bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Event-based nonfragile state estimation for memristive recurrent neural networks with stochastic cyber-attacks and sensor saturations
Authors: Shao 邵 Xiao-Guang 晓光 , Zhang 张 Jie 捷 , Lu 鲁 Yan-Juan 延娟
Published: April 2024

This paper addresses the issue of nonfragile state estimation for memristive recurrent neural networks with proportional delay and sensor saturations. In practical engineering, numerous unnecessary signals are transmitted to the estimator through the networks, which increases the burden of communication bandwidth. A dynamic event-triggered mechanism, instead of a static event-triggered mechanism, is employed to select useful data. By constructing a meaningful Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, a delay-dependent criterion is derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities for ensuring the global asymptotic stability of the augmented system. In the end, two numerical simulations are employed to illustrate the feasibility and validity of the proposed theoretical results.
Controlling the dynamic behavior of decentralized cluster through centralized approaches
Authors: Yuan 袁 Daming 大明 , Wang 王 Peilong 培龙 , Wang 王 Peng 鹏 , Ma 马 Xingyu 星宇 , Wang 汪 Chuyun 楚云 , Wang 王 Jing 璟 , Chen 陈 Huaicheng 怀城 , Wang 王 Gao 高 , Ye 叶 Fangfu 方富
Published: April 2024

How to control the dynamic behavior of large-scale artificial active matter is a critical concern in experimental research on soft matter, particularly regarding the emergence of collective behaviors and the formation of group patterns. Centralized systems excel in precise control over individual behavior within a group, ensuring high accuracy and controllability in task execution. Nevertheless, their sensitivity to group size may limit their adaptability to diverse tasks. In contrast, decentralized systems empower individuals with autonomous decision-making, enhancing adaptability and system robustness. Yet, this flexibility comes at the cost of reduced accuracy and efficiency in task execution. In this work, we present a unique method for regulating the centralized dynamic behavior of self-organizing clusters based on environmental interactions. Within this environment-coupled robot system, each robot possesses similar dynamic characteristics, and their internal programs are entirely identical. However, their behaviors can be guided by the centralized control of the environment, facilitating the accomplishment of diverse cluster tasks. This approach aims to balance the accuracy and flexibility of centralized control with the robustness and task adaptability of decentralized control. The proactive regulation of dynamic behavioral characteristics in active matter groups, demonstrated in this work through environmental interactions, holds the potential to introduce a novel technological approach and provide experimental references for studying the dynamic behavior control of large-scale artificial active matter systems.
Density of excess modes below the first phonon mode in four-dimensional glasses
Authors: Wang 王 Lijin 利近 , Xu 胥 Ding 鼎 , Zhang 张 Shiyun 世允
Published: April 2024

Glasses are known to possess low-frequency excess modes beyond the Debye prediction. For decades, it has been assumed that evolution of low-frequency density of excess modes D(ω) with frequency ω follows a power-law scaling: D(ω) ∼ ωγ
. However, it remains debated on the value of γ at low frequencies below the first phonon-like mode in finite-size glasses. Early simulation studies reported γ = 4 at low frequencies in two- (2D), three- (3D), and four-dimensional (4D) glasses, whereas recent observations in 2D and 3D glasses suggested γ = 3.5 in a lower-frequency regime. It is uncertain whether the low-frequency scaling of D(ω) ∼ ω
3.5 could be generalized to 4D glasses. Here, we conduct numerical simulation studies of excess modes at frequencies below the first phonon-like mode in 4D model glasses. It is found that the system size dependence of D(ω) below the first phonon-like mode varies with spatial dimensions: D(ω) increases in 2D glasses but decreases in 3D and 4D glasses as the system size increases. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the ω
3.5 scaling, rather than the ω
4 scaling, works in the lowest-frequency regime accessed in 4D glasses, regardless of interaction potentials and system sizes examined. Therefore, our findings in 4D glasses, combined with previous results in 2D and 3D glasses, suggest a common low-frequency scaling of D(ω) ∼ ω
3.5 below the first phonon-like mode across different spatial dimensions, which would inspire further theoretical studies.
Dynamically enhanced Autler–Townes splitting by orthogonal XUV fields
Authors: Wu 吴 Li-Long 立龙 , Jiang 姜 Wei-Chao 维超 , Peng 彭 Liang-You 良友
Published: April 2024

Based on numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, we theoretically investigate the photoelectron spectrum of hydrogen atoms ionized by a pair of ultrashort, intense, and orthogonally polarized laser pulses with a relative time delay in a pump–probe configuration. The pump pulse resonantly excites electrons from the 1s and 2p levels, inducing Rabi oscillations. The resulting dynamically enhanced Autler–Townes (AT) splitting is observed in the photoelectron energy spectrum upon interaction with the second probe pulse. In contrast to the previous parallel-polarization scheme, the proposed orthogonal-polarization configuration enables the resolution of dynamically enhanced AT splitting over a considerably wider range of probe photon energies.
Search for an exotic vectorlike X-quark in same-sign dilepton final states at the future 3 TeV CLIC*
Authors: Zhang 张 Yan-Ju 艳菊 , Chang 常 Jin-Long 金龙 , Liu 刘 Tai-Gang 太刚
Published: April 2024

Vectorlike quarks (VLQs) with masses at the TeV-scale have been predicted in many new physics scenarios beyond the Standard Model (SM). Based on a simplified

doublet model including the exotic vectorlike X quark (VLQ-X) with an electric charge

