bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validity evidence for endoscopic ultrasound competency assessment tools: Systematic review
Authors: Walsh Catharine M , Grover Samir C , Ceccacci Alessandra , Hothi Harneet , Khan Rishad , Gimpaya Nikko , Chan Brian P.H. , Forbes Nauzer , James Paul , Low Daniel Jeffry , Mosko Jeffrey , Yeung Elaine T.
Published: November 2024

Background and study aims Competent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) performance requires a combination of technical, cognitive, and non-technical skills. Direct observation assessment tools can be employed to enhance learning and ascertain clinical competence; however, there is a need to systematically evaluate validity evidence supporting their use. We aimed to evaluate the validity evidence of competency assessment tools for EUS and examine their educational utility.

Methods We systematically searched five databases and gray literature for studies investigating EUS competency assessment tools from inception to May 2023. Data on validity evidence across five domains (content, response process, internal structure, relations to other variables, and consequences) were extracted and graded (maximum score 15). We evaluated educational utility using the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education framework and methodological quality using the Medical Education Research Quality Instrument (MERSQI).

Results From 2081 records, we identified five EUS assessment tools from 10 studies. All tools are formative assessments intended to guide learning, with four employed in clinical settings. Validity evidence scores ranged from 3 to 12. The EUS and ERCP Skills Assessment Tool (TEESAT), Global Assessment of Performance and Skills in EUS (GAPS-EUS), and the EUS Assessment Tool (EUSAT) had the strongest validity evidence with scores of 12, 10, and 10, respectively. Overall educational utility was high given ease of tool use. MERSQI scores ranged from 9.5 to 12 (maximum score 13.5).

Conclusions The TEESAT, GAPS-EUS, and EUSAT demonstrate strong validity evidence for formative assessment of EUS and are easily implemented in educational settings to monitor progress and support learning.
Snoring and its Associated Comorbidities
Authors: Kasmaoui Fatima Ezzahra , Benksim Abdelhafid , El harsi El Mahjoub , Amine Mohamed
Published: November 2024

Objective Snoring is often perceived as a simple social nuisance, whereas it can be a telltale sign of serious respiratory diseases. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of self-reported habitual snoring and to identify its associated factors.

Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study surveyed 815 individuals about their medical history, anthropometric characteristics, and lifestyle using a questionnaire.

Results The prevalence of self-reported habitual snoring in our sample was 29.2%. Variables independently associated with snoring were advanced age (p = 0.008), asthma (p = 0.003), sleepiness (p < 0.001), hyperthyroidism (p = 0.006), smoking (p < 0.001), diabetes (p = 0.010), and abdominal obesity (p = 0.007).

Conclusion This survey has highlighted the importance of snoring in an Arab-African context, to bring more awareness to this respiratory disorder and to understand that a simple snore can be a silent cry of an organism in need of help.
Production losses caused by red leather leaf in hay and milling oats
Authors: Dadu Rama Harinath Reddy , McLean Mark S. , Hollaway Grant J.
Published: November 2024

Context Red leather leaf (RLL), caused by Neospermospora avenae, is a common foliar disease of oats in south-eastern Australia but its impact on hay and grain yield and quality is unknown. Aim We aimed to determine the effect of RLL on grain yield and quality of commercial milling oat varieties, and biomass and nutrition of hay oat varieties, with a range of host plant resistance responses by comparing fungicide and disease treatments. Methods A total of eight field experiments were conducted in 2019 and 2020; four experiments each investigated the effects of RLL on hay or milling oats. In each experiment, six or seven oat varieties were sown with a disease or fungicide imposed. RLL severity was estimated visually for each experiment. Biomass yield and quality traits at early milk development stage were measured for hay oat experiments; and grain yield and quality for the milling oat experiments. Key results RLL severity (% leaf area affected: 0–44% in hay oats and 2–61% in milling oats) varied with the season, varietal resistance, and treatments. RLL caused significant losses in most experiments, with reductions in biomass of up to 3.5 t/ha (22%) in hay oats and grain yield of up to 1.1 t/ha (21%) in milling oats. Conclusions RLL can be a severe foliar disease of oats in south-eastern Australia and cause significant losses in both hay and milling oat crops. Implications Growing varieties with resistance can effectively reduce potential loss due to RLL and growers are required to adapt fungicide strategies reflecting seasonal conditions and product type (grain or hay).
Drought in south-west Australia links to urban immigration across multiple avian taxa
Authors: Moore Harry A. , Cresswell Anna K.
Published: November 2024

