphaFold2, outperforms DeepFRI by a significant margin on Fmax, AUPR, and Smin metrics on PDBch test set. Additionally, when there are no experimentally resolved structures available for the proteins of interest, HEAL can still achieve better performance on AFch test set than DeepFRI and DeepGOPlus by taking advantage of AlphaFold2 predicted structures. Finally, HEAL is capable of finding functional sites through class activation mapping.

Availability and implementation

Implementations of our HEAL can be found at https://github.com/ZhonghuiGu/HEAL.
MDTips: a multimodal-data-based drug–target interaction prediction system fusing knowledge, gene expression profile, and structural data
Authors: Xia Xiaoqiong , Zhu Chaoyu , Zhong Fan , Liu Lei
Published: June 2023

Motivation

Screening new drug–target interactions (DTIs) by traditional experimental methods is costly and time-consuming. Recent advances in knowledge graphs, chemical linear notations, and genomic data enable researchers to develop computational-based-DTI models, which play a pivotal role in drug repurposing and discovery. However, there still needs to develop a multimodal fusion DTI model that integrates available heterogeneous data into a unified framework.

Results

We developed MDTips, a multimodal-data-based DTI prediction system, by fusing the knowledge graphs, gene expression profiles, and structural information of drugs/targets. MDTips yielded accurate and robust performance on DTI predictions. We found that multimodal fusion learning can fully consider the importance of each modality and incorporate information from multiple aspects, thus improving model performance. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that deep learning-based encoders (i.e. Attentive FP and Transformer) outperform traditional chemical descriptors/fingerprints, and MDTips outperforms other state-of-the-art prediction models. MDTips is designed to predict the input drugs’ candidate targets, side effects, and indications with all available modalities. Via MDTips, we reverse-screened candidate targets of 6766 drugs, which can be used for drug repurposing and discovery.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/XiaoqiongXia/MDTips and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7560544.
Do skip-N2 metastases significantly impact overall survival and disease-free interval in N2 non-small-cell lung cancer patients? A multicentre analysis
Authors: Schlachtenberger Georg , Schallenberg Simon , Doerr Fabian , Menghesha Hruy , Gaisendrees Christopher , Amorin Andres , Grathwohl Corinna , Büttner Reinhard , Quaas Alexander , Horst David , Klauschen Frederick , Frost Nikolaj , Rueckert Jens-C , Neudecker Jens , Höpker Katja , Wahlers Thorsten , Hekmat Khosro , Heldwein Matthias B
Published: June 2023

OBJECTIVES

Skip-N2 metastasis (N0N2), thus N2 metastasis in the absence of N1 metastasis, occurs in ∼20–30% of non-small-cell lung cancer patients. N0N2 patients have a better prognosis than continuous-N2 metastasis (N1N2) patients following surgery. However, this effect remains controversial. Therefore, we conducted a multicentre study to compare the long-term survival and disease-free interval (DFI) of N1N2- and N0N2 patients.

METHODS

One- and 3-year survival rates were measured. Kaplan–Meier curves and a Cox proportional hazards model assessed survival and were used to identify prognostic factors for overall survival. In addition, we performed propensity score matching (PSM) to rule out confounding factors. All patients received adjuvant chemoradiation therapy according to European guidelines.

RESULTS

Between January 2010 and December 2020, 218 stage IIIA/B N2 patients were included in our analysis. The Cox regression analysis revealed that N1N2 significantly influenced the overall survival rate. Before PSM, N1N2 patients showed significantly more metastatic lymph nodes (P < 0.001) and significantly larger tumours (P = 0.05). After PSM, baseline characteristics did not differ between groups. Before and after PSM, N0N2 patients showed significantly better 1- (P = 0.01; P = 0.009) and 3-year (P < 0.001) survival rates than N1N2 patients. Furthermore, N0N2 patients showed significantly longer DFI than N1N2 patients before and after PSM (P < 000.1).