, we study the production of the VLQ-X decaying into

at the future Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) with

TeV including the initial state radiation and beamstrahlung effects. We focus on the final signals, including same-sign dileptons (electrons or muons), at least one b-tagged jet, and large missing transverse momentum. By performing detailed signal-to-background analyses and detector simulations, we obtain the

exclusion capabilities and

discovery reaches, respectively, on the mass of the VLQ-X

as well as the relevant parameters (

for

GeV and the coupling strength

for

GeV) for some typical luminosities at the 3 TeV CLIC.
Half-blind quantum computation with operation teleportation
Authors: Yang Zhen , Wu Guangyang , Bai Mingqiang
Published: April 2024

Blind quantum computation enables a client with limited quantum capabilities to delegate a powerful quantum computer for performing confidential quantum computation. This paper identifies a security loophole in the initial universal half-blind quantum computation protocol and resolves it using operation teleportation. Simultaneously, to minimize quantum resource consumption for both the client and the server, the proposed protocol relies on the universal gate set H, T, and CX, and only necessitates the client’s ability to prepare qubits in the eigenstates of Pauli gates X and Y or measure qubits based on these gates. Finally, a sample example is provided to illustrate the proposed protocol effectively.
Tuning magnetic and optical properties in Mn
x
Zn1−x
PS3 single crystals by the alloying composition
Authors: Harchol Adi , Zuri Shahar , Ritov Esther , Horani Faris , Rybak Miłosz , Woźniak Tomasz , Eyal Anna , Amouyal Yaron , Birowska Magdalena , Lifshitz Efrat
Published: April 2024

The exploration of two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials has shown great promise and interest in tuning the magnetic and electronic properties as well as studying magneto-optical effects. The current work investigates the control of magneto-optical interactions in alloyed Mn
x
Zn1−x
PS3 lamellar semiconductor single crystals, with the Mn/Zn ratio regulating the coupling strength. Magnetic susceptibility results show a retention of AFM order followed by a decrease in Néel temperatures down to ∼40% Mn concentration, below which a paramagnetic behavior is observed. Absorption measurements reveal an increase in bandgap energy with higher Zn(II) concentration, and the presence of Mn(II) d-d transition below the absorption edge. DFT + U approach qualitatively explained the origin and the position of the experimentally observed mid band-gap states in pure MnPS3, and corresponding peaks visible in the alloyed systems Mn
x
Zn1‒x
PS3. Accordingly, emission at 1.3 eV in all alloyed compounds results from recombination from a 4T1g Mn(II) excited state to a hybrid p-d state at the valence band. Most significant, temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) intensity trends demonstrate strong magneto-optical coupling in compositions with x > 0.65. This study underscores the potential of tailored alloy compositions as a means to control magnetic and optical properties in 2D materials, paving the way for advances in spin-based technologies.
Eliminating the channel resistance in two-dimensional systems using viscous charge flow
Authors: Huang Wenhao , Paul Tathagata , Perrin Mickael L , Calame Michel
Published: April 2024

Driven by the pursuit of high-performance electronic devices and the exploration of quantum phenomena, research into two-dimensional (2D) systems and materials, has unveiled their exceptional properties and potential applications. While extensive efforts have centered on minimizing contact resistance, reducing the intrinsic channel resistance within the conducting material remains a formidable challenge. Research in this direction has focused on investigating superconductivity and ballistic transport. However, the practical applications of these phenomena are usually constrained by the requirement for cryogenic conditions. Charge transport in the hydrodynamic regime emerges as a versatile alternative, offering enhanced resilience to these challenges, and making it a promising avenue for effectively reducing channel resistance in 2D systems. The current perspective delves into charge hydrodynamics, exploring its mechanisms, recent advancements, enduring challenges, and its potential in reducing the channel resistance.
Topological insulator MnBi2Te4 and its van der Waals heterostructure for sensitive room-temperature terahertz photodetection
Authors: Guo Shuguang , He Yuan , Lv Xuyang , Jiang Mengjie , Wei Yingdong , Deng Yu , Pan Xiaokai , Lan Shiqi , Wang Dong , Liu Aiyun , Guo Cheng , Wang Lin
Published: April 2024

Dirac fermions are a distinctive feature of topological insulators (TIs) due to the existence of topologically protected surface states, making TIs a promising choice for long-wavelength photodetection. However, TIs-based photodetection often suffers from significant dark current. This paper demonstrates broadband detection through the direct generation of photocarriers in metal-MnBi2Te4 (MBT) -metal structures at room temperature. By integrating MBT and Bi2Te3 into van der Waals structures, the heterostructure device can reduce dark current and have excellent sensitivity at room temperature. Especially, MBT/Bi2Te3 photodetectors have a fast response time (<1 μs) and low noise equivalent power <0.5 nW Hz−1/2 at self-powered mode due to photothermoelectric conversion. The MBT/Bi2Te3 photodetector detects low-energy photons through the hybrid integration of new low-dimensional materials that will be already suitable for imaging applications, further emphasizing the unique advantages of TIs in the field of terahertz technology.
Symmetry classification of 2D materials: layer groups versus space groups
Authors: Fu Jingheng , Kuisma Mikael , Larsen Ask Hjorth , Shinohara Kohei , Togo Atsushi , Thygesen Kristian S
Published: April 2024