Background Urban areas are a significant and rapidly expanding part of the global landscape. Urban expansion occurs alongside climate change, with both linked to declines in native species. However, urban environments can offer alternative resources during extreme climatic events such as droughts. Aims We sought to identify bird species that had an increased presence in the major urban center of south-west Western Australia during a climate anomaly characterized by record low rainfall and high temperatures. Methods Using eBird data, we analyzed changes in the reporting rates of all bird species in the period from January 2019 to August 2024. Generalized linear models were used to assess the influence of cumulative 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month rainfall on species reporting rates. Key results Reporting rates increased dramatically (up to nine times higher than average) around the time of the drought, before reducing back to the average once the drought was broken for four species: (1) the black-shouldered kite; (2) the black-tailed native-hen; (3) the tawny-crowned honeyeater; and (4) the western spinebill. Cumulative 6-month rainfall was a strong predictor for the raptor and the two honeyeaters. Other similar species showed no significant change in reporting rate, suggesting the effect is highly species dependent. Conclusions Multiple different types of birds may utilize urban areas during drought events. Further research is needed to identify what drives movement of wildlife in response to such events, and the type of urban resources the birds are using. Implications Urban ecosystems should be integrated into broader conservation plans to support species through the interacting challenges posed by climate change and urbanization.
Latitudinal and Solar Cycle Distribution of Extreme (≥X5) Flares During 1976–2018
Authors: Li Qi , Zhang Xi-Wen , Le Gui-Ming
Published: November 2024

We studied the latitudinal and solar cycle distribution of extreme (≥X5) solar flares spanning 1976–2018. We found that all such flares were confined within the latitudinal range of [S30, N35]. Nonetheless, the majority of these flares during different solar cycles were confined in different latitudinal scopes. Statistical results showed that the southeast quadrant experienced the highest activity of extreme flares. 47.5% of the extreme flares occurred within the latitudes ≤15° of the two hemispheres, with 26.2%, 31.1%, and 42.6% in the latitudinal bands [5°, 10°], >20° and [11°, 20°] of both hemispheres, respectively. Significant N–S asymmetries were observed in the ascending phase of SC 21, the descending phase of SC 23, and both phases of SC 24. Other phases showed asymmetries primarily in latitudinal distribution. The proportion of extreme flares in the ascending phases of SCs 21–24 was 22.2%, 33.3%, 38.9%, and 50%, respectively. Stronger flares (≥X10) were more likely to occur in the descending phase, with 39% of X5–X9 flares and 20% of (≥X10) flares occurring in the ascending phase. On average, 83.6% of extreme flares occurred within a period extending from two years prior to three years following the solar peak, according to our statistical analysis, with specific percentages for each cycle being 88.9%, 100%, 61.1%, and 75%.
A systematic review on feature extraction methods and deep learning models for detection of cancerous lung nodules at an early stage –the recent trends and challenges
Authors: Palani Mathumetha , Rajagopal Sivakumar , Chintanpalli Anantha Krishna
Published: November 2024

Lung cancer is one of the most common life-threatening worldwide cancers affecting both the male and the female populations. The appearance of nodules in the scan image is an early indication of the development of cancer cells in the lung. The Low Dose Computed Tomography screening technique is used for the early detection of cancer nodules. Therefore, with more Computed Tomography (CT) lung profiles, an automated lung nodule analysis system can be utilized through image processing techniques and neural network algorithms. A CT image of the lung consists of many elements such as blood vessels, ribs, nodules, sternum, bronchi and nodules. These nodules can be both benign and malignant, where the latter leads to lung cancer. Detecting them at an earlier stage can increase life expectancy by up to 5 to 10 years. To analyse only the nodules from the profile, the respected features are extracted using image processing techniques. Based on the review, textural features were the promising ones in medical image analysis and for solving computer vision problems. The importance of uncovering the hidden features allows Deep Learning algorithms (DL) to function better, especially in medical imaging, where accuracy has improved. The earlier detection of cancerous lung nodules is possible through the combination of multi-featured extraction and classification techniques using image data. This technique can be a breakthrough in the deep learning area by providing the appropriate features. One of the greatest challenges is the incorrect identification of malignant nodules results in a higher false positive rate during the prediction. The suitable features make the system more precise in prognosis. In this paper, the overview of lung cancer along with the publicly available datasets is discussed for the research purposes. They are mainly focused on the recent research that combines feature extraction and deep learning algorithms used to reduce the false positive rate in the automated detection of lung nodules. The primary objective of the paper is to provide the importance of textural features when combined with different deep-learning models. It gives insights into their advantages, disadvantages and limitations regarding possible research gaps. These papers compare the recent studies of deep learning models with and without feature extraction and conclude that DL models that include feature extraction are better than the others.
Near-optimal quantum kernel principal component analysis
Authors: Wang Youle
Published: November 2024