CONCLUSIONS

Prior and after PSM analysis, N0N2 patients were confirmed to have better survival and DFI than N1N2 patients. Our results demonstrate that stage IIIA/B N2 patients are heterogeneous and would benefit from a more precise subdivision and differential treatment.
Digital innovations for sustainable and resilient agricultural systems
Authors: Finger Robert
Published: June 2023

Digitalisation is rapidly transforming the agri-food sector. This paper investigates emerging opportunities, challenges and policy options. We show that digital innovations can contribute to more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. For example, digital innovations enable increased productivity, reduced environmental footprints and higher resilience of farms. However, these optimistic outcomes of increasing digitalisation of the agricultural sector will not emerge on their own, but this development comes with several challenges, costs and risks, e.g. in economic, social and ethical dimensions. We provide policy recommendations to explore opportunities and avoid risks. Moreover, we discuss implications for future research in agricultural economics.
Bayesian analysis of the Substrate Ablation vs. Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for Symptomatic Ventricular Tachycardia trial
Authors: Ávila Pablo , Berruezo Antonio , Jiménez-Candil Javier , Tercedor Luis , Calvo David , Arribas Fernando , Fernández-Portales Javier , Merino José Luis , Hernández-Madrid Antonio , Fernández-Avilés Francisco , Arenal Ángel
Published: June 2023

Background and aims

Bayesian analyses can provide additional insights into the results of clinical trials, aiding in the decision-making process. We analysed the Substrate Ablation vs. Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for Symptomatic Ventricular Tachycardia (SURVIVE-VT) trial using Bayesian survival models.

Methods and results

The SURVIVE-VT trial randomized patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) to catheter ablation or antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) as a first-line strategy. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, appropriate implantable cardioverter–defibrillator shocks, unplanned heart failure hospitalizations, or severe treatment-related complications. We used informative, skeptical, and non-informative priors with different probabilities of large effects to compute the posterior distributions using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. We calculated the probabilities of hazard ratios (HR) being <1, <0.9, and <0.75, as well as 2-year survival estimates. Of the 144 randomized patients, 71 underwent catheter ablation and 73 received AAD. Regardless of the prior, catheter ablation had a >98% probability of reducing the primary outcome (HR < 1) and a >96% probability of achieving a reduction of >10% (HR < 0.9). The probability of a >25% (HR < 0.75) reduction of treatment-related complications was >90%. Catheter ablation had a high probability (>93%) of reducing incessant/slow undetected VT/electric storm, unplanned hospitalizations for ventricular arrhythmias, and overall cardiovascular admissions > 25%, with absolute differences of 15.2%, 21.2%, and 20.2%, respectively.

Conclusion

In patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and VT, catheter ablation as a first-line therapy resulted in a high probability of reducing several clinical outcomes compared to AAD. Our study highlights the value of Bayesian analysis in clinical trials and its potential for guiding treatment decisions.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03734562
Feasibility of melt segregation from a crystal mush in response to the 2011–2012 eruption at Cordón Caulle, Chile
Authors: Phelps Patrick R , Gonnermann Helge M , Winslow Heather , Ruprecht Philipp , Pritchard Matthew E , Delgado Francisco , Liao Yang
Published: June 2023

The 2011–2012 eruption at Cordón Caulle in Chile produced crystal-poor rhyolitic magma with crystal-rich mafic enclaves whose interstitial glass is of identical composition to the host rhyolite. Eruptible rhyolites are thought to be genetically associated with crystal-rich magma mushes, and the enclaves within the Cordón Caulle rhyolite support the existence of a magma mush from which the erupted magma was derived. Moreover, towards the end of the 2011–2012 eruption, subsidence gave way to inflation that has on average been continuous through at least 2020. We hypothesize that magma segregation from a crystal mush could be the source of the observed inflation. Conceptually, magma withdrawal from a crystal-poor rhyolite reservoir caused its depressurization, which could have led to upward flow of interstitial melt within an underlying crystal mush, causing a new batch of magma to segregate and partially recharge the crystal-poor rhyolite body. Because the compressibility of the crystalline matrix of the mush is expected to be lower than that of the interstitial melt, which likely contains some fraction of volatile bubbles, this redistribution of melt would result in a net increase in volume of the system and in the observed inflation. We use numerical modelling of subsurface magma flow and storage to show under which conditions such a scenario is supported by geodetic and petrologic observations.
The Genomics in Emerging Marine Systems Checklist for Clear and Reproducible Genomics in Emerging, Marine Systems
Authors: Varney Rebecca
Published: June 2023