The symmetry of a crystal structure with a three-dimensional (3D) lattice can be classified by one of the 230 space group types. For some types of crystals, e.g. crystalline films, surfaces, or planar interfaces, it is more appropriate to assume a two-dimensional (2D) lattice. With this assumption the structure can be classified by one of the 80 layer group types. We have implemented an algorithm to determine the layer group type of a 3D structure with a 2D lattice, and applied it to more than 15 000 monolayer structures in the Computational 2D Materials Database (C2DB). We compare the classification of monolayers by layer groups and space groups, respectively. The latter is defined as the space group of the 3D bulk structure obtained by repeating the monolayer periodically in the direction perpendicular to the 2D lattice (AA-stacking). By this correspondence, nine pairs of layer group types are mapped to the same space group type due to the inability of the space group to distinguish the in-plane and out-of-plane axes. In total 18% of the monolayers in the C2DB belong to one of these layer group pairs and are thus not properly classified by the space group type. Our results show that symmetry classification of 2D materials should be based on layer groups rather than the commonly used space groups.
Dynamic mechanical damping analysis of up/step-quenched Cu-Zn-Sn-based shape memory alloys
Authors: Anaele Justus Uchenna , Alaneme Kenneth Kanayo , Omotoyinbo Joseph Ajibade
Published: April 2024

The effect of thermal quenching procedures on the damping properties of Cu-Zn-Sn-based SMAs is reported. Three compositions of Cu-Zn-Sn-based SMAs designated A (Cu-15.6Zn-12.1Sn), B (Cu-26.1Zn-9.3Sn), and C (Cu-29.6Zn-8.9Sn) samples produced by the casting process were subjected to direct quenching, up-quenching, and step-quenching treatments. The microstructure of the samples was examined using the backscattered electron microscope with fixtures for energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis. The damping properties were assessed on a dynamic mechanical analyzer and presented in terms of tan delta. The microstructures of Cu-Zn-Sn-based SMAs consist of γ-Cu5Zn8 and Cu4 major phases containing some black dot precipitation and a small amount of white circular precipitates in the parent phase. For the A alloys, the step-quenched samples exhibited the highest damping capacity with peak internal friction of 0.041 at 37 °C, which is greater than 0.028 at 37 °C and 0.26 at 25 °C obtained for the up-quenched and direct-quenched samples respectively. The step-quenched B alloys show the highest damping capacity with peak internal friction of 0.104 at 227 °C, which is far greater than 0.053 at 23 °C and 0.034 at 35 °C obtained for the up-quenched and direct-quenched samples respectively. For the C alloys, the up-quenched samples show the highest damping capacity with peak internal friction of 0.053 at 235 °C, which is greater than the peak values of 0.037 at 23 8 °C obtained for the step-quenched samples. Direct-quenched samples gave the lowest damping capacity with a peak value of 0.027 at 235 °C. In general, step-quenching treatment effectively improved the damping properties of Cu-Zn-Sn-based SMAs.
Accelerate microstructure evolution simulation using graph neural networks with adaptive spatiotemporal resolution
Authors: Fan Shaoxun , Hitt Andrew L , Tang Ming , Sadigh Babak , Zhou Fei
Published: April 2024

Surrogate models driven by sizeable datasets and scientific machine-learning methods have emerged as an attractive microstructure simulation tool with the potential to deliver predictive microstructure evolution dynamics with huge savings in computational costs. Taking 2D and 3D grain growth simulations as an example, we present a completely overhauled computational framework based on graph neural networks with not only excellent agreement to both the ground truth phase-field methods and theoretical predictions, but enhanced accuracy and efficiency compared to previous works based on convolutional neural networks. These improvements can be attributed to the graph representation, both improved predictive power and a more flexible data structure amenable to adaptive mesh refinement. As the simulated microstructures coarsen, our method can adaptively adopt remeshed grids and larger timesteps to achieve further speedup. The data-to-model pipeline with training procedures together with the source codes are provided.
Donoghue 𝑚-functions for Singular Sturm–Liouville operators
Authors: Gesztesy F. , Littlejohn L. , Nichols R. , Piorkowski M. , Stanfill J.
Published: April 2024

Let

A
˙

\dot {A}

be a densely defined, closed, symmetric operator in the complex, separable Hilbert space

H

\mathcal {H}

with equal deficiency indices and denote by

N

i

=
ker
⁡
(
(

A
˙

)
∗

−
i

I

H

)

\mathcal {N}_i = \ker ((\dot {A})^* - i I_{\mathcal {H}})

,

dim
⁡
(

N

i

)
=
k
∈

N

∪
{
∞
}

\dim (\mathcal {N}_i)=k\in \mathbb {N} \cup \{\infty \}

, the associated deficiency subspace of

A
˙

\dot {A}

. If

A
A

denotes a self-adjoint extension of

A
˙

\dot {A}

in

H

\mathcal {H}

, the Donoghue

m
m

-operator

M

A
,

N

i

D
o

(

⋅

)

M_{A,\mathcal {N}_i}^{Do} (\,\cdot \,)

in

N

i

\mathcal {N}_i

associated with the pair

(
A
,

N

i

)

(A,\mathcal {N}_i)

is given by
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper M Subscript upper A comma script upper N Sub Subscript i Subscript Superscript upper D o Baseline left-parenthesis z right-parenthesis equals z upper I Subscript script upper N Sub Subscript i Subscript Baseline plus left-parenthesis z squared plus 1 right-parenthesis upper P Subscript script upper N Sub Subscript i Subscript Baseline left-parenthesis upper A minus z upper I Subscript script upper H Baseline right-parenthesis Superscript negative 1 Baseline upper P Subscript script upper N Sub Subscript i Subscript Baseline vertical-bar Subscript script upper N Sub Subscript i Subscript Baseline">