Kernel principal component analysis (kernel PCA) is a nonlinear dimensionality reduction technique that employs kernel functions to map data into a high-dimensional feature space, thereby extending the applicability of linear PCA to nonlinear data and facilitating the extraction of informative principal components. However, kernel PCA necessitates the manipulation of large-scale matrices, leading to high computational complexity and posing challenges for efficient implementation in big data environments. Quantum computing has recently been integrated with kernel methods in machine learning, enabling effective analysis of input data within intractable feature spaces. Although existing quantum kernel PCA proposals promise exponential speedups, they impose stringent requirements on quantum hardware that are challenging to fulfill. In this work, we propose a quantum algorithm for kernel PCA by establishing a connection between quantum kernel methods and block encoding, thereby diagonalizing the centralized kernel matrix on a quantum computer. The query complexity is logarithmic with respect to the size of the data vector, D, and linear with respect to the size of the dataset. An exponential speedup could be achieved when the dataset consists of a few high-dimensional vectors, wherein the dataset size is polynomial in

log
⁡
(
D
)

, with D being significantly large. In contrast to existing work, our algorithm enhances the efficiency of quantum kernel PCA and reduces the requirements for quantum hardware. Furthermore, we have also demonstrated that the algorithm based on block encoding matches the lower bound of query complexity, indicating that our algorithm is nearly optimal. Our research has laid down new pathways for developing quantum machine learning algorithms aimed at addressing tangible real-world problems and demonstrating quantum advantages within machine learning.
Digital–analog quantum learning on Rydberg atom arrays
Authors: Lu Jonathan Z , Jiao Lucy , Wolinski Kristina , Kornjača Milan , Hu Hong-Ye , Cantu Sergio , Liu Fangli , Yelin Susanne F , Wang Sheng-Tao
Published: November 2024

We propose hybrid digital–analog (DA) learning algorithms on Rydberg atom arrays, combining the potentially practical utility and near-term realizability of quantum learning with the rapidly scaling architectures of neutral atoms. Our construction requires only single-qubit operations in the digital setting and global driving according to the Rydberg Hamiltonian in the analog setting. We perform a comprehensive numerical study of our algorithm on both classical and quantum data, given respectively by handwritten digit classification and unsupervised quantum phase boundary learning. We show in the two representative problems that DA learning is not only feasible in the near term, but also requires shorter circuit depths and is more robust to realistic error models as compared to digital learning schemes. Our results suggest that DA learning opens a promising path towards improved variational quantum learning experiments in the near term.
Impact of coil envelope on the coupling coefficient in magnetic induction wireless power transmission systems
Authors: Bidjagare Akiza , Adanlete Adjanoh Assiongbon , Afenyiveh Dzo Mawuefa Serge
Published: November 2024

Research in the field of wireless energy transmission by magnetic induction has increased in recent years, due to the diversity of applications, such as medicine, electronics, and transport, that require this technology. Despite its maturity to date, this technology has struggled itself due to the short transmission distance and low coupling coefficient between the transmitting and receiving coils. These coils are usually protected by an envelope. However, the impact of the nature of the envelope on the coupling coefficient has not been studied. This work focuses on the impact of the nature of the coil protection envelope on the coupling coefficient. Three-dimensional flat spiral coils and the protective envelope are modeled and subjected to parametric analysis with variable air gaps and frequencies using ANSYS-Electronics Maxwell 2022 R1 software with the finite element method (FEM). Simulation results show that a coil protected by an insulating envelope has a higher coupling coefficient than a coil protected by a conducting material. Simulation in this work have also shown that the coupling coefficient decreases as operating frequencies increase. The ohmic losses in coils protected by an insulating envelope are greater than those in coils protected by a conductive material.
The effects of multimodal versus opioid-only analgesia on pain control and opioid exposure for inpatient acute pancreatitis: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Hanners Emily K , Thambi Mathew , Soni Hailey P , Jun Julie , Datta Avisek , Bhaumik Dulal , M. Stranges Paul
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common gastrointestinal condition that carries a significant financial and physical burden for patients due to the painful presentation and frequent need for hospitalization. Treatment varies in the type and route of analgesic used. Unmanaged pain can lead to worsening health outcomes and prolonged admissions. Further research is needed to understand current practices for managing AP.

Methods

This study was a retrospective, exploratory, single-center cohort study. Patients admitted to an internal medicine unit with AP from September 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, were included. Our primary outcome was the change in pain scores during the first 24-hours after administration of the first pain-relieving medication. Secondary outcomes included change in pain scores within the first 12-hours, time to oral tolerance, characterization of analgesic orders, comparison of median pain scores by home analgesic usage, and specific inpatient opioid use.

Results

One hundred sixty-nine patients were screened, and 94 were included in the study. Forty-four patients were assigned to the multimodal cohort and 50 patients to the opioid-only cohort. Changes in pain scores per unit of time, assessed by a mixed-effects model, within the first 24 hours were –0.080 (SE, 0.018) in the multimodal cohort and –0.090 (SE, 0.014) in the opioid-only cohort (P = 0.780). Morphine milligram equivalents (MME) administered in the multimodal and opioid-only cohorts were 24.50 (interquartile range [IQR], 51.75) and 52.5 (IQR, 68.5) (P = 0.001), respectively.