Synopsis

Genome sequencing becomes more accessible and powerful every year, but there is a lack of consensus on what information should be provided in publications that include genomic data. The result is a flood of sequencing data without a framework to evaluate its quality and completeness, hindering reproducibility. In non-model taxa in marine systems, a lack of detail in methods sections often hinders future researchers from adopting improved techniques, leaving them to repeat costly protocols and take up computational (wall) time with programs that are already known to fail. Here, I present a set of guidelines tailored for marine taxa (emerging model organisms) to promote consistency between publications, increase transparency of sequencing projects, and preserve the value of sequence data as sequencing technologies advance. Included is a checklist to (1) guide authors toward including more detailed information in their manuscripts, (2) expand data availability, and (3) assist reviewers to thoroughly vet methods and results of future ‘omic publications. This set of guidelines will support the usefulness of ‘omic data in future analyses by providing a framework to document and evaluate these data, leading to transparent and reproducible genomics research on emerging marine systems.
Transitional Justice in Post-terror Contexts: The Norwegian 22 July Memorial and the Ambiguity of Litigation
Authors: Sandvik Kristin Bergtora
Published: June 2023

ABSTRACT∞

This article explores litigation as a practice of memorialization through a qualitative study of the legal mobilization to halt and re-site the Norwegian national memorial for the 22 July 2011 terror attack. In arguing that adversarial legal processes initiated by grassroots actors can represent a form of commemorative work with an ambiguous societal status, the article contributes to the emergent literature on transitional justice practices in established democracies and in post-terror contexts. In the Norwegian case, the law became an arena for contested negotiations over the hierarchy of victims. The litigation process also shaped how the fallout of 22 July is understood. Furthermore, this mobilization engendered frictions regarding the potential of future 22 July commemorations to perpetuate trauma. Litigation may be understood as a rupture with the national narrative of law as an accountability tool, because of the stigma and unresolved and painful contestation around democratic citizenship that it produces.
Quasi-Projective Manifolds Uniformized by Carathéodory Hyperbolic Manifolds and Hyperbolicity of Their Subvarieties
Authors: Wong Kwok-Kin , Yeung Sai-Kee
Published: June 2023

Let $M$ be a Carathéodory hyperbolic complex manifold. We show that $M$ supports a real-analytic bounded strictly plurisubharmonic function. If $M$ is also complete Kähler, we show that $M$ admits the Bergman metric. When $M$ is strongly Carathéodory hyperbolic and is the universal covering of a quasi-projective manifold $X$, the Bergman metric can be estimated in terms of a Poincaré-type metric on $X$. It is also proved that any quasi-projective (resp. projective) subvariety of $X$ is of log-general type (resp. general type), a result consistent with a conjecture of Lang.
Real-life Assessment of BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel in Adults Hospitalized With Respiratory Illness
Authors: Falsey Ann R , Branche Angela R , Croft Daniel P , Formica Maria A , Peasley Michael R , Walsh Edward E
Published: June 2023

Background

Inability to identify the microbial etiology of lower respiratory tract infection leads to unnecessary antibiotic use. We evaluated the utility of the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel (BioFire PN) to inform microbiologic diagnosis.

Methods

Hospitalized adults with respiratory illness were recruited; sputa and clinical/laboratory data were collected. Sputa were cultured for bacteria and tested with BioFire PN. Microbial etiology was adjudicated by 4 physicians. Bacterial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was compared with culture and clinical adjudication.

Results

Of 298 sputa tested, BioFire PN detected significantly more pathogens (350 bacteria, 16 atypicals, and 164 viruses) than sputum culture plus any standard-of-care testing (91% vs 60%, P < .0001). When compared with culture, the sensitivity of BioFire PN for individual bacteria was 46% to 100%; specificity, 61% to 100%; and negative predictive value, 92% to 100%. Cases were adjudicated as viral (n = 58) and bacterial (n = 100). PCR detected bacteria in 55% of viral cases and 95% of bacterial (P < .0001). High serum procalcitonin and bacterial adjudication were more often associated with sputa with 106 or 107 copies detected.

Conclusions

Multiplex PCR testing of sputa for bacteria is useful to rule out bacterial infection with added value to detect viruses and atypical bacteria.
Two-Year Duration of Immunity of Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine: A Follow-up Study in Pakistan in 2020
Authors: Saleem Ali Faisal , Parkar Sadia , Zehra Syeda Mahjabeen , Kazi Zaubina , Pethani Asma , Zhang Yiting , Mainou Bernardo A , Cavestany Rocio Lopez , Macklin Grace , Jeyaseelan Visalakshi , Mach Ondrej
Published: June 2023

This was a follow-up study conducted in 2020 assessing changes in levels of type 2 poliovirus–neutralizing antibodies 2 years postimmunization in children who received inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) in Karachi, Pakistan. Unexpectedly, the findings revealed an increase in seroprevalence of type 2 antibodies from 73.1% to 81.6% 1 year and 2 years after IPV, respectively. The increase in type 2 immunity could result from the intensive transmission of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in Karachi during the second year of IPV administration. This study suggests that the cVDPV2 outbreak detected in Pakistan infected large proportions of children in Karachi.