M

A
,

N

i

D
o

(
z
)
=
z

I

N

i

+
(

z
2

+
1
)

P

N

i

(
A
−
z

I

H

)

−
1

P

N

i

|

N

i

M_{A,\mathcal {N}_i}^{Do}(z)=zI_{\mathcal {N}_i} + (z^2+1) P_{\mathcal {N}_i} (A - z I_{\mathcal {H}})^{-1} P_{\mathcal {N}_i} \vert _{\mathcal {N}_i}

,

z
∈

C

∖

R

,

z\in \mathbb {C}\setminus \mathbb {R},

with

I

N

i

I_{\mathcal {N}_i}

the identity operator in

N

i

\mathcal {N}_i

, and

P

N

i

P_{\mathcal {N}_i}

the orthogonal projection in

H

\mathcal {H}

onto 

N

i

\mathcal {N}_i

.

Assuming the standard local integrability hypotheses on the coefficients

p
,
q
,
r

p, q,r

, we study all self-adjoint realizations corresponding to the differential expression
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="tau equals StartFraction 1 Over r left-parenthesis x right-parenthesis EndFraction left-bracket minus StartFraction d Over d x EndFraction p left-parenthesis x right-parenthesis StartFraction d Over d x EndFraction plus q left-parenthesis x right-parenthesis right-bracket">

τ
=

1

r
(
x
)

[
−

d

d
x

p
(
x
)

d

d
x

+
q
(
x
)
]

\tau =\frac {1}{r(x)}[-\frac {d}{dx}p(x)\frac {d}{dx} + q(x)]

for a.e. 

x
∈
(
a
,
b
)
⊆

R

x\in (a,b) \subseteq \mathbb {R}

, in

L
2

(
(
a
,
b
)
;
r
d
x
)

L^2((a,b); rdx)

, and, as our principal aim in this paper, systematically construct the associated Donoghue

m
m

-functions (respectively,

(
2
×
2
)

(2 \times 2)

matrices) in all cases where

τ
\tau

is in the limit circle case at least at one interval endpoint

a
a

or

b
b

.
Resolvent stochastic processes
Authors: Ibragimov I. , Smorodina N. , Faddeev M.
Published: April 2024

A family

r
λ

r_\lambda

,

λ
∈

C

\lambda \in \mathbb {C}

, of complex stochastic processes is introduced, which makes it possible to construct a probabilistic representation for the resolvent of the operator

−

1
2

d
2

d

x
2

-\frac {1}{2}\frac {d^2}{dx^2}

. For

λ
=
0

\lambda =0

, the process

r
λ

r_\lambda

coincides with the Brownian local time process.
Absolutely continuous spectrum of a typical Schrödinger operator with an operator-valued potential
Authors: Laptev A. , Safronov O.
Published: April 2024

The content of the paper is reflected by its title.
Discrete Schrödinger operators with decaying and oscillating potentials
Authors: Frank R. , Larson S.
Published: April 2024

The paper is devoted to a family of discrete one-dimensional Schrödinger operators with power-like decaying potentials with rapid oscillations. In particular, for the potential

V
(
n
)
=
λ

n

−
α

cos
⁡
(
π
ω

n
β

)

V(n)=\lambda n^{-\alpha }\cos (\pi \omega n^\beta )

with

1
>
β
>
2
α

1>\beta >2\alpha

, it is proved that the spectrum is purely absolutely continuous on the spectrum of the Laplacian.
On the Problematic Use of ‘don’t worry’ by Chinese Learners of English
Authors: House Juliane , Kádár Dániel Z , Liu Fengguang , Zhao Jihong
Published: April 2024

In this paper, we examine uses of ‘don’t worry’ by Chinese speakers of English, which may trigger intercultural irritations. We investigate such problematic uses from a contrastive angle, by considering whether they relate to the fact that in Chinese there are two expressions which may be equivalents of English ‘don’t worry’: fangxin 放心 (lit. ‘ease your heart’) and bie-danxin 别担心 (lit. ‘don’t burden your heart’). First, we present uses of ‘don’t worry’ by Chinese learners of English and examine them through the lens of speech acts and interaction. Second, we undertake a corpus-based study of the speech act-indicating interactional uses of ‘don’t worry’, fangxin and bie-danxin, teasing out their conventional uses. Finally, we consider whether uses of ‘don’t worry’ by Chinese learners of English are influenced by pragmatic transfer and, if so, what this transfer looks like.
Improving Tip Aesthetics Using Mastoid Fascia Tissue Graft in Rhinoplasty: A Reliable Alternative to Soft Cartilage Grafts
Authors: Goote Paige , Tugertimur Bugra , Datta Shaishav , Hanna Steven , Morris Matthew , Mattos David , Reish Richard
Published: April 2024

Goals/Purpose

Traditional rhinoplasty tip grafts often lead to visibility issues, prompting patients to seek revision surgery. The mastoid fascia tissue graft (MFTG) provides a natural-looking alternative with fewer complications. MFTG remains less visible through the skin, enhancing long-term aesthetic results. This eight-year study on 193 patients examines MFTG's effectiveness in nasal tip refinement, evaluating revision and infection rates.

Methods/Technique

A retrospective analysis of MFTG use for nasal tip refinement during open rhinoplasty in the senior author's practice was conducted from July 2014 to June 2022. Inclusion criteria encompassed open rhinoplasty cases using mastoid tissue for tip refinement with at least 12 months of follow-up. Among 2003 cases, 193 met these criteria and were evaluated for subsequent revision and infection rates.