Conclusion

There was no significant difference in the change in pain scores between patients receiving multimodal therapy and those receiving opioids only. Significantly fewer MME were administered in the multimodal group, suggesting that multimodal therapy can be opioid-sparing in AP.
What’s The Point of Constitutional Monarchy?
Authors: Barber N W
Published: November 2024

The article examines the point of constitutional monarchy as a form of leadership. It considers five functions of leadership and examines the extent to which constitutional monarchy fits these functions. It concludes the best argument for monarchy is found in the role of leader as exemplar, the capacity to act as prototypical group member. As such, the monarch exemplifies the values of state membership, acting as a point of reference and reassurance. Moreover, as the monarch can embody a range of differing conceptions of prototypicality, she can possess different meanings for different state members, providing a shared point of identification for those who would otherwise disagree. However, the mode of selection of the monarch is problematic, making it improbable officeholders will invariably possess the capacity to fulfil the role and bringing moral costs. In consequence, monarchy is a time-limited constitutional form, a transitional mode of leadership.
Effect of Facial Acupuncture Stimulation: MRI-Based Masseter Muscle Volume Analysis and Questionnaire Evaluation
Authors: Ogino Mieko , Iijima Megumi , Okada Yukinori , Okuda Itsuko
Published: November 2024

Background

Cosmetic acupuncture may reduce wrinkles, swelling, sagging, and facial asymmetry and may lift facial contours.

Objectives

To investigate the impact of cosmetic acupuncture on masseter muscle volume and its implications for facial aesthetics.

Methods

The authors included 10 apparently healthy adult females (average age, 50.3 ± 6.45 years) and performed acupuncture once a week for 8 weeks. MRI was conducted before acupuncture stimulation and 3 days after the treatment. The collected image data were analyzed using ZioCube software (ZioSoft Co., Ltd, Tokyo). Before and after the intervention, 2 evaluators measured the masseter muscle volume 3 times each and calculated the average value.

Results

The average total volume of the left and right masseter muscles decreased from 40.73 ± 8.2 to 37.81 ± 8.57 cm3 after cosmetic acupuncture, a significant reduction of 2.92 ± 2.48 cm3 (7.37%, P < .05). All 10 subjective evaluation items showed significant decreases, particularly in facial sagging, contour, and asymmetry, confirming aesthetic improvements and psychological satisfaction among participants. Cosmetic acupuncture reduced masseter muscle volume, leading to noticeable aesthetic benefits.

Conclusions

Acupuncture stimulation at acupoints around the masseter muscle can reduce the muscle volume because of muscle relaxation. The improvement in subjective evaluation and changes and decreases in masseter muscle shape enable the attainment of facial contour aesthetics, contributing to the evidence in support of cosmetic acupuncture.

Level of Evidence: 4 (Therapeutic)
Lipid metabolism and food ingredients from the perspective of thermogenic adipocytes
Authors: Takada Mai , Kawarasaki Satoko , Kwon Jungin , Ni Zheng , Takahashi Haruya , Inoue Kazuo , Goto Tsuyoshi
Published: November 2024

The high heat-producing capacity of brown and beige adipocytes, collectively known as thermogenic adipocytes, contributes to whole-body energy expenditure and is an attractive target for the management of obesity. It has been revealed that the functions of thermogenic adipocytes are important for the regulation of whole-body carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and the activation of thermogenic adipocytes seems to have beneficial effects for the management of obesity-related metabolic disorders, such as dyslipidemia. Recent studies have showed that specific food ingredients have the potential to activate thermogenic adipocytes via various mechanisms. Some of these are effective not only in rodents, but also in humans, and effective prevention of obesity using these food ingredients is expected. In this review, we introduce the recent findings on the regulatory mechanisms of lipid metabolism by thermogenic adipocytes and food ingredients, demonstrating the potential to activate thermogenic adipocytes and their underlying mechanisms.
Managing emotions and occupational demands: A phenomenological exploration of the experiences of child exploitation support workers
Authors: Mason Sarah-Jane , Childs Carrie
Published: November 2024

Protecting children from criminal and sexual exploitation is a priority for safeguarding teams across the globe. Supporting children who are at risk of exploitation is a demanding role with high staff turnover. Experiences of third-sector child exploitation support workers, commissioned to deliver interventions to safeguard children from exploitation, have been neglected. This study presents an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of semi-structured interviews of eight child exploitation support workers employed by a service in England. Three experiential group themes were developed that captured the emotional and occupational complexities of their experiences performing their role. ‘Costs and Rewards of Emotional Labour’ depicted how emotions were managed to meet the requirements of the role. ‘Navigating Autonomy: The Double-Edged Sword of Empowerment and Loneliness’ highlighted unique perceptions of autonomous working. ‘“We are in really vulnerable situations at times”: Exploring Perceptions of Risk’ demonstrated how, collectively, participants felt vulnerable to risks when carrying out their role. The study provides insight that these third-sector employees face similar challenges as the regulated workforce and that it is crucial that policymakers and senior managers develop safety and system improvements to increase employees’ perceived and actual safety and well-being.
Factors associated with the school exclusion gap for children with social work involvement: A retrospective cohort study using national administrative data
Authors: Hood Rick , Goldacre Allie , Jones Edward , Martin Emma , Clements Keith , Webb Calum
Published: November 2024