Clinical Trials Registration . NCT03286803.
A Chimeric Classical Insect-Specific Flavivirus Provides Complete Protection Against West Nile Virus Lethal Challenge in Mice
Authors: Zhang Hong-Qing , Li Na , Zhang Zhe-Rui , Deng Cheng-Lin , Xia Han , Ye Han-Qing , Yuan Zhi-Ming , Zhang Bo
Published: June 2023

West Nile virus (WNV), an arthropod-borne flavivirus, can cause severe symptoms, including encephalitis, and death, posing a threat to public health and the economy. However, there is still no approved treatment or vaccine available for humans. Here, we developed a novel vaccine platform based on a classical insect-specific flavivirus (cISF) YN15-283-02, which was derived from Culicoides. The cISF-WNV chimera was constructed by replacing prME structural genes of the infectious YN15-283-02 cDNA clone with those of WNV and successfully rescued in Aedes albopictus cells. cISF-WNV was nonreplicable in vertebrate cells and nonpathogenic in type I interferon receptor (IFNAR)-deficient mice. A single-dose immunization of cISF-WNV elicited considerable Th1-biased antibody responses in C57BL/6 mice, which was sufficient to offer complete protection against lethal WNV challenge with no symptoms. Our studies demonstrated the potential of the insect-specific cISF-WNV as a prophylactic vaccine candidate to prevent infection with WNV.
An accurate, efficient, and economical identification technology for black twig borer based on species-specific cytochrome C oxidase subunit I PCR assay
Authors: Sun Xueting , Lu Guangliang , Sun Ronghua , Li You , Sun Shiwei , Gao Lei
Published: June 2023

Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) is a worldwide invasive species that causes huge economic loss and environmental damage in many countries. Traditional morphological characteristics make it hard to identify scolytines due to their tiny size. Besides, the intercepted insect samples are incomplete, and the limitation of insect (larvae and pupae) morphology makes morphological identification more difficult. The majority of the damage is caused by adults and fungi that serve as nutrition for their larvae. They destroy plant trunks, branches, and twigs, affecting plant transport tissues in both weak and healthy plants. An accurate, efficient, and economical molecular identification technique for X. compactus not restricted by professional taxonomic knowledge is necessary. In the present study, a molecular identification tool based on the mitochondrial DNA gene, cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) was developed. A species-specific COI (SS-COI) PCR assay was designed to identify X. compactus regardless of the developmental stage. Twelve scolytines commonly found in eastern China, namely Xylosandrus compactus, X. crassiusculus, X. discolor, X. germanus, X. borealis, X. amputates, X. eupatorii, X. mancus, Xyleborinus saxesenii, Euwallacea interjectus, E. fornicatus, and Acanthotomicus suncei, were included in the study. Additionally, specimens of X. compactus from 17 different areas in China, as well as a specimen collected from the United Stated, were also analyzed. Results demonstrated the accuracy and high efficiency of the assay, regardless of the developmental stage or the type of specimen. These features provide a good application prospect for fundamental departments and can be used to prevent the harmful consequences of the spread of X. compactus.
Evaluation of survival outcomes between minimally invasive and open surgery in the treatment of early-stage endometrial cancer: a population-based study in Osaka Japan
Authors: Sasano Tomoyuki , Mabuchi Seiji , Komura Naoko , Maeda Michihide , Kamiura Shoji , Morishima Toshitaka , Miyashiro Isao
Published: June 2023

Objective

To compare the oncological outcomes between Japanese women who underwent minimally invasive surgery and those who underwent open surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer.

Methods

This population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Osaka Cancer Registry from 2011 to 2018. Surgically treated patients for localized (uterine-confined) endometrial cancer were identified. Patients were classified into two groups according to the type of surgery (minimally invasive surgery group and open-surgery group), pathological risk factors (low-risk and high-risk), and year of diagnosis (Group 1, 2011–14; Group 2, 2015–18). Overall survival was compared between the minimally invasive surgery and open-surgery groups.