Results/Complications

The average patient age was 34.2 years (175 females, 18 males). Primary rhinoplasties were done on 114 patients, with 79 receiving revision surgeries. Average follow-up was 14.8 months. 6 patients (3.1%) needed extended antibiotics. Overall, 6 (3.1%) patients required revision rhinoplasty, comprising of 2 (1.8%) primary and 4 (5.1%) secondary rhinoplasty patients. These revisions were unrelated to the use of MFTG for nasal tip refinement.

Conclusion

MFTG use for nasal tip refinement is associated with low revision rates for both primary and secondary rhinoplasty compared to rates in current literature, without increase in complications or prolonged operative durations. MFTG for nasal tip refinement is a safe and convenient technique delivering excellent aesthetic outcomes with minimal morbidity.
Breast Implant Illness (BII) As a Clinical Entity: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Hemal Kshipra , Kabir Raeesa , Stanton Eloise , Sorenson Thomas , Boyd Carter , Karp Nolan , Choi Mihye
Published: April 2024

Goals/Purpose

Breast implant illness (BII) has become a contentious subject in recent years, raising concerns among both patients and healthcare professionals. While some studies have reported associations between breast implants and autoimmune diseases, others have failed to establish a definitive link. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the existing literature with a specific emphasis on identifying any symptom or patient patterns to critically evaluate the existence of BII as a distinct entity.

Methods/Technique

A comprehensive search of relevant published studies up until 2023 was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed and MEDLINE. A total of 31 studies met inclusion criteria in our analysis. To qualify for inclusion, studies had to focus on breast implant illness and associated systemic symptoms. Two reviewers independently assessed the abstracts, manuscripts, and extracted data from the selected papers. From the included studies, cohort size, reason for implantation, mean age, implant type, implant texture, plane of implant placement, mean follow-up time, implant explantation status, time to implant explantation, symptom resolution after explantation, infections, and complications were extracted. Descriptive statistics was used where appropriate.

Results/Complications

The mean age of patients was 44.2 ± 9.30 years for all studies included. For studies that included length of time between implant exposure and onset of clinical symptoms (9/31; 29.0%), the mean time from implant or biomaterial exposure to onset of clinical symptoms of BII was 13.4 ± 2.92 years. Fourteen (14/31; 45.2%) studies reported implant explantation status with 60% of the total patient population choosing to remove their implants. Among these, 9 studies reported symptom improvement in 657 patients (83.5%) from a total of 788 patients undergoing implant explantation. Eight studies (8/31; 25.8%) reported whether patients experiencing BII related symptoms were in the cosmetic or reconstructive group. Patients in the cosmetic cohort (899/1005; 89.5%) experienced significantly more BII-related symptoms compared to patients in the reconstructive cohort (213/352; 60.5%) (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge regarding BII. While the literature offers valuable insights into the potential associations and outcomes related to BII, there are several limitations stemming from heterogeneity in study designs, patient populations, and reporting practices. Our study highlights a relationships between BII and indication for implants (cosmetic vs. reconstructive), infection, and explantation, among other variables, offering valuable directions for future research.
AI As the New Age Estimator: Pioneering Customized Facial Surgery Outcomes
Authors: Alameddine Khaled , Rames Jess , Bakri Karim , Mardini Samir
Published: April 2024

Goals/Purpose

The imperative for precision in aesthetic surgery necessitates a robust framework for evaluating the impact of facial interventions on perceived age. Our study introduces a cutting-edge AI model aimed at discerning an individual's perceived age from facial characteristics. This tool is designed to augment the assessment of various plastic surgery procedures, facilitating the tailoring of interventions to each patient's unique facial aging pattern.

Methods/Technique

We harnessed a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN), pre-trained on the extensive ImageNet dataset, and further refined using 523,051 pre-annotated facial images from the IMBD-WIKI database, normalized as per the Mathias et al. face detection paradigm. Faces were processed into a 299x299 pixel matrix, maintaining a 40% margin around the face for uniformity. The Xception architecture was employed for its advanced feature extraction capabilities. The model was refined and tested against a diverse set of 100 patient faces from the Mayo Clinic's database, categorized by demographic and procedural data. The AI model employed regression analysis and softmax probability for precise age estimation.

Results/Complications

The AI model exhibited a remarkable accuracy rate of 92.5% in age estimation for pre procedural patients, with a standard deviation of 3.2 years. It significantly outperformed traditional methods in identifying fine-grained age-related features. The AI model discerned an average perceived age reduction of 3.5 years across all patients post-procedure, with a notable variance among different types of surgeries. Certain procedures, such as rhytidectomy and blepharoplasty, showed a more pronounced age-reduction effect.

Conclusion

The AI model presents an accurate and objective method for quantifying perceived age, serving as a significant benchmark in facial aesthetic evaluation. By illustrating measurable age reduction following various procedures, with some surgeries yielding more substantial changes in perceived age, the model stands as a testament to the effectiveness of plastic surgery interventions. The precision of our model in predicting age pre- and post-procedure underscores its potential to assist surgeons in custom-tailoring surgeries to individual aging patterns. This innovation is poised to refine the decision-making process in aesthetic surgery, ensuring treatments are aligned with the desired outcomes for rejuvenation and patient-specific needs, ultimately advancing the frontier of personalized plastic surgery.
Text-mining-based feature selection for anticancer drug response prediction
Authors: Wu Grace , Zaker Arvin , Ebrahimi Amirhosein , Tripathi Shivanshi , Mer Arvind Singh
Published: April 2024

Motivation

Predicting anticancer treatment response from baseline genomic data is a critical obstacle in personalized medicine. Machine learning methods are commonly used for predicting drug response from gene expression data. In the process of constructing these machine learning models, one of the most significant challenges is identifying appropriate features among a massive number of genes.