Children who receive social care services are known to have higher exclusion rates than those without social care involvement. However, there is limited evidence on which groups of children are most at risk of this exclusion gap. This article reports on a retrospective analysis of administrative data from the National Pupil Database in England, covering two age-based cohorts of children (n = 1.2 million) who took standardized tests in 2019. Children receiving social care services within the previous five years were compared with those with no social care involvement, focusing on rates of exclusion within a 12 month period. Regression models were estimated to examine how the relative likelihood of exclusion was associated with a range of covariates, including demographic characteristics, special educational needs and disabilities, categories of social care need, and various aspects of provision. Results showed that the gap in exclusions was wider for children with multiple episodes of social care involvement, some—but not all—types of special educational needs and disabilities, and for certain categories of social care needs. Implications for policy and practice are discussed, particularly with respect to children with behavioural difficulties.
Alternatively activated macrophages are associated with faster growth rate in vestibular schwannoma
Authors: Gregory Grace E , Haley Michael J , Jones Adam P , Hannan Cathal J , Evans D Gareth , King Andrew T , Paszek Pawel , Pathmanaban Omar N , Couper Kevin N , Brough David
Published: November 2024

The variability in vestibular schwannoma growth rates greatly complicates clinical treatment. Management options are limited to radiological observation, surgery, radiotherapy and, in specific cases, bevacizumab therapy. As such, there is a pressing requirement for growth restricting drugs for vestibular schwannoma. This study explored potential predictors of vestibular schwannoma growth in depth, highlighting differences between static and growing vestibular schwannoma to identify potential therapeutic targets. High-dimensional imaging was used to characterize the tumour micro-environment of four static and five growing vestibular schwannoma (indicated by volumetric change < 20% or ≥ 20% per year, respectively). Single-cell spatial information and protein expression data from a panel of 35 tumour immune-targeted antibodies identified specific cell populations, their expression profiles and their spatial localization within the tumour micro-environment. Growing vestibular schwannoma contained significantly more proliferative and non-proliferative alternatively activated tumour-associated macrophages per millimetre square compared with static vestibular schwannoma. Furthermore, two additional proliferative cell types were identified in growing and static vestibular schwannoma: transitioning monocytes and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1+) Schwann cells. In agreement, growing vestibular schwannoma was characterized by a tumour micro-environment composed of immune-enriched, proliferative neighbourhoods, whereas static vestibular schwannoma were composed of tumour-enriched, non-proliferative neighbourhoods. Finally, classically activated macrophages significantly colocalized with alternatively activated macrophages in static vestibular schwannoma, but this sequestration was reduced in growing vestibular schwannoma. This study provides a novel, spatial characterization of the immune landscape in growing vestibular schwannoma, whilst highlighting the need for new therapeutic targets that modulate the tumour immune micro-environment.
Structural covariance alterations reveal motor damage in periventricular leukomalacia
Authors: Lin Jieqiong , Zhao Xin , Qi Xinxin , Zhao Wen , Teng Songyu , Mo Tong , Xiao Xin , Li Peng , Chen Turong , Yun Guojun , Zeng Hongwu
Published: November 2024

Periventricular leukomalacia is a common neuroimaging finding in patients with spastic cerebral palsy. Myelin damage disrupts neuronal connectivity. However, specific alterations in the grey matter structure and their impact on the whole brain remain unclear, particularly when differentiating between preterm and full-term periventricular leukomalacia. This study investigated the grey matter network alterations following early white matter injury in infants and young children. High-resolution T1-weighted 3 T brain magnetic resonance imaging, clinical data and motor function scores were collected from 42 children with periventricular leukomalacia and 38 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Based on gestational age, the periventricular leukomalacia group was stratified into preterm (n = 27) and full-term (n = 15) groups. Voxel-based morphometry was used to analyse whole-brain structural metrics, and motor-related regions were selected as nodes for network construction. Structural covariance analysis was used to quantify the strength of the structural connections between grey matter regions, and graph theory metrics were used to assess network properties. Motor assessments included gross and fine motor skills, and their associations with brain regions were analysed. Both preterm and full-term periventricular leukomalacia groups exhibited abnormal motor networks. Preterm periventricular leukomalacia showed more extensive central grey matter nuclei atrophy, whereas full-term periventricular leukomalacia was predominantly localized to the motor cortex. Children with periventricular leukomalacia displayed decreased connectivity between the central grey matter nuclei and other regions, coupled with increased connectivity between the motor cortex and cerebellar hemispheres. Thalamic volume correlated with gross motor scores in preterm infants. These findings suggest that ischaemic–hypoxic injury disrupts motor grey matter networks, with preterm infants being more severely affected. This study highlights the potential of structural covariance patterns for monitoring brain development and advancing our understanding of aberrant brain development in children with periventricular leukomalacia.
Digital journalism, ethnic media, and transcultural potential
Authors: Yu Sherry S , Atrchian Borna
Published: November 2024