Results

In the analyses including all patients, there was no difference in overall survival between the minimally invasive surgery and open-surgery groups (P = 0.0797). The 4-year overall survival rate was 97.1 and 95.7% in the minimally invasive surgery and open-surgery groups, respectively. When investigated according to pathological risks, there were no differences in overall survival between the minimally invasive surgery and open-surgery groups in both the low- and high-risk groups. In the low-risk group, the 4-year overall survival rates in the minimally invasive surgery and open-surgery groups were 97.7 and 96.5%, respectively. In the high-risk group, the 4-year overall survival rates in the minimally invasive surgery and open-surgery groups were 91.2 and 93.2%, respectively. Similarly, there were no differences in overall survival between the minimally invasive surgery and open-surgery groups in both Group 1 (P = 0.4479 in low-risk and P = 0.1826 in high-risk groups) and Group 2 (P = 0.1750 in low-risk and P = 0.0799 in high-risk groups).

Conclusion

Our study provides epidemiological evidence that minimally invasive surgery is an effective alternative to open surgery in Japanese patients with early-stage endometrial cancer.
Optimization of buoy-type energy harvesting device in lake using firefly algorithm
Authors: Chiu Min-Chie , Cheng Ho-Chih
Published: June 2023

It is of utmost importance to prioritize the exploration of alternative green energy sources, reducing our dependence on coal and oil, in order to mitigate the detrimental effects of greenhouse gases. This paper introduces an innovative energy harvester that utilizes a single magnet driven by a buoy attached to a pole within a lake. We delve into the correlation between the induced electricity and various factors such as wind speed, lake length and depth, as well as the design parameters of the energy harvester. To enhance the performance of the energy harvester, we employ the firefly algorithm, gradually fine-tuning its control parameters to acquire the most optimal design data. Our analysis reveals that, under specific conditions including a fetch of 4 km, a lake depth of 10 m and a wind speed of 4.5 m/s, the one-magnet energy harvester exhibits a commendable electrical power output of 0.1 Watt. This research not only emphasizes the potential of hydraulic energy generation as a promising and sustainable green energy source but also provides valuable insights into optimizing energy harvesters to achieve maximum electricity production.
HST proper motions on the far side of the Galactic bar—data
Authors: Soto Mario , Kuijken Konrad , Rich R Michael , Clarkson William I , Nilo Castellón José Luis , Fernández-Trincado José G , Contreras Ramos Rodrigo , Kunder Andrea , Baravalle Laura D , Alonso M Victoria , Simion Iulia T , Johnson Christian I , Vieira Katherine
Published: June 2023

This is the third paper in a series that attempts to observe a clear signature of the Galactic bar/bulge using kinematic observations of the bulge stellar populations in low foreground extinction windows. We report on the detection of ∼100 000 new proper motions in four fields covering the far side of the Galactic bar/bulge, at negative longitudes. Our proper motions have been obtained using observations from the Advance Camera for Surveys (ACS), on board of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), with a time-baseline of 8–9 years, which has produced accuracies better than 0.5 mas yr−1 for a significant fraction of the stellar populations with F814W < 23 mag. Interestingly, as shown in previous works, the Hess diagrams show a strikingly similar proper motion distribution to fields closer to the Galactic center and consistent with an old stellar population. The observed kinematics point to a significant bulge rotation, which seems to predominate even in fields as far as l ≃ −8°, and is also reflected in the changes of the velocity ellipsoid in the l, b plane as a function of distance.
Statistical properties and lensing effect on the repeating fast radio burst FRB 180916.J0158+65
Authors: Wang Yu-Bin , Kurban Abdusattar , Zhou Xia , Yu Yun-Wei , Wang Na
Published: June 2023

FRB 180916.J0158+65 is a well-known repeating fast radio burst with a period ($16.35~\rm d$) and an active window ($5.0~\rm d$). We give out the statistical results of the dispersion measures and waiting times of bursts of FRB 180916.J0158+65. We find the dispersion measures at the different frequencies show a bimodal distribution. The peaking dispersion measures of the left mode of the bimodal distributions increase with frequency, but the right one is inverse. The waiting times also present the bimodal distribution, peaking at 0.05622 and 1612.91266 s. The peaking time is irrelevant to the properties of bursts, either for the preceding or subsequent burst. By comparing the statistical results with possible theoretical models, we suggest that FRB 180916.J0158+65 suffered from the plasma lensing effects in the propagation path. Moreover, this source may be originated from a highly magnetized neutron star in a high-mass X-ray binary.