Results

In this study, we utilize features (genes) extracted using the text-mining of scientific literatures. Using two independent cancer pharmacogenomic datasets, we demonstrate that text-mining-based features outperform traditional feature selection techniques in machine learning tasks. In addition, our analysis reveals that text-mining feature-based machine learning models trained on in vitro data also perform well when predicting the response of in vivo cancer models. Our results demonstrate that text-mining-based feature selection is an easy to implement approach that is suitable for building machine learning models for anticancer drug response prediction.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/merlab/text_features.
Literature mining discerns latent disease–gene relationships
Authors: Rai Priyadarshini , Jain Atishay , Kumar Shivani , Sharma Divya , Jha Neha , Chawla Smriti , Raj Abhijit , Gupta Apoorva , Poonia Sarita , Majumdar Angshul , Chakraborty Tanmoy , Ahuja Gaurav , Sengupta Debarka
Published: April 2024

Motivation

Dysregulation of a gene’s function, either due to mutations or impairments in regulatory networks, often triggers pathological states in the affected tissue. Comprehensive mapping of these apparent gene–pathology relationships is an ever-daunting task, primarily due to genetic pleiotropy and lack of suitable computational approaches. With the advent of high throughput genomics platforms and community scale initiatives such as the Human Cell Landscape project, researchers have been able to create gene expression portraits of healthy tissues resolved at the level of single cells. However, a similar wealth of knowledge is currently not at our finger-tip when it comes to diseases. This is because the genetic manifestation of a disease is often quite diverse and is confounded by several clinical and demographic covariates.

Results

To circumvent this, we mined ∼18 million PubMed abstracts published till May 2019 and automatically selected ∼4.5 million of them that describe roles of particular genes in disease pathogenesis. Further, we fine-tuned the pretrained bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) for language modeling from the domain of natural language processing to learn vector representation of entities such as genes, diseases, tissues, cell-types, etc., in a way such that their relationship is preserved in a vector space. The repurposed BERT predicted disease–gene associations that are not cited in the training data, thereby highlighting the feasibility of in silico synthesis of hypotheses linking different biological entities such as genes and conditions.

Availability and implementation

PathoBERT pretrained model: https://github.com/Priyadarshini-Rai/Pathomap-Model. BioSentVec-based abstract classification model: https://github.com/Priyadarshini-Rai/Pathomap-Model. Pathomap R package: https://github.com/Priyadarshini-Rai/Pathomap.
BioCoder: a benchmark for bioinformatics code generation with large language models
Authors: Tang Xiangru , Qian Bill , Gao Rick , Chen Jiakang , Chen Xinyun , Gerstein Mark B
Published: April 2024

Pretrained large language models (LLMs) have significantly improved code generation. As these models scale up, there is an increasing need for the output to handle more intricate tasks and to be appropriately specialized to particular domains. Here, we target bioinformatics due to the amount of domain knowledge, algorithms, and data operations this discipline requires. We present BioCoder, a benchmark developed to evaluate LLMs in generating bioinformatics-specific code. BioCoder spans much of the field, covering cross-file dependencies, class declarations, and global variables. It incorporates 1026 Python functions and 1243 Java methods extracted from GitHub, along with 253 examples from the Rosalind Project, all pertaining to bioinformatics. Using topic modeling, we show that the overall coverage of the included code is representative of the full spectrum of bioinformatics calculations. BioCoder incorporates a fuzz-testing framework for evaluation. We have applied it to evaluate various models including InCoder, CodeGen, CodeGen2, SantaCoder, StarCoder, StarCoder+, InstructCodeT5+, GPT-3.5, and GPT-4. Furthermore, we fine-tuned one model (StarCoder), demonstrating that our training dataset can enhance the performance on our testing benchmark (by >15% in terms of Pass@K under certain prompt configurations and always >3%). The results highlight two key aspects of successful models: (i) Successful models accommodate a long prompt (>2600 tokens) with full context, including functional dependencies. (ii) They contain domain-specific knowledge of bioinformatics, beyond just general coding capability. This is evident from the performance gain of GPT-3.5/4 compared to the smaller models on our benchmark (50% versus up to 25%).

Availability and implementation

All datasets, benchmark, Docker images, and scripts required for testing are available at: https://github.com/gersteinlab/biocoder and https://biocoder-benchmark.github.io/.
Apilimod dimesylate in C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomized phase 2a clinical trial
Authors: Babu Suma , Nicholson Katharine A , Rothstein Jeffrey D , Swenson Andrea , Sampognaro Paul J , Pant Pravin , Macklin Eric A , Spruill Susan , Paganoni Sabrina , Gendron Tania F , Prudencio Mercedes , Petrucelli Leonard , Nix Darrell , Landrette Sean , Nkrumah Esther , Fandrick Keith , Edwards Joan , Young Peter R
Published: April 2024

Apilimod dimesylate is a first-in-class phosphoinositide kinase, FYVE-type zinc finger-containing (PIKfyve) inhibitor with a favourable clinical safety profile and has demonstrated activity in preclinical C9orf72 and TDP-43 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) models. In this ALS clinical trial, the safety, tolerability, CNS penetrance and modulation of pharmacodynamic target engagement biomarkers were evaluated.