Ethnic media serve a myriad of functions within their respective ethnic communities. However, less attention has been paid to their role within broader society. Using Brantner and Herczeg’s concept of “transcultural ethnic media,” this study identifies typologies of online English or bilingual ethnic media originating in Canada and explores their transcultural potential. A mixed methods approach, through the examination of these media’s mission statements and the analysis of interviews with media practitioners as well as news articles from New Canadian Media (NCM) and The Caribbean Camera (TCC), identifies a set of typologies (cultural, multicultural, and transcultural ethnic media) that can serve as a new conceptual lens through which ethnic media can be studied. Further, transculturality appears to primarily be a function, rather than an intention, for cultural ethnic media, and operates within and between communities for transcultural ethnic media.
Employer as an AI System Operator and Tortious Liability for Damage Caused by AI Systems: European and US Perspectives
Authors: Gredka-Ligarska Iwona
Published: November 2024

The article examines if the standard of protecting parties injured by artificial intelligence (AI) systems used by professional operators is high in the European Union (EU) as compared to the USA—that is, whether the liability model of an operator, as applicable in the EU, ensures that injured parties have effective protection. For the purposes of this article, the term ‘effective protection’ should be understood as referring to a liability model guaranteeing to injured parties a real possibility of obtaining due compensation without the burden of proof that a claimant cannot fulfil. The EU legislature has proposed amendments in the area of non-contractual civil liability of AI system users, which also includes professional operators of such systems. An employer using an AI system for professional or commercial purposes and deriving profits from such use qualifies, in a legal sense, as a professional operator of such a system. Therefore, it is worth considering the question whether the EU, compared to the USA, is really in the vanguard when it comes to drafting legislation tailored to the challenges of AI technology and if the currently proposed legislative amendments ensure effective legal protection to persons injured by AI systems used by a professional operator.
Refining the CHA2DS2VASc risk stratification scheme: shall we drop the sex category criterion?
Authors: Yoshimura Hiroyuki , Providencia Rui , Finan Chris , Schmidt Amand Floriaan , Lip Gregory Y H
Published: November 2024

Aims

The CHA2DS2VASc score is recommended for stroke risk stratification in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). This score assigns one extra point to female sex based on evidence from the early 2000s, suggesting higher thromboembolic risk in women. This incremental risk of thromboembolism in women has decreased over time between 2007 and 2018, becoming non-significant in recent years. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of removing the sex category (Sc) from the CHA2DS2VASc score, thus validating a non-sex CHA2DS2VASc (i.e. CHA2DS2VA) score.

Methods and results

We analysed UK primary and secondary care data comprising 195 719 patients with AF followed between 1998 and 2016 (mean age: 75.9 ± 12.3 years; 49.2% women). Among 126 428 non-anticoagulated patients, we compared the CHA2DS2VASc vs. CHA2DS2VA scores every calendar year. Throughout 413 007 patient-years, a total of 8742 events of ischaemic stroke or systemic embolism were recorded. Sex differences in thromboembolic risk were not observed in the lower-risk population, but higher stroke rates were consistently seen in female patients in the higher-risk category (i.e. CHA2DS2VA ≥2). C-statistics for both CHA2DS2VA and CHA2DS2VASc scores were similar over the years (ranging from 0.62 to 0.71). With CHA2DS2VA, no relevant differences were observed in integrated discrimination improvement, and net reclassification improvement (NRI) resulted in improved reclassification (11%) in lower thromboembolic risk groups. The NRI suggested misclassification in higher thromboembolic risk patients (−7%), but this did not affect their indication for anticoagulation (i.e. patients retained their high-risk status).

Conclusion

Removing Sc from the CHA2DS2VASc score does not affect its ability to discriminate thromboembolic events in the population with AF. The use of CHA2DS2VA may simplify initial decision-making for thromboprophylaxis.
Convergent evolution in shape in European lineages of gobies
Authors: Vukić Jasna , Bílá Kristina Beatrix , Soukupová Tereza , Kovačić Marcelo , Šanda Radek , Kratochvíl Lukáš
Published: November 2024