This phase 2a, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, biomarker-end-point clinical trial was conducted in four US centres (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05163886). Participants with C9orf72 repeat expansions were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive twice-daily oral treatment with 125 mg apilimod dimesylate capsules or matching placebo for 12 weeks, followed by a 12-week open-label extension. Safety was measured as the occurrence of treatment-emergent or serious adverse events attributable to the study drug and tolerability at trial completion or treatment over 12 weeks. Changes from baseline in plasma and CSF and concentrations of apilimod dimesylate and its active metabolites and of pharmacodynamic biomarkers of PIKfyve inhibition [soluble glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (sGPNMB) upregulation] and disease-specific CNS target engagement [poly(GP)] were measured.

Between 16 December 2021 and 7 July 2022, 15 eligible participants were enrolled. There were no drug-related serious adverse events reported in the trial. Fourteen (93%) participants completed the double-blind period with 99% dose compliance [n = 9 (90%) apilimod dimesylate; n = 5 (100%) placebo]. At Week 12, apilimod dimesylate was measurable in CSF at 1.63 ng/ml [standard deviation (SD): 0.937]. At Week 12, apilimod dimesylate increased plasma sGPNMB by >2.5-fold (P < 0.001), indicating PIKfyve inhibition, and lowered CSF poly(GP) protein levels by 73% (P < 0.001), indicating CNS tissue-level proof of mechanism.

Apilimod dimesylate met prespecified key safety and biomarker end-points in this phase 2a trial and demonstrated CNS penetrance and pharmacodynamic target engagement. Apilimod dimesylate was observed to result in the greatest reduction in CSF poly(GP) levels observed to date in C9orf72 clinical trials.
Adaptive coding of reward in schizophrenia, its change over time and relationship to apathy
Authors: Kaliuzhna Mariia , Carruzzo Fabien , Kuenzi Noémie , Tobler Philippe N , Kirschner Matthias , Geffen Tal , Katthagen Teresa , Böge Kerem , Zierhut Marco M , Schlagenhauf Florian , Kaiser Stefan
Published: April 2024

Adaptive coding of reward is the process by which neurons adapt their response to the context of available compensations. Higher rewards lead to a stronger brain response, but the increase of the response depends on the range of available rewards. A steeper increase is observed in a narrow range and a more gradual slope in a wider range. In schizophrenia, adaptive coding appears to be affected in different domains, especially in the reward domain. Here, we tested adaptive coding of reward in a large group of patients with schizophrenia (n = 86) and control subjects (n = 66). We assessed: (i) the association between adaptive coding deficits and symptoms; (ii) the longitudinal stability of deficits (the same task was performed 3 months apart); and (iii) the stability of results between two experimental sites.

We used functional MRI and the monetary incentive delay task to assess adaptation of participants to two different reward ranges: a narrow range and a wide range. We used a region-of-interest analysis to evaluate adaptation within striatal and visual regions. Patients and control subjects underwent a full demographic and clinical assessment.

We found reduced adaptive coding in patients, with a decreased slope in the narrow reward range with respect to that of control participants, in striatal but not visual regions. This pattern was observed at both research sites. Upon retesting, patients increased their narrow-range slopes, showing improved adaptive coding, whereas control subjects slightly reduced them. At retesting, patients with overly steep slopes in the narrow range also showed higher levels of negative symptoms.

Our data confirm deficits in reward adaptation in schizophrenia and reveal an effect of practice in patients, leading to improvement, with steeper slopes upon retesting. However, in some patients, an excessively steep slope may result in poor discriminability of larger rewards, owing to early saturation of the brain response. Together, the loss of precision of reward representation in new (first exposure, underadaptation) and more familiar (retest, overadaptation) situations might contribute to the multiple motivational symptoms in schizophrenia.
Adjunctive treatments for pneumococcal meningitis: a systematic review of experimental animal models
Authors: Koning Rutger , van Roon Marian A , Brouwer Matthijs C , van de Beek Diederik
Published: April 2024

New treatments are needed to improve the prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis. We performed a systematic review on adjunctive treatments in animal models of pneumococcal meningitis in order to identify treatments with the most potential to progress to clinical trials. Studies testing therapy adjunctive to antibiotics in animal models of pneumococcal meningitis were included. A literature search was performed using Medline, Embase and Scopus for studies published from 1990 up to 17 February 2023. Two investigators screened studies for inclusion and independently extracted data. Treatment effect was assessed on the clinical parameters disease severity, hearing loss and cognitive impairment and the biological parameters inflammation, brain injury and bacterial load. Adjunctive treatments were evaluated by their effect on these outcomes and the quality, number and size of studies that investigated the treatments. Risk of bias was assessed with the SYRCLE risk of bias tool. A total of 58 of 2462 identified studies were included, which used 2703 experimental animals. Disease modelling was performed in rats (29 studies), rabbits (13 studies), mice (12 studies), gerbils (3 studies) or both rats and mice (1 study). Meningitis was induced by injection of Streptococcus pneumoniae into the subarachnoid space. Randomization of experimental groups was performed in 37 of 58 studies (64%) and 12 studies (12%) were investigator-blinded. Overall, 54 treatment regimens using 46 adjunctive drugs were evaluated: most commonly dexamethasone (16 studies), daptomycin (5 studies), complement component 5 (C5; 3 studies) antibody and Mn(III)tetrakis(4-benzoicacid)porphyrin chloride (MnTBAP; 3 studies). The most frequently evaluated outcome parameters were inflammation [32 studies (55%)] and brain injury [32 studies (55%)], followed by disease severity [30 studies (52%)], hearing loss [24 studies (41%)], bacterial load [18 studies (31%)] and cognitive impairment [9 studies (16%)]. Adjunctive therapy that improved clinical outcomes in multiple studies was dexamethasone (6 studies), C5 antibodies (3 studies) and daptomycin (3 studies). HMGB1 inhibitors, matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors, neurotrophins, antioxidants and paquinimod also improved clinical parameters but only in single or small studies. Evaluating the treatment effect of adjunctive therapy was complicated by study heterogeneity regarding the animal models used and outcomes reported. In conclusion, 24 of 54 treatment regimens (44%) tested improved clinically relevant outcomes in experimental pneumococcal meningitis but few were tested in multiple well-designed studies. The most promising new adjunctive treatments are with C5 antibodies or daptomycin, suggesting that these drugs could be tested in clinical trials.
Self-reported male genital side-effects in a UK cohort taking isotretinoin
Authors: Chung Jenny G , Turner Madeleine , Merika Eirini E
Published: April 2024