During their radiation, certain groups of animals evolved significant phenotypic disparity (morphological diversity), enabling them to thrive in diverse environments. Adaptations to the same type of environment can lead to convergent evolution in function and morphology. However, well-documented examples in repeated adaptations of teleost fishes to different habitats, which are not primarily related to trophic specialization, are still scarce. Gobies are a remarkable fish group, exhibiting a great species diversity, morphological variability, and extraordinary ability to colonize very different environments. A variety of lifestyles and body forms evolved also in European lineages of gobies. We conducted two-dimensional geometric morphometric and phylomorphospace analyses in European lineages of gobies and evaluated the extent of convergent evolution in shape associated with adaptation to various habitats. Our analyses revealed the change in shape along the nektonic-cryptobenthic axis, from very slender head and body to stout body and wide head. We showed convergent evolution related to mode of locomotion in the given habitat in four ecological groups: nektonic, hyperbenthic, cryptobenthic, and freshwater gobies. Gobies, therefore, emerge as a highly diversified lineage with unique lifestyle variations, offering invaluable insights into filling of ecomorphological space and mechanisms of adaptation to various aquatic environments with distinct locomotion requirements.
MetaCompare 2.0: differential ranking of ecological and human health resistome risks
Authors: Rumi Monjura Afrin , Oh Min , Davis Benjamin C , Brown Connor L , Juvekar Adheesh , Vikesland Peter J , Pruden Amy , Zhang Liqing
Published: November 2024

While numerous environmental factors contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), quantifying their relative contributions remains a fundamental challenge. Similarly, it is important to differentiate acute human health risks from environmental exposure, versus broader ecological risk of ARG evolution and spread across microbial taxa. Recent studies have proposed various methods for achieving such aims. Here, we introduce MetaCompare 2.0, which improves upon original MetaCompare pipeline by differentiating indicators of human health resistome risk (potential for human pathogens of acute resistance concern to acquire ARGs) from ecological resistome risk (overall mobility of ARGs and potential for pathogen acquisition). The updated pipeline's sensitivity was demonstrated by analyzing diverse publicly-available metagenomes from wastewater, surface water, soil, sediment, human gut, and synthetic microbial communities. MetaCompare 2.0 provided distinct rankings of the metagenomes according to both human health resistome risk and ecological resistome risk, with both scores trending higher when influenced by anthropogenic impact or other stress. We evaluated the robustness of the pipeline to sequence assembly methods, sequencing depth, contig count, and metagenomic library coverage bias. The risk scores were remarkably consistent despite variations in these technological aspects. We packaged the improved pipeline into a publicly-available web service (http://metacompare.cs.vt.edu/) that provides an easy-to-use interface for computing resistome risk scores and visualizing results.
Imipenem exposure influences the expression of quorum-sensing receptor sdiA in Escherichia coli
Authors: Deshamukhya Chandrayee , Begom Ferdous , Das Bhaskar Jyoti , Laskar Monjur Ahmed , Goala Sangeeta , Choudhury Manabendra Dutta , Dhar (Chanda) Debadatta , Bhattacharjee Amitabha
Published: November 2024

The increasing trend of carbapenem resistance amongst Escherichia coli poses a major public health crisis and requires active surveillance of resistance mechanisms to control the threat. Quorum-sensing system plays a role in bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Quorum sensing is a cell–cell communication system where bacteria alter their gene expression in response to specific stimuli. Here, in this study we investigated the transcriptional response of quorum-sensing receptor, sdiA in E. coli under sub-inhibitory concentration of carbapenem in the presence of quorum-sensing signal molecules. Two E. coli isolates harbouring blaNDM were subjected to treatment with 10% Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS) for 20 consecutive days of which blaNDM encoding plasmid was successfully eliminated from one isolate. Both the wild type and the cured mutant were then allowed to grow under eight different inducing conditions and the transcriptional response of sdiA gene was studied by quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methodt. We found different response levels of sdiA in wild type and cured mutant under exogenous AHL and imipenem and when co-cultured with Pseudomonas aeruginosa under imipenem stress. This study highlighted that sub-inhibitory concentration of imipenem in combination with AHL is acting as a signal to SdiA, a quorum-sensing receptor in E. coli.
Classification of images derived from submarine fibre optic sensing: detecting broadband seismic activity from hydroacoustic signals
Authors: Matthaiou Ioannis , Masoudi Ali , Araki Eiichiro , Kodaira Shuichi , Modafferi Stefano , Brambilla Gilberto
Published: November 2024

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is an optoelectronic technology that utilizes fibre optic cables to detect disturbances caused by seismic waves. Using DAS, seismologists can monitor geophysical phenomena at high spatial and temporal resolutions over long distances in inhospitable environments. Field experiments using DAS, are typically associated with large volumes of observations, requiring algorithms for efficient processing and monitoring capabilities. In this study, we present a supervised classifier trained to recognize seismic activity from other sources of hydroacoustic energy. Our classifier is based on a 2-D convolutional neural network architecture. The 55-km-long ocean-bottom fibre optic cable, located off Cape Muroto in southwest of Japan, was interrogated using DAS. Data were collected during two different monitoring time periods. Optimization of the model’s hyperparameters using Gaussian Processes Regression was necessary to prevent issues associated with small sizes of training data. Using a test set of 100 labeled images, the highest-performing model achieved an average classification accuracy of 92 per cent, correctly classifying 100 per cent of instances in the geophysical class, 80 per cent in the non-geophysical class and 96 per cent in ambient noise class. This performance demonstrates the model's effectiveness in distinguishing between geophysical data, various sources of hydroacoustic energy, and ambient noise.
The role of state-of-the-art IVF care as a marker of societal development
Authors: Quaas Alexander M , Adashi Eli Y , Paulson Richard J
Published: November 2024

Access to state-of-the-art ART can be viewed as a marker of societal development. The recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling represents a major local setback in the access to state-of-the-art ART. If this isolated local incident becomes a national trend, the USA will lose ground in this emerging area of healthcare, and its citizens will be left with substandard treatment options for the redress of infertility.
Anhedonia is associated with a specific depression profile and poor antidepressant response
Authors: Luca Antonina , Luca Maria , Kasper Siegfried , Pecorino Basilio , Zohar Joseph , Souery Daniel , Montgomery Stuart , Ferentinos Panagiotis , Rujescu Dan , Messina Antonino , Zanardi Raffaella , Ferri Raffaele , Tripodi Mariangela , Baune Bernhard T , Fanelli Giuseppe , Fabbri Chiara , Mendlewicz Julien , Serretti Alessandro
Published: November 2024

Background

Anhedonic features within major depressive disorder (MDD) have been associated with worse course and outcome and may predict nonresponse to treatment. However, a detailed clinical profile of anhedonia in MDD is still lacking.

Materials and Methods

One thousand two hundred ninety-four patients with MDD were selected from the cross-sectional European multicenter Group for the Study of Resistant Depression study. Anhedonia was assessed through the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale anhedonia item “inability to feel.” Clinical and demographic features were then analyzed.

Results

The presence of anhedonia related to a distinct demographical (living alone) and clinical profile (thyroid diseases, diabetes, suicide risk, high number of previous depressive episodes, more severe MDD, and more frequent inpatient status). Furthermore, anhedonia was associated with nonresponse to treatment and treatment resistance, even after adjusting for confounding variables.

Conclusions

Our findings support the role of anhedonia as a modulating feature of MDD, being associated with a more severe depression profile. Moreover, anhedonic features are independent predictors of poor treatment response.
Stability estimates of Nyström discretizations of Helmholtz decomposition boundary integral equation formulations for the solution of Navier scattering problems in two dimensions with Dirichlet boundary conditions
Authors: Domínguez Víctor , Turc Catalin
Published: November 2024

Helmholtz decompositions of elastic fields is a common approach for the solution of Navier scattering problems. Used in the context of boundary integral equations (BIE), this approach affords solutions of Navier problems via the simpler Helmholtz boundary integral operators (BIOs). Approximations of Helmholtz Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN) can be employed within a regularizing combined field strategy to deliver BIE formulations of the second kind for the solution of Navier scattering problems in two dimensions with Dirichlet boundary conditions, at least in the case of smooth boundaries. Unlike the case of scattering and transmission Helmholtz problems, the approximations of the DtN maps we use in the Helmholtz decomposition BIE in the Navier case require incorporation of lower order terms in their pseudodifferential asymptotic expansions. The presence of these lower order terms in the Navier regularized BIE formulations complicates the stability analysis of their Nyström discretizations in the framework of global trigonometric interpolation and the Kussmaul–Martensen kernel singularity splitting strategy. The main difficulty stems from compositions of pseudodifferential operators of opposite orders, whose Nyström discretization must be performed with care via pseudodifferential expansions beyond the principal symbol. The error analysis is significantly simpler in the case of arclength boundary parametrizations and considerably more involved in the case of general smooth parametrizations that are typically encountered in the description of one-dimensional closed curves.
Phylogenetic analysis of Syrphidae (Insecta, Diptera) based on low-coverage whole genomes
Authors: Wu Gang , Li Hu , Mengual Ximo , Wang Yifan , Zhao Rui
Published: November 2024

The hoverflies are one of the most abundant families in Diptera and an important category of resource insects. They can provide important ecosystem services such as pollination and beneficial biological control agents. In the four-subfamily classification system of the Syrphidae, the monophyly of the Eristalinae within Syrphidae has not been recovered. In this study, we performed new sequencing and analysis of low-coverage whole genomes for 25 species of Syrphidae. Phylogenetic reconstructions were conducted based on different datasets and analytical strategies. Across all our analyses, the monophyly of the Syrphinae is supported but we do not recover the monophyly of the Eristalinae, consistent with previous research findings. Additionally, employing fossil calibrations for divergence time estimation, our results indicate that the origin of the Syrphidae occurred between the Albian and Aptian stages, approximately between 120.5 and 109.3 million years ago, the origin of the subfamily Syrphinae was dated in the Early Eocene, about 50.8–47.8 million years ago, in accordance with the diversification of their prey. This study will help us understand the higher-level phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships within Syrphidae.