The prescribing of isotretinoin in male patients has become a hot topic of debate in the UK after an independent report from the UK Commission on Human Medicines in October 2023, which resulted in new safety guidance to encourage stricter monitoring of this cohort. We reviewed patients in a tertiary hospital in the UK where an online system has been monitoring genital side-effects and mood for the past 3 years, before this new safety guidance.
Weight, Anthropometric and Metabolic Changes After Discontinuing Antiretroviral Therapy Containing Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF) in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Authors: Damas José , Munting Aline , Fellay Jacques , Haerry David , Marzolini Catia , Tarr Philip E , Steffen Ana , Braun Dominique L , Stoeckle Marcel , Bernasconi Enos , Tshikung Olivier Nawej , Fux Christoph A , Darling Katharine E A , Béguelin Charles , Wandeler Gilles , Cavassini Matthias , Surial Bernard ,   the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS), Abela I , Aebi-Popp K , Anagnostopoulos A , Battegay M , Bernasconi E , Braun D L , Bucher H C , Calmy A , Cavassini M , Ciuffi A , Dollenmaier G , Egger M , Elzi L , Fehr J , Fellay J , Furrer H , Fux C A , Günthard H F , Hachfeld A , Haerry D , Hasse B , Hirsch H H , Hoffmann M , Hösli I , Huber M , Jackson-Perry D , Kahlert C R , Kaiser L , Keiser O , Klimkait T , Kouyos R D , Kovari H , Kusejko K , Labhardt N , Leuzinger K , Martinez de Tejada B , Marzolini C , Metzner K J , Müller N , Nemeth J , Nicca D , Notter J , Paioni P , Pantaleo G , Perreau M , Rauch A , Salazar-Vizcaya L , Schmid P , Speck R , Stöckle M , Tarr P , Trkola A , Wandeler G , Weisser M , Yerly S
Published: April 2024

Background

Antiretroviral therapy (ART)-related weight gain is of particular concern in people with HIV (PWH). Although weight gain was observed among PWH receiving tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), little is known about the potential reversibility after TAF discontinuation. We evaluated weight and metabolic changes 12 months after TAF discontinuation in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study.

Methods

We included participants who received at least 6 months of TAF-containing ART between January 2016 and March 2023. Using multivariable mixed-effect models, changes in weight and lipid levels were compared between individuals who continued TAF and those who switched to one of the following TAF-free regimens: (1) tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)-based ART, (2) dolutegravir/lamivudine (DTG/3TC), or (3) long-acting cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV).

Results

Of 6555 participants (median age 54 years, 24.3% female, 13% Black), 5485 (83.7%) continued, and 1070 (16.3%) stopped TAF. Overall, discontinuing TAF was associated with an adjusted mean weight change of −0.54 kg (95% confidence interval [CI] −.98 to −.11) after 12 months. In stratified analyses, switching from TAF to TDF led to an adjusted mean weight decrease of −1.84 kg (95% CI −2.72 to −.97), and to a decrease in mean total cholesterol (−0.44 mmol/L) and triglycerides (−0.38 mmol/L) after 12 months. Switching from TAF-based ART to DTG/3TC (−0.17 kg, 95% CI −.82 to .48) or long-acting CAB/RPV (−0.64 kg, 95% CI −2.16 to .89) did not lead to reductions in weight.

Conclusions

Replacing TAF with TDF in PWH led to a decrease in body weight and an improved lipid profile within 1 year. Weight changes were not observed among individuals who switched to DTG/3TC or long-acting CAB/RPV.
The cybersecurity of fairy tales
Authors: Viganò Luca
Published: April 2024

The timeless nature of fairy tales can help uncover the timeless nature of many cybersecurity notions. Using 16 classical tales as illustration, in this article, the author shows that fairy tales are full of cybersecurity motifs and examples, and can thus be used extensively and effectively to explain cybersecurity notions. Obviously not cybersecurity as we know it today, but rather the fundamental and archetypal concepts that are at its heart. Fairy tales can thus be employed to mediate in conversations with less-knowledgeable, misinformed, or even skeptical laypersons about cybersecurity, increase their understanding and awareness, and thereby strengthen the overall cybersecurity of systems and applications.